The Healthiest States Where do you feature?
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News Let’s Talk About Sex Is Plan B the New Plan A
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Features: We the people of UGBC
The New UGBC Constitution
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Beer Review: SPRINGTIME EDITION Pg 26
Culture:
How To Survie Marathon Monday Pg 32
April 2013 / Volume V / Issue 03
Dear Reader, Welcome to my second to last issue as Editor-inChief of Gavel Media. I have seen a steady improvement with each issue, and this one is no exception. I invite you to thoroughly read through the April 2013 issue. A lot of hard work went into this issue, and for many of us on the editorial board it is our last print edition that we have had a hand in. Gavel Media is always looking for talented new writers, photographers, business people, and videographers. If you are interested, email me at mslende@ gmail.com or visit www.bcgavel.com/join Happy reading,
Mason S. Lende Editor-in-Chief
Editoral Board MASON LENDE OLIVIA SIMONE ROB ROSSI MEGHAN SMITH JING XU KATIE LEVINGSTON ALISON RICCIATO KATIE TOLKOWSKY EMILY AKIN SAMANTHA COSTANZA MARY YUENGERT SAMEET DHILLON MICHAEL NATALIE SARAH GARCIA TEDDY KOLVA JAKE MILLER MARION HALFTERMEYER SHANNON COGAN KELLY SLATER KATELYN CROWLEY KARA WEEKS ZOE LOMBARD LISA MELLA DANEY RAMIREZ TAYLOR GARRISON
Editor-in-Chief Print Manager Managing Editor News Editor Assoc. News Editor Features Editor Assoc. Features Editor Assoc. Features Editor Culture Editor Assoc. Culture Editor Assoc. Culture Editor Assoc. Culture Editor Opinions Editor Assoc. Opinions Editor Sports Editor Assoc. Sports Editor Copy Editor Assoc. Copy Editor Assoc. Copy Editor Assoc. Copy Editor Photo Editor Assoc. Photo Editor Design Editor Assoc. Design Editor Assoc. Design Editor
Video Department MEGHANA KUTHYAR Video Manager LAUREN REVER Ass’t Video Manager
Business and Operations RYAN LEAHY ANGELA SONG ERIC KOPELSON TAYLOR MCELDOWNEY PAT LENEHAN DAPHNE WANG JEANIE LEE ELYN ZHANG AJAY VELLORE TIM OH
Executive Director Finance Director Ass’t Finance Director Marketing Director Ass’t Marketing Director Advertising Director Avertising Acc’t Manager Avertising Acc’t Manager Avertising Acc’t Manager Avertising Acc’t Manager
@bcgavel facebook.com/bcgavel Photo by Mason Lende / Gavel Media Image
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www.bcgavel.com
Cover art by Kara Weeks
April 2013
April
The Gavel / April 2013 / Volume V, Issue 3
Table of Contents 04 News 04 05 07 10
Out with the Old in with the New
The changes that will occur with the election of Pope Francis
Habemus Papam
How the Catholic Church got a new Pope
Lets Talk About Sex
Is Plan B Becoming Plan A? America’s Healthiest States:
Massholes Check In: Where do BC eagles call home
12 Opinions 12
Is Juicing Worth the Squeeze?
14
Why Are Americans Ignorant of the World?
16
Are We Too Connected?
20 Features The People of UGBC 18 We Details about the new UGBC constitution
Profile: 22 Professor Associate Professor of English Paula Mathieu Update: Syria 24 International A Day Without News
26
Beer Review
28
Overheard at BC
30
No Oven? No Stove? No problem!
31 32 34 36
Netflic: What’s in your queue?
Springtime Edition
30 Culture Orange Slice Jello Shots
How to Survive Marathon Monday Girls of BC Why Should You See... The Book Mormon
40 Sports 40
Awestruck
44
The Enigma that is the NFL Combine
46
The Case for BC Facilities
UFC Made its Debut in the Limelight
The Elephant in the Room Facing New AD Brad Bates 3
News
Out with the old in with the new The changes that will occur with the election of Pope Francis
W
ith white smoke rising from the chimney of Sistine Chapel, 1.2 billion Catholics welcomed their new pontiff Pope Francis, formerly known as Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio. He is the first non-European pope in 1200 years and the first pope from the Society of Jesus. During his first appearance on St. Peter’s balcony, Pope Francis seemed humble. “Good night, and have a good rest,” he said in a grandfatherly tone. Pope Francis asked the crowd to pray for him instead of praying for the crowd. “Francis surprised the people by asking their prayers. It was sort of a switch of positions,” said Mary Hinsdale, a Boston College professor in the theology department. “After the announcement, he even got on the bus with the rest of cardinals back to the hotel instead of sitting in a limo. He didn’t wear the ornamental cross the pope usually wears. He wore his own simple cross. All these symbolized his self-facing and humble image,” Hinsdale said.
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By Jing Xu / Assoc. News Editor
It is also surprising that Pope Francis is from the Jesuit Order. “Religious order operates differently for priests who belong to dioceses. If those people get elected in a community, it’s not for life. It’s not permanent,” Hinsdale said. In the Catholic tradition, the pope is supposed to serve for lifetime. Nowadays, with Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation and the election of a member from the Jesuit order, the Roman Catholic Church seems to be facing challenges to its old traditions. There exist other differences between Jesuits and priests. Jesuits take vows to poverty, chastity and obedience, but diocesan priests like Pope Benedict XVI don’t take vow to poverty. Jesuits also share their property with the public and community. Having a Jesuit pope implies that the Church might pay more attention on the poor in the future. The Catholic Church had sent a message to the world that the new focus of the Church in the future may lie in South America, the home of 480 million Catholics, according to CNN, among many other news sources.
April 2013
Habemus Papam How the Catholic Church got a new pope 1. A vacancy Before the selection of a new pope, the position must be vacant. This usually happens due to the death of the pope, but Pope Benedict XVI shook things up by becoming the first pope in 600 years to resign, and led to the beginning of a new era in the Church.
2. Cardinals gather from around the world Per tradition, all Cardinals under the age of 80 descend upon Rome to take part in the sacred process of choosing a new leader known as the conclave. They come from all parts of the world, from nearby Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Australia. Although technically any baptized Catholic male can become pope, modern popes always come from the gathering of cardinals. The cardinals stay at Santa Marta, a residence at the Vatican.
3. Conclave begins with a locked door The Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo’s magnificent creation, transforms from top tourist destination to a sacred place of prayer. The cardinals, wearing red robes, enter the Sistine Chapel while chanting hymns invoking the Holy Spirit, and the door is locked behind them to begin choosing the next leader. The cardinals are completely isolated from the world and are ordered not to listen to any outside or secular influences. They are sworn to secrecy about what is happening during the conclave.
4. Voting begins with anonymous ballots Voting then commences with ballots, usually two votes in the morning and two votes in the afternoon. In a prayerful and silent atmosphere, voting continues until the necessary two-thirds majority is reached. After each round, ballots are burned in a secret oven, and votes are written in disguised handwriting. This pontiff was decided in only five ballots, in two days, which makes it one of the shortest conclaves. Bergoglio, who was a runner-up in the last conclave when Cardinal Ratzinger became Pope Benedict XVI, is rumored to have been an early frontrunner in this election.
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By Meghan Smith / News Editor
5. Watching the smoke
In one of the traditions that highlights the tradition of the entire process, the world waits to see smoke emerging out of a chimney from the Sistine Chapel. After each vote, smoke streams out to signal the progress of the voting. Black smoke means the they have not reached the necessary two thirds majority, while white smokes signals that a new pope has been chosen. White smoke in this election rose on the second day.
6. Choosing a name
After confirming the election to the cardinals by saying “I accept” in Latin, a newly-elected pope’s first duty is to choose his name. In a break from tradition, Bergoglio chose a name that had not been used before: Francis. Saint Francis of Assisi was known as a lover of the poor and vulnerable, and with this name, Bergoglio is signifying his commitment to the world’s poor as well as his humility.
7. Greetings from the balcony
After going back to the Sistine Chapel, where cardinals pledge obedience to the new leader, the world finally learns the identity of the new pope as he greets the crowd of 10,000 in St. Peter’s Square. Another step was added to this ritual for this conclave by Benedict XVI. Just before he left the papacy, Benedict XVI added a new step before the reveal on the balcony, in which the new pontiff is to pause and pray in solitude in the Pauline Chapel, near the Sistine Chapel.
8. Greeted by the world
After the senior cardinal announces habemus papam, meaning ‘we have a pope’ in Latin, the new pontiff is greeted by the world. In front of a sea of cameras and phones that appeared to be floating like jewels, Francis gave his first blessing. He first asked, in Italian, for the people to pray for Benedict VXI. He then asked the people to ask God to bless him in his new journey. In a striking moment, silence overtook the crowded square as the new humble pope bowed his head in humility. “I will now give my blessing to you and to the whole world, to all men and women of good will,” he said. “Brothers and sisters, I am leaving you. Thank you for your welcome. Pray for me and I will be with you again soon.”
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News Pope Francis selected his name after St. Francis of Assisi—he is the first ‘Francis’ in the Church’s 1200-year history. St. Francis of Assisi was born, it is estimated, in 1181. A solider in his youth, Assisi abandoned worldly life after wars and devoted himself to God, according to the Vatican website. “In a famous episode, Christ came three times to the Church of St. Damian and told him: ‘Go, Francis, and repair my Church in ruins’,” Pope Benedict XVI said, according to CNN.
was also the founder of the influential Catholic journal Communio. He held the Catholic-Muslim conference with Muslim scholars during his papacy to mend the two religions’ fences. His resignation came with the decision that his advanced age did not suit the amount of exertion being pope requires. “We don’t know any other reasons for his resignation,” Hinsdale said. “However, Benedict asked three cardinals to write a report about some of the
“Good night and have a good rest,” the pope said in a grandfatherly tone.
Pope Benedict XVI’s contributions
corrupt things that were going on, that had to do with the Roman Curia and also the Vatican Bank, which doesn’t have a lot of transparency. But he said only the next Pope could see the report,” Hinsdale said. The previous pope put the burden on the shoulders of his successor in the hope that this successor could lead the Church out of the shadows of corruption and scandals.
Pope Benedict XVI was born in Germany and grew up during the aftermath of WWI and the growing strength of the Nazis. Pope Benedict XVI eventually became the Archbishop of Munich. He
“The True Church can never fail. For it is based upon a rock,” said T.S. Eliot. With a new leader, it is the time to see if the Church can face the challenge and regain its strength.
The Church was haunted by child-abuse scandals and the claims of corruption for years. By taking this name, Pope Francis seems to feel the responsibility and has the determination to restore the Holy See and answer God’s call to “repair my Church in ruins.”
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April 2013
Let’s talk about sex Is Plan B becoming Plan A? *Name has been changed to protect the privacy of the individual interviewed. Gavel Media granted anonymity due to the highly personal nature of the topic being discussed.
Since Mary Johnson* started having sex, she has used the morning-after pill three times; twice because the condom broke. The third was because no condom was used, and Johnson was not taking the birth control pill at the time. “But that’s all in the past,” Johnson said. She tries to be much more careful about using contraception now to avoid taking an emergency contraceptive pill — otherwise known as the morning-after pill or Plan B — and has started taking the birth control pill. Johnson isn’t alone in her usage of emergency contraception, though. One in nine sexually active women in the United States, ages 15 to 44, www.bcgavel.com
have used emergency contraceptive pills, according to the most recent Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Survey of Family Growth report published in February. Of those who have used the morning-after pill, most have only used it once (about 60 percent); 24 percent have used it twice; 17 percent have used it three or more times. The number of women who have used the morning-after pill — at 11 percent of sexually experienced women, up from 4 percent in 2002 — is only increasing with time since the approval of the emergency contraceptive pill in 1998 by the Federal Drug Administration.
