March 2014 Print Issue by The Gavel

theGAVEL March 2014

BC BIRDBALL

2014

NEWS

You Were Done With 04 Thought Standardized Tests? Think Again

Sam Wants You to Get 06 Uncle More Sleep

FEATURES

but not Religious: 08 Spiritual Generation Y and the Question of God

10 Coaching Corps 12 Eagles in the Lab 14 Overheard at BC

CULTURE

15 Laughing It Up With Tracey Wigfield Broke Student’s Guide to Boston’s 18 The Restaurant Week Weird With WZBC: ft. DJ 20 Getting Louie Fantini Recipe: The Miracle of the 21 Dorm Microwaved Egg

OPINIONS

22 2

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22 Politics Made Personal 24 Breaking Convention March 2014

SPORTS

26 Catching up with Tommy Cross 29 BC Birdball 2014

29 STAFF

EDITORIAL BOARD

JENNA LACONTE / EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JILLIAN TIMKO / MANAGING EDITOR MARY YUENGERT / ONLINE MANAGER TAYLOR GARRISON / PRINT MANAGER GEENA DE ROSE / NEWS EDITOR CHRISTIE MERINO / FEATURES EDITOR SAMEET DHILLON / CULTURE EDITOR KENNY ST. JOHN / OPINIONS EDITOR JAKE MILLER / SPORTS EDITOR TEDDY KOLVA / HEAD COPY EDITOR KATELYN CROWLEY / HEAD COPY EDITOR JONO KEEDY / PHOTO EDITOR BILLY FOSHAY / PHOTO EDITOR OLIVIA VERA / HEAD DESIGN EDITOR JAMES CODY / ASSOC. NEWS EDITOR JING XU / ASSOC. NEWS EDITOR BENJAMIN SEO / ASSOC. NEWS EDITOR VICTORIA SOUTHWOOD / ASSOC. FEATURES EDITOR ITZEL AYALA / ASSOC. FEATURES EDITOR RACHEL FORRAY / ASSOC. CULTURE EDITOR SAM COSTANZA / ASSOC. CULTURE EDITOR TIM COOGAN / ASSOC. OPINIONS EDITOR YONNY REICHEL / ASSOC. OPINIONS EDITOR BILL STOLL / ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR JACK DAVIS / ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR FRANCISCO BERNARD / ASSOC. SPORTS EDITOR

COPY EDITORS

MIKE NATALIE / NEWS VICTORIA PALMER / FEATURES LAUREN GRAY / OPINIONS JONATHAN REED / CULTURE TEDDY KOLVA / SPORTS ERIN MCGARVEY / ASSOC. NEWS AYA TSURUTA / ASSOC. FEATURES NICOLLE MANUEL / ASSOC. CULTURE MIRANDA RICHARD / ASSOC. OPINIONS

DESIGN TEAM

VALERIE LIANG / ASSOC. CULTURE EMMA BLACKNEY / ASSOC. OPINIONS ANNIE BELGRADE /ASSOC. FEATURES ALEX FLYNN / ASSOC. SPORTS ANDREW GROSS VALERIE CHERBERO MARIA JOSE CORDOVA HELEN FORMOSO MURIAS ELENI VENETOS SARA POLLEI VICKY SHEN JULIANNA SULLIVAN MEGAN FLYNN

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Reader, Happy St. Patrick’s Day from the Gavel! As a Jesuit school in the city of Boston, few schools celebrate St. Patrick’s Day better than Boston College. A communal appreciation for Irish culture, however, is not the only reason that BC students love this particular holiday. St. Patrick’s Day marks the beginning of Boston’s transition into spring after what has felt like the longest winter New England has ever seen. There may still be some rough days ahead of us, but the splash of green associated with the holiday almost makes up for the gray bleakness that has coated our campus all semester. Get ready to hang up those puffy winter coats, BC—spring is just around the corner, and we are certainly due for some sunshine after enduring months of temperatures in the single digits. In the meantime, we hope our March issue will help to distract you as you brave these last few days of winter. Inside, you’ll find everything from scientific evidence on why you should be getting more sleep to an exclusive interview with BC’s own Tracey Wigfield, an alumna whose comedic talents have landed her gigs writing for 30 Rock and The Mindy Project. Cheers to St. Patrick’s Day and some well-earned warm weather,

Jenna

PHOTO TEAM

MEGAN FLYNN AMANDA IKARD SELLY SALLAH

TORI FISHER JULIA KEEFE ANTHONY GOLDEN

BUSINESS DEPARTMENT

TAYLOR MCELDOWNEY / BUSINESS DIRECTOR ARUEM SHIN / BUSINESS DIRECTOR JEANIE LEE / ADVERTISING DIRECTOR ERIC KOPELSON / FINANCE DIRECTOR LEAH HUANG / MARKETING DIRECTOR

Published with support from Generation Progress / Center for American Progress (online at genprog.org).

Megan Flynn / Gavel Media

BC Gavel

By Geena De Rose / News Editor March 2014

our hands and legs cramped while taking finals in crowded classrooms. You sat through class

after class of lectures, presentations and discussions. You did the readings, although you sometimes skimmed to the conclusion. Welcome to the academic life of the average pre-graduation Boston College student. There may be one last requirement before college students can graduate, and it’s an exit exam. Comparable in content to the SATs, the Collegiate Learning Assessment Plus (CLA+) is a new exam being administered to the senior classes at about 200 colleges and universities this year. With more and more Americans attending college every year, and with the costs of higher education on an interminable upward climb, there is increasing pressure to measure the quality of higher education in a standardized fashion. In the spring of 2014, over 200 universities throughout the nation will administer the evaluation to graduating seniors, including some small liberal arts colleges in Massachusetts and the State University of New York system. The Council for Aid to Education, the creators of the CLA+ test, say it measures “critical thinking, problem solving, scientific and quantitative reasoning, writing, and the ability to critique and make arguments.” Since students seem an unlikely advocate for this additional assessment, where exactly does this push for collegiate testing come from? “There is a groundswell from the public about whether a college degree is worth what people are paying for it,” said Stephanie Davidson, vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University System of Ohio, to TIME. “People are asking for tangible demonstrations of what students know.” At the same time, the CLA+ allegedly provides a more consistent measure of intelligence for employers who need to evaluate the potential of new graduates. With grade inflation rampant on campuses throughout the nation, employers know that a student’s GPA

may not be the most accurate portrayal of his or her intelligence or work ethic. “It’s another set of information that employers can use to review the applicant,” said Robert Keeley, director of assessment services at the Council for Aid to Education. “We’re looking to equip students to share their scores more readily than they have in the past.” While the tests are largely optional, and there is no real consequence for doing poorly, the initiative is one that is slowly gaining traction. So, what is the possibility of Boston College adopting such a test for soon-to-be graduates? Not likely, as BC already benefits from an acclaimed reputation, a long, storied history and graduates that are generally competitive in the job market. Even so, taking the CLA+ may prove advantageous for Eagles who are willing to put in the extra effort. For recent graduates, a high score may serve as another way to boost one’s resume and put to rest the myth that college is about little more than watching Netflix in bed all day and partying all night. In order to incentivize students, some schools, such as Hunter College and Brooklyn College, offer $50 gift cards to students who volunteer to take the test. Although they have to give up their time, the students may be the ones ultimately benefiting from the testing. As the Brooklyn College official website says, “Collecting this information is one step in the process of improving teaching and learning.” Since universities do not publicize their students’ scores, it may be hard for test takers to know how they compare with their peers. However, if the measure catches on, it may become standardized in a national effort to rate colleges based on their overall quality and value. “A dirty secret about higher education for a very long while is, we’ve had no particularly good ways of knowing the most important thing, and that is whether students are learning,” said Douglas Bennett, a professor of political science at Earlham College in Indiana. Regardless of whether or not the CLA+ can accurately answer the question of how much college students are learning, mandatory exit exams may eventually become a requirement for all undergraduates. In that case, Senior Week at BC may need to add one more event to its traditional schedule. No need to go dress shopping, though, the event is extremely casual. In fact, sweatpants are encouraged and the only accessory you will need is a fresh pack of number two pencils.

