10/27/2009 V1I1

www.bcgavel.com Volume I, Issue 1

October 27, 2009

Worker contracts run on fumes

Pedro Ondrush/Photo Editor

Union talks are ongoing, leaving future up in the air

By Tue Tran Editor-in-Chief

F

or the past five months, members of the Boston College community have been living month-by-month, unsure of their job situation — and they aren’t just some of the recent graduates.

Custodial, grounds, building maintenance, and mailroom workers, some of whom have worked at BC for more than 30 years, have only had their contracts renewed on a monthly basis since their last three-year contract expired on May 31, 2009, according to an informational pamphlet “Contract Trouble at Boston College” distributed by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 615.

SEIU Local 615 represents 16,000 property service workers in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, including 270 workers at BC. As expressed by “Contract Trouble at Boston College,” the principal item of contention is BC’s desire to contract out work currently done by union members. This was not expected by the workers.

“BC has always treated us fairly,” John*, a grounds worker who wished to remain anonymous due to the possibility of disciplinary action, said. “But the first day of negotiations, BC said, ‘This is going to be like no other negotiation at Boston College.’”

BC administration could not be reached at this time for comment.

“The economic times call for change, they [BC] said, and the change they want is the unrestricted ability to use outside contractors, part timers, temporary employees and student employees, including minimum-wage, non-union workers,” the pamphlet stated.

A particular sentence in Article 18 of the contract is at the center of the contro-

To the Court: Corporate Sponsorship News, Page 3

Efforts to diversify student activities Features, Page 5

versy because BC, according to John, wants it altered or completely removed. Article 18 states: “It is agreed that the right to undertake contractual services will not be exercised by the University for the purpose of eliminating work or overtime for the employees in the categories covered by the contract.”

The fear is that union members will lose hours of work per week — and possibly their jobs — to outsourcing.

John’s experience at work has changed since the contract issues began.

“Some people are petrified … Everybody is afraid of the unknown,” John said.

“It’s taken its toll on people.”

Kathleen Sellers, STM ’14, has been organizing the student efforts to help the union workers negotiate a fair contract with BC. Her drive to help stems from the workers themselves.

“They smile and say, ‘Hi,’ to us and ask how we’re doing,” Sellers said. “And maybe next year, there may be a complete stranger who doesn’t bring their kids to [BC] football games, and who doesn’t care about BC as much as the other workers had. “ Richard Rhom, a Global Justice Project member and A&S ’10, has a similar reason why he is active in this cause.

“Last month, there was a union ‘lunch-in’ outside of Hillside, and when I saw the custodian who cleaned my dorm sophomore year, she still remembered my name,” Rhom said.

See Union, Page 4

Worldly view of American Politics Opinions, Page 8

Bestselling novelist talks film adaptations Culture, Page 10

www.bcgavel.com

News

Seat now empty, race heats up

By Andrew Schofield For the Gavel

With Ted Kennedy’s death, instability has been brought to a seat not known for its competition, since he has occupied that seat since 1962. This year, Massachusetts is about to witness a rare occurrence: a competitive Senate race.

Despite the late January election date, many believe the race will be decided on Dec. 8 when Massachusetts Democrats vote in the primary election for their chosen candidate.

“I like to stay optimistic, but the chances of a Republican winning in [Massachusetts] are slim to none,” Douglas Hernandez, A&S ’13, said.

Considering Massachusetts has not seen a true competitive Senate race since 1984, many prominent politicians have entered the race, realizing it might be their only opportunity for a Senate seat.

Democratic candidates include current Attorney General Martha Coakley, Congressman Mike Capuano, Boston Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca, and former City Year CEO Alan Khazei.

Coakley supporters point to the fact that, in this shortened election, Coakley’s stance on many issues was made clear through her role as the state’s Attorney General. According to a recent Suffolk University/WHDH-TV News poll, only 12 percent of voters polled said they did not know who Coakley is.

The Coakley campaign also recently announced that nearly half of Massachusetts’ State Senators have endorsed the current Attorney General.

Capuano’s strongest case for the vacant Senate seat is his nine years of experience on Capitol Hill serving the Boston area. His service makes him an attractive candidate to step into power during this tumultuous time in Wash-

ington D.C. However, many Democratic primary voters will find it difficult to distinguish between the nearly identical platforms of Coakley and Capuano.

Khazei is focusing on creating a grassroots campaign led by young people across college campuses. Khazei has also been focusing on fundraising, bringing over $1.1 million campaign.

Max Kennedy, son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, has also endorsed him.

“The conventional wisdom in this election is wrong, on everything. We’ve never done this before,’’ Khazei told the Boston Globe, dismissing the ‘underdog’ label.

What Pagliuca lacks in political experience, he more than makes up for with his personal reserve for campaign funds, as his net worth is estimated to be $410 million. The private equity investor has relied on bombarding the airwaves with television ads, including one in which he claims partial responsibility for the turn around of the Boston Celtics.

While Pagliuca has stuck to nonconfrontational television ads, Capuano has shown no fear of trading barbs with other candidates. Despite Coakley’s strong liberal background, Capuano has begun courting Massachusetts’ progressives by attacking Coakley’s support for the death penalty in limited circumstances.

“This is one of the few issues she has a record on and I have a record on, and there are differences,” Capuano said recently in a Boston Globe interview.

“I have opposed the death penalty my whole life.”

The likely Republican candidate Scott Brown, a current state senator, is not conceding the race despite the Democratic nature of Massachusetts’ government. Although Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling flirted with the possibility of running in the Republican

Letter from the Editor Dear Reader,

Courtesy of sojournproject.com

primary, he opted out, leaving Brown, Canton Selectman and Bob Burr as the major Republican candidates.

The latest poll, released on Oct. 7, showed Coakley had a wide lead in the four-way race among the Democratic candidates. The campaign’s pollsters found that Coakley would garner 47 percent of the vote, Capuano, 12 percent, Pagliuca, 4 percent, and Khazei, 1 percent. The poll, however, was taken towards the end of September, when Pagliuca and Khazei were barely in the race.

With the Dec. 8 primary looming, the strategy each candidate will take will most likely differ from traditional tactics, given the shortened nature of the election. Typically, candidates have well over a year to build momentum, but given the short time frame, that won’t occur. Despite the shortened time frame, if history is any indicator, it might be a while before another one comes around.

Thank you for picking up our first issue.

You may be asking, “Another publication on campus?” Well, we felt that the voices of the students have been neglected in recent months. And while we have been working on The Gavel, issues have arisen on campus, causing many in the Boston College community to question the existing publications. So there is no doubt that the need for an alternative source for news exists.

The Gavel is unique, though, because we will cover more national and international issues and events. We will have first-hand accounts of important events in Boston as well – local culture and politics are what we love.

After all, our experiences as students, faculty, staff, and alumni do not stop at BC’s gates.

We will focus most of our energy online. News stories will constantly update, and we will be providing picture slideshows, blogs, and much more, as we continue to develop The Gavel. Go to www.bcgavel.com often to see what’s the latest at BC and what’s happening now elsewhere. But we will print once a month to keep you entertained while on the bus or the T. A line in our mission states, “We are unafraid to challenge the status quo, and will never cease to champion the needs of BC students.” That is why we produce The Gavel. Students’ concerns are often overlooked because not enough of us know or care about the issues. The Gavel will be at the frontier to tell you about what the hot topics are and why you should care.

Our goal is progress, but that doesn’t mean we take issue with all of BC – we love BC. We want it to become the best it can be by living up to its Jesuit ideals. We want to help continue – and further – its endeavor of creating men and women for others.

We hope you will check out www.bcgavel.com after reading because there are plenty of Web-exclusive stories and features. Follow us on Twitter or be a fan on Facebook for up-to-the-minute news updates.

If you have any comments or suggestions, have a story you think we should cover, or are interested in helping us by writing or producing video, send an e-mail to bcgavel@gmail.com.

Happy reading, Tue Tran

Students fight for office’s life

By Dan Monan Assoc. Culture Editor Students returning to class this September were met with flyers warning of a possible consolidation of the small United States post offices in the Boston area, among them the Boston College branch of the USPS in McElroy Hall.

This announcement has been met with understandable resistance by the BC community, as many students lack vehicles and must rely on the convenience the post office offers.

“The nearest post offices aren’t close at all,” said Rachel Lamorte, president of the College Democrats of Boston College and A&S ’10. Lamorte is referring to the Chestnut Hill, Brighton, and Newton Center post offices, which are each over a mile away.

“Students aren’t going to walk that far.

They’ll just use the UPS store across the street. The postal service will only lose business.”

According to Lamorte, over the past month the CDBC has worked to prevent the closing by raising student awareness and discussing the issue with the USPS. A petition and letter-writing campaign has collected over 1000 signatures, both online and by hand, against the closing. These signatures were recently delivered to the USPS. BC administrators have given their support by speaking with USPS officials and strongly voicing their unified opinion that the office should remain open for student use. In addition, the Undergraduate Government of Boston College recently voted on a resolution to support the continued presence of the BC branch.

In recent years, e-mail, as well as companies such as UPS and FedEx, have supplanted much of the work the postal service once undertook. The economic climate has not helped the situation. The volume of mail handled by the USPS is expected to decline nearly 14 percent in the coming year,

Pedro Ondrush/Gavel Graphic

and this trend will likely continue for the foreseeable future.

Employees at the BC branch are prohibited from speaking with the press. When USPS officials were questioned, however, they cited declining mail volume and profits as reasons for the sale. In e-mail correspondence, Postmaster Dennis Tarmey stated, “Boston College Post Office revenue, customer visits and total transactions have decreased significantly over the last year. We believe that these trends, unfortunately, will continue.” He noted the $7 billion deficit under which the post office is currently operating and

the need to streamline operations given the economic climate.

Interviews with postal union officials, however, have painted a slightly different picture. “We were trying to generate public awareness, as they [USPS] were trying to do this on the Q.T.,” Bob Dempsey, Vice President and Treasurer of the Boston Metro Area Local 100 division of the American Postal Workers Union said, referring to the hushed nature of the issue.

“The Boston College branch is generating a profit of over $100,000 a year.

If an office is profitable, why close it?

All you’re doing is unconvincing cus-

tomers and students.”

Lamorte also questioned the economic reasons for closing the post office. “Especially with the large deficit, forcing away business is just ridiculous,” Lamorte said. “The post office’s profits may have dropped recently, but the Office itself is still making money. If it closes, it would affect so many students.

There would be a lot of backlash.”

Around campus, students seem to agree. “I didn’t even realize the post office might be closing,” Dave Francazio, A&S ’11, said. “I never saw any flyers.

But if it is, I don’t know what I would do. They can’t expect us to make it to Newton Center in the middle of winter.”

Indeed, despite the efforts of CDBC and the postal union, the possible closing has caught many BC students off guard. According to Dempsey, the plan went into effect prior to the start of the fall semester, when few students were on campus to object. While recent efforts of students to keep the post office open will help, the time during which such considerations were taken into account has largely passed.

When asked on what date a final decision regarding the post office might be reached, Tarmey said, “No date has been set to render a final decision. If the office was proposed for discontinuance a 60-day notice period would be required where the office would remain open for 60 days after the posted notice.” This means that BC students would have only two months to adjust to the change before service at McElroy Hall ceases.

Dempsey stated that he believes the decision will be reached within the next few weeks and that he does not believe the office would close before the holiday season – a traditionally high volume time for the postal service – ends.

Until official notice is given, the CDBC, postal union, and school administrators are expected to continue their efforts to keep the BC post office open for business.

Honduras coup not resolved

By Lake Coreth News Editor

On June 28, 2009, in the first coup in Central America since the cold war, the Honduran military supplanted the elected President Manuel Zelaya.

Zelaya had attempted to amend the Honduras Constitution, established in 1982, in order to run for a secondterm in office and was met with great opposition. After Zelaya was removed from office and exiled from the country, the Honduran Congress and Supreme Court authorized the military to transfer power to a de facto government head by Roberto Micheletti, the president of the Congress.

Despite demands from the United States that the ousted Zelaya be reinstated, the de facto government has contested the former president’s return. Hiring U.S. lobbyists in order to argue in favor of maintaining the interim government, the controversy over the coup remains problematic.

The battle for power is viewed as a paradigm of the struggle between democracy and populism currently taken place throughout Latin America, and many politicians are critical of President Obama’s support of the exiled president.

Zelaya, currently residing in the Brazilian Embassy, issued an ultimatum demanding he be restored to power but Micheletti has refused to comply, reiterating that he will transfer power to the newly elected president who assumes office this January. Arguing that election results would be invalid, Zelaya continues to pursue his agenda.

The interim government remains open to negotiation, but for the time being, the issue remains unresolved.

October 27, 2009

Protest voices Court reviews case on Corporate sponsorship support for choice

Courtesy of britannica.com

By Kevin Fagan For the Gavel

This October, the Supreme Court has been mulling over a new trial docket, one of which is the case Citizens United v.

Federal Election Commission. This case will reconsider the restrictions on corporate campaign contributions put into place most recently in 2002 as a result of the McCain-Feingold Act and which were upheld both in Austin v. Michigan State Chamber of Commerce (1990) and McConnell vs. Federal Election Commission (2003) as a result of excessive corporate influence on elections.

According to the current federal election law entitled “Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002,” (BCRA) “electioneering communication” cannot be funded from a corporation’s general fund. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is in charge of enforcing this and other federal election laws.

Citizens United v. FEC deals with a production entitled Hillary: the Movie that was produced by the nonprofit corporation Citizens United with the aim to show weaknesses in Hillary Clinton’s record, and thus advocate for her defeat. The case was originally heard in March, although in a surprise move the

court elected to hold a hearing on Sept.

