The Heights, Sept. 25, 2023

September

Hazing Allegations: Swim and Dive Program Suspended Indefinitely

Lawyers representing more than 30 members of Boston College men’s and women’s swimming and diving sent a letter to BC’s general counsel on Thursday, calling on the University to lift the team’s suspension and issue a public retraction of the statement issued by BC Athletics on Wednesday.

“It is apparent that this matter has been

grossly mishandled by the Athletics Department, particularly in light of the letter issued by the Office of the Dean of Students yesterday evening,” reads the letter from Nesenoff & Miltenberg, LLP, which specializes in campus disciplinary defense.

In an email to The Heights on Friday, Associate Vice President for University Communications Jack Dunn said BC Athletics has the right to suspend a program following “credible allegations of hazing.”

See Lawyers, A12

COIN Shines at Stokes Set

By akio ohmoto

For The Heights

Beneath the downpouring rain and the bright stage lights on Stokes Lawn, pop rock band COIN made a stop in Chestnut Hill, Mass. during its Uncanny Valley tour to headline Stokes Set 2023, hosted by the Campus Activities Board. Students—most in sweatpants or pajamas—piled into the muddy venue to see COIN take the stage.

With 3.4 million listeners on Spotify, COIN has garnered attention for its upbeat and catchy songs, notably “Talk Too Much” and “Chapstick,” which peaked at No. 8 and No. 15, respectively,

on Billboard’s list of top alternative songs.

In front of a raincoat-clad crowd, opener DJ FRANK warmed up the crowd with a mashup of pop hits, including “Mr. Brightside” and “Party in the U.S.A”.

Almost two hours after doors opened, COIN walked onstage with poise, class, and confidence. The band jumped right into an explosive guitar mashup of “Learning” and “Watering A Dead Flower,” a masterclass in energetic performance. COIN wasted no time flying into its hits “Chapstick” and “Cutie,” blending them together perfectly with punchy guitar riffs and raw vocals.

See COIN, A10

By graham dietz Sports Editor

Attendees at a Boston College men’s and women’s swimming and diving freshman event were allegedly instructed to binge drink and forced to consume their own vomit, according to a letter from an administrator in the Office of the Dean of Students.

The letter, sent to a member of the team and obtained by The Heights, also states that members allegedly engaged in underage

drinking at two additional events. At one of these events, members were allegedly encouraged to participate in drinking games. The alleged incidents occurred at an off-campus house and two residence halls between Sept. 2 and Sept. 4. The letter explained that five Student Code of Conduct violations may have occurred, including hazing, alcohol policy, disorderly conduct, community disturbance, and complicity, according to the letter.

Reslife Unionization Effort Calls for Equitable Wages

By Natalie arNdt News Editor

The main goal of unionizing Boston College Residential Life student workers is to put ResLife employees at more of an equal playing field with their employers, BC ResLife Student Workers said in an email to The Heights “A BC ResLife student workers union would give us the ability to negotiate for more equitable compensation for our labor, more efficient training to actually equip RAs with the skills necessary to be first responders on campus, job security, standardized job expectations and work conditions, and more,”

the email reads.

In an email sent on Sept. 10, BC Reslife Workers called for the establishment of a ResLife student workers union for resident assistants (RAs), graduate student assistants (GSAs), graduate resident directors (GRDs), and summer operations staff.

“We have heard time and time again from RAs how clear it is that we are undervalued and treated unfairly in the face of a wealthy institution,” the email reads. “Essentially, by fighting to establish a union for ResLife student workers, we are asking for a voice in our jobs on campus.”

See Union, A2

Multi-Faith Life at BC

See A6

Portico

The Heights talks to students with non-Catholic identities about their experiences with religion at BC.

This Week’s Top 3 Events

Keep an eye out for events across campus this week for the 11th annual Espresso Your Faith Week. Check out guest speakers, group discussions, special mass services, and tabling across campus all week.

ResLife Workers Continue Fight for Unionization

Union, from A1

Student residential workers at many other neighboring institutions have also begun efforts to unionize.

At Tufts University, RAs announced plans to unionize in November of 2022, creating the United Labor of Tufts Resident Assistants.

In January, non-academic undergraduate student employees at Harvard University formed the Harvard Undergraduate Workers Union to demand an increase in pay, better hours, and improved communication from employers.

The RAs of Boston University also moved to unionize in February, asking for better pay and more support when dealing with conflict between students.

At BC, one Upper Campus RA said there is ambiguity surrounding the responsibilities of RAs in the current contract, and a union could help set more clear guidelines.

“Right now the RA contract doesn’t say much besides you’re expected to do ‘blah, blah, blah,’ based off of what community you live in, that ResLife has the

autonomy to adjust how much you’re working, as well as require you to do certain tasks based off of which community you’re living in,” the RA said.

In a statement to The Heights, Associate Vice President for University Communications Jack Dunn said ResLife student workers are encouraged to raise their concerns with Associate Vice President of Residential Life George Arey and Director of Residential Education Dorrie Siqueiros.

“As student leaders, we ask our RAs, GAs, and any other student within the Residential Life Department to consider raising any concerns they might have with leadership in Residential Life, where the issues can be addressed amicably,” he said.

Dunn said that unionization would affect the relationship between RAs and fellow students, as well as their relationship with the University.

“We believe that these student leadership positions play a pivotal role in establishing a formative residential experience for our students and that unionization would alter the special relationship they have with fellow BC

students and the University,” Dunn said.

Dunn also emphasized that BC appreciates its student ResLife workers.

“Boston College greatly values its Residential Life student workers and the contributions they make to the BC community,” he said. “The compensation package we offer, which covers housing costs, meal plan, and the University health fee, is provided in recognition of their contributions.”

In its email to The Heights, ResLife Student Workers said another goal of the unionization effort is to garner more overall respect for RAs, GSAs, and GRDs.

“Another goal is to increase, campus wide and in the eyes of our employers, the appreciation and respect for RAs, GSAs, and GRDs,” the email states. “Boston College would not be able to operate without RAs being available 24/7 as a resource for students living on campus.”

It is not fair that all RAs do not have the same work responsibilities assigned by their resident directors, the Upper Campus RA said.

“Another RA who lives on Newton,

her resident director put her on a cleaning committee,” the RA said. “So she’s like she’s tasked with cleaning the office space and cleaning the resource room, meanwhile that’s featured nowhere on the job contract that we signed. It’s all very clear that there’s no standardized

idea of what we’re supposed to be doing.”

BC Drops in U.S. News & World Report Rankings

B y N aTalie a r N d T

News Editor

Boston College dropped three spots to No. 39 in U.S. News & World Report’s 2024 rankings of the best national universities.

Prior to this year’s rankings, BC had held steady at No. 36 for two years.

U.S. News assessed almost 1,500 four-year universities for

its 2024 rankings. These rankings were based on 19 measures, including academic quality, graduate outcomes, campus culture, strength in individual majors, and financial aid distributed, according to its website.

To rank schools, U.S. News gives each university an overall score between zero and 100. Graduation and retention rates account for 21 percent of the total score,

graduation rate performance accounts for 10 percent, peer assessment accounts for 20 percent, and financial resources per student accounts for 8 percent, among other measurements.

Despite its drop in the overall rankings, BC received five more points than last year, earning 79 out of 100 points.

According to its website, U.S. News placed more emphasis on

graduate rates for students from all socioeconomic backgrounds. The revised ranking formula also introduced data tied to first-generation college students.

“The predicted rates were modeled from students’ socioeconomic backgrounds – namely those awarded Pell Grants (low-income household) and who were first in their families to attend college (first generation), as well as admissions data, school financial resources, and National Universities’ math and science orientations,” the website reads.

More than a dozen public schools, such as California State University, Fresno and Florida Atlantic University, rose at least 50 spots in this year’s rankings. Consequently, on average, private schools’ rankings plummeted.

Once top-50 private institutions like Tulane University and Brandeis University dove over a dozen spots while BC rose to No. 25 among private universities.

BC also continued to rank higher than several of its neighboring universities. Boston University fell two spots, tying with Ohio State University and Purdue

University at No. 43. Northeastern University dropped 11 spots to tie with University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, Florida State University, the College of William and Mary, and Case Western Reserve University at No. 53. Tufts University fell eight spots to No. 40, tied with Rutgers University and the University of Washington.

BC also remained below some of its peer Catholic institutions, with Georgetown University staying at No. 22 and University of Notre Dame dropping two places to No. 20.

According to U.S. News, BC ranked No. 5 in “Service Learning”, No. 8 in “First Year Experience” and “Best Undergraduate Teaching,” No. 17 in “Learning Communities,” No. 41 in “Undergraduate Research/Creative Projects,” and No. 51 in “Best Value Schools.”

The Carroll School of Management ranked seventh in finance, 10th in accounting, analytics, and entrepreneurship, 11th in marketing, and 12th in management. The Connell School of Nursing also ranked 10th place among nursing schools. n

WellFest Promotes Wellness on Campus

By PeyToN WesT

For The Heights

addie KiNNaly

For The Heights

Molly Flaherty was walking through O’Neill Plaza on Wednesday afternoon when she was drawn into the crowd of students at the Division of Student Affairs’ annual WellFest.

“I was inspired by the free T-shirts—I’m going to be so honest,” Flaherty, MCAS ’25, said. “But there was a lot more that I found here that was actually really helpful.”

Previously called Healthapalooza, WellFest is an annual fair that aims to promote student wellness and advertise different services available to Boston College students. Various on-campus organizations set up tables at WellFest to interact with students, including the Boston College Police Department, the Connors Family Learning Center, University Counseling Services, and more.

“[WellFest] is a great opportunity to bring campus partners together from all over campus to celebrate students’ wellness,” said Center for Student Wellness Director Jeannine Kremer. “It’s just to celebrate our health.”

Alina Zaman, who worked the Career Center table, said the Career Center is one of many BC student centers that recognizes the relationship between its services and student wellness.

“We definitely like to refer our kids to the wellness center if they’re ever stressed about [job searching],” Zaman, MCAS ’24, said.

The fair offered trivia games, posters to write gratitude notes on, and even a fire extinguisher simulator. Tables gave out various freebies, including bandanas, candies, stickers, and pens.

“This is great—[the Division of Student Affairs] did a fabulous job,” Vanessa Rigoglioso, MCAS ’25, said. “Very fun, very exciting stuff.”

To encourage students to visit the different tables, the Center for Student Wellness also created a “passport” activity, where every student had to visit 10 tables and get a card signed by a worker at each in order to win a free t-shirt. Students who visited 15 tables were entered into a raffle to win a $250 Amazon gift card, and every additional table visited earned them another raffle ticket.

During the fair, students were provided with knowledge about dif-

ferent groups they can get involved in, campus recreation events to participate in, safety skills and disaster preparedness information, and packets of Liquid I.V. distributed by UGBC, among other tips and giveaways.

Associate Dean for Student Outreach and Support Caroline Davis stood at the Dean of Students table encouraging students to learn more about the restorative practice “Circle Up.” This practice provides

an opportunity for students to participate in discussions about how to authentically talk about one another’s needs and address harm in the BC community, according to Davis.

“What I think we want students to take away is that there are lots of ways to proactively be in the community to prevent harm,” Davis said. “And also, there are ways that we can work together to address harm when it happens that meets everyone’s

needs and wants and actually works toward a solution that helps.”

Zaman said some of the goals for WellFest were to help students make connections with campus partners and learn how to balance academics and social life.

“A lot of students just say they’re in it alone,” Zaman said. “We just want to show them that we’re here for them and that we’re a resource for students.” n

STEVE MOONEY / HEIGHTS ARCHIVES

Student ResLife workers are asking for fair compensation and transperency.

GRAPHIC BY ALYSSA ANDERSON / FOR THE HEIGHTS

UGBC Senate Talks Upper Campus Accessibility

By Will Martino Asst. News Editor

UGBC’s Senate discussed expanding transportation options to Upper Campus for students with disabilities during its meeting on Tuesday night.

“How many times have you walked up and down campus every day?” Senator Andreas Pantazakos, MCAS ’24, asked the Senate. “It’s like nothing for us, but for other students, it takes them forever, and that’s not fair.”

Pantazakos said he talked about the possibility of creating a bus system to transport students with physical disabilities to Upper Campus—which is currently only accessible by stairs—in a meeting with Transportation and Parking Services.

“[Transportation Manager Gabe Parker] was very hesitant about this initiative because of the massive cost involved,” Pantazakos said. “Like, this will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to run.”

The University had formerly

started plans to construct an Upper Campus pavilion, which would aim to make Upper Campus more accessible to students with disabilities. In March, the Council for Students with Disabilities (CSD) said it was informed the project was indefinitely postponed due to its high cost.

In an email to The Heights at the time, Dean of Students Corey Kelly and Vice President for Student Affairs Shawna Cooper Whitehead said the University was still considering the project.

“Given the high cost of construction, the University has to evaluate all of its projects and consider how to move forward,” the email read. “The Upper Pavilion proposal will continue to be evaluated in the upcoming year.”

Now, to create this proposed bus system, there would need to be a “tangible demand,” according to Pantazakos.

“We would need numbers, data, and testimony from students to show that we really need this new Upper Campus bus stop,” he said.

Pantazakos added that he also

talked to Transportation and Parking Services about the possibility of expanding Eagle Escort as a means of improving Upper Campus accessibility.

H Edwards, GLBTQ+ Leadership Council policy coordinator and MCAS ’26, said having to consistently order Eagle Escorts to navigate campus would be an unfair imposition to students with disabilities.

“Students with disabilities have the right to the same stability as students who use the regular buses do,” Edwards said.

Previously in the meeting, Katie Garrigan, Intersectionality Committee chair and MCAS ’25, had announced UGBC’s laundry subsidy program for Montserrat students will launch on Oct. 2.

