The Heights, Nov 14, 2022

OPINIONS

Columnist Cameron Walker discusses Taylor Swift’s upcoming tour and the stressful process of getting tickets.

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An Inside Look at BC Dining

By Amy PAlmer Assoc. News Editor SofiA lABoy Asst. News Editor

This is the first installment of a three-part series about BC Dining.

Jamie D’Ambra, MCAS ’25, was finishing her chicken and two sides—a Boston College Dining classic—when her roommate noticed something dark peeping out of the vegetables.

Unsure of what it was, D’Ambra said the two pushed the vegetables aside and uncovered a giant black bug.

“It was so big,” she said. “It did not look like any bug I’ve seen before, and it was clearly cooked into the food. I was really shocked.”

Students from other tables in Lower Live crowded around D’Ambra to get a look, she said.

“I was so shocked and kind of overwhelmed with everyone coming around me and saying I had to do different things about it,” D’Ambra said. “I was really disgusted by it.”

D’Ambra is one of many students

M etro

who claim to have encountered issues with BC Dining meals, ranging from finding bugs in their food to being served raw eggs. Others have even reported experiencing multiple allergic reactions to meals they received at BC.

One of these students is Rachel Belanger, MCAS ’23, who said that after one incident, she can no longer bring herself to have chicken caesar salad in the dining halls.

“I picked up a piece of chicken and realized there was something hard in it,” Belanger said. “I looked at it, and it was a decent 2-inch-sized bone.”

Belanger said she kept her salad and ate around the chicken, but D’Ambra did not keep her dish. Instead, she brought hers back to one of the dining hall managers, she said, who immediately took it into the back.

“I was also kind of surprised by [that]—like they didn’t want anyone else to see what was happening,” D’Ambra said.

MAGAZINE

Taking the bus can be inconvenient, but living on Newton Campus can be great—here’s how to make the most of it.

BC Upsets NC State for First Ranked Win Since 2014

By GrAhAm Dietz Assoc. Sports Editor

The foundations of a losing season can sometimes pay dividends down the line for a college football team.

That’s the case for NC State, which improved from a 4–8 record in 2019 to a 7–2 record heading into its Week 11 matchup with Boston College football in 2022. Two or three years from now, BC (3–7, 2–5 Atlantic Coast) can only hope it will have rebounded as well as NC State (7–3, 3–3) has this season.

BC took a step in the right direction on Saturday. Head coach Jeff Hafley’s Eagles took the Wolfpack down, spoiling senior night in Raleigh. BC shocked No. 17 NC State with a 21–20 victory, pulling off its first win against an AP Top–25 ranked opponent since beating then-No. 9 Southern California in 2014.

In MJ Morris’ second career start for NC State, the young signal caller—starting in place of Devin Leary, who’s out for the rest of the season— imploded in the second half, leading

to the Eagles’ go-ahead touchdown from backup quarterback Emmett Morehead to freshman Joseph Griffin Jr. with 14 seconds remaining.

“Hugs, tears, dancing, loud, a lot of hugs,” Hafley said of the locker room atmosphere after the game. “A lot of guys are just letting it all out. It’s the No. 16 team in the country going for 17 straight wins at home [with] 30-plus fifth-year [and] sixth-year guys walking out. No one thought we could win.”

See Football, A11

Pedaling and Pancakes: Brickner Traverses U.S. by Bike

y B eth V erGhe S e Asst. News Editor

Leo Brickner had never biked for more than 20 consecutive minutes before this summer. Now, Brickner can say he biked 3,623.8 miles in 49 days. In June and July, he cycled from Washington state to Maine alongside his high school friend.

Brickner, MCAS ’25, and Patrick O’Connell completed the Northern Tier Bike Route during their trip, cycling through Washington, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ontario, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Brickner, who is from New Jersey, took a cross-country road trip during the COVID-19 pandemic from his home state to Los Angeles, Calif. Seeing the United States in

such a way was eye-opening, he said, and he wanted to experience the country similarly again but at a slower pace. Brickner pitched the plan to high school friend O’Connell, a current sophomore at Princeton University, who agreed a bike trip would be the perfect opportunity to see the country, O’Connell said.

“[Brickner] said to me, ‘You’re like the one guy who I think will actually go through with this,’ and I was like, ‘Why not!’” O’Connell said. “I was kind of offered the opportunity and did it because the country is there.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF LEO BRICKNER

ANEESA WERMERS / HEIGHTS STAFF

JESS RIVILIS / HEIGHTS ARCHIVES

STEVE MOONEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

B

The heighTs

Listen to BC alum Courtney Nolan, director of account management for corporate wellness at Peloton, discuss health in the workplace and her transition into the business world this Monday at 3 p.m. on Zoom.

As part of the Rewilding Planet Earth lecture series, author Frances Moore Lappé will speak about how ecological devastation impacts agricultural systems on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Fulton 511.

Hear world-renowned social scientist Craig Calhoun lecture on the underlying causes of democratic decline, as explored in his book Degenerations of Democracy, this Thursday at 4 p.m. in Gasson 100.

A Look Inside BC Dining: Mishaps, Raw Eggs, and Bugs

The manager offered D’Ambra her dinner for free and said they would contact their purveyor about the incident, she said.

But D’Ambra said she felt like she never got a conclusion—she never figured out how the bug ended up in her food or how BC Dining would prevent it from happening again. To her, it seemed like BC Dining was more focused on making her feel better in the moment and not as focused on hearing her concerns.

“It was more them telling me that I could get my meals for free and that would solve all the issues,” she said. “I was more concerned about bugs being in other people’s food.”

Though she now avoids vegetable medleys at Lower, D’Ambra said this incident did not stop her from eating BC Dining food—she is just more careful.

Lily Simmons, MCAS ’25, said she also has to be careful eating at BC Dining after having 10 allergic reactions to the food.

Simmons develops an itchy throat and hives when eating soy or nuts, she said, though she has not commu-

nicated her allergies to BC Dining.

“I have to carry a little allergy bag with me everywhere because I never know if I’ll just spur of the moment have a reaction to something due to cross contamination,” Simmons said.

The first allergic reaction Simmons had at BC occurred during her freshman year orientation after getting breakfast with her roommate, she said. Simmons said she was surprised to find soy flour listed as a waffle ingredient on the BC Dining website after her reaction.

“I got the waffles because I’ve had waffles my whole life. I thought that would be harmless,” Simmons said. “And then we were on our way down to Conte [Forum], and I started having an allergic reaction.”

Although she avoids soy products such as edamame and tofu, Simmons said she still has frequent allergic reactions to BC Dining salads because of what she believes to be cross contamination.

“Many times that I’ve gotten the salad, I’ve gotten hives on my face after eating it,” Simmons said. “I know what pills to take at this point, but it’s just kind of frustrating because I shouldn’t have to take pills after just

having lunch.”

But some students, like Kristen Bayreuther, MCAS ’23, have encountered issues with BC Dining meals even before lunchtime. Bayreuther does not usually go to the Lower Live dining hall, she said, but one morning she decided to get two hardboiled eggs.

“As I start to peel my egg, I can see that there’s an actual sack still there,” she said. “I’m like ‘oh my god, something is wrong here. Maybe it’s just a fluke.’ I go to open the second one, which I’m less gentle with, and it just explodes.”

The eggs, Bayreuther said, were completely raw. She said she went back to the dining hall to ask for more eggs and spoke to the BC Dining employee making them.

“I told him I had a problem with my eggs, and he said, ‘Let me guess, they were raw,’” she said. “Apparently when they were restocking, they mixed up the raw eggs with the cooked eggs.”

In a statement to The Heights , BC Dining Director Beth Emery encouraged students to bring any concerns with their meals to the manager on duty.

“We can resolve the issue on the spot by replacing their meal if they are not satisfied, as would occur in any restaurant,” Emery said. “This also gives us the opportunity to address problems immediately with our culinary team.”

Emery added that all of BC Dining’s cooks are extensively trained in food safety.

“Additionally, all of our cooks and managers are required to attend a two-day safe-food handling training called ServSafe and become certified ServSafe Managers, the highest certification level available,” she said. But Bayreuther, Simmons, Balenger, and D’Ambra are not the only students who have experienced issues with meals at BC. Three members of the Class of 2024 started an Instagram account, @bc_chefskiss, their freshman year to document BC Dining mishaps. While they origi nally just posted their own photos, submissions soon started flooding in, according to the account admin istrators.

The students said they soon became selective about what photos to post due to the large number of submissions the account received.

The most common messages were images of undercooked food, one of the account owners said.

“There were some [submissions] that were just so much more shocking than others, so it just came down to that,” the account owner said. “We got so many raw chickens. Like, how many raw chickens can we post?”

The students said they did not realize how widespread these issues were until they started @bc_chefskiss. Some of their friends from home followed the account, they said, and remarked that dining at their own schools did not have these kinds of issues, which range from expired and moldy food to foreign objects in dishes.

Even though D’Ambra said she continues to eat BC Dining food, she will never be able to forget what it was like to see that giant black bug

Veterans Day Ceremony Honors Fallen BC Alumni

B y T homas C oder Heights Staff W ill m arT ino

For The Heights

Retired Col. April Skou emphasized the importance of legacy and the necessity of interpersonal connections in the military during her keynote speech at the 22nd Annual Boston College Veterans Mass and Remembrance Ceremony on Friday morning.

“Initially, I thought ‘Okay, I’ll talk about legacy—this idea of responsibility of leaving a legacy on those with whom we serve,’” Skou, BC ’96, said. “And then, as I continued to reflect and sort of toss ideas around in my mind, another idea began to develop. That was this idea of the connections that bind veterans, that bind service members.”

The event, organized by the BC Veterans Alumni Network, started with mass in St. Mary’s Chapel at 9 a.m. and finished with a ceremony

outside of Bapst at 11 a.m.

In her talk, Skou explained how she began her military career at BC’s Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program.

“I found a stack of glossy brochures that talked about ROTC as a way to pay for school,” she said. “They said nice-dressed uniforms. They showed all these social events. They said ‘Pay for school, get $100 a month, and have a job after college.’”

When she arrived at BC, Skou said she was surprised by the amount of work and commitment the ROTC program required.

“I started to learn how to lowcrawl,” she said. “I learned about the phonetic alphabet, how to use a Claymore mine, and other tactical skills that were completely foreign to me and my way of life. I kept thinking, ‘That brochure, the dress uniform, the social events. This isn’t what was in the brochure.’”

Despite her initial disillusion -

ment, Skou recalled a memory of returning home from a particularly grueling training day at Fort Devens that she said gave her a stronger appreciation for ROTC.

“We were tired and dirty,” she said. “Something in me sort of felt different. I started to feel and sense that I was connected to everybody else on the bus. We were connected through hardship we had just experienced.”

After graduating from BC, Skou said she departed for military training in Arizona but was soon deployed into the U.S. Army. By 2002, Skou said she was serving as a company commander, conducting reconnaissance missions in Korea.

“It was there that I started to really see the responsibility of leading soldiers and what it commands,” Skou said.

Skou then elaborated on the difficulty of having people depend on her leadership.

