Vol. XCIII, No. 9 Thursday, February 16, 2012

sportsBill Arnold’s OT goal led BC over BU for their third straight Beanpot title, A10

beanpot champs art or enterprise?the sceneRecent days have seen a surge in art-inspired objects, B1

metroEmployees of the non-profit program, Haley House, share their inspiring life stories, B10

haley house

Ford Explorer will help EMTs respond to on campus medical emergencies

By DaviD Cote

News Editor

Editor’s Note: This story is part of an ongoing series about the subpoena of the Belfast Project.

The Belfast Project started as an his-torical effort by Boston College intended to preserve the experiences of men and women on the ground during “the Trou-bles,” a period of violence and political turmoil in Northern Ireland that lasted from the 1960s to 1998. Over the past nine months, the project has developed into far more—an international legal episode with high tensions and even higher potential consequences.

Last May, tapes from the Belfast Proj-ect were subpoenaed by the United States federal government, on behalf of the United Kingdom, as part of an ongoing investiga-tion by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) into the death of Jean Mc-Conville, an Irish widow and mother of 10 who was murdered in 1979. The U.S. gov-ernment issued the subpoenas pursuant to a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT), an agreement between the two countries to exchange information in the interest of solving crimes, which they believed applied in the case of the Belfast Tapes.

Last year, the Department of Justice suc-cessfully subpoenaed interviews with two former IRA members who participated in the Belfast Project, Brendan Hughes and Dolours Price. The second set of subpoenas specifically called for the procurement of any and all interviews that contained infor-mation relating to McConville’s death, and have posed far greater legal difficulties.

BC filed a motion to quash the sub-poenas last June, but was ordered to hand over the tapes on Dec. 27 by Judge William Young. At that time, the University did not file an appeal on the decision, but reserved the right to appeal at a later date. Young was to review the tapes and select those that he believed fit the description of the subpoena, as relating to McConville’s death. Young eventually revealed that seven of the tapes held by BC were relevant to the investiga-tion and should be handed over to the Brit-ish authorities. BC still reserves the right to appeal, and is deliberating whether or not it will, according to University Spokesman Jack Dunn.

Beginnings

The Belfast Project began in the early 2000s under the direction of Burns Librarian Robert O’Neill and Thomas Hachey, execu-tive director of the Center for Irish Programs. The two spoke with Paul Bew, now a member of the British House of Lords, while he was a visiting professor at BC in 1999 and 2000, about the possibility of beginning an oral his-tory project regarding the Troubles. Bew re-turned to Ireland and spoke with Ed Moloney, an Irish journalist and former schoolmate of Bew’s, who became interested in the pos-sibility of directing such a project. Moloney referenced a similar project conducted by the Irish government after the Anglo-Irish War as part of his motivation for becoming involved in an oral history of the Troubles.

“[The Irish oral history project] was a very, very valuable historical archive and it was conducted and paid for by the govern-ment,” Moloney said in an interview. “I had always been an admirer of this. I had thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to do something like

By anDrew Millette

Assoc. News Editor

After a decade of research and proposals, Eagle EMS (EEMS) has finally obtained an emergency response vehicle. A specially-outfitted 2012 Ford Explorer XLT will allow EEMS to give initial medical care to patients anywhere on any one of Boston College’s three campuses in the time before an ambu-lance is able to arrive. This is a massive step forward in the evolution of EEMS, which was previously only able to offer care during events on campus.

“The vehicle is outfitted with everything

that an ambulance has, besides a stretcher,” said Chris Faherty, president of Eagle EMS and A&S ’13. “It is a non-transporting, class five ambulance that actually has even more medicines on board than an average ambu-lance would.” The vehicle is equipped with lights and sirens, radio communications, and a host of medicines and medical equipment, including EpiPens, charcoal, traction splints, trauma equipment, aspirin, and more.

“We have had cases where the applica-tion of the kinds of medications the vehicle will carry would have been appropriate,” said John King, director of public safety and chief of the BCPD. “In the past, we would

photo courtesy of eagle ems

Eagle EMS members (from left, Pat Arpin, Kendra Munkascy, Chris Faherty, and Kevin Wickersham) with the new Eagle EMS vehicle.

See EEMS Vehicle, A4

Eagle EMS rolls out new medical vehicle

Researchers weigh in on Belfast Project legal drama

have had to wait for the ambulance to bring those kinds of things to the scene, and now Eagle EMS will be able to bring them almost immediately.”

Last Friday, the Massachusetts Depart-ment of Public Health’s Office of Emergency Medical Services declared the emergency response vehicle legally ready for use after completing a three-hour inspection of the vehicle. The Office of Emergency Medical Services also inspected EEMS as an organi-zation and approved of the operating guide-lines it has set forth for use of the vehicle.

The emergency response vehicle will be responsible for primary medical response on campus Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. “This vehicle

See Belfast, A4

matt liber / for the heights

The Belfast Project interviews are stored in the Burns Library (above), in Chestnut Hill.

Obama provides avenue of escape for religiously affiliated institutionsBy BranDon Stone

For The Heights

In recent weeks, a struggle between the Obama Administration and certain reli-giously affiliated organizations has played out on the national stage. The struggle concerned the Obama Administration’s stance on the rules that govern the health insurance plans offered by religiously affiliated organizations, such as charities, hospitals, and universities. Initially, the administration supported the requirement of such organizations to offer free birth control for their employees. It did, however, allow an exception for explicitly religious organizations, such as churches.

Many religious leaders took issue with the fact that religiously affiliated organizations were not offered a similar exception, arguing that it forced them to violate their religious beliefs. On Feb. 10, however, President Obama announced a softening of the rule, namely, that religiously affiliated organiza-tions would no longer be required to pay for contraceptives themselves. The cost would instead be shifted to the health insurance companies.

This change is seen by many as a conces-sion to religious leaders, particularly Roman Catholic bishops, who had been outspoken in their opposition to the policy. However, later on Friday, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement that rejected any compromise on the issue and instead indi-cated that the Conference would continue to push for a complete end to the birth control mandate.

The birth control mandate, which requires all employers to provide free access to preven-tive care and currently offers exceptions for religiously affiliated organizations, is part of Obama’s healthcare overhaul.

The Obama Administration’s recent change in stance has fractured much of the opposition to the birth control mandate. Although the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops remained steadfastly opposed, many religious organizations, such as the Catholic Health Administration and the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities, hailed the compromise as a success.

“I really am appreciative of what the president did last Friday,” said Rev. Gregory Lucey, president of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. “I’m optimistic and hopeful, and I feel the religious liberty issue is addressed.”