“Because we only have $3,000, we’re not going to be able to give a laundry subsidy to every student in Montserrat,” Garrigan said. “So we’ve decided on 100 students being allocated $30 and it’s on a first come first serve basis.”

In a resolution sponsored by

Garrigan last spring, the funds for the program were allotted from the Senate’s budget. The program will be promoted to Montserrat students in the time leading up to its rollout, when a survey will be sent out for students to request

laundry subsidies.

“My hope in the long term is that the University would see that if UGBC is committing something like this, they might be able to commit something on their end,” Garrigan said. n

Conway Discusses Restorative Justice Practices in Prisons

Spending time in the classroom benefits incarcerated individuals because it allows them to feel like students rather than prisoners, according to Patrick Conway, director of Boston College’s Prison Education Program.

“[The classroom] was a place where students themselves could be treated like students and scholars and learners, rather than just mere criminals or prisoners, which is what I had observed how they’d been treated up until that point,” Conway said.

Conway spoke on Tuesday as part of the Lynch School of Education and Human Development’s Experience, Reflection, and Action seminar for first-year students.

Founded in 2019, BC’s Prison Education Program offers courses to inmates at MCI-Shirley, a medium-security men’s prison in Shirley, Mass. According to Conway, there are currently 62 students enrolled in the program, and over 20 courses are offered—all taught by BC faculty.

“We prioritize giving tangible skills to build careers,” Conway said. “We really want to allow students to pursue their own personal interests and to develop those with mentorship from faculty.”

Conway discussed the implementation of restorative justice practices—working to build trust and respect through listening

and dialogue—with inmates at MCI-Shirley. According to Conway, restorative justice practices attempt to help incarcerated populations reflect on their actions and address their underlying needs.

Conway said he feels the United States’ criminal justice policy has long ignored these practices and instead chooses to solely punish prisoners.

“We’re a highly punitive culture,” Conway said. “And I think we also tend to view as a culture that prison is not just the punishment itself, it’s also the place for punishment to occur.”

Conway said he had a firsthand look into what life is like for incarcerated individuals while he worked as a criminal investigator for the District of Columbia Public Defender’s Office.

“I found that insight into the criminal justice system and even just sitting in courts, kind of horribly depressing,” Conway said. “It was all about processing people out of society, and I think oftentimes what I observed was that it was ignoring people kind of as humans, that there was no recognition of human lives at stake here.”

According to Conway, restorative justice practices, like teaching courses for inmates, allows people to reflect on their time in prison and set goals for the future.

“I think we really prioritize non-prescriptive practices of self reflection,” Conway said. “Oftentimes, in prison, you’re basically

Joyce Examines Military’s Impact on Human Rights

B y a idan g ravina

For The Heights

just told what to do all day. Go here, use the bathroom at this time, go to sleep now. In our program, we want the opposite—students to put their lives into some context and make sense of it on their own terms, and then set their own goals.”

Christian Miranda, a formerly incarcerated individual who participated in the BC Prison Education Program, spoke alongside Conway. Miranda described the frustration he felt with the lack of opportunities he had while incarcerated.

“I was sitting there bored to death,” Miranda said. “The jobs they have [in prison] are archaic. You’re not going to leave there becoming a seamstress. You’re not going to work in a sewing shop and come home and progress too much.”

Miranda said through the BC program, he was able to take a variety of classes and meet professors who changed his life. He said he feels like he was given the opportunity to set his life back on track and aims to graduate from BC with a bachelor’s degree from the Woods College of Advancing Studies.

“I’ve been reformed by the program,” Miranda said. “So, my intention is to graduate, get this degree, tell some of my children, as well as myself, and my friends and family—people who love me—that it doesn’t matter what you go through in life, you’ll always be able to bounce back.” n

When the U.S. military trains foreign soldiers, it emphasizes norms such as protecting human rights and obeying civilian authority. But this training often produces the opposite result, according to Renanah Joyce.

“U.S. training made soldiers less willing to prioritize human rights and less supportive of liberal norms,” said Joyce, an assistant professor of politics at Brandeis University.

Joyce visited Boston College on Thursday to deliver a lecture titled “Soldiers’ Dilemma: Foreign Military Training and Liberal Norm Conflict.”

According to Joyce, the norms of protecting human rights and obeying civilian authority do not always coincide.

During the rice riots of 1979 in Liberia, for example, Liberia’s then-president ordered soldiers to fire on protesters, Joyce said. The soldiers had to decide whether to “protect people or obey leaders.”

“When liberal norms clash, militaries are instead going to fall back on this third norm of cohesion,” Joyce said.

Cohesion, she explained, is the bond that unifies soldiers around a shared mission.

“So the need to preserve these bonds functions as a norm that motivates soldiers to prioritize loyalty and commitment to their unit,” Joyce explained.

To further research this

dilemma of conflicting norms, Joyce conducted a study analyzing U.S. military training in Liberia to find a correlation between liberal human rights protections and civilian authority.

Liberian soldiers answered survey questions regarding their decisions on specific moral dilemmas.

“After a big tariff increase, local business owners go on a strike in their protests in the street,” said Joyce, giving an example of a survey question. “The police are managing it, but the president wants to send a forceful message and calls for the military to intervene to stop the protests. The commander refuses to send soldiers into the streets to stop protests.”

Respondents were then asked whether they agreed with the commander’s decision, disagreed, or thought it did not matter as long as the military was a unified front.

“To summarize my findings, I find that liberal norm conflict reduces willingness to prioritize human rights [and] increases prioritization of cohesion,” Joyce said.

Joyce added that when the U.S. foreign military training solely seeks to instill liberal norms, it might encourage more violent behavior in foreign militaries. Instead, the U.S. military should work to “regulate military behavior.”

“There is a need to emphasize and clarify norm hierarchies,” Joyce said. “If the U.S. is serious about putting people first, then say so, even if that removes some flexibility.” n

The Senate discussed transportation to and from Upper Campus in its meeting.

NEWTON

Newton Community Pride Hosts Annual Concert

By Brendan o’Friel Heights Staff

Despite rain moving the event inside, Newton community members gathered at the newly renovated Allen Center for a concert filled with jazz classics performed by the Isabel Stover Jazz Quartet on Saturday afternoon.

“It’s really great being here to play for the community,” singer Isabel Stover said.

Stover lives in Newton and said she was excited to get the chance to perform in her city.

“Newton is very interested in the arts,” she said. “It’s great to see so many people come out.”

Newton resident Jeff Cole said he went to one of the previous concerts hosted by Newton Community Pride, which inspired him to check out Saturday’s performance.

“It’s just cool to find out how talented the people in our community actually are,” Cole said.

Accompanying Stover on stage were Mark Shilansky on the piano, Mark Poniatowski playing bass, and Rich Greenblatt on the drums.

The quartet began its set with a song entitled “Beatrice” by Sam Rivers, a Boston jazz musician. Rivers

wrote the song for his wife, Beatrice. While the original song had no lyrics, Stover crafted her own based on the emotions she picked up from listening to the piece.

The quartet’s set also included songs such as “Feeling Good,” “Who Knows Where the Times Go,” and “Sweetest Somebody I Know.”

Stover said she has always been interested in music, but it was her time living in Oakland, Calif. that

made her interested in jazz specifically.

“I was always into [music] from when I was young. I was always in choirs and, you know, in musical theatre,” Stover said. “Later on, I joined a vocal big band called The Oakland

Jazz Choir when I was living in Oakland. And that was my first foray into jazz and jazz arrangements. And I thought this is the coolest music ever, and so I’ve just never looked back.” Stover relishes being able to perform in front of audiences.

“I love connecting with people from onstage,” she said. “I love just kind of tapping into what they’re feeling and emoting my feelings to them, and I can feel that connection, and it feels really good.”

Saturday’s concert was the third and final concert of Newton Community Pride’s free Fall Village Concert Series.

“The September Concert Series is one of our annual events,” Meryl Kessler, co-chair of Newton Community Pride, explained. “We’ve been doing it the last few years. And the goal is to bring music to different parts, different neighborhoods here in Newton in different venues.”

Boston resident Jessica Emond said that she appreciates events like the concert as a means to bring people together.

“I think it’s important to have opportunities like this to see live music and actually get together with people in their community,” she said.

Kessler explained that Newton Community Pride hosts events like the Fall Village Concert Series to build a sense of community.

“I’ve always been interested in civic engagement,” she said. “How do we get people out of their homes? How do we get them engaged in their community? Newton Community Pride is an organization that is really devoted to that.”

Kessler said she finds joy in providing people a chance to connect with one another and engage with the arts and culture of the city.

“Coming out of three years of a pandemic, getting people out of their homes, getting them in communal spaces, enjoying arts and culture together … finding out that we have incredible artists and musical artists, talents right here in our community,” she said. “All of that, I think, is a benefit of this work, and I’ve been really privileged to be able to do it.” n

Microgrants To Fund Sustainable Projects in City

By ella song Assoc. Newton Editor

A microgrant program created by the City of Newton and The Village Bank aims to assist Newton residents in funding their environmentally friendly smaller-scale sustainability projects.

“[One hope] is to actually contribute to lowering greenhouse gas emissions in the city,” Newton’s Co-Director of Climate and Sustainability Ann Berwick said. “The environmental and climate advocacy community is terrific, and we want to incentivize them to do even more work.”

Applicants can receive grants of $250 to $1,000 if Newton approves their application, according to the city’s website. The city and The Village Bank both contributed $2,500 to the program for one year of grants.

“It started … more than a year ago, because environmental advocates on a number of occasions had come to the city looking for funds to do one kind of project or another, and we didn’t have a pool of money for that purpose,” Berwick said. “But at the same time, a lot of the projects made sense.”

Berwick emphasized that grants are available to anyone looking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Newton, regardless of age. Applications take little time to fill out, and representatives from the city and The Village Bank review them, according to Berwick.

“Some grant applications can be pretty laborious, but … [this one] was very easy to fill out, very straightforward,” said Sue Bottino, Newton Community Farm executive director and grant recipient. “I really appreciated that

it was one page. And you know, we just said what we needed, why we needed it, when we would start using it, and how much it cost.”

Newton Community Farm received a $695 grant from the program in May, which it used to purchase a second garden cart for transporting various materials.

“This is a way for us to bring in even more from the field without using any equipment that emits pollutants or contributes to climate change,” Bottino said. “It gives us another cart to use with our high school internship program or our summer field staff, or whatever we need it for.”

Andy Gluck, the building aide and green captain for the Underwood Elementary School in Newton, said he found out about the microgrant program through Mayor Ruthanne Fuller’s weekly newsletter. He said that he applied

for $250 to purchase 15 stainless steel composters to be placed in classrooms and offices.

“That grant allowed me to institutionalize compost in our building,” Gluck said. “In the state of Massachusetts, 22 percent of our waste that is picked up by trucks around the state is food waste. So by cutting down on that, we are making a big dent into our efforts in creating a more sustainable earth.”

Underwood Elementary School has been a sustainability leader in Newton Public Schools, with Gluck’s role as green captain being the first in the district. Gluck’s projects resulted in a significant decrease in Underwood’s waste.

“We are the only school in the entire City of Newton that only has a once-a-week trash and recycling pickup,” Gluck said. “We have been able to reduce our waste so much that instead of a twice-a-week elementary school pickup, we are only once a week.”

Fuller’s administration has communicated a commitment to sustainability, with a goal to make the city carbon-neutral by 2050. Berwick emphasized the positive relationship the city has with environmental advocates.

“There are a number of environmental advocacy groups, NGOs, nonprofits, 350.org, Green Newton, and we work very closely with them,” Berwick said. “I’d say it’s a very productive relationship.”

The city has been cooperative with Newton Community Farm’s own sustainability mission, as evidenced by the microgrant as well as the solar panels the farm installed with the city’s approval in the spring, according to Bottino.

“So we have a great relationship with [the city] on renewable energy and sustainability,” Bottino said. “It’s part of the mayor’s plan, you know, with her portfolio on resilience, so we were happy to work together on that … this was a very small grant but meaningful to us.”

Gluck also praised the mayor’s climate priorities but criticized the lack of system-wide sustainability efforts in Newton Public Schools.

“The City of Newton is doing a pretty good job with the mayor’s leadership and our Climate Action Plan to really make a dent into our worldwide issue of climate change,” Gluck said. “But the schools, the Newton Public Schools, I think can do a much better job. I think it’s disjointed … that we’re the only school that is down to one truck [trash removal] a week.”

Ultimately, sustainability is attainable and is worth working toward, according to Gluck.

“Yeah, we can spend billions of dollars on technology and curriculum and teach you how to operate robots and drive Teslas and all the rest, but unless we really, really make our world a better place sustainability-wise, nothing else matters,” he said. n

BRENDAN O’FRIEL / HEIGHTS STAFF

The concert took place at the Allen Center as part of Newton Community Pride’s Annual September show.

The Isabel Stover Quartet played jazz and classic songs from artists like Stevie Wonder during Saturday’s concert.

“I love connecting with people from onstage. I love just kind of tapping into what they’re feeling and emoting my feelings to them, and I can feel that connection, and it feels really good.”

STEVE MOONEY / HEIGHTS SENIOR STAFF

The grants, which range from $250 to $1,000, have funded environmentally conscious projects in the city.

Bakey’s Opens Pop-up Bakery in Newton Centre

By KaTe Kissel For The Heights Maria sTefanoudaKis

For The Heights

A new pop-up location of Bakey, known primarily for its fresh and flavorful babkas, has opened near Newton Centre, providing flavorful Israeli pastries for local residents to indulge in.

