The Heights, Oct. 31, 2022

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OPINIONS

Columnist Matthew Ablondi discusses sports rivalries at BC, and which ones could create the most Superfan spirit. A8

NICOLE WEI / HEIGHTS STAFF

New Dancers Impress the Crowd at Rookie Showcase

Sexual Chocolate hosted 15 groups at the annual event.

See A6

S portS

Eagles Suffer First-Ever Loss to Huskies

By Graham Dietz Assoc. Sports Editor

Heading into Week Eight, Boston College football was one of six teams in the FBS that hadn’t scored a single point on any of its opening drives. In seven attempts, the Eagles had punted four times and threw an interception three times.

Nothing changed against Connecticut.

After UConn’s first drive resulted

in a 62-yard touchdown pass from the Huskies’ true freshman quarterback Zion Turner, BC turned the ball over on downs on its first offensive drive of the game.

A heap of players stopped Phil Jurkovec on fourth down from BC’s 34-yard line, but the whistle didn’t blow until he had been pushed all the way across the first-down mark. But officials reviewed the play and ruled that his forward progress had stopped short of the line to gain.

once again. Riding its quick start to the game, UConn (4–5) scored 10 points in the first quarter and completed a 13–3 upset win over the Eagles (2–6, 1–4 Atlantic Coast).

The loss marked the first time in 15 all-time matchups that BC fell to UConn. It was the Huskies’ first back-to-victory since 2017 and their first win against a Power Five opponent since 2016.

The ball was in the hands of Turner See Football, A9

MAGAZINE

What’s your favorite study spot? Learn what your library floor of choice says about you. A5

Clubs Urge University to Divest

By elizaBeth DoDman

For The Heights

Climate Justice at Boston College (CJBC) President Cece Durcan said divestment is a tactic people and corporations can use to combat climate change and injustice around the world at the Environmental Justice Town Hall on Wednesday.

“I want to emphasize that divestment is not a bad word,” Durcan, MCAS ’23, said. “As we’ll see tonight, divestment is not even radical.”

CJBC, EcoPledge of BC, FACES Council, Real Food BC, and Students for Justice in Palestine at BC (SJP) sponsored the event, where panelists argued fossil fuel divestment is a key strategy to combat climate change.

While the University has taken small steps to protect the environment, such as the Green2Go dining effort, panelists suggested the University divesting from companies that detrimentally contribute to climate change could reduce contributions to global warming on a larger scale.

Stephanie Robinson, vice president of CJBC and MCAS ’23, said the University has not revealed its investment portfolio despite CJBC’s two-year-long effort to meet with one of BC’s investment officers.

“Boston College’s portfolio is about as translucent as the wall behind me,” Robinson said.

It is important to know what BC’s investments are, as investments reflect “who we are” as a University, according to Lily Fleming, LSEHD ’25.

“It reflects what we believe in and what we think is important in the world,” Fleming said. “So our investment in [fossil fuels] says that we don’t care about climate justice as an institution.”

According to Durcan, the annual event was previously dubbed the Divestment Town Hall before Office of Student Involvement advisors strongly discouraged CJBC from using the term “divestment” in the event’s title.

“They literally said, ‘You cannot use this word on your poster,’ which is kind of weird and a violation of our free speech,” Jacob Lassner, a member of CJBC and MCAS ’25, said.

The Heights was unable to confirm or deny Durcan and Lassner’s statements.

Jasmine Yehia, a member of the Young Democratic Socialists of America and MCAS ’25, spoke about the impact of fossil fuels not only on climate change, but also on working-class people. Workers involved in

fossil fuel industries and the general public can suffer from health issues caused by air pollution, she said.

“It makes no sense that Boston College claims to be fulfilling the Catholic mission of faith and service while investing in these stocks,” Yehia said. “It’s misleading to students who come here because it shows the institution’s not willing to put their students first and it is abundantly clear that is true among faculty as well.”

The various organizations argued that divestment can create a “snowball effect,” where more and more companies shift their money away from fossil fuel companies. This is a positive step in the direction of combating climate change, panelists said.

Lassner also said institutionalized homophobia at BC compares to the school’s lack of action in terms of climate change and its investment in fossil fuels.

“It’s just such hypocrisy that BC says, ‘We abide by Catholic values so we have the right to discriminate against LGBTQ+ students, but we don’t abide by Catholic values when it’s time to make money,’” Lassner said.

SJP member Nick Scalera, MCAS ’23, also emphasized how BC could contribute to change by participating in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. The movement involves boycotting products made by Israeli companies, divesting money away from these companies, and levying economic sanctions on Israel.

“In this case, it’d be Boston College divesting funds that are directly tied to institutions, politicians, and different organizations, companies, corporations that are heavily invested in the ongoing [Israeli] occupation,” Scalera said.

The speakers concluded the town hall by encouraging students to take action against climate change, attending more informational meetings, protests, and having discussions about climate change and its impacts.

EcoPledge member Maureen Kelly, MCAS ’23, stressed the importance of students advocating for BC and other communities to address the effects of climate change and the injustices caused by it.

“We should be able to be proud of our school—not just aspects of it, but all of it,” Kelly said. “BC’s greed and desire for growth, gain, and gain above all else is clearly shown in their fossil fuel investments. We should be able to be proud of … all the values that our university lays claim to: being people for and with others.” n

NICOLE WEI / HEIGHTS STAFF

The heighTs

Don’t miss out on a chance to volunteer at the annual Brighton Community Trick-or-Treat & Halloween Party this Monday, from 3:00 to 6:30 p.m. at the Oak Square YMCA.

Listen to Kendall Soulen lead a discussion titled “Why Did God Choose the Jews? A Christian Reflection in Conversation with Jewish Thought” this Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. in the Yawkey Center’s Murray Room.

Hear BC alum Doug Mack, now vice president and board director of Fanatics, Inc., share how he intertwined his love of sports with his expertise in finance and internet companies this Friday at 12:00 p.m. in 245 Beacon Street room 202.

BCPD Participates in Drug Take Back Program

B y e rin s hannon News Editor

The Boston College Police Department (BCPD) participated in the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) National Prescription Drug Take Back Day for the first time on Saturday, providing students and community members a space to dispose of unwanted prescriptions.

“This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue,” said BCPD Lt. Jeffrey Postell. “Medicines that languish in cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse.”

BCPD placed a receptacle in the lobby of Maloney Hall for com -

munity members to drop off pills or patches. Liquids, needles, and sharps were not permitted.

Postell said BCPD received the kiosk last year through a statewide partnership that provides resources to support comprehensive drug stewardship programs. The receptacle will now remain in the lobby year-round to help people dispose of potentially dangerous substances.

“Rates of prescription drug abuse in the United States are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs,” Postell said.

According to BCPD’s statement, this year marks the DEA’s 22nd nationwide event since establishing the buy back days—held every

October and April—11 years ago.

“[The] DEA, along with its law enforcement partners, have now collected over 7,900 tons of prescription drugs since the inception of the program,” Postell said.

Postell shared statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to highlight the dangers of prescription misuse. According to the statistics, over 1,000 people are treated in emergency departments each day for not using prescription opioids as directed.

Unused or expired medications can pose risks to children, family members, and the environment, according to Postell. They can also be misused, often leading to overdose and even death.

University Prepares To Send Delegation to COP 27 Summit

B y n aTalie a rnd T Newsletter Editor W ill M arT ino

For The Heights

A select group of Boston College students and faculty members will travel to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt this November for COP27. This is the second time the University will attend the annual United Nations summit on climate change.

“[Climate change] is probably the most serious threat to human civilization that we face,” said BC philosophy professor David Storey. “The COP process is the most concerted attempt to try and deal with it.”

Almost 200 countries are set to attend COP27 this year, where they will negotiate agreements focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and contributing funds to help other countries do the same.

The University opened applications to attend COP27 to BC’s entire student body, and the initial questions focused on candidates’ interest in, experience with, and education on climate change, according to Julia Horchos, an attendee of COP26 and MCAS ’23. There were about 300 applications this year, she said.

“[We] offered a final round of application questions to about the top 30 applicants,” Horchos said. “It was more

extensive … [and] we were able to select, I believe, eight students, from undergrad to grad students to law students.”

As the only undergraduate student at BC who previously attended the conference, Horchos said she wanted to continue her involvement while allowing other students to go to this year’s summit.

Horchos said BC’s Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society, the partner of the observation group, gave her an active role in helping this year’s observation group prepare for COP27.

“We started creating a class completely devoted to [preparing for the conference], and it’s really been incredible,” she said.

Horchos collaborated with professor David Deese of the political science department and Storey to design a syllabus for the class titled Forging Just, Effective Climate Policy in the UN COP Process.

“[I’m doing this] so they have some good knowledge going in about how the process works, history of the process, and major turning points such as the Paris Agreement, as well as to prepare them socially to help build a team,” Storey said. “Because when I went last year, it was not a three ring circus—it was a 300 ring circus.”

One of the biggest topics at the conference this year will be the financial side of climate change, according to

Storey. In 2009, he said the conference established a global climate fund that was supposed to involve developed countries contributing $100 billion to developing countries to help them adapt to and mitigate climate change.

“That goal has not been met, not even close,” Storey said. “Since then, it’s on track to be met, I believe, by 2024, perhaps by next year, but that’s definitely something that’s going to be discussed.”

These climate change conferences are important, Storey said, because the entire world needs to come together to change the current state of the environment.

“If we take the projections … from climate scientists seriously and if we also take into account the low probability scenarios of extremely destructive climate change … we’re really getting into territory where we’re talking about … disruptions to the basic functioning of our society, the likes of which we’ve never seen, and at a global scale,” Storey said.

By sending community members to COP27, Storey said he believes BC is fulfilling its Jesuit mission and Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment.

“I think it’s fantastic that BC is supporting this initiative and putting resources behind it,” Storey said. “The fact that we’re starting to align our university better with the goals of that encyclical I think is a great move.” n

This

“This opportunity provides our community with a discreet, safe, and responsible drug disposal op -

tion in an effort to continue helping safeguard our communities,” Postell said. n

BC Prof. Offers Class for Afghan Evacuees

up right away.