Supporters of the Obama Adminis-tration’s birth control mandate argue that opponents are exaggerating the effect of the new rule. In fact, 28 states already require organizations that offer prescription insur-ance to cover contraception. Organizations in these states could have chosen to self-insure or not to offer prescriptions drug coverage. However, many, including Boston College, chose instead to offer contraceptive services as part of their prescriptions health insurance packages.

“Since 2002, the Commonwealth of Mas-sachusetts has required religiously affiliated institutions to provide contraceptive coverage for their employees,” University Spokesman Jack Dunn said. “Boston College continues to provide this service, which does not cover abortions, abortifacients, or sterilization.”

Though the issue remains a controversial one, it seems that the powerful opposition that initially rose to fight the rule will not be seen again. Moderate Catholics and religious leaders generally seem satisfied with Obama’s compromise. As such, the administration ap-pears to have moved on from the issue now that a compromise has been reached. n

Middlemarch will have superhero theme this year

daniel lee / heights editor

Students gathered in Conte Forum last night to hear the announcement of the theme for this year’s spring dance in the O’Connell House.

By SaMantha CoStanzo

Asst. News Editor

The theme for the 38th annual Middle-march dance was announced last night at 10 p.m. in Conte Forum.

The announcement video showed three O’Connell House managers arguing over the theme, each insisting that Jersey Shore, sports, or PBS was the best idea for a theme before announcing that Middle-march would be cancelled this year.

After a brief pause during which sev-eral students jokingly stood up to leave, the video resumed, showing the managers

in superhero costumes. After a montage of clips from The Avengers, The Fantastic Four, and Spiderman, it was clear that this year’s theme will be superheroes.

“There’s a lot of variety with this theme,” said Christopher Georgevich, undergraduate manager and A&S ’13. “It’s something people would probably like to dress up as.”

This year’s Middlemarch dance will take place on March 23, the same night as the annual 100 Days Dance for seniors, which was postponed from its regular time in mid February this year.

Middlemarch i s hoste d in the

O’Connell House each year and features a theme that attendees must use as inspi-ration for their costume for the evening. Because of the limited amount of space inside O’Connell House, the only way to obtain a ticket for the event is to be pres-ent at the theme announcement to get a scavenger hunt list. The list, which in-cludes questions about BC and O’Connell House managers, must be filled out and returned to the Student Programs Office by Feb. 20.

Past Middlemarch themes have in-cluded board games, Harry Potter, and Nickelodeon. n

—Source:TheBostonCollegePoliceDepartment

Police Blotter

..Today

Friday

SaTurday

Sunday

50°

38°

49°

30°

47°

29°

43°

26°

Partly Cloudy

Showers

Sunny

Partly Cloudy

Source: NatioNal Weather Service

2/13/12-2/15/12Monday, February 13

10:32 a.m. - An officer filed a report regarding information received from an off-campus source related to a Bc student.

12:07 p.m. - An officer filed a report regarding a fire alarm activation at the Haley House Day care center. the New-ton Fire Department responded. the cause for the activation was determined to be smoke from burned food which activated the detector.

10:22 p.m. - An officer filed a report re-garding medical assistance provided to a Bc student at Keyes South residence hall who was transported by cruiser to a medical facility.

11:35 p.m. - An officer filed a report re-garding found property. the owner was identified and notified of the discovery.

Tuesday, February 14

2:43 a.m. - An officer filed a report re-garding damage to a light pole which ap-peared to have been struck by a vehicle. the pole was rendered safe and a work order was filed for repairs.

5:42 a.m. - An officer filed a report re-garding medical assistance provided to an underage intoxicated Bc student at Mcelroy commons. the student was transported to a medical facility by Arm-strong Ambulance.

10:46 a.m. - An officer filed a report regarding medical assistance provided to a member of the Bc community at St. Mary’s Hall. the party was transported to a medical facility by Armstrong Am-bulance

4:13 p.m. - An officer filed a report regard-ing the unauthorized use of an Bc iD at 90 More road.

6:51 p.m. - An officer filed a report regard-ing information received from a third party related to inappropriate activity. Further investigation will be conducted to deter-mine the actual circumstances.

Wednesday, February 15

2:43 a.m. - An officer filed a report re-garding found property in lyons Hall. the item was stored at headquarters for safekeeping.

6:10 a.m. - An officer filed a report regard-ing damage to a broken window. A work order was filed for repairs.

VoiceS FroM tHe DuStBowl“If you could bring any guest to the Grammys,

who would it be and why?”

“My mom, because she deserves it.”—Katie Dobberstein, A&S ’15

“Andy Milonakis, because I like his show.”—Clair Abely, A&S ’15

“Georg Solti, because he’s won the most Grammys.”—Sean Gibson, A&S ’14

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Deliveryto have The Heights delivered to your home each week or to report distribution problems on campus, contact Dan ottaunick, General Manager at (617) 552-0547.

AdvertisingThe Heights is one of the most effective ways to reach the Bc community. to submit a classi-fied, display, or online advertise-ment, call our advertising office at (617) 552-2220 Monday through Friday.

EDITORIAL RESOURCES

News TipsHave a news tip or a good idea for a story? call David cote, News editor, at (617) 552-0172, or e-mail news@bcheights.com. For future events, e-mail, fax, or mail a detailed de-scription of the event and contact information to the News Desk.

Sports Scoreswant to report the results of a game? call Greg Joyce, Sports editor, at (617) 552-0189, or e-mail sports@bcheights.com.

Arts EventsThe Heights covers a multitude of events both on and off campus – in-cluding concerts, movies, theatrical performances, and more. call Bren-nan carley, Arts and review editor, at (617) 552-0515, or e-mail arts@bcheights.com. For future events, e-mail, fax, or mail a detailed de-scription of the event and contact information to the Arts Desk.

Clarifications / CorrectionsThe Heights strives to provide its readers with complete, accurate, and balanced information. if you believe we have made a reporting er-ror, have information that requires a clarification or correction, or ques-tions about The Heights standards and practices, you may contact taylour Kumpf, editor-in-chief, at (617) 552-2223, or e-mail editor@bcheights.com.

The Heights is produced by Bc undergraduates and is published

on Mondays and thursdays during the academic year by

the Heights, inc. (c) 2012. All rights reserved.

A Guide to Your Newspaper

The HeightsBoston college – Mcelroy 113

140 commonwealth Ave.chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467

editor-in-chief (617) 552-2223

editorialGeneral (617) 552-2221

Managing editor (617) 552-4286News Desk (617) 552-0172

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Four day WeaTher ForeCaST

CORRECTIONS

In the article titled “Martin Luther King, Jr. memo-

rial scholarship awarded,” in the Feb. 13 issue, the

subject of the accompany-ing photo on page A4 was incorrectly identified as

Sandra Dickson.

of Technology, Diaz humored these audience members. “I’ve been bat-tering young people all day,” Diaz said. “They’re like, ‘What the f—? I’m paying for this s—.’ I think this opens up the possibility that the next art you see will be a little better for you, though.”