Located at 749 Beacon Street, the Newton pop-up shop joins Bakey’s Brookline and Back Bay locations in attracting customers from Greater Boston. The Newton storefront is open every Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Upon entering, a whiff of sweet bread fills the warm air, and friendly employees are available to provide rec ommendations.

The menu boasts multiple unique flavors of babkas, a type of sweet bread made with various

fillings, as well as savory treats such as a delectable spinach and cheese boureka. Additionally, the store expands the flavor profiles traditionally associated with babkas by offering specialized seasonal options such as an apple babka and a soon-to-be-released pumpkin babka.

Customer favorites include the chocolate babka and almond babka, according to the pop-up’s manager Matheus Muralha.

The babkas are light, airy, and packed with flavor. The center of the almond babka is reminiscent of a custard mixture—it is wonderfully aromatic and perfect for almond croissant lovers.

Bakey management hopes to transform the bustling pop-up into a full-time, permanent establishment in the coming winter months, according to Muralha.

The franchise has two brick-and-mortar locations—one in Brookline, and one next to the Boston Common, according to Bakey’s website.

Uri Scheft, a co-founder of the business, is a Danish-Israeli baker who previously operated a bakery in New York City before coming to Boston. The bakery prioritizes freshness, according to Muralha. Every hour, someone delivers freshly baked goods to the pop-up to replace the various

pastries and breads.

Each batch is made with primarily local ingredients from small businesses, despite the added costs of sourcing small.

“We try to choose the best quality possible … everything we choose here we don’t care a lot about the

pricing, but more about the quality,” Muralha said. “We try to get organic and natural [foods] as well.”

Bakey serves Israeli pastries. The Newton pop-up store is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. n

City of Newton to Ban Retail Use of Black Plastic

By connor sieMien Newton Editor

An amendment that will ban black plastic take-out containers and mandate reusable cutlery and plates, among other guidelines aimed at limiting harmful waste in the city, passed 22–0 during a Newton City Council meeting on Monday night. The amendment will take effect in March 2024.

“Single use plastic has

a significant impact on the environment through its carbon footprint, waste management, pollution, and more,” the amended ordinance reads. “The provisions of this ordinance will reduce the amount of single-use plastic used throughout the City.”

Victoria Danberg, Ward 6 councilor-at-large, said the city and local businesses worked together on the ordinance to address environmental and business

concerns.

“This has been a work in progress for over two years,” Danberg said during the meeting. “We have met with the mayor … representation from the schools, Greg Reibman, the Charles River Regional Chamber, [and] restaurants.”

Greg Reibman, president of the Charles River Regional Chamber, said in the organization’s newsletter that businesses and city representatives met to pin down

what the city should ban.

Businesses said that banning some items—like plastic water bottles—would have a negative impact on economic activity in the city and not necessarily solve waste issues, according to Reibman.

“We acknowledge that singleuse plastics and their byproducts are devastating to our waterways and our communities,” the newsletter reads. “But we were concerned about the economic impact the proposed bans would have on many of our smallest businesses. Many of these products should be regulated state-wide, not one community at a time.”

Plastic water bottles, plastic glitter, and other items were ultimately taken out of consideration for this proposed ordinance, according to Reibman.

Residents could have ordered glitter online or driven to the next town over to purchase plastic bottles if these items were included in the ordinance, which would hurt small businesses as well as continue to damage the environment, he wrote in the newsletter.

Danberg relayed the same point at the city council meeting.

“There was a lot of give and take in this, too,” she said. “The ordinance as it is now has some substantial changes from where we were originally, and I think it’s a better ordinance—an ordinance that more people can live with.”

Last March, Alan Gordon, a member of the Plastics Reduction Working Group that helped craft the ordinance, and Reibman spoke at a city council meeting.

Danberg reiterated the goals of the ordinance, which she said were welcomed by various people— including business owners—who raised questions when the ordinance was introduced.

“The goal of this ordinance is to improve the plastic junk and trash situation in the city of Newton to further reduce the prevalence of single-use plastic,” she said. “This has a measurable effect on reduction of trash, on our carbon footprint, on trash volume, on reduction of litter, improving environmental health, and improving the health of human beings.” n

Affordable Housing Trust Allocates Zoning Payment

By Theresa Marcucci

For The Heights

The Newton Affordable Housing Trust (NAHT) approved a payment to the Newton Housing Authority for the 1114 Beacon St. project, named the final member of the Funding Priorities Task Force, and discussed future funding proposals during its meeting Thursday night.

“I think the city has really set that as a priority that enormous attention be paid to people that are impacted [by our projects], and I think we need to keep that tradition,” committee chair Anne Houston said.

The NAHT received an inclusionary zoning payment from the 1114 Beacon St. Special Permit project and unanimously agreed to send half of the check to the Newton Housing Authority to oversee the development of more low-income housing projects.

“I am so excited to see this project go forward, because in addition to these payments, there are actually [affordable] units in this building as well,” Ward 6 Councilor-at-Large Alicia Bowman said.

The City approved the 1114 Beacon St. project, and because of Newton’s inclusionary zoning requirements, the developers could either have built a certain number of affordable units or made a cash payment to the municipality. The developer, Bodwell Pines Corporation, ended up both paying the NAHT and including six affordable units in the building plans.

“We received, as part of the special permit for this project on Beacon St., an inclusionary zoning payment that was a partial payment of $231,295.50 that came to us half of which goes to the Housing Authority,” Barney Heath, Newton’s director of planning and development, said.

After confirming this payment to the Newton Housing Authority, the NAHT discussed the establishment of a Funding Priorities Task Force, which would examine data and make recommendations to the city about what to prioritize. Bowman volunteered to join as the final member needed for the force’s establishment.

The NAHT then discussed potential funding projects. Among those discussed were the developments at

the Warren House and the Riverside Station, as well as the temporary housing project FamilyAid, although it may already be adequately funded by the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program.

“They are facing costs beyond what they had anticipated,” Houston

said. “But I think that from what you said, your guess is right, they are all in CDBG range.”

Community member Josephine McNeill shared her thoughts on inclusivity’s importance in the NAHT’s decision-making process.

“We have reached a point as we

address the issues facing low-income people and marginalized people that it is important that those voices be heard at the various tables because many of us make decisions about what’s good for people without asking them, ‘What is it that you need?’” McNeill said. n

PHOTOS BY MARIA STEFANOUDAKIS / FOR THE HEIGHTS

Bakey’s pop-up shop is one of three separate locations in the area, with the others operating in Brookline and Boston.

NICOLE VAGRA / HEIGHTS EDITOR

The Newton Affordable Housing Trust is a group that meets to emphasize the need for affordable living.

CONNOR SIEMIEN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

The ordinance’s objective is to reduce the amount of waste that stems from single-use plastic in the city.

Multi-Faith Student Life at Jesuit, Catholic BC

By Eliza HErnandEz Projects Editor

The first statistic in the fact and figures tab on Boston College School of Theology and Ministry’s (STM) website states that the school places 10th overall in a worldwide ranking of theology, divinity, and religious studies.

With a swift scroll down the page, anyone interested would find that 85 percent of the 371-person STM student body is Catholic, with 16 percent belonging to the Jesuit order.

Scroll farther, and there are no statistics about any other religious identities in STM.

BC as a whole—founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus to educate Irish-Catholic immigrants—continues to promote a Jesuit, Catholic intellectual tradition.

But with 15,075 undergraduate and graduate students across nine schools and colleges, BC’s religious teachings are not one-dimensional, but they rather contain a vast range of theological thought, according to the University’s website.

“The Catholic intellectual tradition is not static traditionalism, but is constantly revolving, drawing from the riches of the past to give life to the future and, in its search for truth, engaged with every discipline and with all forms of belief and nonbelief,” the website reads.

While many BC students are Catholic, and the University is situated in Chestnut Hill—a town where residents’ primary religious affiliation is Catholic—non-Catholic students engage in spiritual dialogue and maintain a prominent presence within the University.

Catholicism at their own pace,” Hairston said. “They come into their Jewishness at their own pace and come into their Islamic identity at their own pace that is dictated by them, and they own it.”

As religious minorities on campus, non-Catholic students especially exemplify virtue and leadership by seeking to build their own religious communities, Hairston said.

“The groups that we do have here in terms of non-Catholic or religious groups are here by virtue of the students,” Hairston said. “So none of these groups could be here if it wasn’t for the students who desire to have them here.”

Hairston said he works with student faith groups when they need resources from the University. He manages finances for BC Hillel and the Muslim Student Association (MSA), for example.

“We’ve done bat mitzvahs on campus,” Hairston said. “And I think there’s a reason why our Jewish students decide to come to a place like BC where they can approach their Jewish identity at their own pace and in a position which is comfortable to them.”

Avery Miller, MCAS ’24, is president of BC Hillel, a prominent club for Jewish students on campus. He said Hillel has consistently had a positive experience working with Campus Ministry to plan for events and holidays.

“I can’t speak for other clubs, but I can speak for Hillel and we definitely do feel supported,” Miller said. “And I’ve been in touch with Campus Ministry, and they’re all great.”

said.

Abdullah Sayed, MCAS ’24, said MSA focuses on representing Muslim students but shares Hillel’s enthusiasm for including students of all backgrounds. As president, Sayed has noticed that some of MSA’s most regular attendees at events are nonMuslim students.

“It provides religious services to Muslims, but it’s also a place for people of all backgrounds to have a discussion and conversation about things that are meaningful to them and for them to meet people who are like-minded,” Sayed said.

Sayed said that MSA hosts four to five weekly events. Some events are strictly religiously oriented, like the Friday prayers and halaqa, while others consist of open dialogue, games, and refreshments.

“For me, and I think for a lot of people in MSA, it’s a community that although it’s based on Islamic values and virtues, it more broadly offers a place for people to engage in a welcoming alternative to BC norms,” Sayed said.

Beyond renting rooms from the University for weekly prayers and dinners, Sayed said that coordination for larger celebrations rely on more complex accommodations from BC, especially from BC Dining.

For example, Sayed said that eating schedules for celebrations like Ramadan require meals during times outside of BC Dining’s typical hours. Although Sayed said that getting proper accommodations has been difficult at times due to scheduling conflicts, he said MSA has continuous conversations with the University and BC Dining.

specifically focused on religion, it also hosts some Hindu events, including Diwali—one of SASA’s largest events of the semester.

“It’s nice to have groups on campus like the Southeast Asian Students Association where it’s like the focus isn’t religion, but there are a lot of people in the club that are Hindu that I can kind of talk with and bond with since we have that similar background,” Bail said.

Bail said that growing up, he had a relationship with Hinduism and occasionally went to temple with his family. Coming to BC as a freshman, Bail said that he felt unsure about how intensely Catholic teachings would be weaved into his social and educational experiences through BC’s religious values.

president of the BC Latter-Day Saints Students Association (LDSSA). She said that she feels supported by other students when it comes to her faith but has struggled to create connections with faculty and staff.

“I mean, I’ve had some pretty not so great things said to me, even people suggesting that I shouldn’t attend this University,” Hatch said.

Looking at her experience building a community through LDSSA, though, Hatch said she thinks that Campus Ministry effectively represents each religious community at BC.

“I would say, like Reverend James runs the interface group—he and Kelly Hughes—and they’ve been fantastic as far as welcoming people of

Rev. James Hairston, the campus minister of multi-faith programs at BC Campus Ministry, said there are 21 religious student groups on campus, including many that are nonCatholic.

From Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism to non-denominational Christianity, Protestantism, Orthodoxy, and more, Hairston said the myriad of religions represented through student-led groups demonstrates students’ individual ownership over how they approach their faith.

“They’re coming to their

Hillel hosts Shabbats every week in the Gabelli lounge, Miller said, and it rents out the Thomas More Apartments and various chapels on campus through the University.

Campus Ministry also supports Hillel with funding for larger events and multi-faith celebrations, Miller said. During Miller’s involvement with Hillel, the group hosted a dinner with MSA. Miller said that he also hopes to partner with a Christian student association.

“We want to make a solid multifaith event, you know, we want to share our traditions with the rest of the people at Boston College rather than keeping it to ourselves,” Miller

“The University is making an effort and there’s been a dialogue with BC dining, for example, for the last few years,” Sayed said. “They’ve been trying to improve their accommodations, and they’ve been listening to constructive feedback that we provided.”

Sayed also said the Women’s Center invited MSA to an event about women’s rights protests in Iran, but on the day the event was supposed to take place, an employee of the Women’s Center informed MSA that it had been canceled without any communication prior to that interaction. This moment, Sayed said, exemplified how BC can increase its attention to interfaith events.

“What I would like to see is the BC administration putting in more effort to kind of endorse interfaith events that Campus Ministry hosts and that sort of thing,” Sayed said.

Vikram Bail, president of the Southeast Asian Student Association (SASA) and CSOM ’24, said that SASA hosts many events with MSA, as many of SASA’s members are involved in both SASA and MSA.

Bail said that while SASA is not

“I came in with the expectation that most events and stuff on campus that they’re going to be promoting is Catholic, and I think that’s fair,” Bail said. “I applied to the school knowing that was the intention of the school, but I have had the opportunity to kind of explore my own religion through SASA and just by connecting with the other people in the club.”

In addition to the dialogue about faith cultivated by SASA, Bail said he appreciates how BC’s theology classes are not strictly Catholicfocused. He said he took Hinduism and Christianity in Dialogue, one of BC’s eight sacred texts and traditions courses that bring a comparative approach to two spiritual traditions.

“If they just had you take Catholic courses, I would have been like ‘Alright, what is this? It’s just like one religion,’” Bail said. “But the fact that they engage in a dialogue between both religions, I think, is something that’s pretty cool.”

BC has given Bail the opportunity to explore his own religion while also learning about the Jesuit, Catholic tradition, he said.