F oley

For The Heights

Boston College’s Maria Brisk has joined a number of American university professors in offering graduate courses to female Afghan evacuees.

“These women are so talented, and they were just stopped in Afghanistan,” Brisk, a retired Lynch School of Education and Human Development (LSEHD) professor, said. “So, pulling them out and giving them a future, an education—it’s a major thing not to lose so much talent.”

The Asian University for Women (AUW) provides online courses, including Brisk’s “Teaching the Genres of Writing,” to help female evacuees continue their education after the Taliban seized Kabul.

Brisk said her six-week intensive online course centered on the foundations of pedagogy—the practice of teaching. The course, which ended Oct. 25, was free to the Afghan women.

“They had experience in education but at a policy level,” Brisk said. “Very few of them had actually taught in schools. … My course was very practical, down to the ground. … I felt that they needed it.”

Philip Altbach, research professor and former director of BC’s Center for International Higher Education, said Brisk first got involved after he connected LSEHD with Kamal Ahmad, the founder of the AUW.

“Kamal was mainly interested in education courses, so of course the Lynch school was a logical place to go,” he said.

Altbach reached out to Stanton Wortham, dean of LSEHD, who he said was very interested in working with the AUW.

“Our goal is to help people and make the world a better place, and this seemed like a really good oppor tunity,” Wortham said.

After Stanton asked LSEHD fac ulty for help, Brisk said she stepped

“I was asked to do it, and I didn’t hesitate for one minute,” she said.

Brisk has both personal and professional expertise that few others have, according to Wortham.

“She’s built this way of looking at the teaching of writing and rhetoric and literacy that is distinctive to her, and she’s been doing it for 50 years,” Wortham said. “Nobody else has Maria Brisk. There’s no one like her who teaches the stuff that she teaches as well as she teaches it with the depth of experience.”

Through Brisk’s course, Wortham said BC is able to help these women continue their education, which otherwise would not have been possible.

“They have real need at the moment, and it fits with part of the mission of the institution,” Wortham said. “The foundation of [AUW] was to give women an opportunity to get educated and in a context where they haven’t had that opportunity.”

Brisk said it took longer than anticipated to fully launch the program due to challenges involved with evacuating the women from Afghanistan.

“It was very, very difficult,” Brisk said. “It was a harrowing experience. … I mean I was supposed to offer this course last fall, but it just didn’t happen because they weren’t getting there.”

Despite everything, Brisk said the women had an unfailing perseverance and strength.

“They are very spirited, super bright, [and] incredibly inquisitive,” Brisk said. “They were all working in Afghanistan in good jobs … and everything came to a halt. So it was

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

B y a M y P al M er Asst. News Editor C laire

STEVE MOONEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

was the first year Boston College took part in the Take Back program.

City Talks Impact of Tax Hike on Schools, Environment

The mayor said Newton needs more funds to support parks, courts, and the environment.

B y A shley e m A nuel Heights Staff

Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller outlined how a proposed $15 million tax hike would impact Newton parks and recreation spaces at a Wednesday Zoom meeting.

Fuller cites deteriorating schools while calling for support.

By GAvin ZhAnG Assoc. Metro Editor Connor siemien Asst. Metro Editor

Newton city officials and school administrators talked about the potential impact of a proposed tax increase on Newton Public Schools (NPS) during a roundtable event at Franklin Elementary School on Wednesday.

“It couldn’t be a worse time to turn to the voters and say, ‘Would you consider reaching deeper into your wallet?’”

Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller said at the event. “That said, we have been using every dollar really well and actually to meet the expectations and the needs of our students and our residents. I am asking, if at all possible, for people to dig even deeper.”

Three quarters of the $15 million proposed tax hike would go toward making improvements in NPS. Franklin Elementary School would receive $3.5 million for renovations as part of the proposed increase.

Newton constructed Franklin Elementary in 1938 and Countryside Elementary—which will receive $2.3 million if the override passes—in 1953, according to the schools’ conditions reports. Horace Mann Elementary would

also receive $775,000 from the proposed increase for its expansion.

The city would also invest an additional $4.5 million to NPS’s budget annually if the override passes.

Both schools underwent multiple additions shortly after their construction—many of them temporary, which are sometimes called “modular” buildings—and now suffer from deterioration, said Josh Morse, Newton’s public buildings commissioner, at the event.

“It’s in very, very difficult condition because modulars are starting to, quite frankly, rot away,” Morse said. “And the vast majority of the building has well exceeded its useful life.”

Countryside Elementary School, located in the Newton Highlands, has received little investment over the last 60 years, according to its conditions report.

A large issue at the school is chronic flooding. Water has reached up to 9 feet up the wall of the basement, according to the report. The basement has never been completely dry.

“It’s so low in the ground and below the street level that we have to pump sewage up,” Morse said. “I have been the lucky person to crawl hand over elbow through sewage on many occasions.”

Classrooms and the playgrounds— among other spaces—at the two schools

are undersized and cannot meet student needs, according to the condition reports. Teachers at Franklin Elementary sometimes resort to using hallways for classes due to insufficient space, according to Morse. In addition to making renovations, Morse said Franklin Elementary has ample open space that allows for expansions that benefit both the students and the surrounding neighborhood.

“The Franklin school site is approximately 5 acres, 4 acres [of which] is essentially open space,” Morse said.

“It’s an incredible opportunity to create something really special not only for the Franklin school but for the entire neighborhood via athletic fields, playgrounds, basketball courts, more trees, [and] planting.”

At the meeting, NPS interim superintendent Kathleen Smith also outlined the uses of the additional $4.5 million investment in the district’s operating budget, including maintaining a low student-teacher ratio, supporting after-school activities, and improving resources for students with special needs.

“We’re guessing it’s up to the election commission in the City Council to pick a date for [the special election on the override],” Fuller said “We are expecting mid-March. We’re available to answer more questions.” n

“The big picture is we’ve got such a fabulous community,’’ Fuller said. “And we’ve been fortunate to get a lot of different funding sources in the last few years, but right now we are finding that to take care of our assets such as our parks, and athletic fields, and courts in the way that all of us want, we need to have additional dollars to do it, to meet our expectations.”

From the proposed increase, $1 million would go toward parks, fields, courts, and playgrounds, and an additional $500,000 would go toward restoring trees. Residents provided feedback—mostly in favor of the tax increase—to Fuller and other city officials during the question-and-answer part of the webinar.

Fuller said she hopes the proposed increase will work with Newton families’ budgets. She encouraged residents to use the city’s tax assistance program if they are in need of help.

“We’re mainly here to answer your questions and see what’s on your mind,” Fuller said. “I’m very cognizant of the fact that this is a very difficult time in our economic cycle, plus the anxiety all of us are feeling from the pandemic is still very much among us.”

Nicole Banks, commissioner of Newton’s Parks, Recreation, and Culture Department, highlighted how the increase would impact public spaces in a presentation.

Banks talked about how further investments in playgrounds, courts, and fields are important for children and teenagers in Newton. During a Q&A session, some residents called

for further investments in Newton’s public tennis courts. The tax hike would also give Newton funds to restore trees along the city’s streets, according to Marc Welch, the deputy commissioner of Newton’s Parks, Recreation, and Culture Department.

“Our goal with this potential override is to really work towards restoring our street tree canopy and focusing on what it takes to bring back what we once had many years ago,” Welch said.

The tree restoration includes plans to plant up to 8,000 new street trees before 2030, according to the Welch, as well as pruning mature trees and caring for younger ones.

Welch said the restoration would remove atmospheric carbon before 2030 and reduce stormwater runoff. In November, the city will host a Q&A where residents could ask specifically about how the hike would impact trees.

There will also be a talk in November dedicated to the discussion of funds for trees, and it will be open to any community members who have further questions, according to Welch.

The increase would require a majority vote at a special election, set tentatively for March, to override Massachusetts’ Proposition 2 ½, which places a 2.5 percent cap on annual increases in levy limits.

Jonathan Yeo, the city’s chief operating officer, said at the meeting that neighboring cities like Brookline, Lexington, Needham, and Wellesley use tax overrides more frequently than Newton.

“We’ve been able to do a great deal in this city over the last decades without an override, but we have reached the point in time where, if we are going to move forward with these critical investments, we will need extra revenue,” Yeo said. n

Millions in Investment to Go Toward Pettee Square

By viCtor stefAnesCu Metro Editor JACoB ye For the Heights

Massachusetts granted over $2 million to Newton for the city to improve the function, accessibility, and safety of Pettee Square, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller wrote in an Oct. 20 newsletter update. The city will also use an additional $1.1 million in federal funding for the improvements.

Pettee Square is located at the intersection of Chestnut and Oak Streets in Newton Upper Falls.

“This work will improve the safety of the intersection for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians,” Fuller wrote in the newsletter. “The area will be fresh and more beautiful and inviting.”

The proposed improvements will include a raised intersection and crosswalks, Americans with Disabilities Act–compliant curbs, new

concrete sidewalks, and better lighting, Fuller wrote in the newsletter.

The mayor’s announcement comes at a time of increased private developments near Pettee Square. Northland Investment Corporation, a development group, is investing almost $1 billion into residential, office, and retail space down the block, according to Fuller.

Newton resident Behdad Shahossini said he hopes the city retains the square’s beauty through the changes. A cafe and several restaurants sit near the intersection marked by red brick sidewalks.

“It’s getting crowded, a little bit,” Shahossini said. “So, that is my concern, and there’s a new construction going on in here. And I’m worried [about] how it’s going to affect the traffic here.”

Shahossini often comes to the square while walking his dog. He said he wants the city to retain the cleanliness of the square.

Wanda Whitmore, a resident who lives four minutes from the square, said she visits it four times a week. She especially likes the square in the summertime, when benches and a piano liven up the intersection.

She said she hopes the project replenishes the area’s trees.