Diaz segued into discussing his current work. Although in the middle of writing a second novel, he simultaneously is working on a second collection of short stories. “[Short story writing] is like eating

a chicken wing,” Diaz said. “A lot of work, a little wing.”

His new collection focuses on stories of men cheating on women. “So much of it happens, and it’s this crazy way of breaking someone up. It’s really interesting,” Diaz said.

Diaz read drafts of two stories, both told from a second person perspective, from his new collection. The first story, called “Alma,” dis-cussed a relationship between two polar opposites in vivid and vulgar detail. The second, untitled story

focused on an infidel thrown out by his fiancee, despite his strong feel-ings for her. “The one time a guy will show up with a knife in your closet is if it’s a rejected male,” Diaz said.

A question and answer session followed the reading, and Diaz paid particular attention to discussion of how literary theory and his own background influenced his works Drown and the Pulitzer Prize-win-ning The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. The novel featured a great deal of history about Santo

By Darren ranckHeights Senior Staff

When New York Times book critic Michiko Kakutani consid-ers an author’s writing as “Mario Vargas Llosa meets Star Trek meets David Foster Wallace meets Kanye West,” one can bet he has some interesting things to say. Boston College got an ear-full of this wicked literary fusion with the visit of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Diaz yesterday in the Murray Function Room of Yawkey Center. Brought to BC by the Low-ell Humanities Series and Fiction Days, Diaz discussed his two books and read unpublished drafts of his latest works.

Christopher Boucher, a profes-sor in the English department, introduced Diaz. The two shared a past connection as Boucher met Diaz during the former’s under-graduate days at Brandeis. “I’ve been talking him up to students as a writer who fires on all cylinders,” Boucher said. What Boucher re-members most fondly, however, is the moment when Diaz offered to read Boucher’s own work. “This moment speaks to his generosity personally, but also points to the generosity in his work.”

Diaz began the discussion by addressing those in the crowd who came out of academic obligation. A professor in the English depart-ment of the Massachusetts Institute

Award-winning author discusses writing, social issues

1

3

TopThreethings to do on campus this week

aNdrea laNza / For the heightS

Junot Diaz spoke about his career as a writer and read drafts of two new short stories at his talk yesterday.

On Campus

On Feb. 3, Boston College hosted the sixth anual Undergraduate Research Symposium. Fifty-four undergraduates from all four academic schools explained the research they had done on topics including adoption in South Korea, Chinese mi-gration in Far East Russia, French media coverage of the controversy surrounding burqa bans, binge-eating on college campuses, and reconciliation in Rwanda. Many of the research projects were under-taken by students who received funding from BC’s Advanced Study Grants program and the McNair Scholarship. A number of these research findings were also published in undergraduate research journals. Students presented their findings in two meth-ods. Five Connell School of Nursing students utilized individual presentations to discuss their reserach, while the rest of the students took part in 13 themed panels.

Undergraduate Research Symposium showcases undergraduate innovation

After a six-month investigation, 17 students at Texas Christian University were arrested in a drug sting early on Wednesday. Four of those students were members of the school’s football team. Ac-cording to TCU Chief of Police Steven McGee, all of the students were arrested for selling drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, LSD, ecstasy, and prescrip-tion drugs. Fort Worth and TCU police jointly carried out the initial investigation, which both forces say is ongoing and could result in more arrests. Accord-ing to University Chancellor Victor J. Boschini Jr., anyone found guilty faces immediate expulsion.

Four TCU football players among students arrested for selling drugs

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, and the Department of Neighborhood Development’s Office of Business Development have begun assessing the damage done to four Brighton businesses as a result of Sunday’s four-alarm fire. In addition to providing business owners and employees with resources and guidance to put them back in business as soon as possible, officials are working with the building’s owner to facilitate any demolition or construction needed.

Boston officials working closely with victims of Brighton fire

LocaL News

University

The heighTs thursday, February 16, 2012

2FridayTime: 7 p.m. Location: Conte ForumFresh off of their third Beanpot win in a row, the BC Eagles will take on the Merrimack Warriors this Friday.

TodayTime: 4:30 p.m.Location: Gasson 100

Celebrated speaker Rev. Mi-chael Himes will discuss the sacraments of the Catholic Church and how they relate

to important moments in our lives and the sanctity of life as a whole. A webcast of the speech will be available on the Boston College website on March 1.

a Sacramental People

Boston College hockey vs. Merrimack

TodayTime: 7 p.m.Location: Robsham TheaterTen BC students will compete for the title of BC Idol. The event will also in-clude performances by St. Columbkille Elementary students, and all proceeds will go to their school.

8th annual BC idol Competition

Domingo in the Dominican Repub-lic, an area ravaged by violence, and Diaz researched its lost history by having organic conversations with different Dominican subjects over a 10-year period. “These interview[s] were about seeing what atoms would leak out after spending hundreds of hours with them,” Diaz said.

Diaz also wanted to give a voice to certain political issues he encoun-tered in life. He cited feminism as one issue particularly close to his heart because of his vocal peers at Rutgers. “When I went to college, I was a straight-up moron,” Diaz said. “While I was growing up, there were huge fights in the African American diaspora community about how men were represented in the books of African-American female writers. [Female writers] were letting those dudes off easy.”

Offering a platform to the bat-tered and underrepresented marked one of Diaz’s greatest influences. He found great worth in a theory by Robert Smithson regarding the somewhere and the elsewhere. In Oscar Wao, he brought these two concepts to life in the settings of New York City, the ultimate somewhere, and New Jersey, the quintessential elsewhere. “The places where art is consumed is the ‘somewhere,’” Diaz said. “The best art, though, comes from the elsewheres be-cause of all the strife at work. As an author, you’re inspired by those freaks.” n

featured story

“Jason Alexander, because I’m a big fan of Seinfeld.”—John Sullivan, A&S ’15

iNtHe

NewS

The heighTsThursday, February 16, 2012 A3

“I want people to reflect about their access to food because not everybody has that”

-Zachary Desmond,Creator of the 40-Hour Famine and A&S ’12

Sean Talia is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at news@bcheights.com.

I guess you really just can’t please everyone …

On Friday, the Obama Administration announced that employers would no longer be forced to cover contracep-tives in their employees’ health insurance plans, as they may be exempted due to religious objections. In such cases, however, insurance companies themselves would have to cover those costs. Thus, regardless of where they work, women will now be able to get a hold of contraceptives if they so choose to use them.