“I never felt like the stigma of ‘Oh, they’re going to try to make me Catholic,’ which I think is good,” Bail said. “I’m still Hindu and confident in my own beliefs, but I’ve also been able to engage in Christianity while sharing that Hindu part of myself as well with others.”

Ashlee Hatch, STM ’24, is

different faiths in providing space for them,” Hatch said.

Hairston said that spiritual exploration—Catholic and otherwise—is embedded within the undergraduate student life at BC. Retreats like 48Hours and Halftime not only encourage dialogue from non-Catholic students, but they contribute to BC’s mission of cura personalis, he said.

“It’s across the board, everything from when you first come in and they pitch you 48Hours as your first retreat, or the sophomore year Halftime retreat,” Hairston said. “These retreats aren’t exclusively Catholic or even religious for that matter, but they do cause you to think about something bigger than yourself.”

Beyond supporting the 21 faithbased student organizations, Hairston said that Campus Ministry opens its doors to non-religious students as well.

Typically, Hairston explained, Campus Ministry’s services focus on growing a student’s relationship with a “higher power”—whatever that means for the individual.

“If there was a student who wants to go deeper into Humanism, I’d be surprised that we would say no because of the fact that we ultimately want to help students get closer to God—however they define God, or however they define the higher power, if you will,” Hairston said.

Ernie Romero contributed to reporting. n

REBEKAH CHE / FOR THE HEIGHTS

REBEKAH CHE / FOR THE HEIGHTS

REBEKAH CHE / FOR THE HEIGHTS

Campus Ministry offers retreats and service programs for students.

The Campus Ministry office is located in McElroy Commons 233.

Dionne’s Book Series Teaches Interpersonal Skills

By Spencer Steppe Asst. Magazine Editor

Erin Dionne grew up jumping from book to book and hoping that, one day, she would author stories of her own.

“I’ve always wanted to be a writer since I was seven and discovered that books were written by people, not machines,” Dionne said.

Throughout her career as a children’s book author, Dionne, BC ’97, has published seven middle-grade novels, two picture books, and an essay collection on writing. And on August 1, she released the first two books of her new chapter book series, Shiverby-the-Sea.

Dionne majored in English and communications at Boston College. During her time as an undergraduate student, Dionne said she secured magazine and publishing internships in Boston while continuing to write her own stories.

“I feel like being in Boston and being at BC gave me a path,” Dionne said.

Dionne took a class at BC called Heroes and Heroism, where she analyzed children’s books. Through her work in this class, Dionne realized she wanted to write for children, she said.

“It was at 8:30 in the morning my senior year—a ridiculous hour—but I still went,” Dionne said. “And that class sort of reminded me how much I loved reading as a kid and the books that I read as a kid, and it started me thinking, like, could I do that?”

Once she graduated from BC, Dionne went to Emerson College to pursue a master’s degree in creative writing. In graduate school, she took a class on writing for children—a class she said helped her career fall into place. From then on, she knew for certain that she wanted to be a children’s book author.

It took Dionne 10 years after graduating from BC to sign with her agent and sell her first book, she said. In the decade it took for her to become a published author, she said she never stopped writing.

“In that 10 years, I wrote two novels, I went to grad school, [and] I worked in the publishing industry,” Dionne said. “It seems on average to take about that long once you start getting really serious about your craft.”

Dionne began writing Shiverby-the-Sea, her most recent series

of books, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

She was originally working on a longer novel, she said, but had trouble focusing because of its length.

“During the pandemic, I was working on a novel, and I realized I couldn’t work on it anymore— it was just too hard to focus,” Dionne said. “And I was sort of going through some other ideas and projects and thought, ‘Oh, that Shiver-by-the-Sea ... maybe I could play with that.’”

Shiver-by-the-Sea is an illustrated chapter book series for readers ages 7 to 9. The story follows the life of Bella Gossi, a kid who is moving back to Shiver-bythe-Sea, Mass. with her mom after her parents get divorced.

Bella’s mom runs the local movie theater, and Bella soon realizes that Shiver-by-the-Sea is a town full of magic and monsters, Dionne said.

“In the first book, [Bella] actually helps a vampire who has

narrative.

“One of the things that I think makes [Shiver-by-the-Sea] work so well is that it takes elements that are familiar to us—we all know movie monsters—and puts them in a context that feels very of this moment,” Weiss said.

The relationship between Bella and the monsters in Shiver-bythe-Sea also teaches young readers how to interact with people who are different from them, Weiss said.

“The monsters can kind of be a metaphor for people who are different than you who are coming into your community,” Weiss said. “How you approach that with kindness and understanding rather than ‘Oh, they’re different. They’re scary.’”

good apology because the puppy causes a lot of damage, and Bella’s responsible for it because she’s watching it.”

Weiss said that one of Dionne’s strengths is the way she seamlessly integrates social-emotional learning into her storylines.

“I think it’s a really smart way to start exploring those concepts with young readers in a way that we’re not slamming them over the head with lessons,” Weiss said.

Shiver-by-the-Sea is different from everything else Dionne has written because it is her first time

ing together, Werlin said she has seen Dionne grow as she has continued writing many different types of books.

“Erin writes all sorts of different things—everything from picture books all the way up to novels,” Werlin said. “That is amazing to me, and it gives me a little more courage, I would say.”

Though the Shiver-by-theSea series is a different genre from Dionne’s previous novels, Dionne said her sense of humor remains consistent in everything she writes.

“The humor kind of translates,” Dionne said. “I definitely have stuff that’s funny, and that’s sort of my trademark, I guess.”

been lost and secretly living in her mom’s movie theater,” Dionne said. “And then, the second book is about a puppy that Bella fosters that changes at night.”

Each book in the Shiver-bythe-Sea series is based on a classic monster movie, Dionne said. The first book references Dracula, the second references The Werewolf, and the third book, which Dionne recently finished writing, draws inspiration from Creature from the Black Lagoon.

“Rather than making monsters up, I thought, ‘Oh, the mom opens a movie theater—this would be a good way to sort of bring in these 1950s classic movies,’” Dionne said.

Alison Weiss, Dionne’s acquisitions editor for Shiver-by-the-Sea, said that one of her favorite parts of the series is the way Dionne integrates the monsters into the

According to Dionne, the monsters in Shiver-by-the-Sea are a vessel through which she teaches her young readers social-emotional and community-building skills.

“In the first book, Bella is getting used to a new town and a new place, and she finds this kid who happens to be a vampire who is lost, and it really makes her think about what home is and what community is,” Dionne said.

The second book in the series exemplifies how social-emotional learning is incorporated into every story line, Dionne said. When Bella fosters a puppy that becomes bigger and scarier at night, everyone tries to get it to behave. Eventually, Bella learns she needs to work with the puppy and stop trying to get it to change.

“Bella kind of recognizes, ‘We just have to figure out a way to work with it for what it is,’” Dionne said. “It’s also about giving a

incorporating elements of magic, she said. Dionne said she loves reading horror novels but she had only ever written realistic fiction novels until Shiver-by-the-Sea.

“The scary stuff and the magic stuff was different for me,” Dionne said. “They’re kind of sweet and funny, they’re not super scary, but we do have those little elements that give kids a little bit of a thrill.”

Nancy Werlin, Dionne’s friend and a fellow author, writes with Dionne every weekend.

Throughout their years work-

Werlin added that Dionne’s sense of humor is a defining characteristic of her writing.

“She has the ability to write in kind of a delightful way with very inventive plots that makes reading her work a pleasure,” Werlin said.

In the future, Dionne wants to continue writing for kids and hopes to publish more books in the Shiver-by-the-Sea series. Dionne said she loves the process of writing children’s books but also looks forward to the day each book is published, so she can witness the enthusiasm kids display while diving into her stories.

“Kids get so excited, they get really invested in the characters and maybe they want to know more, or they have certain opinions about what this character did,” Dionne said. “And I love that—I love that once I’m done with the book, it has this whole other life away from me, and I just love hearing how people connect with the story.” n

Homemade on the Heights: Coffee-Infused Brownies

By Jenny Fox Heights Staff

My nighttime nonnegotiable is dessert. I am always in need of a sweet treat to round off the night and give me a little boost of serotonin at the end of each day. My late-night baking hyperfixation led me to discover what my most reliable dessert staple is: a warm brownie.

It all started with a single-serve

microwave brownie that I concocted as a freshman when I didn’t have an oven in my dorm room. Now that I finally have a kitchen, I’ve been whipping up full batches of brownies to share with all my friends. But, there are still some nights when I just want a quick dessert, and the microwave brownie is my saving grace.

All good recipes have a secret ingredient that gives the dish that je ne sais quoi. My secret ingredient is

coffee. Brewed or instant coffee pairs perfectly with the classic chocolate flavor in brownies, giving you the most decadent, gooey, and delicious treat to end the night.

DISH: Coffee-Infused Brownies

INGREDIENTS:

For a Batch:

⅔ cup melted butter

1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar

2 eggs

¾ cup cocoa powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon instant coffee or 1 tablespoon brewed coffee

1 teaspoon vanilla

½ cup flour

For a Single Serving:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons milk

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

¼ teaspoon instant coffee or ½ tablespoon brewed coffee

¼ cup flour

A pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

For a Batch:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.

In a separate bowl, beat eggs.

Add vanilla, butter, and coffee to beaten eggs, combining wet ingredients.

Pour the wet ingredients into the large mixing bowl and stir vigorously

until well combined.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool, then cut.

For a Single Serving:

In a microwave-safe dish, combine butter and milk. Add cocoa powder, flour, and salt; combine. Add coffee and mix until smooth.

Microwave on high for one minute. n

Dionne incorporates social-emotional learning concepts into each book series that she authors.

JENNY FOX / HEIGHTS STAFF

PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN DIONNE

PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN DIONNE

PHOTO COURTESY OF ERIN DIONNE

These brownies can be made in an oven or in the microwave.

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

A Letter to My Freshman Year Self

and everything is a little bit scary. The laundry room is overwhelming. Canvas is confusing. Distractions (and emails) are everywhere. Just ask freshman year me. I had plenty to say about all of it.

As a Portico teacher’s assistant, I have the rare opportunity to spend 50 minutes twice a week in a classroom packed with first-semester freshmen. When I’m not engaging in class conversations about John Locke or The Wealth of Nations

I’ve found myself reminiscing on my own freshman year. So much has changed in such a short amount of time. Back in my day, we had to wear masks to go to Portico!

Sometimes when I meet with my Portico freshmen (“Portikids,” if you will), I feel like an old witch clamoring about ye olde times. Back in my freshman year, no one could have more than two visitors in their room, and you prayed to evade being contact-traced for just one more week. Many feared the Pine Slammer (Pine Manor, which served as one of Boston College’s quarantine zones). Still, some things about freshman year never change.

When you’re a freshman, everything is new, everything is exciting,

Recently reading through my old columns was like finding an old version of myself I almost forgot existed. I tend to think of myself as one singular person, sometimes ever-changing and sometimes staying exactly the same—like a thread unraveling forward into time. I felt nostalgic for a life I already lived when I read about my anxieties as a younger college student. The smell of Keyes North and the way the Newton bus would squeal around corners have become artifacts of a time I once knew.

And now, just as God and Time have intended, I am someone new. Someone shaped by that person but no longer completely defined by them. I’m still direct roommates with my freshman year roommate (Newton bonds never die), but neither of us are the same people we met that first day on campus. Sometimes it makes me sad, thinking about all the things that once were. I start to feel like that old witch again, clamoring about how it used to be, wishing it could be that way again.

If I let myself drift too far, though, I lose the opportunity to be grateful for the present. Sure, I might be an old witch sometimes, but that old witch loves to

tailgate in the Mods, watch movies with her roommates, and bust a move at the Fenway bars. She loves to sing while doing the dishes and run around in an eagle onesie. She loves all the things her past self would have loved too, and she’s grown into a person her younger self would look up to.

It’s safe to say that I have mastered the communal laundry system, Canvas, and managing my distractions (kind of). Eventually, we conquer the fears of our past selves, and we develop new ones to take their place. But that’s not what I want to spend my time focusing on. Instead, I like to cherish the person I’ve grown up to be—a person who has classes to go to, friends to dance with, emails to answer, and columns to write. I have so much life unfolding out before me, waiting to be lived. If I could travel back, as the person I am now, and give my freshmen year self a big hug, telling her everything was going to be okay, I would. I wish I could hand her this column and prove to her that things would work out. And I’d tell her to hold fast to the memories. But the only version of ourselves we get is the current one, so as I start my senior year, I can’t help but feel overwhelmingly grateful for all that is and all that will be.

Club Culture

At Boston College, our communities revolve around clubs and activities. Four weeks into the semester, students are starting to feel comfortable in the organizations they chose. From volunteer organizations to culture clubs to dance groups, many underclassmen have found a group to call home, and upperclassmen have become even more established in their leadership positions. Now we can truly start to get to know the people around us and form meaningful oneon-one relationships. There are a lot of Eagles with incredible stories to tell both in and out of our chosen communities— so look around and start getting to really know one another!

COIN Worth All the Coins

Don your raincoats and trudge to Stokes

Lawn … for a great concert! For students disappointed with the performances of years past, COIN was a refreshing surprise. The rocking group seemed excited to be at BC and had students let all their worries go under the rainy skies. From fighting over apples that lead singer Chase Lawrence threw into the crowd to dancing and singing the night away, we can’t “Talk Too Much” about this one.

Growing Up and Growing Out

scared me that I might be shifting the definition of home I had ascribed to for most of my life.

I told myself that going back for the summer would assuage my worries about the separation I felt from my past. I was sorely mistaken.

friends who were scattered across time zones and wished I could spend just one more night in my freshman dorm room. With my life now fragmented between two places, I realized that I would never escape feeling the slightest bit of wistfulness no matter where I was.