“I know that we’ve been cutting down trees a little further down this street and by the new construction towards Needham Street,” Whitmore said. “The trees are beautiful, and we need as much greenery as possible.”

The city will also improve benches, trees, pavement markings, and draining systems in the square, according to Fuller.

The state government will fund the improvements through its MassWorks Infrastructure Program, a competitive program that gives municipalities funds to spur private investment and accelerate housing

development, according to the program’s website. The improvements will create a better experience for all of the square’s visitors, Fuller said in the newsletter.

“For bocce ball players, for peo-

ple walking on the Greenway, for visitors to the Depot Coffee Shop, the Biltmore Bar & Grille and the other stores, this will be a nicer environment,” she wrote in the newsletter. n

GAVIN ZHANG / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Newton officials talked about the potential impact of a proposed tax increase on Newton Public Schools on Wednesday.

The proposed improvements will include a raised intersection and improved lighting.

STEVE MOONEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Newton-Wellesley Holds Domestic Violence Webinar

By KaiTlyn garreTT For The Heights

The Newton-Wellesley Hospital Domestic and Sexual Abuse Council hosted speakers that presented ways to take a stand against domestic violence during a Tuesday webinar.

“In the last year, in the year of 2021, there were 15 domestic violence homicides in the state of Massachusetts, so it is happening to our neighbors in our community,” said Lauren Brumfield, a licensed certified social worker and a community domestic violence advocate with The Second Step.

Brumfield was one of the keynote speakers of the webinar. She and other keynote speakers discussed outreach resources and myths regarding domestic violence. The meeting began with a definition of domestic violence.

“It’s a pattern of behavior that one person uses to gain and maintain power and control over another person,” said

Gabriela

The speakers stressed that abuse is about control, not necessarily violence. They also reframed the domestic violence “cycle of abuse” as a “wave of abuse” because abusive patterns are not always a perfect circle, according to Wells.

“There’s a lot of misconception of what abuse looks like—often that it’s only physical—and we still kind of abide by that in a lot of policy and a lot of social understanding of abuse,” Wells said.

The webinar also addressed some common myths about domestic abuse. One commonly held myth that the speakers pushed back on is that domestic violence is an issue of anger control.

“Our fact is that abusers act deliberately and with forethought, and they are in control of their actions,” said Brumfield. “A good example of this is that abusers do not treat their boss the same

way as their partner.”

The speakers discussed warning signs of abuse and how people can help those in situations of domestic abuse. They also addressed some of the most pressing barriers that prevent survivors from accessing the support that they need.

One of the major problems in Massachusetts specifically is the lack of housing for survivors, according to Lauren Nackel, an employee of REACH Beyond Domestic Violence in Waltham for the past nine years. REACH is a nonprofit organization that provides emergency shelters for domestic abuse survivors and helps them create long-term housing and employment plans.

“Systemically, the best way that we could access and provide more shelter to survivors is by addressing the housing crisis,” Nackel said.

Nackel said that people with family members and friends in abusive situations that deal with these issues also experience trauma, and they are wel-

come to call programs such as REACH for resources.

A major point of the webinar and of this year’s domestic violence awareness month, which takes place in October, is that virtually everyone knows someone suffering abuse, according to Sarah Perry, the host of the webinar.

“Being able to recognize unhealthy relationships and to find support is really, really critical,” Perry said. “You’ve

seen the statistics. They’re very sobering. Everyone knows someone who is in an unhealthy relationship, whether we’re aware of it or not.”

If you or anyone you know has experienced sexual assault or sexual violence, you can reach out to BCPD at 617-5524444, the Sexual Assault Network at 617-552-2211, the SANet Care Team at 617-552-8099, and the Office of Student Conduct at 617-552-3470. n

Donut Villa Brings Savory and Sweet Combos to Newtonville

llari’s first dip into the restaurant industry. Bashllari left his job as an emergency room nurse to fully dedicate himself to the restaurant.

Families in Newton Plan for Halloween

By Ven Cernjul Heights Staff

Halloween can have a different meaning for everyone: a time to trick-or-treat, a chance to dress up in carefully prepared or last-minute costumes, an occasion to party or one to cocoon inside a blanket and watch horror movies. With the holiday fast approaching, The Heights set out to discover how Newton residents will be spending their Halloween.

Chuck Sullivan, 45, is taking his two children trick-or-treating. He and his family recently moved to Newton, and it is the first time the family will put on their costumes and roam the streets in search of sweets in their new town.

“The kids really love it,” he said. “We already have our costumes!”

Sullivan will dress as a waiter at a classic American diner. His son James, 10, will dress as Naruto, a character from one of his favorite TV shows. His daughter is barely old enough to walk and yet is full of energy—which she gets out by tugging at her dad and jumping in place.

“We’ll dress her up as a dinosaur,” Sullivan said. “It’s going to be very cute.”

“I checked, and I think it might rain. I don’t know—I hope it doesn’t,” he added.

For Justin Nguyen of Nonantum, the rain won’t derail his plans.

“I’m just going to spend Halloween watching horror movies with my girlfriend,” he said.

Nguyen said he is usually not a fan of scary movies—his girlfriend is the horror buff of the two. But since it’s Halloween, he feels it’s right for the atmosphere.

Martin, 25, who declined to provide his last name, plans to go on a bar crawl in the Fenway neighborhood with his friends for Halloween.

“It’s something me and my friends have been doing for a year or two now,” he said. “It’s usually very fun.”

Martin will go as Ted Lasso, the titular character of the Emmy-winning sports comedy that has grown a cult following.

“When I was younger I liked to go overboard with my costumes—as scary as possible, lots of fake blood, and everything,” he said. “Now I like something more lighthearted, you know?”

Olivia Johnson is spending Halloween with her son and husband.

“We have a tradition where we like to watch a scary movie or two before we go trick-or-treating. It gets my son really excited,” she said. “We always end up watching Poltergeist. Honestly, it might be [my son’s] favorite movie.”

Her son will go trick-or-treating with her along with his friends and their families after the movie.

“It’s a great time for the kids,” she added. n

Donut Villa Diner is not your typical diner. In fact, its Newtonville location is not a diner at all, according to its owner.

The Newtonville Donut Villa opened on Sept. 18, separating itself from the Donut Villa Diners in Cambridge and Malden not just in location, but also by dropping “diner” from its name and incorporating a wider selection of menu options. It serves a range of traditional and inventive donuts, including a Donut Breakfast Sandwich and Pizza Donut, as well as other food options.

Whether you’re watching a football game, grabbing donuts on the way to the office, or sitting down for dinner with your family, the Donut Villa has all bases covered.

“That’s the beauty about Donut Villa—you can go in and grab a latenight drink and hang out, and families with kids can come in for brunch on a Saturday,” said Erin Bashllari, owner of the business.

Taking over the original Malden Donut Villa Diner in 2017 was Bash -

“I’ve always talked about owning my own restaurant,” Bashllari said. “My dad finally said, ‘We either are going to do it now, or this is something we’re not gonna be able to do later.’”

Director of Operations Johnny D’Eletto said he believes the third Donut Villa gives Newton something unique. The city was missing a restaurant where anyone could walk in at any time of day and find something they liked, D’Eletto said, but the new Donut Villa location became that place.

“I believe us offering a unique line of craft beers, as well as mimosas and bloody marys on top of [offering] dinners … was just a little hole that [needed] to be filled,” D’Eletto said.

A cheeseburger with fresh donuts as the buns is one of the many savory-sweet combinations and unique food items on Donut Villa’s menu.

The restaurant also offers an array of gluten-free and vegan options,

as well as traditional comfort food items that are unlike anything you’d expect at a conventional donut shop.

“We’re offering a steak [that’s] marinated for 24 hours,” D’Eletto said. “We’re doing crab cakes, penne vodka—all this food you don’t normally think of.”

In addition to its unique menu, Donut Villa also offers a one-ofa-kind environment. The dimly lit but vibrant atmosphere creates a comforting, family-friendly feel with modern decor. Neon lights cascade down the walls, which are littered with donut puns such as “Glazed and Confused” and “Donut Forget About Me.”

Donut Villa is filled with emerald green, kid-friendly booths, steering away from the traditional diner decor in the franchise’s other locations. The pink neon sign and a 20-person bar also provide an atmosphere for young professionals to come in and enjoy themselves.

“We really wanted to pay homage to how the brand started,” Bashllari said. “It’s an old-school retro restaurant, but [we wanted it to] still have more of a modern retro vibe.” n

Wells, a licensed clinical social worker and a senior domestic violence advocate at The Second Step and another keynote presenter at the webinar.

B y K aryl C lifford For The Heights

KARYL CLIFFORD /

ALINA CHEN / FOR THE HEIGHTS

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Speakers discussed signs of possible domestic abuse and ways to help victims.

The dimly lit but vibrant atmosphere of the restaurant creates a comforting, family-friendly feel with modern decor.

AGAZINE

Bishop Transforms the World of Work With Candor

By ElliE CrowlEy Heights Staff

When Kelsey Bishop graduated from Boston College in 2018, she knew she wanted to work in the startup world— she craved a company culture that prioritizes problem solving and innovation at all levels of the organization.

As an undergraduate, Bishop interned at Omni—an on-demand rental and storage startup. After graduating, she took the plunge and moved out to San Francisco to continue working at the startup

Though Bishop said she enjoyed working at Omni, the company eventually ended operations, and she began to look for a new job. But the next company she worked at did not have a similar workplace culture to the one she had loved at Omni, Bishop said.

“The team just didn’t click as well as I would have hoped, and the culture wasn’t quite what I was looking for,” Bishop said. “I left that role thinking about how culture fits and how finding a team that you love working with is so important for happiness at work.”

Bishop’s experience with a negative workplace culture inspired her to start her own company, Candor. Candor is a social media platform where users looking to find a new job are able to design profiles that showcase their strengths and weaknesses and advocate for how they work best. Its mission is “to help people find belonging at work,” according to its website.