“My army journey continued,

taking me to Iraq and later to Afghanistan,” she said. “In each of these deployments, I wanted to run just as I had when I was a freshman. I wanted to bury my head in the sand and refuse to deploy. I couldn’t—people to my left and my right were depending on me. We were in this together.”

Skou also memorialized fallen soldier and fellow ROTC cadet David Connolly, BC ’94, whose name she said is engraved on the University’s Veterans Memorial Wall for his sacrifice in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

“For those whose names are on the wall, including Dave Connolly … we recognize that we are our brother’s keeper and we have a duty to honor them,” she said. “The legacy they left is in the world we see today. The freedom we enjoy and the freedom and joy in many places around the world.”

Following the keynote address, the ceremony continued with a “remembrance of fallen,” in which the

names of all BC alumni who were killed in action following WWI were read aloud while an accompanying image of them was displayed on a television screen to the side.

“It is said that a person dies twice,” Ahura Shadfur, a ROTC member and MCAS ’24, said. “Once when they take their final breath and later the last time their name is spoken. Today, we speak the names of our fallen brothers and keep them alive in our hearts.”

The ceremony ended with a flag procession and a closing prayer by Maj. Rev. James Hairston, BC ’04.

Among the final speakers, Mike Dunford, a retired Marine Corps Reserve officer and BC ’82, emphasized the importance of BC’s commitment to remembering and honoring fallen alumni.

“We commit, here at Boston College, to do this annually and to always remember the sacrifice and heroism of the now 212 men whose names are inscribed on this wall,” Dunford said. n

STEVE MOONEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

PHOTO COURTESY OF KRISTEN BAYREUTHER

A BC student received a raw egg instead of a hard-boiled egg in Lower Live.

BC students reported several issues and unexpected mishaps with their food in multiple dining halls across campus.

Dining, from

Herrd Looks To Hire More Student Ambassadors

B y N aTalie a r N d T Newsletter Editor

i sa Bel s ulliva N Heights Staff

Bias-related incidents on the anonymous social media app Herrd prompted UGBC and University administrators to meet with the platform’s co-founders, according to Jonah Kotzen, the policy coordinator of the Council for Students with Disabilities (CSD).

“The Herrd co-creators, Isaiah and Carter, that’s who we met with,” Kotzen, MCAS ’24, said. “They told us that there were already student ambassadors on the app, so this is definitely not something new, but they were just interested in if UGBC would be willing to promote that idea.”

UGBC sent an email to students on Oct. 24 citing this meeting and stating that Herrd is now looking for more student ambassadors to ensure the app is safe and welcoming to all students.

According to Kotzen, there are currently 10 student ambassadors on Herrd, all of whom have the ability to delete a post and suspend users. Student ambassadors, however, are not privy to users’ personal information, Kotzen said.

“I think that’s the whole predicament,” Kotzen said. “Students are scared that their names will be known by other student leaders, and I don’t think that’s the case.”

Two specific instances where anonymous posts on the app targeted students with disabilities led to the reevaluation of the app’s reporting process, Kotzen said.

“The first incident was about a student in a wheelchair, and the individual described being in a handicapped stall and seeing someone in a wheelchair outside of the stall,” Kotzen said. “[The individual] said, ‘Their legs aren’t gonna get tired, so what’s the point of giving up a stall?’”

According to Kotzen, another Herrd user made statements harassing

individuals with visual impairments.

“There was another incident talking about an individual with a visual impairment and having a service dog, saying that they love seeing people like this because they can go up and do whatever they want with the dog,” Kotzen said. “It’s weird, it’s very strange to admit publicly on a platform like this to doing these things.”

Students with disabilities are an underrepresented group on campus, which results in harmful posts attacking specific individuals, according to Kotzen.

“When it’s such an underrepresented group on campus, it turns into a threat of safety,” said Kotzen. “It’s something that I, as a CSD policy coordinator, hate to see and in general, as a person, hate to see.”

Kotzen said anonymity on Herrd is a cornerstone of the platform, allowing students to safely share posts connecting them to what is happening on campus. This feature, however, can lead to hateful posts targeting specific

groups, according to Kotzen.

“There are bias-motivated incidents on Herrd that get overlooked, and there have been for over a year now, so this is nothing really new, which is really sad to say,” Kotzen said.

“It’s very disheartening.”

Hate speech is possible on all social media platforms, but creating stronger guidelines on Herrd could make it safe and welcoming for all users, according to UGBC President Lubens Benjamin.

“I think that with any social media app there’s a possibility of any sort of

hate speech or discrimination that could happen on the app,” Benjamin, CSOM ’23, said. “So I think [the question is] ‘How do they create better guidelines that help shape the community they want to see?’”

Profs. Talk Democratic Voter Turnout at Midterms

B y K aryl C lifford

For The Heights C laire e hrig For The Heights

The 2022 midterm elections took an unexpected turn on Tuesday, working in the Democratic Party’s favor, Boston College political science professor David Hopkins said.

“Usually, the president’s party gets sort of a bad night on midterm night,” Hopkins said. “Here we are with this historically unusual outcome.”

Hopkins and J. Joseph Moakley Endowed Professor of Political Science Kay Schlozman discussed the implications of this year’s midterm elections in an event held by the Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy on Thursday afternoon.

With the growing division between political parties, Schlozman said the stakes are rising—the majority ruling can now significantly impact laws put in place in the United States.

“The parties are doubling down, which means the level of competition [is going] up,” she said.

Issues such as gun control and abortion have contributed to partisan polarization, according to Schlozman and Hopkins, encouraging a high voter turnout in the Democratic Party. While the Democratic Party was amped up, the two said the Republican Party had a lot to lose.

“The Republicans had 24 seats to be defended,” Schlozman said. “The Democrats [had] only 14, which is a somewhat disadvantage for Republicans because they have more to lose and fewer people.”

Given previous midterm elections, Schlozman said many expected a differential turnout— when voters in the president’s party are less likely to vote. But she said Democrats actively showed up at polls, while Republicans failed to do so.

There are four main factors that played a critical role in this year’s midterm elections and likely

increased Democratic voter turnout, according to Hopkins.

“The first one, which I think the media has decided already is the biggest story, is lousy Republican candidates,” Hopkins said. “There were a number of Republican nominees, especially in the top Senate races, that even before the election were sort of seen as flawed.”

Not only are the candidates portrayed as “flawed,” but they also get “a bad rap” from former President Donald Trump, Hopkins said.

“[There is] this more general idea that Trump is still the face of the Republican Party,” he said. “So the election, rather than becoming just a referendum on [Joe] Biden, became a referendum on Biden versus Trump, and that sort of nullified the Republican advantage.”

The reputation of the Republican Party itself is yet another factor in this year’s midterm elections, Hopkins said. Though the party is trying to rebuild itself around business, growth, and eco -

nomic management, Hopkins said these core values have weakened.

“Republicans were not in a position to benefit from the favorable underlying climate because people didn’t trust them or see them as doing any better than the Democrats,” he said.

The fourth impact on midterm elections was the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade , according to Hopkins. This decision particularly energized Democrats and increased their voter turnout, he said.

High Democratic voter turnout made the midterm election results highly unusual, Schlozman said, because many anticipated the Republican Party to show up at the polls out of anger.

“[Biden’s] presidential popu larity, depending on which of the various polls about [his] approval ratings … are roughly at 43 per cent,” Schlozman said. “That’s kind of an amber light going into the midterm election, and it is below the usual threshold of comfort we peg at 50 percent.”

After this midterm election, attendee and BC psychology professor Brooke Magnus said she is more hopeful.

“After general feelings of existential dread for the last six years, this is the first time I’ve really felt like, you know, maybe we’re going to be okay,” Magnus said.

Another attendee, however, said he worried that the strength of political division was going to hurt the country in the long run.

“I really hope that there is a stable political environment in the United States,” said physics Ph.D student Kewen Huang. “It’s better for the people of the United States and also better for the world. Everything in the United States has a great impact on the whole world.”

UGBC Divisions Work To Bring Terrence Floyd to Campus

elman said at the Student Assembly (SA) meeting on Tuesday night.

Two divisions within UGBC are working to bring Terrence Floyd to campus next semester, Meghan Heck-

“His brother’s story is obviously captivating, and … I think that having someone like Terrence come to our campus and talk about some of these

issues of civil rights and human rights and equality and how we can move toward that as a society is really productive,” said Heckelman, director of the Division of Student Initiatives (SI) and LSEHD ’25.

Floyd became a recognized activist following the police killing of his brother George Floyd two years ago, speaking at various universities across the country in the time since. He also founded the nonprofit We Are Floyd to address issues of social injustice in 2020.

The SI is collaborating with the AHANA+ Leadership Council (ALC) to host a Q&A with Floyd moderated by UGBC members. Though the event is not yet confirmed, Heckel-

man said she is excited about potentially hosting Floyd at Boston College.

“We think that will draw a large crowd just because of the name recognition and the mission,” Heckelman said. “I think that it’s something that a lot of young people want to get behind and address these issues.”

Members of UGBC also discussed a host of health and safety initiatives at Tuesday’s meeting, in cluding their bias-motivated research group, the introduction of a mental health tab on the Agora Portal, and improving the accessibility of student jobs on campus.

The SA also confirmed Paula Jimeno Lara, MCAS ’23, as a repre sentative for the Class of 2023 and

Abdul Umar, MCAS ’24, as a representative for the Class of 2024.

BC’s Center for Student Wellness and IT services approved Ryan Milligan and Delphine Gareau’s proposal to add a mental health tab on the student portal last week, according to Thompson Penn, Student Life Committee chair and CSOM ’25.

The tab will link to the University

B y a my P almer Assoc. News Editor

GRAPHIC BY ANNIE CORRIGAN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

VIKRUM SINGH / HEIGHTS EDITOR

SA representatives discuss bringing Terrence Floyd to campus next semester.

Midterms in Newton

Seven out the 11 races on the ballot for Newton voters lacked a Republican challenger.

By Connor siemien Asst. Metro Editor olivia Joung Copy Editor

Newton voters cast at least 35,000 ballots on election day Tuesday, according to unofficial election results from the City of Newton. The local results follow a statewide trend, sending a swath of Democratic candidates to office.

In the races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, treasurer, and auditor, Newton voters supported Democratic candidates.

The City will certify the election results on Nov. 23.

Of the 11 races on the ballot for Newton voters, seven lacked a Republican challenger. In the contested races—gubernatorial, attorney general, treasurer, and auditor elections—Democrats won by at least 10,000 votes in Newton, according to the city’s unofficial results.

The City of Newton cast over 35,000 votes this election, with more to come from overseas and provisional ballots, compared to over 40,000 votes counted in 2018 after the city certified the results, according to Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller’s election-day newsletter.

Despite a lack of competition on the ballot, voters had concerns about political and social issues that affect Newton and the nation.

Rich O’Neill, one Newton voter, cast his ballot at John Ward Elementary School, which was converted into a polling place for election day. He said he prioritized abortion rights on his ballot Tuesday.

“How about preserving democracy and preserving people’s bodily autonomy?” O’Neill said outside the polling station.

In the governor and lieutenant governor race, Maura Healey and her running mate Kim Driscoll had over 21,000 votes more in Newton than Republican candidate Geoff Diehl and his running mate Leah Allen, according to the city’s unofficial results.