Study Abroad Fever

If you had asked me a year ago to define what home meant to me, I would tell you it was the winding back roads that I spent endless hours driving down with my best friends. It was the bedroom I painted purple in first grade and the glow of the fireplace that enveloped my living room in a warm embrace on December evenings. It was a town of 11,000 with one traffic light, two Dunkin’s, and all of the people I loved.

Until I was 19, my entire world existed within the 15-square-mile confines of Norfolk, Mass. I always knew it was only a matter of time before I outgrew my childhood safe space, but this understanding filled me with overwhelming guilt.

Outgrowing meant growing up, and growing up was a catalyst of change. Change, in all of its ambiguity and unpredictability, had long been a part of life I tried to push away.

Then, I started college. And as I became more acclimated to my new life, I allowed myself to start embracing change. Instead of fear, I found excitement in the unpredictability of my day-to-day life. But as much as I wanted to fully immerse myself in this new life I was building, I couldn’t help but worry that I was creating an uncomfortable distance from the place I called home.

I was only 16 miles away from Norfolk, but I felt my childhood slipping away. It

The quintessential boredom that seemed to be a hallmark of high school summers still lingered when I returned home, but the comfort I once found in this simplicity vanished. While I was at Boston College, I found the quaintness of my hometown endearing. Now it was just an annoyance. I felt like every day spent working my painfully monotonous retail job and driving in circles around town with my friends was a step backward. Instead of appreciating the break from impending exams, my friends and I spent nights fixating on how stagnant our lives felt.

When I was at school, I yearned for one more family dinner or a spontaneous day trip with my best friends. As soon as I had all of that back, I missed my college

It’s strange feeling like you’ve outgrown the place that was once your entire world. Now I only hear my childhood friends’ laughs over the phone, and Christmas break is one of the only times I share a roof with my family. But at the same time, our world is growing with us. No longer confined to towns along the Rhode Island border, my circle of friends now spans from the Jersey Shore to the Seattle coastline and, for the first time in my life, I have a legitimate reason to visit Kentucky.

I’m still learning to embrace change, but I’ve started viewing it as a reason to be grateful rather than something to run from. I can appreciate my hometown for bringing so many meaningful relationships into my life, but I can also acknowledge that the physical place might not have much left for me. It gave me a foundation for the idea of home, and for that it will always hold a special place in my life. But today, I would argue that a broadening sense of home demonstrates a life lived to the fullest.

So what is home, really? I’d assert that it’s so much more than a house. Home is a relationship that can withstand any distance. Home is a person that you can sit with in silence one day and pour your heart out to the next. Home is not necessarily a place, but rather a feeling of overwhelming, all-encompassing comfort. Home is love, and love can be found everywhere.

For students with friends studying abroad right now, jealousy is hitting hard. Not only do we miss the people who have been a stable part of our lives at BC, but the photos currently filling our Instagram feeds make us wish that we were with them now more than ever. From friends traveling to Oktoberfest to those booking day-of flights to the beach, our friends abroad seem to be living their best lives. To juniors studying abroad next semester—get on those visa forms! And sophomores, get on those applications! It will be your turn before you know it.

Is COVID-19 Back at BC?

As if the impending midterms, career fairs, and student performances didn’t give us enough to worry about, students now seem to be facing the stress of COVID-19 all over again. You might have heard about a classmate or a friend testing positive in recent weeks. And although we’re vaccinated, the news of our friends needing to quarantine is worrying. So, make sure your boosters are up-to-date, deliver soup to your friends who find themselves sick, and continue to support one another as we fight COVID-19 once again.

Olivia Franceschini

GRAPHICS BY PAIGE STEIN / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Olivia Franceschini is a columnist for The Heights She can be reached at olivia.franceschini@bc.edu.

Makayla hickey

Makayla Hickey is a columnist for The Heights She can be reached at makayla.hickey@bc.edu.

“With my life now fragmented between two places, I realized that I would never escape feeling the slightest bit of wistfulness no matter where I was.”

It’s Time To Talk About Laundry at Boston College

The University has a laundry problem, and it has not taken steps to address it.

On a scale rating the laundry experience at Boston College from 1 to 10 (with 1 being “I’m completely dissatisfied” and 10 being “I’m completely satisfied”), more than 60 students polled by a Heights survey gave an average satisfaction rating of 4.47 out of 10. This is unacceptable for a school of BC’s caliber.

Over the past two weeks, The Heights Editorial Board conducted a survey to gauge the general experience of BC undergraduate students’ experience doing laundry on campus. Publicized in two newsletters, the survey was available to all BC students, and several had something to say.

Survey respondents typically use a BC-provided washer or dryer between one and 10 times per month. According to the survey results, the average BC student has a problem when using a BC washer about 27.8 percent of the time and a problem when using a BC dryer about 39.5 percent of the time.

When given the chance to comment on their experience, several students shared frustration with the laundry service. Many felt that their laundry rooms have too few machines to support the building, some commented that machines are dirty and broken, and one student even reported running as many as five cycles in a BC dryer to get one load of laundry dry.

And when one load in the washer or dryer costs $1.75, these repeat loads start to add up fast. 93.5 percent of survey respondents believe that the price of laundry is not reasonable. Of these individuals, all believe that laundry should cost less than $1.00, with 71.7 percent believing

that it should be free. When asked to comment, several students cited the high cost of living on campus as a reason laundry should be free.

One student reported paying upwards of $200 on laundry per year thanks to malfunctioning washers and dryers necessitating multiple loads.

The results of the survey suggest that problems with BC’s laundry services are not being regularly addressed by the Office of Residential Life or its contractor.

Students who have problems with laundry machines can put in work orders that are then fulfilled by BC’s contractor, CSC ServiceWorks. Doing this for the first time, however, is not instantaneous. Students must download CSC’s app in the App Store, find and report their broken machine’s ID number, and then explain the specific issue with the laundry machine in an online form.

This process, though a bit time-consuming, would be a decent supplement to a functional system of regular laundry inspections and repair. But the frequency of routine laundry maintenance at BC is unclear.

Work orders do not keep up with laundry dysfunction, and many hurried students must spend an extra $1.75 and waste around 25–70 minutes to wash and dry their clothes over, and over, again. It adds up to many wasted hours and dollars.

By putting the burden of reporting laundry repair to busy students, ResLife fails to create a self-sustaining system to clean students’ clothes. And, by directing students to handle laundry problems with the University’s contractor, ResLife fails to take responsibility for the dysfunction of a critical element of on-campus

life. ResLife has not commented when asked by The Heights to provide answers to relevant questions about laundry services. The Heights Editorial Board reached out multiple times to ResLife staff to discuss these issues between March and September 2023, who either did not respond or referred to other staff within the department who also did not respond.

It does not have to be this way. Fordham University has a similarly chaotic laundry system, but it provides laundry services to on-campus students for free. The Jesuit university even rolled out a free laundry service for off-campus students in September 2021. Other schools are following suit. Dartmouth installed new, free washers and dryers for use starting this fall, and Columbia advertises free laundry services as well. If BC cannot make its laundry systems consistently functional, the least it could do is reduce the cost.

Students have pointed out frustrations with laundry services for years, with little to no change from the University. The University’s only recent shift in laundry policy is a limited laundry subsidy program for Montserrat students created by UGBC—which relies on an all-too-limited discretionary budget to stay alive.

BC needs to address its laundry problems. It is doing students no favors by ignoring so many instances of wasted time and money. Whether BC decides to take its laundry issues into its own hands, revise its relationship with CSC ServiceWorks, or reduce the price of laundry, it is time the University takes action to create proper living standards for its student body.

‘Sex Education’ Provides Lessons in Its Last Season

By Leah StitzeL Heights Staff

Thought you had nothing left to learn after three seasons of Netflix’s Sex Education? Think again. The hit British comedy drama’s fourth and final season was released on Sept. 21 and is already back at No. 4 on Netflix’s list of the top 10 TV shows in the United States.

The season adopts an entirely new setting, as well as introduces a few new characters. The now-mature cast are confronted with complex new issues, and viewers get further glimpses into their pasts. The show’s new setting maintains the shock factor that made it a hit at the beginning, but we get to see satisfying endings for old favorites of past seasons. It feels familiar and novel at the same time.

When the series debuted in 2019, its main focus was the students of Moordale Secondary School and their relationship problems, whether romantic, platonic, or familial. The school itself became the central issue of season three after gaining a reputation for unorthodox sexual education and unruliness among its students.

The season concluded with Moordale being shut down, and with it, viewers’ hopes for a fulfilling fourth season. How is a show about intimate relationships supposed to continue when its characters have

been indefinitely separated?

The show’s answer? Just put them in a new school. While an awkward idea at first (introducing a new location and cast usually feels like a sign of a show’s tiredness), a new school with new students to torment turns out to be exactly what Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield), the show’s protagonist and resident teen sex therapist, needs.

At the beginning of the first episode, Otis and his best friend Eric (Ncuti Gatwa) bike onto their new school’s grounds. Eric’s exclamation of shock perfectly sums up the new setting of Cavendish College.

“It’s like Amsterdam … but in space. And everyone seems … happy?” Eric says.

With its rainbow windows, paperless classrooms, and progressive students, Otis and Eric’s new school is the complete opposite of Moordale. Otis’ plan of setting up his free sex therapy service on campus seems like it will be welcomed with open arms, and the setting itself feels like a caricature of a modern secondary school rather than a real place at first. As Otis and the viewers learn, nothing is as it seems.

The different setting breathes new life into the show, giving old characters a unique environment to tackle.

Otis must face competition in his therapy service at Cavendish, as well as deal with Eric making new friends

whom Otis doesn’t feel comfortable around. On top of that, Maeve (Emma Mackey), the girl Otis has liked since the very first season, has gone to America for an academic program just as they confessed their feelings for each other.

This new environment causes its fair share of mishaps, like Otis accidentally showing a nude photo to his new class on his first day. In season four, viewers get to see the characters handle things more maturely than they would have in previous seasons. Some of the awkwardness that made Sex Education relatable is gone, but its appeal definitely isn’t.

In the second episode, Otis has his first client, Cal (Dua Saleh), after struggling to draw business. They confide in Otis about a personal issue.

“I thought I was disgusting,” Cal says.

“No,” Otis replies. “And I know it’s hard, but you should try and enjoy the journey”—that’s pretty wise advice from a teenage boy.

Otis, his friends, and his enemies have spent the past few years trying to enjoy the journey, with very different degrees of success. But season four proves the real worth of their so-called education, no matter how untraditional or chaotic it may have been. And viewers have gotten to grow up with them.

Whichever character you’re rooting for, season four promises a satisfying end to their story even if it’s not the ending you were expecting. The setting’s new characters, both lovable and insufferable, will draw you in. The old characters’ relatability will keep you watching. Despite some disappointment that the series is ending, Sex Education finishes at just the right time. n

MUSIC VIDEO

‘My Love Mine All Mine’ Released Sept. 15

Mitski Makes Film Art in New Video

By Maddie MuLLigan For The Heights

When the line between music video and short film starts to blur, a musician has reached a new level of artistry. And with her recently released video, Mitski surpassed this achievement. Known for her heart-wrenching lyrics and hard-hitting melodies, Mitski is one musician who can truly be called an “artist.” Her song “My Love Mine All Mine” alone is one display of this categorization, but what is remarkable is that she develops a symbolic masterpiece of the song in its music video.

In “My Love Mine All Mine” from her recent album The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We, Mitski sings about her journey toward reclaiming the idea of love for herself. Mitski sings about how love is the only thing that belongs to her.

“Nothing in the world belongs to me / But my love, mine, all mine, all mine,” she sings.

As a result of this new acceptance, Mitski then wishes that her heart—her love—be sent up to the moon when she is inevitably gone.

“My baby here on earth / Showed me what my heart was worth / So, when it comes to be my turn / Could you shine it down here for her?” she sings.

Listeners might think it would be difficult to depict such gut-wrenching, stand-alone lyrics, but what her music video does is not just reflect what the song means but add to its significance tenfold.

The video shows Mitski placing chairs on top of one another to form a rickety, unstable stack as she sings about claiming love for herself. Her actions symbolize her precarious journey toward self acceptance and finding love for others.

While some may be turned away by the deep thinking its pure symbolic nature induces, this introspection is where the video’s beauty lies. Each image shown is its own “wow moment.” The video’s 2,000 comments each provide their own interpretation or expression of admiration for Mitski’s artistry.

While many musicians can paint a picture with their lyrics, it takes a special talent—like Mitski—to create an accompanying video that is a work of art in and of itself.

The video for “My Love Mine All Mine” is so simple, yet so impactful—it almost cannot be called something as simple as a music video. A short film? A work of art? A magnum opus? Mitski sets a whole new standard for music videos going forward. n

Students Pack Into Muddy Stokes Lawn for COIN

“Boston College, hello,” Chase Lawrence, COIN’s lead singer, said. “Thank you for spending your rainy Saturday evening with us. Can we just lose our minds for 30 seconds, is that alright?”

He promptly led into the feel-good ballad “Valentine.” The band’s song “Into My Arms” went heavy on the guitars and kick, with a blazing fast, energetic tempo. The song teetered between pop and rock, with a bridge that started slow but escalated into a high-energy chorus.

“Does anyone want an apple?”

Lawrence asked after “Into My Arms.”

COIN derived its genius stage presence from how nonchalantly the band mates acted. After introducing the band members, Lawrence stopped, reached into a plastic bag full of apples, and tossed a few into the crowd.