NEWS

UNCLE SAM WANTS

YOU TO GET MORE SLEEP By Benjamin Seo / Assoc. News Editor

ast year, Boston College’s Office of Health Promotion started the “Sweet Dreamzzz” initiative to raise awareness of

the effects that sleep deprivation has on the general well-being of students. Students are the not only ones affected by sleep deprivation, however. The nation’s affinity for late night talk shows and reruns of old movies may have resulted in overlooked economic consequences. Sendhil Mullainathan, a professor of economics at Harvard University, in an article written for the New York Times, argues that the effect of sleep deprivation on a nation’s economy is huge. A 2006 study released by the National Center of Biotechnology Information

8 8

TIPS FOR HRS.

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states that sleep-related fatigue costs businesses nearly $150 billion in absenteeism, workplace accidents and other losses of productivity. Another study conducted in Australia calculated that “sleeplessness” cost the nation’s economy approximately

0.8% of the country’s gross domestic product. In comparison, the twoweek shutdown of the United States government in October of last year shaved 0.6% from GDP growth in the U.S. Yet, Mullainathan argues, this number does not sufficiently represent the whole of the consequences of inadequate sleep. While the 0.8% GDP loss represents the physical and medical issues sleep deprivation causes, it omits the impact on mental and social skills. A lack of sleep has been proven to increase a worker’s lethargy and crankiness as well as promote poor decisionmaking, which negatively impacts the mental and social skills necessary in today’s service-based economy. Unfortunately, the problem of sleep

1 2 3 4 5

Use your bedroom only for sleep.

Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, comfortable and cool.

Utilize relaxation techniques to prepare your mind and body.

Stop eating Avoid approximately caffeine close to bedtime. 2-3 hours before sleep. March 2014

deprivation only appears to be getting worse. Since 1975, the amount of people who get less than six hours of sleep a night has risen 22%. Nationally, 77% of college students report not getting enough sleep. Boston College students in particular have cited academics, clubs, social activities and roommates as the top five reasons for not getting enough sleep. It is ironic that sleep deprivation has been proven to decrease productivity both in and out of the classroom. Further research into sleep deprivation has shown that sleep inadequacy causes people to have less capacity for memory, learning, or creativity and that they become both less optimistic and less sociable. “Cyber-loafing” or wasting time online at work has also been shown to increase substantially on the day after the start of daylight savings time, when people lose just one hour of sleep. In fact, sleeping only six hours a night over the course of two weeks has the same effect on people as staying up for 48 hours straight. A recent study by the National Institute of Health has discovered evidence that the brain flushes out toxins during sleep. These toxins, which build up while a person is awake, consist of brain damaging molecules that have been linked with neuro-degeneration and ailments such as Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers in the University of Helsinki have also indicated that insufficient levels of sleep also affect the immune system and trigger inflammatory responses in the body. These types of reactions have been linked to increases in the likelihood of cardiovascular diseases and Type 2 Diabetes. For those trying to lose weight in time for the spring, sleep has just as big an impact on weight loss as diet and exercise. Sleep loss has been shown to increase levels of the ghrelin hormone, which increases appetite and cravings, and decrease the levels of the hormone leptin, which tells the body when it has had enough to eat. Additionally, sleep deprivation causes the metabolism to decelerate. It would seem the secret to losing weight may be less time and the gym and more time asleep in bed. Fortunately, the Office of Health Promotion has come up with eight tips to help students and the population as a whole to get eight hours of sleep, the recommended amount of time suggested for better sleep hygiene. So, while the year is still young, make a new resolution and get some more sleep. Your body, and the economy, will thank you for it.

Photo courtesy of J.Salmoral / Flickr

Photo courtesy of epSos.de / Flickr

6 7 8

Exercise regularly, but avoid it a few hours before sleeping.

Avoid alcohol before bedtime.

Go to bed and wake up at the same time each day. Photo courtesy of Shaheer Shahid / Flickr

NEWS

SPIRITUAL BUT NOT RELIGIOUS Generation Y and the Question of God By Emi Omick / Gavel Media Staff

According to recent surveys, a growing number

of young adults describe themselves as “spiritual but not religious.” This represents a change from previous times when people were split into groups of those who practiced a religion and believed in a higher power, and those who didn’t. According to a Pew Research Center survey, one out of five people in the U.S. – and a third of adults under 30 – are religiously unaffiliated, the highest percentages ever in polling history. Atheists are quick to claim higher numbers of people unaffiliated with any religion for themselves, but this is not an accurate picture. The religiously unaffiliated are growing, but they more often represent people who are spiritual and don’t believe in any organized religion. The question of

the difference between being religious and being

spiritual is changing, yielding more complex answers. Professor Glenn Willis of the theology department believes

spirituality

without

religion

“sometimes

become, for some of us, a quiet attempt to avoid an encounter with our own imperfection...Whenever we commit ourselves to a tradition of inquiry, to an authoritative set of teachings, to a community of people struggling on a common path, then we will almost certainly come up against our own basic selfcenteredness, as well as our own most profound gifts.”

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Though a full third of U.S. adults under 30 identify with no religion, they are also the highest percentage of “spiritual” people as well. Young people, especially college students, are naturally inclined to challenge conventions and push boundaries. Is this enough to explain such a shift away from religions and towards spirituality? It’s definitely part of it, according to Boston College students. “I believe that college is really a time where students are questioning and exploring their relationship with God, religion and spirituality. Conversations surrounding these ideas and attitudes are really fostered by BC’s Jesuit Catholic tradition because the ideals of reflection and discussion give students an open forum to explore these feelings,” said Kelsey Todd, A&S ’17. Although BC is a Jesuit Catholic institution, this doesn’t necessarily promote strict obedience to the Catholic faith. BC is “highly supportive of exploring other religions or learning about different opportunities to explore your spirituality whether that be through reflection or action,” said Meghan Kiley, CSOM ’17. The Jesuits promote an atmosphere of questioning and “challenge students to understand why they believe what they believe and

March 2014

Photo courtesy of Amanda Ikard

really dig deeper into their convictions. This accepting and inquisitive climate allows room for all types of spirituality,” said Todd. Indeed, the Jesuit faith is based on reflection, and Jesuit teachers on campus will not shy away from questions about spirituality. Another possible reason for this new trend is that young people are becoming increasingly disenchanted with religion, and see it as imposing or impersonal. Spirituality is a much more individual concept, and it is all about a person’s journey. It’s about asking questions there might not be answers to, as opposed to many religions that spell out exactly what devotees should believe. Also, religion is almost overwhelmingly decided by family background, at least at first. “BC students tend to highlight their

spirituality as an individual development and the religious aspect as more of a family connection,” said Greg Walor, CSOM ’17. A person’s spirituality is all on them, for better or for worse. As young people, especially college students, experience the increasing desire for independence, it is completely natural that this would translate to their religious life. Often times, though, students have more mixed views on spirituality and religion. It is easy to categorize people into groups of religious, spiritual or neither, but sometimes even these groups are too restrictive. Students have questions about how to reconcile spirituality and religion, and have different views on just how interrelated these two things are. “I enjoy attending church from time to time, but do not feel pressure to be at mass every Sunday. I like to reflect on many spiritual questions, but I do not believe any one religion can answer these questions for me,” said Hannah Schumacher, A&S ’16. “Personally, Church makes me content when I need it, but is not at the heart of my beliefs,” said Todd. Others identify strongly with a specific religion, but less so with the concept of spirituality. The community and traditions of religious services cannot be understated, and are a major component of the appeal of belonging to a specific religion. “I appreciate having religious rituals to keep me grounded. Knowing that millions of people all over the world are engaging in the same rituals constantly reminds me of just how small I really am in the grand scheme of things,” said Kaitlyn Moran, LSOE ’16. The entire concept of being spiritual but not religious can be a difficult one to grasp, since each person’s definition varies. It’s either a belief in something bigger than yourself, or it means being sensitive to some state of being beyond one’s strictly physical form and body, or it has to do with personal well-being and satisfaction, or it is a connection with

