The Heights, Sept. 23, 2024

BC Defeats Spartans in 11th Annual Red Bandanna Game

By luke evans Sports Editor

Seven months ago, Bill O’Brien was officially introduced as Boston College football’s 37th head coach.

In his introductory press conference, he noted the importance of creating a home-field advantage and keeping fans in the stands.

“We got to keep them in the stands for four quarters, so they don’t head back to Shea Field and the

tailgates,” O’Brien said in February.

On a cold and rainy September night in Chestnut Hill, Mass., a sellout crowd of 44,500 fans flooded into Alumni Stadium for the 11th annual Red Bandanna Game, honoring Welles Crowther, BC ’99. Unlike in previous eras of BC football, the fans stuck around until the end of the game, powered through poor weather, and ultimately stormed the field.

“I just am so happy for the students here,” O’Brien said. “There

had to be another 6, 7,000 students tonight. I tell these kids all the time, and I've said this since I got the job, is that we have to be an exciting team so people want to come watch us play.”

The Eagles’ (3–1, 1–0 Atlantic Coast) Saturday night primetime performance kept fans in the stands as they downed Michigan State (3–1, 1–0 Big Ten) 23–19 while donning their iconic Red Bandanna jerseys.

See Football, A8

Eagles Secure First ACC Win

By Maria stefanoudakis

Asst. Sports Editor

For a few minutes before Virginia Tech women’s soccer scored, a defensive breakdown from Boston College seemed imminent. The Hokies had maintained strong offensive pressure for virtually the entire first half and finally, BC goaltender Wiebke Willebrandt and her defense caved.

The goal came in the 24th min-

Donors Rally Support for Alleged Newton Shooter September

ute when a boot from deep in the left corner found the top of Sarah Rosenbaum’s head and soared up over Willebrandt before coming down at just the right angle to find the left corner of BC’s net.

With 20 minutes remaining in the match, BC had recorded no shots on goal—a striking difference from three days prior when the Eagles shutout Grambling State 5–0. The opponent the Eagles were facing, however, differed vastly be-

tween these two games.

While Grambling State has won just two games this season, the Hokies came into Sunday’s game having shut out six of the 10 teams they faced—and for the first 70 minutes of the match, they looked to do it again.

Virginia Tech kept the Eagles’ offense stagnant and seemingly unorganized for the entire first half and much of the second.

BC Reports Decline in Black Enrollment

BC's Class of 2028 also experienced slight increases in Hispanic and Asian American student enrollment.

By annika engelBrecht Asst. News Editor

During the first year of admissions without Affirmative Action, Boston College’s Class of 2028 experienced a slight dip in Black student enrollment and slight increases in Hispanic and Asian American student enrollment.

The percentage of Black students in the Class of 2028 fell to 6 percent this year, a dip from 7 percent in the Class of 2027, according to a BC News Release. The percentage of Hispanic students rose to 14.4 percent, up from 13 percent the year prior, and the percentage of Asian American students rose the most, from 14.6 percent last year to 16.2 percent this year.

“The University’s mixed enrollment results were consistent with many highly selective colleges and universities in the wake of the 2023 United States Supreme Court ruling that ended the consideration of race as a factor in college

admissions decisions,” the release reads.

“Expanding our commitment to ensuring a wider range of socioeconomic representation among our student body was critical to our work," Gosselin said.

In the Boston area specifically, the Class of 2028 marked a dip in racial diversity.

Nearly every minority racial group experienced a decline at Harvard University and Tufts University, with the percentage of Black students experiencing the sharpest drop at both.

See Enrollment, A2

GrubSwap Facilitates Late-Night Deliveries

By Juliana Parisi Heights Staff

Have you ever sat in your dorm, hungry as can be, with nothing left to eat? Sure, you could head to the dining hall, but maybe it’s raining, or too cold, or you’re in a rhythm with your homework and don’t want to break your progress. You can also order food on Uber Eats or GrubHub, but your food will likely be cold, overpriced, and delivered to the wrong dorm.

Bradley Harrington and Tyler Wasserman, both CSOM ’27, knew this feeling all too well. The two students put their heads together to create GrubSwap, an on-campus service that guarantees food delivery from the Rat’s late-night dining right to students’ dorms in 20 minutes or less.

“The biggest issue that we're solving is on-campus delivery sucks,” Harrington said. “It's time-consuming, it's expensive, and it's not optimized for college campuses. We're

solving the dining dollars crisis as well. We're able to give students cash back for dining dollars that are soon to expire.”

Currently, students can order food to be delivered to their dorm from late night through a Google Form. Harrington or Wasserman will purchase the order with their dining dollars and deliver it within 20 minutes, guaranteed. The student who orders the food pays through Venmo only after their meal is delivered. There are no delivery fees, no tips, and no extra charges, so GrubSwap charges the same as the dining hall.

“We plan to expand by having feeders, we call them, which are people who are just sitting in the halls, who have extra dining dollars, and we'll use their cards because we're gonna run out soon,” Wasserman said. “We can use their excess dining dollars and then pay them a cut of the total.”

Through GoFundMe, donors have raised more than $250,000 for the legal defense of Scott Hayes, the aleged shooter in a violent altercation that took place at a pro-Israel protest.

Time is passing, but are you?

In the midst of her senior year, columnist Punnya Kalapurakkel reflects on her inability to control the passage of time.

TRISHNA CONDOOR / HEIGHTS STAFF

CHRIS TICAS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

This Week’s Top 3 Events

Kick off Espresso Your Faith Week with Fr. Tom Fitzpatrick, founder of the Jesuit Center in Amman, Jordan. Hear about his spiritual journey through faith and poetry in Gasson 100 from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

Join Elizabeth Shlala, associate dean for the core curriculum, and Kyle Sutton, BC ’24, to hear how Jesuit education has impacted their lives. Take part in the panel discussion in the O’Neill Library Reading Room from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. on Friday.

1 2 3

Celebrate the African Diaspora through art and view the exhibition States of Becoming Hosted by the Black Student Forum, enjoy a night of art at the McMullen Museum from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. on Friday.

Drop in Black Student Enrollment for BC Class of 2028

Enrollment, from A1

At Harvard, the share of firstyear students who identified as Black dropped from 18 percent to 14 percent.

Like BC, both of these universities obtained their data through self-reported racial identification by their students.

According to the release, BC attributes its “relative stability” in admitting a diverse group of students to its strong ties with community-based organizations and QuestBridge, which matches low-income, high-achieving students to top universities.

The University also turned a special focus to socioeconomic factors for this year’s admissions cycle, the release states.

“Boston College’s increased focus on socioeconomic factors in admission helped it to attract a class composed of 14 percent first-generation students, an increase of 23 percent from last year,” the release reads. “Its percentage of Pell-eligible students (individuals with the highest level of financial need) rose

by 50 percent to an all-time high of 18.8 percent, reflecting the University’s continued commitment to meeting the full demonstrated need of all accepted students.”

BC’s Class of 2028 is its first admitted since the Supreme Court banned the use of Affirmative Action in college admissions. The University utilized affirmative action for decades, aiming to admit more women and minority students.

After the Supreme Court banned Affirmative Action in June 2023, University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., released a statement condemning the ruling.

“Today’s Supreme Court ruling banning the inclusion of race as a factor in the college admission process is a frustrating departure from a decades-long judicial precedent,” Leahy wrote in the statement.

The University would continue, he wrote, on its mission to enroll talented and diverse students within the new parameter of the court.

The University’s admissions process this year focused on factors of diversity beyond racial demographics, Dean of Admissions and

Financial Aid Grant Gosselin said in the release.

“Our office reviewed applications and made decisions in a raceblind environment while enhancing our focus on race-neutral factors

that align with Boston College’s mission,” Gosselin said in the release. “Expanding our commitment to ensuring a wider range of socioeconomic representation among our student body was critical to

our work.”

The Class of 2027 marked BC’s most diverse freshman class ever, comprised of 38 percent AHANA students and 11 percent first-generation students. n

UGBC Senate Weighs in on CSOM Curve, Dining Costs

By JAck BeckmAn Asst. News Editor

Earning an A takes hard work. But in some classes, you have to hope your classmates work less hard.

Student senators discussed potential downsides to the grading guidelines adapted by the Carroll School of Management (CSOM) at the UGBC Senate meeting on Tuesday night.

CSOM’s guidelines, which were implemented in 2018, suggest that no more than 35 percent of students receive an A or A-, and no more than 65 percent of students receive a B+ or higher. In addition, 5 to 15 percent of students would fall into the C range or

below, according to syllabi reviewed by The Heights when the guidelines were initially implemented.

Because students feel like they are competing against their classmates, they are less likely to collaborate with their peers and share notes or resources outside of class, according to Delphine Gareau, academic affairs committee chair and MCAS ’26.

“It kind of disincentivizes collaboration and peer community building within some of these classes because you want to do well, and your doing well depends on other people not,” Gareau said.

Katie McCaffrey, student senator and MCAS ’25, pointed out that al-

though grading on a curve may seem unfair, it is standard practice at peer institutions and helps prepare students for the workforce.

“A lot of top business schools do function on a curve, law schools function on a curve—this is just a part of life,” McCaffrey said. “Yes, it’s unfair, perhaps, but I think it can motivate students to work hard—the world’s a competitive place, business is a competitive place.”

Stoker added that she has loved her experience in CSOM and suggested that the Senate look into ways to mentor and support first-year business students as they adjust to the school’s grading system.

“I think making sure that we’re mentoring kids and asking ‘Hey, how is it actually going?’ would be really helpful,” Stoker said.