Healey and Driscoll made abortion rights a central focus of their campaigns. With her win, Healey becomes Massachusetts’ first elected female governor, as well as the nation’s first openly lesbian governor.

Attorney General-elect Andrea Campbell, whose historic candidacy positioned her to become Massachusetts’ first Black attorney general, also made abortion rights a key theme of her campaign.

The group of four women running for statewide office celebrated the historic nature of their victories.

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

across the country where students in grades 3 to 12 who are in homeschool or online school can receive support, spend time with other students, and participate in enrichment activities.

Kumar got the idea for KaiPod after seven years of work at Pearson Online Learning, where he observed the difficulties online students faced due to lack of socialization and academic support. He set out to build a company that connects students with support.

cluding locations in Arizona, Georgia, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. The original location is in Newton Highlands. KaiPod currently has partnerships with 16 online learning programs—a mutually beneficial relationship, according to Kumar.

“Every time one of their students has access to an office space, that student is more likely to do better in online learning, and they’re more likely to enjoy it,” he said.

GRAPHIC BY ANNIE CORRIGAN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Newton Business Up For $1 Million Prize

By elizaBeTh gray Heights Staff

Online schooling has existed for over three decades, but the COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a new phase of remote, innovative forms of learning for students.

One Newton resident’s business, KaiPod Learning, disrupts the traditional online learning model, offering in-person spaces for online and home-

schooled students to do their work and receive help from learning coaches. The business is one of 32 semifinalists for the $1 million Yass Prize that awards innovation in education, selected out of thousands of applicants.

“It’s really hard to personalize learning for everyone at the same pace, and online learning breaks those rules where anyone can get the piece they want,” said Amar Kumar, KaiPod’s founder.

Kaipod has seven learning centers

“Our vision is to create these hubs of learning across every community where if you’re an online schooler or if you’re looking to get social enrichment, you can get academic support from our learning coaches,” Kumar said. “It’s meant as a supplemental service to online learning.”

Students can attend the hubs from 8 a.m. to 3:30 pm either two, three, or five times a week depending on their preference, according to KaiPod’s website.

Kumar explained that the hub structure is different from the typical education experience because of its personalized nature. Students and their parents can choose a curriculum through any online school and then take classes and receive help in one of KaiPod’s learning centers.

There are currently 12 “learning centers” across the United States, in-

Kumar said that many of KaiPod’s learning coaches are former classroom teachers who want to make a difference in education.

“We ask them why is it that they got into teaching [and] what is it that they love about teaching,” Kumar said. “And they’ll say something about, ‘I want to personalize teaching to each kid … I really want to see the spark in their eyes.’”

Despite more students returning to traditional in-person schooling, Kumar remains confident in KaiPod’s future.

“It’s very hard for one service to work for every single kid, ” Kumar said. “As more and more parents take charge of their child’s education, more and more of them look for diverse options, and they’ll look for a variety of alternatives to sort of modularly put together their learning.” n

Exhibit Explores Local Indigenous History

By ella song For The Heights

The interactions between Native Americans and Europeans are more complicated than what some history books suggest.

Historic Newton and the Natick Historical Society explore the complexities of Native American-European relations in their virtual exhibit “I Heard That Word...”

“I think that the more that we are able to tell these complexities, the more people will understand that history is a dynamic topic,” said Clara Silverstein, community engagement manager at Historic Newton. “There’s always more to learn and always more to reinterpret.”

The exhibit narrates the story of Indigenous people in the town of Nonantum—which is now in modern-day Newton—many of whom were converted to Christianity by English missionary

John Eliot.

“I Heard That Word…” is a virtual reality exhibit that walks viewers through the experiences of Nipmuc leader Waban and his followers, who Eliot converted to Christianity and removed from their home to Natick. Natick was the first “praying town” in New England, where the English imposed Christian practices and English customs on Indigenous people, according to the exhibit.

Historic Newton and the Natick Historical Society compiled information from many different primary sources in the creation of this exhibit, although Silverstein acknowledged that the Native perspective from the time period was less documented than that of the Europeans.

“What we have for the Native perspective is mostly the Bible translation [to the Algonquian language], and some of the documents that the English speakers created to show what the Native people

are saying,” Silverstein said. “Little hard to trust that exactly. … We also reached out to Native groups to get their perspective—groups that are still in Massachusetts.”

The press release from the two historical societies also stated that the exhibit was timely, as both Newton and Natick are in the process of reevaluating their municipal seals, which depict Eliot preaching to Native Americans.

Community engagement with events about local Indigenous history has been high. Since Historic Newton posted the exhibit link to its website, about 500 people have opened the landing page, according to Silverstein.

She also pointed to a Zoom event about Native American interactions with Eliot that Newton Free Library hosted in January 2021 that approximately 330 people attended.

“There’s been interest in learning

more about native history and just reconsidering the perspective of native people in general,” Silverstein said.

There will be another Historic Newton–endorsed event examining local native history, this time about the myths of Thanksgiving, on Tuesday.

The “I Heard That Word…” exhibit also links a variety of resources for further learning, including books, films, and information on contemporary native communities in New England.

The exhibit emphasizes the factors that were at play in the social dynamics of the time—including how not all the Nipmuc people were willing to adopt English customs, while some may have converted out of a desire to keep their homeland.

“There were people on both sides making decisions, and you’re trying to act in your community’s best interest,” Silverstein said. “And [this exhibit] represents just one story of many.” n

Jewish Community Gathers to Observe Sigd

By ven CernJul Heights Staff

“It’s a communal Yom Kippur,” Kanotopsky said. “It’s about collecting the community’s power to fulfill the dream— everyone’s dream.”

Members of the Greater Boston Jewish community gathered at the Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center (JCC) in Oak Hill for an event

commemorating Sigd on Wednesday.

The consulate general of Israel to New England organized the event featuring guest speakers and a spread of Ethiopian food. Event organizers served Ethiopian-style chicken and lamb, lentils, potatoes, and beans alongside Injera, Ethiopia’s famous sour flatbread.

Kanotopsky, the northeast regional director of the Jewish Agency for Israel, recalled her childhood celebrations of Sigd in Ethiopia.

She spoke of her whole village waking up very early, dressing in white, and making a pilgrimage to a nearby mountain. There, according to Kanotopsky community members would offer prayers.

“Next year, we’ll celebrate the Sigd in Jerusalem,” they would say each year, according to Kanotopsky.

Liz Levin, Jewish experiential educator at the JCC, said it was the first time

the center had hosted such an event. She said it was a chance for people in different parts of the Jewish community who don’t typically cross paths to interact with each other.

“[The] consulate approached us about celebrating together and we jumped at the chance to do it,” Levin said.

Meron Reuben, Israel’s consul general for New England, was present at the event. He said it was a nice opportunity to explore aspects of Judaism that reach across cultures.

During her speech, Kanotopsky reflected on what Sigd meant to her. She recounted a harrowing story of moving to Israel from Ethiopia with her family when she was five years old.

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Sigd—an Ethiopian-Jewish holiday that takes place 50 days after Yom Kippur—is all about community, according to Sigal Kanotopsky, an Ethiopian-Israeli speaker at a Sigd celebration in Newton.

VIKRUM SINGH / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Born in Ethiopia, Kanotopsky moved to Israel with her family when she was five.

A Queer Pastor Fights to Prove that Christianity Can Be Inclusive

By emma healy Deputy Managing Editor

The pastor stood at the pulpit, head bowed.

“Let us pray,” recited Rev. Nikira Hernandez as Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” began to blast through the speakers of the sanctuary.

I’m beautiful in my way ‘cause God makes no mistakes /

I’m on the right track, baby, I was born this way / Don’t hide yourself in regret, just love yourself, and you’re set /

I’m on the right track, baby, I was born this way

Hernandez donned a traditional clerical collar under a black shirt, but where a small white square would usually peek out from the fabric, the pastor had sewn in a miniature version of the LGBTQ+ pride flag. A pink boa hung over the pastor’s shoulders, swaying in rhythm as Hernandez danced across the stage to the opening prayer.

It was drag church day, after all.

Standing beside Hernandez were three parishioners who had created eclectic outfits with pieces they pulled from the church’s basement thrift store. Some attendees waved pride flags, and others danced between the pews. Though the drag service comes once a year, it is part of a larger mission at Brighton Allston Congregational Church, a United Church of Christ (UCC) that is trying to stretch the bounds of what “church” means.

“I work to actively send the message that everyone, without exception, is a beloved child of God, and that is not in spite of who we are but because of who we are and all of our different identities that we are deeply cared for by the Spirit and by extension, this community,” Hernandez said.

Hernandez, who identifies as queer and uses the pronouns they/ them, has made it their goal to prove that Christianity does not serve just one community. The Christianity that Hernandez preaches is diverse and inclusive—a break from the historical norm of exclusion that exists across the globe.

“I do things like drag church to play with gender to invite folks to reimagine some of the more harmful parts of Christianity,” Hernandez said.

About two dozen members of the church stood scattered around the sanctuary on Oct. 30 for the service.

Most were by themselves, some in pairs, and a handful gathered with their families.

Among them was Christine Radice, a longtime resident of Brighton who now lives in Oak Square, who stood alone in a pew. Eleven years ago, Radice dropped off a box of nonperishable foods at the church’s food pantry. The church’s message of inclusion resonated with her, so she came back the next week. Then the next and the next.

“That’s what Jesus was about— centering people who others had forgotten or

up to serve upward of 100 families each week.

“In my church, we certainly have smaller numbers on Sunday morning,” Hernandez said. “But then, on Saturday, when we do our food pantry, the church is full. And that, to me, is just as much church as whatever happens on Sunday morning because that’s living our faith and moving our community together.”

The small-but-mighty group of parishioners arrives every Sunday. Katie Donegan, a Brighton resident who visited the church for the first time on Oct. 30, said she was thrilled to feel included so immediately.

“I was kind of afraid walking in here,” Donegan said. “I was going to check it out and maybe leave if I didn’t think it was going to be a positive

that to myself?” Hernandez recalled thinking when they first heard the call. “But it was insistent, and it was this quiet call in the back of my head that wouldn’t go away.”

Still unsure about their relationship with Christianity, Hernandez enrolled at the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, Calif. on a full scholarship. Though many of their peers were certain in their plans to become ministers, Hernandez spent the first year of school uncertain.

It wasn’t until late 2014, one year into Hernandez’s time in seminary school, that they gained some clarity. Hernandez traveled to downtown Berkeley with a few friends for a Black Lives Matter protest. The group watched as a young Black woman stood peacefully in front of a line of police in riot gear chanting “Black Lives Matter,” according to Hernandez.

The scene then broke out into chaos, Hernandez said. Tear gas filled the air. A wave of shouting, screams, and rubber bullets overtook the crowd. One of Hernandez’s friends sustained injuries that landed her in the hospital. Hernandez said they were hit, knocked over, and trampled.

get as big as I could to protect as many people as I could. And that’s kind of when it hit me as well. If I can leverage the power of institutional Christianity to protect people, then that’s not a call that I can say no to.”