By Marion Halftermeyer Copy Editor
Like Johnson, the women surveyed reported similar reasons for needing to use emergency contraceptive pills. About half the women reported that unprotected sex was the reason for seeking Plan B and 45 percent cited failure of contraceptive method used during intercourse. The new statistic can be seen in both a positive and negative light, said Lizzie Jekanowski, A&S ’13. Jekanowski is chair of Boston College Students for Sexual Health, BCSSH, a student-run group dedicated to expanding sexual health resources and information for students on campus. “Positively, it would mean that more women may have access to it,” she said. Though Jekanowski is not sure how true this could be given that over the past few years there has been anti-access rhetoric about emergency contraception and legislation surrounding its restriction. “But if more women believe it is just a regular form of birth control, it’s a negative thing. It really shouldn’t be viewed in that way,” Jekanowski said. She believes this comes down to misleading information and a general lack of comprehensive sexual health education in the U.S. The ever-use of emergency contraception was most common among women in the upperclassmen-aged demographic. According to the report, 23 percent of young women aged 20 to 24, compared to 16 percent for those in the 25 to 29 age range, have used it. Only 5 percent of women aged 30 to 44 have ever used Plan B. 7
News
White women and more educated women also use emergency contraception the most, the study reported. Twelve percent of women holding a bachelor’s degree or higher and 11 percent of women with some college education have used it. “I’m not surprised,” said Jekanowski. “We [as a society] largely cater to their needs over those of women of color or of different socioeconomic demographics,” Jekanowski said, pointing to the inequality that exists within the realm of reproductive rights and reproductive justice. Unfortunately, most of the focus and research about sexual health and reproductive justice has surrounded white, educated, wealthy women, she said. “It can also come down to access to education, geographical access like where [emergency contraception] can be found, or insurance and ability to pay for it, especially with regular usage it can become expensive,” Jekanowski 8
adds. Jekanowski and BCSSH do not commend the usage of emergency contraception regularly, but they do recognize that it plays a valuable role in terms of contraceptive needs, especially in the case of rape. “We support the usage when absolutely needed,” she said. But often times, Plan B is misunderstood. “People who aren’t entirely informed about it can sometimes believe that it can be used consistently as a regular form of birth control. It can’t,” Jekanowski said. According to the CDC, emergency contraception can be used by women after sexual intercourse in an effort to prevent an unintended pregnancy. It prevents ovulation and can be taken within a few days after having sex. With regular heavy usage, its effectiveness can decrease, Jekanowski added. “It’s called emergency contraception, for emergencies only,” Jekanowski said laughing. In addition, the morning-after pill is sometimes erroneously understood to be the same as the abortion pill. “That’s medically incorrect,” Jekanowski said. The abortion pill is a medicine that ends an early pregnancy and can be used up to 63 days after the first day of a woman’s last period, according to Planned Parenthood. While the abortion pill terminates a pregnancy that has already begun, the emergency contraceptive pill prevents a pregnancy from occurring in the first place. Although University Health Services at BC does not provide emergency
contraception, it is available over-thecounter to those who are 17 and over at CVS pharmacy or Planned Parenthood (located by Boston University’s campus on Commonwealth Avenue). A prescription is required for those under 17 years of age. There are several brands available and costs vary from $10 to $70 depending on the brand, according to Planned Parenthood. Some examples are Plan B One-Step, Next Choice, and Ella — all of which are FDA-approved. However, taking the morning-after pill comes with some risks. It is not as effective as other methods of contraception and is not recommended for routine use, according to the Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit organization that provides information about medical care, research, and education. Emergency contraception also does not protect from transmission of sexually transmitted infections. Typical symptoms after taking the morning-after pill can include nausea or vomiting, dizziness, fatigue, headache, breast tenderness, bleeding between periods or heavier menstrual bleeding, lower abdominal pain or cramps, and diarrhea, according to the Mayo Clinic. However, based on the most recent available research, repeated use of the morning-after pill causes no known harm to your health besides the potential for an irregular menstrual cycle, according to both Planned Parenthood and the World Health Organization.
April 2013
Sexual Health at BC BCSSH is a completely student-led initiative that seeks to fill a void that BC — being a Catholic university — leaves in its provision of health to its students: that of sexual health, according to Jekanowski. “We want to provide a safe, empowering environment for students to access comprehensive sexual education and resources,” she said. The group does so by providing sexual health resources like male and female condoms, lubricant and dental dams for free through their “Safe Sites,” as well as handing out reference lists of places where information, counseling, sexually transmitted infection testing and resources are available, both on and off campus. These “Safe Sites” are run out of students’ dorm rooms and attempt to ensure anonymity both for the provider and the student seeking the resource, Jekanowski said. Monthly, BCSSH holds distributions where they hand out male condoms to students walking by Upper Campus. The condoms are attached to quarter sheets that provide information on how to access more resources or information. “We also do advocacy work to change policy,” Jekanowski added. In 2011, BCSSH worked with the Boston College Democrats to collect signatures in an effort to petition then-Senator Scott Brown to vote to repeal Title V of the Social Security Act. The piece of legislature provided $50 billion a year in funding for abstinence-only-until-marriage sexual www.bcgavel.com
health education, according to Advocates for Youth, an organization that works both in the U.S. and developing countries with the focus on adolescent reproductive and sexual health. BCSSH’s current yearlong project has been to collect signatures to peti-
tion and advocate for a sexual health resource center on campus — much like the Office of Health Promotion or Women’s Resource Center. The petition asks that the university satisfy four requests through creating a sexual health resource center: to provide contraceptive access on campus including the availability of Plan B; to provide free and comprehensive sexually transmitted infection testing on campus; to provide comprehensive sexual health education, information and resources on campus; and to instill a positive sexual decision making educational
program that is inclusive of all sexual orientations and preferences. “As the petition reads now, we are requesting BC to take action regarding this matter within the next academic school year,” said Eric Roy, a member of BCSSH and CSOM ’16. About 500 students have already signed the petition, and the figure is only continuing to increase. The petition is in response to a 2009 referendum on the UGBC ballot asking if BC students wanted more sexual health information and resources on campus. “[UGBC] saw the largest voter turnout in years, and more students voted for the question than they did for the president and vice president,” Jekanowski said. Of those who voted, 90 percent answered yes to having more resources. The end goal is to present the petition to the administration. “We want to emphasize that this is a crucial issue on campus and how much students recognize the need for BC to care for all of their health, not just the health BC decides it wants to provide,” Jekanowski said. “It’s a human right that BC is ignoring,” Roy added. BCSSH is using the petition both to prompt discussion among students and to push the administration. 9
News
America’s healthiest states: Massholes check in Where do BC Eagles call home?
By Olivia Simone / Print Manager
Howling car horns, flustered 40 yearolds flipping the bird, flying headlong across a bustling intersection, bypassing the pedestrian at the crosswalk (oh, and you can forget about the blinker), Northborough, Southborough, Marlborough, (wait, where is Eastborough?). If the perpetual morning-through-night road rage doesn’t mystify you, then the “hey man, we’ah havin’ a wicked pissa rippa, don’t forget ya ca-keys” missing-r-speech-impediment sure will catch your tongue in any Boston-based conversation. Who are these people, you curse under your breath, as a biker barely misses your big toe, stepping back onto the cobblestone street which you notice is a one-way. These are the born-and-bred SoxPatriots-Celtics worshippers — those who praise their Irishblood so vigilantly that their beloved city of Boston has been awarded its own anthem by Dropkick Murphys. These are the “Massholes” who swear their anti-New-York dedication to the death, and they just happen to reign from the fourth-healthiest state, according to a 2012 survey by America’s Health Rankings. Though the confusing antics of these friendly folk (they are on the inside, at least) are hard to label, their health habits have been tacked and ranked on a scale of one to 50. This is all you need to know: When your blood pressure rises and your primary care physician can’t find room in his schedule, just follow the statistics ‘cause it’s time you’re shipping up to Boston whoa!
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While Massachusetts earned itself a position in the top 10 healthiest states nationwide just behind Vermont, Hawaii and New Hampshire, the Bay State celebrates multiple number one sub-category positions including highest occurrence of primary care physicians per 100,000 persons, highest rate of those who regularly check their own cholesterol (83.7 percent if you were wondering), and the smallest population of those who lack health insurance (only 4.5 percent, thanks again Mitt).
Applauds aside, there’s one funky thing in Massachusetts that isn’t in any other state: Boston. Though the city is not the biggest college town, it’s been voted the best. Where do Boston College students come from and why are they so attached to their hip-hugging Lululemons and their baby-blue Vineyard Vines pullovers? Why are they children of powerful businessmen, and if not, why do so many strive to become one? Why do they scoff at O’Neill Plaza cigarette smokers and why are there no more than 30 studio art majors? It’s no surprise that, according to the
2012 Boston College Student Demographics report, 25 percent of its undergraduate population reign from Massachusetts. The next highest occurring home state among undergrads is New York, calling 15 percent of BC Eagles their own. This is followed by New Jersey, Connecticut, California and so on – until you get to the bottom outliers comprised of mainly southern states such as Mississippi and Louisiana. Each of the five states that the majority of BC students call home are also among the top 10 healthiest states, with the exception of New York and California, which follow closely behind at positions 22 and 18, respectively. It’s no wonder BC students can be found either hunched at a dark desk in Bapst Library pulling all-nighters in hopes of a successful career, or in the heat-stroke-inducing Plex, pumping out reps with weights and racking up mileage on the treadmill. Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and California all report the lowest obesity rates, the highest personal income and the lowest population of smokers. Our Eagles were practically bred from the womb with these health-conscious habits. Hardly more than 0.02 percent of BC undergrads call Louisiana home, while even less can say so for Alabama and Mississippi – turns out, both states tie for least-healthiest states in the country. Is there a method to the madness of the stereotypical fast-paced New Englander or the cool, down-to-earth West-Coasters? Studies show that in fact, there is. In 2009, three experts compiled a geographical distribution of personality trends across the country. The East Coast reflected one unanimous trait across the board: neuroticism.
April 2013
If New England is entirely comprised of 6 of the top 10 healthiest states, according to America’s Health Rankings, why was it also characterized by “anxiety, stress, impulsivity, and emotional instability,” all of which point to “antisocial behavior, poor coping and poor health?” Although the personality trait study found that the more neurotic states had shorter life expectancies and lower rates of exercise, the high-strung attitude worked in the favor for at least a few. The active and the driven people of Massachusetts, for example, are among the 14th most active state population and report relatively low days of poor mental and physical health. Its population is also extremely successful reporting the second highest personal income, per capita. Despite earning themselves a mostneurotic-state-in-the-country trophy, New England somehow pulled through where the Deep South could not: Louisiana, Mississippi and Arkansas all scored equally as neurotic as New England and yet ranked lower than a bottomless bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken in terms of health. What gives? Neuroticism can swing one of two ways – and for the South, it decidedly swung low. With a rise in obesity rates, higher occurrences of teen pregnancy and a high tendency to report poor mental and physical health days states, southern states seemed to suffer from the stress of neurosis while New England states, it seems, took the anxiety and ran with it, literally. According to Running in the USA, Massachusetts maintains 75 running clubs ranging in rigor anywhere from triathlon training clubs to the Cape Cod Hash House, who describes itself as “a drinking club with a running problem.” Compare this to New Jersey’s 59 running clubs and New York’s 89 and the personality deficiencies may start to reflect, well, health proficiency. Sadly, Louisiana’s meek 14 running clubs only reinforce the downside of stress: when neurosis actually causes poor health and wellness days, it too may contribute to the same populations’ poor health ratings. The West Coast states such as Colorado, Utah, and California, however, all surfaced as 11th, 7th, and 22nd healthiest states in the country – and as it turns out, BC students tend to come from either the Northern-East Coast or the West Coast and rarely in between. Saratoga, California is a relatively
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healthy place, said Stephanie Ragland, A&S’13 and a member of the BC crew team of her hometown. “There’s a lot of farmers markets and fresh produce year round,” she said, which she misses now that she lives in a city. “It’s definitely below the national average for obesity rates and smokers, there aren’t too many,” Ragland said of California. At BC, however, Ragland has noticed a quite possibly less-than-healthy trend. “I definitely think BC has an issue with eating disorders. I kind of think of it like this image people are trying to attain of being the best at everything in terms of academics, athletics, etc.” Could this obsessive, perhaps impulsive, behavior be the result of the self-perpetuating neurotic Massachusetts psyche? Caitriona Taylor, BC Campus Recreation Director, estimates that on average the Plex desk swipes in 1500 to 3000 people every day – which is approximately a quarter of the entire undergraduate population. Increase this number on the weekends and Boston College successfully has itself a uniquely health-conscious student body. To be honest, Ragland has some reservations about BC students’ habits. “I don’t think eating disorders comes from a health conscious mentality but that its more people who are very high strung and who take the ‘healthy look’ to the extreme.” A report by ACHA-NCHA conducted in spring of 2012 surveyed 141 undergraduate institutions across the U.S. and found that within the past seven days, 21.5 percent of those college students had exercised five or more days. Though the number is slightly lower than BC’s estimated active population, the Plex desk cannot account for the 750 varsity student athletes who have their own exercise facilities outside of the main gym, nor does it account for the 12 dance organizations, the Campus School Volunteers Marathon Team nor students who choose to exercise outdoors – and the list goes on. Logan Coffin (Lynch School ‘14), a Pilates Instructor and Core Circuit Trainer at the Plex said that yes, it’s true, a lot of students can be found at the gym. “Because of the size of the Plex and how crowded it gets, it may appear that more of the student body goes than actually does. I wouldn’t say that BC students are more high strung compared to other schools of the same academic standing but are rather body and health conscious,” Coffin said. Harvard University has the second high-
est number of shared applicants with BC, yet most of its students come from the Middle-Atlantic (New York, Pennsylvania, the Virginias, etc) which are generally on the healthier side, according to the 2012 State Health Rankings. However, Harvard reports (albeit in a rather outdated survey from 1992) that 20 percent of its undergraduates suffer from eating disorders. In 2006, Fordham University, a Jesuit sister school of BC located in New York, reported that 20 percent of its undergraduates suffer from eating disorders. Could the obsessive psyche associated with eating disorders be linked with not only the stress of rigorous and competitive campuses, but the neurotic psychology of the North-East geographic location? BC senior and Massachusetts resident Michael Carroll (Lynch School ‘13) affirms that growing up in North Andover helped him develop a health consciousness he might not have received elsewhere. “In my town, they were pretty health-conscious. I mean there were definitely no obese people and no smokers” but then, he added, he also came from a history of private Catholic schools. Perhaps this laid the steppingstones for the priority of health over indulgences for Carroll and other privately schooled BC undergrads. Unfortunately, the intensity of healthconscious students cannot be confirmed at BC for the time being; when I spoke with the associate director of University Health Services, I was told that not only was this information unavailable but that it did not exist in any form on campus. Neither could the Women’s Resource Center, the infirmary, the Flynn Recreation Complex, nor the campus health nutritionist release information on eating disorders at Boston College. The mystery of Massachusetts’ neurotic, yet healthy residents’ effect on its seasonal college students, such as BC’s, may never be solved. For now, we can only let the facts speak for themselves: Massachusetts residents are hard working, reporting the 14th smallest unemployment rate. Perhaps the pace of the city and the antics of daily working life are enough to keep Massachusetts residents on the move, while the breezy coast and its laidback and friendly suburbs provide them with a sense of relaxation. At least BC students can reap the state’s benefits of reliable health insurance if they choose to pack up their dormitories and stay awhile in the city.