After its lively prelude, the band switched up to a much slower, angsty love song in “You Are the Traffic” and continued with “Youuu,” featuring a powerful vocal chorus from Lawrence. A percussive instrumental and dreamy a capella synth followed in

chedelic slow song “Malibu 1992” from COIN’s 2017 album How Will You Know If You Never Try. COIN held the audience’s attention to the end, finishing out its setlist with its hit song “Talk Too Much,” followed by crowd favorite “Crash My Car.”

“Everyone good, healthy, hydrated?” Lawrence said. “It’s infinitely easier to stay inside right now, but you chose to be here, and we’re so grateful for that.”

Lawrence was thriving in the spotlight. He kissed bassist Matt Martin on the cheek, took a bite out of an apple mid-performance, and lifted his mic stand five feet in the air so the crowd could sing the chorus to “Talk Too Much.” the perfor

mance Lawrence and COIN created a sense of commu nity between the band and the students in the crowd.

we are COIN,” Lawrence said

A RTS

Somebody’s Child Performs in First U.S. Tour

By Ethan Ott Outreach Coordinator

Before Cian Godfrey took the stage at The Middle East on Wednesday night, he went through a routine akin to a pitcher prior to a World Series start. With 10 minutes remaining until his set began, Godfrey sat alone, slumped over a Redbull, smoking a hand-rolled cigarette on the venue’s patio. Donning a black hoodie and green cargo pants, he moved about the summer air with the anonymity of any Wednesday night bar patron. Minutes before he began playing, Godfrey stood up and started through the venue’s front door.

“First one’s always the toughest,” he said as he walked through the bar toward the stage for Somebody’s Child’s first show as headliner in the United States.

Godfrey’s band had been on the stage tuning their guitars for 30 minutes before its front man entered the venue. Moments after arrival, it launched into “The Lover” without skipping a beat.

Cast in dim red and green lights, Somebody’s Child kicked off its first U.S. tour with the energy of a band who waited through COVID to release its debut album and waited months to perform in Boston after its tour—scheduled for spring—was postponed until September.

By the end of the first song, beads of sweat were forming on Godfrey’s forehead as his two guitarists immediately filled the divey venue with garage-esque distortion and noise.

Somebody’s Child came out strong, but the crowd had no response. The lack of reciprocated spirit was palpable given the inti -

mate venue. A few scattered fans danced through the band’s first tracks, but Godfrey sang alone.

The early lack of vitality, though, fell in line with what Godfrey said in an interview with The Heights.

“I’ve seen it from other people’s perspectives, you know, how difficult of a market it is to crack,” he said. “American bands want to come to the U.K. and U.K. bands and Irish bands want to go to America. It’s a kind of you’ve made it. It’s got that tag. It’s an exciting prospect. … We’re basically starting again over there honestly.”

Somebody’s Child boasts over 180,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, a respectable number for an indie rock act. Spotify also sorts listeners by location. Four of his top locations are in Great Britain. The fifth is his home country—Ireland.

Godfrey’s first U.S. crowd knew the chorus of some of his hits, but for the most part he was right. He was starting over.

The band was not deterred by the early lack of crowd energy. Instead, it took it as a challenge to win over their first U.S. audience.

“We know it’s a tough market,” Godfrey said. “Once people get behind you, they really get behind you.

So it’s just about putting yourself out there and making sure you get the best shows possible.”

After the opening song ended, Godfrey spoke to the crowd for the first time.

“We are Somebody’s Child from Ireland,” he said. “This is our first U.S. headlined show.”

From there, the band moved into a rendition of “Sell Out.” It didn’t take long for Godfrey to settle down. With his eyes closed and head reared back, he clutched

the microphone close to his face in a tight, two-handed grip. The band featured a drummer, a bassist, and two guitarists. For some songs, Godfrey picked his guitar up to make three. Its loud, accessible indie-grunge sound filled the venue perfectly. The guitarists took center stage sonically and visually, with the lively pair jumping around mirroring Godfrey’s energy.

“Sell Out” set the stage for what was to come. With their vitality and sound established for a crowd largely alien to both, Somebody’s Child got to work winning its audience over.

“The music we make is meant to be played live,” Godfrey said. “Every gig is a little bit different and that’s what’s exciting about it. You get to finally play these songs to people and hear what connection they’ve had with the songs. It’s a great feeling. … You just gather momentum as you go.”

Just past half way into the show, an upbeat performance of “TV Screams” permanently earned the crowd’s approval. Godfrey showcased the energy and emotional power of his music through the first half of the set, but he finally combined the two on “TV Screams.” The crowd responded immediately to the song’s quick, danceable early notes. With his guitar hanging from his neck, Godfrey once again took the microphone with two hands, singing at an expressive volume that approached yelling.

Once Godfrey captured the atmosphere’s momentum, he didn’t let go. Upon the conclusion of “TV Screams,” he joked with his audience through a thick Irish accent asking “can you guys understand me?”

Confidence and momentum pushed Somebody’s Child through the rest of the show. “How Long?” saw Godfrey take his first guitar solo of the night. On “What I Said,” he sat at the edge of the stage while screaming the chorus. The final four-song run, however, was the highlight of the night.

“Complete freedom on stage is what you’re trying to achieve,” Godfrey said. “Complete connection with your audience and with the songs themselves. You hope within that you find some synergy between those three aspects—yourself, the audience, and the songs.” Godfrey achieved complete

freedom on “I Need Ya.” One of his guitarists leapt off the side of the stage to play among the audience. Godfrey followed suit. His first American audience parted and took to singing along, a change from its previous behavior. Godfrey poured his emotions into the simple chorus, and the crowd followed suit.

Somebody’s Child kept the audience engaged through soulful renditions of “Jungle” and “Last Night I Held Your Hand,” an unreleased song. Godfrey had fully won over the at-first-hesitant crowd, building up to his final song, “We Could Start a War.”

Godfrey said “We Could Start a War” is the best song he’s ever written, so it’s only fitting that it concluded his first show in the United States.

“[‘We Could Start a War’] has been there for so long and the fact that I’m not sick of it is probably a testament to the song itself,” Godfrey said. “But I hope that this new album will generate some new stuff because I can’t keep saying that.”

Godfrey concluded the show by turning up his energy and enthusiasm another notch. Sweat ran down his face as he yelled the lyrics and the crowd danced along. When Somebody’s Child struck the final notes of the night, the crowd erupted. People yelled for an encore and asked him to play it again.

After concluding the set, Godfrey stuck around. He walked off the left side of the stage and started taking photos and talking with fans lining up to meet him.

Ten minutes after the conclusion of the final song, the room was as packed as it had been when Godfrey first walked on to the stage.

Eventually, he migrated to behind the merchandise table and started signing records and CDs, continuing to chat and pose for pictures in the process.

Godfrey humbly introduced himself to a stagnant crowd at the start of the show as “Somebody’s Child from Ireland.” He walked through the venue’s front door at the start of the show and took the stage to scattered applause, but by its end, he had turned a room of observers into a room of fans. Thirty minutes after the last song, Godfrey was still shaking hands and signing records.

Somebody’s Child still has not caught on in the United States. It will take more than one show for American cities to start popping up on his Spotify top listeners page, and he will likely be received at his next shows in New York City and Washington, D.C. similar to how he was in Boston. Still, the talent, energy, and music are all there.

“We wanted the first album to sound uncut and new, and I think we achieved that,” Godfrey said. The second album is introducing an acoustic sound back into things. It’s more songwriting based … than the first album which was about energy. I hope it develops into a bigger sound as we start to play bigger venues.”

Somebody’s Child is now a name on a historic, star-studded list of U.K. and Irish bands that have jumped the Atlantic and discovered newfound success. With an American label and a sound that appeals to the masses, all that’s missing is time. If he stays on track, next time Godfrey takes the stage in Boston, he won’t need to win anyone over. n

Bryan Documents Songwriting Prowess on EP

By Erin PEndEr Heights Staff

Zach Bryan has become a formidable force in the country music scene, and his new EP Boys of Faith builds on his established introspective lyricism.

Bryan’s songs are not like the party-themed country tracks that make up Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line’s discography, but rather are displays of the constellation of emotions inside his head. Boys of Faith, released at midnight on Sept. 22, is a nostalgic look at what it means to grow up as a boy and eventually a man.

The first track, “Nine Ball,” is Bryan’s exploration of the trope of the gambling man. This figure comes in the form of his father.

“My father was a bettin’ man / But I got myself a steady hand,” Bryan sings on “Nine Ball.”

Bryan examines his father’s gambling and the effect it had on him and his upbringing. In particular, he talks about avoiding the same path his father went down.

“You’ll probably be nothin’ but this town’s old drunkard and die on a smoke-stained stool / But right now, he’s got a bargain that he’s taken too far on his boy’s game of nine-ball

pool,” Bryan sings.

It seems that his father’s gambling extended into his son’s life, becoming a cloud that loomed over their relationship. Musically, “Nine Ball’” features Bryan on harmonica, a touch that he reserves for only some of his songs about growing up and maturing, such as “Mine Again.”

The second track, “Sarah’s Place,” is a collaboration between Bryan and Noah Kahan, two of the most popular names in the music industry right now. “Sarah’s Place” features incredibly evocative images of traveling, change, loss, and the nostalgia of how things used to be.

“Don’t come back, lover, I’m proud you’re under the skyline / We always knew you were the better half of our good times / Those backyard lights don’t shine as bright without your face / Out at Sarah’s Place,” Bryan and Kahan sing.

The “lover” to whom the song is directed is the light of the times they all spent together. While nostalgic for those times, the song also acknowledges that change can be good, though painful. The guitar in “Sarah’s Place” is very folkish and mimics the up-and-down patterns of traveling.

The guitar solo after the first chorus is reminiscent of John Mayer and the

Grateful Dead, whom Bryan references in his fourth track, “Deep Satin.”

“Deep Satin” features a story of being away from home and traveling to see a lover. Bryan references “Friend of the Devil” by the Grateful Dead and then weaves its lyrics and story into his own.

“Is there a chance you’re thinkin’ of me? / Is that song stuck in your head? / ‘Friend of the Devil’ by the Dеad, ” Bryan sings, asking his former love whether she still thinks of him.

Just like the narrator in “Friend of the Devil” is haunted by his past transgressions, Bryan is haunted by his former love.

“There’s no hounds or child around / But the Devil follows where I go,” he sings, as compared to the Grateful Dead’s lyrics.

“A friend of the devil is a friend of mine / If I get home before daylight / Just might get some sleep tonight. … Got a wife in Chino, babe, and one in Cherokee,” the Grateful Dead sings on “Friend of the Devil.”

This mirroring of the Grateful Dead’s lyrics emphasizes the inescapable nature of someone you used to love. Additionally, the horns featured on the track give it a cinematic feel, as if the devil of the one he loved will chase him throughout the movie of

his life.

The EP’s eponymous song “Boys of Faith” is another collaboration, featuring Bon Iver. Both Bryan and Iver have incredibly soulful voices, fitting for a song about growing up and remembering those who got you through the tough times. Bon Iver’s music has an all-encompassing quality about it, as if the listener is totally enveloped in his voice and the instrumentation, and some of that comes through in “Boys of Faith.”

Boys of Faith is yet another fine example of Bryan’s emotionally intelligent lyricism and masterful storytelling. The country music industry will likely be changed by his approach to music, particularly his willingness to be vulnerable and explore his roots.

“Pain, Sweet, Pain,” the final track on the EP, is a standout. The fiddle and drum beat make the track sound like an older country song, with very prevalent

folk roots. The fiddle’s opening melody calls to mind Charlie Daniels Band’s “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” a Southern rock classic known for its fiddle and storytelling.

Bryan tells a different kind of story in “Pain, Sweet Pain,” namely, he speaks to himself in times of trouble.

“You’re so tired, but the top is nigh / Keep on goin’, you’ll soon arrive / Pain, sweet pain, let’s learn somethin’ from it,” Bryan sings, encouraging himself to keep moving forward and learn from the hard times.

Bryan acknowledges to himself that he has been fighting and dealing with various struggles for years, but reminds himself that there is much to be learned from difficult experiences. Bryan is helping to establish a new trend in the country genre: the country man not being afraid of talking about what he’s been through and how it’s changed him. n

played

Somebody’s Child, also known as Cian Godfrey, played his first U.S. tour this year.

SPORTS

Letter States Alleged Conduct Violations

Letter, from A1

“The adjudication process will include an investigation of the reports, followed by a hearing, after which a determination of responsibility will be issued,” the letter reads.

The Heights cannot immediately confirm how many other student-athletes received the letter.

On Wednesday, BC Athletics announced it indefinitely suspended the program after administrators determined that hazing occurred.

Lawyers Respond to Allegations

Lawyers, from A1

“Given the serious nature of these allegations, the suspension will remain in effect while the matter is investigated by the Office of the Dean of Students,” Dunn said.

The statement BC Athletics issued on Wednesday, Sept. 20 said “University administrators determined that hazing occurred within the program.” According to a letter from an administrator in the Office of the Dean of Students, students at a freshman event were allegedly forced to binge drink and consume their own vomit.

BC Athletics clarified its original statement on Thursday, Sept. 21.

“Consistent with University policy, the matter will be investigated by the Office of the Dean of Students and adjudicated fairly and impartially through the student conduct process,” BC Athletics’ second statement said. “Once the investigation and adjudication process is complete, Athletics will reassess the status of the teams.”

The lawyers said BC’s initial statement is false, adding that the University has yet to complete any investigation into hazing allegations against the program.

The letter then states BC

Athletics failed to notify the student-athletes or their parents that the University’s Sept. 20 statement would be released, which the lawyers assert included information that is false, defamatory, and prejudicial to the entire program.