It’s a win-win then! Who wouldn’t be happy about the fact that women will unequivo-cally have access to a medical service they seek while not forcing religious employers to aid them in their search?

Well, a number of Catholic bishops, apparently. Many are complaining that individual Catholic business owners who insure their employees shouldn’t have to comply with the mandate. The bishops view the measure as an assault on their Catholic conscience, with one archbishop, Timothy Dolan, going so far as to say, “There is still no attention to what you might call the deeper philosophical issues, namely, ‘What right does a federal bureau have to define the who, what, where and how of reli-gious practice?’”

That’s certainly an odd question to raise, given that no federal bureau is doing such a thing. This whole issue is not about defining how Americans practice their religion–it’s about their ability to take advantage of a medical service that isn’t as readily available as they would like. It is a most senseless piece of rubbish to suggest otherwise.

First of all, I have yet to hear about mobs of individual Cath-olic business owners crying for this mandate to be overturned, but rather only a small group of Catholic bishops who claim to speak on their behalf.

Secondly, even if these business owners were to have a problem with it, then sorry, they’ll just have to bite the bullet. Not everyone is going to be wholly satisfied with every move a government makes. As Jon Stewart said the other night, “You’ve confused a war on your religion with not always getting everything you want. It’s called being part of a society.”

Suppose a group of Ameri-can Muslims were to col-lectively write a letter to the IRS. In this letter, the group demanded that the IRS exempt them from paying their taxes because they had a religious objection to the way the United States was using the revenue to fund the war in Afghanistan. Would these same bishops rush to their defense in the name of protecting religious liberties? Fat chance. This commotion has nothing to do with morality or religion and everything to do with political agendas.

Fortunately, most Catholics know it, as evidenced by the fact that a majority of them polled by The New York Times supported the measure. Rev. Gregory Lucey, S.J. president of the Association of Jesuit Col-leges and Universities, of which Boston College is a member, said he was appreciative of what Obama had done, and he felt that the religious liberty issue had been satisfactorily addressed. The head of the Catholic Health Association, Sister Carol Keehan, also said she was “very pleased” with the compromise.

Listen up, bishops. Your people have spoken.

Sean Talia

Catholics can’t get enough

Hooking Up for Life explores relationships after college

By Brooke Schneider Heights Senior Staff

Though the median age of mar-riage is not as low as it once was, marriage is not an incomprehen-sible topic for college students to consider. On Wednesday, Feb. 15, Campus Ministry hosted Hook-ing Up For Life, a discussion on intimacy, love, marriage, and the transition from college living to married life. The conference room of Gasson Hall was filled to capacity as students anticipated the words of panel speakers Kelly Sardon-Garrity, Tammy Liddell, and Dan Leahy along with their spouses. The panel speakers, all from Cam-pus Ministry, were introduced by campus minister Rick Rossi, who said that the hour-long discussion would be generated by questions submitted by students prior to the

panel’s introduction. Though there is a lot of talk

about the hook-up culture on the Boston College campus, Rossi be-lieves there is little discussion about marriage. “How do you go from friends-with-benefits to spouses-with-benefits?” he said, before moving into the main discussion.

To warm up both the audience and the panelists, the couples were first asked to retell the story of how they met. Liddell’s husband, Bill Carroll, asked out his future wife after making a bet with his friends that he could score a date by Valentine’s Day. Sardon-Garrity’s wife, Cherisse, was initially inter-ested more in Sardon-Garrity’s friend than in Sardon-Garrity himself. When Leahy revealed that he met his wife of 26 years, Joyce, at a UMass-Lowell frat party, the audience, primarily composed of

By Samantha coStanzoAsst. News Editor

The UGBC Senate and Stu-dent Organization Funding Committee (SOFC) held a joint meeting on Monday night to discuss how to better fund stu-dent organizations on campus, in order to ensure that each club gets as much money for its programs as possible. While no conclusive solution was reached, both groups agreed that commu-nication between the Senate and SOFC could be improved.

The SOFC e-board explained that over the course of the year, the organization has $480,000 to be allocated to about 140 RSOs.

“So far this semester we re ce ive d re que st s tota l ing $760,441,” Lauren Beaudette, SOFC Treasurer and CSOM ’13,

said in an e-mail. “Last semester our requests totaled $1,075,438.” As of this writing, SOFC has $700 left in its budget for this year and is expected to allocate all of that in its next meeting later this week. In addition to its original budget, the organization has $20,000 saved in its reserve account.

“I think it’s important that Senate and SOFC have a re-lationship regarding funding, particularly since light has been shed on the percentage of fund-ing SOFC can allocate in respect to how much is requested,” said Layne Petrie, senior representa-tive and A&S ’12. “If everyone is on the same page in implement-ing plans to get ahold of the money that each club needs, the system will work smoothly and in everyone’s favor.”

Beaudette said that approxi-

mately 80 percent of SOFC’s budget is allocated in the first round of budgeting, which oc-curs after clubs and organiza-tions have submitted their pri-mary budget.

“It’s very rare that a club would not get any money for their primary budget,” said An-drew Breger, SOFC chair and CSOM ’13.

According to him, the only reason to not fund a particular event for a club would be if the submitted budget does not clearly state the nature of the event. In this instance, the club may appeal the decision in a separate process.

“There is a lot of outreach to club presidents and treasurers to get as much information as pos-sible about our procedures and policies, and they additionally have mandatory training hours

with SPO [the Student Programs Office],” said Jeannine Williams, SOFC Secretary of Public Rela-tions and CSOM ’14.

In addition, the SOFC’s guide-lines are clearly posted on their website. “The process has be-come really clear,” Breger said.

Despite this, student orga-nizations, club sports, depart-ments or events within the UGBC, and registered and non-registered student groups, in-cluding organizations that have been denied funding by SOFC, regularly approach Senate for more funding.

“In years past, we have aver-aged an allocation almost every week, including multiple alloca-tion requests on a single week’s agenda,” said Derek Lo, Senate president and A&S ’12.

Vanessa Gomez, vice presi-dent of Senate and A&S ’13, said

that before funding a group, the Senate asks to see what SOFC gave the group, asks the group to do more of its own fundraising if possible, and asks the group if it has reached out to other clubs to collaborate on the event in question.

“We’re more in the planning process of that [funding] prob-lem,” Breger said. “Our primary focus to date has been to effec-tively allocate the $240,000 we had to work with this semester,” he later said in an e-mail. “Now that we are out of funds four weeks into the semester, our fo-cus will solely be on advocating for more funds and increasing transparency.”