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Opinions
Is juicing worth the squeeze?
By Olivia Simone/ Print Manager I was sitting at my mahogany dining room table weighing the pros and cons of trekking the stolid and black ice laced sidewalks of Brighton when a fresh form of fitness came to mind. It seemed rather extreme, but more often than not quixotic ideas are conjured when one finds oneself in an apartment void of its four other inhabitants. I had heard of people doing it before — my Muslim friends who fasted during sunlight hours, for instance. And now I too would join in the abstinence of eating — in the name of my jeans’ waning button thread, if nothing else could be argued convincingly to my nursing friends. Sayonara you ugly holiday-free-for-all calorie intake. It wasn’t but 24 hours before I reunited with my good friend and colleague, Sarah Garcia (A&S ’13). Garcia nearly threw her El Pelon burrito in the air when she heard my newly conceived dieting strategy. I had barely managed to squeeze out the word ‘cleanse’ when she exclaimed that she too was beginning a detoxing cleanse tomorrow, and wouldn’t it be great to rid your body of all those gross toxins you take in every day? I raised my eyebrows at the yellow rice spilling in thankless clumps from her tortilla. Carbo-loading! Right. Garcia was one of the many deprived individuals who, in the throes of weight-loss desperation, reached for the consolation of Joe Cross. Cross, the famed obese middle-aged man who created the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead, chronicled his triumphant weight loss over the course of sixty days, consuming nothing but green juice. His viewers were told that green fasts allowsthe body to detoxify while replenishing the body with vitamins and nutrients. Not only that, but it could reduce the risk of cancer, boost the immune system, aid digestion and help the body lose weight. While this may 12
be true for those who gawk at the thought of consuming carrots and green beans, it is not entirely necessary for human beings to “detoxify” their bodies (unless, of course, they find themselves living off fast food and alcoholic beverages). And yet, many viewers who chose to undertake a 10 day juicing cleanse such as the Garcia family, are well-nourished and regularly consume fresh produce with every meal. It seems that what many “health freaks” found when they encountered the green juice phenomenon that seems to be going viral in 2013 is perhaps more analogous to the key to Pandora’s box than a cleanse. To understand why, let’s take a look at the truth behind juicing “cleanses.” I. Juicing—I’m sorry, could you repeat that? Juicing is the creation and consumption of liquid juice extracted (rather than puréed) from raw foods such as
Top photo courtesy of cookbookman17 / flickr
April 2013
fruits, vegetables and even roots. Cross’s celebrated juice concoction contains 4 cups of kale, 1 fresh cucumber, 4 celery stalks, 2 Granny Smith apples, half a lemon, and 1 ounce fresh gingerroot per 16 fluid ounce serving. The drink contains 335 calories, 2 grams of fat, a whopping 80 grams of carbohydrates and a substantial 15 grams of protein. This is typically consumed four times throughout the day. As a single meal, the green juice could pass as substantial for the average body to function properly, given the individual is fully grown and not training for endurance in a physical activity. However, as Elizabeth Matzkin, MD and chief of Women’s Sports Medicine at Harvard Medical School recently revealed, “No good scientific data supports any of those cleanses, where you drink juice or (only) water for a week.” Well, isn’t this intriguing. Naturally, Cross saw various physicians as consultation for his juicing diet. While the proposed diet was admissible by physicians, the poor guy was 100 pounds overweight, overloaded with steroids due to a debilitating autoimmune disease and told it was likely his life would soon come to an end. The fact is, the healthy body is equipped with naturally occurring
Photo courtesy of CocteauBoy / Flickr
monster-cleansing machines thanks to the kidney and the colon. Both organs are already “designed to flush out all the excess junk we put into our bodies, like alcohol” says Meagan Morris of Cosmopolitan who spoke with Matzkin. II. Forget about the vitamins you gain with the green juice—think of the nutrients you lose. Here’s some food for thought: on an all-juicing diet — in which nutrients are absorbed as liquids only
— your digestive system doesn’t have to work as hard to break down the food. Not only is your body deprived of its natural activity — the aspect of the cleanse that Cross and others claim “gives your body a rest” — but it misses out on one of the most important detoxifying nutrients that naturally pushes food through your digestive tract quickly: fiber. According to the Mayo Clinic staff, dietary fiber is found mainly in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes. It passes relatively intact through your stomach, small intestine, colon and out of your body in order to normalize bowel movements by increasing the weight and size of your stool whilst softening it. In fact, it’s so efficient that its best known for its ability to prevent or relieve constipation. Furthermore, fiber can only be obtained from whole foods alone, not those that are already broken down. Why give your body a “rest” from a digestive tool it desperately needs? III. It’s Expensive In order to pursue the juicing diet seriously, it must be accounted for financially. A decent juicer could cost anywhere between 200 and 500 dollars. The Garcias’ juicer costs 300 dollars, for instance. Then there’s the day-to-day grocery bill. As fresh produce tends to be costly, the Garcias often spent 100 dollars or more per go for three people loading up on Granny Smiths, kale and so on — and this occurred once every two days. The fact is, without even one substantial study any extreme diet trick, cleanse or otherwise, simply isn’t safe to pursue.
Top photo courtesy of Monika
13
Opinions
Why are ignorant of By Tim Coogan Gavel Media Staff
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what happened? Can all of us name our governor, our senators, or our congressmen? We as Americans pride ourselves on our political freedom but only 57.5 percent of the eligible voting population actually voted in the 2012 presidential election. If our culture of national ignorance is going to change then we need to start on the home front by stressing the importance of United States politics. Not only are Americans politically ignorant, but we also do not prioritize education as a whole. The United States ranks 17th in developed world countries for overall educational achievement. I’m not suggesting that
we are incompetent as a nation-- after all, we continue to lead the world in both political affairs and technological innovation. However, if we do not put a greater stress on education then, to the outside world, we will continue to appear ignorant. It’s not entirely the average citizen’s fault. The major corporations, that own the news industry, feed us entertainment over serious news because entertainment attracts more viewers, and hence produces greater profits. The news stations opt to broadcast stories about Kim Kardashian, “amazing” pets and sex scandals. Entertainment is good for entertainPhoto courtesy of Timemagazine.com
Americans are ignorant of international affairs. In comparison to citizens of other developed, first world nations Americans are less aware of what is going on outside our country. I’m generalizing a little bit, but American ignorance is evident, and largely perceivedas arrogance by the outside world. After living with two international students from Latin America this year, I’ve realized that I have a lot to learn about world politics. One of my roommates is from Venezuela, a country that just lost its president, Hugo Chavez. Before living with him, I only had a basic idea of how this socialist president had affected the country and it’s people. Living with a Venezuelan roommate, I became more aware of the political happenings of another nation. This experience made me question my awareness of the world outside the United States. If I, a student at a top 30 university, am unaware, many others must be too. Back in December, there was a lot of talk about the fiscal cliff. However, how many people can truly explain
Top Photos courtesy of Lamina/flickr
April 2013
Americans theWorld? ment’s sake, but major news networks have a an obligation to give us the important information over other trivial matters. Now you may be asking, “Well, doesn’t this occur with news all over the world?” The answer is no. Time Magazine has even published separate covers of the United States’ magazine and the rest of the world’s magazine. While the rest of the world reads about Islam, Americans read soft news articles about gender roles. We continue to become more ignorant as the rest of the world continues to become informed. Unfortunately this ignorance is often translated into arrogance. My other roommate, from the Dominican Republic, Edward Ghattas CSOM ’16, said, “I think that most Americans are not necessarily seen as ignorant in political matters, per se.” Ghattas explains, “The common idea among people from Latin America at least is that Americans tend to have a sort of arrogance towards their approach to political matters. This arrogance might be due to a deep-rooted nationalism or because of their belief www.bcgavel.com
that they are completely right but the point is this matter makes them seem ignorant.” When we only focus on ourselves, it makes it seem as if the rest of the world does not matter. To outsiders this is perceived less as ignorance and more as arrogance. Foreigners might not take into consideration that some Americans are clueless about all politics and instead mistakenly believe that Americans opt to dismiss the importance of international affairs. The American public, then unaware, supports foreign relations issues with knowledge from the US government, without considering the ramifications for other countries. I’m also not saying that we should suck up to Europe or other developed nations so that they like us. It isn’t middle school and we aren’t trying to sit at the popular table. However, if we are more informed as a nation, we can make better decisions and have a better global image. A positive international image isn’t for others though, it’s so other nations will want to ally and cooperate with us when we need them.
It is also possible that we appear closedminded to some outsiders due to some of our legislation. We are one of the few developed countries to not have some form of universal healthcare. Healthcare should be a basic human right, especially in a country that claims to lead the free world, as it is in numerous other countries. Additionally, while gay marriage is increasingly legalized in the United States, it is still not nation-wide. A nation that claims to be founded on equality and justice is denying a basic human right to its citizens. Meanwhile, same-sex marriage or other forms of same-sex partnership have already been enacted in a large portion of developed nations in the Americas, Europe and even Africa. If we take into consideration the state of the US in comparison to the rest of the world and become more knowledgeable, we can rid ourselves of this ignorance and arrogance. We live in a global society and we should be aware of what is going on in it.