“Neither the subsequent addition to the Statement of a single sentence referencing a fair and impartial adjudication, nor the letter issued by the Dean of Students office [on Wednesday] evening are sufficient to undo the harm already caused, and the substantial additional harm that will be caused, to the members of the Swimming and Diving team,” the letter reads.

The lawyers argue that after BC released its original statement, the reputations of the student-athletes on the team were permanently tainted.

“[The students] have been subjected to questions, jeering and hurtful remarks by their peers, have been the subject of hateful social media postings, have been pursued by local and national media outlets seeking comment,” the letter reads.

According to the letter, program members are afraid to wear their swimming and diving apparel around campus due to fear of retaliation, and they have been

mistreated by others on campus and subjected to public embarrassment. Program members have become concerned for their safety and well-being, preventing them from focusing on academics and training, according to the lawyers.

“Indisputably, the issuance of this Statement by the Athletics Department has created and fostered a hostile environment for each of these students,” the letter reads. “Should the College fail to retract the Statement and undertake other steps to mitigate the damage, these adverse effects will only continue to perpetuate.”

BC’s Student Code of Conduct states that administrative action is only appropriate when the Dean of Students determines a student is threatening the health, safety, or well-being of the University community, threatening the functioning of the University, or if a student has been charged with a criminal offense, according to the letter.

“There has been no indication that the Dean of Students has made such an assessment, nor is there any information suggesting that these criteria have been established,” the letter reads.

The lawyers hope to facilitate a mutually agreeable path forward between the program and the University, the letter states. n

In a statement to The Heights, lawyers from Nesenoff & Miltenberg, a law firm specializing in campus disciplinary defense and representing more than 30 BC swim and dive program members, said BC Athletics falsely suggested that allegations of hazing had been substantiated.

“To be clear, the university’s conduct office has just only begun and certainly has not completed an investigation into such claims, nor have any findings been made,” the statement from lawyers Andrew Miltenberg and Tara Davis said. “The issuance of this statement prematurely, and without having gathered all of the relevant facts, was not only negligent but also extremely harmful and damaging to the members of the Swimming and Diving program.”

The law firm sent a statement to BC’s general counsel on Thursday calling on the University to immediately lift the suspension of the swimming and diving program and issue a public retraction for the statement issued by BC Athletics on Sept. 20.

“It is distressing that the College has been so irresponsible in its public messaging,” the statement continues. “We are hopeful that the College will take all necessary and appropriate steps to rectify the substantial and ongoing damage caused to the student athletes,” the statement continued.

Associate Vice President for University Communications Jack Dunn explained BC’s position on the alleged hazing in an email to The Heights, writing that BC has suspended the activities of the men’s and women’s swimming and diving program after receiving credible reports.

Dunn also noted that in accordance with Massachusetts state law, the allegations of hazing will be referred to

law enforcement.

“Based on the information known at this time, Athletics has determined a program suspension is warranted, pending a full investigation by the University,” Dunn wrote. “Consistent with University policy, the matter will be investigated by the Office of the Dean of Students and adjudicated fairly and impartially through the student conduct process. Once the investigation and adjudication process is complete, Athletics will reassess the status of the teams.”

BC’s letter detailing the alleged conduct violations, sent from Associate Dean of Student Conduct Melissa Woolsey, also mentioned that the recipient can request that one or more investigators interview other witnesses of his or her choice and consider any other relevant information they may have.

“You may be accompanied by an advisor of your choice,” the letter, dated Sept. 19, reads. “Advisors may not ask questions, interject, coach, advocate for, or otherwise speak on your behalf during the hearing. If you plan to have an advisor present, you must notify the investigator(s) before your hearing.”

The letter reminds the recipient that the University’s policy prohibits making false statements or submitting false information knowingly during the adjudication process.

The University also prohibits any form of retaliation against individuals who file a complaint or participate in an investigation or conduct process.

“Please be advised that retaliation may include behavior such as: discouraging an individual from reporting an incident; discouraging witness participation; threatening, harassing or intimidating a participant in a conduct process; or intentionally causing negative consequences for a participant or for their personal relationships or social circles,” the letter reads.

According to the letter, a staff member will be in contact regarding next steps. The recipient is also directed to BC’s student conduct website page to find more information about the student conduct system and community standards at BC. Other resources are provided at the bottom of the letter, including University Counseling Services, Athletics Sports Counseling, and the Office of the Dean of Students. n

Eagles Land Potential No. 1 Overall Pick in Hagens

By RoBeRt BRennan Heights Staff

Boston College men’s hockey received commitments from brothers James Hagens and Michael Hagens on Wednesday night, according to a joint Instagram post from the pair.

James, the younger of the two at 16 years old, was one of the most sought after uncommitted recruits in the nation. The 5-foot10 center put up 40 points in 31 United States Hockey League (USHL) games last season playing for the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP) Juniors team.

USNTDP has produced quite a few stars for BC in the past, from Matt Boldy to Marshall Warren to Cutter Gauthier. Before playing for the USNTDP, James played at Mount St. Charles Academy in Rhode Island, one of the top prep hockey programs in the nation. The Hauppauge, N.Y. native scored 115 points during the 2021–22 season, his final year with the academy.

Michael, the elder of the two at 18 years old, certainly holds his own. The 6-foot defenseman also

played at Mount St. Charles and is currently playing for the Chicago Steel of the USHL. In the 2022–23 season, Michael scored 26 total

points in 60 games, recording nine goals and 17 assists. With Michael being a year and a half older than James and

a former Harvard commit, it begs the question of when the two brothers will begin to play in Maroon and Gold.

James is a top prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft, though it is a bit too early to project whether he has a shot to be the first American to go at the top spot since New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes in 2019. His top pedigree would suggest that he might consider heading to BC for the 2024–25 season, the year leading up to the draft he would be eligible for. This path has grown in popularity recently. Michigan’s Adam Fantilli did so last year and Macklin Celebrini, the projected top pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, will play at Boston University this upcoming season.

Whether or not the brothers will arrive to the Heights next year, the year after, or in separate years, both will be very valuable additions to the team whenever they decide to take the next step.

James’ commitment continues BC’s run of recruiting top talent as it secured Gauthier and Will Smith, and shows that Greg Brown is not taking a step back from legendary head coach Jerry York when it comes to recruiting.

Brown led the Eagles to a 14–16–6 record last year in his first season as head coach of the program. n

NICOLE WEI / HEIGHTS STAFF

Boston College men’s hockey has fielded four first-round draft picks in the last two years.

Louisville Knocks Down Eagles 56–28

By graham DieTz Sports Editor

With 33 seconds remaining in the first half of Boston College football’s Week Four matchup against Louisville, running back Jawhar Jordan took a handoff and backpedaled apathetically. Jordan exhibited very few signs of exploding forward.

Up 35–14 and executing nearly perfectly in the offensive realm, the Cardinals didn’t need to make a huge play. Louisville would receive the kickoff in the second half, so there was no reason to risk losing the ball with a potential turnover. But, spotting a lapse in BC’s defensive back and linebacker containment, Jordan sunk forward with his head down and turned on the jets.

Stunned by the fake kneel, the Eagles let Jordan streak 42 yards down the left sideline to leave just enough time for Louisville to pile onto its 21-point lead. Quarterback Jack Plummer didn’t let 14 seconds on the clock stop him from unleashing a 42yard projectile, which Jamari Thrash snagged in the back of the endzone to complete the scoring drive.

Despite BC head coach Jeff Hafley’s extensive background coaching defensive backs, BC’s struggles in the secondary were exposed all game long on Saturday. Mixed-up coverage, failure to track basic assignments, and a general lack of pursuit on tackles tormented the Eagles (1–3, 0–2 Atlantic Coast) in their 56–28 road loss to the Cardinals (4–0, 2–0). Plummer passed for 388 yards and five touchdowns, and Louisville scored seven consecutive touchdowns on its first seven offensive drives.

“They weren’t blown coverages,” Hafley said. “We just lost our one on ones. Blown coverage is if a guy drops his man or doesn’t cover his zone. Our players got beat one on one by their players. … Situational awareness, really

disappointed on that.”

On Louiville’s first offensive drive, Neto Okpala recorded BC’s first sack of the game and third sack of the season, wrapping up Plummer six yards behind the line of scrimmage. Khari Johnson picked up a personal foul on 3rd and 18, however, pushing the Cardinals 15 yards up the field. One play later, that penalty haunted BC as Jordan notched a 33-yard rushing touchdown to put Louisville up 7–0.

The Eagles went three and out on their next offensive possession, and another painstakingly long drive resulted in a Louisville touchdown. The Cardinals brought in some extra muscle with a two–tight end look on 3rd and

slow to be honest,” Hafley said of the offense. “Part of that is we couldn’t get them the ball back fast enough to gain any momentum. The one thing I love is [Castellanos’] leadership. He spoke to the team at halftime. He’s going around the guys at the end of the day-to-day. It gives us a chance to score points. But it’s a team game.”

Up by three scores, Plummer didn’t think twice about commanding the offense through the air, anticipating the defensive coverage like it was second nature and consistently finding the open man.

After pump-faking twice on 2nd and 9 at the 8:45 mark in the second quarter, Plummer took it himself on

connected. You’re probably looking for a bigger answer than that but there’s really not.”

The swiss-army-knife athleticism that Castellanos displayed against the Seminoles finally paid off as he strolled into the end zone to put the Eagles on the scoreboard. Castellanos’ vision in the backfield led to a 39-yard scramble that no Louisville defender could catch up with. It didn’t matter, though, as a 48-yard Plummer bomb led to another rushing score for Jordan to make it 35–7.

Thanks to Castellanos’ ability to extend plays, the sophomore signal caller bought some time as he escaped the pocket and drilled Ryan O’Keefe for a 30-yard passing touchdown with 41 seconds remaining in the first half.

“Me and Tommy [Castellanos], we was close at [Central Florida] and just seeing him come in here, start these past few games, I really feel like he’s coming into his own,” O’Keefe said.

“I’m really excited to see how the rest of the season goes, and I’ll always be there for him.”

Just when BC broke through, however, the Cardinals stormed back. After the fake kneel resulted in a 42yard gain on the ground for Jordan, Thrash hauled in a 42-yard looper from Plummer to put the Eagles down by 28 going into the second half.

goal, and Nate Kurisky grabbed a 1-yard reception.

Louisville’s defensive line continued to cause havoc for BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos, racking up a deceiving, blind-side sack as BC punted once again.

But the Cardinals didn’t slow down on the offensive side of the ball. It took just two plays into the second quarter for Plummer to locate a missed assignment in BC’s secondary and fire a 45-yard strike to Ahmari HugginsBruce for a 21–0 lead.

“I thought we got off a little bit

a quarterback sneak, reaching the end zone with a forward-diving leap. Just a week ago, BC held then-No. 3 Florida State to 31 points and Jordan Travis to 212 passing yards. By the last five minutes of the first half on Saturday, Plummer had nearly reached that mark with 153 passing yards and two passing touchdowns on an 83.3 completion percentage.

“He’s thrown for over 3,000 yards at two different places,” Hafley said of Plummer. “He’s played a lot of football. They attacked us downfield one on one, and their receivers and him, they

Both sides traded shots in a fireworks-esque beginning of the third quarter. Following a 75-yard house call for Jordan on the very first play of the second half, Castellanos manufactured a scoring drive of his own, roping a 22yard pass to Lewis Bond.

But Plummer, who had been on the money all day, tightened the choke hold with his fifth passing touchdown of the day. At the 10:11 mark of the third quarter, Plummer dropped a 55-yard dime over Huggins-Bruce’s shoulder. BC played some of its practice squad for the remainder of its 56–28 loss.

“I wish I had an answer,” Hafley said.

“Clearly I gotta find it.” n

Nonexistent Defense and Execution Throttles BC

By Jack Bergamini Assoc. Sports Editor

Just a week ago, Boston College football took then-No. 3 Florida State to a neck-and-neck game that ended with the Seminoles squeaking out a two-point victory despite the Eagles’ resilient comeback effort.

That resilience was nowhere to be found this Saturday at Louisville.

BC allowed Louisville to score on seven straight offensive drives to open up the game, with the Eagles appearing like they didn’t belong in the same conference as Louisville. No player appeared ready to play for the 3:30 p.m. kickoff, and the Cardinals took that as an opportunity to toy with BC.

BC head coach Jeff Hafley said he had no idea what went wrong.

“I did not see that coming,” Hafley said. “We had a great week. Upbeat, energetic, flying around. I thought we had a really good plan. Clearly I’m wrong.”

Hafley said this year’s roster is the most talented he’s coached in his four seasons in Chestnut Hill and that this year’s team won’t implode like last year’s did.

But if BC continues to have performances like this Saturday’s— and like it has had in Hafley’s last 24 games—that talent will all go to waste. If BC remains inept in building off strong performances like it had in Week Three against Florida State, the implosion will likely be even greater.

Hafley can only say so much about his players’ mistakes. First it was drops in Week One. Then it was penalties in Weeks Two and Three. Now, BC can’t tackle. Visible improvement is hard to notice week after week, and it begs the question: What is Hafley trying to do to make his squad compete, because oftentimes, he doesn’t have an answer for what has gone wrong?

“I just felt like we were flat,” Hafley said.

Here are three takeaways from the Eagles’ loss to Louisville.

Defensive-Minded Coach?

Hafley came to BC touted as a coach with a defensive background— he had previously coached defenses for 17 years, mostly as a defensive backs coach, before finally becoming a head coach for the first time on the Heights in 2020.

While Hafley produced above-average defenses in his first two seasons, that progress has been thrown out the window.

The Eagles simply could not keep up with Louisville’s playmakers, who were hardly ever touched on the Cardinals’ eight touchdowns. Jawhar Jordan started off the scoring with a

providing zero help on the coverage en route to an open Cardinals score.