Will Rafti, student senator and MCAS ’27, said his financial accounting professor informed students of the class averages after each exam to inform them of how they were performing relative to their classmates—a practice he suggested other professors adapt to make the grading system easy to understand.

“I think if that was a general practice for all CSOM classes, that would be really transparent for all students,” Rafti said.

Student senators also shared updates from a recent BC Dining advisory board meeting.

Under BC Dining’s three-tier meal plan system—which was implemented last year—approximately 70 percent of students select the least expensive option, according to Grant Drinkwater, student senator and CSOM ’27.

Last week, multiple student senators said that they know many students who have a significant amount of meal plan money left at the end of the academic year, even though they chose the light meal plan option.

BC Dining is aware of these concerns, Drinkwater added, but because of fixed overhead costs, they are unable

to offer a cheaper option.

“They can’t actually afford to lower the lowest plan because it covers the minimum amount of money that they need to get from the student to make sure that they’re not turning a huge loss,” Drinkwater said.

McCaffrey emphasized that repeated efforts from student senators to create a lower-cost meal plan option have been unsuccessful, so they should focus their efforts on advocating for a greater variety of menu options so that students will want to eat on campus.

“The best way to address this is to ask [BC Dining] to offer more options so that students are actually using their money and they’re excited to use their money,” McCaffrey said. “I think that’s the best solution because it’s just going to be a circle again and again, continuing to bend them to make it cheaper.”

Danny Wise, student life committee chair and MCAS ’25, shared that Scott Cann, technology director for supportive services, was supportive of student senators’ idea to purchase a printer for students in 2150 Commonwealth Ave. and that they are aiming to have the printer ready by Halloween.

“He really liked the idea and basically said that we can get a printer in 2150 very soon,” Wise said. n

BC Center for Student Wellness Holds Annual WellFest

By ReeTu AgnihoTRi Heights Staff

As students made their way through the O’Neill Plaza on Wednesday, they were greeted by WellFest.

“Everyone has some activities which are really fun, and I think it’s great to get folks involved in the resources that BC offers,” said Vanessa Belanger, SSW ’26.

At the start of every school year, the Boston College Center for Student Wellness organizes WellFest as an opportunity to connect students with campus resources. The event provided students with a multitude of tables to visit as well as free merchandise.

“I like how they all have something different,” said Milan Smith, SSW ’26. “You can learn how to handle a fire extinguisher or learn about financial literacy, which I think is all good skills to have, especially as a college student.”

WellFest offered massages, a bracelet-making station, and free coffee with encouraging messages. They also had many educational tables with free prizes and candies, such as one discussing the negative effects of vaping.

If students visited 12 tables, they

got a free shirt from the Center for Student Wellness. If they made their way around all 25 tables, they could enter into a raffle for a $250 Amazon gift card.

Additionally, WellFest provided students with the opportunity to come up with their own definition of what wellness means to them.

“I think wellness just means persevering past all of the hardships,” said Drew Dyer, MCAS ’27. “At the end of the day, just focusing on yourself and making sure that you are your number one priority and that you’re taking care of yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually.”

Students were also asked why wellness is important to them.

“Wellness is important to me because it helps me balance my schoolwork and my social life, and kind of just find balance within my life,” said Melissa Vidals, LSEHD ’27.

WellFest succeeded in bringing wellness to the forefront of students’ minds. They considered how wellness has the ability to affect many aspects of their lives. Students felt that they should always strive to take time for themselves and make sure they’re

doing well.

After visiting the tables, Kiersten Rock-Torcivia, CSON ’27, said she felt she should make more time to prioritize her personal wellness.

“It’s especially important in college,” Rock-Torcivia said. “Because we’re under so much pressure to do everything and get all your assignments done. So, I feel like the wellness fair is a great opportunity to check in with yourself.”

Members of the Center for Student Wellness said they wanted the event to get the freshman class engaged with wellness. Starting college can be an overwhelming experience, and the Center for Student Wellness wants to help ease this transition, according to Ruby Cohen, MCAS ’25. The goal of WellFest is to build community and awareness of what resources BC offers students, she said.

“The whole reason I joined the Center for Student Wellness, to be a wellness coach, was just to spread the word,” said Jeff Min, MCAS ’26. “I wish that when I was a new student, I learned about these resources from the start.” n

MADDY ROMANCE / HEIGHTS ARCHIVES

The percentage of Black students in the Class of 2028 dropped to 6 percent, down from 7 percent in the Class of 2027

SARAH FLEMING / HEIGHTS EDITOR

The Senate discussed grading guidelines in the Carroll School of Management at its meeting Tuesday night

N

EWTON

Alleged Shooter from Pro-Israel Newton Protest Garners Over $250,000 of Support

By genevieve Morrison Assoc. Newton Editor

Donors have raised more than $250,000 as of Tuesday night for the legal defense of Scott Hayes, the alleged shooter in a violent altercation that took place at a pro-Israel protest in Newtonville on Thursday.

Video footage of the altercation shows Newton resident Caleb Gannon exchanging words with the protestors across Washington Street in Newtonville, then eventually charging across the street and tackling Hayes.

In the footage, the protestors attempt to subdue Gannon before he is shot.

Hayes said he will plead not guilty to charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon on Friday. Gannon has not yet been charged with a crime, though District Attorney Marian Ryan said she applied for a criminal complaint against him for assault and battery.

Gannon was hospitalized but is expected to survive, according to Ryan.

Since the incident, Hayes’ story has reached a national audience and an outpouring of support through the GoFundMe page set up for his legal defense.

Yael Magen, the lawyer who rep-

resented him at his arraignment, said she set up the fundraiser because she believes Scott acted in self-defense.

“He was violently attacked from behind, his life was at risk, and he had no choice but to act in self-defense,” Magen said.

Among the thousands who donated, many agreed that the shooting was an act of self-defense.

“I saw the video,” wrote Maura Cousar, who donated $50. “His gun fired by accident in the chaos. Scott is being vilified by the media. I stand with Scott and I also Thank You for serving our country.”

But the outpouring of support hasn’t just been domestic.

“Support from Panama City, Panama,” wrote Gabriel Gavrilov, who donated $306. “Thank you for your service in Iraq. God Bless. Stay Strong.”

At the time of publication, the fund has more than 3,780 donors with an average donation of $67— though 20 individuals have contributed more than $1,000.

Steve Yanovsky, Republican candidate for one of Newton’s state representative seats, is among the donors to Hayes’ fund. He also advertises the donation link for Hayes on his campaign website’s landing page.

Yanovsky said it is unfair that

Hayes was immediately charged with a crime while Gannon has yet to receive a criminal charge.

“We seem to have some kind of a double standard here,” Yanovsky said. “I felt that an arraignment like this requires a contribution, because there may be legal repercussions for a law-abiding citizen.”

One Newton resident, Susan Mirsky, said she doesn’t believe Hayes was acting in self-defense.

“That it was portrayed that Caleb was the aggressor and that Scott was just shooting him in self-defense made absolutely no sense,” Mirsky said.

Mirsky is a member of a Newton anti-war group called Sawa, which aims to “advocate for equality and justice for Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, and inclusion for all,” according to its description on Substack.

Both Magen and Hayes belong to a Facebook group called “God Bless America and Israel,” a group that organizes “public counter-protests” in support of Israel in the Boston area.

“We believe in American exceptionalism, that America is a force for good in the world, and that Israel is the indigenous homeland of the Jewish People,” the description on the group’s page reads.

According to Mirsky, Hayes and “God Bless America and Israel”

Newton Farmers Market Builds Community with Local Foods

B y B rooke g haly Assoc. Graphics Editor

On Tuesday afternoons, Newton’s Cold Spring Park is bursting with colorful tents, delicious aromas, fresh flavors, and local vendors of all kinds who share a love for both food and community.

“There’s something nice about the people who come to farmer’s markets,” said We Grow Microgreens vendor Elson Ortiz. “They are specifically here for a bit of an experience.”

The city hosts a farmer’s market twice a week from late June through the middle of October. On Saturdays, the market is set up at Newton North High School from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. On Tuesdays, the market is hosted at 1189 Beacon Street, Newton Centre, from 1:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., according to the City’s website.

The Tuesday market has 31 official vendors, each bringing their own flavors and styles to Newton. The shops offer everything from unique produce to fresh baked goods.

“I think it is cool being able to have breads and pastries available,” said Clear Flour Bakery employee Nick Chieffo.

“There’s also a whole bunch of other things available at the same time.”

Clear Flour Bakery’s mission is to create authentic baked goods with simple ingredients, according to their website.

Despite the absence of a Clear Flour Bakery location in Newton, Chieffo says selling their breads at the market helps preserve their mission and reach an otherwise unavailable customer base.

“Everyone is always wanting us to open a storefront here,” Chieffo said. “But the market is great to be able to spread the bread.”

Other vendors agreed that the market is an important way for them to interact with a variety of new customers. For some, simply interacting with people is what makes the market so special.

“They want to talk with you—that’s really enjoyable,”

Ortiz said. “Lots of people who come to my stand are gardeners themselves. Most of these customers know more than I do about gardening, so it’s a learning experience.”

Ortiz works for We Grow Microgreens, an urban farm that grows a variety of produce such as edible flowers, microgreens,

members regularly counter-protest at Sawa demonstrations and vigils for the victims of the war in Gaza.

Sana Fadel, another member of Sawa, said she is not surprised that violence involving members of “God Bless America and Israel” occurred, given her past experiences with the organization.