Four years later, Hernandez was an ordained minister working to ensure that all people—especially LGBTQ+ people—felt valued in Christianity.

“Having a pastor you can talk to and be humanly with is very important,” said Alexander Hamilton, one of the parishioners of the church.

“[Hernandez’s] passion for God is amazing, but their passion for people is even greater.”

Though drag church happens just once per year, Hernandez’s mission is the same every Sunday: to create an inviting atmosphere in which to celebrate faith and identity.

In Hernandez’s church, services begin with an Indigenous land acknowledgement. In Hernandez’s church, scripture is used to uplift people in marginalized communities. In Hernandez’s church, God has gender-neutral pronouns.

white, wooden pews sat empty, looking almost forlorn without parishioners. The lack of people at the drag service was reflective of a national trend: Church attendance across the country is declining rapidly, and churches are suffering because of it.

But Hernandez isn’t worried about their congregation.

Brighton Allston Congregational Church is one of more than 1,700 churches in the UCC system certified as an organization “open and affirming” to people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions, according to the UCC Open and Affirming Coalition.

Even when the organs are hushed and the sanctuary is empty, Brighton Allston Congregational’s mission is not over.

“How we love one another and take care of one another as a community is far more important than whether we get butts in the seats on Sunday morning,” Hernandez said.

That commitment to community starts in the church’s food pantry. It collects donations year-round, distributing them throughout the week. The biggest event comes on Saturdays, when 40 to 50 volunteers show

experience, but I immediately felt like I could be here, even as a newcomer.”

Donegan identified herself as an ex-Catholic and said she had not had a positive experience with Christianity before.

“I feel like this is definitely healing that,” she said, gazing around the sanctuary, which was decorated for Halloween.

Hernandez was not raised Christian. They came out as queer at age 14, and from what they had heard growing up, Christianity would reject practically every aspect of their identity.

“As a mixed-race, Indigenous person, Christianity has not done particularly well by my ancestors,” Hernandez said. “And as a queer person, most of what I heard in the mainstream media was that God hates f–gs.”

But while Hernandez, a member of the Paiute Indigenous group, was serving as a spiritual leader in an Indigenous ceremony community in Santa Cruz, Calif., they felt a call compelling them to go to seminary school.

“Forget that! Why would I do

The group reconvened the next day with experts from the National Lawyers Guild who helped them understand their legal rights in protest situations. Some of the seminary’s professors offered vestments to Hernandez and the rest

of the group to wear to the protests the next day.

A similar scene erupted the next day, and Hernandez, draped in a flowing white robe, stepped toward a line of police officers on highway 80 just before the Bay Bridge, they said.

“I noticed that [the police] were hitting people on my left and to my right, and they weren’t touching me in the ostentatiously religious garment,” Hernandez said. “And so I tried to

“God is so much more than we could imagine,” Hernandez said. “God holds masculine and feminine and everything in between and beyond.”

The drag church service concluded with another hymn you wouldn’t find in the red hymnals in the backs of each pew.

Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” came over the speakers as parishioners—young and old, representing any number of identities and orientations—began to filter out to the parking lot.

said.

marginalized,” she said.

Most of the church’s

“Christianity in this country holds a lot of privilege and a lot of power,” Hernandez

“And what’s clear to me is that my call is to use that privilege and power to stand beside and lift up those who are pushed to the margins.” n

ANEESA WERMERS / HEIGHTS STAFF

Rev. Nikira Hernandez, pictured center, leads the Brighton church.

GRAPHIC BY OLIVIA CHARBONNEAU/ HEIGHTS EDITOR

AGAZINE

Pedaling and Pancakes: Brickner Traverses U.S. by Bike

break somewhere around 50 miles in, and another gas station break before ending the day. The duo broke this routine for one important element of their

school English teacher, who Brickner said has biked across the country many times, he and O’Connell began to plan their cycling trip. Though the idea made his mom slightly stressed, he was determined to com plete the journey, he said.

it was to be able to see the country more delib erately, see it slower, and meet new peo ple,” Brickner said. “I wanted to force myself to be able to stay in the towns that people usually drive by.”

perience, Brickner and O’Connell began their 3,623.8-mile journey in Anacortes, Wash. on June 8.

“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Brickner said. “On our third day, we ended up doing about 7,000 feet in elevation. That was kinda where it hit us that, ‘Oh, this is real.’”

Attached to the bikes were bags holding clothes, food, and camping sup-

the app Warm Showers, a hospitality exchange service for bikers, to secure a stay in backyards—or even couches—of houses.

“Honestly, we got pretty lucky,” Brickner said. “[The houses] would have chargers. They’d have dinner for us. We could do our laundry there. It was awe-

“We did rate pancakes in every state,” Brickner said. “I think the farther east we got, the better the pancakes were … [and] the food in general too. The Midwest had a food desert, so we didn’t have [vegetables] for, like, two weeks.”

From pancake stops to gas station meals and snacks, costs quickly started to add up for the pair. With the already expensive costs for the bikes and other equipment, the daily food purchases made for an expensive trip, Brickner said. Brickner said he funded his cycling journey himself, with the exception of a few purchases before

“Essentially, all the money I have made since I was 14, I hadn’t spent any of it until that trip,” Brickner said. “But, I was still pretty broke by the end.”

Although Brickner said the trip made a dent in his bank account, he managed to complete the journey with no major damages to the bike—apart from a few mishaps.

“My bike was a tank,” Brickner said. “I only got one flat tire, but Pat did get, like, six flat tires. And there was this one day in North Dakota [when] I wasn’t paying attention, so I crashed into the person in front of me and flew over the handlebars. Pat saw that and thought the trip was over, but I was pretty much fine, just scraped up.”

Aside from the injuries, there were few negative moments of the trip, Brickner said, until the cyclists arrived in Michigan.

us, curse us out, and the roads were really rough,” Brickner said. “There was one day we were trying to find a campsite, and we asked this guy at a hotel, ‘Do you have any spots?’ He said, ‘No.’ ‘Do you know any other hotels open?’ ‘No.’ ‘Can we camp in your backyard?’ ‘No.’”

The trip changed Brickner’s opinion of many states, with Wisconsin securing the title of his new favorite. After experiencing the heat of Eastern Montana, he said the mild weather in Wisconsin was relieving.

“The people were super nice,” Brickner said. “We didn’t camp out at all. … We met people who would give us a couch to sleep on or had mutual friends who wanted to host us. Everything was super green. The hills weren’t bad, and we ended up not getting that many tailwinds. … It was super nice.”

Throughout the trip, Brickner and

he said. “We just sat there for like six hours getting to know each other. Just to be able to sit [in] the middle of nowhere and appreciate how quiet it was … it was such a cool memory in the absolute middle of nowhere.”

Of the 49 days it took to cross the country, the pair rested for only five of the days. On the Fourth of July, Brickner and O’Connell took an unplanned rest day, spending the night watching a fireworks show in North Dakota.

There were also some planned rest days that Brickner and O’Connell ignored, Brickner said, as wanting to get home proved stronger than the temptation to sleep in.

plies. They also affixed a handlebar bag that held easy-to-grab necessities, such as wallets, phones, chargers, and snacks. According to O’Connell, Brickner was

some.”

During the daytime, they kept a steady schedule, which consisted of breakfasts at gas stations, a long lunch

Michigan was not only the location of Brickner’s flat tire, but also the state where everything seemed to go wrong for the two cyclists.

“We would be biking on the highway, and people would open their doors on

O’Connell rode on and off with various other cyclists.

One cyclist Brickner met while biking through Chicago was from his neighboring town in New Jersey and crossed the Canadian border with a group of University of Connecticut medical students.

It was with those students that he said he formed his most distinct memory from the journey in a Montana town with a population of 114 people.

“We camped out behind a convenience store, and so there was this shed,”

The trip concluded on July 26—15 days earlier than they had planned—in Portland, Maine. The moment Brickner saw the coastline, he knew he had reached the point he mentally prepared for the whole trip. Instead of feeling the rush of adrenaline that he had expected, he said he was overcome with exhaustion.

“[I] was just really tired,” Brickner said. “It was so rewarding, getting onto the beach and pushing the bike into the water. But then after that, I was like, I just want to go home, back to real life.”

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How to Optimize the Newton Campus Experience

B y S pencer S teppe

For The Heights

Last August, I opened my email to find the room assignment dreaded by most Boston College incoming freshmen: I was going to be living on Newton Campus.

Now, I’ll confess, the initial feeling of unluckiness warranted a few tears at first, which were then followed by an endless supply of complaints. After almost three months of adjustment, however, Newton has not been the agonizing inconvenience that I had expected.

In fact, I prefer to view Newton as my comforting freshman enclave, and I am determined to make the most of it as we get closer to the spring semester.

Whether you loathe Newton Campus or you just want to appreciate it more, I have a few suggestions on how to carve optimism out of the typically dreaded experience.

Appreciate Stuart Dining Hall

It’s no question that Stuart is the best dining hall on campus. It has substantially shorter lines and serves better food. In fact, the ability to walk from your dorm

to Stuart is arguably the greatest benefit of living on Newton. Every time you take the one-minute walk over to Stuart, I suggest that you put yourself in the shoes of your unfortunate friends on Upper Campus who are walking to McElroy Commons.

Going to Stuart as much as possible and recognizing the privilege of this experience is by far one of the best ways to appreciate Newton Campus.

Use the Commute to Your Advantage

Starting college comes with many shocking changes. It can be confusing for freshmen to live in the same place that they are eating, taking classes, studying, and spending the majority of their time. With Newton Campus, home life is separated from school life, so the transition into a completely new place comes a little easier.

I advise you to think of the commute to Main Campus as the same as a commute to high school.

You can also take advantage of the time on the bus by looking over notes before class, listening to music, appreciating some alone time, or talking with friends.

Take a Trip to Newton Centre

One of the greatest benefits of living on Newton Campus is the close proximity to Newton Centre. Newton Centre is the heart of the City of Newton and only a 20-minute walk away from Newton Campus. Going for a walk through the neighborhoods to get to Newton Centre is always an extremely pleasant experience.

On the way to your destination, you get to look at all of the charming, smalltown-feeling houses while also immers ing yourself in the Newton com munity.

Whether your final destination is Tatte Bakery & Cafe, J.P. Licks, CVS, or just the Newton Centre Green, the ability to take an easy walk to a fun store is an amazing way to get out and appreciate the nearby community. Find Friends on New

Chances are, if you see someone on Newton Campus

or the Newton bus, they are probably also a freshman.

Knowing this makes it much easier to introduce yourself to new people and make friends. If you see someone consistently, fight the urge to ignore them and acknowledge them instead.

Making friends over shared experiences—especially the traumatic experience of taking the Newton bus—is a great way to bond with people.

Personally, I have found that I see

cause of similar class schedules.

Seeing people repeatedly and making small talk with these people is the perfect way to become acquainted with more of the freshman class. All in all, I am not immune to the negative mindset of the Newton Campus experience.

Yes, the bus can be annoying and inconvenient, but us Newton kids need to band together and decide to appreciate the experience for what it is.

If nothing else, it is an extremely effective bonding experience for half of the

GRAPHIC BY ANNIE CORRIGAN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

PHOTO COURTESY OF LEO BRICKNER

Brickner and O’Connell chronicled their experience on their Instagram page.