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Photo courtesy of Ferreson/flickr
ARE WE
TOO
CONNECTED? By Angela Park/ Gavel Media Staff
“Hey did you hear about Kate and Matt? They’re totally going out, but it’s not Facebook official yet. So, I don’t know if it’s 100 percent REAL.” I’ve heard this phrase countless times and it never ceases to sound ridiculous. Their relationship does not have to be “Facebook official” for it to be real. Why is it your concern whether it is real or not? I understand why declaring a relationship online is almost mandatory. Our generation has been hooked on AIM, MySpace and Facebook since we were deciding whether to wear Hollister or Abercrombie to school as youngsters. As much as we may deny it, social media is a large part of every college students life. If we’re not on Facebook, we’re on Twitter; if not on Twitter, we’re on Reddit, and the list goes on. Every time I step into Lower dining hall, I see many people on their computers or phones and looking at some sort of social media instead of talking to their friends across the table. Our generation is constantly plugged into 16
our computers and TV screens, as if they were our power source. Our ideas, opinions and conversation topics all come from what we’ve seen online and as soon as we unplug ourselves, we feel like we’re out of the loop. There are major consequences to this constant checking and updating our social networks. First of all, our conversation skills decrease. One example is confrontation through social media. People no longer seem to
‘‘If we’re not on Facebook, we’re on Twitter; if not on Twitter, we’re on Reddit, and the list goes on.” ask others out on dates or have the decency to break up with them face-to-face. Now, to terminate a relationship, one
simply needs to shoot a text or change their relationship status. Granted, these actions are still frowned upon and deemed impersonal, but in a couple of years, they may become the standard. Second of all, our interest in actually getting to know the person sitting across from us diminishes (because you already know everything about them from their Facebook page). As soon as I step into the dining halls, I see a good amount of people on their phones while eating together. If it’s lunch with a group of people, I get it, you may not be up for conversation and your friends can entertain each other. However, it is mindboggling to me when people are checking social media when they are having lunch with one other person. It makes ME feel uncomfortable having to witness someone sit awkwardly while waiting for his/her friend to finish updating his/her status. If you were going to have a lunch date with your phone, why did you ask ME to have lunch? Finally, our attention spans might as
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Opinions well be nonexistent.
In my huge lecture classes, I see all those laptop screens go from notes to Facebook, Twitter, or ESPN at least once every 10 minutes. It’s pretty pathetic how many times I’ve looked someone up on Facebook after meeting him or her for the first time. Instead of taking the time to get to know the person, we feel the need to do a background check on them. We make rash judgments about who this person might be based on their profile picture or their “likes” without even considering having a conversation and asking them what their interests are. If this were to happen to one of my friends right now, he would be one unlucky man since I recently liked “50 Shades of Grey” and “Justin Beiber has $WAG” while on his Facebook page. It’s also pretty pathetic how many times I’ve lied to someone saying that I didn’t know who someone was or a fact about somone. Truth is, I knew exactly who they were, because I had crept on this person on Facebook. Don’t give me that look! I know you do it too. One click leads to the next and you suddenly realize you’re looking at your friend’s cousin’s ex-boyfriend’s page. You also realize that you have a knack for being creepy. Now I’m not saying social media is all bad. I actually appreciate many aspects of it. As a person who lives halfway across the world for at least half of the year, social media is how I keep in touch with my friends. As much as I would love to, I don’t have the money to send text messages asking, “What’s up?” or make international calls. So, Facebook, Twitter and www.bcgavel.com
sharing posts on Tumblr are ways I keep in touch with friends. I know it sounds lazy and impersonal, but it’s a huge challenge trying to keep in touch with all my high school and college friends when texting and calling are out of the picture. Furthermore, I rarely go on CNN to catch up on what’s going around in the world. People sharing articles on social media sites are usually how I pick up on what’s happening
of my roommates have shown that it is quite possible. They have deleted their Facebook accounts since before winter break and both have said that they don’t really miss it. “I honestly didn’t feel a need for it anymore. If I needed to talk to someone I could easily text them, so it was a waste of my time although I do miss looking at my friends’ pictures,” says Christine ‘15. However, some, including myself, are weak-willed. We get sucked in and can’t seem to cut it out of our lives. Even as I’m writing this article I’m double-fist-
outside of the college bubble. These sites help ideas circulate whether it’s a funny meme or a news article (Yay, Gavel Media!). In an ideal world, we would use a limited amount of social media. Two
ing: Instagram on my phone and Facebook on my laptop. Even though I know how addicted I am to social media, I don’t make an effort to “unplug” myself from it. About a month ago, I tried to deactivate my Facebook account and I didn’t last more than a day. Despite the countless number of people we see on social media on a daily basis, Alex Yeghiaian ’15 doesn’t think we’re too “plugged in.” “I just think it’s a PART of our lives. It doesn’t dominate it because if something dominates our lives, it means we live FOR it, and we don’t,” said Yeghiaian. Everything has a benefit and consequence and being “plugged in” is no different. If our generation is already highly involved with the Internet, the future generations are only going to become more attached, so we might as well embrace it and make good use of it! 17
s e r atu
Fe
We The People... of
Getting down and dirty with the details of what the new UGBC constitution means for students: more representation, efficiency, and power to the student body
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es, we see the colors flying. The mottos are proud and loud. The banners are up and the door-holding is back. Beyond the faces and flashy T-shirts, though, are platforms. Will the new president and vice-president embrace and lead to success the new constitution? Speaking of which, what is this new constitution about? In a nutshell, it aims to make the Undergraduate Government of Boston College more adequately represent the types of students that exist on campus. It also reorganized the structure of the UGBC and was passed in February to take effect for the 2013-2014 academic year. Split in half. There are two ways in which UGBC President Christopher Osnato, A&S’13, says the new constitution improves the overall structure of the organization. The first is efficiency. The existing structure allows for four presidents and four vice presidents, due to it having four branches: the AHANA Leadership Council, the GLBTQ Leadership Council, the Senate and the Cabinet. The ALC and GLC, under the current structure, serve as semi-autonomous branches. This means that these branches still get their budgets from the UGBC but can function separately. The new constitution does away with the four 18
branch model and replaces it with a two branch model: the legislative and the executive. “We have no clear power structure set up between any of the branches with the exception that the Senate checks the Cabinet,” Osnato says. Without a clear hierarchy with a set power structure, there is ambiguity in the decision-making process in terms of planning or setting forth any type of initiative. Each branch has an existing power structure within it, but between the branches it is utter chaos. Many of the departments within the branches overlap in their functions. With the structure brought on by the new and revised constitution, streamlining is the key. The existing structure has a communications and programming department within each branch. Instead of trying to coordinate with three departments across the different branches, the new structure allows for one central department for communications and programming, eliminating the need to worry about which branch will be responsible for the fliers or making the Facebook event, and picking the dates for the events. Because programming revolves around dates for the events, it requires an immense amount of communication, “more than what the departments and students have
been doing in the past,” Osnato says. Streamlining will allow students to attend as many events as possible because there is less of a chance that programs will be scheduled for the same dates. “The whole process was about streamlining three branches with different interests into one branch with a unified purpose,” Osnato says. The second is that the new structure of the Senate — transformed into an assembly composed of 50 elected students — makes the UGBC much more representative of the student body. “It’s about the validity with which we can go to administration and really represent every type of student out there,” Osnato says. “We think it’s going to give us a little more power behind our punch.” A student assembly, legislative branch “Picture this,” Osnato says. “Let’s say we want to review the alcohol matrix, review the housing process, or academic advising, or anything like that. You bring in someone like Pat Keating, the executive vice president of BC, to the student assembly meeting where he is faced with 50 elected student representatives all talking in unison on an issue,” he says. “That’s pretty powerful.” The student assembly is essentially the Senate but expanded. The current Senate only consists of 20
April 2013
students: five class representatives, or senators, for each grade. The new student assembly model would incorporate the five senators per grade model while adding student representatives from groups on campus that embody different aspects of student life. There will be student representatives from: Registered Student Organizations (nine categories)-20 students A&S, CSOM, CSON, LSOE- student representatives based on population Residence Hall Association- 2 students Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC)- 1 student The assembly will have the goal of working together with the deans and administrators as the primary policy developers and working on policy issues that are important to the student body. Within the student assembly are four committees which are made up of five students who are not student representatives. Osnato says that this allows for even more students to be involved and allows for more representation of the many types of students with different interests that are found on this campus. Anyone is eligible to apply to the campus climate, academic affairs, policy review or policy development committees. “The student assembly gives us a lot more validity to say we’re not just a group of randomly selected individuals, we aren’t just a group of class representatives,” Osnato says. The UGBC will then be able to tell the administration that it truly represents a ton of different students on campus — a weakness that administrators have associated with UGBC. Where did the ALC and the GLC go? The ALC and GLC will no longer be semi-autonomous under the new structure. Rather, they will be incorporated in the executive branch under the vice president of diversity and www.bcgavel.com
inclusion. This division of the executive branch is divided into representative boards. Osnato defines these boards as “a group of students that come together to advocate for the issues of a specific group of students.” ALC and GLC are the only representative boards for the moment but Osnato says that the UGBC has allowed room for the creation of more representative boards should the need arise. He cites that if a group of students wants to create a board based on socioeconomic status or women and gender issues, they can be added in. All representative boards will have their own constitution and appoint a chairperson who will sit on the student assembly where they will serve as voting members. Although the semi-autonomous aspect of ALC and GLC is being taken away, the ALC and GLC organizations as the campus knows them are not being lost through the changes. “What this process does is that it takes ALC and GLC issues and makes them UGBC issues. I think it’s important to recognize these as campus concerns, not just as AHANA concerns or GLBTQ concerns,” Osnato says. What’s more is that the presidents and vice presidents of both the ALC and GLC, along with the president and vice president of the Senate worked hand in hand with Osnato and the vice president of UGBC in the creation of the new constitution. But Osnato says he understands the concern that can arise in incorporating the ALC and GLC directly within the UGBC and through synthesizing the risk of losing the marketplace of ideas. The goal though is to move ALC and GLC conversations forward and into the student assembly. It’s in effort of making the UGBC more inclusive, diverse and representative of the students. The vice president of the diversity and inclusion division has a unique
selection process because of the nature of the division. Rather than a formal application and interview process, this position will be filled by candidates who are nominated by the representative boards, from which the president and executive vice president select. These candidates can be whoever the boards choose to nominate as long as they feel the person has the necessary experience and background, Osnato says. This vice president then holds a unique position within the entire UGBC organization: the Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion will be privy to the interview processes for every position that is filled in UGBC. This is to ensure that a wide range of students become involved, and that it’s not just the president’s friends that are selected, Osnato says. But he or she can caution the student assembly that there is not enough diversity among the appointed members. Vice presidents galore, executive branch The executive branch essentially executes the policies and initiatives set forth by the legislative branch. In addition to the Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, there are vice presidents who head the other divisions of the executive branch and one executive vice president who sits at the head of the student assembly, but runs with the president. Anyone from within the student body can be a member of any of the following boards. They simply need to apply, go through the interview process and need to be ultimately appointed by the president and approved by the student assembly. The programming division encompasses all campus-wide social events run by UGBC, including the ALC, GLC and Cabinet programs. This division is composed of 30 students who are subdivded to focus on three areas of programming: on-campus events such as concerts and pub series; her19
Features itage events like homecoming, pep rallies and ALC as well as GLC events; and BC2Boston events which will remain as they currently exist, just nested in this board. Members from the ALC and GLC will participate in the programming of ALC Ball, GLC Gala, and the ALC Boat Cruise to make sure they are still in line with the spirit of the history of those events. The student organizations division is tasked with being a resource for registered student organizations (RSOs) as well as assisting the Student Programs Office, SPO, with regards to RSOs. If any club wants UGBC assistance with an issue, it needs simply to go to the person responsible for the RSO cohort it falls into. That person is then a direct link to SPO, according to Osnato. There was some contention as to whether this division was redundant with the RSO cohort representatives in the legislative branch who sit on the student assembly. Osnato says that the division is more task-oriented whereas the elected members in the student assembly are really meant to be working on policy. More importantly though, this
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division is the “first hoop that groups have to jump through in order to become an RSO,” Osnato said. One of the reasons the GLC has been able to become so prominent of a group on campus is because it has the support of UGBC and is under the wing of UGBC, while the school didn’t officially recognize it. The student initiatives division puts everything into action, like the policies and initiatives passed in the student assembly. Essentially this division allows things to move forward without bogging down the student assembly with the logistical aspects of running an event or program. In addition to the divisions in the executive branches, two offices sit directly underneath the president and executive vice president: the Office of Press Secretary and the UGBC Leadership Academy. The first is the communication department for the entire organization; they’re in charge of producing flyers, making videos, managing the UGBC website, among other duties. The latter is the UGBC’s program for first-year students. Consistent with synthesizing, the new constitution combines the curriculums of the
ALC Leadership Academy, Mentoring Leadership Program and the Freshman Outreach Program in GLC into one freshman leadership program that admits 30 applicants and the five freshman class representatives, or senators, who sit in the student assembly. Although the main goal is student formation, the program also allows for the UGBC to self-sustain the organization. So what does the president do? “This has been the most difficult thing I’ve done in my entire life,” Osnato says. Everything goes through the president. Everything starts at the tone and the platform that the president puts into action. With his term coming to an end, he, along with Patel, Miranda, Tingley, Hendricks, and Taziva, have left the UGBC with the legacy of a new constitution, a new plethora of opportunities to make the UGBC the best that it can be. Ultimately, it’ll be up to the new administration to pick up where Osnato and his leadership team will have left off.