“It is upsetting, it’s devastating,” Fadel said. “It is not shocking, because that group has been going around threatening groups that have been calling for peace.”

When asked about the GoFundMe for Hayes, Fadel compared the support around Hayes to that of Kyle Rittenhouse, who was arrested for fatally shooting two people at a Wisconsin protest associated with Black Lives Matter in 2020 before being acquitted of all charges a year later.

“Kyle Rittenhouse got similar support after Kenosha,” Fadel said.

On Tuesday, several pro-Israel

groups called for a travel and business boycott of Middlesex County, which includes the city of Newton, until the charges against Hayes were dropped—a tactic intended to place pressure on the district attorney.

Among these groups were Betar USA, Shields of David, and Magen Herut Canada.

Organizations including the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Boston, Anti-Defamation League New England, and American Jewish Committee New England,pushed back on the call for a boycott.

“We unequivocally reject this tactic, which seeks to place ‘blame’ or ‘consequences’ on local businesses that are not responsible for either the incident or its prosecution,” the groups wrote in a joint statement. Magen declined to comment on the Middlesex Country boycott, but said Israelis have received that same treatment in the past. n

Sam Farmer Unpacks Ableism at Book Talk

By liaM DavenporT For the Heights

Author Sam Farmer talked about his experiences with autism and his book, A Long Walk Down a Winding Road: Small Steps, Challenges, and Triumphs Through an Autistic Lens, in an event at Newton Free Library Wednesday night.

“I am proudly and unapologetically autistic,” Farmer said. “Autism is an example of something that can be looked at in more than one way.”

Farmer said he struggled his whole life with self-criticism because of his diagnosis.

medicinal plants, and herbs, according to its website. They also offer items that would be otherwise unavailable in an ordinary grocery store.

“We grow anything from radish to eggplant to south sea salad and beautiful flowers,” Ortiz said. “We grow guavas in Boston, which is absurd, and so it’s great to talk to people about it.”

The Tuesday farmer’s market specifically offers a calmer shopping atmosphere for those who find themselves with free time in the afternoon or evening.

“I’ve been on Saturdays, and I definitely think this is the day to come,” Newton resident Hailey Pierce said. “I randomly had the afternoon off and I wanted to take advantage of the local places.”

According to Pierce, the market is a great way for Newton customers to experience locally produced goods in their own communities.

“I think if they are highlighting small businesses [and] local places to shop, especially seasonally, that can only help with the local economy and the climate,” Pierce said. “I think it has a really positive effect.” n

“What my hope is with the book is to try to convey a greater understanding of autism from someone who wears these shoes,” Farmer said

Farmer wasn’t diagnosed with autism until he was 40. Up until that point, he had thought he was simply “learning disabled,” a diagnosis he had received at the age of three.

Farmer said he grew up never having a real name to assign to his condition, and he spoke about how this led him to struggle with people’s perception of him.

“Internalized ableism often is allowed to sink under our skin and compromise us,” Farmer said.

“We are at odds with [society’s] expectations.”

Farmer pointed out an example, reminiscing on when his mom got an “extra time accommodation” for him on the SAT, but he rejected it because he didn’t want to be different.

“I want to be like everyone else,” Farmer said. “I don’t want to be different, I want to be like everyone else.”

Farmer reflected on turning down this accommodation. He understands that in retrospect, it really would have helped him, but his desire to hide his differences

caused him to self-sabotage.

He used this story as a chief example of how ableism affects the lives of people with learning disabilities in his book.

“The way learning disabilities, the way autism is stigmatized in our community has huge consequences,” Farmer said. “We’re trying to rewrite the script.”

Farmer gave advice to people who have also been diagnosed with autism.

“The people with whom we associate will either make us or break us,” Farmer said. “I attribute my success to the people in my life. I had been bullied on several occasions, clearly those are examples of dealing with the wrong people.”

Farmer said that though he struggled, he also possessed advantages many do not.

“I’m a man,” Farmer said. “The color of my skin is white. I happen to be heterosexual.”

Farmer expressed his desire for others to use his book as a tool to help themselves. He said the book uses personal experience to teach the reader how to navigate through social skills, bullying, the workplace, parenting, and selflove—with the last subject being particularly meaningful for Farmer.

“That took a couple years after I was diagnosed at 40,” Farmer said.

Farmer spoke about how his diagnosis was critical in helping him overcome his internalized ableism, even though it wasn’t easy.

“Working to build self-esteem was no cakewalk for me,” Farmer said. “[Autism]’s not something to be fixed, to be cured. It’s a neurotype.”

Farmer said he wants his readers to understand that autism is not something that needs to be isolating from the rest of the population.

“The way all our brains are wired is different,” Farmer said. “We are all a neurotype.” n

BROOKE GHALY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

JONATHAN WIGGS / ASSOCIATED PRESS

M AGAZINE

Game-Day Outfits at BC

By Kate Kissel Copy Chief

Boston College football is back, and with it, the need to craft the perfect game-day outfit. Your getup serves many important purposes—whether it’s providing comfort for a long day of rallying, matching the aesthetic of your Instagram feed, or leaving room to gulfp down 10 hotdogs before halftime. All in all, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say your outfit can make or break your Saturday.

As students crowd into the mod lot to tailgate, different characters reveal themselves through their choices of apparel. Though every student surely has a unique sense of style, game day outfits seem to almost always fit within a few narrow categories.

No matter the particular goal your outfit serves, your choice can tell a lot about you and your approach to BC’s best day of the week: game day.

Superfan Shirt

The hordes of Boston College fans sporting their yellow t-shirts couldn’t be missed on our first game day of the year, for better or for worse. These tees said one of two things: you’re either a freshman who didn’t invest in merch before coming to college, or a senior who matched with their “Modmates” to commemorate their last first game day at BC. A basic, but nevertheless timeless choice, these fans can’t be blamed for their outfit decision at the first game of the season. Regardless, let’s all hope that was the last game day where the stands

are swept in bright yellow.

Striped Overalls

The striped overall sporters are working hard to transform the parking lots of our Jesuit institution into a rowdy frat mixer. They will be the loudest ones at your tailgate and will most likely grab more than a few blueberry muffins amid conversations with your extended family. Going all-out for game day is just their thing, and you shouldn’t be surprised at their near constant feature on the big screen. Beware of sitting down during halftime around one of them though, as they will be sure to hype you up out of it. Bringing the energy and the vibes, these endearing BC fans are some of the most memorable, and the most fun.

A Dress Taking a page from the SEC, these fans are helping to reclaim BC as a football school to rival Alabama and we are here for it. You know they are accessorizing with fun sunglasses and a cowboy hat, serving a classy, yet fun look that will help them end the day with the best Instagram content. We’ll all be wishing we tried a little harder after scrolling through the post game feeds, but luckily enough there’s always the next game to transform the parking lot into your personal runway.

Custom BC Game-Day Apparel

Preparing for game day by scouring not just the overdone bookstore apparel, but going the extra mile and looking on Instagram to purchase handmade

pieces, these fans mean business. Armed with the cutest fits of anyone at the tailgates, they are 100 percent having the game day of their dreams. But don’t worry, they’ll be sure to tell you where they bought their shirt and that you need to get one too. I would act fast, as these unique pieces sell out quickly, and will continue to be a great way to rock BC gear in a more subtle, trendier way.

BC T-Shirt Made into A Dress

5-Minute Crafts wants to be these fans. They aren’t afraid to grab their Dad’s old oversized tee and the scissors, tying back the sleeves and wrapping them around the back to create the perfect tube-top dress. Made by only the most dedicated and crafty fans, the t-shirt dress is a fun, different way to utilize what you’ve got lying around to mastermind a fit. Plus, these fans’ hard work pays off, creating a fun and yet breathable look, while also being inventive with what the bookstore has to offer.

Boston College Jerseys

Whether it be a football or hockey jersey, these fans are most likely wearing it to every sporting event they go to. Easy to throw on and sure to match the vibes of the occasion, this simple choice probably means you are genuinely invested in the game’s outcome and are going to know the stats for this season and the last. Maybe try mixing it up jersey wearers, but have it ready to go for this weekend’s ever anticipated, potentially chilly, night game. n

Pumpkin Cookies

B y s ydney B enedict

Heights Staff

Moving to Massachusetts from the seasonless, 75-degree weather of San Diego certainly posed its fair share of trials and tribulations to my naive freshman self. I still remember the first snowfall of freshman year (you Massachusetts locals probably wouldn’t even consider it a snowfall—a half inch of snow, if that). Yet somehow my mischievous New York–native roommate convinced me everyone would decorate themselves in snow boots and burly winter coats.

The next morning, after I laced up my chunky snow boots and whipped out my ankle-length puffer, I saw the same hoodies and sneakers as the day before. No snow even remained by the morning.One thing I did learn to love about the fluctuating seasons of Chestnut Hill was the fall.

Tailgate season, crisp fall winds, gorgeous red and orange shades painting the trees—there’s truly nothing better than a Boston College fall. As the season commences, I’ve been looking to perfect a recipe that truly transports you into autumn.

Though we are still battling 85-degree days and the Quad isn’t yet littered with multicolored fallen leaves, I find that these pumpkin cookies are the perfect way to ring in fall. The perfect harmony of sweetness, spice, and warmth, these cookies are the ideal fall treat!

DISH: Pumpkin-Perfection Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup pumpkin puree

2 cups white flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger powder

1 egg 1 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1⁄2 cup butter (melted)

2 teaspoon baking powder

3⁄4 teaspoon baking soda

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 cup chocolate chips (option al)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Put butter and flour on a baking sheet.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, ginger, and cinnamon.