9 to decide whether or not to pursue a case based upon the wider questions raised during the original case. As a result of the legal trouble that resulted after the Federal Election Committee found out about the movie and how it was being funded, Citizens United sued, arguing that the federal election laws cited by the FEC violated freedom of speech in that it specifically limits the political speech of corporations.

Despite the fact that the judicial body is nonpartisan, this is one of many cases this term likely to have a partisan lean. Judicial conservatives and many business leaders of corporations, like Citizens United, have bristled at most election restrictions, feeling that any restrictions on political speech are unconstitutional and that money from corporations should be treated the same as money from individuals.

Judicial liberals on the other hand, have long favored a stronger government hand in regulation of corporate funds in political campaigns; they argue that eliminating the laws would result in a flood of money from narrow profitminded businesses seeking to earn a return on their investments. This could result in politicians who are bought and sold by corporations, while the voice

of the people would be blurred out by the deluge of advertisements put out by companies with an interest in getting a candidate elected.

A corporation is fundamentally distinct from the people who own it.

As Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said, “More than 90 percent of American corporations are very small or owned by a single person.” But the vast majority of earnings are generated annually from gigantic multi-national corporations. Corporate titans like WalMart (WMT) and ExxonMobil (XOM) generate billions of dollars of profit annually that could be put into elections.

A corporation like ExxonMobil would most likely profit greatly from giving money to specific candidates. More specifically, they would be likely to favor candidates who oppose legislation that would significantly decrease carbon dioxide emissions in order to prevent global warming and climate change.

Experts project that the Court is likely to rule in favor of Citizens United as a result of the composition of the court, though many express uncertainty over how broad the victory might be for campaign finance law opponents.

Sandra Day O’Connor’s resignation in 2005 resulted in a more conservative court, with Samuel Alito replacing O’Connor in Jan. 31, 2006. Justice O’Connor was the swing voter who upheld the McCain-Feingold campaign finance law (5-4), during the 2003 McConnell challenge, siding with the liberal wing of Justices Stevens, Ginsburg, Breyer, and Souter (who has since been replaced by Sotomayor). Justice Alito is not likely to vote as Justice O’Connor did, and though Justice Anthony Kennedy is currently thought of as the swing vote in the current Court, he is generally judicially conservative and tends to vote with the conservative wing of Justices Roberts, Scalia, Thomas, and Alito.

Alum talks of past, campaign

By Connor Garstka News Editor

Newton mayoral candidate Setti Warren, A&S ’93, came to Boston College on Oct. 21 to speak about his campaign goals and address questions from BC students. The College Democrats of Boston College (CDBC) recently spent Saturday, Oct. 17 canvassing for Warren and organizing his appearance.

Kristoffer Munden, A&S ’11 and Vice President of the CDBC, says, “We decided to bring Setti to BC not just because he’s a prominent BC alum, but also because he’s running for mayor of our host community.”

His informal question-and-answer session elicited a positive reaction from those who attended. Gabriel Santana, CSOM ’13, commented that “the event was a success. Warren’s speech provided great insight on the happenings of Newton and the relationship between BC and the city itself.”

Though this is Warren’s first campaign for an elected position, he has had experience working for the government on the federal and state levels. He was a member of President Bill Clinton’s White House Office of Cabinet Affairs and later became the Director of the New England branch of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Most recently, Warren was Senator John Kerry’s Deputy State Director.

Warren mentioned that he had only just recently returned from his deployment in Iraq, where he served as a naval intelligence specialist. It was at this time that he chose to begin his mayoral campaign.

A longtime resident of Newton, Warren said that he decided to run because “people have lost confidence and faith in city government.” He stated that, because local officials are in charge of implementing federal plans, city government is essential to the process.

Warren was born in Newton and attended Newton North High School.

He began working towards the goal of

improving race relations at an early age.

As a junior, Mayor Ted Mann requested permission to work on promoting racial unity following a conflict between two different ethnic groups at the high school.

Warren has been carrying out a grassroots campaign of unprecedented scope, which included knocking on over 10,000 doors over the past few months.

He has also been working extensively with the College Democrats of Boston College during his campaign. He said that even if he is elected mayor, his trademark accessibility will remain. He intends to be open to suggestions and is willing to work with community members to promote their ideas.

As a graduate of Boston College, Warren expressed a strong desire to forge a connection between the undergraduate community and the town of Newton. During his time as a student, he did not see a lot of interaction between the two groups. At this juncture, however, he said, there is an opportunity for increased cooperation. Because of the dire economic situation, both the Newton city government and Boston College are looking for ways to work together. He indicated his specific goal of incorporating students who are studying education into the community by having them work in the town’s public school system.

While at BC, Warren was only the second African-American to be elected as President of the Undergraduate Government. His election was also unusual because he was elected as a sophomore.

Warren felt that while he was a student, ethnic minorities kept to themselves and were “very separate.” It was his opinion, however, that after his election this division began to disappear.

Diversity issues still remain important, however.

Santana feels that Warren spoke candidly about his experience at Boston College in a way that is especially pertinent to current students. “The

Courtesy of wickedlocal.com

boundaries and obstacles he faced almost twenty years ago running for UGBC President are still evident today-most particularly being black and how it challenges his political career. Many discouraged him, telling him how out of place he was with what he was doing.

But, Warren stood strong for what he believed in, as he is [doing] now with his election campaign.

Warren pointed out that to deal with the subject of race, “we all must be very patient with one another.” In this way, students can create a safe forum for discussion. He said that people must be willing to “absorb and hear something that you don’t like without reacting,” instead of immediately labeling someone as a member of a certain group.

Warren also outlined some of his immediate plans were he to win the election. He is very concerned about lessening Newton’s environmental impact. His plan is to order energy audits in every city building, as well to install motion sensors for lighting systems. He is a vocal proponent of this plan because he believes it is both fiscally and environmentally responsible.

As shown by its work for his campaign, CDBC is strongly supporting Warren. Munden declared, “Setti will be an amazing mayor for both Newton and BC.” The election is scheduled to take place on Nov. 3.

Iulia Padeanu/Gavel Photo

By Iulia Padeanu News Editor

In response to the “Respect for Life Week” organized by the Boston College Pro-Life Club, students advocating pro-choice messages held up hand made signs in the Dustbowl last Tuesday, raising awareness of the other side to the abortion issue.

Every year, the protest has taken place near where the pro-life group displays crosses in the grass, denoting the number of abortions that take place each year.

Throughout the day, between 15 and 20 student protestors gathered in the dustbowl to have their voices heard. Most of the signs they held emphasized that they were not proabortion, but rather pro-choice, and hoped to make that message clear to students walking by.

The overarching goal of the protest was to create a dialogue on the issue of abortion within the college community. Without a pro-choice group at BC, the protest was the only way for the other side to get involved.

“I think it’s a misperception that there is an official pro-choice organization on campus,” Rachel Lamorte, student organizer and A&S ’10, said.

“There is not [one] and it is specifically forbidden. I know of many concerned students and thus there is a base for action without a club.”

In the past, the closest thing there was to a club supporting pro-choice was the Women’s Health Initiative, an unrecognized student group focusing on sexual and reproductive rights. Due to the lack of funding and inability to officially book rooms on campus, the club had no means to put on events and raise awareness of the issues.

“A goal in the future would be to have an officially recognized prochoice organization, but that is a long way off,” Lamorte said.

In her three years at BC, Alicia Johnson, A&S ’11, has seen the protest take place every year. Johnson feels that without a pro-choice club,

or the option of being openly prochoice, there is not true freedom of speech on campus or much openness to new or controversial ideas on campus. While BC is a Jesuit university, whose Catholic identity makes its stance on the issue clear, students involved in the protests feel that the conversation on abortion is important for educational purposes.

“As a Catholic campus, there is obviously different values that the school has, but at the same time it is a university and they allow pro-choice people here but they don’t allow us to say we are pro-choice,” Johnson said. “It is a restrictive and unnecessary rule to have when you are trying to promote people learning about themselves and the world and each other.”

Pro-life supporters also feel the need for a debate in a college setting.

“It is important that we are encouraged to support our side,” Sofia Garza, A&S ’12, said. “This is a college and we should be able to learn how to defend being our opinions.”

Overall, the feedback the protestors got throughout the day was almost always positive. Several students actually stopped to join the group, holding up the signs for a little while.

“People walked by and said ‘thank you’ and ‘it’s great you’re doing this because they know that prochoice ideas aren’t really allowed on campus,” Johnson said. “Only one person gave us the thumbs down.”

Students involved hope that in the future the university will allow for an open discussion on the issue and more opportunities for the other side to voice their opinion.

“I hope that this visibility will help bring pro-choice students together, and the more student support, the more opportunity we have to work toward greater discussion,” Lamorte said. “This started long before [me] and will most likely go on after I leave. I only hope that in time there can be a greater openness on a whole host of issues, including abortion.”

www.bcgavel.com

Health initiative takes small steps

By Maeve Gormly Assoc. Copy Editor

The administration is beginning to address issues of sexual health on campus by implementing discussion programs and exploring the possibility of increasing health services available to students.

Last semester, students expressed their discontent with the relative lack of sexual health services obtainable at Boston College when 89.47 percent of more than 4000 students voted in support of a UGBC referendum calling for affordable testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), birth control prescriptions at Health Services, and the availability of condoms on campus.

Throughout this semester, the Offices of Student Affairs and First-Year Experience have been working with BC Students for Sexual Health (BCSSH) to develop ways to start dialogues on sexuality and its accompanying health issues. The administration and BCSSH seek to work together to hold the conversation about the gap between BC’s traditional Catholic ideals and the reality of sexual activity among students.

Alicia Johnson, BCSSH member and A&S ’11, said that one such way of approaching the application of Catholicism to real-world sexuality is Sex and the Spirit, a panel discussion scheduled for Nov. 3. The event is cosponsored by the Office of the Dean of Student Development, the Office of Residential Life, Love Your Body Week and the Women’s Resource Center, and is aimed at providing students different outlooks on sexuality. “[Sex and the Spirit] basically is different administrators, Jesuits and

professors talking about how sexuality can work within the Catholic tradition, what are the values that they see as part of the Catholic tradition,” Johnson said. “Also, on campus, what they see as how students should look at their sexuality [and] how they should look at their relationships with other people.

For the panel, we wanted to get different perspectives.”

Speakers are to include Sheila McMahon of the WRC, Father Joe Marchese of the Office of First-Year Experience, and Father Jack Butler.

Other tentatively planned small discussion groups are aimed specifically to reach out to freshmen, giving new BC students the opportunity to talk about sexuality and relationships in an open dialogue as they navigate through their first year on campus.

In addition to discussions on the mental and spiritual aspects of sexual health, BCSSH is working with Thomas McGuinness, director of University Counseling, in hopes of tackling the physical issues of sexual health that last year’s referendum called into attention.

McGuinness is currently heading a Health and Wellness Committee that is expected to include sexual health.

According to Johnson, the Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs is currently working to introduce a peer health educator program. “[The health educator] is something that’s being worked on,” Johnson said. “They obviously have been working on parts of the referendum, but there are no promises yet — it’s not official … but they definitely want to incorporate health education more into health services, student affairs, and into the whole university in general.”

Students organize to help union efforts Union, from page 1

And these personal anecdotes are common among the student population, made apparent by those who are mobilized in this effort.

“It’s a really broad groups of people who care about the issue,” Sellers said.

“They are not only undergraduate students. There are graduate students, professors, people in the administration, and people beyond campus.”

Sellers pointed out that this issue at BC should be looked at differently than other universities who have also had this struggle. “[The situation] doesn’t sound like Catholic social teaching, it sounds like a corporate model,” she said. “That is a reason why I’m at BC right now — not only to study it, but to live it.”

While John believes that BC’s Jesuit ideals are alive and well, it depends on where one looks.

“I think they try to teach that way, but they don’t run their business that way,” he said.

Students are organizing a teachin titled “Students Enact Change,” sponsored by UNICEF and the GJP, to

bring awareness to this issue and show students how they can help.

“The goal is to get our supporters to both spread the word and act,” Rhom said about the teach-in. “We have strength in numbers, and should we continue growing as rapidly as we have been for the last few weeks, we will be able to protect the livelihoods of 270 people.”

Sellers says that the contract dispute should be solved with the workers first and foremost in mind.

“They have security and a sense of friendship, which is something that we’re supposed to care about,” Sellers said. “It’s not about the job … If we lose sight of BC as a community, we lose sight of BC at its core.”

John, wearing a BC hat and sweatshirt, says that he loves working at BC. “We actually like working here. It’s a pretty good place … You get caught up in the sports. You get caught up in the student activities. You can’t help it.”

This Tuesday, another negotiations meeting will take place, and the current contract is set to expire Nov. 1.

Pedro Ondrush/Photo Editor

Film marks fall of Wall

By Dan Monan

Assoc. Culture Editor This November marks the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

In commemoration of the event, a film by John Michalczyk the “Writing on the Wall: Remembering the Berlin Wall,” opened earlier this month at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts.

With this premiere, Michalczyk, a professor in the Boston College fine arts department, presents a patchwork of voices describing the financial, social and political tensions of a divided nation. From this multitude of perspective emerges a reassessment of past diplomacy as well as a new hope for the future.

Michalczyk, who has previously documented conflicts in area such as Northern Ireland and the Middle East, says he intends “Writing on the Wall” to analyze the conflicts among different groups, institutions and countries, what causes these conflicts, and how they can be transformed and eventually resolved.

Accounts from every walk of life were examined in the context of Berlin’s miraculously peaceful and largely bloodless revolution. Among them Sergei Khrushchev, the son of Nikita Khrushchev, who placed the meaning of the Berlin Wall within a larger context of prohibitive migration policy.