According to Breger, the Sen-ate and SOFC are planning on having another joint meeting to further discuss this issue some-time before spring break. n

students, responded with laughter and applause.

In response to the question of how the couples knew their spouse was “the one,” Cherisse recalled a trip that she and Sardon-Garrity took to Ghana after their initial meeting. “On the trip, I remember writing in my journal that I could marry Kelly,” she said. “It started out as a really strong feeling that was confirmed once we really got to know each other.”

The couple claiming the longest road to love had to have been Leahy and his wife Joyce, who broke up for two years when Leahy traveled to Nicaragua while contemplating joining the priesthood. “But then I realized, through the discernment process, that my path to wholeness would be through marriage,” he said. Leahy and Joyce have since raised three children together.

Having tackled the question of finding “the one,” the focus was then put on married life and the difficulties and blessings that

come with having children. All three couples agreed that any loss of individuality or independence, if there was any, was nothing in comparison to what they gained in sharing their life with their husband or wife. “I feel like the idea of giving things up is such a misconception,” Liddell said. “The things you give up are nothing compared to the things you get.”

After discussing the role that faith played in their marriage, each husband was asked to name what they love most about their wives. Carroll and Leahy followed Sardon-Garrity’s lead in calling their wives “hot” or “beautiful,” before getting serious. “It’s amazing to me that she loves me,” Leahy said. “I know me, and sometimes I have a hard time loving myself. Her unconditional love is inspiring.” On that beautiful note, the hour was up, and students dispersed to chat with the panel-ists and among themselves after picking up a slice of the miniature wedding cakes adorning the des-

sert tables. Many of the students came to

the event to support panelists that they knew personally in a setting that is much different from an Appalachia or Arrupe meeting. “I’ve heard Tammy speak, and I’ve never seen that side of her before, which was really nice,” said Stephen Padulsky, A&S ’12.

Students who were accustomed to speaking about the hook-up culture came to hear the other side of the discussion. “Because we live in such a hook-up culture, it’s nice to hear about the other side,” said Brittany Gazdag, A&S ’13.

Overall, it was the openness and honesty with which the panelists were talking that made the event the success that it was. “I’ve never heard adults talk about the details of their marriage in such a positive light,” said Meaghan O’Hare, A&S ’13. “You forget about all these dif-ferent dynamic elements that make it an important part of their life, and that’s great to hear.” n

Staff members from Campus Ministry discuss life beyond BC’s hookup culture

Senate and SOFC discuss reorganization of RSO financing

Students asked Campus Ministry staff members and their spouses questions about their marriages Wednesday. Each couple described how they met and the importance of faith in marriage.DAniEl lEE / HEigHTS EDiTor

The heighTs Thursday, February 16, 2012A4

EEMS Vehicle, from A1

this in Northern Ireland and the Troubles?’ for a very simple reason, and that is that history books and accounts of history are normally written by the leaders—by the people who are the generals and politicians, who emerge at the end of the day at the top of the heap. Very rarely do they reflect the views or the ex-periences and life stories of people who are at the ground level in these conflicts.”

Moloney also cited the length of the Troubles as a reason to get in-volved immediately. Participants who had been involved with the conflict were getting older and many were dy-ing, making the necessity of starting the project all the more pressing.

Former IRA member Anthony McIntyre, and Wilson McArthur, who had ties to loyalist groups like the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), both signed on as lead researchers for the project in the interest of chroni-cling the Troubles, a period of Irish history that will likely draw consider-able interest in the future.

“It held the potential to be a very valuable vein of research, and I think most researchers on the conflict would have jumped at the oppor-tunity to be involved in that type of project, given the new material that it was certain to uncover,” McIntyre said in an interview.

“My motivation for involvement in the project was a belief that what was being proposed could prove to be of immense value to future genera-tions studying the conflict in North-ern Ireland,” McArthur said. “Time was literally running out for primary sources, and BC was in a unique posi-tion to capture the testimony of those sources for posterity.”

Dunn also emphasized BC’s long-standing dedication to Irish history as an impetus in proceeding with the project. “BC is America’s leading institution on Irish history, literature, and culture,” Dunn said. “We have the largest repository of materials regarding the history of Northern Ireland, including the decommis-sioning archive.”

In turn, Moloney was hired by BC as director of the Belfast Project. Moloney subsequently hired Mc-Intyre, who interviewed republican participants, and McArthur, who interviewed loyalist participants.

Confidentiality

Since the subpoenas were served last spring, Moloney and McIntyre have strongly supported the fight to keep the tapes out of the hands of the PSNI, saying that from the outset, BC made promises of confidentiality to those participating in the project.

“Clearly from the outset, the concern of people who were going to be involved from the interview-ing point of view was the security and safety of the archives,” Moloney said. In a meeting between Moloney, McIntyre, and O’Neill that occurred in downtown Belfast at the start of the project, Moloney emphasized that the two were promised confi-dentiality.

“Essentially, the outcome of that meeting was that this project would not get underway unless Burns Li-brary could be absolutely sure that the material was not in any sort of risk at all of being swallowed up by security people in one form or another, and that was the basis upon which we then moved forward,” Moloney said.

McArthur, whose interviews were not subpoenaed, argued the same in an e-mail with The Heights. In a sepa-rate meeting from that mentioned

above, McArthur, “accompanied by someone with considerable influ-ence” in the area where his research was to take place, also met with O’Neill.

“I was given, personally by the Burns Librarian, guarantees of con-fidentiality that were both unambigu-ous and unconditional,” McArthur wrote in an e-mail. “Every discussion I had with both the Burns Librarian and the [Executive] Director of Irish Programs centered on how the proj-ect was developing and on each occa-sion the issue of how confidentiality underpinned everything was dis-cussed. It could not have been more clear in all discussions with BC staff that this project would never have been possible without the absolute guarantee of confidentiality which predicated the whole thing.”

In response to the promise of confidentiality, McArthur stated that he specifically asked about the possibility of a subpoena on behalf of the PSNI. “I was told categori-cally, and this is confirmed by the third person at the meeting, that BC had taken legal advice on this and the guarantee of confidentiality was iron clad; that there was no possible way this material could be accessed or used by anyone outside the terms of the donor agreement (i.e., death or consent),” McArthur wrote in an e-mail.

Moloney emphasized to a great extent the appearance of legitimacy on behalf of BC’s claims. “We were dealing with a prestigious college in North America, a college which had been very deeply involved in the Irish peace process,” Moloney said. “These were, from our point of view, all very honorable people, so we had no reason to doubt these assurances that we were given.”

“The interviewees were given a contract drawn up by Boston College that stated that they had the ultimate power of release,” McIntyre said in an interview.