not an external, divine force, depending on who you ask. Or, maybe, it means all of these things. But there are important questions to consider when thinking about what this concept truly means. “I think being spiritual but not religious means believing that someone above you is looking out for you. You are trusting that there is good in doing the right thing and being selfless. You can take the time to connect with that higher being any way that enforces happiness and contentedness and improves your outlook on yourself, others and the environment,” said Christina Dunn, CSOM ’17. “For any person who identifies as spiritual but not religious, we will want to ask them a number of sincere questions: What is it that they are identifying themselves against, and what are they hoping to affirm about themselves? Is that person participating, consciously or unconsciously, in the broad contemporary disparagement of human institutions, from government to schools, from the family to the synagogue and the parish church? Is that person insisting upon their own ultimate autonomy, out of a fear that involving themselves in a historical tradition of inquiry and teaching will somehow diminish their freedom, instead of giving them new and deeper forms of creativity? Does that person believe that their spirituality-whether they would speak of love, of ethics, or of compassion—needs no support, guidance, or authority other than themselves?” said Willis. This new phenomenon is ultimately between each person and whatever he or she believes in. The process of questioning faith is not a new one, but with a new generation even more inclined towards breaking social norms, it could go further than ever before. Whether this shift towards identifying with spirituality rather than religion is permanent or not, it is something BC students will have to consider as they take theology and philosophy classes and decide what it is, exactly, that they believe.

FEATURES

Coaching Corps A New Initiative on BC’s Campus for Underprivileged Youth By Aya Tsuruta / Assoc. Copy Editor

hen Will Relle CSOM ’15 was

hesitating to lend a hand. This man was

athletic teams and afterschool programs,

in the third grade, he met

no one other than Relle’s soccer coach.

especially after the $1.5 billion cut from

somebody who would later

“He was always there and he was that

school sports programs in 2010. Even

become one of the most valuable mentors

coach—that dad—that everyone looked

when these under-resourced communities

in his life. This person set high standards

up to, and I still have a great relationship

are able to offer an athletic program, the

for Relle and his peers, pushing them

with him now,“ says Relle.

situation remains bleak. One adult can

to excel, while instilling confidence in

To have such a positive figure in one’s

be responsible for 30 or more children at

them at the same time. He cultivated

life is a privilege that not all children

a time, and he or she most likely is not

the rare and cherished virtue of trust.

have the opportunity to experience. Low-

qualified to coach or even play the sport.

Most importantly, he was reliable, never

income neighborhoods struggle to fund

$1.5 billion

cut from school sports programs in 2010 10

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40% of programs

moving to fee for play, accelerating the divide March 2014

Jono Keedy / Gavel Media

In 2002, three different foundations in San Francisco that recognized social injustice joined forces to create the Coaching Corps, an organization dedicated to ensuring the availability of athletic programs for underprivileged children. With a mission to “improve the health, educational and social outcomes for kids living in struggling communities through the power of service and sports,” this national organization has already reached more than 30,000 kids. Their goal is to change the lives of 300,000 kids in the next five years, and now, thanks to Relle and his team, students at Boston College can help. As he sat, eagerly displaying his white Coaching Corps t-shirt, Relle explained a little more about the chapter here at BC. “We like to

consider ourselves, rather than a club or an organization, a movement, and we say that because we’re trying to spread across the United States.” The BC chapter is one of two on the East Coast, the other being Harvard. “This is completely new, so frankly I’m in the building blocks with everyone else, which is kind of fun because then

Kids Want To Play Places To Play Available

I share the same concerns or excitement as hopefully the rest of our members.“ Currently, students have the opportunity to coach basketball, soccer, squash, and running. “We’re in the works with a couple of others,” Relle says. “The great thing about it is that we haven’t even started yet and we already have 25 members signed up,” he continued. With over 4,000 students participating in a varsity, club, or intramural sport and a large amount of students dedicated to service, the Coaching Corps is a perfect fit for BC students. As a BC student involved in athletics and passionate about service, Relle understands the true value of sports and why it is such a vital aspect of a child’s development. “First and foremost, I think the most important thing is that in order to play a sport you have to have a voice. And by that I mean you literally have to be able to speak to each other and communicate well with your teammates. We teach the kids that we’re working with to be able to voice their opinions and express their thoughts clearly. I’ve learned everything in this world from sports,” Relle continued. “I’ve learned that hard work pays off. I’ve learned about communication, leadership, and the importance of taking the initiative. Somebody on every team needs to step up and be the leader and push their fellow teammates to either work harder or do something differently.” The Coaching Corps executive group at BC, which includes Vice President Colin Pavano, A&S ‘15, and Treasurer Daiva Siliunas, A&S ’15, worked incredibly hard last semester in order to launch the club this spring. For more information and to learn how to join, email coachingcorpsbc@gmail. com

Sports Equipment Available Coaches Not Available

FEATURES

EAGLES LAB

Photo courtesy of Lisa Han

in the

By Christie Merino / Features Editor

Eagles in the Lab is a series geared towards recognizing BC undergraduates conducting research on campus that directly affects the lives of students today and in the future.

he third floor of Devlin is always quiet, but that doesn’t mean no one is around. Down the halls lined with geological and watershed mappings of Massachusetts is an unassuming lab full of computers. Unlike the lab that most Boston College students think of that is located in Merkert or Higgins, there are no beakers or Bunsen burners in this one; just a student clicking away on her computer with nothing but a small composition notebook in front of her. Lisa Han, a senior studying environmental geoscience, can be found in this lab diligently working on her thesis concerning floods on BC’s campus. Floods, simply put by Han, “occur when there are high intensity rainfall events and water accumulates really fast.”

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Using a program called ArcGIS, Han is “quantifying how development over time has exacerbated flood frequencies.” Over time, this development means an increase of impervious surfaces. Any surface that does not allow water to fall through it is considered an impervious surface, and a large presence of these materials can worsen flooding in a given area. Between the low-lying nature of Lower campus and the large concentration of concrete everywhere, it’s no wonder that the Mod Lot and Edmonds flood as often as they do. By using a birds-eye view of campus in 1938, and another in 2007, Han has “measured the amount of impervious surfaces over time and then looked at rainfall data over time” to see how land use has changed and how this correlates

to flooding on campus. In order to do this, Han has used ArcGIS to map and analyze geographical data. By importing an aerial image of the campus, Han is then able to use Google Maps as a guide to individually draw polygons around all of the impervious surfaces on campus. After drawing over 200 polygons on the 1938 map, the data showed Han that the campus used to be composed of 20.9% of impervious surfaces. This was after BC had just moved from its original South Boston location and consisted of four buildings: Gasson, Burns, St. Mary’s and Devlin. The 2007 data shows that 48.6% of these surfaces are now impervious. All of these impervious surfaces have come from large amounts of development on Lower campus, like