Brickner, from A1

PHOTO COURTESY OF LEO BRICKNER

Brickner and O’Connell tried pancakes from every state they visited on the bike trip.

Five Boston A Cappella Groups Face off at Invitational

By Parker Leaf For The Heights

The crowd in Devlin 008 roared as lights illuminated the names of five a cappella groups competing for the title of “Best of Boston.” Voices singing the opening notes of “Daydreaming” by Harry Styles echoed through the room, and the Boston College Dynamics descended down the stairs from the back

of the lecture hall.

The BC Dynamics hosted the Best of Boston A Cappella invitational show on Saturday, welcoming the Heightsmen of BC and three teams: Upper Structure of Berklee College of Music along with Pitch, Please! and The Nor’easters from Northeastern University.

After the Dynamics kicked off the show, co-ed group Upper Structure was the first to take the stage. Upper

Structure opened with Tei Shi’s “A Kiss Goodbye” featuring leading soloist Maggie MacKenzie, who brought strong vocals to the breathy song.

The Upper Structure singers balanced their voices on the song “Spirit Cold” by Tall Heights. To close out the set, soloist Maxwell Addae garnered roaring applause for “Around” by Durand Bernarr.

The Nor’easters, a co-ed group from Northeastern University, also impressed the crowd with pop covers. The group shifted to a more mellow mood with “FOOLS” by Troye Sivan but quickly returned to upbeat tunes when the next soloist stepped up to sing “Sweet & Sour” by Elli Ingram.

The group’s last song, “Stayaway” by MUNA, was the most memorable of The Nor’easters’ performance due to the striking voice of soloist Julianna Zannikos. The crowd’s applause rewarded her impressive high notes. Even after the performance came to an end, people

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AXIS Dance Showcase Highlights Array of Genres

By Norah omar

For The Heights

Hip-Hop, Latin, and Bollywood-fusion dance came together for the AXIS Dance Showcase on Friday.

Students flooded The Heights Room in Corcoran Commons to see their favorite Boston College dance groups show off their talent with traditional and contemporary cultural

routines at the event.

BC’s South East Asian Student Association (SEASA) collaborated with AerodynamiK (AeroK) to put on the annual showcase. All the profits from the event will be used to help support displaced Burmese refugees.

The showcase provided its audience with a mix of unique dance forms and promoted appreciation for various cultural elements among the

BC community.

The night kicked off with select members of Phaymus Dance Entertainment dancing to B.o.B’s “Headband” before the rest of the members joined in during a transition to “Hot Shit” by Cardi B. The immaculate stage formations cultivated an enthusiastic response from the audience.

Fuego del Corazon followed with a performance displaying Latin tradition. Male dancers twirled their partners—dressed in blue bejeweled costumes—in a sensual routine to “Inocente” by Romeo Santos. The orange lighting illuminated the fastpaced choreography to “Icon” by Jaden, where dancers effortlessly placed their partners on their shoulders.

Members of BC On Tap wore strawberry-patterned shirts and perfectly matched each other’s rhythmic taps to “Music for a Sushi Restaurant” by Harry Styles.

Following the tap performance, 2022 ALC Showdown winner BC

Dance Ensemble shook up the crowd with Nelly’s “Hot in Herre.” The dancers picked up the pace of the show with a synchronized number blended with standout solo moments.

Decked out in black bombers and cargo pants, members of AeroK stepped onto stage with arms crossed and serious facial expressions before exploding into a powerful routine to “Plain Jane” by A$AP Ferg.

The crowd burst into applause as the music transitioned to The Week-

nd’s “Starboy.” The dancers mimicked the tempo and thrill of the song while moving in unison across the stage. BC Irish Dance kicked off the second half of the show—literally. The force of tap shoes hitting the dance floor evolved into intense heel stomps before Whitney Houston’s, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” pulled

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Heightsmen of BC Make Crowd Swoon at Fall Cafe

By Sarah BiaNchi

For The Heights

The Heightsmen of Boston College sported spiffy suits, matching yellow-and-maroon ties adorned with the group’s logo, joyful smiles, and powerful voices at their Fall Café, offering cozy energy in Devlin 008 on a rainy Friday night.

The Heightsmen captivated the crowd with an ’80s medley to open the show, which immediately drew smiles and inspired awe in the crowd. The singers smiled at the crowd as they sang songs such as “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley and “Africa” by Toto.

Rory Redmond, social director and CSOM ’24, took the stage as a soloist on “Gravity” by John Mayer, exuding a sincere and passionate energy as the other Heightsmen crooned in the

background. With the subtle hums and rhythms of the other singers, Redmond’s soft voice captivated the crowd.

The Heightsmen showered the crowd in “thank yous” after each per-

formance.

But the best was yet to come.

Next up Ryan Wesner, public relations co-director and CSOM ’24, sang “Castaway” by the Zac Brown Band

with a peppy and country-attuned voice.

The Committee for Creative Enactments, an improv group at BC, then put on a special performance. The members played an improv game and took input from the crowd to inspire the scenes. The comedians’ performance provided a brief pause in the musical festivities.

After a brief intermission, the Heightsmen came back with a rendition of “Fly Me To The Moon” by Frank Sinatra. The perfect melody and heartfelt take on the iconic Sinatra song invoked a warm, fuzzy feeling of love in the audience.

Skyler Cho, MCAS ’24, then took the stage to sing Journey’s “Open Arms.” Hitting the high notes flawlessly, Cho grasped the awe and attention of every person in the room.

Next up, Brendan Julian, business manager and CSOM ’23, set a scene of love, singing the classic Michael Bublé song “Who’s Lovin You,” exuding beautiful serenity.

The level of applause coming from the crowd proved that the rendition of Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” was a clear favorite, and Jaewon Oh, MCAS ’23, shined as a soloist. Oh gave a sweet take on the classic pop hit.

Members of the Dance Organization of BC (DOBC) gave a surprise performance to a mashup of iconic Rihanna songs. The dancers were decked out with pink sparkly headbands and danced with a heartfelt energy. The first-year members of the Heightsmen

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Upper Structure traveled from Berklee College of Music to perform at the event. ALINA CHEN / HEIGHTS STAFF whispered in awe of Zannikos’ voice.

The Heightsmen, BC’s all-male a cappella group, then took the stage. The group started off its performance with Michael Bublé’s “Haven’t Met You Yet,” covered by soloist Jake Parkman, MCAS ’24, whose contagious energy made the crowd cheer.

Nick Rossi, MCAS ’23, sang “How Deep Is Your Love” by the Bee Gees, which fit the group’s voices and energy perfectly.

The BC Dynamics hosted the invitational event and closed out the night.

ALINA CHEN / HEIGHTS STAFF

NICOLE WEI / HEIGHTS STAFF

Phaymus Dance Entertainment strutted to the front of the stage during its set.

Vida de Intensa Pasión delivered sensual, high-energy partner performances. LEO WANG / HEIGHTS STAFF

NICOLE VAGRA / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Tony Lewis, MCAS ’23, invited his girlfriend to the stage when he sang “My Girl.”

‘Till’ Displays Love and Justice

By yating Wang Heights Staff

The U.S House of Representatives passed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act on March 29, 67 years after the murder of the 14-year-old Emmett Till.

Till, a film released in theaters on Oct. 14, retells the story of Mamie Till-Mobley (Danielle Deadwyler) pursuing justice for her son Emmett, who was brutally lynched after he was accused of whistling at a white woman in Mississippi in August 1955.

It is never easy to retell such a heavy, heartbreaking story, but Till is a painstaking memorial of both the loving work of Till-Mobley and the dignity of her son.

Director Chinonye Chukwu focused the first third of the movie on a loving mother-and-son relationship.

The happiness between the two reflects the life that a young and passionate teenager could have continued if not for the murderous actions of white supremacists.

Till recreates the scene of Emmett’s

MOVIE Chinonye Chukwu ‘Till’

open-casket funeral. Till-Mobley made a famous decision to hold an open-casket funeral because she said she “wanted the world to see what they did to [her] baby.”

The decision to let the world see this brutality sparked a movement for justice. Jet magazine printed photos of Till’s mutilated body in his casket on its pages, shining a light on the cruelty of racism for many who had never previously acknowledged it.

As the camera zooms in on Till-Mobley touching Emmett’s corpse from his feet to his brutalized face, Chukwu invites viewers to undertake the weight of his death and bear witness to the immense consequences of racial hatred and violence.

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‘Armageddon Time’ Lacks Nuance

By RicaRdo PeRez

For The Heights

At first glance, Armageddon Time seems like a rare instance of the right film coming out at just the right time.

This coming-of-age story about a Jewish family was released during a resurgence of anti-Jewish sentiment in America. Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving was recently suspended for his promotion of the controversial film Hebrew to Negroes, a “documentary” laden with antisemitic tropes and misinformation about Black and Jewish history.

But right in the midst of the Irving drama, Armageddon Time dropped the ball. Its flawed creative vision squandered a golden opportunity to add value to today’s discourse on race. Instead of empowering marginalized groups in the U.S., Armageddon Time makes viewers question if the filmmakers should have taken control of these narratives in the first place.

The struggles of Black Americans are an accessory to the plot of the film. Writer and director James Gray cheapens the film’s commentary on bigotry by monopolizing the stories of

the very people it seeks to represent.

Gray is Armageddon Time’s writer and director as well as the basis for the film’s central character. Inspired by the story of Gray’s adolescence, the film begins with fictionalized Paul Graff (Banks Repeta) starting the sixth grade at a New York City public school. As a descendant of Holocaust survivors, Graff grapples with his family history that is seemingly forgotten.

Along the way, he befriends Johnny Davis (Jaylin Webb), the only Black student in his class. Over time, the dysfunction in their families tests

their budding friendship. The film juxtaposed the struggles of working Jewish immigrants and the obstacles the African American community faces as the two cross paths.

Armageddon Time shows its technical prowess in the dichotomy between entitled Paul and disadvantaged Johnny. The Graff family is portrayed with warm and inviting scenes of birthday presents and family dinners lit up on the screen through saturated oranges and browns.

By contrast, Johnny’s community is eerily lit, its life drained by faint greens and grays.

Photography director Darius Khondji encapsulates the powerlessness the characters feel through the repeated usage of high angles. When Paul suffers a beating from his abusive father, the height of the camera puts his vulnerability on full display.

In a scathing critique of meritocracy, Armageddon Time challenges the ideal of the “American Dream.” At the Jewish private school that Paul’s broth-

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By Josie Mcneill Assoc. Arts Editor

Some bands like to have a distinct, recognizable sound. Other bands, like the Flaming Lips, challenge this notion and reinvent themselves on every album.

Olive Osby and Avsha Weinberg of Lowertown, an indie rock band started in Atlanta, would hate for any album they release to sound like “a classic Lowertown album.”

“It would be embarrassing,” Weinberg, the lead guitarist, said.

Lowertown released its second full album, I Love to Lie, on Oct. 21. Coming off the release of an EP, The Gaping Mouth, in 2021 and a self-recorded album, Friends, in 2019, the pair went for more of an aggressive sound that comments on world issues and conveys a diverse array of emotions, Weinberg said.