On the other hand, Dunn stated that the University made no such promises, and in fact informed Moloney and McIntyre of the risk of subpoena and the danger such a situation could pose to the archives. He admitted that the language “to the extent that American law provides” was not found exactly in the donor agreement, but stated his belief that the contract was drawn up by Mo-loney, not BC.

“BC warned Moloney and Mc-Intyre explicitly of the threat of a subpoena,” Dunn said. “However, BC could not extend the warning to the interviewees because we did not interview them, and we never met them.”

Moloney said that he and his two lead researchers proceeded with the project interviews on the basis of confidentiality.

Throughout the early 2000s, at least 24 interviews were conducted with former members of the IRA by McIntyre, who has a Ph.D. in the history of Irish Republicanism. Those involved in the project, including interviewees, were sworn to secrecy about the project’s existence and scope. When the interviews were completed, they were securely trans-ported to Burns Library and locked away. The archives were undisturbed for nearly five years.

Subpoenas

After the death of Hughes in 2008, Moloney authored a book, based par-tially on Hughes’ interviews with Bel-fast Project researchers, called Voices from the Grave, published in March of 2010. The book detailed Hughes’ experiences during the Troubles, and brought much attention to the

Belfast tapes still in custody of the court, decision on their fate will be made next monthBelfast, from A1

gives us the opportunity to care for students on the weekends in their residence halls,” Faherty said. “Now we can initiate care and assess patients before the ambulance gets there. Sometimes there are three medical emergencies at once on campus, and an ambulance can’t arrive for 15 minutes. Now we have medications to start to treat people.”

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, three EEMS members will be on duty at all times. Two Eagle EMTs will staff the vehicle. A third will be riding along in the Armstrong Ambulances that are used to care for students and transport them to the hospital. There are currently only 15 experienced EEMS members who are allowed to drive the vehicle, and 15 more who are allowed to ride in it.

Future weekend medical emergen-cies on campus will require a great amount of teamwork between EEMS, BCPD, and the Armstrong Ambu-lance Company, as a BCPD officer is

required at every medical emergency on campus, and EEMS and Armstrong will share care responsibilities.

“Armstrong has always understood that they will be working with our stu-dents,” said Patrick Rombalski, vice president of student affairs. “I don’t think they distinguish between BC people and Armstrong people. EEMS and Armstrong are really one staff.”

The BCPD and EEMS have also developed a strong relationship. “The BCPD works well with Eagle EMS,” King said. “Some officers have developed a very strong relationship with EEMS student leaders and often request to be assigned to areas where they can assist the organization. Our officers now are receiving some train-ing on this vehicle and how it will be responding. We will be ensuring that EEMS is dispatched along with the police.”

Another organization with which EEMS has developed a relationship is St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. This relation-ship is a legal necessity to allow the emergency response vehicle to have the medicines and equipment it car-

ries. “St. Elizabeth’s will act as another advisor, giving medical advice to Eagle EMS students,” Rombalski said. “BC already has a strong relationship with the hospital through official chan-nels like health services. Now, Eagle EMS is able to take advantage of that and become part of the fabric of the community.”

The emergency response vehicle will be present at all of the events that EEMS covers, and will also be used for community outreach purposes. “Community outreach and educa-tion is another important part of our organization,” Faherty said. “We work with local elementary schools, teach-ing them the importance of things like calling 911, and we work with high schools teaching CPR.”

EEMS started the process of purchasing this specific emergency response vehicle by submitting a 20-page proposal to the administration last spring, but the work leading up to purchasing this vehicle has lasted a decade.

“There was a proposal for a full ambulance in the early 2000s that

was denied, and then another that was rejected four or five years ago,” Faherty said. “The administration thought it was a good idea but wanted to give it more time.” After the last failed proposal, EEMS aban-doned its hopes for an ambulance and switched the focus to a cheaper emergency response vehicle.

“The level of professionalism the students have shown has built up their level of credibility over the past seven or eight years,” said Paul Chebator, interim dean of student development. “Eagle EMS now has great leadership. This proposal was also more realistic than the ambu-lance proposal.”

The increase in credibility and quality of the proposal offered by EEMS students was able change the minds of administrators. “We went from a lot of people having problems with it a few years ago, to everyone fully endorsing it,” Rombalski said. “What happened was a group of BC students proved themselves. There’s never been anything but compli-ments from faculty or students when

EEMS is providing services.”Rombalski was also extremely

impressed with EEMS’s proposal. “This was by far the most developed proposal I’d ever received. You could never tell this was written by anyone but professionals. It was executive in nature and fully comprehensive.”

The great faith the administra-tion has in EEMS allowed the or-ganization to access to funding and support. “There are an incredible number of regulatory steps in this process,” Chebator said. “Myself, John King, and the general counsel of the University put a lot of time into getting this process up and running.”

“40,000 dollars is a good estimate for the total cost of the project,” Rombalski said. “The funding came from the University’s operating budget that we use for spending on equipment or building repair. Executive Vice President Pat Keat-ing helped identify the funding and approved it for me to use.”

An oversight committee as well as an advisory board will oversee

the emergency response vehicle’s operations. “I will deal with the ad-ministration and coordination, John King will watch over the operational issues, and Dr. Tom Nary will deal with the medical piece,” Chebator said. “The three of us will compose the oversight committee. We aren’t quite sure who will be on the advi-sory board yet.”

The emergency response vehi-cle’s 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. schedule of service is set to start tonight. This schedule will only be temporary, however.

“By the beginning of next semes-ter, we will look toward expanding coverage to 24 hours a day on the weekends,” Faherty said.

This plan is another sign of the great progress EEMS, now in it’s 15 year, has made since it was founded.

“I believe interest in this organi-zation is going to continue to grow, and it will become more and more professional,” Rombalski said. “I find it hard to believe EEMS will do anything but expand.” n

Student run emergency medical service will use vehicle to extend community outreach

Alex TrAuTwig / heighTs senior sTAFF

The security of the Belfast Project tapes has been called into question recently.

Belfast Project in general. “The book was meant to be the unveiling of the archive, the announcement that it existed,” Moloney said. On the other hand, Dunn claimed that the Uni-versity planned no such unveiling, and pointed out that Moloney was the sole person to profit monetarily from the book.

In 2010, Price gave an interview to a Belfast-based newspaper, The Irish News. At the time, she was under psy-chiatric treatment and was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of her experiences during the Irish hunger strikes and as an IRA member. The Irish News decided not to go forward with the story, but a Belfast tabloid, Sunday Life, wrote articles based on the interview.