4. In a separate bowl, mix together granulated sugar and honey.

5. Add vanilla extract, egg, and pumpkin puree to the bowl with sugar and honey.

6. Slowly combine dry ingredients to the wet mixture.

7. Add chocolate chips if desired.

8. Place the cookies in little balls on the baking sheet and cook for 10-12 minutes.

9. Let cool and enjoy! n

Turning Dining Dollars into Deliveries

GrubSwap also plans on taking advantage of dining plan surpluses. By the end of each semester, many students have an abundance of unspent dining dollars—funds that are not refunded if they go unused. Harrington refers to these dining dollars as “monopoly money.”

“Pretend like it’s May,” said Harrington. “You have $1,500 remaining in your account. That’s Monopoly money to you. It’s useless. It’s gonna all expire. You might as well spend it.”

“Feeders,” or students with excess dining dollars, will turn their “monopoly money” into real money by getting paid by GrubSwap for their services.

This wasn’t GrubSwap’s initial business model. Harrington and Wasserman set out to create

GrubSwap last October, and their original idea consisted of an app that would match a student with no dining dollars to a student with extra dining dollars.

“The student that has extra money would swipe their card to pay with their extra dining dollars for the other person’s meal, and then the other person would pay them back half price in cash, in Venmo,” Harrington said. “So the student who has extra money spends $20 and gets paid back $10 US dollars from the other person who gets their $20 salmon at $10 in cash.”

Harrington and Wasserman spent almost five months learning app development to build this initial version of GrubSwap and put it on the Apple App Store. But their first crack the project didn’t work out how they hoped it would.

“I think a little over 400 people downloaded it, but no one used it,” said Wasserman. “We thought that meeting up in person was a difficult thing to get over. It’s an awkward situation, so that’s when we transitioned. We spent the whole summer transitioning from that business model to this one.”

Transitioning business models wasn’t an easy feat. It took a lot of brain-storming and resilience, Wasserman said, but this duo was ready for the challenge.

As an avid stock trader, Wasserman said he learned the importance of being willing to adapt and learn from failures, and he applied this mindset to GrubSwap’s evolution.

“You’re going to run into times where you’ve spent two months working on a single project or on a single idea, and you realize this is not worth any more time,” Wasserman said. “You can look at that as a defeat … or you can look at that as you spent two months learning what not to do—now you have this much more [of an] idea of what to do.”

Harrington and Wasserman were accepted into the SSC Summer Accelerator program, a 12week program that provides selected student entrepreneurs with monetary investments and mentorship in exchange for equity.

Here, the two were taken under

the wings of several mentors who met with them weekly to identify gaps in their business model and discuss new developments in their research.

Matt Giovanniello, BC ’18, was one of Wasserman and Harrington’s mentors this summer. GrubSwap’s evolution through SSC has been inspiring to witness, he said.

“It’s very cool to see the full circle come through and hear about the early successes of their new business model,” said Giovanniello. “Seeing them actually going through and executing with a launch, as opposed to the iteration cycle too many startups, ourselves included, get caught up in.”

Wasserman noted that the duo was accepted into the Summer Accelerator program not just for their business idea, but because of their work ethic and proactive approach to entrepreneurship as well.

“The folks at SSC … knew they’re going to be successful, whether it’s with this company or another company,” Giovanniello said. “In choosing them, they were saying, ‘We are in full support of the way that they think and the ideas that they’re coming up with, whether it’s for GrubSwap or otherwise. And we want to have our hands like in that pot.’”

Although the two have not had previous experience in entrepre -

neurship, they proved themselves capable of executing their goals, Giovanniello said. As a high school student, Harrington organized a week-long computer camp where he taught students how to build computers. Wasserman, on the other hand, is well-versed in trading algorithms—he uses one of his own every day.

The two are encouraging all students with surplus dining dollars to reach out to GrubSwap and become a part of their business model—they are ready to find more “feeders” to accommodate the high demand they anticipate. They are also looking to hire tech interns who are interested in learning about app development, web development, and Instagram marketing, while also helping GrubSwap deliver food.

So far, GrubSwap has received a lot of support from the BC community, Wasserman said, which motivates the pair to continue building their product.

“When we were tabling, and we would explain [GrubSwap], people would be like, ‘Oh my god, this is awesome,’” Wasserman said. “That feeling is also amazing because you’re creating something that doesn’t exist, that other people appreciate and value. You’re creating something new, you’re making value, and you’re improving people’s lives.” n

PARKER LEAF / HEIGHTS EDITOR

BROOKE GHALY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

GrubSwap

GrubSwap, from A1

OPINIONS

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

Time Is Passing, but Are You?

My eighth-grade Latin teacher was a burly, brown-haired man with a penchant for student misery. He told us as much on the first day of school, as he gleefully passed out a thick syllabus filled with small rules and minor oddities designed to strike fear into the hearts of scrawny middle-school students. Kids with oversized backpacks and even larger attitudes. Amid the slew of random, annoying classroom traditions, such as prohibited bathroom breaks, vocabulary pop quizzes, and censures for sprawling backpack straps, my teacher had one rule that superseded all others: “No looking at the clock.”

While the rule was particularly cruel for kids suffering the ennui of a Latin class, my teacher relished in depriving us of the hopeful glance at the clock. If any of us were to mistakenly glance up at the clock out of habit, we would see its circular frame covered by a white piece of paper with stark black letters that read: TIME IS PASSING, BUT ARE YOU?

“It’s for your own good,” my teacher would say. “Looking at the clock takes away from learning the class material. If you can’t pay attention, how do you expect to do well in this class?”

Now that I am seven years past the horrors of eighth-grade Latin, I have found myself overlooking the sadistic origins of my teacher’s words and returning, instead, to their basic meaning:

Time is passing, but are you?

It’s a question that hits hard as a senior, staring out at the hazy expanse of my final year of university. It has plagued my every thought as I move through the first few episodes of my final season at BC: the first day of school, the first football game, the first club meetings. My thoughts lead me to the future, where I wonder if I have all the skills I need to tackle life beyond the Heights. My thoughts also lead me to the past, where I ponder if I have really made the most of my experience. Would freshman-year Punnya be proud of me now?

In short, for anyone asking, yes, the senior-year existentialism is real. I am two res-walks away from becoming Plato himself.

But in all seriousness, the reason the words of my eighth-grade teacher have been echoing in my head is because they reflect a paradox I have become all too familiar with lately: Thinking of time will not prepare you for ts inevitable passage. While my rush to consider the past and the future has been rooted in the desire to make the most of my final year at BC,

it has not changed the fact that time is passing regardless of my thoughts on the matter.

Time passes even as I type these words. Time passes as I worry about time passing. Time passes as I ponder what to do about time passing. If all of history’s most brilliant minds could do nothing to stop the passage of time, what chance do I have?

And so I am left with no choice but to stay here, in the present. In the passage of each moment. In every memory, pocket of connection, and ornery experience. I must make a commitment to take it all in and savor it as one does with precious things. I must stay present, allow time to pass, and reframe my fears about making the most of it.

To anyone reading this, especially my fellow seniors, know that I write this just as much for myself as I do for you. Whether the existential agony has evaded you entirely, retreated to the recesses of your mind, or exploded in full force at the start of the year, it is all okay. We will make the most of the time we have by simply existing in the journey of it all.

And so I invite you to join me in planting my feet in the grass, taking a deep breath in, and letting this final year of undergrad unfold in the most beautiful of ways. After all, time is passing, and so are we.

Setting the World Ablaze

Fire destroys, so why do the Jesuits tell us to go and set the world aflame? Maybe they just want a new world order where Jesuits reign supreme and everyone has a liberal arts education. Reflecting as a BC senior, however, I believe Saint Ignatius had a less dictatorial image in mind.

Fire is typically associated with destruction, but at times, it can also purify. When a fire rages through a forest, hope is not lost. The forest is merely pushed back to stage one and offered the opportunity to grow back denser than ever.

The same can be said for senior year— sometimes things need to go up in flames to start anew. Although Ignatius had a more God-centric image, I believe the lessons of the Jesuits are multi-dimensional.

Right now, seniors are content. We’ve

finally found our lifelong friends, we are on e-boards, and some of us have jobs lined up for after college. Everything is just chill. Excitement has yet to fully build, but the illusion of it is hanging around every corner of campus. Everyone is always telling us, “Senior year is the best” and “You will never forget this time in your life.”

But I think they forgot a crucial step: we have to burn everything down (metaphorically, of course) before we can begin the next phase in our lives.

Now, I’m not saying to go and create conflict with all your friends just to stir up drama, although that would be entertaining for the rest of us. Instead, it’s time to burn down the boundaries we have and start being unafraid of the social consequences.

Admittedly, I have never been one to come out and say how I feel upfront without fear of negative reactions or social repercussions. But when I think about the chaotic year ahead of me, what consequences can be worse than those that await me in real life?

College is more like a simulation than real life. This final year has no bearing on our lives after May. So while we’re still living in this simulation, let’s set the world ablaze.

It’s time to be impulsive and a little wild. Not reckless! There is a major difference. Some consequences exist outside of this year, but you will regret letting fear prevent you from taking advantage of each and every opportunity presented to you.

So far, I have done a lot of scary things that I wouldn’t normally have done. But I have come to a very critical conclusion: I don’t care.

The more adventures I go on and memories I make with my friends now, the more stories I can tell my kids—if my kids even care about my glory days.