Perhaps the most demoralizing sequence of events occurred when Louisville sensed BC’s unpreparedness and decided to go for a fake kneel with 32 seconds left in the second quarter, leading to a 42-yard Jordan run.

“We had guys there,” Hafley said. “Our guys stood straight up. We need to make the tackle, get off blocks, and finish.”

Two plays later, Pummer immediately found Jamari Thrash for an easy 42-yard touchdown. While Hafley claims the safety wasn’t where he was supposed to be, his halftime adjustments he claims he made proved nonexistent, as Jordan took a screen pass 75 yards in the first play out of the

promising at first. Kye Robichaux effectively ran the ball, helping push the Eagles to Louisville’s 42-yard line. Hafley took the chance to go for it on 4th and 2, but Robichaux came up just short. While Hafley challenged the call and it did appear to be extremely close, the wheels completely fell off the wagon for BC after the ruling on the field stood.

As Louisville continued to score drive after drive, BC showed no urgency to right the ship. No player stepped up at all, as if they were all content going down 28 points.

“It was kind of [like] we were all waiting for somebody else to make a play,” Hafley said. “The lack of execution and just loss of one on ones.”

Players who were expected to

lone bright spot for BC, even he has lapses in judgement. There are times where he hands the ball off on the wrong side, and there are times where he does his best Phil Jurkovec impression by throwing the ball behind him for the other team to recover. Luckily, Castellanos’ knee was down on Saturday when he made that backwards pass mistake, but the concern remained. BC played more disciplined overall, totaling seven penalties for 61 lost yards compared to last week’s 18 total penalties for 132 lost yards. But the frustrating, mind-numbing plays remained, such as Khari Johnson’s facemask penalty on a 3rd and 18 that led to a 7–0 Louisville lead and the avalanche that followed. The Eagles almost notched what would have been their first and only takeaway of the game when Alex Washington intercepted Plummer with 4:33 left in the third quarter. But defensive lineman George Rooks was offside on the play, negating the interception and any chance BC had of cutting into Louisville’s lead.

Castellanos Can Play

33-yard rushing touchdown, and Jack Plummer followed with a 1-yard pass to Nate Kurisky. Both players were not touched by a single BC defender. Yet no adjustments were made, and Louisville didn’t let up. Plummer found a wide open Ahmari Huggins-Bruce for a 45-yard touchdown to put BC down 21–0. Safety Cole Batson looked lost on an island on the play,

break.

“We came into halftime and we had good conversations,” Hafley said.

It didn’t matter that BC’s offense showed life at times because when your defense allows eight touchdowns, nothing you do will bring you back into the game.

Not in Sync

BC’s first drive of the game was

take strides for BC simply have not.

Junior Jaden Williams looked lost, as he dropped a wide open pass from Thomas Castellanos that inexplicably bounced off his hands in stride. Captain and fifth-year player Pat Garwo III is nowhere to be found, and Alex Broome hasn’t made the leap many would have thought after a promising freshman campaign.

While Castellanos has been the

If there’s anything for Eagles’ fans to remain positive about after Week Four, it is that BC has found a legitimate quarterback. Castellanos continues to carry BC on his back with his eccentric, dazzling running ability and strong arm. He went 17 of 33 on Saturday, throwing for 265 yards and three touchdowns, and also scoring a touchdown on the ground, accounting for every single BC score.

The sophomore transfer now has 280 rushing yards on the season. His 39-yard blast into the end zone on Saturday cut Louisville’s lead to 21, proving how versatile he is. Castellanos looks as if he will continue to impress, it is just up to the players around him to wake up and start helping him continue to make plays. n

ALINA CHEN / HEIGHTS STAFF

Despite recording 295 receiving yards, BC’s pass-catchers made several costly drops in the Eagles’ loss.

NICOLE WEI / HEIGHTS STAFF

Thomas Castellanos, pictured, passed for 265 yards and three touchdowns.

BC No Match for Louisville on the Road in 3–1 Loss

By Luke evans Asst. Sports Editor

After nine straight wins and 27 straight set wins in nonconference matchups, Boston College volleyball has been unable to overcome its recent ACC matchups. After dropping its ACC opener to Notre Dame despite holding a 2–1 set advantage at one point, the Eagles entered their matchup against No. 5 Louisville searching for its first major upset of the season.

BC (11–5, 0–2 Atlantic Coast) battled with the Cardinals (11–1, 2–0) for three tight sets but ultimately fell in a lopsided 3–1 match. Katrina Jensen led BC with 15 kills on a dominant .433 hit percentage, but it was not enough to top Louisville, which had four players record 10-plus kills. The set scores were 25–23, 25–20, 25–23, and 25–17.

BC head coach Jason Kennedy declined to comment after the loss.

The Eagles rose to the occasion in enemy territory and got off to a hot start in the first set of

the match, managing to match Louisville nearly point for point in the early rallies. BC took its first lead of the game when Katrina Jensen landed a kill to put BC ahead 3–2.

While Louisville rebounded and regained the lead shortly thereafter, the Cardinals could not shake the Eagles and run away with the set. Led by a Halle Schroder kill, the Eagles went on a four-point run and established a two-point lead to make it 13–11. But just as quickly as BC’s lead was created, it vanished, and Louisville reestablished a lead and closed in on the first set.

But BC refused to let up, and a Jensen missile evened the set at 23 points apiece. Back-to-back Aiko Jones and Cara Cresse kills, however, put an end to the potential first set upset. And despite holding the Cardinals to a .167 hitting percentage, Louisville’s four aces bailed it out to win the set.

Louisville’s momentum carried into the start of the second set, and the Cardinals set the tone and jumped out to a 5–1 advantage.

But BC stormed back, notching six of the next seven points, including a block assist from Julia Haggerty

to tie the game at seven.

Louisville took a small lead, but three Jensen kills propelled the Eagles back into contention, down 16–15. BC soon found itself trailing 24–19, and an Anna DeBeer kill put a swift end to the second set, ending the Eagles’ tough second set battle.

The Eagles refused to let Louisville dominate in the third set. Alayna Crabtree netted a kill, but Anna DeBeer’s attack error put the Cardinals ahead 14–13. A Haggerty block assist then tied the game at 17.

BC, however, dropped two of the next three points but still refused to give up the set, clawing back once again and knotting the game at 20.

Louisville’s service errors continued to let BC back into the game, and a Cornelia Roach block gave BC a 23–22 lead. Another service error allowed BC to once again take a 24–23 advantage, and Schroder’s kill delivered the Eagles’ first set win against Louisville in three years.

The Eagles kept it close to start the fourth set, but Louisville finally broke free to cruise to a 3–1 victory. n

BC Dominates New Hampshire in 5–1 Win

By Luke JacoBeLLo For The Heights

While Margo Carlin of Boston College field hockey recently tallied her 100th career point, she’s not the only playmaker on the Eagles.

During Sunday’s home game against New Hampshire (6–3, 3–0 America East) five different Eagles found the back of the net in No.

11 BC’s (6–3, 1–1 Atlantic Coast) emphatic 5–1 win—its fourth win in its last five games. Junior midfielder Pia Serowik notched her first career goal in the win.

“That’s the goal, right—get as many people involved, whether they are a forward or midfield line, and I’m happy that they did it,” BC head coach Kelly Doton said.

BC’s defense held the Wildcats, the fifth-ranked team nationwide in goals per game, to just two shots on goal.

The Eagles’ offense, however, came out firing from the start of the game, dominating possession and outshooting the Wildcats 10–1 in the first quarter. Despite this, BC couldn’t execute, and the first quarter ended scoreless.

UNH, meanwhile, struggled offensively the entire first half. The Wildcats’ goalkeeper Jemma Woods stymied much of the Eagles’ early offensive onslaught, totaling seven

saves in the first half.

But Serowik broke the scoreless tie with 7:09 left in the second quarter. Serowik managed to tip Eva Kluskens’ shot into the back of the net to give BC a 1–0 advantage. BC took that lead into halftime, maintaining an advantage in time of possession, shots, and penalty corners.

UNH had two penalty corner chances toward the end of the second quarter, but BC denied both, capping off a dominant Eagles half. Yet BC’s offense did not capitalize on its offensive first-half chances, scoring only once off 16 shots.

“Keep going,” Doton said of her squad’s mentality heading into the second half. “I mean, [Woods] was an aggressive goalkeeper, so we knew that if we got closer she was going to come out and put pressure on us. We just have to keep going and at some point they are going to start falling, and then they did.”

Doton was right, and BC’s offensive explosion started with 4:28 left in the third quarter. Claire Jones netted BC’s second half goal on a penalty corner as the graduate forward ripped a shot from about 13 yards to the top right corner to double the Eagles’ lead.

The scoring continued less than three minutes later as Kluskens finished off a firm pass from Klara Mueffelmann with an easy tap into an open goal, putting BC ahead 3–0.

UNH had its own chance in the third quarter to get on the board. Forward Tasmin Cookman had a one-on-one opportunity against BC goalkeeper Caroline Kelly, who lunged at Cookman, missed the poke check, and left Cookman with an open net. But BC midfielder Peyton Hale hustled back and blocked Cookman’s shot to save a goal.

The Wildcats finally broke through in the fourth quarter follow-

ing a Nicole Poulakis goal. Poulakis pushed the ball in transition to get past Kelly and cut BC’s lead to 3–1.

But BC swiftly responded with two late goals. Carlin deflected in a shot from Kendall Hanlon with 7:59 left to put BC up three goals, marking Carlin’s fifth straight game with a goal.

Kara Heck then scored to make it a 5–1 game with 6:18 remaining, sealing the win for BC. n

Clemson Defeats BC, Eagles Remain Winless in ACC

By Ben MickuLas For The Heights

For the first 40 minutes of Boston College women’s soccer’s battle with Clemson on Sunday, an uninformed spectator would not have been able to guess which team was ranked substantially higher. BC had allowed zero shots on goal and tied Clemson’s total of one attempted shot. For a moment, it seemed like the Eagles were going to make it to the half without conceding a goal to the Tigers’ formidable offense.

The goal that BC’s stellar defense would result in a scoreless first half from Clemson perished when Mackenzie Duff adeptly headed a corner kick from Dani Davis into the back of the net. Suddenly, the team that had kept the Tigers at bay for several possessions found itself in a deficit. While the Eagles had many bright spots in their play

before and after this crucial moment, BC was never able to bridge the gap Duff’s goal caused.

No. 8 Clemson (8–1–2, 2–1 Atlantic Coast) defeated BC (3–6–2, 0–3) by a final score of 2–0 on Sunday afternoon. Both of Clemson’s goals were created and scored by the same duo, with Davis registering two assists and Duff notching two goals.

Although Duff’s brace was enough to give Clemson the win, Sunday’s standoff didn’t feel like a thoroughly dominant performance for the Tigers.

Clemson registered just three accurate shots and scored both of its goals due to excellent corner kick execution—not breakaway opportunities or precise ball movement.

“Our team executed the Sunday game plan to a tee,” BC head coach Jason Lowe said. “We wanted to take away all their chances in the run of play, and they didn’t get anything in the run of play. Two corner kicks is what beat us.”

Lowe stressed the importance of limiting major opportunities before Sunday’s game, and from the Eagles’ style of play, it was clear that his emphasis manifested on the field. For the first several minutes of the contest, both teams played slowly and methodically, ensuring that the ball was protected and moved around with great consideration. While each side got the occasional opportunity in its opposition’s half, it wasn’t until an Eagles’ corner in the 12th minute that anything notable happened offensively.

Although BC failed to capitalize on its first of three corner kicks, the underdog Eagles appeared to be setting the tone early on. Clemson responded to BC’s efficient defense with elite defensive play of its own and counterbalanced its successful tackles and interceptions. One of these included a 14:21 Jenna Tobia shot that rocketed over BC goalkeeper Wiebke Willebrandt’s outstretched glove and into the crossbar, narrowly missing the goal.

Still, even with increased Clemson pressure, the Eagles showed defensive resilience. In the 28th minute, BC forward Emily Sapienza shielded the ball from an incoming Tigers forward, impressively making a physical but legal tackle. For the majority of the first half, the Eagles seemed to be sticking to the game plan, playing with patience and sound judgment.

“We’ve got smart BC kids,” Lowe said. “We threw a lot at them yesterday, and they did such a good job of studying.”

Although conceding late in the first half dampened the fire the Eagles ignited on their home turf, BC got right back to playing stellar defense for the game’s subsequent 45 minutes. In the 49th minute, Willebrandt saved a shot on goal by Clemson forward Tatum Short. In the 72nd minute, the Eagles turned a stellar defensive possession into a quick offensive opportunity that forward Sydney Segalla nearly scored on. Segalla took a bit too strong of a

touch in the Tigers’ box, however, and allowed the ball to roll out of bounds.

It wasn’t until 81:38 when the Eagles conceded a second goal, which mirrored Clemson’s first goal in nearly every aspect. Davis rifled a ball in from the corner that connected first with Duff’s head and then the back of the net, provoking a joyous uproar from the Tigers’ bench.

“That’s the first two corners we’ve given up for goals in a long time,” Lowe said. “We’ve normally done a good job, but obviously they have some pretty good targets.”

Although the game concluded with no accurate shots from the Eagles on just two shots attempted, the Eagles may have drawn with the No. 8 squad in the nation if not for a particular lapse that occurred twice.

“They kept the game tight,” Lowe said. “We were playing the No. 8 team in the country and didn’t want it to be a track meet. I think they feel like they got away with one today.” n

ALINA CHEN / HEIGHTS STAFF

PAUL CRIADO / HEIGHTS STAFF

Margo Carlin, pictured aboved, netted a goal in Sunday’s win.

Grace Milken, pictured above, registered a .400 hit percentage on Sunday.