April 2013
www.bcgavel.com
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Features
PROFESSOR PROFILE Associate Professor of English
Paula Mathieu By Katie Levingston Features Editor If you’ve ever felt lost about your choice of major or unsure about what to do with your life, Paula Mathieu, an associate professor in the English department, has been there. While enrolled in business courses such as statistics, computer programming, finance and accounting at the University of Illinois, she realized that the study of rhetoric—how meaning is managed through written and visual works— was her true calling. “Change is hard to make happen so I went on for two and a half years, and then I realized when I started lying to people about what my major was that it was probably not a good sign and that I wasn’t really happy with what I was doing,” she said. She went on to pursue her doctorate in English and became heavily involved in the street paper network. “Homeless” street papers give anyone who is homeless or at risk of being homeless the opportunity to earn a living by selling them for a dollar or buying them for a quarter. Street papers also become forums to raise issues about income inequality and the every day problems homeless people have to face. Mathieu first encountered a street paper while on the L train in Chicago. After reading it he was especially struck by one piece called the “Homeless Gourmet” that was a recipe column about how to prepare a creative dinner with just a hot plate. 22
“I just thought it was a really brilliant, positive way to see people who are struggling as resourceful and smart and capable and good writers,” she said. Mathieu began to devote her time as a volunteer copy editor and eventually created a writing group through the street paper. Her work fueled her dissertation, “Questions of Empowerment: Teaching Writing at a ‘Homeless’ Street Paper.” “I often learned that when you have defaulted student loans, bad eye-sight, maybe some missing teeth, and maybe a prison record, being a terrific writer in the world doesn’t really help that much, other than being able to voice why all those other structural things aren’t getting you where you want to go,” she said. “So it was about humility too, realizing as teachers the small things we sometimes do.” At the same time, Mathieu wants to make a difference in her students’ writing. She values the practice of writing and its inherent collaborative nature, especially at the academic level. “Writing is a skill like any other. Like playing piano or drawing—you get better at it the more you do it, the more you practice, the more feedback you get,” she said. She created the Writing Fellows Program at Boston College with such ideas in mind. In this program, a faculty member can sign up to have writing fellows in his or her class to help 15-20 students with their
April 2013
paper-writing through mandatory conferences. As director of the First Year Writing Program since 2001, her goals have been along the same lines. She wants to have students write in different rhetorical situations and to become more critical readers. The program has worked with accounting, economics, earth and environmental sciences, and the nursing program in addition to humanities—which makes the program poised to one day accomplish Mathieu’s goal of having every student at BC take one fellowed course throughout his or her time here. Mathieu is constantly in a dialogue about writing—but with her family, she talks about maany different things. Accountant, ski instructor, wood turner, cook, golf super intendant, musician — those are just a few of the professions in the Mathieu family. Mathieu grew up in a crowded house in the southern suburbs of Chicago. As the youngest of eight children, she learned the power of rhetoric early in her life. “If I would break something of my sister’s, if I told her she would kill me, but [it was better] if I crafted a very careful note and then leave it and then [got] out of the way fast,” she said. Mathieu is currently enjoying making new kinds of family experiences with her five-year-old daughter Delia and her husband. She’s grateful to be able to have such a flexible schedule so that she can spend time with her daughter. In addition to her personal
benefits, Mathieu appreciates the college’s attention to each student’s welfare. “I love the very real support that is present within the administration for students. There really is this expectation and desire to see students succeed and do well here,” she said. Mathieu is grateful for the wonderful environment she works in and for the people who support her as she tries to improve students’ writing each and every day. Photo by Katie Levingston/Gavel Media
Mathieu teaching her Rhetoric as Cultural Studies class
www.bcgavel.com
Top photos courtesy of Paula Mathieu
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Features
International Update: A DAY WITHOUT NEWS By Victoria Southwood GAVEL MEDIA STAFF
Syrian journalists captured in the conflict ravaged country
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The longest days are those without news. Whether it is the day that you are waiting for the decision from that last-resort job interview, or the day you are waiting to hear back from the doctor with a medical diagnosis, the time spent waiting for news seems to move backwards. Worse are the days when there is no news to hear at all. Michael Foley, brother to journalist James “Jim” Foley, has been experiencing this torture non-stop since Thanksgiving Day of last year, when he and his family were told that Jim had been kidnapped in northwestern Syria. Despite the “Free James Foley “campaign Michael spearheaded in an attempt to bring awareness to Jim’s kidnapping and help bring his brother home safely, his absence continues. The Foley family is one of many who experience days on end when news of their missing loved one never comes. Violence against media members is prominent all over the world, but is becoming more and more noticeable in Syria. Last year, 70 journalists were killed while pursuing media coverage of foreign conflicts. Twenty-eight of these killings occurred in Syria. Add on the 21 more who had been abducted in Syria that year, and take away the 13 who made it home safely, and we see a net loss of 36 brave journalists who were doing more than their job. They were attempting to bring clarity and understanding of the Syrian conflict to the American people and the rest of the world. Despite these losses, journalists have not decided to back down and do their work elsewhere where there is less of a concern for safety. Last year a few hundred journalists traveled to Syria to report on the conflict. These brave men and women come from all over the world and those that are victims to the violence in the conflict areas are both foreign and of Syrian origin. No one is safe in Syria. But the problem is broader than Syria. While the focus on Syria is appropriate due to the large numbers of journalists that have been killed or abducted in the country recently and because of the prominence of the conflict within international discussion right now, this is not a new problem nor is it restricted to this civil war. In fact, it is generating worldwide discussion about the role of journalists in conflict and the need to protect those who put their lives on the line to bring information to the rest of the world. A day without news evokes the idea of more than just a day without news of a missing loved one. It brings to mind the possibility that at the rate we are moving now, soon there will be days when news of international conflict is not readily available on a daily and even hourly basis because international and conflict journalism will be too dangerous and impossible. The “A Day Without News?” campaign is working to make sure this never happens.
Photos courtesy of Freedomhouse2/Flickr and Flickr/IonP2010 and Flickr/syriatrip07
April 2013
“A Day Without News?” started among talks at the United Nations in August 2012 regarding the significant numbers of journalists that had been kidnapped, harmed or killed while covering a conflict. One of the most disturbing parts of this discussion included the fact that so many recently have been harmed not as bystanders to violence, but as direct targets of those who are harming them. In recognizing this fact, the international community determined that something needed to be done, and the “A Day Without News?” campaign was born. The goal of the campaign is three-fold. First, it aims “to draw sharper attention to the growing numbers of journalists who have been killed and injured in armed conflict, in some cases as a result of direct targeting by the belligerents.” But the campaign goes beyond advocacy. It also hopes to continue to “develop a public diplomacy, institutional and legal agenda to combat this more effectively” as well as “to investigate and collect evidence in support of prosecutable cases in this area,” as described in adaywithoutnews.com. Overall, the hope is that with a combination of advocacy and direct action to ensure more security of journalists, along with cooperation by government authorities of conflict areas, the numbers will start to go down. Specifically, the campaign hopes to encourage the development of grass roots organizations that will bring awareness to the issue as well as “persuade governing bodies to hold accountable those who target or harm the media,” The New York Times reports in “The Missing Journalists of Syria’s War.” At this point the campaign has a long way to go. The civil war in Syria, which has led to the death of thousands of Syrian civilians and even more Syrian refugees, continues to pose a threat to its own journalists as well as foreigners attempting to perpetuate the spread of knowledge regarding the conflict. For now, supporting and encouraging the development of campaigns that bring attention to the issue and hoping for the safe return of journalists like Jim Foley are both important steps towards ensuring that there will never be a day where journalists can’t spread awareness about conflicts around the world.
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Features A
B
Beer Revi Springtime is all about bright sunny days, flowers and fresh grass, a concurrence of activity and refreshment and clean, crisp air. In a lot of ways, that’s what a good pilsner is all about too. Join us as we review our top picks for this sprightly, accessible style.
A
Radeberger
We’ll start with Radeberger Pilsner, an import from Saxony that’s been showing up a lot more often on shelves lately. Radeberger’s aroma is distinctly hoppy, with vegetal and lemongrass notes accompanied by hints of fresh cut grass and a floral bouquet. On the palate, Radeberger is light and refreshing, with a nice balance between zesty, floral flavors and dry, toasted malt; a lively level of carbonation gives this brew a crisp bite. It’s a nice change of pace from more common imports like Heineken and Beck’s.
All participants in this beer review were 21+. Please drink responsibly.
B
Batch
Batch 19, brewed by Coors, is a unique throwback to an extinct class of beer. “Classic American Pilsner” is the kind of beer our greatgrandfathers would have enjoyed, with both the corn adjuncts of modern light beer but still retaining plenty of zesty bitterness and malt flavor. Coors brewed up Batch 19 using a recipe found in their archives, dating just prior to Prohibition. Pouring a gorgeous deep golden color, Batch 19 doesn’t have too much going on in terms of aroma, but plays out very well on the tongue; starting with a hint of honey and sweet toast flavors, Batch 19 reveals undertones of sweet corn and spicy, herbal German hops. The beer finishes with a mild lingering bitterness and a sticky, sweet mouthfeel reminiscent of Czech-style lagers.
4.5/5
3.5/5 All photos by Zoe Lombard/Gavel Media
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April 2013
C
D
iew:
By Christian Fielder GAVEL MEDIA STAFF
D Boulevard Re-
C Left Hand Polestar PilPolestar is another German-style Pilsner, although this one hails from Colorado. Polestar, like every other pilsner, is an attractive golden color with a tight white head and great lacing. In the nose, Polestar presents us with notes of fresh bread dough and floral hops, which follow through in the taste, buttressed by a solid, clean bitterness and semi-sweet biscuity malt profile. The most bitter of our brews this month, Polestar is a pretty low-key but satisfying choice.
3.5/5
E
E
Reverb, an “imperial” pilsner, is a higher-alcohol version in the pilsner style. Reverb uses only two principal ingredients: ultra-light colored and sweet Pilsner malt, and fresh, grassy Saaz hops. This brew pours ultra-light in color, with a slight haze and plenty of fluffy foam. Reverb’s aroma is delicate, with a light sweetness, mild spicy hop note, and just a pinch of white pepper and lemon. On the palate, Reverb reveals its elevated alcohol content alongside honey malt and grassy hop flavors. Coupled with a very light mouthfeel and prickly carbonation, Reverb is a good pick for drinkers looking for a Pilsner with more kick.
4/5
Notch Session
One of the dilemmas of the enthusiastic beer drinker is “sessionability”; how can we find beer that both tastes good that we can also a healthy amount of? Notch Brewing Company, a local brewery, provides us with a tasty answer. Stateside, Session Pils is pretty unique; as head brewer Chris Lohring explained, “Unless you’ve traveled to the Czech Republic, you’ve never had it, and even then it’s not widely available in the tourist areas of Prague.” The brew pours a pale, cloudy color with plenty of foam that sticks to the walls of the glass. In the aroma, Session Pils is full of fresh Saaz hops, earthy malt scents and a mild “grapiness” that can be found in the highest quality pilsners. In terms of taste, this beer doesn’t disappoint, with a bitter opening note that quickly fades into spice, toast and lemon citrus. Finally, a surprisingly satisfying mouthfeel rounds out the beer, making it a fantastic choice for those who want low alcohol content without sacrificing flavor.
www.bcgavel.com
5/5 27
Features
Overheard at BC
Overheard at BC is a cherished Gavel Media tradition. Read on to get some laughs at the expense of your fellow BC students and be careful what you say— or it might show up here! All statements are 100 percent “overheard” and not fabricated by Gavel Media. “Lets eat some f@%*@*%* dip.” –Vandy
“I like to sit upstairs, it makes me feel like I’m above everyone.” –Lower
“I told them I was Wiz Khalifa and they let me in the Mod. Introduced me to everyone as Wiz” –Comm Ave Bus “She’s too cool for me! Little did we know we would be rooming together.” –The quad “Those pants make you look anorexic! But in a good way!” –Lower “Hillside is the only dining hall we haven’t made out in yet.” –Hillside “Dude I’m still drunk I don’t even remember if I studied for this.” –Devlin “Do you know how to print this? They try to make it so hard.” -CTRC “I feel like BC is more Jesuit than Catholic” -Devlin 28
Photos by Zoe Lombard/Gavel Media
April 2013
www.bcgavel.com
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Culture
Dorm recipe: No oven? No stove? No problem! Orange slice jello shots By Olivia Simone/ Print Manager
With the arrival of spring break and Daylight Savings, I could already feel it in my bones—it was time to break out citrus-flavored Jello shots to welcome BC’s best time of year. These orange peel shots easily top the usual flimsy paper cup ones. Plus, they taste infinitely better. Best for darties and daytime get togethers like Marathon Monday. Cheers!