To him, the given rationalizations behind such actions are irrelevant. The immorality of the act is unchanged.

“In the big picture it is the same,” Khrushchev says. “It is you tried to put a restriction of the freedom of the movement of the people.”

For Michalvzyk, the importance of East-West cooperation and mutual respect should be stressed, instead of any possible vilification of the East.

“It is in all our best interests not to put a heavy emphasis of victory on the West,” Michalczyk said. “In that case, the diplomacy couldn’t work.

The communication would break down.”

Attention was also given to the increasing commercialization of prominent Cold War landmarks. As Berlin has become laden with Starbucks and vendors selling mock Soviet memen-

Lauren Skogsholm/Gavel Photo

tos, some Germans have begun to feel their tragic experience has become devalued. From the perspective of a younger generation, it may appear that the events of the past have little significance today.

“Many don’t even comprehend that something like this could happen, many don’t know why the wall was built,” Thomas Klingenstein, an East German artist, says. “The historical interest is there, but often the understanding is completely lacking.”

It may be that the events of the past, and the lessons they carry with them, are doomed to fade from the public consciousness. Writing on the Wall and other, similar, projects endeavor to reverse this trend.

Artist Edwina Sandys, granddaughter of Winston Churchill, continued her grandfather’s legacy. Taking portions of the fallen wall, Sandys created a sculpture entitled “Breakthrough.” Intended as a celebration of freedom, the piece was erected at Westminster College, the site of Churchill’s famous “Iron Curtain” speech.

“It was people,” Sandys says in the film, “who made it possible that the wall was taken down.”

Clips of mass demonstrations and graffiti echoed this declaration. Images of the famous march in Leipzig, by over eighty thousand demonstra-

tors, evidence the collective desire that existed among Germans for unity.

The broad spectrum of interviewees makes clear not only the far ranging influence the Berlin Wall had, but also the singular front of opposition those who were affected by it presented, regardless of on which side they might have stood.

The destruction of the Berlin Wall marked a great achievement in both high diplomacy and grassroots action, and signified how peaceful cooperation leads to triumphs in human rights and freedoms. Above all, “Writing on the Wall: Remembering the Berlin Wall” shows that, although the process spanned individuals across many decades and demographics, the desire for unity was as universal as it was undeniable.

Michalczyk’s documentary closes with the World Cup of 1996. As the Germany players claim victory, the roaring crowd expresses its joy in one voice, finally complete as one nation.

Twenty years may have passed since the fall of the Berlin Wall, but the aftermath of that victory is still felt daily all the world over, and as long as the memory of that event, and the era it epitomized, is maintained, its lessons will never be forgotten.

The documentary will screen at BC on Wednesday, Nov. 4.

Move-in date causes issues

By James Sasso For the Gavel

This year, the move-in period began more than a week before classes started on Sept. 8. The question as to why Boston College would essentially provide a weeklong on-campus vacation for its student body is raised.

“What did they expect us to do?” a student, who wished to remain anonymous, asked. “Study for the classes we didn’t have yet? Obviously we were going to party.”

The school administration, though, said that they did not arbitrarily decide to give students the chance to live for a week without responsibilities.

There were many factors that led to this decision.

“The biggest issue for us was to make sure that the freshmen had their BC Safe program before the first football game, and that the upper classmen had their info sessions as well,” Henry Humphreys, director of the Office of Residential Life, said.

These programs make students aware of BC policies and know how to act accordingly at football games.

“We needed to make sure that freshmen and upperclassmen [were] prepared for the first football game,” Humphreys said.

In essence, one can hold the early home football game responsible for the extended move-in period, but that would ignore other significant factors of the decision.

Leases on off-campus houses generally ended around Aug. 24 this year, and the students who had lived in those houses planned on living on campus right away.

“We weren’t going to tell our incoming seniors they had to live on the streets for a week,” Humphreys said.

There is also the issue of early move-ins for students who have training sessions and compeitions, such as athletes, members of the UGBC and members of the Emerging Leaders Program.

But with suites and apartmentstyle housing, there is the possibility of more students moving back on campus than BC permits.

“Once one student moves in for some activity, all other students in that room move in as well. And there’s not much we can do about that,” Humphreys said.

The reasons for the early move-in period, though, were not explained to students.

“I was really excited and shocked by the move-in date,” one student said. “Whenever I told family or friends about it, their response was, ‘What were they thinking?’”

Students saw this as an opportunity to hang out, reconnect with friends, and sometimes unwind from a strenuous summer before classes began. But what many of them did not realize — or hoped would not happen — was that BC would strictly enforce the alcohol policy.

“We didn’t think it was appropriate for the school to tell us to move in early, but then have the RAs be stricter than ever before,” the same student said. “If anything, they should have been more lenient. Who cares if we are playing loud music at 12 o’clock?

Nobody has classes or real responsibilities yet.”

Those arguments are not taken into consideration by the Office of Residential Life staff.

“Policy is policy, whether it is technically class time or not,” Humphreys said.

Because the drinking age is 21, a

burden is placed on colleges to monitor their student body. The administration understands that college students will drink. It may be part of the culture in college, but the law is the law.

“If anything happens, BC is liable,” Humphreys said. “That’s just the way it is.”

Still, there were more write-ups in this move-in period than any other in at least the last five years. Some students feel that the alcohol sanctions matrix is too strict, and that it would be better for the school to make sure students are drinking safely, rather than pretending that they will not drink.

“In the end, it is the student’s responsibility. It was his choice to break policy, and he must deal with the consequences,” Humphreys said.

The Office of Residential Life is looking for alternatives to solve this complex problem for next year. Humphreys will meet with Vice President of Student Affairs Patrick Rombalski, among others, to try to organize ways to avoid having a week without anything for students to do except party.

“Next year, we are looking into having programs for upperclassmen and not just the freshmen,” Humphreys said.

The issue will continue to be a subject of debate throughout the year as the administration looks for ways to keep its students away from trouble.

As this year has shown, partying will happen no matter what. A week without responsibilities only exacerbates this problem. But with the complicated and varied reasons why a long move-in period was necessary this year, it was difficult for BC to avoid having students move in a week prior to classes being in session.

October 27, 2009

Features

Can I come to your party?

By Christina Drago Managing Editor

Courtesy of Kyle Kavanaugh

Flu season keeps swine on mind

By Amy Walsh Features Editor

When Hemali Patel, LSOE ’12, first found out she had the swine flu, her mother was a little dismayed.

“She was surprised I fell through the cracks like that,” Patel says.

Students are finding themselves slipping through the ever widening gaps in the infirmary more frequently this academic year. The cause: swine flu.

Patel came to the infirmary on Oct. 6 with a high fever concerned she was stricken with the swine flu. She requested to have the H1N1 test, but it was never given to her.

“They said they weren’t giving them [H1N1 screenings] to people who didn’t clearly show the symptoms, and I guess I was on the fence with that,” Patel says. “I had a super high fever, I was still coherent and not coughing as much as they would think I would be if I had the swine flu.”

Nancy Baker, associate director of administration and nursing, explained that the screening test is only 30 to 70 percent sensitive for H1N1.

“The office screening test does not tell you that it’s H1N1, it will determine that it’s influenza type A,” Baker says. “We know that H1N1 is a type of influenza type A, so when it comes up positive as influenza type A, you can presume — at this time of year because we have not seen any seasonal flu yet — that it’s H1N1.”

Massachusetts, however, is currently only testing hospitalized patients, Baker explains. Initially, cultures were being sent to labs to be tested for further identification. Now hospitalized patients are the state’s prime concern.

“Once you know it’s in the area there’s really not a lot of value clinically on making decisions about treatment,” Baker says.

Thus the term “influenza-like illness” has been coined. Since the H1N1 test is not nearly 100 percent accurate and swine flu is medicinally treated the same as the seasonal flu, there is no way the infirmary can confidently diagnose any students with H1N1.

After spending five hours in bed at the infirmary, Patel was discharged and allowed to return to her residence hall with counsel to inform her suitemates of her flu-like symptoms. Not convinced that she herself was better, she returned home to her own doctor who immediately gave her the H1N1 test. Upon receiving a positive test result, Patel’s mother was understanding yet disconcerted.

“She was more shocked. How many students are going unnoticed like this,” Patel says, recounting her mother’s anxieties.

Many students afflicted with “influenza-like illness,” such as Jordan Fondots, A&S ’10, complain of being quarantined without specific definitions of their afflictions. Fondots spent four days in the infirmary, but when friends inquired if he had H1N1, he could not provide a clear answer.

Boston College is certainly not the only campus affected with this unseasonal flu. According to Student Health Services on behalf of Rachel Mack, “In this weekly period of influenza activity, a total of 6,527 new ILI [influenza-like illness] cases were reported (11 hospitalizations) among campus populations totaling over 3.2 million. Ninety-one percent of the 274 colleges and universities reported new ILI , a portion unchanged from the prior week.”

President Barack Obama has declared the swine flu epidemic a national emergency.

“Health authorities say more than 1,000 people in the United States, including almost 100 children, have died from the strain of flu known as H1N1, and 46 states have widespread flu activity,” Philip Elliot of the Associated Press says.

This is not something one wants to be quickly diagnosed with. The infirmary is making extreme efforts, backed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, not to over-diagnose the student population. Once the swine flu vaccinations arrive of campus, however, the doses will be at a discounted rate, if not free. This will allow students to protect themselves before they contract swine flu or any such unwanted influenza like illnesses.

When you’re the only person of your race in a particular place, you notice. It doesn’t matter how frequently it happens. Last spring, four friends and I went to a party in the Gate. The walls were perspiring with the number of people in the room, but I noticed that I was the only white person. I also happened to be the only person asked to prove that I knew someone there.

Last year, Janet*, A&S ’11, an AHANA student, (whose name has been changed) was invited to a white classmate’s party. When Janet and her friends knocked on the door, a girl they didn’t know answered. After making sure the group at the door knew someone inside, the girl asked Janet if she was going to be comfortable inside.

Both situations are indicative of what a Princeton Review poll brought to the attention of the BC community: there is a lack of interaction between different races on campus in social situations.

Take for example one of the largest social gatherings on campus, the Homecoming dance. In the past, the event has had noticeably low attendance rates from the AHANA community.

“Several weeks before the dance, it was brought to our attention that members of the Boston College community did not feel welcome at the Homecoming dance,” Maureen Keegan, Associate Director of UGBC’s Campus Entertainment, A&S ’10, says.

Campus Entertainment then met with ALC to discuss the problem and ways to remedy it. One suggestion was a song recommendation system, which was implemented on the UGBC website in order to make sure the playl-

ist was more reflective of all students’ tastes. Over 115 songs were recommended over the course of a week. Executive Director of Campus Entertainment, James D’Ambra, A&S ’10, says, “From the feedback we have received, those who attended the dance generally enjoyed the music.”

But music is not the only reason that Homecoming — or any other social gathering on campus — has lacked diversity.

“I think cultural elements (such as music) are an easy scapegoat to blame for lack of racial interaction,” George Hart, A&S ’11, Co-President of OLAA, says.

The song recommendation system succeeded in eliminating one scapegoat.

Personal invitations were also sent via e-mail on behalf of UGBC and Campus Entertainment to the leaders of each culture club on campus, citing a desire for the event to be inclusive of everyone, “regardless of their nationality, race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation.”

These emails speak to the importance of culture groups in fostering interaction between different racial groups. Anyone who calls this role into question needs only to speak with a leader from any culture group on campus. Hart points out that OLAA has many members who are not of Latino heritage.

“Asian Caucus has actively tried to think of possible barriers that would make any non-Asian student feel uncomfortable in our own clubs and what we can do to break those down,” Jen Liao, Asian Caucus President and CSOM ’10, says.

I sat in on a meeting of the African Students Organization earlier this month. The meeting’s theme was Umoja, the Swahili word for unity. Various

races and ethnicities were represented, but one of the main goals of the meeting was still brainstorming ideas to make non-African students feel more welcome.

Student organizations are putting serious effort into increasing interaction among different people on campus. Hart points to the need for a parallel effort from the University’s administration.

“I would like to see a more proactive approach from them to encourage unity on campus instead of simply putting the logo on my SuperFan shirt, ‘For Here All Are One,’” Hart says.

Earl Edwards, A&S ’10, agrees that the administration and faculty voices are not being heard enough.

“I think we cannot sit around blaming people,” Edwards says. “We all need to open ourselves up to learning about each other and take a step into an experience different than our own.”

Liao points to the same need for individual action. “As an organization, we can only bring you together in the same room for an hour or two and give you the perfect starting point, but the rest is truly up to you.”

And it’s not simply about the 29 percent of AHANA students reaching out to the 71 percent of non-AHANA students.

“There must be acknowledgment that friendship is not a one way train and that 71 plays an equally important role to reach 29 as well,” Liao says.

“Students must make the effort to be open to others and get out of their comfort zone,” Hart says.

“At a painfully slow pace, our campus may be progressing,” Hart says.

Racial divides are still evident, on campus. But since last spring, I haven’t been asked to prove that I belong at any party, regardless of its racial makeup.

Staff Profile

Ana’s happy ending at BC

By Lake Coreth News Editor

You may not have tasted the difference, but the sandwiches made in the centerline of the Eagle’s Nest Dining Hall are prepared with “mucho amor.”

Going on her eleventh year as a Boston College employee, Ana Valdez-Jimenez proudly attends to the regulars of this busy lunch-time hotspot, even considering them an extension of her own family — her hijos, or children.

But whereas many of our narratives began here at BC, the University is merely the happy ending of Ana’s story.

Ana’s journey began in Cali, Colombia, over 30 years ago, but much takes place here in the United States. Hers is a story that is all too common, but one that often goes untold: that of a naturalized illegal immigrant.