“When I left [my previous job,] I started thinking about how we get to know each other as professionals, which today is [through] LinkedIn,” Bishop said. “You look at somebody’s past job history, and you maybe have a couple of interviews with them to try to get to know each other, and then you’re supposed to

make a decision on whether you want to spend all of your waking hours with this team.”

For Bishop, brief interviews and social media reviewing did not feel like enough information to consider how a potential employee would fit into a company’s workplace environment.

Once Bishop recognized the problem and how she could solve it with Candor, she started toying around with prototypes.

“I’m not an engineer,” Bishop said. “[The app] looked super ugly and barely worked, but it got me enough signal to figure out like, ‘Okay, this is what people want.’ Very quickly—this was in a matter of weeks—I was shipping the app, I was shipping landing pages, [and] I was making updates.”

In May 2021, Bishop started working on Candor full time. Though she took on this endeavor alone, Bishop said she relied on connections she had made at BC along the way.

Her friend Meg Gonzalez, BC ’17, who studied engineering and computer science at BC, was instrumental in helping Bishop develop the final product of Candor, she said.

“In the early stages, I was very much working on it mostly alone, [and] having people like Meg to bounce ideas off of and help every so often was really great,” Bishop said.

Gonzalez was not the only BC connection that helped Bishop as she started Candor. She also credits the relationships she made through her entrepreneurship co-concentration.

“I was the first cohort that had the entrepreneurship concentration,” Bishop said. “I took every class with professor John Gallaugher. He is so good. I particularly loved TechTrek. I don’t think I would have gotten into startups or technology if I hadn’t done that track, most-

ly because I just didn’t even know what it was. I went to BC thinking that I was studying finance, and I was gonna go work at a bank after school. And then I took TechTrek and was like, ‘Wait a minute, people like their jobs. Why wouldn’t I do this?’”

Though many people viewed the shift to remote work during the pandemic as an impediment, Bishop said the transition was inevitable. As the world of remote work became increasingly common, Bishop continued developing Candor.

“The pandemic has basically illuminated a lot of the stuff that was going on under the hood when it came to [workplace] culture,” Bishop said. “I don’t think it fundamentally changed anything. Remote work doesn’t change culture. … I think that we were always going to be fully remote. I don’t believe you need to work in an office.”

Similarly, John Faulkner-Willcocks, a member of the operations and growth team at Candor, said although he was initially skeptical of working on a fully remote team, Candor has completely changed his mind.

“I’ve spent 10 years advocating that the best teams were teams that worked together physically every day,” Faulkner-Willcocks said. “I spent 10 years believing in that, and that changed during the pandemic a little bit, and then it really changed when I worked with the team at Candor. I’ve always gotten a lot of energy from people, but actually being able to own my schedule, split my time, and have that flexibility probably tripled my productivity.”

Faulkner-Willcocks is not the only member of the Candor team who appreciates the fully remote culture. Felix Lau, who works with Candor on product design, is a self-proclaimed “digital nomad.”

“I’m one of those people who works

very autonomously, so there was very little reason for me to be checking into a brick-and-mortar place every day from nine to five, ” Lau said.

Bishop has implemented unique measures to help the Candor team function to the best of its ability. One of these ideas is work trials, where potential hires get a trial period to see how they like working with the team and so the company can see how the potential hire functions on the team.

“You get so much more out of that than [just doing] interviews,” Lau said. “We have a rule of thumb that whenever we actually have someone 50 percent of the way there, we just trial them.”

The team also spends one week per year co-locating, when they all travel to a new destination and work together for a week. These features of working at Candor have helped foster a close relationship among the remote team, Bishop said.

When reflecting on his relationship with Bishop, Faulkner-Willcocks said their connection continued to develop as they worked on Candor.

“When you work in a startup, when you build something that you care about with someone else, when you put all your blood and your sweat and your tears into

that together, it creates a very, very special kind of bond,” Faulkner-Willcocks said. “Everybody makes mistakes in front of each other. Everybody sees each other’s mistakes. It’s very vulnerable. It’s very authentic.”

Lau said he has also enjoyed his time working with Bishop and admires how she leads her team.

“[Bishop] was very honest and upfront with everything,” Lau said. “Ever since our first week working together, that has always remained consistent. I absolutely love working with people like that. And she never minces her words, especially when talking about design. She’s kind, but I never have to guess if she likes it or not, which makes my job a lot easier.”

With Candor, Bishop said she aims to bring the work environment she has cultivated within Candor to other companies to improve their productivity and the work-life balance of their employees.

“My favorite part of my job is working with the team,” Bishop said. “The Candor team is so out of my league. It’s kind of insane. They’re all super smart and so hard-working and so talented. That is definitely the highlight [of my job], getting on calls every day and learning from my team.” n

By MC Claverie Assoc. Magazine Editor

While some Boston College students enjoy munching on blueberry muffins at long tables in the Rat or sipping cold, sweet coffees at The Chocolate Bar or Hillside Cafe while studying, I am a library girl through and through.

While most of my friends and roommates are library lovers like myself, rarely do we all find ourselves at the same library, on the same floor, seated in the same section, at the same time. Each individual library and floor tends to attract a different crowd of BC students.

As a seasoned library studier, here is my certified and 100 percent correct analysis of what your preferred library space says about you.

If You Prefer O’Neill…

If O’Neill is your preferred library then I am happy to announce that you are correct—O’Neill is in fact the best library on campus.

Although O’Neill lacks the high ceilings and candescent, but slightly scary, stained glass windows that Bapst is famous for, to me, O’Neill feels like home.

When I first came to BC as a freshman, I spent the majority of my time in O’Neill. Its five different floors and array of study spaces are ideal for any and all

study needs. Each floor has its own personality and it’s easy to move around if you need a change of scenery.

The first floor, or bottom floor of O’Neill, is where the most feral academic weapons study, and it’s popular for several reasons.

It is close to the vending machines that only sometimes work—when they do it’s magical—as well as Hillside Cafe, which is located on the first floor of Maloney Hall.

It’s also a judgment-free zone. I’ve witnessed people asleep and snoring in the arm chairs, athletes riding their electric scooters to the elevator, and people crying in the booths.

During a late-night study session last finals season, I laid down in the middle of the floor, and no one batted an eye, which to me, perfectly encapsulates the energy of the first floor.

The third floor is for students who enjoy studying with a bit of background noise. O’Neill three tends to be favored by students studying with their friends or working on group projects.

Even though I usually don’t study on the third floor anymore, it holds a special place in my heart.

It is where I bonded with one of my now-best friends in the first semester of freshman year while avoiding our polit-

ical science and theology readings, and where I called my mom stressed about roommate drama. It’s a great pit stop between classes to take a moment and chill.

O’Neill four and five are serene. These floors are favored by students who prefer to study in silence, but don’t want to be judged for making a little bit of noise—which would happen in Bapst.

My favorite spots on the fourth and fifth floors are the desks and tables that face the windows looking out on Lower Campus.

The stunning views of the Boston skyline, rows of colorful bookshelves, and natural light create the ideal atmosphere for grinding out work. During exam season, both the fourth and fifth floors tend to be the most crowded for these reasons. If you are lucky enough to stake out a spot, I am jealous of you.

If You Prefer Bapst…

There are two types of students who study in Bapst—those who must romanticize their school work to be productive and those who have a bit of a superiority complex.

I will confess that briefly during the first weeks of my freshman year, I was a Bapst girl, but the lack of any kind of noise and vastness of the main floor made me more anxious than productive.

One time, a close friend of mine

asked if he was allowed to type in Bapst or if people would judge him for being too loud. To me, that perfectly encapsulates the energy of the space, but many Bapst frequenters would likely disagree with me. Whether you prefer the cavelike first floor or the large, wide-open second floor, the beauty of Bapst and its silence makes it a popular study space for many BC students. It is an ideal place for sitting with a large book and reading for hours or banging out a last minute paper for your Philosophy of the Person I class.

Wait, BC Has a Library?

Last but not least, there is that small group of BC students who rarely go to the library. These students tend to be the most chaotic of all, and truthfully, I am a

little afraid of them.

They are “function on five hours of sleep or less, chug a Celsius before class, open their notebook to a random page and start writing” kind of students. Somehow though, they are the strongest of us all. While their twin XL beds may not have the same studious vibe as a desk in O’Neill or a table in Bapst, these students manage to emerge fully functioning from the chaos unscathed.

Whether you are a O’Neill fanatic, a Bapst stan, or enjoy studying in your bed, remember it’s what works best for you that matters the most.

And who knows, you might just discover something new about yourself by checking out a different library study space. n

PHOTO COURTESY OF KELSEY BISHOP

Bishop aims to improve company productivity and work-life balance with Candor.

GRAPHIC BY ANNIE CORRIGAN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Students Pack the Rat for Annual Rookie Showcase

By erNest roMero

For The Heights

Hundreds of students flooded the Rat, wrapping around the main and side entrances of Lyons Hall to witness a fixture of the fall semester within Boston College’s dance culture: Rookie Showcase.

All-male step team Sexual Chocolate hosted the popular dance event on Saturday, spotlighting the newest members of each of BC’s 16 dance groups. The overwhelming audience that lined up outside

of the venue while final preparations for the event came together demonstrated the BC community’s enthusiasm for dance.

“It’s safe to say that we’ve broken the attendance record for Rookie Showcase,” said Jared Brosnan, vice president of Sexual Chocolate and MCAS ’23.

Rookie Showcase displayed BC’s range of dance styles and talents, embodying different genres of the craft. The crowd stood in a constant state of exhilaration as each unique dance group took the stage.

Keeping with tradition, Sexual Chocolate showed off its acting skills in a skit that stretched throughout the event. The dancers performed as a group of costumed friends, hitting the streets on Halloween for a night of trick-or-treating and demon slaying.

The chaotic group of four find themselves at a loss when they open the door to a home in search of candy, and one of them is sucked into a black hole of student loans and inflation. Two ghostbusters, and an unwelcomed Kanye West, promise to save their friend and ghost hunt along the way. After criticizing West for his recent problematic choices and statements, the group split up to look for answers in three skit acts.