Right off the bat, Lowertown achieves its goal with “My Friends,” the first track on I Love to Lie. The song begins with a heavy-hitting drum beat before the guitar comes in, giving the same sound you’d find in ’70s punk songs. Lead singer Osby’s intense, almost screaming vocals deliver her exhaustion and feeling of anxiety surrounding her friends.

“My friends drain me full / Drink my blood then ask for more,” Osby sings.

“Bucktooth” addresses current political issues, including gun control, in its lyrics with a folk- and punk-inspired sound as the backdrop. This third track on I Love to Lie

is the album’s lead single and perfectly leads the way for the direction that Lowertown goes in on the album.

“I can’t handle anymore, can’t handle anymore, can’t handle anymore guns,” Osby sings in the chorus of “Bucktooth.”

The album oscillates between hard and soft, going for more of a punk-inspired sound on tracks like “I’m Not” and “Scum” and a classic, indie, bedroom-rock vibe on “Antibiotics.”

The track Osby was most excited for on I Love to Lie is a strong contrast to the rest of the album. “Waltz in Aflat Major,” the secondto-last song on I Love to Lie, opts for a mellow, orchestral, melancholy sound. The song sets the tone for what listeners may be in store for on future Lowertown albums.

“We said we want to do something more orchestral the next time, but I just think the underlying theme is we just want to keep maturing and [not] make the same album again” Osby said.

I Love to Lie greatly contrasts the bands more acoustic albums Friends and The Gaping Mouth. Lowertown’s first two albums have a similar chill sound to each other, making the edginess of I Love to Lie a nice change to its discography.

Osby and Weinberg formed Lowertown when they met in their sophomore year of high school after

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

Weynand: ‘Wakanda Forever’ Remembers Boseman

By Jack Weynand For The Heights

As more Black Panther: Wakanda Forever promotion started to hit my social media stream as its release on Friday approached, it wasn’t lost on me that there’s clearly a new Black Panther in Wakanda. The difference? This Black Panther isn’t played by Chadwick Boseman.

Boseman’s death shocked the world in August 2020. The star was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016—the year he first appeared as the Black Panther in Captain America: Civil War. He appeared as T’Challa, the Black Panther, in four Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies, and audiences everywhere fell in love with the King of Wakanda.

As a Marvel fan, I was left to wonder what would come of the Black Panther franchise as a whole after Boseman’s

death. Would they choose to recast T’Challa, install a new character as Black Panther, or leave the franchise as it was entirely?

I wouldn’t put it past Marvel to have seriously pondered recasting T’Challa. Disney has notoriously chosen to use posthumous footage of Carrie Fisher

in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, and Warner Brothers got away with recasting Dumbledore in the Harry Potter franchise after Richard Harris’ death in 2002 with little to no audience awareness.

I felt uneasy at the prospect of a recast, but the buzz following Boseman’s

death was that Marvel may have already been searching for its new T’Challa.

Marvel ultimately decided not to recast the character, but the prospect still sent fans into a whirlwind of speculation. Instead, fans must guess which character and actor will step up as Wakanda’s Black Panther since Marvel has kept it under wraps.

To me, there was no way that a recast could work. On a practical note, the MCU was, at this point, too well-established for Marvel to get away with an Edward Norton-to-Mark Ruffalo switch like they did for the Hulk in 2012’s The Avengers.

On a more serious note, though, recasting T’Challa would have been disrespectful to everything Boseman did to build and create the character. T’Challa was Boseman, but Boseman was so much more than T’Challa.

Throughout his career, Boseman

embodied numerous powerful Black historical figures for his on-screen roles, including Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson, and James Brown.

“You’re not free unless you can show the good and the bad, all sides of them,” Boseman said in an interview with Shadow and Act. “So, to me, when I play a character, it’s important that I can show every aspect of them.”

I followed Boseman throughout much of his filmography during the pandemic and saw truth to that quote in every role he took on. Especially in Black Panther, a viewer can’t deny that Boseman does a wonderful job giving T’Challa range. He created T’Challa to be an empowering hero, complete with depth and vulnerability painted with his

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GRAPHIC BY ANNIE CORRIGAN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

It’s OK To Be Angry

I am always angry, but I will never tell anyone that out loud. Anger is the emotion we feel ashamed to have. I don’t know about anyone else, but I cannot express anger well. I have been taught that anger is an unproductive emotion, so it’s better just to tuck it away in what my family calls “a box” and just let it fade. As it sounds, this is more unproductive than anger itself. When I came to Boston College, I was surprised to learn that nobody else was taught this way of coping. Perhaps I was taught to conceal anger—after all, my problems at home seemed miniscule compared to the experiences of my immigrant family. But, it could also be from the fact that I’m an only child with working parents, so no one would even care about my anger to begin with.

My friend—a psychology major—would lecture me time and time again about the impracticalities of the anger box, but I was living my life carefree. Someone said something rude to me? Oh, just put it in the box. I messed up a question on a test I knew the answer to? Box it up. Dropped a donut in a bush? Into the box it goes.

I thought I cracked the system—anger was irrelevant in my world. What my friend noticed, however, was the increasing resentment I

had toward the people in my box, even though it was not explicit. One situation in particular involved one of my friends making me feel second to her in every way. I was the sidekick, which although important for comic relief, made me feel peripheral to my college experience. I felt as though I was only there to advance her story. Instead of facing my problems, I did as I was taught, and like a good hispanic daughter, I shoved my anger in my box. This boxed anger, then, became an invisible means of making me bitter. Always having to put on a smile—even though that’s not the real emotion I was feeling—was exhausting. It hit a breaking point when I hid from my friends because I was just too angry internally but tired of playing pretend. It was at this point in my time at BC that I decided to unleash my box in order to not go through friends like a revolving door. Opening this imaginary box was not easy. The lid was glued shut with years of reprimanding from my family, teaching me that expressing that anger gets you nowhere. But what I realized is that anger—in moderation—can be the driving force of great decisions. Anger, much like love, is filled with unending passion. It causes you to focus on an issue and want immediate change despite the consequences. Now this does sound extreme, but when we talk about our anger, we are given a chance to channel it toward an appropriate goal. Anger is anything but unproductive, as my family would tell me. They only saw this emotion as a means for violence or an excuse for turning one’s life downhill and living in regret. What they don’t know is that anger is how the world changes— when people get angry they get things done. In

my situation, anger changed my experience at BC for the better. It gave me the opportunity to be real to my friends and myself. Letting myself be angry strengthened my friendships and created an environment where I could have meaningful conversations and not merely keep up appearances.

Being at BC, I feel like a lot of what happens on campus is done to keep up these appearances I am still occasionally guilty of. The amount of insincerity and hiding behind a curtain of smiles is impressive. I believe we should rip that curtain down—release your emotions! Authenticity can reignite life at BC—free from fake smiles and the “BC look away.” I have personally thrown out my anger box—by doing so, I have lifted a weight off of my shoulders. Let’s get emotional and make some changes to this school.

First and foremost, I believe that the “BC look away’’ has to go—saying hi to someone is not that hard. Additionally, if you have no intention of getting lunch with someone, don’t say “we should get lunch sometime.” It’s these little things that personally make me angry, and it’s ok if you are angry too—we need to be honest with each other and ourselves. I am aware that these are not the most pressing issues at BC, but they are a starting point. We cannot enact campus wide changes if we are not united. Being authentic is a way to show solidarity to our fellow Eagles. Only at this point will college turn out to be the best four years of our lives.

Class Friends

Not all friendships are one-size-fits-all. And, certainly, not all friendships have to be your ride-or-die. We count on certain people for the different experiences of life—from our most understanding confidants to partners-in-crime who hype us up to feel like the life of the party, a chill class friend is just as important. While the friendship doesn’t have to extend beyond a warm wave on campus or small talk about the weather, chill class friends bring us balance—and sometimes that’s all we need.

BC Student’s ‘Midnights’ Mayhem

week’s announcement of 17 additional shows, Taylor Swift is planning on performing 52 shows. Although this is 12 greater shows than the North America leg of her last stadium tour, with the unprecedented success of the Midnights album and the five albums released since her last tour, all signs are pointing toward an all-out brawl for limited tickets.

have been strategically saving and abstaining from buying merchandise in hopes of affording tickets take issue with this and are rightfully disappointed that a monetary commitment is being used to determine access to the ticket presale.

If you know me, you know that I eat, sleep, and breathe Taylor Swift. Since my first Taylor Swift concert at age 7 (Justin Bieber opened, and I went with my second-grade girl gang), I have been a diehard fan. So, it goes without saying that this has been a HUGE couple weeks for me: a new album, the infamous “3 a.m. surprise,” a set of music videos littered with Easter eggs, and most importantly, The Eras Tour announcement.

Picture this: It’s Tuesday morning, and you’re anticipating Taylor Swift’s Good Morning America announcement. You, and the rest of Taylor Nation, are predicting a tour announcement, but you can’t be too confident. Many times over you have let Taylor Swift and her reputation for cryptic messaging get to your head, leading you to believe things like album releases and re-recordings are imminent. But this time, things are different. Taylor Swift gets on national television, announces her first stadium tour in five years, and suddenly, all of your wildest dreams have come true! But just like with any dream, you eventually wake up and are forced to face a less than picture-perfect reality.

Like most diehard Taylor Swift fans, the confirmation of a stadium tour sent me into a full-blown panic riddled with a series of logistical nightmares. To start, the lack of tour dates. In the past, the U.S. legs of Taylor Swift’s international tours have included far more concerts. For example, Taylor Swift’s 2018 Reputation tour included 40 shows in North America. In comparison, including last

This brings me to my next point: the arena in which limited tickets will be battled for—Ticketmaster. Taylor Swift has partnered with Ticketmaster to facilitate the early sale of The Eras Tour tickets. This gives dedicated fans, like me, the opportunity to register for a lottery that will provide select fans with access to tickets days before they are available for sale to the general public. Fans, like me, believe that securing tickets during a presale is the most economical way to see a highly coveted concert. By securing tickets before they are widely available, dedicated fans are able to avoid the astronomical markup factored into the price of tickets sold by third-party sellers. Due to the massive interest in The Eras Tour, however, both Taylor Swift and Ticketmaster are looking for ways to distinguish between individuals interested in the presale.

In an attempt to reward committed fans, many believe Taylor Swift appears to have “boosted” the priority of verified fans who have purchased Midnights merchandise through her website in the Ticketmaster lottery. Unlike her program for rewarding fans who purchased merchandise before the Reputation Tour, these “boosts” do not seem to be linked to a dollar value. Meaning, any purchase made through Taylor’s storefront qualifies for a boost, but not all purchases may be rewarded. Although Taylor’s intentions are pure, the process of rewarding fans who have purchased merchandise with preferred access to tickets has sparked controversy in the Swiftie community. Fans like me who

But that’s not all. Taylor Swift is also partnering with Capital One to give the company’s cardholders preferred access to the ticket presale. Instead of jockeying with the general population for a chance to be selected for early access to ticket sales, Capital One card holders will be given presale codes automatically. Like many committed fans, I have debated making an ill-advised financial decision—like opening a Capital One credit card—just to support my Taylor Swift obsession. The Capital One crisis, however, only adds to the pressure surrounding securing tickets for fans like me—those without “boosted” status from merchandise purchases and the credit card equivalent of a golden ticket.