According to the PEW Hispanic Center, a project of the PEW research center, people of Colombian origin comprise the seventh largest Hispanic group living in the United States (the most of any South American country.) While only 40 percent of Hispanic population as a whole were born elsewhere, just under 70 percent of Colombians are foreign born. The majority of Colombian immigrants are relatively new additions.

59 percent of all Colombians arrived in the United States during or after 1990.

Ana, on the other hand, arrived in the United States in the early 1980s, a decade which averaged only 180,000 unauthorized immigrant entries per year (compared to the 850,000 unauthorized entries between 2000 and 2005.) She came to the United States with her husband, Umberto, and her five-year old daughter, Marisol, in search of higher paying job opportunities. Her family lived briefly in Miami before settling down in Boston.

During her first five years illegally in the United States, Ana worked in the Prudential Center as a member of the

housekeeping staff. She took late-night and early-morning shifts to care for her daughter. Marisol, who is mentally handicapped, needs special care and attention. Ana can only describe her routine at the time as “fatigosa,” exhausting.

With the passing of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986, the lives of Ana and her family were drastically transformed — and improved — forever.

Enacted under the Reagan Administration to curtail further unauthorized immigration, the IRCA implemented employer sanctions, designating penalties for companies who hired illegal workers and using these funds to bolster other plans to reduce illegal immigration.

What is essential to Ana’s story is the amnesty provision that was included in the legislation. Repealing sections of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, the act granted illegal immigrants the opportunity to apply for legal resident status and obtain green cards, provided that they could prove that they had been living continuously in the United States since before Jan. 1, 1982. Luckily, Ana and her family fit the bill.

“Fue una bendición enorme,” it was an enormous blessing, Ana says of the amnesty clause. Finally, she could provide her disabled daughter with the medical attention that she desperately needed and Ana and her husband could live “en paz,” in peace, for the first time in their 14 years of marriage.

After obtaining legal permanent residency under the IRCA, Ana went on to become a naturalized citizen. She and her family now belong to the 45 percent of Colombians in this country who enjoy U.S. citizenship. Internal crises in Colombia beginning in the early 1990s, and reaching a peak between 1999 and 2001, have since compelled many Colombians to leave their country.

In 2001, just under two-thirds of the Colombian population lived below

the poverty line. The country’s gross domestic product had plummeted from 5.5 percent in 1995 to negative 4.5 percent in 1999, and emigration reflected these numbers. The Colombian Administrative Department of Security (DAS) documented that approximately 1.6 million Colombians migrated out of the country and did not return between 1996 and mid-2003.

Political insecurity and the growing danger civilians face in the crossfire produced by drug-related battles, continue to prompt many Colombians to leave their homeland. Human rights violations ranging from torture to sexual violence are continuously reported on by international organizations such as the Human Rights Watch.

Recently, this organization has urged President Obama to ratify the pending US-Colombian Free Trade Agreement contingent on the promise that the Uribe Administration will respect basic principles of “human rights, democracy, and the rule of law.”

Despite the conditions in Colombia, Ana remains optimistic. After 30 years of hard work in the United States, she and her husband were able to buy a home in Colombia and their dream remains to one day retire in their homeland. At the moment, her siblings are living in this house until Ana and her family return, which she hopes will be within the next five years.

Despite the instability that continues to afflict Colombia, Ana has retained romantic memories of ‘la sucursal del cielo,’ an epithet for her hometown of Cali that likens it to ‘a little bit of heaven.’

She looks forward to one day participating in the festivals she once took part in as a young girl, but, in the meantime, she is the happiest she has ever been in the United States working here at Boston College.

“Me disfruto mucho mi trabajo,” I truly enjoy my job, Ana says. “Soy contenta aquí.” I am happy here.

www.bcgavel.com

Real food discussion grows Cougars push

societal views

By Connor Garstka News Editor

How would you like to drink soda made from corn? Or eat a bowl of ice cream in which one of the principal ingredients is corn syrup? Even a burger and fries combo from a fast food restaurant usually has a high concentration of corn starch. If you’re living in the United States, the question isn’t, “Do you like corn?” It is, “How much can you stomach?”

People are consuming soda and other products made with corn syrup at an alarming rate, which is one of the main reasons why Americans suffer from such high rates of obesity and diabetes. This was shown in a 2005 study by Dr. Matthias Schulze, linking increased sugar consumption with weight gain and a greater incidence of Type 2 diabetes published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

This is one of several issues plaguing the food industry. As demonstrated in Robert Kenner’s recent film Food, Inc., cattle are kept in such close quarters that they spend their entire lives wading through their own manure.

Chickens are imprisoned in enclosed coops with no light and no ventilation, and they eat growth hormones to the point that their legs can’t support their own body weight.

Mass-producing food may seem cheaper, but the long-term costs are often overlooked. Disease is a concern, due to resistant strains of bacteria.

There have been several major recalls in the past five years. The FDA called for a spinach recall in September 2006 because of e. coli contamination and a peanut butter recall of February 2007 because of salmonella. There were 20 recalls of meat products in 2008 alone.

Though the food front may look foul, at Boston College, a small but dedicated group of students are working together to reduce our reliance on processed food. Real Food BC, founded in the spring of 2008, grows a variety of fruits and vegetables in a large garden located on the Brighton Campus. “[The goal of Real Food is] to make food more local-based and end the use of large mono-cropping of grains such as corn,” Josh Gild, A&S ’12, a Real Food member says.

The thriving garden has yielded a harvest of cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes and basil during this past year. “The plants that really thrive there are basil and tomatoes,” Gabbert says. “We have so much basil in the garden because our goal is for the basil to eventually be used in Addie’s as a garnish for the tomato mozzarella pizza. We are currently undergoing a certification process to make this happen and hope to be able to serve our basil in Addie’s by Fall 2010.”

Addie’s Loft is an organic dining alternative in Corcoran Commons that opened in Sept. 2008. With a staff

By Laurel Manlow

Copy Editor

Pedro Ondrush/Photo Editor

composed partly of BC students, the Loft has been doing a roaring trade in flatbread pizzas.

“We’ve had quite a few new customers now because all the sophomores moved down from Upper and Newton Campus,” Gabbert says. “We started off this year to a very busy start and the flow has decreased slightly but it’s fairly steady.”

Soon, however, growth will begin to wind down in the garden. In early November, we will be putting the garden to bed, planting the garlic, and preparing for another great season next year,” Gabbert says.

But Real Food will be active in the winter. “Real Food will focus more on awareness events and as spring approaches we will start planting our seedlings in the Higgins greenhouse to prepare for the coming season,” Gabbert says.

Participating in Real Food isn’t the only way that BC students are eating green. Jacqueline Cerniglia, LSOE ’10, participates in a service called Boston Organics. The company delivers locally grown organic food to customers in the Greater Boston area. Their menu is not limited to produce but also includes cheese, chocolate, coffee, and eggs. The fruits and vegetables are distributed seasonally, so what you can order changes depending on the time of year.

Boston Organics will deliver di-

rectly to campus, and Cerniglia offers a few tips.

“I order my small box biweekly, but since there are no preservatives, I have experienced that the food can rot before I have time to eat it,” Cerniglia says. “Therefore, it is better to go through the food quicker. Also, the larger boxes are even cheaper to split and they help with sharing family dinners and get you on a better eating schedule.”

Cerniglia has other recommendations for those to wish to eat healthy. “I shop the outer perimeters of the grocery store. I eat a lot of vegetables and fruit, but keep a healthy diet of protein with chicken and fish.” While shopping, “I am very particular about reading labels and trying the best I can to understand where the product is from and how it was made.”

The US government has heavily subsidized corn for a long time, so it’s no surprise that we eat so much of it.

Americans also consume far more meat than the rest of the world, which causes environmental problems as well.

“The production, shipment, and use of animal products is one of the largest consumers of fossil fuels within the world, and large portions of land are devastated by their production every year,” Gild says.

Real Food and Addie’s Loft are BC’s first steps toward addressing the corn-crazy culinary crisis.

Although the 1967 classic The Graduate featured unique scene transitions, stellar camerawork, and memorable dialogue, its single most dynamic feature was the seductive, older woman — also known as the “cougar.” While the term reserved for women over 40 who pursue men eight or more years younger, was coined years ago, it has managed to trickle down to younger generations.

The phenomenon of the cougar has already been accepted as a normal part of life. When a man lusts over younger women, there is no pressure to make that male into an animal. A study published in the journal Evolutionary Psychology found that 87 percent of women look for an older man and only 3 percent of men seek older women.. If men and women were valued equally for their physical and inner attributes, there would not be such a vast imbalance.

The new ABC show Cougar Town attempts to tap into the 40-plus yearold woman’s insecurities about aging. The main character, played by Courtney Cox, consults her single and divorced male neighbor about his feelings on dating again. “When women get older, it’s icky, when men get older it’s adorable,” he says. “It’s actually my favorite double standard.”

Askmen.com, a Web site that employs “relationship correspondents” which furthers stereotypes about women’s desire to be seduced, protected, and exploited, encourages men to catch women when they are most vulnerable. Men are advised to date younger and younger on the basis that a woman is fed up with men her own age who do not know how to pretend they understand her. These middle-aged men could not experience younger women when they were 20 because the women always wanted the older men — in other words, it is time for them to pounce on younger prey. This furthers the cycle and keeps women in the same position they were generations ago.

The cougar may be a reaction to men’s traditional role as the hunters of the pack.

The prevalence of Web sites such as toyboywarehouse.com calls attention to the fact that women have been demeaned so much by societal roles that they are now imitating those same demeaning actions and imposing them on their male counterparts.

At the college age, the cougar is much more rare, due to a number of factors. First, young adult women already feel that men their age are less mature. Second, hookup

dynamics have not progressed in the way that many women (and men) would like; no one bats an eye when a male college senior hooks up with a freshman girl, but the label “cougar” — and giggles — is almost inevitable to follow a college girl hooking up with a male younger by even one or two years.

“In our parents’ generation, the man was certainly older but now, women have the power to do whatever they want,” Courtney Kipp, A&S ’10, who dates a sophomore, says.

Other students are usually surprised when they find out her boyfriend is more than two years younger, and wonder why she can’t pick on someone “her own size,” or someone in her own grade.

This fall at Boston College, a group of girls threw a “Cougar Party,” and underclassmen boys were permitted entry. The idea was innovative and certainly a little taboo.

They set up a point system — four points for hooking up with a freshman, three for a sophomore, and so on. Girls are starting to turn the tables; the intention of the party was to be edgy and, of course, a bit mocking. They did something absolutely demeaning, but at the same time pointed out that for boys, the points are less literal, but still present.

The cougar is considered to be older, wiser and in control. Online dating sites directed towards cougars refer to “cougars and cubs,” implying a power dynamic. Some sex and relationships columnists on cougarrelated Web sites refer to their boyfriends or hookups as “cougar hunters,” reverting back to traditional stereotypes of male assertiveness and female subservience.

Is this a backlash? Are women straining for power through age because that’s all they have anymore?

Or is this a powerful movement in which women are asserting that older can be sexy? Web sites such as urbancougar.com have “cougar of the month” contests and display middleaged women in “powerful” stances; however, they are still an object to be voted on (scale of 1-5 martinis) and stared at by males, young and old.

Some celebrities have made the cougar relationship more acceptable.

The relationships that last longer than two days may reinforce to the public that a cougar-cub relationship might not be such a crazy idea after all.

“It’s kind of like dating someone of another race; that used to be taboo,” Kipp says. “If you care about someone and you have common interests with them, then that’s who you should date.”

BLOG: Off the Hook

Taking a break from boys for some me-time

?

“Maria”

Everyone talks about this hook-up culture we have here at Boston College.

You can avoid it or you can be a part of it, but one thing is for sure – you cannot ignore it.

As freshman year drew to a close, I began to honestly rethink some of the choices I had made. I was never big on hooking up, and to be honest I didn’t partake in that part of the BC culture, but I saw and heard enough about it to feel like I was an integral part of it.

Of the three boys I was involved with last year, one was my boyfriend for three of the four months, the other was my ex and the third was a cute boy I unfortunately only really got to know

about two weeks before school ended (I say unfortunately because the short time we had together made it impossible for what we had to be anything more than a hook up). It never really dawned on me how much even the few experiences I had marked me until over the summer I completely broke down in front of my ex, who was genuinely interested in trying to make things work again.

I had had enough of boys. I suddenly realized just how much time and energy I was spending on them. It wasn’t literally the amount of time I spent with them, so much as the amount of time I spent thinking about them and worrying about them, and trying my best not to be bothered by them.

After a long relationship, a messy break up and a confusing hook up, I wanted to take some time out for myself. So I did. The next few weeks were spent mostly in Pilates class, the gym, shopping with my girlfriends, reading by the pool and every now and again

putting on my apron and making delicious treats for my friends. I lost weight, read almost a dozen books, perfected my pie crust and realized how much better my life had suddenly become. I was looking good, feeling better and living my life the way I wanted to.

The best part was that all of the changes I was implementing in my life came from within. They were powered by a genuine interest in trying to develop and mature my relationship with, well, myself. I liked the feeling of not having anyone else but myself to occupy my thoughts. Sounds a little selfish, doesn’t it? The desire to have no one else in your life but yourself ? I guess it does. I guess my little project started out based on my need to improve myself, for my own good. But I firmly believe, once summer started, I was in no shape to give any more of myself to anyone else. I still am not. Giving up any more of my time and energy to someone else would have left me an empty shell, a

fait, unknown creature, even to myself.

It would not have been fair to me or the person I would have tried to give so much up for.

Looking back on my second semester, I realized just how much I hurt the people around me. I had learned to depend on my boyfriend so much that I lost the ability to depend on myself.