BC On Tap started the night off strong with a riveting tribute to Harry Styles. The rookies were decked out in strawberry-covered button downs and tapped to the tune of Styles’ “Music for a Sushi Restaurant.”

The Golden Eagles Dance Team then performed to a medley of Lady Gaga’s best hits, closing out with a kickline that stunned the crowd.

“C”apital Dance Ministry, established

Females Incorporating Sisterhood Through Step set a high bar with synchronized death drops, while Vida

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Middle School Antics Deliver Hilarity in ‘Spelling Bee’

By Josie McNeiLL Assoc. Arts Editor

If you’re starting to get semi-traumatic middle school flashbacks from all the throwback videos on TikTok and the resurgence of 2014 fashion trends, then the Boston College Dramatics Society’s production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will throw you into a whirlwind of nostalgia.

It’s set in present day, but the play nails every childhood stereotype that exists in any given middle school from any era. Spelling Bee, directed by Brooke Flanders, LSEHD ’23, has a cast of characters ranging from a granola, happy-golucky kid (Aidan O’Neill, MCAS ’23) to an overachieving prep school girl (Grace Trainor, MCAS ’26), and even a vice principal with not-so-secret anger issues (Ryan Kruft, CSOM ’23).

But hiding behind these tropes, the characters have their own complex demons holding them back, including overbearing parents and imposter syndrome. What brings them all together and helps them overcome what’s holding them back is the Putnam County Spelling Bee.

Dramatics Society productions are completely student-run, from creating the costumes designed for each character to beautiful musical direction. A live pit composed of student performers accompanied the musical numbers.

A whiteboard filled with classic middle school billboard posters reading messages like “PUGS! NOT DRUGS!” and “Putnam’s proud prickle of porcupines remember the 5 P’s!” immediately greets audience members as they enter the theater. The motivational messages are a staple of middle schools and transport the viewer into the prepubescent world of the musical.

Spelling Bee takes place in a gymnasium with the contestants sitting on bleachers on the left side of the stage. Po-

sitioned across from the bleachers is the judges’ panel, sitting at a plastic folding table with a chalk board that reads “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.”

The rules for the spelling bee are as follows: The contestants can ask to have a word repeated, defined, and used in a sentence, but when they start spelling the word, they cannot go back and correct any mistakes. The contestants have to use their first spelling.

As the contestants are eliminated one by one, a comfort counselor—assuming the role to fulfill a community service requirement—named Mitch Mahoney (Nick Rossi, MCAS ’23) gives each student a hug and a juice box.

Every character has an interesting backstory that adds to the comedy of the musical. Vice Principal Douglas Panch (Kruft) is back for the 25th annual spelling bee after a five-year hiatus due to an “incident” that he has since recovered from.

Before the show began, the production team asked members of the audi-

ence to participate in the production. Along with the contestants in the musical, some audience members stepped up to the microphone to spell a word.

Many of the comedic moments of the play came from what Douglas Panch and Rona Lisa Peretti (Abby Wachter, MCAS ’25) read for the contestants to help them contextualize their words.

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Photojournalism of ‘Life’ Magazine on Display at MFA

By LyLa WaLsh

The Heights

The walls of

icance. Each compelling photograph tells a story and transports the viewer to a time before modern accessible photography.

The exhibition features many of the groundbreaking works of photojournalism published weekly in Life magazine between 1936 and 1972, giving viewers an inside look at the

magazine’s publishing process and the stories behind the acclaimed photographs. The exhibition, which opened on Oct. 9 and runs through Jan. 16, also features three contemporary works that offer provocative insight on media today.

Walking into the gallery, visitors can read about the founding stages of Life magazine by Henry Robinson Luce. Some of the first mock-ups— called “dummies”—for Life are displayed beneath a document titled “A Prospectus for a New Magazine.” The page lays out the original purpose, need, and opportunity for Life magazine.

The next room captures the process of creating these revolutionary photographs and illuminates the many talents that went into the production of each unique image. Descriptions beside the photographs explain the combination of photographers, editors, and reporters that went into the creation of each.

One section of the room emphasizes the importance of hiring skilled photographers and focuses on the

work of Margaret Bourke-White, who was one of Life’s first salaried staff members. Bourke-White shot the magazine’s first-ever cover—a historic photograph of the Fort Peck Dam in Montana—which hangs on the museum’s wall.

Visitors can then enter a hallway that is completely black, save for a single line of white text stretching across the wall. The text describes photographer Alfredo Jaar’s experience photographing the Rwandan genocide, introducing the upcoming display of his work.

The next room features the installation titled “The Silence of Nduwayezu,” a light table with one million slides of the same picture of a young Rwandan boy’s eyes. The adjoining room displays black boxes that completely hide Jaar’s graphic images of the Rwandan genocide. The only visible element is writing on top that describes the content of each image.

In an interview playing in this room, Jaar explains his decision to hide these images in order to not add to “the pornography of violence that surrounds

us.”

The following room features Alexandra Bell’s series, “Counternarratives,” which examines reworked New York Times articles and highlights continual racial prejudice that is present in the American news media. Multiple sets of drafts and final editions of New York Times articles hang beside each other, one with edits in red pen and the other with the resulting finished article.

The process of making captivating photo essays is next laid out on the walls of the gallery. Supplemental photographs and news stories tell the story of a labor-intensive process that involves crafting layouts, aligning images with text, altering images, and working with harsh editors.

Julia Wachtel’s work holds a prominent place in the exhibit. The installation features two perpendicular walls creating a corner, each wallpapered

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Sexual Chocolate steppers perform a skit, acting as Ghostbusters on the hunt. NICOLE WEI / HEIGHTS STAFF STEVE

For

in 2020, swept the room with a calm energy in its first Rookie Showcase performance. The dancers imitated the beating of hearts with intricate hand movements to the sound of Christian pop music.

de Intensa Pasión performed effortless lifts

and dips to the tune of Latin music.

Boston College Dance Ensemble took a ballet and modern approach to Nelly’s “Hot in Herre,” combining pirouettes and twerking in a thrilling perfor-

MFA visitors step back to admire the preserved pages of past publications.

BC Irish Dance rookies shuffle into a circle on the stage in the center of the Rat.

NICOLE WEI / HEIGHTS STAFF

VIKRUM SINGH / HEIGHTS EDITOR

One spelling bee contestant delivers his shaky spelling at the chaotic competition.

Characters’ nervous quirks add humor.

VIKRUM SINGH / HEIGHTS EDITOR

the Museum of Fine Arts’ Ann and Graham Gund Gallery, adorned with the iconic pages of Life magazine, are brimming with rich American history and cultural signif-

‘Black Adam’ Lacks a Purpose

By Jack WeyNaNd For The Heights

Black Adam is a superhero film that tries its hardest to show you that its hero isn’t so heroic.

The film, DC Comics’ latest movie, pits Teth-Adam (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) against a group of by-thebook heroes from the Justice Society of America, including Hawkman (Aldis Hodge), Dr. Fate (Pierce Brosnan), Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo), and Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell).

The main difference between the Justice Society and Teth-Adam is that the latter is willing to kill, while the former believes in justice and due process.

The film sets up a question of morals early on as to how far is too far for heroes to go for the purpose of the greater good. Black Adam pretends

that this moral debate is at the core of the film, but it ultimately trades that message in for a big-budget, explosive third act.

The film wastes its potential for a deeper purpose, leaving the audience

MOVIE Jaume

feeling like they watched just another generic action movie that prioritized action and CGI over plot and emotion.

“Everyone has a philosophical difference in the movie,” Johnson said in a press conference.

It’s a shame that by the end of Black Adam, there’s only one definitive answer to that debate.

Black Adam opens 5,000 years before most of the film takes place. It’s then that wizards who deem Teth-Adam worthy of defending the rights and safety of his people give him his powers. If this sounds familiar to DC fans, you’re onto something because the same thing happens to Billy Batson in 2019’s Shazam! Both movies feature the same wizards.

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Dull Writing Ruins ‘My Policeman’

By erNest roMero For The Heights

Tension overwhelms the unforgiving waters of the British beach town of Peacehaven, as a once romantic Marion Taylor opens her doors to an estranged friend from her youth. My Policeman begins to unravel the infidelities that plagued the early months of her marriage 40 years prior.

My Policeman, based on the book of the same name by Bethan Roberts, follows the story of Marion (Gina McKee) and Tom Burgess (Linus Roache), a retired married couple that appears to have lost all passion for each other yet chooses to remain together.

The film largely takes place in Marion’s flashbacks to the late ’50s, as romance ensues between her—a naive school teacher—and Tom, a simple policeman. But unbeknownst to young Marion (Emma Corrin), the young Tom (Harry Styles) begins a secret rendezvous with art curator Patrick Hazlewood (David Dawson) at a time when being an LGBTQ+ person was considered a crime in the United Kingdom. Patrick reappears in the present day later in the film played

by Rupert Everett.

Unable to part with either, Tom introduces his innamorato to Marion under false pretenses, creating an inseparable trio influenced by deceit and agonizing infatuation.

Despite such a compelling storyline, the subpar acting of leading man Styles waters down the film’s plot.

Styles is still riding the high off the premiere of Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling, a movie in which his acting choices have been called into question. The pop singer’s acting is characterized by some as dull and unremarkable

despite unwavering admiration from his doting fanbase.

His acting in My Policeman is no exception and is an injustice to the work of Roache, who compels the audience with his portrayal of a deep-seated resentment toward both lovers. Styles, on the other hand, acts with a monotone voice throughout the film and garners a mind-numbing lack of chemistry with both of his love interests.

To say that Tom and Marion’s initial, uncomplicated romance feels as bland and humiliating as that of middle school sweethearts would be an understatement. Meanwhile, Tom and Patrick’s attempts at lustful passion read as overtly aggressive and uncomfortable as the two flail and grasp in sex scenes for longer than anyone can bear.

Not all the blame can fall on Styles’ lack of acting experience, however. With matter-of-fact dialogue and blunt scene transitions, the production and writing of the movie is average at best, with only picturesque close-ups to make up for it.