I also face my own personal struggle with the tour: my lack of availability during the Northeast leg of The Eras Tour. Since I’m studying abroad next semester, I won’t be back in the United States until June 1 at the earliest. As a Massachusetts native, it really pains me to miss Taylor Swift’s three-night spectacular at Gillette, but I shall persevere. Like any good Taylor fan, I have devised a series of back-up plans coupled with alternative stadium locations. But all the planning in the world does not eliminate my deepest, darkest underlying fear: What if I can’t get tickets?

All of this to say, keep your Swiftie friends in your thoughts and prayers in the upcoming weeks. Securing tickets will require a degree of luck that is just short of a miracle. So with that, a personal message for all my Taylor Swift fans out there: May the odds be ever in your favor.

Walker is an op-ed columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at cameron.walker@bc.edu.

Controlled Costco Chaos

From midterm exam mayhem to midterm elections mayhem, the mood of the BC community entering the weekend was undeniably mixed for many. The doom and gloom subsided, however, for a brief moment in BC men’s hockey’s game against Detroit Mercy when a video went viral of a BC fan admiring the Costco Card of another Eagle. While the intentions behind his wholesome wholesale demonstration are unknown, the word “rizz” has been thrown around.

It’s Just Too Hot

Once upon a time, it was the middle of November, and BC students dreamt all through the night of last year’s Spring Break flings and scorching tans under the Miami sun, bracing for the cold winter. Then, the alarm blared, and the Northeast dwellers soon realized that it was freakishly warm outside— making them stuff the puffers and boots in the back of their closets once again. This weather feels more like a living nightmare (ahem, thank you climate change) than reality for those of us who enjoy the normal gloominess during this time of year.

Sunday Bus Schedule

Go-getters and procrastinators alike regularly plan on spending their “lazy” Sundays at Main Campus libraries, grinding the day away. The bus schedules on Sundays—coming around far less often than they do on weekday loops—make this difficult, though. Students waiting for these buses must sacrifice study time for scrolls through Instagram at the bus stop, and this Sunday bus schedule might be the only thing tying the Newton freshmen and off-campus juniors together.

Mary Perez

CaMeron Walker

The opinions and commentaries of the op-ed columnists appearing on this page represent the views of the authors of those particular pieces, and not necessarily the views of The Heights

GRAPHICS BY PAIGE STEIN AND ANNIE CORRIGAN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Cameron

Mary Perez is a columnist for The Heights. She can be reached at mary.perez@bc.edu.

Boston College Should Expand Availability of Thanksgiving Shuttle Service

Boston College should better serve students traveling during Thanksgiving Break by creating its own shuttle service that runs to both Boston Logan International Airport and the city’s Amtrak stations.

UGBC has offered a Thanksgiving shuttle service to the airport and South Station several times over the last decade. UGBC’s shuttle service is an effective use of its budget of $363,450, but it is not enough to fulfill the needs of the student body.

Last year, UGBC offered two shuttle trips a day for three days during the Thanksgiving season. A small bus took students from Conte Forum to Boston Logan International Airport and South Station.

The program cuts transportation costs for some students traveling during Thanksgiving Break every year, but there are hundreds—if

not thousands—more who rely on flights or Amtrak trips but cannot make it into the small buses with limited availability. These students must find other, more costly means for the first legs of their journeys.

The University has the resources to launch a service with larger buses that run more frequently than UGBC’s shuttles to Boston’s Amtrak stations and airport.

The days surrounding Thanksgiving are some of the busiest travel days of the year. Rideshare service prices surge, leaving students with high unexpected costs as they leave campus. Meanwhile, the T journey to Boston Logan or South Station can be slow and unpredictable.

UGBC President Lubens Benjamin, CSOM ’23, said in an email to The Heights that after successfully implementing the shuttle system

in the past, he hopes for it to become a “University administrative project.”

A University-run shuttle program would require collaboration between several BC departments, according to Benjamin, including but not limited to the Office of Student Affairs and the Office of Government Relations.

Benjamin said the current UGBC shuttle system does not work with BC Transportation and Parking Services, but instead with an alternate bus vendor. In a comment to The Heights, however, a representative from BC Transportation and Parking stated that the department “has been in contact” with UGBC for its Thanksgiving shuttle operation.

The University should adopt and expand on UGBC’s Thanksgiving shuttle service to better serve the vast majority of students that require a train or plane to leave campus for the holiday.

CHRIS TICAS / HEIGHTS STAFF

CALLIE OXFORD / FOR THE HEIGHTS

NICOLE VAGRA / HEIGHTS EDITOR

LEO WANG / HEIGHTS STAFF

NICOLE VAGRA / HEIGHTS EDITOR

NICOLE VAGRA / HEIGHTS EDITOR

The BC bOp! jazz ensemble showcased its abilities for a large crowd, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022.

The Dance Organization of BC taught the Heightsmen freshmen a special dance performance at their fall showcase set, Friday, Nov. 11, 2022.

BC men’s basketball took down Detroit Mercy in a down-to-the-wire 70–66 win, Friday, Nov. 11, 2022.

The BC Heightsmen a cappella group performed at their fall showcase, Friday, Nov. 11, 2022.

BC women’s basketball won its season opener, Monday, Nov. 7, 2022.

LEO WANG / HEIGHTS STAFF

Left: A BC cheerleader did a flip during a halftime performance at the men’s basketball game, Friday, Nov. 11.

Right: The BC Southeast Asian Student Association and AEROdynamiK presented the AXIS Dance Showcase, providing their audience with a mix of unique dance forms, Friday, Nov. 11, 2022.

“I THINK YOU JUST SAW THE FUTURE.”

from

It wasn’t going to be easy for Morris to best his last two performances—he passed for a combined 475 yards and six touchdowns in victories against Virginia Tech and No. 20 Wake Forest. For much of the first half, Morris, who BC picked off once and who fumbled three times, showcased his arm talent and ability to escape the pocket, but mishandling of the ball in the second half led to the Wolfpack’s defeat.

On NC State’s first play of the game, wide receiver Thayer Thomas made a ridiculous grab over Jason Maitre for 23 yards. Four plays later, Morris identified redshirt junior tight end Trent Pennix— another one of his veteran playmakers streaking across the field—and fired a 27-yard touchdown pass.

“We knew what they were going to run,” said defensive end Marcus Valdez. “They came out with that first grip on us. They came out with a few trick plays, and there were some wrinkles we needed to make some adjustments to, and we made them. I was preaching to the guys—they don’t know the adversity that we’ve been through.”

NC State’s fiery defense, led by junior Drake Thomas, junior Payton Wilson, and graduate student Isaiah Moore, ranked first in the ACC in points allowed per game, rushing yards allowed, and third-down conversion. It was tied for first in interceptions heading into the

week. The defensive unit caused havoc for the Eagles early in the game.

BC’s offensive dry spell—which included two three-and-outs to start the game—continued as the Wolfpack got rolling again on their next offensive series. Morris piled onto the points total, trotting into the end zone on a 10-yard run that put the Wolfpack up 14–0.

Zay Flowers provided a spark for BC’s offense when Morehead connected with Flowers on a 17-yard touchdown pass, cutting NC State’s lead to seven points.

“I put him up against any wide receiver in the country,” Hafley said of Flowers. “To be honest, there’s not another wide receiver I want on my team. Any wide receiver, he’s the one I’m picking because I know exactly what I’m going to get out of him. It’s so much bigger than football for [Flowers]. It’s the type of kid he is. It’s the right choices he’s made.”

In the first quarter, Flowers became the all-time receiving yards leader in BC football history with 2,900 career yards, surpassing Alex Amidon’s 2,800 yards. Flowers finished the game with seven catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns.

“I’m not sure a lot of people were aware of that, which speaks more to Zay than anything,” Morehead said. “I love his energy. We need more people like that in this world. Just unrelenting positivity.”

Leading 20–7 four minutes into the second half thanks to a pair of Christopher Dunn field goals from 30 and 45 yards, it looked like NC State was going to run away with the lead.

But Flowers sparked the offense again.

With 7:13 left in the third quarter, Flowers scooped up a short pass, scrambling 35 yards down the field into the end zone, and the Eagles cut their deficit to 20–14.

“I gave him a crossing shallow route that usually picks up five or so yards,” Morehead said. “And then it goes for a 40-yard touchdown. It makes the quarterback’s life so much easier. It’s four first downs you don’t have to get—a whole red zone drive you don’t have to do—when you can just turn the corner like that.”

From that point on, BC’s defense wouldn’t relent. On eight of NC State’s last nine offensive drives, the Eagles forced four punts, three fumbles and one interception.

“Sometimes, you got to believe before you can see it,” Valdez said. “Belief was there anyways, but belief is going to skyrocket. We know what style of football we play. We play tough.”

BC’s final offensive drive started with 2:47 left in the fourth quarter, and a number of scrappy plays salvaged it. First, Dino Tomlin secured a big-time, 29-yard pass that put the Eagles on the doorstep. Then, George Takacs received a 17-yard pass on his knees that put the Eagles on NC State’s 14-yard line.

Morehead routinely scrambled out of a congested pocket, and with the worst rushing offense in the country behind him, he was forced to lead with his arm.

In the final minute, the Eagles had a fourth-and-6. Morehead threw a pass intended for Griffin Jr., and while it was an incomplete pass, officials called NC State’s Drake Thomas for pass interference.

BC was handed the ball with two yards to go.

With an empty set, Morehead went back to Griffin and connected this time, tying up the game at 20–20. Connor Lytton’s successful extra point took the lead for the Eagles, and there wasn’t enough time on the clock for NC State and its booing audience to force a comeback effort.

“You got a redshirt freshman to a true freshman,” Hafley said. “The amount of times those two have worked on that together, it was almost like second nature. I think you just saw the future.” n

By Jack Bergamini Asst. Sports Editor

Amid a season that has fallen well short of expectations, Boston College football shocked the college football landscape Saturday night, capturing a 21–20 win over No. 17 NC State. The victory snapped BC’s four-game losing streak and the Eagles’ streak of 25 consecutive losses to AP-ranked teams.

Backup quarterback Emmett Morehead, who in two games already has half as many wins as starter Phil Jurkovec this season, led BC to victory, throwing for 330 yards for the second straight week while tallying three touchdowns and two interceptions. Morehead was not as perfect on Saturday as he was against Duke in Week 10, but he made the necessary plays when it mattered most, including engineering BCs 12play, 69-yard game-winning drive. Here are three observations from the win.

More From Morehead and Flowers

The Eagles may have found their quarterback of the future in Morehead. But the question of whether or not head coach Jeff Hafley regrets not pulling Jurkovec earlier in the season remains. And while Hafley remains adamant that Jurkovec is the starter if healthy, he may have no choice but to ride with Morehead after his last two outings.