It was this dependence I took with me in my next relationship, which, to no one’s surprise, did not last very long. It was easy to blame myself, for being too clingy, for not saying or doing the right things. But I know now it wasn’t fault, simply inexperience.

I could never regret anything I went through, were it not for the people I hurt around me. My roommate who constantly had to listen to my problems, my best friend, who was there for me when I needed her; I was too involved in my own world with my own problems and my own desires to be there for her – to be happy for her – when she needed me.

Thinking about the past is a nice reflection, a good way to know what I want for the future. But I will dwell no more on it. Now you know where I come from, why I chose to take on this experiment. I carried forward the things I learned during summer into my first semester. I noticed that the more time I spent working on myself, the more energy I had to focus on others when they needed me. Once I stopped looking around for the next opportunity, for the next hook-up, I stumbled upon real friends, people who loved me for my real, confident self. I took off the mask I had been wearing and finally let myself be me. I wondered what sophomore year would be like if summer continued at college. How much more could I learn about myself, about my friends and the people around me, how many more other things could I experience, if I had no boy, no idea of a boy to occupy my mind? So I decided to try it.

Continued at www.bcgavel.com

October 27, 2009

Opinions Editorial

Editorial

Race relations still need response, bilateral solution

Free speech of students still trumps private status of University

Though other student publications on campus have each touched on the topic of race relations at Boston College in recent weeks, we believe that there is no such thing as overkill when it comes to the matter. Progress will not be attained until there is a sustained dialogue, and public forums such as newspapers and club-sponsored events, in keeping the BC community aware of the problem, are providing the tinder for change.

Yet these public forums are only a starting point. There needs to be more of a response from the University administration to our Princeton Review ranking at 17 on the “Little Race/Class Interaction” list. The best way to work toward solving the problem and attaining the mutual respect called for in BC’s policy against hate crimes is something asked for year after year — diversifying the University’s core curriculum. In the meantime, the panel discussion hosted by the Student Programs Office this week, “I’m AHANA, May I join your group?/I’m Caucasian, May I join your group?” is a step in the right direction.

The desired effect of administrative involvement is the same as that of the programs and columns — to inspire individual action. It is only on an individual basis that real change can occur.

No one can deny the existence of cultural differences, and denial will accomplish nothing. But in acknowledging those cultural differences, one must also realize the value of diverse interaction — everyone has a story to share, from which we can learn a multitude of lessons.

There are countless excuses to stay within the familiar boundaries of your particular racial or ethnic group. The reality is that

these seemingly divisive forces are more often than not sources of interaction. Underneath surface differences lie strong similarities that should be highlighted as equally as — if not more so than — our distinctions.

Take for example the Italian culture, centered on food and family. The same description can be applied to Haitian culture, Greek culture, Cuban culture, and dozens more.

Culture should be viewed as a unifier, not a divider.

To facilitate this, we need to get out of our comfort zones to learn about each other. This is why culture groups on campus are so essential. Through the celebration and sharing of their respective cultures, they have taken on the role of unifiers. Almost every executive board makes a conscious effort to ensure that everyone feels welcome, although much of the time, their efforts are fruitless because people are scared to be temporarily uncomfortable.

The burden of initiating interaction should not lie solely on culture groups or the AHANA Leadership Council. Nor should it lie on the “29” (percent of BC undergraduates who identify themselves as AHANA). The 29 have a responsibility, but it’s the same responsibility as that of the remaining 71. Every individual student has the responsibility to learn about and from each other.

Let’s not forget that the BC community also has its own shared culture and traditions — and it isn’t always rooted in football. We are college students who are more or less at the same point in our lives, with the same dreams and fears for the future. And once the dialogue and the interaction begin, we will learn that cultural differences can co-exist with commonalities.

The issue of the role of the press at a private university has been raised in many instances recently. Many students believe that because Boston College is private, students do not have a voice in matters pertaining to the campus.

We believe that attending a private institution does not mean relinquishing the lawful and ideological rights inherent in the pursuit of knowledge. The simple and straight answer is never the whole answer, and it is our fundamental duty to serve as an advocate for all students.

The Gavel is the progressive news source of BC. We are an editorially independent publication, partially funded by the Center for American Progress and the College Democrats of Boston College, and we do not attempt to conceal this fact. We are committed to disseminating uncensored, thought-provoking news at the local, national, and international levels and maintaining the utmost integrity in our coverage.

Our greatest responsibility is to champion the rights of those whose voices or concerns fall on deaf ears. To learn is to question, to investigate, to explore new ideas, and we are committed to ensuring that no student’s educational freedom is stymied or refrained. In our fervent quest for the truth, we refuse to let any injustice go overlooked and unsung.

It is our duty to report with honesty, vigor, and courage, and settle for nothing less than the truth. Whereas other news sources merely simplify complex issues, we strive to consider all sides and serve as a facilitator for thoughtful and meaningful discussion of timely and relevant topics. We vow to report on subjects that would otherwise be dismissed as too controversial, too complicated, or too difficult.

The role of the press is to divulge information in the name of free speech, and maintain it through facilitating open dialogue between contrasting opinions. Freedom of the press does not hinder due process but rather assures its fruition. Only through providing a forum in which individual beliefs can be expressed can the dynamism of the First Amendment persist.

It is our belief that both students and teachers be entitled to First Amendment rights. At the university level, the free exchange of ideas is fundamental to intellectual growth and moreover, is the key to impartial socio-political introspection. Free speech should not be curtailed because it is controversial but instead, asserted because it is necessary.

In this regard, we echo the majority opinion of the Supreme Court in Tinker et al. v. Des Moines (1969) when it asserts: “It can hardly be argued that either students or teachers shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” The exercise of the First Amendment is not limited to phone conversations or letters, and thus neither is it confined to communication within an academic environment. The First Amendment is an invitation to open discussion in—and outside—of the classroom, and it is our explicit goal to become a forum for such debate.

We are unwavering in our commitment to maintain this ideal. Through the integration of new technology and multimedia, we will revolutionize engagement with pressing ideas and issues and provide cutting-edge access of up-to-date news coverage. As a news source of the BC community, we adhere to the mission of furthering and maintaining the fundamental rights of liberty through journalistic excellence and integrity.

Editorial

Steps toward sexual health applauded, more needed The abstinence-only approach to sexual education is akin to putting kids in a backyard with a pool on a sizzling day. Command them to avoid the tantalizingly cool, blue water, refusing to instruct them how to swim, and eventually, when some get hot and go for a dip, their ignorance of safe practices leaves them vulnerable to drown.

When school policy restricts the critical health resources to which our on-campus health authorities can allow us access — STI testing, hormone birth control, barrier-method contraception — students are diving into the sexual pool without swim lessons or floaties.

Boston College Students for Sexual Health (BCSSH) is playing an important role in promoting sexual safety and awareness within the BC community. By distributing condoms every week on College Road, BCSSH is increasing the likelihood that people will make safe decisions in their personal lives and that this subject will become less taboo. BCSSH does not have the capacity to singlehandedly tackle the issue of student sexual health; BC should

also provide students with the necessary information and resources to make educated decisions. It is important for BC students to consider why a basic sexual health necessity may only be distributed off-campus.

Recently, critics have unfairly reduced the image of BCSSH to that of condom dispensers. With the programming they have done and are planning to do, they are also stimulating dialogue within the BC community. Even though BC is an educational institution, there has been little effort to educate about sexual health, despite its importance as part of a holistic education. No sexual health resource center exists at BC, and the infirmary is not authorized to offer forms of birth control, even if it is requested by students.

BCSSH is striving for what is a muchneeded change in policy on this campus. Last semester, in a UGBC referendum, over 3,600 students — 89.47 percent of those who voted — support these three items: - Affordable testing for sexually transmitted infections (STI) - Prescription of birth control at Health

Services - Availability of condoms on campus We applaud the administration’s preliminary steps in pursuing the goals that students have clearly stated are necessary for the University, but they must proactively continue their efforts.

However, rather than face the reality of students’ sexuality, BC has turned a blind eye.

We are forced to assume that the University does not want to admit that some students are sexually active. If BC were more proactive, the University would act in the best interests of the student body and want to do as much as possible to make sure that the pregnancies — which they advertise amply to help us through — do not occur, and that men and women with STIs don’t spread them at an epidemic rate. Sexual health lies in a realm with a great dichotomy between campus reality and the Catholic Church’s ideals. This fact has been ignored for far too long.

Catholic values, as manifested in BC policies, may be deemed at odds with the reality of collegiate-age sexuality and some of the

TUE TRAN, Editor-in-Chief CHRISTINA DRAGO, Managing Editor LAUREL MANLOW, Copy Editor MAEVE GORMLY, Assoc. Copy Editor ERGY JEAN-BAPTISTE, Web Editor LAKE CORETH, News Editor CONNOR GARSTKA, News Editor IULIA PADEANU, News Editor CAROLINE MERCK, Opinions Editor

elements of sexual health. But when services are denied to students on the basis of religion, it is the student body that suffers.

Of course, every student who attends BC is aware that he or she attends a Catholic college. However, this holds no more relevance in students’ personal lives than they allow it to. Why not openly discuss what is reality at BC? Offering condoms does not increase the amount of sexual activity on campus. Rather, it encourages students to make safer, betterinformed choices by beginning to familiarize them with real-world options and potential consequences of their behaviors.

More and more people are asking how we can reconcile BC’s traditional Catholic values with its students’ needs. It has become increasingly clear that students are no longer willing to overlook sexual health. There is still a long way to go to create the kind of open forums of discussion that exists at other universities — including other Jesuit institutions.

The time has come that BC must proactively address the valid health concerns of its students.

AMY WALSH, Features Editor MATTHEW GAVIN, Culture Editor DANIEL MONAN, Assoc. Culture Editor EMILY MALEY, Special Projects Editor PEDRO ONDRUSH, Photo Editor NICHOLAS STRATOULY, Editorial Assistant BRETT SIMON, Visibility Director SAGAR WADAGONKAR, Business Manager

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Politics of ‘no’ U.S. used as counter example achieve nothing BLOG: American Politics Abroad

Michelle Martinez

Staff Columnist

James Sasso Does anyone else wonder why health care reform has taken so long to be enacted? It seems that something so central to fixing our economy and the health of our nation would have received bipartisan support almost immediately.

Unfortunately, we live in a highly polarized political world, and health care is a highly polarized issue.

Not surprisingly, then, the partisan politics of modern America have prevented swift reform. Instead of saying, “Yes,” and listening to the opposite side, our elected officials continued to naysay others’ opinions.

It is hard to say exactly what has caused this political world of “No,” but regardless of the cause, America must deal with its consequences–a slow and painfully ineffective government. Politics has become a game not about the issues, but about party lines. Elected officials feel the need to play to the extreme ends of the political spectrum, either decidedly conservative or liberal.

One could blame this on either mass media, for playing to the extreme emotions involved with the opposite political spectrums, or the populace for increasingly identifying themselves as either conservative or liberal. Both of these factors force officials to pay increasing attention to extreme vies.

Whatever the reason, it has essentially led officials, who are in constant fear of losing their seats, to lock their views with party ideals.

Republicans do not back government health care because it goes against conservative desires for small government, even though it is obvious that health care reform is necessary. They simply say, “No.” Democrats have tried to reach out to Republicans in order to make this a bipartisan bill; they cut coverage and reforms that would have increased our deficit. And in the most recent Congressional Budget Office report, the Baucus plan will actually decrease our budget deficit by $81 billion!

Guess what, Republicans? It is time to get on board. Health care reform is going to happen. On Oct. 13, Republican Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine voted in favor of the Senate Finance Committee’s reform proposal. Her vote was not necessary to pass the bill, but she did so anyway. Democrats have a 60-40 majority that would kill a filibuster.

Still, Republican leaders continue to vote and speak against health care reform because it is technically against “conservative” ideals. They refuse to see the bipartisan need for and value of such reform. I am glad that Democrats finally seem to be giving up on the Republicans by pushing reform through. Too bad Republicans cannot see the light.

But what is even more disheartening is the lack of discussion within our government. I do not mean ‘discussion’ in the sense of talking, but in listening to opposing viewpoints.

The way to truth, as John Stuart Mill believes, is through debate between contradictory opinions. Our government–both the Democrats and Republicans–would do well to remember this. Issues cannot be solved if every member of Congress thinks he or she is always right. Health care is just the best example of how problematic this has become.

Most of us probably think the international community’s views of American politics all comes down to one analogy: Bush is to bad, as Obama is to great. Granted, this is almost spot-on, considering my economics professor here in Madrid refuses to end a class without mentioning how Bush destroyed the economy, and the fact that I’ve spotted about two Obama T-shirts in just a month.

Regardless, I’ve found that the general opinions regarding American politics actually do transcend the usual stereotypes, even if these cliches tend to be in the foreground.

In the month that has passed since I started taking courses in Madrid, I’ve noticed that in most of our classes, the United States is employed as the ‘counterexample’ for many of our discussions.

For instance, in my human rights course, our professor speaks about how they, as Spaniards, tend to take

for granted many of the rights and freedoms to which they have unconditional access, such as gay marriage, referring to “states in the US that outlaw it as sodomy.”

After realizing how our policies tend to be looked down upon in many instances, I went to our program coordinator to ask her if that tended to be the case with most American policies or if I had just stumbled upon one of the stereotypical anti-American Europeans. I was surprised to find out that they actually admire certain aspects of our political system.

For example, Spaniards seek to emulate women’s rights as they are in the United States, since chauvinism, the glass ceiling in the workplace and domestic violence are far more present here in Spain than in the United States. Regardless of what Miss Venezuela might say about women worldwide having achieved equality with men, in Spain it’s almost impossible for a pregnant woman to find a job, which is why Spain has recently begun to carry out policies aimed at creating a more equal system modeled after the United States’.