Vathanakul: What Is It About Murder?

By tarisa VathaNakul

For The Heights

Having been a fan of the BuzzFeed Unsolved: True Crime—a comedic web series exploring unsolved crimes and supernatural horror tellings— since 2016, I have taken the next step to join the popular surge of many crime TV shows and documentaries. But after watching the new Netflix limited series DAHMER - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, I began to question the factual accuracy, or lack thereof, of the popular genre of media.

DAHMER has become the second most–watched show in the English language since its release on Sept. 21. The show takes root in Dahmer’s past trauma and childhood, fostering an appearance of justification for his actions.

The series glorifies Dahmer (Evan Peters), the infamous serial killer, cannibal, and necrophile.

By seeing a piece of humanity from Dahmer, viewers may feel inclined to sympathize with the murderer, while others have come to empathize with the families of victims and are angered by the direction of this series.

The media has heavily critiqued DAHMER’s portrayal of victims, considering the lack of consultation with the victims’ families prior to the release of the series and how it exploits their stories.

The eighth episode tells the emotional and intricate story of Tony Hughes, one of Dahmer’s victims, but, according to his mother, it is not truthful to real life events and is an invasion of privacy.

“I don’t see how they can use our names and put stuff out like that out there,” Shirley Hughes said in an interview with The Guardian.

Similarly, the biographical movie of Ted Bundy titled Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile cast former Disney heartthrob Zac Efron as the notorious killer. The casting played a role in the romanticization of serial killers like Bundy, attracting a largescale audience with the star power of many crime series.

After finishing DAHMER, I’m left questioning the representation of both killers and victims in true crime media. I wonder how the entertainment industry continues to hook viewers while portraying a romanticised image of murderers and their crimes while misrepresenting the victims’ stories.

It doesn’t feel right to watch a show for pure entertainment while I know that the victims’ families are reliving their trauma.

Of course, I’m not against all movies and shows about serial killers. The film Zodiac, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Robert Downey Jr., for example, takes an entertaining yet informative spin on the Zodiac Killer. Part of the reason for its success and astounding reviews is because the case still remains unsolved.

The lack of a concrete identity of the Zodiac Killer makes his or her crimes less personal and intimate.

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McNeill: Live Graffiti Brings Newfound Outlook on Art

By Josie McNeill Assoc. Arts Editor

As the buzzer sounded, signaling for the battle to begin, muralist and painter Rixy dipped her brush into the watered-down black paint and streaked it across the canvas, making the first mark in the Support Your Local Artist (SYLA) live paint battle at Big Night Live on Oct. 11.

“I think it is going to be a toe,” my friend whispered in my ear as we attempted to decipher what each small but carefully placed mark on the canvas would turn into.

The curved line eventually became a cartoon eye of the half-woman, half-skull demon face that occupied the majority of the canvas of the White Team, composed of Rixy and the artist Tallboy. So no, not a toe.

The piece of art that Rixy and

Tallboy created was one of two graffiti-style pieces crafted during the SYLA tour in Boston, organized by Secret Walls, an organization that began in the district of Shoreditch in London and aims to promote art, especially of local artists, and show support to its communities.

Over 16 years ago, Terry Guy started the live arts entertainment group after he developed an interest in the culture of street art when he moved to London for college.

Guy began attending graffiti parties, breakdancing events, and rap battles in the art district in East London. He formed a collective of other people interested in graffiti, and they started to put together events that placed art at the forefront instead of dancing or hip-hop.

“[Street art] was very underground and kind of classed as illegal

or like a vandal’s hobby,” Guy said. “But I saw a lot of talent there.”

Guy said the paint battles that Secret Walls organizes are like a “visual rap battle.” The artists chosen for the battle are placed in teams right before the battle starts. This way, there is no pre-planning or pre-drawing. It is completely freestyle.

“They just need to create—live in the moment in front of hundreds of folks,” Guy said.

The artists are given 90 minutes to cover a 6-foot-tall, blank white canvas. They are also only given black paint. According to Guy, this ensures that the artists have no way of erasing their mistakes and just have to keep painting.

When my friend and I walked into Big Night Live for the paint battle, instead of being directed to the main music hall, we were surprised to be

sent to a smaller room off to the side. The floors were covered in black and white tiles with purple and blue LED lights lighting up the room, making the stark white canvases in the center shine.

Hip-hop remixes reverberated

through the crowd of exactly the type of people you would expect to find at a live graffiti show. There

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COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. PICTURES

COURTESY OF AMAZON STUDIOS

GRAPHIC BY PAIGE STEIN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

JOSIE MCNEILL

Finding Ourselves By Finding a Rival

Back in the middle of the 20th century, Boston College was intense rivals with nearby Catholic college Holy Cross. This worked well—not only were the two schools within an hour of each other, but they were similarly competitive in football and basketball. There was so much hype around the annual football game that BC wins were celebrated with a school-wide dance. Eventually, though, the rivalry faded. When BC joined the Big East and Holy Cross became a Division I-AA competitor, the rivalry ended after 90 years. With it, college sports in New England took a step back. An oversaturation of professional teams combined with the loss of a significant rivalry meant that New England was never going to have the same enthusiasm for college sports as the South and Midwest. Since then, I feel like BC athletics has become aimless—a binary star that has lost its companion, unable to make the waves it once did. To fill this void, I have offered here candidates to become our new villain.

Boston University

One could immediately contest my claim that BC doesn’t have a true rival. Obviously, common logic would suggest we are rivals with BU, a university literally right down the road. That proximity means that fans show up to home and away games alike, and beating BU means more than beating just about any other team. The issue, however, is that we only really play BU in hockey and soccer. They don’t have a football team, and we haven’t played their men’s basketball team since 2011. BU will definitely remain our hockey rival, as the Battle of Comm. Ave. is one of the most exciting athletic events at BC, but we should look elsewhere to find a more well-rounded general rival.

Virginia Tech

During the mid 2000s, the rivalry between Virginia Tech and Boston College defined ACC

football, arguably peaking with the 2007 two-game series between the Matt Ryan–led Eagles and the Sean Glennon–led Hokies. If anyone is our rival in football, it’s definitely VT. We’ve played them at least once a year since 1993, with the one exception of 2004. It seems, however, like this once great rivalry could be falling by the wayside. Under the new ACC schedule, we will only play them twice over the next four years. Our matchup in basketball never seemed to matter much to either team, so it seems like the BC-VTech matchup may become another dormant BC rivalry to join the ranks of Holy Cross. Hopefully the new athletic director can find a way to keep the energy around this game despite the more infrequent appearances.

Clemson

Similar to Virginia Tech, this used to be a strong rivalry in the 2000s, but after the winner of the game started being awarded the O’Rourke-McFadden Trophy, the results started to be one sided. Although there have been some close games, like BC’s 34–28 loss on Halloween in 2020 and the 19–13 game lost on a fumbled snap last year, Clemson has won every annual meetup since 2011. Though there is definitely passion felt by BC here, it’s hard to call this a rivalry when one team clearly outshines the other. And in basketball, although the two teams are in the same conference and are fairly competitive with each other, the geographical distance and cultural differences between the schools keep this from becoming a true rivalry.

UMass

This is included as a joke. UMass should not be considered one of BC’s rivals.

Notre Dame Notre Dame is the first candidate with a compelling resume for all sports, rather than just football. Both schools are Catholic, which means a lot of students applied to both schools, which creates feelings of either superiority or resentment (e.g. “I chose to go to this Catholic school over that, lesser Catholic school” or “This Catholic school didn’t accept my application, so I don’t like them”). It also means that our rivalry is called the Holy War, which is a lot of fun. Although Notre Dame generally outperforms BC in football, both teams are competitive enough in all other sports such that

any given game could be won by either team. Even though Notre Dame competes as an independent in football and in the Big Ten in ice hockey, it is a member of the ACC for every other sport, which means the two teams play each other quite a bit. Despite being in different hockey conferences, the “Holy War on Ice” is still an annual(ish) occurrence, and the two teams meet on turf roughly every other year. The only thing that could make this rivalry better is if Notre Dame becomes a full member of the ACC, but with all the conference realignments that occurred over the summer, it seems like the opposite may become true.

Syracuse

The third team that BC will play annually under the new ACC schedule is Syracuse, and let me be the first (probably) to say that I am thrilled. They’re the closest ACC team to us geographically, which means crowds at BC-Syracuse games are going to have lots of fans supporting both teams. We’ve played Syracuse in football more than any other FBS team, and the matchups have been regularly back and forth: Over the past 10 games the overall record is 5–5. In basketball, the matchups have favored Syracuse a bit more than BC, but with the progress Earl Grant is making in revitalizing the team, their lead won’t stand for long. In lacrosse, one of BC’s most important sports, the Syracuse–BC game is one of the most consequential matches of the year. When we won the National Championship in 2021, we did so by beating Syracuse in the finals after losing to them twice earlier in the season. The rivalry is only negatively impacted by hockey, where we don’t play them because they compete in the ACHA rather than the NCAA.

Verdict: BC’s rivals should include BU for Hockey and Notre Dame and Syracuse for everything other than hockey. If BC Athletics puts care into hyping up these games and—especially in the case of Notre Dame—ensuring that matchups occur on a regular basis, then these rivalries have the potential to grow in strength and would increase the popularity of Boston College athletics as a whole.

It seemed like this year, Halloween celebrations were a saving grace after a grueling week. While partying our hearts out was a great way to escape weekday stress, we think that vibes would be elevated if society accepted college students trick-or-treating as a typical Halloweekend event. It would be wholesome, nostalgic, and would no doubt help the student body bond. After all, we’re probably more in need of free food than suburban Newtonian kids. Let’s get this movement going!

Good Duo Costumes

When two people dress up in coordinated costumes together, their ensembles can either flop or be a refreshing show stopper amid seas of basic get-ups. While it’s common for college students to dress up with their friends or romantic partners, it’s crucial that cliches are avoided. Instead of angel and devil, you can’t go wrong with remaking characters from your favorite movie or bringing things back to childhood cartoons. That being said, when a good duo costume is good, it’s really good.