Morehead became the only BC quarterback on record since 1981 with seven touchdowns or 600 yards in his first two starts. The previous record for touchdowns was five, set by Shawn Halloran in 1985, Matt Hasselbeck in 1995–96, and Matt Ryan in 2004–05. The previous yards record was 510, which Jurkovec set in 2020. Morehead has 660 yards in his two starts.

Morehead’s ability to quickly get the ball out of his hands—he has a quicker release than Jurkovec—fits well in BC’s fast style of play. With an often-injured offensive line that has had to use nine different combinations heading into Week 11, his quick release has helped prevent BC from getting pummeled by its opponent’s defense. Even though he was sacked five times Saturday, Morehead’s quick release kept the Eagles’ offense afloat.

Nine different players recorded

catches on Saturday. His 330 yards in back-to-back games is more than Jurkovec has thrown for in any game this season.

Star receiver Zay Flowers has been playing his best football in BC’s last two games after a dud against UConn in Week Nine.

Flowers tallied seven catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday. Flowers’ elusiveness was in full effect against NC State, including when he turned what looked to be a solid 6-yard first down into a 35-yard touchdown by zig-zagging through the Wolfpack’s defense.

Flowers totaled 65 yards after the catch and averaged 18.6 yards per catch Saturday. On his second catch of the day, he became BC’s all-time receiving yards leader, surpassing Alex Amidon.

Flowers finished the game with 130 yards, bringing his career total to 2,900.

“I put [Flowers] up against any wide receiver in the country right now,” Hafley said. “To be honest, there’s not another wide receiver I’d want on my team. Any wide receiver, he’s the one I’m picking.”

Defense Stepping Up

After NC State scored a touchdown on its first drive, it looked as if it was going to be another long game for the Eagles’ defense, which has now allowed touchdowns on opponents’ first drives in three straight games.

But after NC State’s second touchdown, which came with just over five minutes left in the first quarter, BC did not allow another touchdown the entire game.

Perhaps the biggest play of the night came with 6:21 left in the second quarter when Neto Okpala and Vinny DePalma stuffed quarterback MJ Morris on a fourth-and-goal try from the 1-yard line. That stop ended a seven-play, 65-yard drive from the Wolfpack, giving BC the ball back and keeping NC State out of the end zone.

Most impressive, though, was the Eagles’ ability to continually prevent the Wolfpack from scoring amid BC’s struggles on offense. After Flowers’ 35-

BRODY HANNON / HEIGHTS STAFF

BRODY HANNON / HEIGHTS STAFF

Redshirt freshman quarterback Emmett Morehead led Boston College football to an upset victory over No. 17 NC State for the Eagles’ first win against an AP Top 25–ranked opponent since 2014.

Zay Flowers became BC’s all-time leader in receiving yards with 2,900 yards.

Eagles Record 36 Turnovers, Lack Confidence in 82–64 Loss

By OLivia strOng Heights Staff

Following a trend that plagued Boston College women’s basketball last season, turnovers were the Eagles’ kryptonite in their matchup against Ohio State on Sunday.

BC (1–2) played with all-out effort but couldn’t stop No. 14 Ohio State (3–0) from controlling the ball and recorded 36 turnovers, leading to an 82–64 loss.

“I think turnovers were the name of our demise,” said head coach Joanna Bernabei-McNamee. “Ohio State, they just kept the heat coming, and we just really did not adjust. I don’t even think we ever adjusted fully to it.”

BC averaged 22 turnovers a game entering the games, but by halftime, Ohio State had already forced 20. Ohio State scored 39 points off turnovers.

BC won the jump ball at the start of the game and immediately began putting pressure on the Buckeyes. The Eagles moved the ball up the court quickly and evaded Ohio State’s defense,

keeping it a close game early.

In their game against Havard on Thursday, the Eagles started slowly and timidly, a stark contrast to their early play on Sunday.

BC continued to struggle with shooting 3-pointers, making just one shot from behind the arc. Ohio State, meanwhile, logged seven 3-pointers.

The Buckeyes’ full-court press tripped up BC. The Eagles’ speed turned into frenzied play, and they began throwing the ball away up the court, out of bounds, or directly into the hands of Ohio State’s players.

The Buckeyes had even more success on the press in the second quarter and completely shut down the Eagles. While Ohio State was only ahead 17–16 at the end of the first quarter, the Buckeyes outscored BC by 16 points in the second quarter, heading into halftime ahead 42–25.

Bernabei-McNamee attributed the slump to BC’s youth and lack of confidence. BC is one of only two Power Five teams without any seniors on its roster, relying heavily on its underclassmen.

“What I would like to see as the season goes on from us is understand-

ing what we’re trying to get out of our offense to be able to move the ball a little bit smoother,” Bernabei-McNamee said. “In that second quarter, I thought we looked not very confident out there. So I think with growth you’re going to see a much more confident team as the year goes on.”

Despite struggling to keep control of the ball, four BC players reached double-digit scoring on Sunday. Maria Gakdeng led the Eagles with 13 points. JoJo Lacey and Andrea Daely were close behind with 11 points, and T’Yana Todd tallied 10. Daley’s 11 points were a career high, and she also logged seven rebounds, two blocks, and one assist.

BC picked things up in the second half, but the damage was already done. The Eagles got more shots off and drew more fouls but continued to be limited by turning over the ball. Eleven turnovers in the third quarter put the Eagles well above their already-high turnover average and handed the Buckeyes the 82–64 win.

“As a non-conference game, this was a really good one to kind of have some fun and learn from and grow,” Bernabei-McNamee said. n

Ianeselli Leads BC to Sweep of Orange

By Luke evans For The Heights

Boston College volleyball faced off against Syracuse Sunday for the second time this season, looking to come out on top after a hard-fought, five-set loss on Sept. 21.

Led by a dominant performance from senior Silvia Ianeselli, the Eagles (18–12, 6–10 Atlantic Coast) dominated Syracuse (11–15, 7–9) in three sets on BC’s home court.

The set scores of the match were 25–23, 25–18, and 25–22.

And after a five-set loss to Duke just two days prior, head coach Jason Kennedy had a heartfelt message for his team heading into Sunday’s game.

“I told them we have to get back to doing what we do,” Kennedy said. “We’ve played pretty well in this building, and I think that showed. I think we finished with eight aces on six errors—that’s a pretty solid statline. I think what was the difference really in this match was our ability to win the service line.”

Grace Penn and Silvia Ianesseli each tallied four aces for the Eagles.

The Eagles did not waste any time, taking an early 6–3 lead in the first set. The Orange rallied back with seven straight points. Julia Haggerty, however, snapped the streak with a strong kill following a BC timeout.

This timeout proved to be effective, as the Eagles went on a 9–2 run of their own, taking a 15–12 lead. After going back and forth for the rest of the set, the Eagles took command, taking the first set following a kill from Jenna Pollock.

Pollock led the Eagles with four kills in the first set.

The Eagles carried their momentum into the second set, and a powerful kill from Kate Brennan gave the Eagles a 14–9 lead. Ianeselli laid the hammer down with her sixth kill of the match to put the Eagles up 24–17, and an Orange service error gave the second set to the Eagles.

“[Ianeselli] understood the offense,” Kennedy said. “She knows that we want to play fast. She was up on time. She passed pretty well. … She took advantage of a little bit of a smaller block on that side, and we were able to exploit it.”

The Eagles dominated the Orange with a team hit percentage of .367 in the set.

The Orange were not going down without a fight, though, and they tied the game up at nine apiece at the beginning of the third set. Once again, the Eagles found a spark in Ianeselli, who recorded two major kills to help the Eagles take and grow their lead.

The Eagles began to pull away as the set continued, and a kill by Katrina Jenson, forced Syracuse to take a timeout down 20–17. The Orange tied the game up at 20, but the Eagles rallied once again with none other than Ianeselli leading the team with six kills in the set.

Another service error against the Orange sealed the Eagles’ sweep.

Ianeselli tallied 12 total kills with a hit percentage of .409 and seven digs.

“I saw us get comfortable again in this building,” Kennedy said. “We’ve played pretty well here—I think we’ve probably won six or seven of these matches in this building. We want to finish strong next week. We’ve just got the one to focus on in Virginia Tech, and then we’ll worry about what’s after that, but we’re fortunate to be at home.” n

BC Defeats Huskies in Chippy Matchup

By Luke evans For The Heights

Facing Northeastern for the third time this season on Saturday, Boston College men’s hockey was still without a win over the Huskies.

Another power-play opportunity put the Eagles back on the attack. This time, Trevor Kuntar slid the puck past Northeastern goaltender Devon Levi on assists from Eamon Powell and Nikita Nesterenko, putting BC up 2–0 with just under five minutes left in the first period.

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The third time was the charm in Conte Forum, however, when captain Marshall Warren broke a tie in the third period of a chippy 3–2 win for the Eagles. The goal was Warren’s first of the season.

The previous matchup 24 hours prior ended in a shootout win for the Huskies (6–2–3, 5–2–3 Hockey East) after they scored a last-second goal to tie the game and sent it to overtime.

Back on home ice with a packed Conte Forum, the Eagles (3–4–2, 3–3–1) earned their first win since Oct. 23.

Midway through the first period, the Eagles failed to capitalize on their first power play opportunity but quickly regained possession of the puck. With 6:19 remaining in the first period, BC’s Colby Ambrosio sent the puck flying into the back of the net from close range to put the Eagles up by one.

The intensity of the game began to show in the final minutes of the first period with emotions boiling over between the Huskies and Eagles, resulting in a total of seven penalties, including the ejection of BC’s defenseman Charlie Leddy.

“Charlie is a strong defenseman, and losing him for a huge chunk of the game just doesn’t help us,” head coach Greg Brown said.

The Leddy scrum resulted in a Northeastern power play, and although BC killed it, the Huskies’ Jack Williams put Northeastern on the board moments later with under a minute left in the first period.

“We have to reign in our emotions and be smarter than that,” Brown said. “Up until that point, the game was going pretty well for us.”

BC led 2–1 just over 19 minutes into the second period until Northeastern’s Gunnarwolfe Fontaine fired a shot past BC’s goaltender Mitch Benson to tie the

game at two. Though the Eagles had 15 more shots on goal than Northeastern, the teams entered the third period tied.

Warren, however, broke the tie with a goal from right in front of the net eight minutes into the third period.

“It was good to get the first [goal of the season], but at the end of the day I’m more happy about the win with the team,” Warren said.

The puck was on the Eagles’ end of the ice for almost all of the final five minutes of the game, but Benson fended off the Huskies’ last attempts to tie it up. BC did not trail at any point of the game, and it earned its first win in four games.

“Last night … after we got the fourth

goal, we really started to back off almost instead of keeping our foot down and keep pushing,” Brown said. “We didn’t have that kind of retreat in us tonight—I think we stayed positive and stayed forceful the whole game.”

Following the game, tensions remained high between the teams, and yet another scrum broke out.

“Playing a rival like Northeastern, obviously it’s going to get a little chippy,” Warren said. “I think at the end there we gotta be a little bit more composed, but, at the end of the day it’s a big matchup, and I think our team can hit some bodies. We can play physical, and I think that’s a little bit of our identity.” n

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ALINA CHEN / HEIGHTS STAFF

STEVE MOONEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

BC and the Huskies got into many scrums in a high-intensity game Sunday.

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