Additionally, they seem to admire a certain aspect of our political system that I thought most Americans did not like much (Michael Moore

particularly comes to mind): our electoral system. Considering that we are one of the oldest democracies, post-Franco Spain has looked for its “political inspiration” in the United States, with one major exception: the Bush administration.

When I spoke to our program coordinator about Spanish perceptions of the United States, she emphasized that, as most of us probably already know, Europeans tend to see Americans as “incultos,” or uneducated, and Bush epitomized this stereotype.

According to most Spaniards, after the obvious unpopularity of the War in Iraq, the United States’ most controversial act in recent years was Bush’s refusal to sign the Kyoto Protocol, which reflected the US government’s perceived disrespect for international cooperation during that period. It proved even more scandalous that such a refusal barely provoked any mass reaction from Americans, whereas a politician’s personal life, like Clinton’s Monica Lewinsky scandal, garnered far more attention than a purely political act.

I was wondering after all this anti-Bushism if the 2008 elections gathered any interest in spite of the growing anti-Americanism, and many people told me that the coverage and following of the elections

was almost as enthusiastic as it was in the United States.

Even the Sarah Palin-Katie Couric interview, and the jokes that followed, made their way across the Atlantic for Europe to enjoy. There was great enthusiasm for the electoral process, even during the primaries.

Once Obama won the election, local “Democrats” threw a celebration over his victory, and it’s safe to assume most Spaniards were relieved that the Bush-era was over and “Obama-mania” had begun. And by Obama-mania I make no exaggeration – if you access the websites of main Spanish newspapers, you can easily find a tab solely devoted to “Obama in the White House,” while we would probably never find “Zapatero en el gobierno” on CNN.com.

In my experiences abroad, I am noticing that it’s helpful to have an outside perspective. It is almost impossible to be objective about your own country’s politics. It’s interesting to see how some events that we thought mattered only to us, such as Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court, are global issues as well. Even the system of checks and balances, which many Americans consider downright trivial, is held in higher esteem by the international community.

Creativity equals skin?

Iulia Padeanu Oh, Halloween – the season to dress promiscuously. I am not sure at what point in the last few decades the idea of dressing up for Halloween transitioned from ghosts, monsters, and witches, to “naughty” (insert any profession/ character/female role here). A day that looks to scare and terrify now does so with the indecent amount of skin and skimpy outfits.

Last year, a few friends and I took a trip down to the Garment District.

While I didn’t have a particular costume in mind, I was sure that inspiration lay just around the corner. From what I had heard, this place was truly the Mecca of costume seekers.

So with an open – and perhaps naïve – mind, I set out on my costume mission. Surely, something in this “district” would give me an idea for a clever getup. To my surprise, half way through the door, I was met with an abundance of costumes, all offering the opportunity to be more and

more scantily clad. It was impossible to choose! On this fine Halloween evening, would I chose to be “slutty nurse,” “slutty cop,” or “slutty Red Riding Hood?” So many choices, so little time (so little fabric)! If only every weekend provided a fabricated reason to wear underwear in public!

It makes me wonder, have women today no artistic visions? Have women on campus truly lost the creativity and inspiration that got them into Boston College? Can we, as a gender, really not come up with anything more exciting than adding the word “slutty” to the beginning of various careers and popular movie characters? Or is it simply that we have lost respect for ourselves?

Don’t get me wrong – I am all for dressing up. Come Friday night, I will be the girl wearing the high heels, make up, and cute dress. But there is a big difference between trying to look nice for a night out and about, and stripping down to my absolute bare essentials to trick-or-treat.

Is it not enough that we have already made the top of the fittest campuses list? So many of us head to the gym each day, run around the reservoir, and line up at Addie’s to keep ourselves in great shape – but do we really need to participate in a Halloween exhibition to show it off ? By all means, wear a cute dress but don’t let society tell you that, on the night of Oct. 31, you must join a campus-wide competition for the least amount of fabric worn.

This has become more that just a personal pet peeve. To me, it is a wake up call. How blind have young women become to society’s demands? How is it that the girl who chooses to cover up, to be unique, to go a little spooky on Halloween stands out?

I’m not trying to sound too “Cady Heron,” taking out my annoyances on a group of plastic girls who stole my boyfriend. I just need to know that girls on our campus have not lost their individuality. No one should feel the need to follow a trend that represents a perversion of a once innocent holiday.

Therefore, I urge you to take a stand this year. Try something different. My friend, a computer design major at an arts school in the Midwest, is putting up her pretty blond hair, stealing her mom’s pearls and is going for the Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s look. Sure, it’s not scary, but at least it doesn’t have the word “naughty” before it. Last year, a couple of my best friends wore all black, and went as dominos. I’m sure there are minds out there more creative than that, and given how much time and effort every one of us puts into dressing each weekend, I’m confident we can put in a little more to find a creative way to celebrate this Halloween.

So I hope that, this year, at least a few of you, will dig into the back of your closets and your hearts, and finally take Halloween for what it is: a fun, silly night on which you can express a different side of yourself. If I can’t convince you, then I can only hope that the weather will stay cold enough to do it for me.

BLOG: Kris Krossed

Setting aflame denotes engagement Kristoffer Munden Staff Columnist I work every day to move BC forward — not just to bring my own BC experience to new heights, but more importantly, that of others. If we fail to move BC forward during our tenures here, then we will have failed to heed the call that we all hear on Linden Lane during our freshman years: “Go set the world aflame.”

One of the ways that we can move BC forward is to openly explore and discuss ideas — not just ideas that we agree with, but most importantly ideas that we do not agree with. By discussing these ideas, we raise the level of debate on campus and draw in all members of the BC commu-

nity.

Indeed, we’ve seen the sour effects that a lack of discussion causes.

Last month, ignorant news articles and columns led to an explosion of debate over race relations on campus.

We must discuss both sides of the question, “Who is responsible for racial trends on campus?” In doing so, we all come to a greater understanding of who we are as individuals and who we are as a BC community.

It’s also imperative that the administration completely embraces the desire for students to explore ideas.

Overall, the administration is extremely supportive. There are many times, however, when the administration lets us down.

The administration refuses to allow balanced debate on issues such as a woman’s right to choose. Antichoice speakers frequently speak on campus, whilst pro-choice speakers — if they are even approved in the first place — must be balanced by the

presence of an anti-choice speaker.

We must all engage in discussion and debate to decide for ourselves where we stand on an issue, and come to realize why we believe in what we do.

Yes, we have now acknowledged that talk is important. But how do we facilitate all this talking?

First, go to the events that various organizations host. Every day at BC, there are myriad panels and lectures to attend. And if you’re in one club, be sure to attend the events that other clubs organize — including those that you might disagree with or know nothing about.

Second, stay abreast of what’s happening on campus. There are amazing events that happen that very few people happen to know about (did you know that October is FilipinoAmerican History Month? Or that Ariel Levy was on campus?). Check the UGBC and BC calendars regularly, and take an extra minute while

walking through the O’Neill atrium to peruse the flyers. Read BC’s news sources — “The Heights,” “The Observer,” “The Chronicle” and (most significantly!) “The Gavel.”

Third, take what you glean from the events and news sources and multiply it — pay it forward, if you will.

If what you learn in a room stays in that room, then what’s the point?

Talk about it with you friends and roommates. Ask questions in class.

If you’re in a club, try to organize an event representing your point of view. Write letters to the editor, forward news articles, and comment on articles online.

Fourth, and most importantly, the administration should embrace the fact that students want to engage.

This means that it should adopt a fair student organizations events policy — one that doesn’t impose undue restrictions on speakers and one that allows all viewpoints to be discussed and represented.

October 27, 2009

You Be the Judge:

France’s ban on religious garb Policy due to intolerance Law is a violation of of Islam women’s rights Caroline Merck In France, a wardrobe battle rages. The burka, or more accurately, the niqab, a head-to-toe covering occasionally worn by Muslim women, faces prohibition. Why this garment poses a threat to the secular nature of the French constitution is unclear.

Should we view this proposition as a valiant defense of women’s rights or, rather, an unfair act of religious antagonism and an attack on the French Islamic community? This recent debate is just part of the increasing secularization that has long been a trend in French society.

While, here in the United States, we take for granted the phrase “In God we trust,” in France, a very different mantra governs. If the French government trusts in anything, it is secularism. Though we created the first secular government, our country is undeniably permeated by religion. Our notion of a secular society is one in which everyone has the right to trust in whichever deity he or she chooses. All religions receive consideration, and religious exceptions are given frequently. Extenuating circumstances and exemptions to cope with them are the norm. American public schools recognize Jewish, Muslim, and Christian holidays alike, and menus are planned with each religious group’s dietary restrictions in mind. In contrast, French public schools are obligated, by law, to include ham in their meals, so as not to unfairly “privilege” French Muslims and kosher-keepers.

This enforced secularism is in no way equal across the board. Catholicism is an old and deeply embedded part of French society, while Islam is a relatively new one. These efforts to restrict religious practices of a some-

what foreign religion are indicative of French fears of Islam’s expanding size and spreading extremism.

This perceived threat emboldens French leaders to challenge aspects of Islamic observance in a way they never have, nor likely ever would, challenge Judaism or Christianity.

Does a garment really pose a threat to France as secular state? No, but if the French government decides that it does, what does this mean in the long-term for the yarmulke or the cross? Letting President Sarkozy impose his version of liberal values is, obviously, a dangerous move.

Where to draw the line is a controversial question. Should people be able to wear crosses in public places if no other visible religious symbols are tolerated?

Many wonder whether the fate of the niqab is fundamentally a women’s rights issue.

Supposedly, the attack on the burka is aimed at liberating the French Muslim women forced to wear this garment that covers them from head to toe. Despite his claims, few believe that Sarkozy is truly a feminist who is unmotivated by other factors. When the French banned veils in public schools, a move which seemed equally Islamdirected, at least it was under the irrefutable pretext of furthering women’s rights. But a public school setting and the public domain as a whole are vastly different realms.

It is doubtful that the French government campaigning for wardrobe reform in an effort to further the women’s rights movement; the proposed burka ban is just another example of intolerance towards Islam.

Rachel Lamorte In 2004, the French government voted to ban all conspicuous religious symbols from schools. Detractors of the law pointed to the effect it would have on Muslim women who wear the hijab; as they are now unable to wear the hijab to public schools.

Many denounced the measure as directed at Muslims and intent upon undermining Muslim culture. Although the French law did not target Islam in the creation of this ban, the ban has slowly become symbolic of the debate over the hijab itself.

Many state that wearing the hijab is a choice; women have the right to wear or not to wear, but that the hijab itself is a symbol of devoutness.

Choice has always been important in feminist circles; if a woman has a choice whether or not to do something, something that might traditionally be seen as oppressive is no longer considered such as she has chosen to do so. That said, in many cases the wearing of the hijab is not a choice. When women are socialized to wear the hijab or threatened to wear the hijab, it is not a true choice. More conservative and extreme interpretations make synonymous the hijab and the female role in Islam and thus make it impossible for women to feel as though they are being devout if they choose not to cover their heads.

The act of a woman covering her head is present in many religions, and the origin is not empowering but rather can be considered demeaning to women. Longstanding tradition in the three monotheistic religions – Judaism, Islam, and

VS.

Christianity – painted women as sexually promiscuous just by virtue of their being. Thus women must take special measures in order to show their devotion and submission to sexual norms. In Islam one way in which this has been done is by making sure women’s bodies as covered as possible. Mandatory use of the hijab and the burqa in various societies has been justified by such governments as necessary to protect women; many of these societies also seek to diminish women’s rights and limit their roles outside the home. After the invasion of Afghanistan, many in the Bush administration spoke of liberating women from a government which required them to cover themselves in addition to cordoning them off from society. Thus the hijab and the burqa have become symbols of oppression to many in the West, as mandatory usage has become synonymous with the loss of other rights.

It is this symbolism that drove France to their decision to ban religious symbols in school. Not just the hijab, but many religious symbols, have become symbols of oppression not of choice and freedom. That said, what of when a woman freely chooses to wear the hijab? Although the hijab’s roots may not express equality and freedom for women, nor its uses in certain countries, it has become a symbol of devoutness for many – just as wearing a cross or a yarmulke – and any and all should have the free choice to wear or not to wear. The French government does have an interested in advancing the equality of women, but in banning the hijab and other religious symbols it is disallowing that free choice that is so important to the evolution of the rights of women.

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Charles Long/Gavel Illustration

Where have all the Jesuits gone?

Nick Schaufelberger When I was young and naive, way back in high school and just starting to apply to colleges, a half dozen different colleges bombarded me with images, fact, and reasons why I should attend their school.

But one reason stood out among the rest–the Jesuits. While other colleges touted their academic standings, records of their alumni, proximity to beaches and cities, financial aid packages, and diversity, Boston College blew them all out of the water when they unveiled their ace: BC is a Jesuit university.

The Jesuits, who are a religious order dedicated to educating the world and combating ignorance in all forms, are the closest thing the world has to the Super Friends. I didn’t need to hear any more. The second I learned about them, I knew where I wanted to go. I wanted to go to BC, be taught by this almost five hundred-year-old academic order, join this ancient tradition, and embrace higher learning.

A few months later, my dreams came true, and I was accepted to one of the most prestigious Jesuit universities in the entire world. I couldn’t wait to attend and finally meet the illustrious Jesuits that would help me through my four years of higher learning.

When I arrived, I eagerly awaited them, constantly expecting a Jesuit to emerge from the shadows with advice and guidance to share. My eager waiting quickly turned to dejection when I did not find Jesuits running back and forth out of the building singing songs of welcome to me. As the days went by, I realized these famous intellectuals were nowhere to be found on campus. The Jesuits are truly an elusive sort. I did see numerous priests and professors, but which ones are Jesuits and which ones are regular faculty?