GRAPHICS BY ANNIE CORRIGAN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

On the Boiling of One’s Blood as Art

agement to practice technical elements. The play staggers forward from cue to cue—200 or so cues for 16 or so hours, only 15 or so percent of your spirit present.

The task is simple: 48 hours of rehearsal, 10 days left in production, four performances. It is tech week for the theatre department’s production of Dreadful . With a mixture of necessary hope and certainty, you know that it will be anything but.

You begin—as with all great endeavors—with caffeine. Lots of it. You’ll get to know the baristas at the Market by the time all this is over. Indeed, I’ve heard it said that Odysseus—seeing his behemothian mission spread out before him like the vast Mediterranean Sea—spoke to his second in command with stoic reservation, “Where is my goddamn triple-shot iced americano?”

The first two days are the hardest, proper caffeination notwithstanding. These are not days for improving the actor’s performance. You are present merely in a physical capacity. These are the days for layering on technical elements. Actors repeat transitions many, many times to allow stage man -

You won’t be alone in it, which is nice. Your friends will face the same struggles. You’ll come up with “funny” bits to entertain yourselves with during breaks in the action. You’ll suffer together, or so your director tries to convince you.

But, truthfully, you will be pained. The lights will be much too bright, and the costume will be just itchy enough to induce a semi-panic, and those excesses of yester-night will reduce you to a slab of meat left out to dry in the hot sun.

But remember Odysseus! When the sirens played their ivory trumpets and cracked their cats-of-nine-tails, or what have you, did he despair? Did he capitulate to his passions and begin screaming in tongues and tearing up the very floorboards on which he stood? No, no he did not. The production manager would have become nonplussed. You don’t want to upset Russ.

Write

if (pain == “manageable“){

Halloweekend Crazy Dough’s Lines

At the final minutes of Halloweekend nights, the fog creeps in and doors close shut. But, once the parties stop, where do all the monsters go? Nearly every ghost and ghoul—plus students dressed as sexy cats and Top Gun characters— gather to feast at Crazy Doughs to refuel. Fellow Halloweekenders are faced, however, with haunting lines that stretch on for miles. Balsamic slices are enticing bait, but it’s certainly a bummer to wait.

On My Way!

Good communication is key when plans are made with anyone. Regardless of who you meet, it’s only natural that your thumbs glide over the “omw” keys to ensure proper meet-up courtesies. If you’re an iPhone user, though, you may fall prey to the “On my way!” autocorrect pop-up. It happens literally every time for us here at TUTD, but we estimate there is not a single soul that has ever asked their phone to ghost write quick texts into weirdly formal and enthusiastic declarations of arrival.

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.

Normalize Trick-or-Treating in College

Matthew Ablondi is an op-ed columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at matthew.ablondi@bc.edu.

benjaMin burke

BC Suffers 13–3 Loss to UConn

on the field, the Eagles didn’t score until five minutes into the second quarter.

Boston College Connecticut 3 13

“I felt like we were sleepwalking on the first drive,” head coach Jeff Hafley said. “It didn’t look like who we were normally, and I’m not sure why. And obviously I’ve got to figure that out. It’s just—we didn’t tackle well. We just missed tackles on that first drive. There was really nothing other than that.”

The Huskies played energetically from the start of the game. UConn accumulated 136 total offensive yards, including 81 passing yards, in the first quarter. Tight end Justin Joly made his way down the sideline while stiff-arming BC’s Jason Maitre in coverage, catching a 62-yard touchdown pass from Turner. UConn added to its early lead with a 31-yard field goal from Noe Ruelas just over three minutes into the game.

“As a defense, we came back to our balance,” linebacker Kam Arnold said. “We just had to take a deep breath, recuperate, play our game, use our fundamentals and technique, stick to the game plan, and it showed for itself as we got back in the second half. We got into our groove.”

With their eighth starting offensive line combination of the season

Pushing BC into the red zone, Jurkovec completed a pass off his back foot to Spencer Witter for five yards from UConn’s 7-yard line, but Witter couldn’t punch it into the end zone. Hafley elected for the 19-yard field goal on fourth down, and Connor Lytton scored the Eagles’ first points of the game, making it 10–3.

UConn won all of its matchups up front in the first half. Linebacker Jackson Mitchell, who entered Saturday’s game with 88 total tackles— good for third in the nation—found success off the edge and recorded four tackles by the end of the first half and 11 total on the game. Mitchell put the nail in the coffin for the Eagles with a game-sealing interception.

“I never felt like we got the run game going,” Hafley said. “I thought we hit some explosives, but then we turned the ball over too many times, which killed us. The turnovers in crucial situations obviously were very costly.”

Jurkovec faced pressure on many downfield plays, which resulted in some efficient scrambles, but he threw two poorly timed interceptions in the first half. On one play,

he brought the Eagles all the way into scoring territory on a 71-yard drive just to throw into double coverage for an interception.

As the second half got underway, Jurkovec pummeled through a hole for a pickup of 10 yards on a first-down designed run. Offensive coordinator John McNulty’s implementation of designed quarterback runs was on display throughout the game, but it ended up being the Eagles’ demise.

After a successful first designed run, Jurkovec tucked the ball into his forearm and looked upfield for a second time but went nowhere. On the next play, Mitchell forced his way through the interior to sack Jurkovec.

Then, the dangers of running his quarterback caught up with McNulty. On second-and-11, Jurkovec went through the same tuckand-roll motion, only to be flipped in the air by UConn’s Malik Dixon-Williams.

Jurkovec took a massive shot to his lower body while airborne and exited the game, handing the reins over to backup Emmett Morehead. Jurkovec wore a knee brace on the sideline after the play. Hafley did not provide details of the injury.

“Like any other backup, when the quarterback gets hurt, you have to be ready,” Hafley said. “Did Emmett [Morehead] get all the reps we’d have liked him to get? No. But I think that’s the life of a backup right now. It’s mostly mental reps, and then you get in, and hopefully you’re prepared and ready to roll.”

Despite a number of early overthrows from Morehead, the redshirt freshman got into a groove in the fourth quarter, but a strip fumble and an interception overshadowed his efforts.

For the second time this year— the first was in BC’s 31–3 loss to Clemson—the Eagles never scored a touchdown. n

Notebook: BC Misses Key Chances in Loss

By Jack Bergamini Asst. Sports Editor

Prior to Boston College football’s matchup at UConn, Eagles’ head coach Jeff Hafley said he wouldn’t take his opponent lightly. BC wouldn’t treat UConn as the 3–5, American Athletic Conference, little-brother opponent that the Eagles had beaten in all 14 previous matchups. BC wouldn’t treat UConn as the team that hadn’t won back-to-back games since 2017.

“Our guys are approaching this like they approach Clemson, Wake, Florida State, everyone we play—we have a ton of respect for them,” Hafley said Tuesday.

And just like Clemson, Wake Forest, and Florida State, UConn delivered a fatal blow to the Eagles, beating BC 13–3 for the Huskies’ first win in series history Saturday afternoon.

BC scored three points for the second time in three games amid a season going off the rails.

Here are three observations from the loss.

Missed Opportunities Abounded

Two words sum up BC football’s season thus far: missed opportunities. Multiple times Saturday, the Eagles shot themselves in the foot when they could have capitalized, especially on the offen sive side of the ball.

Quarterback Phil Jurkovec had one of the worst games of his BC career Saturday, completing 12 passes on 19 attempts for 155 yards and two interceptions. Before the second interception, BC had been driving down the field late in the second quarter. The Eagles were on UConn’s 12yard line with a chance to tie the game up 10–10. A well-protected Jurkovec lobbed up a pass to Jaelen Gill, but the wide receiver was surrounded by three Huskies. The pass was out of Gill’s reach, and UConn’s Durante Jones snagged the interception with ease.

Backup quarterback Emmett Morehead replaced Jurkovec at the eight-minute mark of the third quarter after BC’s starter left the game following a gruesome collision with UConn’s Malik Dixon-Williams. Morehead almost provided a spark for BC with a strike to a darting Zay Flowers, but Flowers—uncharacteristically—didn’t come up with the ball. After the ball slipped through Flowers’ hands,

Levy’s Heroics Help BC Fight off Catamounts in OT

By roBert Brennan Heights Staff

Close, hard-fought games can often be determined by whichever teams’ most experienced players persevere.

In Boston College women’s hockey’s matinee against Vermont Saturday, two of the Eagles’ most senior players—Abigail Levy and Hannah Bilka—made the biggest plays of the night to deliver the No. 15 Eagles (6–3–1, 5–1–0 Hockey East) a 4–3 OT win over the No.14 Catamounts (5–4–1, 3–2–1).

BC goaltender Levy made 40 saves on the day.

“[Levy] played great all weekend,” said head coach Katie Crowley. “This Vermont team was very dangerous offensively. She made a lot of great saves and let our forwards create for themselves.”

A hooking penalty on Vermont’s Corinne McCool put the Eagles on a power play, and they converted, but

not before some controversy. The play started with Bilka carrying the puck into the zone and firing a shot into traffic past Vermont goaltender Jessie McPherson.

The controversy surrounded what happened to the puck in between when it left Bilka’s stick and when it hit the back of Vermont’s goal. It initially appeared to deflect off of Vermont’s Sini Karjalainen, but the Vermont defender immediately argued that BC’s Cayla Barnes intentionally kicked it in. After a long review, the referees determined that Barnes contacted the puck inadvertently, and she was credited with the Eagles’ first goal of the day.

A BC power play struck again several minutes later when McPherson couldn’t control Gaby Roy’s shot from the blue line, and Kate Ham poked it past McPherson to double the Eagles’ lead.

“We’ve been struggling on [the power play],” Crowley said. “It was great to get two goals on the power play. Our PK overall was pretty good today. It was a different game today than yesterday with a lot more penalties being called.”