Freshman year, we all walked into school not caring what anyone else thought of us—we didn’t know anyone, so no social consequences yet existed. As we met more people and became aware of social expectations, we lost a part of ourselves in order to “fit in.” Social conformity becomes the norm and our individual desires get pushed to the back burner.

Senior year is about reconnecting to that freshmen year level of feral-ness. Burn down the boundaries that are holding you back, blaze your own path, and leave no opportunity untouched.

Red Bandanna Game

This weekend marked one of the most highly anticipated campus events of the year: the Red Bandanna Game. Even in the cold rain, students packed Alumni Stadium to support the Eagles and honor Welles Crowther. A sea of red filled the sold-out stadium, cheering the team to their third victory of the season. And, in an incredible show of BC pride, students flooded the field upon the team’s victory and celebrated the return of BC football in the middle of the downpour.

So Long,

off campus certainly has its perks—

hall food is a thing of the past, candles are no longer considered contraband, and random room checks aren’t a worry. Despite all of the freedom that comes with breaking free from dorm living, there is one thing that we all miss: work orders. Broken shower? AC not working? BC maintenance has you covered! So to all the underclassmen counting down the days until they move to Foster St., try to appreciate that you don’t have to call your own mechanic yet.

Elevator Disaster

All across campus, an elevator crisis is spreading like wildfire. The faulty Walsh elevators are bound to break soon, an out-of-commission 2k elevator is causing commotion, and the line for the Maloney elevators is never worth the wait. Getting in a few extra steps isn’t a bad thing, but we’re fairly certain the Million Dollar Stairs aren’t anyone’s jam at 8 a.m. We can’t predict what’s in store for the rest of the elevators on campus, but

the outdoor

to hoping we aren’t still

come December! Work Orders

Punnya KalaPuraKKel

Heights

GRAPHICS BY PARKER LEAF / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Punnya Kalapurakkel is a columnist for The Heights She can be reached at punnya.kalapurakkel@bc.edu.

Mary Perez

OPINIONS

Learning to Give Grace in a World of Abundance

At first glance, nothing about me stays the same. I navigate the world, absorbing its many lessons and transforming my perspective over and over again. But if you look closer, you’ll see one constant: a golden pendant with a delicately carved compass draped around my neck at all times.

This necklace is an ever-present symbol of the moral compass that guides my daily life. Every day, it faithfully reminds me to approach people with curiosity rather than judgment, to walk away rather than lash out, and to reach toward people in times of conflict rather than create distance.

But more than anything else, my code of ethics is utterly black and white in its division of right and wrong. When I witness injustice, this code demands that all of my efforts and prayers be directed solely toward the victim, allowing no space to understand the other person’s perspective because, within this framework, empathizing with someone who has harmed another person constitutes an erasure of the victim’s experience. Because pain demands to be felt, validated, and honored, there is simply no room left for forgiveness.

And it is with this unshakable moral compass that I arrived, bright-eyed and bushytailed, in New Hampshire just a few months ago ready to kick off my summer job as a tennis coach. As I drove through the gates of Camp Walt Whitman for the first time, I was sure I’d leave with nothing more than a few harrowing tales about my time coaching kids in the middle of a forest. Boy was I wrong.

The story starts the way all great legends do: on a tennis court.

Picture this: a 9-year-old boy with a buzzcut who ate, slept, and breathed tennis. A boy who came up for lessons as much as the scheduling office would allow and easily outpaced kids more than twice his age. Indeed, every time we’d ask for volunteers to demonstrate the drills, Conrad volunteered his answers with unyielding enthusiasm, regardless of whether they were right or wrong. He even practiced tennis in his cabin using one of the beds as a net.

This kid’s heart was much bigger than tennis, though. While he held a deep love of sports, he also adored theater—his hilarious rendition of Simba in the camp play will go down in history as one of the funniest things I’ve ever witnessed on any stage. Conrad also loved singing, dancing, and creating art. He was at that incredibly formative age where he was exploring whether or not it was okay to simultaneously find joy in traditionally “boy” activities like sports and traditionally “girl” activities like the arts.

This duality was something Conrad spent the summer grappling with, particularly because back home, his dad drew a pretty strict line that boys should only like strictly “boy”

activities.

Fast forward six weeks into the summer. Conrad had proudly painted the nails of all the boys in his cabin in addition to his own, even washing off his counselor’s nail polish just so he could repaint it. He paraded around camp happily showing everyone his artistic masterpiece, but he’d been waiting all day for the evening tennis activity so he could finally show the coaches.

In particular, he wanted to show his two favorite coaches—Z and B. Z had traveled all the way from Zimbabwe to coach tennis at this camp, B from Barbados, and both had that indefinable charisma and humor that made little kids instantly gravitate toward them.

As soon as he arrived, Conrad immediately ran over to Z and B, triumphantly showing them his painted nails. “Do you like them?!” he asked excitedly.

“No,” came their definitive reply. Their message was clear—painting nails is not something boys should be doing.

Devastated, Conrad immediately ran to the nearest bathroom to wash off his nail polish. And just like that, six weeks of work spent teaching him to embrace everything he loves regardless of their gendered connotations shattered.

The sorrow I felt for him was matched only by my anger toward the two coaches.

Right away, I knew I had to do something drastic to reverse what had just affirmed all the negative messaging Conrad had grown up hearing at home.

Indeed, I knew that once Conrad left camp, he’d continue facing pressure to shut down the parts of him that didn’t fit into his dad’s vision of how boys should act. So I spent hours crafting a letter to Conrad, first to tell him how special he is, but most importantly, to impress upon him how the human experience is meant to be one of infinite possibilities, not of limitations.

This is the letter I wrote to him:

Dear Conrad July 30, 2024

I’m writing this letter for you to read if you ever start to forget how special you are. You are witty, funny, and you always crack the most perfectly timed jokes. You have such a fun, competitive spirit that has already turned you into a tennis champion at age 9 years old, and you’re an amazing actor—you truly brought Simba to life on stage. But most of all, you never fail to make all the tennis coaches smile because you have an inner light and joy that I’ve almost never seen before in my life. There’s a reason we always choose you to demonstrate the drills!

But you need to know that people are going to try and put you in a box. They’re going to try & tell you things you should and shouldn’t like, and tell you who you should or shouldn’t be. So my message to you is this: don’t let them. Don’t let anyone make you feel bad unless you’ve done something wrong. If anyone ever tries to guilt or shame you for liking theater or wanting to paint your nails or play tennis or anything you’re doing that doesn’t harm other people, please please ignore them. The whole point of being a human is to try everything, and decide for yourself what you like. Everyone is different, so don’t let anyone tell you you have to be the same. Don’t let anyone dim your inner light. Always be your amazing self, and

you’ll go farther than you ever dreamed. We’re rooting for you, Conrad!

– Brooke

After I gave Conrad the letter, there was only one course of action left to take. I had spent the entire summer experiencing mounting resentment towards Z and B for their casual sexism and homophobia, but this finally pushed me over the edge. So I was geared up and ready to tear into them, and my moral compass was more than willing to open the floodgates, because, of course, no mercy should be spared for those who harm other people. Shaming an innocent 9-year-old child was top of the totem pole in that regard.

There was just one problem.

The previous six weeks had passed in a whirlwind as I began befriending a person who, unlike me, had infinite capacity in her heart to give everyone love and acceptance. A person who had every right to be angry and bitter at the world for all it had put her through but instead chose to remain open and give grace to everyone who had wronged her.

It wasn’t that she felt she deserved any of it—she was well aware of how wrong it all was. She simply allowed two things to be true at the same time. It could be true that what happened to her wasn’t right, but it could also be true that the people who hurt her were simply using the limited tools they were equipped with, given the cycles of trauma they had to endure too.

Something in her words must have lodged itself deep within me, because the next time I saw Z and B, I did not feel even a shadow of the anger that had poisoned my heart the whole summer. Instead, all I felt was an overwhelming sense of grief for them.

For Z and B to have arrived at a place where they see a young child running up to them brimming with excitement and respond by instantly snuffing out their happiness, the only possible explanation is that they must have experienced that same suppression when they, as children, tried vulnerably showing the truest parts of themselves.

And at last, I arrived at a place of understanding. Not of justifying, or excusing, but of real, raw understanding. A place where I could look at them as human beings operating with the only tools and equipment they had been given.

But beyond understanding, I felt called. I felt called to see them, to really, truly see them as more than their worst moments. I

Photo Gal lery

Under the Alumni Stadium lights, the Eagles pulled out a nail-biter win against the

community, as fans honored Welles Crowther, BC ’99, in the annual

felt called to extend the same love and grace I had witnessed my friend give as she, again and again, took the sourest lemons life had to offer and transformed them into something far sweeter than lemonade.

And so I began a tradition called “Tennis Coach Kudos,” in which I’d write down all the beautiful moments of hard work the coaches put into their jobs every day on a giant whiteboard. The first two people I highlighted? Z and B.

This is the story of how I learned that two things can be true at the same time. All at once, I could pour love and wisdom into a letter for a boy who had been unfairly shamed by two people he looked up to, and at the same time I could see those two people with grace and understanding.

Too often, we view the world through the lens of scarcity. We stay in relationships or friendships that no longer serve us because we worry we’ll never find anything better. We reserve compassion for a select group of people because we believe we have a limited capacity for empathy. But with this perspective, we will always remain confined, never able to grow beyond our constructed, false sense of scarcity. It’s like what I told Conrad— the human experience is meant to be one of infinite possibility, not of limitations.