1
Ingredients:
2
• •
• •
4 medium oranges 3 oz. orange flavored Jello (Try substituting mango for the orange flavor. It still tastes delicious!) 1 cup vodka (we opted for Stoli) 1 cup boiling water
Directions: 1) Slice oranges lengthwise (so that the central column is parallel to the knife) 2) Spoon out the pulp all the way to the pith without breaking the rind. If you have a muffin tin, rest the orange halves on the muffin pan to keep them upright and rounded. Otherwise, try cutting red cups in half. 3) Boil the water. While waiting, pour the vodka to set aside. 4) In a large bowl, mix the Jello packet and the boiling water thoroughly, then add the vodka.
3
5) Immediately after mixing, carefully pour the mixture into each orange half. Don’t be afraid to fill each orange half all the way to the top, because once the Jello sets it tends to deflate. 6) Refrigerate for four hours or until firm. Slice the orange halves to make wedges and enjoy! Gavel Media encourages students 21+ to enjoy these jello shots safely and responsibly.
Photos by Olivia Simone/ Gavel Media
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April 2013
Netflix: What’s in your queue? House of Cards: a sexed-up West Wing knockoff that features Claire and Francis “Frank” Underwood, a white bread couple living alone in their stainless steel-interior Washington D.C. brownstone. They’re childless, upper middle class and both in politics. Overall I’d say the show looks boring and hardly worth my while as I sift through the comparatively enticing gobs of sex and crime-riddled shows in my roommate’s Netflix queue. I only had an hour of free time to kill, but 22 hours later I’m 12 episodes into the first season of House of Cards and the Underwoods are my new favorite TV couple. Together Frank and Claire harbor an inexplicable vendetta against emotion and share a trajectory for world domination. In my professional, I-took-Intro-to-Psychology opinion, they’re both certified sociopaths. They act as a unit, destroying the careers, ambitions and lives of anyone who comes between them and their plan of controlling Capitol Hill. Frank jumps from one position to the other on the Hill, crushing his opponents at each turn while Claire heads a non-profit clean water lobbyist group. They feed each other donors and votes all the while maintaining an open marriage riddled with affairs. I have to say, nothing is more squirm-inducing than listening to Frank and Claire bluntly discuss their respective lovers. www.bcgavel.com
Speaking of these intrigues, enter Zooey Barnes. She’s a bright, young journalist with no morals. When I say no morals, I mean no morals in the most literal of terms. She is perfectly content to screw her way to the top of the food chain in D.C., as long as she gets a story out of the tryst. Zooey and Frank engage in a relationship which can only be described by the phrase “work hard, play hard.” The show owes its most graphic sex scenes to their violent affair, which is saying something considering the amount of prostitutes who make frequent visits to the congressmen in House of Cards. While their relationship eventually becomes sexual, Frank and Zooey are really involved so that they can use each other’s spheres of influence to their own advantage. In the end, personal gain is all that matters among the characters of House of Cards, and they have no qualms exploiting anyone and everyone in order to succeed. As he claws his way to the top, Frank leaks information to the press through Zooey in order to discredit his enemies. In return, Zooey builds a reputation as a groundbreaking journalist who always has the inside scoop on Capitol Hill. The evolving field of journalism is a focal point of the show. Zooey is torn between sticking with a traditional print media-based newspaper and a more progressive online political blog. As
By Emily Akin / Culture Editor Zooey switches jobs, the effects of social media on the spread of news becomes more central to the plotline. She is able to break stories with increasing speed, which forces her to rely more and more on Frank’s information. Which, of course, is just how he likes it. If anyone on TV will make you feel like a better person, it’s Frank Underwood. He is diabolical, manipulative and power-hungry. One of the best scenes of the season involves Frank walking into the chapel on Capitol Hill and lecturing God on His incompetence. At the end of the scene Franks looks into the camera and announces, “I pray to myself, for myself,” which sums up his role in the show quite nicely. Frank plays God in House of Cards. His biting asides to the camera show the audience how he’s a ruthless person to the core. And yet, I can’t help but root for his success. Frank Underwood is one of the most likeable, evil characters on Netflix right now. Sure, he’s a horrible person. He couldn’t care less about hurting people on his road to the top. But he’s smart and calculating. He can talk his way out of any situation, into any heart and around any obstacle. If I’m being completely honest, ultimately I want Frank Underwood to succeed because he makes me feel better about my own life decisions. Screenshot by Emily Akin/ Gavel Media
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Culture
HOW TO SURVIVE MARATHON MONDAY
By Adam Parshall / Gavel Media Staff
“You get off school for what? What’s Patriots’ Day? So like, no classes at all?” These were some of the many questions I heard from my friends who go to school in different states. Living around Washington D.C. my entire life and going to Catholic school, I would often have school holidays that public schools and private, secular schools didn’t celebrate. Coming to Boston College, I learned the glory of celebrating a holiday that is literally not recognized in any other city: Marathon Monday. Even the name sounds incredible. I had vaguely heard about Marathon Monday before I came to Boston College from my mother who went to graduate school at Boston University (sorry, everyone), but I had yet to experience it for myself. Little did I know what was to come in the springtime of my freshmen year… Each year of Marathon Monday has brought something different. Freshmen year, my friends and I were woefully unprepared for the ridiculousness and debauchery of the day. Sophomore year brought the rise of the Marathon Monday rager that took place in my suite in Vandy and on a large chunk of Comm. Ave. Junior year…alas, I was not here for Marathon Monday. It has pained me every day since last April. I will not, however, make the same mistake this year. This is why I hope to impart some 32
Top: Photo courtesy of Greater Boston Convention/
wisdom on you, loyal readers, so you can make the most out of your Marathon Monday, whether you are a mere freshman or a battle-hardened senior. If you happen to be a freshman, especially living on Newton, it would behoove you to make plans to sleep elsewhere the night before. Your chances of making it into the Mods are slim to none, since every year BCPD is remarkably diligent about people sleeping over there or simply trying to jump the fence. Find a friend on Upper or Lower and crash on his or her couch. Just be glad they aren’t charging you rent for his or her valuable floor space. For sophomores, your prospects of easily enjoying Marathon Monday are much better. I would say I feel bad for those of you stranded on CoRo…but I do not. Suck it up and wake up early, Comm. Ave is right down the street, and you also shouldn’t have a problem finding a friend to let you sleep over that night. If you’re on Lower, then kudos: half the work is done for you. Just wake up early, grab a capri sun and you’re made in the shade. Juniors are either in Vandy, Edmonds, 90 or the Gate, or they’re off campus. God forbid you chose to go abroad spring semester and have to miss this spectacular day (I don’t really have the authority to talk about this, as I was living off campus last year and still wasn’t here
Bottom Left: Photo courtesy of squinn0401/ Flickr
April 2013
Photo courtesy of Jeremy Thomas/ Flickr
I now will be focusing on seniors. We have the ability to get into the Mods whenever we want come Marathon Monday. The ultimate tailgate/pregame spot offering maximum access to both Comm. Ave and Lower Dining Hall for some midrace snacking, the Mods are simply the place to be if you aren’t out watching the race. If you don’t have friends in Mods …find some new friends. It should be so easy for seniors to enjoy Marathon Monday, simply from the location alone. Unless you are an RA somewhere far away, you’ll be living in Voute, Gabelli, Iggy, Ruby, the Gate, Edmonds or the Mods and will have ample access to the festivities. Take the time to invest in some kind of large, colored plastic mug or www.bcgavel.com
sippy cup with a straw and handle, so you don’t have to run back to the Mod or suite every 20 minutes to replenish your “marathon fuel.” The runners have water stations set up, but unfortunately, there won’t be anyone out on Comm. Ave with big tables full of paper cups of Natty or OJ and vodka (but in a perfect world…ahhhh). Plan accordingly. Make a big pitcher of your favorite mixed drink that won’t cause you to collapse in a bush, and simply pour a decent amount of it into one of the aforementioned portable containers. That way, you can pregame for a little, go enjoy the marathon, then go back after a while…see the pattern? Good. Shall we move on to clothing? This, by far, is as important as the marathon fuel you will need to enjoy the marathon. There are about a thousand (no exaggeration) pages on Facebook of people selling Marathon Monday hats, pinnies, tank tops, wristbands, and even fannypacks this year (I already bought two). It is paramount that you dress like an absolute fool for the day. For one thing, it’ll probably be hot, so sleeves are a big no-no. Besides, sun’s out, guns out, right? Grab one or several different tank tops and change throughout the day. This is a marathon for everyone,
Photo courtesy of jonathanfean/ Flickr
for the marathon). For the juniors living on Lower, see my section for sophomores. But for those of you living off campus…you, my friends, have been given a rare gift: the ability to have off-campus parties, pregames and everything in between. This is a responsibility: cherish and appreciate it. Co-party with your friends so you can bring down the cost of your soiree, or simply relax at your off-campus house or apartment, knock back a few cold ones, and make your way out to Comm. Ave every once in a while to cheer on the real athletes.
not just runners: you need options and you need to be prepared for the whole thing. For dudes, cargo shorts are your best friend. How else will you be able to carry around the 20 beers you so desire? Ladies, I’d guess running shorts are your best friend here. They’ll keep you cool, you’ll look good, and you’ll be kindred spirits with the girls running the marathon. Solidarity! Add a flatbrim, some cheap shades and you’re good to go.
I truly hope this has been a helpful guide to your Marathon Monday. Supporting the runners is also a time-honored tradition at BC. A lot of people run this race for charity, and you will no doubt see many runners with Campus School shirts on. These people have been training and busting their humps to run this race and raise money, so the least you can do is cheer them on and maybe even run a mile or two with them (try to find an entry point without any cops…good luck). Have fun preparing for arguably one of the greatest days of the spring semester! I’ll be out there with bells on, probably wearing jorts, because it’s MARATHON MONDAY.
Gavel Media encourages students 21+ to celebrate Marathon Monday safely and responsibly. 33
Culture It’s no secret that I’m obsessed with Girls. This obsession is mainly fueled by my girl-crush on Lena Dunham, and the
The Hannah You’ll know a Hannah when you see one— she openly lacks
any shame—which may be considered a rarity at a Catholic overall relatability of the show’s characters. When you watch school (until the weekends at least). She rarely wears any form of undergarments and frequently sports some pretty hipster it, you can’t help but see yourself and your friends in the attire. When seeking out The Hannahs of BC, start here: characters. In fact, if you look hard enough, you’ll find the girls of this hit series all over Boston College’s campus.
Activities: 1. Gavel Media: The Hannah obviously writes for Gavel Media. Maybe I’m just trying to claim her because she’s my favorite, but I think she’s Gavel material. She’s a writer, she’s liberal and she’s awesome—so it’s basically go Gavel or go home. 2. GLC: The Hannah is really involved in this club because she loves helping people come out (Elijah anyone?). But seriously, the girl is all about supporting love. Housing: Freshman year, The Hannah totally lives on Newton. She sometimes acts like she’s from some distant planet and Newton is as close as we come to that planet at BC. I only went to Newton once for the infamous “Neon Newton.” So, in my mind, Newton has always been this mysterious land of milkshakes and middle-school-dance-esque parties. The Hannahs love it there.
The Marnie Finding The Marnie is harder than you’d think. She is by no
means an endangered species but still, a true Marnie is hard to find. Some may say her clean-cut, preppy look embodies the stereotypical BC girl. But I like to shy away from this stereotype, and I like to think she’s more than that. The Marnies of BC can likely be found here:
Dining Hall: The Hannah is most commonly seen in the Rat. Large spaces with lots of people aren’t really her thing. The Rat provides the perfect blend of good food, seclusion and sketchiness. It is underground and weirdly lit so I believe that qualifies as slightly sketchy. The Hannah requires a certain amount of sketchiness to do some good writing or to exist in general.