Frustrated with Gerry Adams, an alleged former IRA member and current leader in the Irish republican political party Sinn Fein, and his de-nial of IRA membership, Price spoke critically of him in the interview. “During the same interview she also sensationally claimed Gerry Adams masterminded the disappearance of Jean [McConville] and three other IRA murder victims whose bodies have not yet been found,” the Feb. 21, 2010 edition of Sunday Life read.

From these interviews, it became known that Price participated in an interview with BC, and her com-ments to the Belfast publications regarding Adams’ involvement in McConville’s disappearance formed the basis of the subpoena of the tapes by the PSNI.

Dunn claimed that Moloney’s book, combined with Price’s inter-view, brought about the subpoena of the tapes.

“Mr. Moloney is not taking any responsibility for the subpoenas,” Dunn said. “He is trying to deflect blame from himself to BC when it is clear that his book and Dolours Price’s interview were the catalyst for the subpoenas.”

Moloney, however, disagreed with the existence of the subpoena from the beginning. “My argument from the get-go has always been that the subpoena was fraudulent and flawed,

because no one knew what was in the Dolours Price interview except myself, Anthony McIntyre, Bob O’Neill, and Dolours herself,” Moloney said.

Regardless of their validity, the subpoenas have stirred debate on both sides of the Atlantic. On the one hand are those who believe that BC should hand over the interviews without question, such as The Boston Globe, who wrote an editorial titled “BC should abide by subpoena, provide info in murder case,” on Aug 1, 2011. On the other are those, like Moloney, McIntyre, and McArthur, who believe the tapes should never be given to authorities, in order to protect oral history and the lives of those who participated in the project.

Moloney found fault with BC’s decisions early after the subpoenas had been served. In an interview, he stated that he was not informed of the subpoenas until an unnamed source at BC called him to notify him of their existence. After the second set of sub-poenas was served, Moloney said that he and McIntyre were not informed of their existence until after BC had made their legal decisions, despite their proximity to the project. When he was eventually notified, Moloney stated that he was instructed by a law-yer employed by BC not to go to the media with the information. Hoping to fight the subpoenas, Moloney went straight to the press. The second set of subpoenas requested only those ma-terials directly relating to the murder of McConville.

Dunn stated that at that point in the process, both Moloney and Mc-Intyre were approached by the court in order to identify the tapes most rel-evant to the investigation, but declined the opportunity. This, Dunn claimed, resulted in the subpoena of the seven tapes mentioned previously.

“Moloney and McIntyre were given an opportunity to review the tapes, and they refused to participate,” Dunn said. “Blame for the second set of subpoenas requiring the release of seven tapes lies with Moloney and McIntyre for not cooperating with the court. They could’ve stopped this by cooperating, but they chose not to.”

Moloney, on the other hand, felt that the University was not mak-ing enough of an effort to fight the subpoenas.

“I very seriously doubt—if I had not picked up the phone and called The New York Times, if I had not re-ceived that phone call from a contact within the college telling me about the subpoenas—I wonder, and I think it’s a very valid question to ask, given the light of everything that happened subsequently, not least the failure of BC to take up an implicit invitation by the judge on Dec. 16 to appeal, turning that down—all of those things suggest to me a very relevant question: would Boston College have fought those subpoenas if I hadn’t found out about them?” Moloney asked.

Similarly, Moloney questioned from the start BC’s motivations for what he perceived as attempts at keeping the subpoena quiet. “Why does Boston College want to keep this quiet and silent? Needless to say, I went straight to the media with that, because you have to. The only way you can fight these things is with public-ity. The idea that you’re going to fight subpoenas like this by keeping quiet about them is ludicrous, because the only people you’re assisting are the ones that want the interviews.”

Moloney and McIntyre have both been critical in the media, even going so far as to say that BC should destroy the tapes rather than hand them over to officials, according to Dunn.

“To us, destroying materials that are part of a criminal investigation is anathema, and as Americans, we believe in the judicial process,” Dunn said. “Mr. Moloney and Mr. McIntyre, who are Northern Irish, obviously have a different view of the court sys-tem. And while that may be a cultural misunderstanding, it in no way should justify their utter disregard for Ameri-can law and the judicial process.”

Moloney emphasized the risk to his safety and McIntyre’s as a prime reason for why he should have been informed as early as possible in the subpoena process, and for why the tapes should never be handed over. McIntyre, as a former IRA member, said that he risks a death sentence by the organization as an informer if the tapes are to be released. Similarly, Mo-loney believes that if the tapes are to be released, he will be approached by the PSNI to validate the interviews.

“We’re the guys who are in dan-ger here,” Moloney said. “Anthony McIntyre is in physical danger from the IRA as a result of all this stuff. If I agree to cooperate with the authorities about the evidential value of the inter-views, I also become a target. If I don’t, if I refuse, I go to jail for contempt of court. So I can go to jail, or get shot, or Anthony McIntyre can get killed.”

Moloney said it is this potential danger that makes the contracts signed by Moloney, McIntyre, and the project participants all the more relevant. Moloney and McIntyre each signed contracts guaranteeing confi-dentiality “to the extent that American law allows.” The project participants, however, did not have the same lan-guage in their contracts.

“Why is it not clear in there?” Moloney said. “If Boston College was dealing in a straight way with the interviewees, they should have said to them at this point, and made it clear in the contracts with me and McIntyre, that confidentiality was limited by subpoena. And they didn’t do so. And I ask again, was this deliberate? And was it done in order to ensure that this archive happened?”

Supporters of releasing the tapes have cited the investigation of Mc-Conville’s murder as a reason for not withholding information about her disappearance.

Moloney responded by pointing

out that BC should have been pre-pared to receive information about crimes by becoming involved in the project.

“Why did they get involved in this research project anyway?” Moloney asked. “What did they think the IRA did, run kindergarten? You think when you go out to interview people who’ve been involved in bombings and shoot-ings and the campaign of violence for the best part of 30, 40 years, you’re not going to deal with murder?”

At the same time, he emphasized the presence of double standards, say-ing that heinous acts had been com-mitted by both sides. As an example, Moloney spoke of Pat Finucane, a solicitor who was killed with the full knowledge and approval of the British police forces in 1989. When Tony Blair discovered the government’s knowl-edge of the murder, he ordered a full inquiry into the events. In October of 2011, however, Prime Minister David Cameron called off the investigation and issued a formal apology on behalf of the United Kingdom. Moloney cited Finucane’s killing as one of many that had been undertaken with the knowl-edge of British authorities.

“When you say, ‘Yes, Jean McCo-nville’s family deserves the truth,’ well then so does Pat Finucane’s family, but there are no subpoenas being served on their behalf,” Moloney said.

U.S. Senator John Kerry, who sits on the Foreign Relations Committee, has weighed in on the Belfast Project issue in favor of finding ways to revoke the subpoenas.