I remained hopeful, however, as my classes neared. My “Jesuit experience” was about to begin as I was bound to have at least two or three world-famous Jesuits who had traveled far and wide just to meet students just like me. BC wouldn’t have left me without any Jesuits, would they?

But no! Not one of my teachers turned out to be a Jesuit! Sure, there were professors who were experts on their subjects and who spent decades collecting their knowledge. But what is that compared to the Jesuits?

If there were no Jesuits, who would help me find my classes, join clubs, and give me advice in college?

My dreams were dashed. I was student at a Jesuit university and yet was unable to point out any Jesuits.

Luckily for me, another group made themselves abundantly helpful. Each morning, noon, and night when I swipe my card in McElroy, a member of the BC Dining staff greets me with a kind word and an encouraging smile.

I have received more advice from members of dining staff than I have from the Jesuits, my dean, and the Office of First Year Experience combined. They have helped me manage time, stay healthy, join clubs, and even meet women. Perhaps one day I will be able to identify and name some Jesuits here. But until then, I will have to rely on the BC Dining staff to guide me.

10

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Culture

Noir novelist discusses Boston influence

By Matthew Gavin Culture Editor Dennis Lehane knows Boston like only a native can. Born and raised in Dorchester, he is renowned for using the blue-collar haunts of the Bay State as locale for his stories of crime and gritty realism. After winning a Shamus Award for private eye fiction with his debut novel, A Drink Before the War, he went on to pen a slew of critically acclaimed stories set against such backdrops as the Boston Police Strike of 1919 to modern-day gentrification.

The fourth book of his KenzieGennaro series, “Gone, Baby, Gone,” was adapted into a feature film directed by Ben Affleck, and his bestselling novel of friendship and tragic loss, Mystic River, served as the basis for Clint Eastwood’s Academy Award winning drama. His psychological thriller, Shutter Island, is his third novel to be brought to the big screen, this time by Martin Scorsese, and is due for release in February of next year.

Most recently, he served as the edi-

tor and contributor to a collection of short stories, titled Boston Noir, that are set in different neighborhoods of the city and giving the conventionalized drama their own hometown treatment.

With the anthology scheduled to hit bookstores in early November, Lehane took the time to discuss his works and influences via e-mail, and how Boston’s stories have become as complex and diverse as the city itself.

MG: What separates Boston Noir from the traditional conventions associated with noir stories and crime fiction?

DL: For starters, one would hope it leaves behind the creakier conventions of the genre—the he-men in Fedoras and toughtalking molls — but I’m fairly certain few writers traffic in that anymore, except really bad ones.

MG: How have social history and changing demographics influenced the way stories are told about Boston?

DL: Boston’s no longer easily classified as simply a city comprised of Brahmin strongholds vs. the Irish ones. That may be the Boston I knew and grew up in, but it’s a

vanishing world these days. And the world that has replaced it is so much more diverse and interesting in a lot of ways. That’s the world that’s being written about in these stories.

MG: What films and novels come to mind when you think about Boston and what makes the city such an attractive setting for these stories?

DL: The Friends of Eddie Coyle is, for me, the benchmark. That’s the Boston movie and even though it was made 35 years ago, it still holds up. Amazing piece of work. Another one I love, that is criminally ignored, is Ted Demme’s “Monument Ave.” Removing my contribution entirely, I’d argue that Ben Affleck’s “Gone Baby Gone” is a quintessentially Boston movie. He brought things to that film than no outsider could have. It reeks of Boston, and particularly of the new Boston we discussed above. As for what makes the city and attractive setting to filmmakers, I’d say the tax breaks don’t hurt. And it’s a visually distinctive city, (though I propose a ten-year moratorium on any swooping shots of the Longfellow Bridge.) I think because of “The Departed,” and maybe, yes, my work to some extent, Hollywood sees it as a great place

Courtesy of Diana Lucas Leavengood

to do Irish gangster movies, but I’m not sure the shark hasn’t already been jumped on that sub-sub-genre.

MG: You’ve now had two novels brought to the screen with Mystic River and Gone, Baby, Gone. With Martin Scorcese’s adaptation of Shutter Island due for release in February and the rights for The Given Day optioned to

Sam Raimi, what is it that you think draws filmmakers to your stories?

DL: Part of it is just being the flavor of the month. Two really good movies have been made out of my source material so in Hollywood they assume that means I’ve got a magic touch. No one stops to consider I could just be lucky. What certainly gets lost in the shuffle is the one thing all three adaptations of my work have shared in common—they were all made in the best sense of the auteur theory. Clint Eastwood and Brian Helgeland shepherded Mystic River from zygote to locked-script stage without an ounce of studio interference.

Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard did the same with Gone Baby Gone. And then Martin Scorsese and Laeta Kalogridis controlled all creative decisions about Shutter Island. No suits, no focus groups, nothing but professionals left to do their magic without interference.

MG: What do you see for the future of Boston in literature and film?

DL: I don’t prognosticate. Ain’t my thing.

Whatever will be, will be.

Read the rest of the interview on our website. www.bcgavel.com

Collection illustrates wartime experience

By Nicholas Stratouly For the Gavel

“Drawing is a form of communication,” is a line on the wall at the entrance to “First Hand: Civil War Era Drawings from the Becker Collection” at the McMullen Museum of Art. The quotation represents the crux of the collection: a series of drawings meant to capture the tragedies and tribulations of war and communicate such feelings to the public through art.

Boston College Assistant Professor of Fine Arts Sheila Gallagher, whose great-great-grandfather was Joseph Becker himself, provided many of the drawings for the exhibition.

The story of the collection is an intriguing one. During the American Civil War, “Special Artists” were commissioned by newspapers in the Union to chronicle the war in pictorial form. From 1861 to 1865, these drawings were printed in Harper’s Weekly, New York Illustrated News, and Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper. By the end of the war, these drawings had been transformed into over 2000 engravings, some altered or omitted to shift public opinion.

Joseph Becker – for whom the collection is named – was one of the chief artists for Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, and a member of their staff from 1859 to 1900. As art director after the war, he saved the would-be-discarded drawings, allowing for future generations to witness the tragedy of

the Civil War through illustration.

Becker was joined by many other Special Artists who worked in absolutely treacherous conditions – with bullets flying and bodies collapsing all around them – that were still able to provide a lens of the Civil War. Artists like Henri Lovie, E.F. Mullen and Edwin Forbes, among others, shifted from regiment to regiment and battle to battle to capture both crucial moments and lesser-known battles.

Some of the most striking works include Joseph Crane’s “Opening of the Ball: First Gun Fired by a Rebel Tug at Five O’Clock,” in which Crane compares a ship battle to a dance ball. In Becker’s “Battle in the Woods at Vaughn Road,” the harsh conditions felt by the artist are characterized by the indistinguishable nature of zig-zags. A contrast of ink wash with charcoal is featured in W.T. Crane’s “Siege of Charleston: General View of the Bombardment of Battery Gregg and Fort Wagner,” to bring out the nature of assault. These three works are simply a précis of the way the collection is able to portray the war.

The Special Artists also used their works to reflect society and culture during the Civil War era, and influence public opinion on a number of issues, from race, to gender, and war crimes. “Negro Worship in the South: Taking Up the Collection” sheds light on African-American society, as Becker portrays a group of worshippers as dignified and noble, even drawing a

Pedro Ondrush/Gavel Photo

Civil war relics, such as this Union uniform, are displayed at the McMullen Museum of Art. baby to communicate innocence and peace. In “An Army ‘Washerwoman’ During the Siege of Petersburg,” one of the most intriguing pieces in the collection, Becker contradicts gender norms by illustrating what appears to be a man washing the clothes, with a second person sitting alongside him whose gender is indistinguishable.

Becker’s choice to sketch this scene shows the astute nature of both him and the other Special Artists.

Other pieces portray Thanksgiv-

ing dinner, soldiers playing ten pins, a scene of festivity on the Fourth of July, and a soldier celebration that erupted upon hearing of the fall of Richmond. These non-war depictions of leisure and merriment in contrast to images of combat helped to both boost and alter public sentiment.

The Becker Collection is truly an exhibit worth seeing, and serves to display a side of America during a time that can only be read about in books or learned in history classes. The col-

Movie Previews Precious November 6 Gabourey Sidibie, Lenny Kravitz, Paula Patton, Mo’nique, and Mariah Carey

George Clooney, Kevin Spacey, Ewan McGregor, and Jeff Bridges Courtesy of allmovies.com

This movie focuses on a unique aspect of the Iraq War: psychic regiments. It takes the perspective of a reporter who investigates this special branch of the military. Based on the book of the same title by Jon Ronson.

Courtesy of allmovies.com

This tear jerker follows the life of an obese and illiterate black teenager from Harlem with a bad home life who is given a second chance when she attends an alternative school.

“First Hand: Civil War Era Drawing from the Becker Collection” continues through Dec. 13 at the McMullen Museum of Art, Devlin Hall 108; (617) 552-8587, bc.edu/artmuseum.

Music Previews

By Alex Lopez

The Men Who Stare at Goats November 6

lection matches an image – and an artist – to the atrocities of the Civil War, yet also presents simple scenes of camaraderie and happiness that would not be expected in a time of such great conflict and tragedy.

By Lea Freeman

“Battle Studies”

By John Mayer November 17

“The Fall”

By Norah Jones November 17

John Mayer maintains the catchy guitar melodies while transitioning into conscious composition. “It’s the exact opposite of ‘get in a room and jam,’” Mayer said. “When there aren’t enough of these conscious moments of songwriting to draw from, the creative energy of making music is lost.”

Mayer keeps his signature nonchalant attitude in “Who Says” and poses the eternal question, “Who says I can’t get stoned?”

During the creation of her fourth album, “The Fall,” Norah Jones worked with new musicians influences. Collaborating with Jacquire King, who has produced music for Modest Mouse and Kings of Leon, Jones moves away from her signature jazz sound and more toward contemporary rock.

Courtesy of allcdcovers.com

Courtesy of allcdcovers.com

October 27, 2009

11

Dramatics Society Industry’s bad brings light to prison role models BLOG: fREe thinking

Brett Simon Staff Columnist

Pedro Ondrush/Gavel Photo

A confrontation between Juan Rodriguez and Harry Jean Conte in Jesus Hopped the ‘A’ Train

By Lea Freeman For the Gavel

The Dramatics Society fall production, Jesus Hopped the “A” Train by Stephen Adly Guirgis, was a powerful depiction of the experiences of two men in the prison environment.

Directed by Haris Lefteri, A&S ’10, the play was presented in the Robsham Theater Arts Center at Boston College from Oct. 22 to Oct. 24 and told the stories of Angel Cruz, an inmate accused of the attempted murder of a famous cult leader, and Lucius Jenkins, a serial killer who murdered eight people.

“It asked a lot of questions.”

Yuriy Pavlish, A&S ’12, who played Inmate #2, said. “There were questions of retribution: under what circumstances is it right to shoot another person? Is it right to kill a murderer? What motivates murder?

What does it mean to be a good person? What does it mean to save another man’s soul? The interesting thing about the play is that there are no clear answers to any of the questions. It’s meant to get the audience thinking and I think it definitely accomplished that.”

Jesus Hopped the “A” Train certainly did provoke thought on the part of the audience. Performed in the very intimate Bonn Theatre, it felt like stepping onto a set and taking a seat right in the center of things.

It began with Angel Cruz, played

by Juan Rodriguez, A&S ’11, on his knees, failing in his attempts to pray to God. The next voices heard were

two inmates above the audience.

“We were used to set an atmosphere. It made the audience feel like they were in a real prison.” Pavlish said, “The way my part was written into the show was more minimalist.

We added a lot to the characters and I think that definitely helped set the scene.”

The play was nothing if not powerful, and the performances of its eight student dramatists were absolutely superb. Each actor clearly took time to get behind his or her role, and the play itself put a lot of emphasis on how the shaping of events makes a person who they are.

Monologues of the lawyer, Mary Jane Hanrahan, excellently performed by Elise Hudson, A&S ’12, gave particular insight into the seemingly small events that shaped her future. Moments like these felt more like intimate conversations during the show, rather than scenes observed from afar, and truly spotlighted the synergy of the cast.

“Each of the characters had developed a motivation and connection beneath the surface of the play,” Pavlish said.

The play was comprised almost entirely of monologues and dialogues, especially between Lucius and Angel, which felt as though they dragged on a bit too long at times. A more concise dialogue may have had more power and held the audience’s attention better, yet the actors truly shined in their performance as these highly complex and conflicted characters.

The portrayal of Lucius Jenkins

by Harry Jean Conte, A&S ’10, was particularly stirring. Conte created a character that was on the one hand spiritual and engaging, while on the other a serial murderer. Upon leaving the performance, I still wasn’t sure whether I despised Lucius or felt sorry for him.

There was a lot of attention paid to the production of the play. The lighting, in particular, helped facilitate the Jesus metaphors found throughout the play. Light designer Sarah Lang, A&S ’10, did a superb job of lighting the play in such a way that it highlighted the divine portrayals of the two prisoners. Towards the end of the play, it became the star of the production. It made it feel as though the heavens had opened up and revealed all the answers about society.

This was only for a brief moment, though, before the play was brought back down to reality.

Jesus Hopped the “A” Train certainly tackled some weighty issues: racism, drugs, and prison-rape to name a few.

On the surface, it was about the prisoners’ interactions in their limited environment—with the prison guards, and each other—yet at the core, the play was about so much more. It was a story about faith, retribution, right versus wrong, and the nature of humanity.

“It was very liberating to be that kind of ‘low-life’. It’s very real.” Pavlish said, “people don’t like to talk about issues like that because they’re not nice, but they should talk about them because they’re important.”