Vermont cut the Eagles’ lead in half just before the first intermission after Theresa Schafzahl lasered it past Levy from the blue line. Officials reviewed the play for offsides, but for the second time in the first period, the referees ruled the goal was good after a long discussion.

The two goalies continued to duel throughout the second period, with several incredible saves coming from Levy and McPherson to keep the offenses off the board. McPherson denied Bilka on a shorthanded chance that looked like it was surely bound for the back of the net.

McPherson’s heroics wouldn’t be enough to keep Bilka off the board entirely, as she floated a backhanded shot into traffic in front of Vermont’s goal. McPherson didn’t seem to see the puck until it was already too late, and BC went up 3–1.

Vermont fired back, as Schafzal, the Catamounts’ captain, scored her second goal of the day by shooting it just past Levy’s left pad on the power play.

Vermont dominated the third period, culminating with a Lily Humphrey

equalizer that beat Levy.

A nightmare almost ensued for BC minutes later, as with just three seconds left in regulation, Vermont found itself with a 2-on-0 opportunity to steal the game. The only person in Burlington who didn’t flinch was Levy, as she kicked out McCool’s shot with ease, sending the game to overtime.

Graduate student Kelly Browne showed her experience in OT by making

a great play to net the extra point in OT. Browne picked the Catamount defender’s pocket, skating down the ice to put the puck just over McPherson’s shoulder and ensuring the Eagles came back down I-89 with two points instead of one on the weekend.

“Kelly’s played a lot of minutes for us in those opportunities for us,” Crowley said. “She’s great for our program.” n

CHRIS TICAS / HEIGHTS STAFF

NICOLE WEI / HEIGHTS STAFF

Phil Jurkovec left the game in the third quarter after sustaining a knee injury.

LENYA SINGER / HEIGHTS STAFF

BC goaltender Abigail Levy recorded 40 saves in BC’s win over Vermont.

Carlin Partners With Covenant House Through NIL

By MegaN geNtile Sports Editor

Over the past four years, Boston College field hockey has gone through a number of ups and downs. In 2019, the Eagles went 15–8 but lost in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. BC played an abbreviated season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, lost in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship in 2021, and are now the No. 4 seed in the ACC Tournament after an 8–9 2022 regular season.

Margo Carlin has been there through it all.

A staple on BC’s roster, Carlin has started 70 of BC’s 72 games over the past four seasons, and in those 70 starts she has made quite the impact.

Carlin earned ACC Freshman of the Year honors in her freshman campaign, led the team in goals as a sophomore, and is currently the Eagles’ second-leading goal scorer.

But when Carlin laces up her cleats after each game, there’s more than field hockey on her mind. For Carlin, there’s more important things than just wins and losses—she wants

to make a difference in the world.

Her goal?

“A world where every young person has a safe place to sleep and the love, respect, and support they deserve,” Carlin said.

After name, image, and likeness (NIL) legislation was passed by the Supreme Court in June 2021, Carlin decided that she would use NIL to focus on working with a charity rather than a brand. Carlin partnered with Covenant House, a charity that provides support services for young people experiencing homelessness and human trafficking.

“They’re in 31 cities across six countries, and basically their comprehensive services go beyond street outreach and short-term housing to include transitional housing, employment services … mental health care, and so much more along those lines,” Carlin said.

While Carlin does have a brand deal with Y1 Hockey, a field hockey stick brand, she said that when she heard of the implementation of NIL, she and her family wanted to use Carlin’s exposure as a student-athlete to help others.

“When I started to really think

about [NIL legislation], and I talked about it with my parents, I just felt like I could use it in a way to make a difference in someone’s life,” Carlin said. “I’d rather use it in a way where I can use my platform—even though it might [not be] a huge platform—but use it in a way that I could hopefully help others.”

Carlin’s choice to partner with Covenant House was inspired by her parents’ previous work with the charity, she said. Her parents raised her to have a consciousness toward helping those less fortunate than herself, Carlin said.

“I was born into a family, you know, two loving parents, three amazing older siblings, and I just know that many young people are not as fortunate to have that,” she said. “Covenant House gives them the opportunity to get off the streets and in a safe and loving environment.”

The details of Carlin’s partnership include spreading awareness about Covenant House and its mission through her social media pages, along with a personalized web page through which people can make donations to the organization, she said. Beyond spreading awareness on her own, Carlin said that she speaks with other individuals and companies to encourage them to raise awareness for the charity.

At the time of her interview with The Heights , Carlin had raised $34,221. She said she hopes to reach $40,000 in donations by the end of the season.

Once she graduates from BC this spring, Carlin said she hopes to expand her role within Covenant House. She said once she has more time due to no longer playing field hockey, she will visit Covenant House’s facilities and volunteer onsite, rather than just spread awareness through social media.

For those close to Carlin, her work with Covenant House does not

come as a surprise. BC head coach Kelly Doton said Carlin is more impressive off the field than she is on the field.

“It just speaks wonders how awesome of a person Margo is,” Doton said of Carlin’s partnership. “And you know, the achievement that she [has] on the field hockey field isn’t anywhere close to where she is going to go in life.”

Doton said that Carlin’s emphasis on community service reflects the mission of BC as a Jesuit institution.

“The values that Margo grew up with, with their family and her dad was obviously associated with the Covenant House … and she knew she wanted to go to a university that had the same values, and Boston College is that university,” Doton said. “I’m so proud of her and what she’s doing. Giving back to the community is something that we strive for in the field hockey world, and she’s doing it on her own and with her own initiative.”

For Carlin, BC’s values are not something she takes lightly.

“I take the ‘men and women for others’ mission pretty seriously,” she said. “I had the opportunity to meet some of the youth at Covenant House

Eagles Snag ACC Win Over Florida State

By Natalie arNdt Newsletter Editor

Boston College volleyball has lost nine out of its 12 conference games this season, and four of those ACC losses have come in straight sets. But after upsetting Miami on Friday, the Eagles had wind in their sails. They kept the momentum going on Sunday with an upset win over Florida State.

The Eagles (16–10, 4–8 Atlantic Coast) had a hot start to the game with a 25–17 win over the Seminoles (15–8, 7–5) in the first set. The start of the set was close, but the Seminoles got frazzled and took a timeout while down 11–7. From there, BC held the upper hand.

BC won the game by scores of 25–17, 23–25, 25–20, and 25–21, coasting to a 3–1 victory over the Seminoles.

“I think we’re pretty excited,” BC head coach Jason Kennedy said. “[This is] the first time we’ve beat

those guys—I know certainly since I’ve been here. That’s a perennial NCAA program. So I think that’s a pretty big one for us to get. I think we’re finally playing up to maybe our potential a little bit, and it’s exciting to be able to see that.”

Sophomore Jenna Pollock led the team with six kills in the first set, including the kill that won BC the set. Pollock finished the game with 22 kills.

“I thought offensively today we were steady,” Kennedy said. “We hit .253 for the match, which was just pretty solid, so I think we’re finally settling into a little bit of a groove.”

BC slowly lost its mojo as it entered the second set, and the Eagles struggled to receive balls. The Eagles took a timeout while down 22–17 and then began to come back. After kills by Pollock and senior Izzy Clavenna, the Seminoles called for a timeout themselves.

In a nail-biting finish, sophomore Julia Haggerty took the court by storm with a block and a kill, and it looked as though the Eagles might secure the win. Yet, the Sem-

inoles held tight to their lead and won the set 25–23.

“I think we let our foot off the gas a little bit on the serving front,” Kennedy said. “And then we made too many errors. We’ve got to be able to manage our side of the net a little bit better. And I thought we did a good job of responding to that after that second set.”

The third set started off close with the score tied at 8–8, but with a kill from fifth-year player Kate Brennan, the Eagles took the lead. BC held onto its lead and took home the win as Haggerty lightly tapped the ball over the net to give BC a 25–21 victory.

BC struggled with communication as the fourth set started, and the Eagles went down 6–3. But the Seminoles continued to hit the ball out of bounds, handing BC easy points to take a 11–9 lead.

After two straight kills by Florida State’s Skye Ekes, the Eagles called for a timeout to regroup.

Junior Katrina Jensen broke the 16–16 tie with a kill, causing the Seminoles to call a timeout. Libero

Anna Murphy took control of the court with two aces, and the Eagles were looking at the final five points they needed for a victory.

Though the game went down to the wire, kills from Pollock led the Eagles to take home the win.

“That was so exciting,” Kennedy said. “I don’t know, I just think I’m still a little speechless that we were able to pull that one off. That’s a team that I know we’ve looked up to for a long time as far as having success on a regular basis, and for us to pull that one out, it’s a pretty big deal.”

Kennedy attributed BC’s win to playing at home. The Eagles were on a four-game road stretch ahead of their home game against Miami on Friday.

“I think we’ve always kind of known we’ve had a good group,” Kennedy said. “I think we’ve hit a little bit of fatigue out on the road where we played so many matches away from this building, so to be able to get home and get comfortable, and sleep in our own beds, that’s helped quite a bit.” n

before I did the partnership, and I listened to their stories. It was crazy overwhelming, and what they had to overcome in their lives. So after that visit, I knew I had to help.”

According to Doton, Carlin’s mission to help others has impacted her teammates and has set an example for more student-athletes to use their platform for community service and outreach.

“I think being an athlete in today’s day and age, especially with social media, there’s a lot of opportunity for [one] to voice their opinion and matters and get involved in really any organization that they have just a lot of energy about,” Doton said.

Carlin hopes to see other individuals—especially those with big platforms—become involved with charity organizations. She said she believes that with a unified effort, major changes can be made in the world.

“You can always hope you’re inspiring others with your actions.” Carlin said. “I feel like if we can all come together … we could potentially change the world. … Imagine a world where there’s no homeless or trafficked young people. I mean, it would be amazing.” n

Carlin posts on social media to raise awareness for Covenant House.

BRODY HANNON / FOR THE HEIGHTS

NICOLE WEI / HEIGHTS STAFF

Carlin has been on the Eagles’ starting roster in 70 of BC’s last 72 games.