March 2014

the filling in of the Reservoir in 1949. This used to cover all of Lower campus and went all the way up to the very bottom of the hill where Maloney Hall is currently located. Using the percentage of impervious surfaces, Han was able to calculate the discharge rate, and, “using that, I see what rainfall intensity in 1938 the area could accommodate in comparison to 2007.” The 1938 data showed that there was a 1.6% chance of such a flood event happening. With the 2007 data, the probability jumped to 39.7%. When asked if there was a possibility that weather patterns had changed enough to account for this dramatic increase in flooding probability, Han says it’s all about finding a pattern. “The precipitation is really random. There are times when I say, ‘I see a pattern here,’ and then I realize, ‘Nope.’ If you want to see a pattern you need to use centuries of data so I feel like I can’t make a judgment because the window is so small.” Though BC students today have little familiarity with campus back in 1938, and even 2007, the way that the land on campus has changed in just the past few years escapes no one’s notice. Han says, “Even from when I first came

here freshman year to this semester, so much has changed. Those small changes can lead to natural changes.” The beginnings of BC’s 10-year plan to renovate campus have been actualized with the addition of Stokes Hall, the renovation of the quad and St. Mary’s Hall. These changes have added more impervious surfaces to campus, but they have also produced more green space. Han says the addition of grass where there once was concrete is, “definitely aesthetically pleasing. But it’s nice Photo courtesy of Julia Keefe because water was meant to infiltrate discuss the environmental implications into the ground, which it can’t do with of the 10-year plan: “We kind of dabbled impervious surfaces.” with the idea of rooftop gardens. That’ll Han expressed interest in presenting help with the flood problem and it’ll her completed project to Terrence Leahy be nice to have, but they just were not and the rest of facilities, saying, “They having it.” Han and others were told that know, its kind of inherent that more everything had already been planned development will lead to more floods. and that a new project with additional I wanted to quantify it so they know costs was not an option. how much to expect.” Not only can Han However, Han wasn’t discouraged, speak with authority on past flooding on saying, “I feel like that it’s such a great campus, but, “I’ve used maps of [BC’s idea and it could be incorporated.” She campus in] 2050 to project how much added, “Even though they say their plans flooding is going to occur with the 10- are set in stone, plans always change and year plan.” get modified so I hope through my study, As a member of Real Food BC, Han they keep it in mind that things could has met with the facilities department to change.”

Photo courtesy of Lisa Han

FEATURES

“I still can’t be lieve this is a st ate school. It’s small!” - Colle so ge Road bus s top

“Listen, my friends are your friends so, like, you have to like them to be with me.” – The Million Dollar Stairs s responsibilitie y m ll a g in rn en tu “Lately I’ve be nn’s mes.” - Mary A a g g in k n ri d into urt hat’ll h t , s p i t et steak night.” – Mac g ’t n a c “No I later to k c i s t ge when I

#overheardatBC

“There wa yesterd s a Gavel arti cle abo ay.” – S tokes ut it

Billy Foshay and Amanda Ikard / Gavel Media

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March 2014

Laughing It Up With

What made you choose BC? I got into NYU and BC, and when I visited [BC] I really liked the campus. It seemed like a real college – like a college in a movie – so I kind of picked it based on that. It seemed kind of picturesque and you got to go to football games, and at other schools like NYU it looked like you were just living in the city. But other than that I wasn’t really thinking much – I was 18 [laughs]. Did you originally have a specific career in mind when you chose your majors? No, not necessarily. My majors were theatre and English with a concentration in creative writing. I knew I probably wanted to work in entertainment but I wasn’t really sure doing what. I liked to write and I liked to act, so I picked my majors before I started and I never thought of changing. I liked all of the classes I took; they just seemed to be appropriate for my interests. Were you involved in any clubs or extracurricular activities on campus? I was in plays; I did the musical and I was in some dramas. And I submitted some writing to one of the [literary] magazines. Photo courtesy of Getty Images

If I asked you to name a television comedy writer, your answer would probably be one of the famous faces who not only write, but also star in their television shows – Tina Fey, Louis CK, Mindy Kaling, etc. However, they’re not the only ones making you cry from laughter during your most recent five-hour Netflix binge. I got a chance to talk to Boston College alum, Tracey Wigfield ’05, writer of 30 Rock and The Mindy Project, about her job as the creative brain behind some of television’s funniest characters.

Do you have a particular class or professor that stands out in your memory? Yeah, I had a couple. I took two playwriting classes with Scott Cummings from the theatre department, and I remember his class was really good because I had never taken any kind of playwriting or screenwriting class – I had only taken fiction classes up until that point – and I really liked how much easier, for me, it was to write in dialogue, which is something I had never done before. Professor Chibka also had a really good short fiction class that I took where we read a bunch of short stories and learned a lot about narrative and how to craft stories. Steve Almond had a humor workshop that was kind of eye opening because it was the first time I sort of felt like what I wanted to be writing, specifically, was comedy.

CULTURE

you have to write terrible stuff in order to get better at it and to eventually write middle to OK stuff

fi Wig ey

eld

rac of T esy urt

to c Pho

How do you feel your experience at BC helped you in pursuing your particular career goals? Well, as opposed to going to a school that has a big television or film program, BC is liberal arts – and I think in a lot of ways it was helpful for me to get a liberal arts education and to have a wide view and learn a lot about a lot of different things, as opposed to zeroing in so quickly on exactly what I wanted to do. I kind of feel like the time to do internships and really figure out what that thing is [that you want to do] is probably a couple years once you’re out of school – you know, you try a bunch of jobs and see what works for you. But while you’re in college, you should just be doing things that are interesting and reading books and trying to make yourself a mildly smart, wellrounded person [laughs]. Switching gears to your writing for TV – first of all, congratulations on your Emmy! [for the 30 Rock episode “The Last Lunch”] Oh thank you!

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Was that the most surreal experience for you? Yes! It was really crazy. My parents were there and I had never been nominated alone before, so it was sort of terrifying, the thought of having to get up and talk, you know? And 30 Rock has been such a great experience for me that this just seemed like an extra fun thing on top of it – it didn’t have to happen, so it was kind of like a nice surprise at the end. Do you find it intimidating to be writing alongside such incredible actresses as Tina Fey and Mindy Kaling? Oh, absolutely! More so in the beginning, when you first start out and you’re sort of unsure of your voice and your abilities. I remember when I first started on 30 Rock when I was 23 and I was too scared to – let alone pitch jokes – I was too scared to talk and to give opinions in front of [Fey] because she was an idol of mine and so smart and funny and quick. That’s something that I think you just get better at in time as you build confidence and get older, but yeah, I was just a mute weirdo in the corner for a while the first year I worked there. Is there any kind of background work you think is important if you want to go into comedy writing? What helped me was I started doing improv classes in New York – I started

taking them at Upright Citizens Brigade, which is the theater where Amy Poehler started. That helped me a lot because it sort of loosens you up. A lot of writing on comedy shows is sitting in a room “ with other people and building off of each other’s ideas, and so improv makes you think on your feet and get really good at taking other people’s ideas and improving upon them and building stories together. And I think also just writing a lot – writing as much as possible – and practicing doing the thing you want to do as much as possible because, like anything, when you first start out you’re going to be terrible at it. I’m sure most of what I wrote at BC was terrible [laughs] and years after that continued to be terrible, but you have to write terrible stuff in order to get better at it and to eventually write middle to OK stuff. You were so successful with 30 Rock and I find it so impressive that you’re still just as funny on The Mindy Project – do you find it difficult to constantly come up with new material? It hasn’t been so far! That’s a fear I had especially when I first started out. I feel like I was always nervous that I was going to run out of jokes or I’m going to not have ideas anymore, but I don’t think it really works that way. Or maybe I’ve just forgotten it and I’m saying jokes that I’ve pitched five years ago and thinking I’m coming up with something new. [laughs] But I think as long as you work hard and keep coming back to it – creativity works where you just keep becoming more creative the more you do it. I don’t think it gets to a point where you’re like “Well that was it, that was the last idea I had.” Have you ever based a character or particular scenario on yourself or someone you know? I mean, I think I do that all the time! Especially because I was writing for Liz Lemon and now Mindy – and really with any character – I feel like any time you write a joke, the best jokes are ones that feel very truthful and resonate with people where you’re like “Oh, I do that

March 2014

all the time!” I feel like a lot of my sad, lonely lady jokes that I wrote for Liz and write for Mindy are just like based on daily sadnesses of my own life [laughs], basically all of Liz’s food jokes. Take me through a typical day at your job. On The Mindy Project we work on the Universal lot, which is a lot in Studio City, California where they shoot the show and a bunch of other shows as well. We have a staff of 10 writers, including Mindy [Kaling], and most days we come into a big room and we sit around a table and, depending on what work has to be done that day, we mostly just sit in the room and sort of brainstorm and think of ideas for stories for the show. It’ll take like a week or a couple of days or so to do what we call “breaking the story” or coming up with the A and B story of what an episode will be. Once that happens, then we put notecards on a board and each of the notecards represent a scene in the episode, and once that’s done the board then goes to a writer and they take that board and make it into an outline. Once that outline is approved, then they write a script and bring it in and everyone as a group rewrites it together.