So instead, the world must be understood as a world of abundance. It must be seen as a place with infinite capacity for love and forgiveness, one where we can extend grace without discounting pain, one where the human heart can endure complex realities instead of the binary, black-and-white moral codes we are socialized to abide by. We can hold people accountable and decisively denounce their actions while remaining open to understanding all the factors that led them to their worst moments.

Deciding to see a person as more than their worst moments, to send them your prayers and well wishes even as you choose to walk away, makes all the difference.

This is how retaliatory cycles of hate end. Not with a big speech or a dramatic showdown. Instead, it ends much more quietly. It ends with one person sitting alone, perhaps looking in a mirror or putting a pen to paper vowing to become one small part of a world slowly but surely inching its way toward a place of abundance and infinite grace.

Emmbrooke Flather is a columnist for The Heights She can be reached at emmbrooke.flather@bc.edu.

CRIADO / HEIGHTS STAFF

Michigan State Spartans on Saturday night. The 23–19 win was an especially important game for the BC

Red Bandanna Game.

emmbrooke FlaTher

A

‘Crown of Times’ Examines Black Hair Culture

B y M ilo P riddle Heights Staff

Written and directed by Michele Avery and Yvette Modestin of ReRooted, Crown of Times debuted on Sept. 20 at Robsham Theater, enthralling its audience with a dialogue on the history of Black hairstyles in America.

The play spanned seven decades, depicted through five individual time periods. An unseen

narrator introduced the concept of the play, explaining that “Black hair culture is Blackness in its rawest form.”

Opening in the 1950s and culminating with the recent Black Lives Matter movement, actors appeared one at a time, filling the stage with a singular presence.

The intimate environment only included about 10 feet of empty stage between any one of the five actors and the audience.

The bare setting allowed the audience to follow the speaker’s train of thought easily, with only two chairs, a kitchen table, and a projected background image to possibly distract the audience. Accompanied by the conversational , personal style of Crown of Times, this puts the audience and actor in an active relationship.

The direct style allowed the actors’ words and vocal inflection shine, allowing the audience to appreciate Avery and Modestin’s truly excellent writing. It felt as though quotable lines appeared in the dialogue more often than not.

Visually, the background music and each character’s dress convincingly conveyed the distinct mood of each of the different decades.

The 1950s featured formal dress and straightened hair, a reflection of the idea that hair affects whether one is treated with respect, imposing a sense of con

formity for many Black women.

This time period contained a standout performance from Shavonne Brown as a housekeeper, who delivered both heartfelt and humorous lines. Across the board, the actors delivered visceral performances, superbly conveying their individual strife as well as the sentiment of a large collective.

The 1970s saw Black women break the mold. Actors wore their hair completely naturally, illustrating the new “Black is Beautiful” movement. When Amanda Shea said, “Afro is our north star back to ourselves,” it was palpable how much her words moved the audience.

The next act showed how society began to judge Black women much more harshly, as the idea of the “crack epidemic” and “welfare queens” swept the country. On the other hand, it depicted the spirited reaction with the birth of hip-hop as a new form of expression and “a new liberation.”

The final historical act outlined the sexual liberation of the 1990s, as new beauty standards were introduced. The exuberant performance from Trisha Mondesir was a highlight, expressing how women began to once again shun afros and braids.

The play’s final act brought all five actors on stage together, a collective demonstration of how the Black Lives Matter sentiment echoed across all eras and styles, with each actor explaining what their hair—or crown—means to them

Avery and Modestin then took the stage themselves, breaking the fourth wall by asking the name of audience members’ individual crowns.

This provided for a feeling of connection and solidarity among audience members and the cast, a warming ending for what Avery and Modestin described as “a love letter to Black women and Black hair culture.” n

Mulligan: Deepening Diversity in Awards Shows

By Maddie Mulligan Copy Editor

You know the all-too-familiar discourse when award season inevitably rolls around. Debates about who deserves to win versus who will win, who should’ve gotten nominated and who definitely shouldn’t have, all swirl around online as the public endorse their favorite celebrities.

But one particular topic of discussion arises each and every year that is profoundly more pressing: the lack of diversity.

Award shows are notorious for the lack of recognition they give to actors and artists belonging to minority groups. With several media industries being historically white dominated, awards ranging from the Emmys to the Country Music Awards (CMAs) have come under fire for their continued underrepresentation.

In 2015, an initiative aptly named #OscarsSoWhite began on then-Twitter as a reaction to allwhite Academy Award nominees that year. Gaining traction online as people of color in the film industry spread the message, the issue of the Oscars’ lack of diversity has

‘Agatha

By Jack Weynand Assoc. Arts Editor

repeatedly come under scrutiny as they continued to largely nominate white actors and creatives.

Frustratingly normalized, this absence of diversity is glaringly obvious to the masses that tune into each year’s award season. In a defeatist sentiment, I often find myself accepting this as an inescapable reality, reacting to a nominee of color losing with the thought that “it is what it is.”

That was, until this year’s Emmys. In a monumental moment for Asian representation in television, Shōgun came out victorious after just one season.

Based on a novel about feudal Japan, Shōgun racked up 18 total Emmys and is the first non-English-language show to ever win an Emmy for best drama. On top of that, lead actors Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada are the first Japanese actors to win Emmys ever.

Specifically, Sawai is the first Asian actress to ever win for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama.

If that headline sounds familiar, you may be thinking about Michelle Yeoh’s 2023 Oscars victory that made her the first Asian actress to ever win Best Lead Actress. That demarcated her as the second woman

of color to win for Lead Actress, 20 years after Halle Berry made history.

With Shōgun’s big night, talks about diversity take a new turn. After unceasing losses for actors of color throughout the existence of award shows, seeing ground-breaking victories at this year’s Emmys brings me to the hopeful conclusion that diversity is finally growing.

Not fully convinced? Let’s take a look at some more of the history made in recent award shows.

In mentioning Yeoh for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once, it’s necessary to point out that the Asian-dominated cast and creative crew truly dominated the 2023 Oscars. With wins for Ke Huy Quan as supporting actor, Daniel Kwan for directing, and the coveted Best Picture trophy, Everything Everywhere All at Once was the first signal as to where award shows would soon be heading.

In that same year, actress Lily Gladstone gained notoriety for her role in Killers of the Flower Moon, for which she won a Golden Globe and, most importantly, made history as the first Native American woman to be nominated for an Oscar.

Despite not winning the award, Gladstone set the stage for future

Native American actresses to have a shot at recognition. The 2023 Oscars were an exemplary moment for people of color in the film industry, a startling uptick in the effort for diversity. Thanks to years of complaining and advocacy for inclusivity—see, Twitter can be useful—2023 was when the Oscars implemented diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) criteria for its Best Picture category. Requiring films to fulfill two of four DEI criteria in order to be nominated for Best Picture, the Oscars saw a 20 percent increase in non-white nominations. But looking back a few years, the Oscars had actually improved before implementing an official DEI initiative.

Whether it be CODA’s 2022 wins that finally gave appreciation to deaf actors or the 2021 Oscars seeing people of color win for Best Supporting Actor, Actress, and Director, the Oscars have been on the up in recent years. Nonetheless, I’m very hesitant to give the Oscars and award shows as a whole too much esteem. The Oscars are just four years away from being a century old, and it’s taken this long for an Asian actress to win for the Lead? While progress is being made, it’s come at an astonishingly sluggish pace.

All Along’ Conjures Some Marvel Magic

a problematic detective, working to solve murders in Westview.

Agatha All Along puts Marvel’s Agatha Harkness (Kathryn Hahn) in the spotlight for the first time as she shifts from the antagonist of WandaVision to the protagonist of her own series. The show gives Agatha a sense of depth, humor, and grit that makes her the perfect witch to root for.

At the beginning of Agatha All Along , we find Agatha still under the spell that Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) cast at the end of WandaVision. While brainwashed, Agatha has taken up the mantle of

When a new body shows up in town, Agatha realizes she’s been under Wanda’s control for years. In typical Agatha fashion, she immediately looks to regain the power she’s lost.

Agatha’s main problem is that Wanda left her completely powerless. Without Wanda’s spell to partially protect her, all of Agatha’s enemies are beginning to trace her down to get their revenge. She has no choice but to go to extreme lengths to get her powers back by walking the witches’ road.

The concept of the witches’ road

is a loose and convenient plot device, because whoever can reach the road’s end gets whatever they desire. Agatha can get all of her power back as long as she survives the many trials and tribulations of the road. She’s smart enough to realize that she can’t walk the road alone, which is why she begins to put together a coven.

Agatha’s creation of her coven is where Agatha All Along really starts to prove itself. Agatha’s personality is fleshed out as viewers get a sense of her wit, drive, and motivations for walking the witches’ road. Agatha is still a villain at heart, but viewers still come to support the witch who’s down on her luck.

Hahn does a fantastic job expanding upon Agatha’s sarcasm and sense of humor. In the comics, Agatha is an old woman with centuries of witching experience. In Agatha All Along, Agatha shares the centuries of experience with her comic counterpart, but Hahn is far from an old woman. Her dry jokes and witty remarks reflect the ideas of a cranky old woman with a young spunk.

This is mostly on display when

Agatha is interacting with a mysterious teen (Joe Locke) who has joined her coven. The teen, whose name is still a mystery, is new to the witching world and looks up to Agatha. She takes advantage of that in her mentor role and pokes fun at the teen’s naivety and eagerness to learn.

Agatha and the teen visit various witches to form their coven, and at each stop, Agatha humorously preys on each witch’s insecurities to pressure them into walking the road with her. It’s a delight for the audience, and also proves that Agatha can also work magic using only her words.