Since when has 120 pounds been too many for a 5-foot-10-inch woman? Since Ralph Lauren fired Filippa Hamilton in April 2009 for being too heavy.

Regardless, the company continues to use her image for promotional purposes in advertisements that have been stirring up controversy. In a recent ad, run only in Japan, Hamilton’s body is so severely distorted that her waist appears thinner than her head.

Since when has it been okay to smudge some blackface onto a white fashion model in the name of art and style? Apparently since French Vogue stuck Dutch model Lara Stone into its October “Supermodel” issue, painted her black, and sat back to see if anyone would notice.

I’m not going to discuss the specific ethical implications of retouching a model in an advertisement, or even the racial tensions that blackface in any form has the potential to ignite. I just want to ask one question: Why is being who we are never enough?

The fashion industry uses its inaccessibility and celebrity as pretense for being edgy, exotic, and original. In our daily lives, we trust clothing to cover up our bulky parts, our scars, and our ugliness. A cashmere sweater makes a perfect second skin for those of us who are too ashy and rough. A fabulous pair of statement earrings draws on-looking eyes up and away from the less than svelte body below.

Fashion can make you fantastic.

It can also make you someone you are not. The fine line falls between feeling so amazing in something that your confidence is boosted, and you’re ready for that sexy night out on the town and obsessing over that newfound confidence to such a degree that you, frankly, become a b****. The fashion industry at large has let this confidence consume them. No longer are they content with average, typical, or classic. No longer are we comfortable with ourselves as we are.

Ralph Lauren was no longer comfortable with an already medically underweight Filippa Hamilton.

The company said that Hamilton was released “as a result of her inability to meet the obligations under her contract with us.” In the same

statement, the company said that their former model is “beautiful and healthy.”

Well, I’m sorry, but is being “beautiful and healthy” not the job of a model? Judging from other recent pictures, Hamilton pulls off the role flawlessly,and should be very happy with her appearance “I was shocked to see that super skinny girl with my face,” Hamilton said to the “NY Daily News.” “It’s very sad, I think, that Ralph Lauren could do something like that.”

It is very sad, indeed, that the stunning reality of Filippa Hamilton was not quite stunning enough.

Lara Stone appearing in blackface is somewhat different, and also slightly more bothersome. The issue here was not size but race. We may be more conscious of color here in America than they are in France, but ignorance is really no excuse when it comes to such long standing matters of racial equality and discrimination.

In decades past, white performers used blackface to mock and denigrate black people as buffoons and beasts.

The only buffoons here are the editors at French Vogue who decided that their white model should really be black. It could be suggested that Stone’s whiteness was not good enough. Then why not find a black model?

When you think of the most spectacular black women in fashion, you think of Chanel Iman, Naomi Campbell, Alex Wek, and Tyra Banks (a size 8!), yet none of these women were photographed for this supposed “supermodel” issue. In fact, not one black or Asian model made the cut. The issue is entirely white.

The idea that nothing is ever good enough is the latest trend spreading throughout our lives and our culture. I would never suggest that the fashion industry should back down from pushing the envelope in terms of style and art, but it needs to be careful.

It’s encouraging to see that the backlash against Ralph Lauren and French Vogue is coming from regular folks, as well as those involved with the industry. We all need to take steps toward being okay with who we are.

Cover up those ashy arms with a sweater, but don’t think you’re any less of a person because you forgot to moisturize.

Recently, I took a tube of lipstick to my friend’s mirror: I AM BEAUTIFUL. She was surprised that I’d had the gall to write on her mirror, but even more surprised at how beautiful she felt when she said those words herself.

Restaurant Review

Pho Lemongrass serves up tasty namesake

By Kristoffer Munden For the Gavel

I’m a huge fan of Asian cuisine — especially Thai, Japanese and Filipino.

Not very familiar with Vietnamese food, I decided to give Pho Lemongrass a try.

The food was fairly good. To start, I ordered the Lemongrass Sampler ($10.50), which included shrimp toast, steak teriyaki, lemongrass wings, spring rolls and lemongrass stars. The spring rolls were definitely nothing to write home about, but the dipping sauce — a lemongrass sweet and sour sauce — was amazing. Lemongrass, which has a tendency to overpower other flavors, still let the tartness of the sauce come through.

My favorite part of the sampler, though, was the chicken wings. They were perfectly fried and well seasoned with a hint of lemongrass flavor.

For my main dish, I ordered the restaurant’s namesake — lemongrass pho

satay ($8.25). I’ve had my fair share of bowls of pho in the past, and this hefty bowl of pho is one of the better that I have had. Keeping with the lemongrass theme, the aroma was certainly permeating through the broth, but didn’t overpower the meaty flavor. My only complaints are the lack of spiciness of the dish and the low quality of the Vietnamese mint served with it. I explicitly asked for the dish to be very spicy, but instead, I got a bowl of pho that barely left a burn in my mouth. The slightly wilted mint could have been fresher, and a bigger portion could have been served.

Overall, though, the pho was excellent.

To drink, I had a glass of Vietnamese iced coffee ($3.25). I figured that it would be similar to Thai iced tea, which is tea with milk and a sweetener. While the iced coffee was indeed similar, the amount of sugar in the drink was ridiculous. My first sip yielded a mouthful of undissolved sugar (let’s disregard the

Courtesy of boston.citysearch.com

fact that the menu describes it as being sweetened with condensed milk and not granulated sugar), and left a lingering, burning sensation in my throat because of the sweetness. The drink was so sweet

that I had to dilute it with water. I would have appreciated the sweetness of the drink more had my pho been spicier, but unfortunately, this was not the case.

Like the food, the ambience of the

restaurant was good. The dining area was tastefully decorated with various wood carvings and paintings, unlike other Asian restaurants that hang every possible piece of artwork on the walls.

The most significant criticisms I have of Pho Lemongrass are of its service. True, the staff was competent, the serving time was quick, and my water glass was regularly refilled, but I didn’t get a warm feeling from my server commensurate to the ambience. I didn’t even get a thank you as I left the restaurant. Pho Lemongrass, you dropped the ball on your service.

Despite its limitations, I still recommend Pho Lemongrass: the food was delicious, the ambience was great, and the prices were affordable.

Pho Lemongrass 239 Harvard St. Brookline, MA (T: Coolidge Corner)

October 27, 2009

12

‘Seeing Songs’ allows eyes to hear music

By Matthew Gavin Culture Editor

A guy donning sunglasses and a cowboy hat, a girl in a fairy costume, and a man in drag bellow Madonna’s hit “Holiday” from a monolithic structure. In a dimly lit alcove, a teenage girl timidly lip syncs to a raunchy Backstreet Boys single. The Beatles come together over a spread of psychotropic portraitures. Against a white-washed wall, radiant colors writhe and contort in a discordant boogie.

These images converge in the latest installment of the Foster Gallery at the Museum of Fine Arts, “Contemporary Outlook: Seeing Songs.”

The exhibit spans an array of media platforms that explore the influence music has on visual expression, and the personal effects that performance and song have on listeners. In an age dominated by portable media players, the exhibit is a reflection of the role that music plays in everyday life.

“Music has become very insolent,” William Stover, Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art, said. “You walk through the world with your own soundtrack.”

“Seeing Songs” builds around these themes using prints, paintings, video recordings, photographs and wall tapestries drawn mostly from the museum’s diverse collections. Among the milieu of cultural artifacts are images of such iconic figures as Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen, visual expressions of renowned artists, and experimental depictions of common people interacting with music.

In a subset of the exhibition entitled “Music: Abstract and Concrete,” creations inspired by the sounds and feeling that music induces surround a centerpiece of prints by Wassily Kandinsky, the Russian pioneer of the abstract art form.

Kandinsky, a possessor of the condition known as synaesthesia that gives its carriers the ability to see sound, presents works such as “Klange (Sounds)” and “Violet” that feature bold colors and shapes. Kandinsky’s work gives sound a tangible existence and characterizes the continuing influence in the abstractionist art tradition.

Reciprocal in Stuart Davis’ jazzinspired painting, “Hot Still-Scape for Six Colors — 7th Avenue Style,” vivid reds and blues, oranges and yellows bend, twirl, entwine and dance.

The piece so effectively captures the hustle and bustle of the musical style that you can almost hear the gentle tapping of symbols, the thrumming of a marching bass line, and the jovial wailing of brasses.

Period pieces reflective of social contexts are represented in pieces such as “The Seventies” by Nayland Blake. In a series of 12 photographs, Blake traverses the rock and roll landscape during an epoch of evolutionary

Queen (A Portrait of Madonna), 2005. Candice Breitz. 30‑Channel Installation / 30 Hard Drives. Vanmoerkerke Collection, Bel‑ gium. Courtesy of the Artist and Yvon Lambert Gallery. Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. change in a series of album covers featuring some of the era’s most prominent musicians. The piece includes cover art spanning from The Velvet Underground’s 1970 album “Loaded,” with pinkish smoke lazily wafting from a subway entrance, to punk band X’s flaming demonstration of their namesake on the cover of their 1980 debut album, “Los Angeles.” Images of a bare-chested Richard Hell and the modish Ramones capture the raw attitudes of the transitional decade between the countercultural roots melodies of the sixties to the emerging synthpop styles of the eighties.

“Music: Persona and Performance,” another gallery, features a video recording of a blonde, turtleneck-wearing teenage girl with braces mouthing the words to “I Wanna Be With You” by the Backstreet Boys in “Annemiek” by Rineke Dijkstra.

Watching her sing along while listening to the suggestive pop song through a set of headphones evokes a sense of voyeurism during a moment that, if intruded upon, would prompt most angst-ridden teens to steal away to their rooms in a melodramatic fit.

Averting the camera’s gaze all the while, she captures the social awkwardness of adolescence in her shy and anxious demeanor in her meek smiles and furrowed brow.

In stark contrast, the vociferous “Queen (A Portrait of Madonna)” by Candice Breitz is a gargantuan assem-

blage of 30 television screens featuring Madonna fans jubilantly performing her “Immaculate Collection” album in its 73-minute entirety. Each among the myriad of performers presents his or her own rendition of the pop goddess’ hits as they tousle their hair, point at the camera and sway about in their digital, boxy existences.

While filmed separately, their voices fuse together in a synchronic symphony that resounds throughout the exhibit and lends itself to the pervasive presence of music. Their raucous concerto reveals the duality of performers in their music, as they not only express themselves, but provide listeners with something that they can make their own.

Music can be an inspiration, an expression of time and place, and an escape. Whether eloquently resonating throughout a concert hall, enlivening the commute to work or accompanying the latest advertisements, music is an omnipresent entity that allows for both unifying experiences and those that are exclusively individual. “Seeing Songs” brings visitors together in an exuberant, experiential exhibition, exploring the different ways in which people see, hear and live with music.

“Contemporary Outlook: Seeing Songs” is on view through February 21, 2010 at the Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston; (617) 267-9300, mfa.org.

John Lennon, 1967. Richard Avedon. Offset lithographic poster. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Lee M. Friedman Fund. Photograph Richard Avedon. Courtesy The Richard Avedon Foundation. Copyright © 1975 The Richard Avedon Foundation. Photograph courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

Jet Black Sunrise shines in first show

Pedro Ondrush/Photo Editor

Jet Black Sunrise performs at All Asia in Cambridge.

By Lauren Skogsholm For the Gavel Everyone around here is feeling the pressure of midterms and oppressive college schedules. Now imagine being in a band, tacking on additional

time every week for endless hours of practice, songwriting, and recording at every possible chance, and booking occasional gigs in downtown Boston.

How does anyone manage to do that?

The guys of Jet Black Sunrise have figured it out, and they seem to

be doing something right. Formerly known as Perfect Mercury, the band released their debut album Running Through Crossfire in November 2007.

Now, with the recording of sophomore album The Casualties of Sleeping well on its way, two new band members, Jay “Rojo Grande” Schneider on bass guitar and JC “Jesus” Zwisler on drums, join veterans Tom Farrell, A&S ’11, and Nick Fede.

“Jay and JC have breathed some fresh air into the band…They’re beasts,” Fede said, who plays guitar and shares lead vocals with Schneider.

Farrell, the lead guitarist and a junior at BC, finds it difficult at times to manage his course load with his band activities, which includes traveling to Northeastern University to practice with the other members a couple times per week.

“It’s hard to play and focus on music with all the work I have to do in my major, which is not music” Farrell said, who gave up the possibility of a Berklee education to pursue a philosophy major at Boston College.

Nevertheless, he is still enthusiastic about the band’s progress.

They describe themselves as having a ’90s indie pop-rock style. But hoping to continue with the maturation of their music, they have become more active around the college and local music scene as possibilities continue to present themselves. A couple weeks ago, they took advantage of the opportunity to play at All Asia in Cambridge.

The venue was small, but it was big step for the band as their first show together. Despite the limited space, Jet Black Sunrise still connected with the crowd through their chemistry and talent -- not to mention their comedic interludes between songs. The set list was a mix of mostly their own songs, including “Pictures” and “Move On,” and also featured covers of Gin Blossoms’s “Hey Jealousy” and MGMT’s “Kids.”

Afterward, the guys seemed pretty satisfied with the show.

“All of our free demos were taken!” Tom said, referring to the sampler EPs of their upcoming full-

length album that were available.

Farrell said that he hoped their performance met the expectations of friends and family present.

Although Farrell says that he is doubtful he could make a career out of music, he is certain that he would love it if it happened. For now, he says he just wants to take it one step at a time. Based on the warm reception and mildly obnoxious chants for an encore at their latest performance, they certainly seem to be living up to the hype.

Interested in writing for the Gavel?

E-mail bcgavel@gmail.com