Do you find it makes it easier or more difficult to write as a group? Easier, because the good thing is, when you’re writing as a group and you get stuck on something, there’s someone else who can come up with an idea that can sort of solve it for you. With some of the projects that I’ve done on my own, I think it’s satisfying in a certain way because you have total control over it. That’s one frustrating thing sometimes when you write in a group you can be like “No, but that joke was really genius!” and if other people don’t laugh then it doesn’t go in, but if it’s just you writing alone, you get to decide. What’s your favorite joke that you’ve written for 30 Rock and The Mindy Project? I just wrote a joke for an episode [of The Mindy Project] today that hasn’t aired yet so I’ll give you a sneak peek joke. Mindy says to Danny “We’ll be neighbors! Like Dennis the Menace and Mr. Wilson, except I only wear overalls when I have my period.” And someone at a party this weekend just reminded me of a 30 Rock joke I wrote where Liz Lemon says she hasn’t done her laundry so she’s wearing a Duane Reed bag as underwear.

Photo courtesy of Tracey Wigfield

Are there any jokes that you regret that made it into episodes? [Laughs] No, I don’t think so! I mean if it’s good enough to make it on TV… There’s always episodes that I feel like “ehh” and I’m not super proud of those ones that didn’t come out as good as I wanted them to, but in terms of jokes, I’m always so happy any time any joke is good enough to be said by people and put on television. What other show or particular actor, past or present, would you love to write for? I’m always jealous of the show Veep, I think it’s like the funniest show. I also love Frasier; I was just watching it and it’s such a funny, tightly-crafted show.

You and Mindy are always tweeting about each other so I’d say it’s safe to assume that you guys are best friends in real life? Yes, we’re very good friends. When I first moved to California I didn’t know anyone because I had lived in New York for seven years and she was very very kind to me and she took me out shopping and went to exercise classes with me and let me be her friend. But yeah, she’s always putting up pictures that sometimes look amazing of me and sometimes where I look like a monster [laughs]. She’s great. I know you’ve made cameos in some of the shows you write for – do you also have any desire to act eventually? Yeah sure! I loved acting in college and I did improv in New York and I like to do it anytime I have the opportunity. So yeah, I would absolutely do it if the opportunity came my way. What advice would you give current BC students about what to take advantage of during college? I would take a bunch of classes in a bunch of different things – don’t take classes because you think they’ll be helpful to your job. Take classes because you think they’ll be genuinely interesting to you. I remember a mistake I made when I was a senior: there were two classes available at the same time and one was Advanced Poetry Writing which was going to be really interesting and challenging, but I took a different class that I thought might be useful for a job someday and because I was lazy and my friend was taking it. It ended up just being an opportunity to pass notes with my friend and get an easy A…which I don’t think I even did, I think I got a B. You might as well take classes that are cool that you actually care about. You shouldn’t be taking classes just because you think it’ll be helpful for a job – you learn the job while you’re doing the job. You should just look at the things that interest you and how you like to spend your free time and that’s how you should pick the job you end up doing.

CULTURE

By Bernadette Deron / Gavel Media Staff

Photo courtesy of Aquitaine Chestnut Hill

oston’s Restaurant Week is the opportunity to escape from Lower and Mac to see what the cuisine in the city has to offer. From March 16 to 21, and then again from the 23rd to the 28th, establishments in and around the Boston area will be offering special deals for prix-fixe meals, allowing people who normally don’t dine out to have an incentive to do so. But don’t let the nature of the event fool you; although this event does offer some of Boston’s best restaurant menus at cheaper prices than on any other day, some checks will still run high, especially for the dinner specials. So, in order to accommodate the struggling broke student’s soul, here is a list of places that will offer the best bang for your buck. Lunch menus are all between $15 and $20, and dinner menus don’t go higher than $33. The majority of these places offer lunch and dinner as well, so if a certain restaurant entices you, but you’re not feeling the idea of going out for a full-blown dinner, you can still try their cuisine with the lighter lunch menu.

BC Gavel

March 2014

5 NAPKIN BURGER 105 Huntington Avenue Boston, MA 02199 617-375-2277 Lunch: $20 Dinner: $28

KIKA TAPAS 350 3rd Street Cambridge, MA 02142 617-245-6030 Lunch: $20 Dinner: $33

ROWES WHARF SEA GRILLE 70 Rowes Wharf Boston, MA 02110 617-856-7744 Dinner: $28

5 Napkin is hands down one of the best boutique burger restaurants in Boston. Normally, the burgers are a bit pricey, but with the deals each of these two-course meal menus have to offer, it is definitely worth it. I would go for their original burger; the rosemary aioli on it is absolute perfection. Lunch comes with a soft drink or juice and dinner comes with beer or house wine.

The menu for this restaurant is not out yet, but this is one of the newer tapas restaurants in Boston, and the deals are pretty good compared to normal prices. They have a sweet selection of tapas and their restaurant week menu will probably be on par with their usual fresh selection of Spanish dishes.

If you love seafood, this is the place go. Unfortunately lunch is not an option at Rowes, but a $28 dinner paired with beautiful views of the harbor is hard to beat. The dinner consists of three courses, featuring popular New England staples such as the Clam Chowder appetizer and delicious, fresh caught Cod. There are options for those who prefer meat dishes, but I would go for their specialties.

AQUITAINE CHESTNUT HILL 11 Boylston Street Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 617-734-8400 Lunch: $15 Dinner: $28

HARU 55 Huntington Avenue Boston, MA 02199 617-536-0770 Lunch: $20 Dinner: $33

ARTBAR 40 Edwin H Land Blvd Cambridge, MA 02142 617-806-4122 Lunch: $20 Dinner:$33

Aquitaine offers one of the best deals out of all the restaurants lined up. And it’s at a pretty walkable distance from BC’s campus, or just one T stop (to Chestnut Hill). Aquitaine’s cuisine is traditionally French, and offers a three course meal for both lunch and dinner. Some of the entrees sound a little strange, but all good food sounds a little weird at first. Am I right?

Haru has yet to post their menu, but this is a top-notch Japanese restaurant that I’m sure will be serving some of their best sushi rolls and entrees. Prices usually run pretty high here, so the lunch and dinner prices are fair for their standards. If you’re into Asian-Fusion, definitely give Haru a look.

Although these price tags might seem steep, ARTBAR is worth the price. The majority of the ingredients used are locally grown and organic products, so you know that each bite is an environmentally friendly and healthy choice. Both lunch and dinner are three course meals, so come with a major appetite.

MIJA CANTINA & TEQUILA BAR Quincy Market Boston, MA 02109 857-284-7382 Lunch: $20 Dinner: $33

Mija Cantina hasn’t posted their list of options yet either, but this place has some of the best fish tacos in the city, and they’ll most likely be on the menu for Restaurant Week. If they’re not, all of the taco plates at Mija are excellent, as well as other traditionally Mexican dishes. I’d highly recommend coming here for dinner, but lunch is another great option. It may be crowded given its location, but the meal will be worth it.