The other elements of Agatha All Along work well to support Hahn’s impressive performance. Each witch in the coven has a unique color and costume scheme which helps to distinguish their powers and personas. Agatha also gets her own upgraded, somewhat comic accurate costume for the witches’ road.

Most of the effects also seem practical, or as practical as they can be, excluding the need for computer-generated images (CGI) to create the effect of “magic.” Explosions, set

designs, and the hand-to-hand combat fight scenes all appear to be real, at least on the surface. Keeping Agatha All Along mostly free from CGI ensures that the magical series stays grounded and not too unrealistic.

The elements of mystery in Agatha All Along work in the show’s favor, but also work against it at times. It’s annoying for viewers to not be able to give Locke’s character a name, and the fact that the show refuses to reveal whether Wanda Maximoff is dead or not after Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness leads to more questions than answers.

Releasing Agatha All Along on a weekly basis with all of these lingering questions brings more annoyance than anticipation.

Still, the anticipation of where Agatha will find herself next on the witches’ road will undoubtedly bring viewers back for more magic. Hahn’s ability to turn Agatha into a likable protagonist, coupled with the show’s support of creative costumes and impressive sets, makes for an intriguing plot that feels fresh in the expanded Marvel Cinematic Universe. n

GRAPHIC BY PARKER LEAF / HEIGHTS EDITOR

GRAPHIC BY PARKER LEAF / HEIGHTS EDITOR

MILO PRIDDLE / HEIGHTS STAFF

‘Crown of Times’ created an intimate performance addressing Black history.

SPORTS

“We Got Something Brewing Here”

Boston College football defeated Michigan State 23–19 courtesy of a 42-yard pass from Thomas Castellanos to Lewis Bond with just 1:38 left in the fourth quarter.

Ward, who darted up to the nineyard line before fumbling the ball, halting all of BC’s momentum.

“It’s a special night,” O’Brien said. “It really is. I think just the crowd, the students, just a special place and a great tribute to Welles Crowther and his family … It’s one of those games, though, you got to win. You got to win to make it a real special night. So I was happy our guys were able to pull it out.”

The storm came just minutes after the Eagles secured a 23–19 lead over the Spartans with 1:38 left on the clock courtesy of a 42yard touchdown pass from Thom as Castellanos to Lewis Bond. On 3rd-and-1, Castellanos stepped back in the pocket and launched a pass to Bond, who strolled into the end zone.

The majority of the game leading up to that moment was a back-and-forth.

After BC ended its opening drive with a three-and-out, Ivan Zivenko booted a 27-yard punt to set the Spartans up on the Eagles’ own 49-yard line. BC managed to hold the Spartans to a field goal but it was clear that the Eagles’ special teams woes would continue.

BC found its footing in the second drive of the game, though, plowing its way down the field and within the Spartans’ 15-yard line. On 2nd down at MSU’s 13-yard line, Castellanos handed the ball off to Treshaun

“He felt terrible about that fumble,” O’Brien said. “That was a good drive. That was a drive I

Montorie Foster Jr. and a one-yard Chiles run that put the Spartans up 10–6 with 8:10 left in the first half.

With just over three minutes left in the first half and MSU

the PAT. MSU fired back with a touchdown of its own courtesy of a 40-yard pass from Aidan Chiles to

Notebook:

By Graham Dietz Alumni Director

Following Boston College football’s 23–19 victory over Michigan State, Eagles’ head coach Bill O’Brien looked genuinely happy— the type of happiness you can’t fake, where even just the simplest smile can’t be suppressed.

As ACC Network projected a split-screen broadcast, with O’Brien and a reporter on one side, and the other displaying the scenes of ecstatic students flooding onto the field to celebrate and congratulate the Eagles’ triumph, O’Brien let the intensity out of his body.

He laughed, shook his head in a euphoric manner, and claimed what he claimed at his initial press conference: BC is a place where you can have a win.

“Boston College is a special place,” O’Brien said. “I was just excited these guys played so hard to give these students something to cheer for.”

The talk of Chestnut Hill all week was that BC had sold out the game against Michigan State.

While that’s a promising invitation to any hyped-up college football matchup—especially one that commemorates Welles Crowther, a real-life hero who sacrificed himself in the Sept. 11 attacks and embodies BC’s motto “men and women for others”—only reality matters. There is no guarantee of anything in life.

But the fans showed up. Undeterred by relentless droplets of rain all night long, students and fans packed Alumni Stadium in a way that had not been seen in a very long time, and rushed the field

in swarms to cap off what turned out to be a magical night on the Heights. For the first time since 2021, the Eagles captured a win in the Red Bandanna Game.

Here are four observations from the win.

Igniting Top Talent

O’Brien was thrilled to see Lewis Bond featured on the postgame ACC Huddle show. O’Brien has praised the stealthy wideout since he arrived, and wants Bond to get more credit for the success of the team.

“It’s really great you guys brought him up here, because he deserves it,” O’Brien said. “He was open all night—should’ve had like 10 more catches.”

On six receptions, Bond accumulated 102 of BC’s 140 total receiving yards on Saturday night—a season high for him in both—and caught what became the game-winning touchdown.

Quarterback Thomas Castellanos hadn’t connected on a deep ball all night until Bond decided to take matters into his own hands with time in the fourth quarter dwindling and BC down by three points, 19–16.

From the shotgun on 3rdand-1 at Michigan State’s 42-yard line, Castellanos zipped the ball through a pair of defenders with the corner already stumbling behind Bond and the safety too high to contest it. The ball had somewhat of a duckish spiral on it, but it fell precisely into where only Bond could make the grab. Bond shook off the defender just above the 10-yard line and pranced into

“I can’t repeat what I said to the players,” O’Brien said of his halftime message. “I’d have to go to confession … I was upset with the coaches and the players to be

Spartans

the endzone to give BC a 23–19 lead with 1:38 left to play.

O’Brien said the timeout two plays beforehand put Castellanos, Bond, and offensive coordinator Will Lawing all on the same page, and that Castellanos loved the play design. BC’s signal caller placed the ball into his top playmaker’s hands, and Bond delivered for his first-ever game-winning touchdown catch.

It’s also worth noting that Treshaun Ward grabbed a goahead touchdown with 12:22 remaining in the third quarter on a drive that needed just one play to score. Ward eluded the dogpile up front and down the sideline for a 36-yard touchdown run to make it 16–13 Eagles.

Ward has quickly become a BC household name as the backfield’s most versatile weapon, and has proven his abilities both as a runner and a pass-catcher. Ward tallied 102 yards on the ground and a touchdown with a 7.3 average yards per carry mark. Apart from Castellanos, Ward is BC’s leader in total touchdowns with four on the year so far.

Up For Grabs

Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles produced just-okay numbers (650 passing yards, four touchdowns, four interceptions, and a 56.8 completion percentage) going into his fourth start of the season, and BC’s secondary capitalized tremendously on his mistakes.

Chiles tossed three interceptions on Saturday, including a pick on the Spartans’ last drive of the game which could have reversed

honest with you. I was upset with myself, I was upset with the staff, I was upset with the players.”

Whatever he said appeared to make an immediate impact.

On the opening kickoff, Davis forced a Kay’ron Lynch-Adams fumble that was recovered by Omar Thornton at the five-yard line, eventually into a BC field goal.

On the next play, Amari Jackson picked off Chiles to put the ball right back into the Eagles’ hands. Ward wasted no time taking the lead for BC, running up the left sideline for a 36-yard touchdown to put the Eagles ahead.

BC had the chance to open the fourth quarter with another score, but Castellanos was stuffed on 4th-and-goal and handed the ball right back to MSU at its own two-yard line.

“The fourth-down stop—I was not going to kick a field goal,” O’Brien said. “That’s not Boston College. The ball’s on the one yard line, the game’s tied, we’re not kicking the football there.”

MSU went on to march down the field over the course of 9:24 and when faced with a fourthdown situation of its own, kicked a field goal to take a 19–16 lead.

Castellanos and Bond connected on the next drive, though, and BC followed it up with a strong defensive stand to close things out, cuing the storming of the field and earning the Eagles their third win of the season. n

CHRIS TICAS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

the game’s entire script. Max Tucker made the interception in the back of the endzone on a double coverage assignment with Carter Davis to make it a check in the BC win column. To be fair, the throw was more out of desperation than anything. Chiles had 44 seconds left from BC’s 36-yard line to pull a trick out of his hat and drown the Eagles’ faithful in a bucket of pain, but it never happened. Tucker timed the ball out of midair and pressed both of his feet down just a foot away from the out-of-bounds line to give Castellanos a final drive on the field to kneel the ball down and let the clock hit zeroes.

Davis and Amari Jackson recorded the other two interceptions, both on balls thrown far behind the intended receiver. The slickness of the ball from the pouring rain surely didn’t play to Chiles’ advantage, but he paid the cost of making a handful of bad decisions as the signal caller, which ultimately decided the outcome.

Dominant Donovan

After a monstrous outing at Florida State in Week One, defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku chilled off just a bit in the Eagles’ following two matchups against Duquesne and Missouri. The 6-foot-2, 247-pound edge rusher showed off his prowess at the line of scrimmage once again on Saturday night. Ezeiruaku was a menace in the trenches, racking up 2.5 tackles for loss (13 yards combined) and one sack (12 yards), along with eight tackles in the affair.