Activities: 1. One of the a cappella groups: Those of you who have seen the last few episodes of Girls will understand why she’d be in an a cappella group. Marnie is in the midst of a mid-twenties crisis, which has led to the exploration of her passion for music. 2. UGBC: The Marnie definitely gives off Jackie O , future first-lady vibes. She’s a power woman who appears to have it all figured out (for now, at least). Housing: The Marnie is definitely an Upper Campus girl. In her eyes, Upper is East Egg and Newton is West Egg. Newton may be all cool with its newer dorms and fancy milkshake machine, but it doesn’t have the age-old class of Upper. Dining Hall: The Marnie prefers a classy, cafe-esque environment and the closest thing to that on campus is Hillside. She’s typically found sipping on a skinny chai latte at one of those impossible-to-score tables. Maybe she’s doing work, maybe she’s socializing. Whatever it is, she’s exuding class. 34
Screenshots by Sameet Dhillon/ Gavel Media
April 2013
GIRLS
The Jessa The Jessa is all about making statements—
whether they are good or bad is up to you to decide. Her signature look includes some sort of peasant skirt combined with a see-through shirt (and she’s rarely wearing anything under it). She’s willing to put up with the weird looks, as long as she gets to keep her Bohemian “je ne sais quoi.”
The Shoshanna The Shoshanna, like The Marnie, is quite
deceiving. You might think you see her all over the place with her well-planned outfits and matching accessories. But think again; she’s like totally more complicated than you like even know: Activities: 1. Equestrian Team: The Shoshanna has equestrian team written all over her. One of her favorite pastimes is simultaneously brushing her own hair and the horse’s. Her horse is most likely named something like “Lucky” or “Rainbow Unicorn.” 2. Cheerleading: The Shoshanna is probably a cheerleader. Due to her manner of speaking and love for high ponytails, she really has no choice in the matter. Shoshanna was made to cheer. Go Eagles! Housing: The Shoshanna is one of those unfortunate freshmen who are put on CoRo freshman year. She laughed, she cried and she barely made it out of Williams alive. But she did manage to make some girlfriends (because the boys were too far away). And having one less flight of stairs makes walking around in her heels and skirts a lot easier. Dining Hall: The Shoshanna is all about the Chocolate Bar. She likes to purchase pretty pastries, sip on some hot chocolate and gossip freely at one of the coveted tables. www.bcgavel.com
Activities: 1. BC Students for Sexual Health: The Jessa is all about exploring her sexuality. Some might say to the point of excess. But, hey, no judgment here. The Jessa does her thing. She’s educating people, educating herself and possibly hosting some experimental parties in her eight-man. 2. South Asian Student Association: Clearly, Jessa is not South Asian. But she loves exploring other cultures through fashion, food and sexuality. The Jessa is a free-spirited hippie, thus hanging with Indians is a must. Housing: Yeah, The Jessa doesn’t really do dorm life. She might have been kicked off campus or maybe she decided that dorm life is too mainstream. The Jessa could live in a funky studio apartment or in her most desperate hours, a corner room in Greycliff.
Dining Hall: The Jessa is usually a combination of vegan, vegetarian, and any other dietary restrictions out there, hence Addie’s is a must.
OF BC
By Sameet Dhillon / Assoc. Culture Editor
35
Culture
WHY YOU S
By Samantha Costanza / Assoc. Culture Editor As a self-proclaimed theatre nerd, I The writers of The Book of Mormon am often the first one to find out about are none other than Matt Stone and up-and-coming Broadway shows, Trey Parker, creators of the mega-hit hop on a train to New York City, and cartoon South Park. It’s no secret that buy tickets to just about anything that South Park has received its fair share sounds remotely interesting. I have of controversy due to the shameless seen more Broadway shows than I can parodies of celebrities and often vulgar possibly count, but one recent musical and politically incorrect jokes. If you discovery truly stood out to me. It had thought that The Book of Mormon was great music, fantastic dancers, increda nice family musical that would steer ible comedic timing, and one of the clear from such jokes, you thought most well-done approaches to a contro- wrong. versial topic I have ever seen. The Book of Mormon had me leaving the theater Parker and Stone teamed up with laughing harder than I ever have in my fellow comedic genius Robert Lopez to entire life. compose the incredibly witty and undeniably catchy soundtrack to the show. The Book of Mormon, winner of nine Lopez is the creator and composer of Tony awards including “Best Musical,” the Tony-winning musical Avenue Q. is a musical about two Mormon misAfter attending the Broadway producsionaries named Elder Price and Elder tion of Avenue Q, Parker and Stone were Cunningham who set out on a two-year immediately inspired by the seamless mission to Uganda. Along the way, they integration of clever, borderline-inapdiscover what it truly means to have propriate comedy with high-caliber faith, while experiencing some hilarious music and acting. Before they could bumps in the road. even approach Lopez, they discovered 36
a “thank you” addressed to them in the Avenue Q playbill. Lopez had never met the pair, but was so inspired by their feature film, South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, that he decided to write his very own comedy-laden musical. When the three finally came together, it was clear that they should not let their immense talents go to waste, and thus the creative team was formed. Now why would we, students attending a Jesuit Catholic university, want to see a show about Mormonism? While it is true that many of us are not in fact practicing Catholics, it can be safely said that exposure to Mormon communities is not exactly widespread in the suburbs of Massachusetts. This musical provides insight into another religion in an extremely satirical and comical way. All of the facts check out, so nothing is made up in the show, yet somehow it all seems ridiculous. That is the brilliance of Parker and Stone’s writing. They can take a controversial topic and make
April 2013
HOULD SEE...
people laugh by simply stating the exact beliefs of a religion, but in an outlandish, over-the-top way that makes you ask, “Do people really believe this stuff?” I’m not saying that this show is some sort of atheistic manifesto – far from it, actually. While it does touch upon multiple religions with slightly mocking undertones, it never once tells you what you should or should not believe. In fact (without giving too many spoilers), one of the main themes of the show is that regardless of how things seem to be working out, faith and trust in whatever you choose to believe will be what ultimately provides you with the most happiness. As college students, many of us are going through a period of self-discovery, especially when it comes to religion. This musical truly provides an interesting perspective on the issue that is more relatable to kids our age. As the Elders struggle with their own religious identities, we are forced to consider just how much we understand our own beliefs. One important takeaway from the show is that it is possible for everyone to find their own personally tailored set of beliefs, and that yours don’t need to match anyone else’s as long as they allow you to find happiness and peace. www.bcgavel.com
“I AM A MORMON, AND A MORMON JUST BELIEVES!” When it all comes down to it, the main reason to see this show is that it’s unbelievably, knee-slappingly hilarious. As a huge South Park fan, I had a hunch that I was going to like this musical, but little did I know that I would love it so much that I would see it on Broadway three times! The humor in this show never misses a beat, from elaborate musical numbers featuring a gay, tap-dancing Mormon missionary, to smaller recurring jokes like Elder Cunningham’s inability to get the African girl Nabalungi’s name right (they change every show but ones I’ve seen include “Neutrogena,” “Neiman Marcus,” and “Nissan Maxima”). The bottom line is that this show is downright amazing and completely worth your while. The theatre enthusiasts will love the amazing choreography and top-notch singing, but even those who typically prefer root canal over Broadway shows will be pleasantly surprised by The Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon will be coming to the Boston Opera House from April 9th-28th. Tickets will be sold at the Robsham Ticket Office through BC2Boston.
Photo courtesy of Brook Bettencourt-Berge/ Flickr
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AWE. STRUCK
Sports
UFC made its debut in the limelight. What’s now in store for the fastest-growing action sport enterprise in the world? By Hunter Gambino / Gavel Media Contributor
The FX network broadcasted one of the most violent knockouts in the history of Mixed Martial Arts, MMA, on Feb. 5th. Coming in as the second preliminary fight of the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s television series, The Ultimate Fighter — known as TUF — Team Sonnen’s Uriah Hall knocked out Team Jones’ Adam Cella at the end of the first round of their middleweight bout. Cella’s stunned body hit the ground. Referee, Herb Dean, stopped the fight. The reaction was silence. The reality show follows 14 professional mixed martial artists living together in a house over the course of five weeks. The artists are all vying for a six-figure contract with the UFC in a tournament-style competition. This season pits current Light Heavyweight champion Jon Jones against former middleweight contender Chael Sonnen. Each will be coaching a team of seven middleweights and subsequently squaring off in a championship tilt at the UFC 159 event after the season’s finale. The show premiered back in 2005, ending with the infamous TUF 1 finale, in which former Light Heavy38
weight Champion Forrest Griffin edged out a close decision victory over Stephan Bonnar, a retired American mixed martial artist. Being cited as one of the most significant moments in the sport’s history, the slugfest between Griffin and Bonnar catapulted MMA, and more specifically the UFC promotion, towards mainstream popularity. As the UFC continues to augment its following, the sport as a whole is expanding to new lengths, inside and out of the cage. Spawning from humble beginnings, the sport’s first sanctioned event was held in 1993 under the UFC banner as a medium for pitting different martial arts against one another—using premier representatives of each—to determine the most effective combat style in the world. More than a decade later, the level of fighting has grown exponentially as rising stars are mastering every discipline, —such as kickboxing, wrestling, and submission grappling, to name a few—rather than coming from just a single background, as the fighters had in the advent of the sport. Now, the UFC has become synonymous with the MMA and has reached several countries across the globe giving the sport widespread recognition.
April 2013
With 10 seconds remaining in the first round, Cella began to drop his hands, specifically before throwing right hand crosses. Cella’s footwork and head movement had kept Hall’s high-level kickboxing at bay for most of the first five-minute round, despite getting hit with several front kicks with one actually flooring him. However, at the very moment that he stood still, Hall unleashed a ferocious spinning wheel kick and landed his heel solidly across Cella’s jawline. The sound emitted from the television was unnatural—like a brick thrown flat onto the ground. Even in this world of hand-to-hand combat, participants and spectators alike were shocked, not at the fact that Hall landed the maneuver but at the pure cringing violence that unfolded. The World Health Organization defines violence as “the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, mal-development or deprivation.” By this definition, it seems that all martial arts are undoubtedly violent; however, as time changes, so does humanity’s perception of certain things.
Photo courtesy of flickr/thesun.co.uk www.bcgavel.com
What can be said of violence then? In past generations, physical force was used to discipline children, pupils and soldiers. Now, cyberbullying could be worthy of expulsion or legal action due to zero-tolerance policies in schools and the workplace. Somewhere along the lines, the existence of violence has been shunned, discrediting the act of any purpose. Yet, the entertainment industry continues to pump out stock action-flicks with star-studded casts. The paradigm seems to be cyclical, baffling the vehement opposition. UFC commissioner Dana White said of the finish, “That was one of the nastiest knockoutsI’ve ever seen in the fight business, let alone the Ultimate Fighter.” Reports show that
39
Sports
Photo courtesy of flickr/mmabadass was one of the nastiest knockouts I’ve ever seen in the business, let alone the Ultimate Fighter.” Reports show that his episode of TUF pulled in 1.2 million viewers, a slight decline from the average of the show’s history. It is still a significant step up from recent seasons that have hemorrhaged money for the fighting promotion. The show has made some structural changes that may be the reason for its upturn in numbers. The fighter bracket has reverted back to wild card spots for eliminated fighters and financial incentives have been added by the organization. These incentives include $5,000 bonuses for finishes — both knockouts and submissions — as well as a $25,000 award for the knockout of the season. The series has also taken a turn in its production value, perhaps to appeal more to the mainstream. Several times throughout the season, episodes have been filled with confessionals, advertising plugs, and petty skirmishes. Why this need for enter tainment quality? This is about fighting, 40
is it not? Seasons past have had their fair share of breaks from the fight life, but not as heavily promoted as this. Well, whatever the UFC brass is doing, it’s working. It seems that the modern perception of violence has been confused in the minds of audiences everywhere, especially in a time where gun control and other tragedies revolving around violence are filling the headlines. It is understandable that the media needs to feed its audience with what the readers and viewers demand of them. However, major aspects of stories are being lost in the journalistic translation to meet the taste buds of the people. After the victory, Hall was overcome with emotion. He feared that he had leveled an opponent with such force that he could have taken his life. The medics entered the cage and Sonnen pulled his fighter off to the side. The victor leaned in with concern, saying, “I’m sorry, Adam.” The comment fell on deaf ears. For the second time in three weeks, the gifted striker had sent an opponent to the hospital. The first time was during the season’s premiere. Hall broke his opponent’s arm who was trying to block the Tiger Shulmann’s Karate affiliate’s body kick. Considering the nature of the sport, this is nothing short of normal for MMA. Despite the evolution in regulations regarding fighter safety, the sport has never seen injuries
April 2013
in such high frequency, especially as these athletes are becoming faster, stronger, and more technical then ever. These injuries are the result of high octane training, sparring, and fighting inside the ring.