CULTURE

By Madeline Cortes / Gavel Media Staff Victoria Fisher / Gavel Media

n a February morning with wicked weather brewing outside, Louie Fantini arrives early to host his show on the WZBC station, accompanied by his girlfriend Amber, who is visiting for the weekend. Although he’s always the first of the three DJs who collectively head the Thursday 9 a.m. show, Fantini doesn’t seem to mind. It’s actually an improvement from the 7 to 10 a.m. slot he had last semester; he biked to the station every week because the bus to his off-campus apartment doesn’t start running until seven. After airing an acoustic rendition of “Distress Signal” by Tigers Jaw, Fantini informs viewers that they are listening to Ramshackle Radio. “We change the name of the show based upon who’s here,” he explains. Usually when Fantini is doing a solo show, he goes by “Wires and Waves with Louie,” but he knows his co-hosts and roommates will be arriving soon. Moments into the show, the station phone rings. Fantini picks up and talks to their most loyal listener. A big fan of their show, he called about six times during their first show of the semester. “We’re all friends here,” he says. “We love our fans.” Pat Angiolillo and Nick Benevenia show up moments after Fantini takes the call, soon followed by their intern Annie Krumpoch. “What should the theme of the show be?” asks Pat. “Radio party,” replies Fantini, a fitting name given the crowded conditions of the already overwhelming 10 by 10 space. CDs stack the walls, and various stickers and posters fill every other conceivable area. The trio carries on such random and absurd banter that only the closest of friends could jump into, but anyone can enjoy. Benevenia suggests he might move to Gnome, Alaska after graduation, and Fantini describes his future as a tobaccochewing gold prospector hosting a radio show for Inuits and Siberians. “Our show is basically our conversation as roommates but on air,” says Benevenia. Although Fantini contributes to the exchange, he is more subdued. He focuses on song choices, types his selections

BC Gavel

ft. DJ Louie Fantini into the radio log, and softly bobs his head along to the music. As his cohosts say, “Louie is the one who’s always saying intellectual stuff,” talking about things like post-descriptivism, but he is better at “hiding his weirdness.” Fantini knew he wanted to do radio when he came to Boston College. Originally from Philadelphia, he often listened to WXPN, the University of Pennsylvania’s radio station, which inspired him to become a radio DJ. “I love WZBC, it’s the best station I know of,” says Fantini. He spends time at the station even off the air, catching up with the changing cast of characters that always inhabit the basement or sitting in on shows with fellow DJs. Fantini points out that WZBC has a lot going for it besides the radio itself, including publishing a magazine and putting on events. “The format is more conducive to a polemic kind of thing,” he says. Engaging people in different outlets, like their Tumblr page and Twitter account, is an important aspect of the community-focused angle Fantini looks for at WZBC. The English major heads back to his hometown next year to work in public schools, but he is looking to continue doing college or community radio. For Fantini, the major draw to WZBC is its non-commercial free-form style, which gives DJs much more control than typical radio stations and leads to a diverse mix of songs and styles. “Radio is so corporate, pre-processed, homogeneous, and boring,” he says. “We make a concerted effort not to do the same thing over and over again.” Fantini jokes that his solo sets end up being like a local show but for Philadelphia. He encourages people to throw on WZBC occasionally and expose themselves to what other people find compelling. “I guarantee you’ll hear some weird shit you’ve never heard before.” As the hour draws to an end, the “self-proclaimed shock jocks of WZBC” prepare to go their separate ways for the day, but not without taking one more call from their favorite listener.

March 2014

The Miracle of the Microwaved Egg

By Julia Keefe / Gavel Media Staff

Julia Keefe / Gavel Media

Sunday Morning Scramble

Post-Plex Poach

Hardey-Cushing Quiche

(Level: Do-able) (Level: Almost Impossible to Mess Up)

- Desired number of eggs - 1 tbsp milk per egg - Desired toppings (cheese, bacon, tomatoes, salt, pepper herbs, etc.) Whisk the eggs and milk together in a bowl, microwave for 45 seconds, stir, then microwave again for up to 45 seconds (depending on desired consistency), then mix in your toppings.

- 1 egg - 1/2 cup water - Toast Crack the egg into a bowl, then add the water. Place a microwave-safe plate on top and microwave for 1 minute. Check your egg, then cook in 15-20 second increments until it has reached the desired consistency. Scoop the cooked egg out and discard the water. Serve on toast.

(Level: Who Needs Stuart?) - 1 egg - 1 1/2 tbsp milk - Salt and pepper - 1/4 bagel (bite-sized pieces) - 2 tsp cream cheese - Bacon (bite-sized pieces) Whisk egg, milk, cream cheese, salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir in the bagel (this replaces the crust of the quiche) and the bacon. Microwave for approximately 1 minute and 10 seconds.

CULTURE

POLITICS MADE

PERSONAL:

Photo Courtesy of Sarah Palin:Facebook

BC Gavel

March 2014

America’s Problem with Political Moms T

By Grace Denny / Gavel Media Staff

he next election cycle may be a turning point for women in politics. Wendy Davis is a democratic gubernatorial candidate in Texas. Hilary Clinton is a leading choice for the Democratic nomination for the presidency. Janet Yellen was just confirmed as the first female chair of the Federal Reserve. Across the country, several seats in Congress are up for grabs as women prove to be strong candidates. Women are making strides in the numbers department, too—there are currently 99 women in the House and Senate, making up 18.5% of Congress. While this number is hardly demographically representative, it shows progress from abysmally low numbers in the past. More and more, people are proving willing to check the box on the ballot next to a woman’s name. And yet, media coverage and attitudes toward these women still lag far behind. Wendy Davis has been subjected to attacks on her life story and her role as a mother. A large part of her campaign centers on her personal story—that she was a single teenage mother, divorced and living in a trailer park, who put herself through college and law school to become a lawmaker. While she did misstate some facts—she was divorced at 21, not 19, and her second husband helped put her through law school—Davis supporters feel that the subsequent rebuttals by her opponent, Greg Abbott, and other members of his party are based on sexist, outdated attitudes toward women. Patriarchal values have permeated common perceptions of Davis’s political career. Many have contended that because she was often absent for weeks at a time while at Harvard Law, she essentially abandoned her daughters, although they have both made statements in her defense since then. Others point to the fact that her husband helped pay for law school, and that they later divorced after 17 years of marriage. The implied argument seems to be that she has chosen her career over her children and family, or that she used her own story to her advantage. While powerful men such as Mitt Romney and Joe Biden have used personal, family-oriented stories in their campaigns to little criticism, when women do it, people often see it as negative or calculating. However, many people, including some women within

the Republican Party have come to her defense. Kelleyanne Conway, a Republican consultant, argued that, “They never ask the male candidates, how do you have all the time to play golf and have a girlfriend?” She brought up Sarah Palin, and the criticism she received as a mother of five, with a special needs child, running for Vice President in 2008. Governor Palin’s case proves that the media’s sexism is not reserved to candidates of one party. Much of the media’s criticism of Sarah Palin in 2008 involved her role as a mother, raising questions about how she would have time for her kids and whether or not she could handle both her job and her family. Critics also made demeaning comments about her appearance, and the fact that she was a good-looking female candidate. This is something Wendy Davis has also faced, as many have labeled her “Abortion Barbie,” referring to her now-famous filibuster and her appearance. On the other side, Hillary Clinton has faced jokes about her appearance in that she is an older woman (despite the fact that many male presidential candidates have been much older) who lacks the same sex appeal. While women and some men in both parties have called for an end to comments like these, the problem is consistency. The same networks whose anchors and reporters defended Clinton from sexist attacks (CNN, The Washington Post, MSNBC) also attacked Palin. And many of the people who defended Palin (FOX News) attacked Clinton. In fact, Palin’s daughter, Bristol, whose pregnancy was at the center of some of the attacks on Palin, denounced Wendy Davis recently in a statement, saying, “Gosh, children are sooo inconvenient, huh? I’m glad my mother didn’t put motherhood on the shelf when she was elected to City Council, then became our mayor, then governor.” Ironically, Governor Palin was often accused of doing just that, putting work before motherhood, and using her children as an advantage for her campaign. If people would fight sexism consistently, instead of just when it poses a problem for a member of their own party, then perhaps the campaigns of women candidates would be able to devote more time to the issues and less defending their personal choices.