His sack came early in the

fourth quarter with 12:12 left to play. On 1st-and-10 from Michigan State’s 32-yard line, Ezeiruaku crashed through the Spartans’ pass block and upended Chiles in the backfield as he was attempting to scramble.

The play resulted in an eventual fourth down for Michigan State, which it converted, but still provided a momentum boost for BC’s defense and the booming crowd in the south endzone.

“We got something brewing here,” Ezeiruaku said after the game. After his performance Saturday night, it’s clear he might just be on to something.

Legs Need an Upgrade

There are still many things this BC squad needs to finetune, and many things to be very proud of.

But of all the things that need replenishing, or just an entire makeover completely, it’s the punting. At this point, open tryouts for the position might have to be something O’Brien considers.

There have been several shanks so far this year, and another case arose on Saturday.

Between Ivan Zivenko and Liam Connor, BC’s punters averaged just 37.73 yards per punt on four total punts, some of which gave the Spartans ideal field position to score.

It might not be at a level of abysmal just yet, but it’s something that has been addressed in media conferences with O’Brien during the week, and something to keep an eye on as the Eagles face the brunt of their ACC opponents with the remaining schedule. n

No. 16 BC Beats UNH For the 13th Straight Time

By gRacE BlankEnship Heights Staff

The last time Boston College field hockey fell to New Hampshire was in 2009. Entering Sunday afternoon’s tilt against the Wildcats, BC was looking to continue its 13-game winning streak.

“All the non-conference games are tough for us because we get the best effort from all those guys and the ACC games are a little bit different,” BC head coach Kelly Doton said. “We have to treat every opponent like they could be our last.”

And treat them like their last opponent they did.

The No. 16 Eagles (6–2, 1–0 Atlantic Coast) started off strong in the first quarter with four shots on goal, as opposed to the Wildcats’ zero—enough to extend BC’s win streak over UNH (2–6) to 13 with a 5–3 win.

Although the Wildcats kept BC

from scoring in the first quarter, it was only a matter of time before they broke through UNH’s defense.

Before they could, though, UNH scored just over two minutes into the second quarter, marking the first goal of the game.

“[We needed] to move the ball faster,” Doton said. “We were hanging on to the ball too long, allowing their defenders to back tackle and get back in the play. The ball moves faster than people … when we come up with the ball we have the ability to move pretty fast and fly.”

The Wildcats might have been the first to score, but once the Eagles got the ball moving, they came back with a vengeance, scoring twice in as many minutes.

A penalty stroke allowed for BC’s Peyton Hale to score the Eagles’ first goal of the game, tying the score 1–1. Hale followed up this performance by assisting Mia Garber in her goal on a penalty corner, making the score 2–1.

The second quarter closed with no further action, except for a shot

by UNH’s Faye Meijer that BC goalie Charlotte Kramer stopped.

The third quarter, much like the second, was action-packed.

It only took reigning ACC Offensive player of the week Yani Zhong one minute to capitalize on a penalty corner and score with an assist from Eva Kluskens, marking her seventh goal of the season and BC’s third goal of the game.

“If everyone works with what [Zhong] brings, we’re a tough team to beat,” Doton said. “We’re fortunate to have [her].”

Just four minutes later, the Wildcats responded by shooting twice on goal, the first of which was saved by Kramer and the second of which found its mark in the back of the net.

“Going against these non-conference opponents, especially on their home field, whether they’re up or down—they’re always going to continue to play, and that’s what UNH did,” Doton said.

The score did not move from 3–2 until the final quarter when

BC’s Madelief Grandjean, was able to tip in the ball in the first minute of the period.

With eight minutes left to play, BC was still up 4–2. Kluskens found an opportunity to score yet again, passing the ball to Madelieve Drion, who slapped the ball into the net to make it 5–2.

With just seven seconds left in the game, UNH’s Kathelijne Knuttle scored in a futile attempt to level the playing field.

Late Goals Propel BC to 3–1 Win

“We were really intimidated th at first half,” BC head coach Chris Watkins said. “They’re a little bit faster and more physical than we are in a lot of positions.”

But even tough defenses make mistakes.

The Hokies (7–3–1, 2–1 Atlantic Coast) gave up three goals in the final 20 minutes, and the Eagles (9–2–1, 1–1–1) ultimately handed Virginia Tech a 3–1 loss—

its first in the ACC.

On a corner, the Eagles finally got on the board at the 70:47 mark when Amalia Dray found the ball flying through the air and headed it into the back of the net.

“I think we just decided we weren’t gonna be intimidated,” Watkins said.

Six minutes later, another corner led to the Eagles’ second goal.

The ball entered play, and Ella Richards was fouled as she tried to maintain control.

A similar situation had

unfolded on the other side of the field minutes before, but Virginia Tech’s Natalie Mitchell botched her penalty kick attempt, shooting it far left as she failed to capitalize on the opportunity, even without much interference from Willebrandt.

The Hokies’ foul on Richards set BC up with a penalty kick of its own.

This time, the team rewarded with the penalty took advantage. Aislin Streicek lined up and delivered a shot that bounced so hard off the ground that it flew up

and rippled the top of the Hokies’ net.

Up 2–1, the Eagles found themselves with their first lead of the game and 13:20 left on the clock.

The Hokies, meanwhile, were forced to play with a sense of urgency as time ran out.

Instead of responding to this urgency with panic, the Eagles handled it with a composure that ultimately secured not only defensive stops, but also led to another goal of their own.

“Instead of playing rattled, I thought our players really managed the game well,” Watkins said. “We had a lot of seniors and grads on this team, and I thought they really managed the team well.” Richards dribbled the ball toward the goal but defenders poked it away.

Sydney Segalla found it and booted a shot toward the goal from the left side.

Hokies’ goaltender Lauren Hargrove barely stopped it with her left hand, falling to the ground in the process.

Meanwhile, Ava Lung snuck in through the right side, gathered the rebound, and delivered a goal past a poorly positioned Hargrove.

Segalla’s shot was the only Eagles shot on goal that didn’t find the net on Sunday afternoon as BC took a 3–1 win despite having a poor offensive showing for the majority of the match. n

But it was too little, too late, and the Eagles earned their 14th victory in a row over UNH.

When looking towards their next match against Louisville, Doton said she wants to make sure the Eagles continue to do what she thinks they do best: attack.

“If we want to win, we need to make sure we’re doing what we do well and hide our weaknesses a little better than what we did today,” Doton said. n

No. 16 Eagles Steamroll Wake Forest in ACC Opener

By Emily RoBERgE

Assoc. Sports Editor

When Boston College field hockey head coach Kelly Doton played for Wake Forest from 2000–03, her coach was current Wake Wake Forest Boston College 1 4 Forest head coach Jennifer Averill.

On Friday, Doton stood on the field coaching her own squad, squaring off against her former head coach and alma mater in Wake Forest.

“I always love seeing Jen and getting the catchup,” Doton said. “And they were a great team.”

The match against the Demon Deacons served as No. 16 BC’s first ACC matchup of the year, one in which BC (5–2, 1–0 Atlantic Coast) dominated possession of the matchup and defeated Wake Forest (2–4, 0–1) 4–1.

“I think just effort, hard work,”

Doton said of her team’s keys to victory. “They really competed well tonight for each other coming off last weekend, even though we had two wins, the effort just wasn’t there. And you’re going to get beaten in the ACC if you don’t have that.” It took the Eagles some time to get on the board, though.

For the first frame, the matchup proved to be a back-and-forth between the Demon Deacons and the Eagles, with just three shots tallied together between both Wake Forest and BC.

But Yani Zhong delivered yet again for the Eagles.

Off a penalty corner and two consecutive passes from Mia Garber and Martina Giacchino, Zhong swiftly dribbled the ball past her defender, sweeping it into the back of Wake Forest’s net for her sixth goal of the season. It didn’t take long for the Eagles to extend on their lead.

A little over 10 minutes later,

Madelieve Drion drove the ball to Zhong, who then swept the ball to Peyton Hale, nailing the ball into the lower-left corner of the Demon Deacons goal and past Wake Forest’s Ellie Todd.

The final 15 minutes of the game can be defined as the BC show.

While Wake Forest did tally one goal less than three minutes into the fourth quarter, its chances of a comeback were quickly shut down.

With just less than eight minutes in the final frame, Drion gave the Eagles a two-goal lead—silencing any Wake Forest chance at tying up the game.

Less than seven minutes later, BC found another scoring opportunity—a penalty stroke.

Standing on the penalty line, Hale swept the ball into the lower-right corner of the Demon Deacons net, as Wake Forest’s goaltender failed to stop the Eagle’s one-on-one offensive attack.

When asked about the penalty stroke, Doton explained the referee’s call. “I think it could have gone either way, but she established position,” Doton said. “It looked like the goalkeeper kind of came in and made contact with her, and they reviewed it, which is what they are supposed to do, and they upheld the call.”

After the Eagles scored their fourth goal of the matchup, the last 48 seconds of the matchup ticked down, and BC defeated its first ACC opponent of the 2024

“I think we had some great plays hockey-wise [and] putting four goals up on the board against an ACC opponent is very crucial,” Doton said n

season.

Virginia Tech Boston College 1 3

TRISHNA CONDOOR / HEIGHTS STAFF

In the Eagles’ Sunday afternoon matchup against the Hokies, BC had three different goal-scorers

In the No. 16 Eagles’ last three straight matchups, BC has gone 3–0.

TRISHNA CONDOOR / HEIGHTS STAFF

Women’s Soccer, from A1

BC’s Yani Zhong scored her seventh goal of the season against UNH. TRISHA CONDOOR / HEIGHTS STAFF