Dana White — UFC Commissioner Photo courtesy of flickr/GMR Marketing photos
The most extreme case was seen in June when 30-yearold fighter Michael Kirkham died as a result of injuries sustained in a sanctioned MMA bout in South Carolina. Kirkham’s death came as a result of a brain hemorrhage, the same fatal injury that took the life of the only other fighter on record to have died from fight-related injuries, Sam Vasquez in 2007. But back in ’93 up through the UFC’s expulsion from pay-per-view and television broadcast, MMA operated under no-holds barred rules and never saw anything quite like that day in the Southeast regional circuit. The only regulatory rules then were no eye gouging or biting; other than that, it was “anything goes” — a promotional tagline used in the UFC’s infancy. With no protection — no gloves, mouth guards or cups — no time limits, and no weight classes, broken bones and gushing cuts were rampant. Senator John McCain even publicly stated his objection to the sport in a push to outlaw MMA in its entirety, calling it “human cockfighting.” It is clear to those outside of MMA’s core following that the promotional organizations like the UFC, Bellator, and Strikeforce come across as platforms for meatheads running on fuel that would boil others’ skin. This perception, however, undercuts the commitment, determination, and sacrifice that these fighters persevere through on a regular basis. However, the sport has never seen such success. Like
Photo courtesy of flickr/JPLAGES
www.bcgavel.com
the ratings of this season’s TUF, UFC events have seen a spike in pay-per-view buys and gate revenue sales. At what cost, though? Fighters continue to push the limits to satisfy the fans making for exciting, and most times bloody fights. The young Cella was separated from his senses for four minutes and couldn’t physically stand up until six minutes after the initial contact. Sitting atop the knee-high corner stool in the center of the TUF octagon, the young mixed martial artist still showed signs of shock and wasn’t even conscious that he had just been in a fight. White, who attends each fight, entered Team Sonnen’s locker room after the TUF facility was cleared. As he crept into the room uncomfortably with wide eyes, the commissioner said, “Are you kidding me? I guess we know who’s getting the 25k.”
Photo courtesy of flickr/Spill Denver
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Sports
By Teddy Accardi / Gavel Media Contributor
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The enigma that is the NFL Combine
Photo courtesy of flickr/imgacademy
ednesday, Feb. 20 marked the project to be late-round draft picks. 47th NFL Combine in which colCleary and Wetzel have great frames for the NFL and, aclege players work out for NFL cording to many scouts, if they work on their footwork, they teams, both physically and intel- could find a home at the next level. Both have strong upper lectually, to try to improve their bodies and move well off the snap, something that bodes well draft prospects heading into when combating the quicker defensive ends in the NFL. April’s NFL Draft. Pantale was hampered by a broken leg for much of his seAs a longtime football diehard, I was particularly nior season and as a result wasn’t able to produce as he would psyched to see the event again because it allows me to see have liked. He was still able to be a contributor on offense and whom my team is interested in. a reliable target for quarterback Chase Rettig. His numbers However, nowadon’t line up with the topdays the NFL Comtier tight end prospects, so We hardcore football enthusiasts are eibine has become he’ll have to earn his worth ther surprised or disappointed if a player on an NFL roster, whether a media circus and receives conruns his 40-yard dash just one-tenth of a through a late-round draft stant press expick or free agency. second slower or faster than expected. posure. We hardcore It wasn’t a Boston College football enthusiasts are football player that made either surprised or disapheadlines, but rather a player pointed if a player runs his 40-yard dash just one-tenth of a from the opposing side of the Holy War. Notre Dame linesecond slower or faster than expected. backer Manti Te’o recently made headlines for his girlfriend Many of us tuned in to see our own Eagles in action as hoax and was the center of attention after his poor combine they set their sights toward the NFL. Offensive linemen showing. Emmett Cleary and John Wetzel, along with tight end Chris Te’o ran his 40-yard dash in 4.82 seconds, considered slow Pantale, took the field for scouts in Indianapolis. The three by top linebacker standards. He was widely projected to be a
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April 2013
high first-round selection, but now his odds of being taken in the top round at all are in jeopardy. Te’o also wasn’t able to counteract his poor performance with an impressive one on the bench press because of a stinger in his shoulder. However, Te’o’s poor 40 time is not indicative of the end of his career; only his play on Sundays can determine the length of that. Sure, his play in the National Championship Game against Alabama left a lot to be desired, but how can we be sure that he’s already a bust? In fact, we can easily point to last year’s draft, one that saw Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burfict go from surefire first-round talent to undrafted free agent due to poor Combine workouts and off-the-field concerns. Burfict went on to play in all 16 games for the Bengals in 2012, starting 14 of them, and was a major part of the Cincinnati defense. Surely, Te’o is probably still a first round pick, but when players fall in a draft, they fall hard. Such shifts in draft stocks, when looked at impartially, almost seem ludicrous. When was the last time an NFL game was won or lost by how many reps of 225 pounds a player can record on the bench press or how quickly a player can run 40 yards in a dead sprint from a standstill, with no regard for anything else happening around them? Never. The Combine was never this big of a media event until recently. It has been going on since 1977 and only became available to watch on television in 2004. Now, the NFL Network airs more than 30 hours of coverage over the course of the week. For what other sport would we spend more than 30 hours in one week watching prospective players simply work out? Whether we pretend we’re scouting for our favorite teams
Photo courtesy of flicker/bleacherreport
or pretend to like watching people work out, the truth is we are truly just looking for our NFL fix. We obsess over fantasy football and our favorite teams every Sunday for at least four months and then that is taken away from us. The Combine gives us our fill until the Draft less than two months later, which holds us over into OTAs (Organized Team Activies). Those then give way to training camp and, eventually, the NFL season. It’s not that we like the Combine, it’s that we need it. We need our football. The Combine is the fountain that we drink from a few weeks after the Super Bowl; it gives us that little bit we need until we get to the next one. Then the next one. And the one after that. Then before long, football is back, and all will be right with the world.
“Surely, Te’o won’t fall that low and is probably still a first round pick, but when players fall in a draft, they fall hard.”
Photo courtesy of flickr/imgacademy www.bcgavel.com
Did you know? NFL prospects are subject to The Wonderlic Test during the NFL Combine, which measures an athlete’s intellectual ability. Much like the SAT, a score is given to the player after completion quantifying their problem solving skills. The second highest score received on the evaluation was a Boston College alumni, Mike Mamula ‘95, who scored a 49 out of 50. 43
Sports
The case for BC’s facilities
By Jake Miller / Assoc. Sports Editor
are throngs of people elbowing each other on the exercise mats. You fall to your knees and scream, “Oh Mr. Bates, when will your Strategic Plan ever be finished?!” [Slight dramatization.] While Brad Bates, the new athletic director, has pledged to address the myriad of glaring needs facing him and the athletic department, it is hard to pinpoint which of the changes he plans to implement will actually affect the lives of Boston College students. In a Feb. 25th press conference held with new football coach Steve Addazio, Bates said that many of the things students would like to be addressed are a part of what he has termed the “Strategic Plan.” The degree to which this mystical plan actually satisfies the wants of students here, however, has yet to be seen. Bates named the construction of a new practice facility and fitness complex large enough to cater to the varsity, club, and intramural teams on campus, as well as the image-conscious student body as one of the main goals of his “Strategic Plan.” The creation of a serviceable indoor track would be to the benefit of Boston College, and is something worth considering. “Serviceable” could mean a whole host of things; it just depends on how willing the administration is to satisfy the fancies of the enormous population of runners on campus. The men’s and women’s varsity track teams do not have a facility of their own in which they can practice. Right now, the team travels to Roxbury, MA to run at the Reggie Lewis Track and Field Center, a nationally known track facility, for all of their winter meets. While BC would never forfeit its enviable position of competing at the Reggie Lewis Track and Field Center, having an indoor track for practice and rehab stints would certainly not be met with contention by the track team or the runners. If the school were to make another indoor track, it
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Oh Mr. Bates, when will your Strategic Plan ever be finished?!
Photo courtesy of flickr/davy_fields
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our last class gets out on Monday and you want to start the week off right by going to the Plex and working off everything you were guilty of doing the weekend before. You get changed quickly in a crowded locker room and head up the stairs to the bikes. You are so busy thinking about how “swoll” you are going to get after this quick cardio session that you fail to realize that all the bikes are taken. No problem. You turn around to see if a treadmill is available and are greeted by 10 people waiting in line for the next person to vacate their machine. Luckily, you remember that the track did not look too packed when you walked in. Proud of your inventiveness, you head back downstairs, committed to getting in that cardio. You stare quizzically at the chart on the wall and find that a mile takes… 8.9 laps? You find after one lap of dodging the tennis courts’ net in lane one, avoiding people walking in lane three, and breaking your ankles at each ninety-degree turn, that these 8.9 laps are not happening anytime soon. Stepping off the “track,” you survey the area to see that most of the floor machines are occupied and there
The elephant in the room facing new AD Brad Bates
April 2013
Photos courtesy of bc.edu, flickr/brostoncollege and BC Alumni, respectively
would be to its own benefit to consider constructing one capable of hosting indoor track meets, even of the high school level. This would require building a track with the acceptable 200 meters-around proportions — not 187 meters, or whatever it is now. The cash inflow from such an enterprise would eventually pay for the construction of the track. If BC is not able to accommodate its own varsity track team, then it should at least accommodate the ever-growing concentration of runners at the school and still make its indoor track 200 meters around and with gradual curves—not ACL-tearing turns. In his press conference with Bates, Addazio expressed interest in gaining a stranglehold on the football talent in the Northeast for BC football to monopolize New England. So why shouldn’t head baseball coach Mike Gambino be able to do the same with the baseball team? The answer lies in Shea Field. It is true that most of the competitive college baseball programs are in the western and southern parts of the country. It only makes sense that a warm weather sport should thrive in an environment capable of supporting it. This idea is paralleled in the northern United States and Canada with hockey. However, the Northeast also churns out quite a few decent ballplayers and there has thus far been little impetus for them to stay local when there is better competition and higher likelihood of gaining professional exposure www.bcgavel.com
in the South. Enticing young talent to come to Boston College becomes even harder when your baseball field is used as the stomping grounds for tailgating parties during football season — something I am sure of which Louisiana State University or Mississippi State University are not guilty. Some high school baseball fields have more available seating than Shea Field does. If you don’t get to the game on time to grab a piece of the insufficiently small metal bench, you are banished to the onramp of the BC parking garage. With marketability the name of the recruiting game, BC cannot afford to count itself out of games before the team even steps on the field. Quality of facilities should never be an excuse for student-athletes to apply elsewhere, especially in the case of a Division I school like BC. On the other side of this parking garage is BC’s last area of concern regarding athletic facilities. Alumni Stadium, in all of its splendor is in need of some work, too. During the winter season, Alumni — the school’s beloved alcove of a football stadium — becomes the practice center for multiple varsity and club sports, including football, soccer, softball, baseball, and field hockey. These teams practice in what is affectionately known as “The Bubble” to stay protected from the elements that tend to plague New England this time of year. The Bubble collapsed in February during snowstorm Nemo leaving these teams without a facility to use for prac-
tices and training. This raises questions about the practicality of housing a large chunk of the university’s sporting teams in the same practice center. Perhaps as part of the foundational stages of introducing a varsity men’s lacrosse team to the college, Bates will attack the issue of introducing the team to the Brighton Campus, which houses the Religious Ministry on campus. Launching a men’s varsity team would not be too difficult, as BC would immediately be slotted into the most competitive and most publicized Division-I lacrosse league in the nation, the ACC. That being said, the school may not deem the lacrosse program profitable enough to completely invest and commit to it as a varsity sport. For the time being, lacrosse at BC may remain a club sport in name, but a varsity sport at heart. Regardless of what the “Strategic Plan” has in store for Boston College, all we — athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike — can do is hope that its implementation is as swift as the transformation of O’Neill Plaza.
Did you know? The original grandstands of what was then called “Alumni Field” could only accomodate 2,200 spectators in 1950, compared to 44,500 today.
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