OPINIONS

Breaking Can Unconventional Classes Work at By Jackie Carney / Editorial Assistant BC? Picture this. Your alarm goes off at 8:15 a.m. on a Monday, and you roll out of bed, grumpy and groggy. The last thing you want to do is spend 50 minutes stuck in class about some topic of no interest to you. But then you remember: today you have “Jay-Z and Kanye West.” A smile spreads across your face, because instead of poring over James Joyce or counting electron orbitals, you get to discuss your favorite rappers and how they have influenced the history and future of music. The class I have just mentioned is not a figment of my imagination. It is real, and the University of Missouri is offering it this year. The course is described by the university’s English department as one that will answer three questions about the two iconic rap artists, “(1) Where do they fit within, and how do they change, the history of hip-hop music? (2) How is what they do similar to and different from what poets do? and (3) How does their rise to both celebrity and corporate power alter what we understand as the American dream?” The class seems completely unusual on the surface, but Professor Andrew Hoberek explains that Kayne and Jay-Z are “very much like painters and novelists in the 20th century, moving beyond the confines of the art form’s boundaries.” “Jay-Z and Kayne West” fulfills the University of Missouri’s English credit requirement, yet it appeals to more than the typical English major. Unconventional and specific courses would be a major asset to students here at Boston College for a few reasons. First, they would add more diversity and desirability to the core curriculum. The core is described on the BC website as one that, “emphasizes the study of the defining works of the humanities, natural sciences and social sciences.” The idea behind the Jesuit education we receive is an education of the whole person through these various areas of study, not just a specialization in the certain major we choose. However, it is easy to view the core as more of a burden than an asset if students feel forced to take classes that do not interest them simply to fulfill their requirements. Photos courtesy of Tumblir

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March 2014

Photo courtesy of Flickr

Enter the unconventional class: Something that will fit into a core discipline, but offer an altered perspective. The pre-med student will no doubt dread his English class unless it involves reading the memoir of his favorite rapper. Second, college is a time of exploration and discovery. A university campus is unique because it is a place of learning and growth that is mostly removed from the pressures and obligations of the real, working world. Once we graduate, a lot of our freedom goes away. We must focus on getting the best job, paying our bills and our student loans, and for the first time, being completely on our own. That leaves little time for pursuing our supplementary interests: things that we can’t explore in our every day career, but that we still find fascinating. Chances are once we leave BC, the only time we’ll be “studying” Jay-Z is when we blast “Big Pimpin’” in our cars. Taking advantage of the freedom college offers to pursue what piques our interest

in an academic setting will no doubt enhance our experiences once we do enter the real world. Thirdly, eccentric classes could allow students to develop an interest in an academic discipline that they previously did not find attractive. Pop culture, sports, and music are huge parts of our daily lives as college students, especially with the availability of the Internet. But we hardly ever associate these kinds of topics with any sort of larger academic value. Classes geared towards the things we enjoy in our daily lives can act as a gateway to larger intellectual subjects. For example, Rutgers University is now offering a class titled: “Feminist Perspectives: Politicizing Beyoncé.” This class looks at her roles in feminism and race, using texts written by other black feminists to supplement an examination of Queen B’s repertoire. Topics discussed in a sociology class like feminism, gender stereotypes and race aren’t always enticing, but complementing them with pop culture examples will make students more attentive and active in class, and perhaps help them to develop an interest, or at least an understanding, of these disciplines. One common concern people might raise about these types of classes is that they are merely fluffy alternatives for difficult academic courses. However, that is not the type of course I am advocating. These unconventional courses are just

as rooted in academics as your typical upper-level college course. Professor Michael Eric Dyson, who teaches a course at Georgetown titled “Sociology of Hip-Hop — Urban Theodicy of Jay-Z” says, “This is not a class meant to sit around and go, ‘Oh man, those lyrics were dope. We’re dealing with everything that’s important in a sociology class: race, gender, ethnicity, class, economic inequality, social injustice.” These unorthodox classes aren’t meant to be an easy filler in your schedule. They would be just as mentally challenging as any other course, but perhaps the new perspective they offer will make the challenge that much more appealing. We are not singular people. As students at BC, we have multiple facets of our personalities that should be cultivated as we grow through our four years of higher education. No one can be defined through one interest. We all have hobbies and preferences outside of the classroom, whether they are in music, the arts, sports or technology. It is BC’s job as our school and home for four years to support us in these interests, and help us bring them into the classroom in an appropriate and informative way. The purpose of college is to take a crop of naïve freshmen and turn them into a graduating class that is ready to ultimately find success and joy in life after school. Unconventional classes can only help us expand our horizons past the familiar standards, giving us more ammunition with which to face the world. As a Jesuit institution, BC is dedicated to the cultivation of the whole person, and the whole person yearns for much more than narrow, predictable classes.

OPINIONS

T Tommy Catching up with

Cross By Bill Stoll/ Assoc. Sports Editor

he name Tommy Cross should ring a pretty familiar bell for most of the upperclassmen at Boston College, particularly those who are big hockey fans. For those who don’t quite remember him or perhaps never got the chance to watch him play, Cross was a four-year starting defenseman on the men’s hockey team, and his list of accolades and accomplishments while at BC reads like something out of an inspiring sports novel. While at BC, Cross collected the Eagle of the Year Award for BC Athletics in 2012, 134 starts, 60 points, three Hockey East Tournament Championships, three Beanpot Championships, and two NCAA Championships as well. So, you know, he was pretty good. Cross was drafted by the Boston Bruins with the 35th overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, and since graduating from BC in 2012, the 24-year-old has been playing with Boston’s AHL Affiliate, the Providence Bruins. I got the chance to catch up with Tommy while he’s plying his trade and waiting for his shot at cracking an NHL lineup. Again, since there are some who may not remember Cross’s steady presence on the blue-line, he would describe his style of play as that of a “two-way defenseman” while focusing on “being a solid defensive defenseman” and contributing offensively when called upon. Certainly Photo Courtesy of Providence Sports

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March 2014

his stats line up with this description, as in 84 regular-season AHL games, Cross has tallied a solid +11 rating with 17 points as well. After contributing so heavily to the BC hockey program for a full four years, Cross left with a bevy of great memories. He said that while the memories that certainly stick out from his time at BC include the assortment of hardware he helped bring to the trophy case, with the standouts being the Beanpots and National Championships, he also appreciated the less tangible things, like “growing up with my classmates, the other seven guys that were part of the class of 2012, those are some of the smaller memories and those relationships are the ones I’ll carry with me for a long time.” Cross said that he keeps in touch with most of his old BC teammates, saying “We text all the time, those are my best friends. The relationships we developed at school, you know be it with Gibby (Brian Gibbons), Joe Witt, who are a year older, or with Kreids (Chris Kreider) or Dumo (Brian Dumoulin), guys that were a year younger, and obviously all the guys in my class, we all stay in touch and we all get together. It’s fun, actually, we get to play against each other a lot too, which is great.” Recently, there’s been a flood of former Eagles who are starting to make a big impact in the NHL and AHL, many of them former teammates of Cross. Cam Atkinson is fourth on the Columbus Blue

Jackets with 32 points, Chris Kreider is sixth amongst rookies with 30 points and 13 goals, and others such as Jimmy Hayes, Brian Gibbons, and Brian Dumoulin have all started to get playing time at the professional level this year. When asked about seeing his friends and former teammates at the game’s highest level, Cross said, “It’s been a blast, especially

“I went to high school in my town, I went to college two hours away and now I’m playing pro two hours away, so I’ve been able to stay close to home and it’s been a pretty nice perk.” this season, to see all the former Eagles that are getting time in the NHL…so it’s fun to see guys out of BC, especially guys I was at school with kinda get their first taste.” Cross also said that BC is a great place for players to develop, saying, “I think it’s all those players are really great hockey players, and the coaches do a great job of getting guys ready to play at the next level...you know Browny (Coach Greg Brown), and it was Coach Cab, and obviously Coach York are very developmental and want us to work on our game. You take a talented kid and you put him in that kind of environment and give him

Jono Keedy / Gavel Media

that kind of a coaching most of the time good things are going to happen.” When asked about Coach York and the amount of success he has had in terms of both molding BC into a consistent championship contender and in developing players who succeed at the next level, Cross chalked it up to Coach York’s ability to create a winning culture that builds character. Cross said that York has developed a program which encourages a certain type of person to develop, and his success is largely due to the fact that he gets everyone to buy into the system and want to play their part, even if some players have to sacrifice some ice time to help encourage a winning program. Though Cross has taken his first steps towards a career in the NHL, he has yet to suit up for an NHL game, instead gaining valuable experience, both regular and post-season, in his first two years at Providence. Anyone who knows a thing or two about hockey understands that the Boston Bruins have one of the deepest defensive corps in the NHL, and it could be some time before Cross finally gets his shot. When asked about how he stays motivated despite this fact, Cross approaches it as any true professional, saying, “I think it’s something that all young hockey players go through that want to be a part of the National Hockey League. There’s only so many jobs available in the NHL, so you’re competing with a lot of guys for a few jobs and you just have to realize that you’re playing in

Photo Courtesy of Tumblr

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a great league, a developmental league, and the second best league in the world. At the end of the day, you want to keep getting better so that if an opportunity does come, either by injury or by an opening in the lineup or by whatever, you want to make sure you’re in the best spot to keep a roster spot and save your chance once you get it. That’s the only way I look at it, just keep getting better so that if the opportunity does arise, I’m ready for it.” Despite dominating at times for BC, Cross says that play at the AHL level is very different. Aside from the obvious fact that the players are much better, the schedule is “much more demanding, because you play double the amount of games in the same amount of time.” To put it simply, “It’s definitely a man’s game out there.” However, aside from the on-ice play, Cross admits that his situation in Providence is not so different as you might think compared to his time at BC. “Believe it or not, especially in my situation being in Providence, the travel is actually pretty similar. We bus everywhere, pretty much on day trips, an hour to Springfield or an hour and a half to Bridgeport, two hours to Nashua, so it’s all pretty close, very similar to Hockey East.” Cross does admit that the biggest difference about turning pro is that hockey is the only thing on your mind, saying “Off the ice, in college you have the other main parts of your day, be it class or other things on campus whereas when you turn pro, hockey is your job and that’s the main focus of your day.” Still, Cross has been pretty lucky in terms of travel in his hockey career. He grew up in Simsbury, Conn. watching Hockey East play, before being drafted by the Boston Bruins and then attending BC. “Yeah, I’ve gotten lucky that way. I

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went to high school in my town, I went to college two hours away and now I’m playing pro two hours away, so I’ve been able to stay close to home and it’s been a pretty nice perk.” My last question for Tommy was something I’ve wondered about for a long time, chiefly what it is actually like to be in a video game (Tommy Cross is in NHL 14). Since my once blossoming athletic career seems to have fizzled out after I hit my peak

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in soccer when I was 15, and since being a football kicker didn’t exactly pan out, I figured I’d try to live vicariously through Tommy Cross. Unfortunately, Cross isn’t a huge fan of video games, but luckily one of his family members is: “You know, I don’t really play video games but the other day my cousin texted me and told me he played as the Bruins and he used my player and two things happened: ‘The good news is you got an assist, but the bad news is you got beat up by George Parros.’” Yeah Tommy, I’m sure you don’t need me to tell you this, but if you do get called up this year, and if you happen to play Montreal, it’s probably a good call to stay away from the 6-foot-5’er with the killer moustache, just in case.

March 2014

Birdball 2014 By Connor Eckholdt / Gavel Media Staff

Amanda Ikard / Gavel Media

he bubble burst on the 2013 baseball Eagles. Literally, the bubble that covers Alumni Stadium allowing for teams to continue practicing throughout the cold and snow of the winter came down during Winter Storm Nemo. A lot of the promise and excitement for a young team seemed to go out with it. With the collapse of the bubble in mid-February, right before the start of the baseball season, the team was forced to make do with workouts in the Plex and hour long drives to a facility in Shrewsbury for practices from 10 p.m. to midnight. To put it simply, the 2013 season did not have an ideal start and the Eagles were never really able to find a rhythm after. They only managed to string together back-to-back wins twice the entire season and finished with a dismal record of 12-40, and 4-25 in ACC play. However, the players will be the last ones to see all those inconveniences as excuses. They will tell you that they were a young team (starting four or five freshmen every game) that simply did not meet the expectations that come with playing in one of the best conferences in the nation. They have seen the worst of times and have been made better for it.

The baseball program does not have it easy at BC. They have to jostle for practice time in the crowded bubble, as their prime preparation time is in the heart of winter. Apart from the bubble, there isn’t much space for extra practice, and certainly not the facilities to match other ACC competition. On top of that, there is no stadium. The chewed up intramural football fields become the outfield and the parking lot ramp, a grandstand. That’s what you get playing baseball in the northeast and this team not only recognizes these shortcomings, but also seeks to turn them into advantages; if they can play here they can play anywhere. The Eagles are coming into the 2014 season very much under the radar. Many have turned their backs on this young team and its coach, but they are happy to play the role of underdogs. The team returns seven starters from last season and key leadership from seniors John Hennessey, Tom Bourdon and Eric Stevens; but they aren’t taking it easy. The lead up to this season has been characterized by intense position battles all over the field, with this year’s freshmen looking to contribute right away. This is a stark contrast from last year’s freshmen who were thrown right into the lineup without much

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backup. The position battles this year have not only fueled competition, but also instilled camaraderie on this team that has experienced the lowest, and can only go up. But even with so much going for this team, it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be an easy rise to prominence in the ACC. Seven of the 14 teams are ranked in the top 35, and an appearance in the ACC tournament at the end of the season will require the Eagles to finish in the top 10 in the conference, leaving little space for error. The drive to conference success will begin in Florida, where the team will spend its entire spring break playing nine games. The season will begin with the annual exhibition game against the Red Sox and ends with a three game series against ACC foe Miami. With so many games on the road in a short time, the Eagles will have to find an identity early in the season to prepare for the grueling ACC schedule. This identity will have to be a resilient one because there will be no breaks in the schedule from then on out. The next

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series sends them to Charlottesville to face 2nd-ranked Virginia. It is not until after this true test that the Eagles get their home opener, weather permitting. After the Virginia series, the team gets 14 consecutive home games, with the likes of Jameis Winston of 5th-ranked Florida State and also 13th-ranked North Carolina coming to Chestnut Hill. The physical bubble that covers Alumni Stadium has survived the winter thus far, but it remains to be seen whether the metaphorical bubble will stay intact for the Eagles this season. They have a deep appreciation for what they have experienced together, namely the bottom of the ACC, but they also have something else this year. Each player has a chip on his shoulder, and each a desire to be better. Elite competition is coming to BC and this team deserves the support of a true varsity program, because they will compete and they will play Bird Ball day in and day out.

March 2014

â&#x20AC;&#x153;They have seen the worst of times and have been made better from it.â&#x20AC;?

Amanda Ikard / Gavel Media

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