“I fully recognize that the United Kingdom has invoked the provisions of our Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty and that this is clearly a factor which affects our flexibility dealing with such a request,” he wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “Nonetheless, given the close relation-ship we have with the United Kingdom and the deep and enduring interest all of us share in seeing a lasting peace in Northern Ireland, I would urge you to work with the British authorities to reconsider the path they have chosen and revoke their request.”

Moloney and McIntyre have both expressed that they will continue fighting until the bitter end. Both also stated their hope that the University will choose to join the appeal against the court’s ruling.

“I would like to see Boston Col-lege join this appeal. It’s not too late,” Moloney said. “They haven’t thrown out their opportunity. I think it sent out the worst possible message to the rest of American academia that here at the very first hurdle, this eminent col-lege, that had set up these archives and given assurances to all these people, jumped ship at the first opportunity.”

“Better late than never,” McIntyre said. “I think it would be a positive step out of the abyss that they have gotten themselves into. I would welcome any such move by BC. I feel it’s a position that they should’ve taken all along. I would have much more respect for them if they stayed in the fight and fought until the bitter end, rather than hiding behind a court order.”

McArthur, whose interviews have not yet been subpoenaed, pointed out another important step he believes BC should take.

“I think also that it is clear BC can no longer honor the guarantee to interviewees that ‘access to the tapes and transcripts shall be restricted until after my death,’” McArthur said in an e-mail. “In that case, I feel BC is morally obligated to return all material in their possession to the donors who offered material under terms which can no longer be met.”

According to Dunn, BC is still re-viewing its legal options, and will de-cide whether or not to appeal Young’s ruling in the coming weeks. n

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The heighTs

Thursday, February 16, 2012CLASSIFIEDS A5

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The heighTs Thursday, February 16, 2012

Editorials

A6

The Heights welcomes Letters to the Editor not exceeding 200 words and column submissions that do not exceed 700 words for its op/ed pages.

The Heights reserves the right to edit for clarity, brevity, accuracy, and to prevent libel. The Heights also reserves the right to write headlines and choose illustrations to accompany pieces submitted

to the newspaper. Submissions must be signed and should include the author’s con-

nection to Boston College, address, and phone number. Letters and columns can be submitted online at www.bcheights.com, by e-mail to editor@bcheights.com, in person, or by mail to Editor, The Heights, 113 McElroy Commons, Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467.

Rugby Team opposes violence against women in any formlEttErs to thE Editor

Have something to say?Send a letter to the editor.

editor@bcheights.com

We are the leaders and adminis-trators of the Boston College men’s rugby team. We speak for the orga-nization, its ideals, and the general population of our team; however, we do not presume to be the voice of every single person to have ever worn our jersey. As students at a Jesuit university invested in the principle of being men and women for others and members in a long-standing tradition of camaraderie with both men and women rugby players, we are writing to address the upcoming Barstool Blackout Tour from the perspective of a

community of men on this campus. We understand that the comments made on the blog were ‘only jokes’, but even jokes of such nature are unacceptable because it is too easy for thinking to become doing. Ad-ditionally, these comments desensi-tize our community to the dangers of rape and the reality of sexual violence, in both our society and our BC community. So this is what we have to say: No woman ever deserves to be raped—regardless of the clothes she wears. If a “chick passes out,” there is no gray area. We all have friends, girlfriends, sis-

ters and moms that we respect and love; every other woman should be respected in this same way. The fact of the matter is this: we do not plan to join KO Barstool, picket the event, or attack El Presidente on the Internet. We would just like to make it clear that we vehemently oppose violence, especially sexual violence, against women and for this reason we will not attend or support this event. Until men begin holding each other accountable for these issues, change won’t happen.

BostonCollegeMen’sRugBy

Women’s choices should decide women’s health On Friday, Feb. 10, President

Obama announced a compromise to the controversial regulation that would guarantee contracep-tive coverage in all employee insurance plans.

The Obama administration has stood strong against widening the bill’s refusal clause by declin-ing to exempt religiously affili-ated hospitals and schools from covering contraception in their plans. Many Catholic officials fought back, calling the plan “an unprecedented attack on religious liberty.”

Friday’s compromise allows religious employers who do not want to cover contraception to exclude it from their plans. Instead, the insurance companies themselves would have to offer contraceptive coverage directly to

their clients. By this compromise, employers that are morally op-posed to contraception would not have to pay for it, while women working for or attending these institutions would have access to the services they may need. Arch-bishop Timothy Dolan announced on Friday that the compromise was still unacceptable.

President Obama’s compro-mise recognized the Church’s opposition to indirectly funding contraception and eliminated that concern by placing responsibility onto the non-religiously affili-ated insurance companies. It is becoming increasingly hard to understand why the plan is still “morally unconscionable.”

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ refusal of Obama’s compromise is effec-

tively turning a debate between conflicting ideologies into an outright imposition of religious beliefs onto federal policy. It is ethically unfeasible for any employer—regardless of religious affiliation—to dictate how their employees access necessary medi-cations outside of the company’s insurance plan. As a country, we should not stand by any plan that snatches women’s right to make their own choices regarding their health out of women’s hands. The Executive Board of BC Students for Sexual Health would like to urge the women of Boston Col-lege to stand strong for their right to make healthy decisions for themselves and for their families.

BCssHexeCutiveBoaRd

In last week’s UGBC primaries, 1,990 votes were cast, accounting for about 20 percent of the student body. Though that number is representative of voter partici-pation in national primary elections, for a collegiate campaign it is relatively low—with an undergrad population of a little over 9,000, it is difficult to argue that candidates nominated with such a small percentage adequately reflect the multifaceted Boston College population. Even more disconcert-ing is the fact that the amount of students voting in the primary dropped by about one third from that of last year, when 3,284 votes were cast.

Although there will never be any con-crete determination of why these numbers so drastically changed, The Heights would like to point out the apparent lack of vis-ibility of this year’s presidential teams, as well as the disorganization of the voting system. Last year, during UGBC election season, students were bombarded with handshakes in the Quad, doors were be-ing held open, and giant paintings were in dorm windows, yet this year these actions seemed sparse. These may be actions of “stereotypical” UGBC candidates, but they were actions that showed dedication and accessibility. This is not to say that this year’s candidates did not make any effort to be visible to the student body (The Heights would like to commend the effectiveness of many teams dorm walks), but we must say that campaigning was noticeably quieter

this year.In addition, the apparent inadequacy of

this year’s voting system must be acknowl-edged. To raise awareness about voting, UGBC decided to sent out e-mail blasts the day of voting as their primary source of information. Mass e-mails are easily lost in the shuffle and hardly the best way to gain the individual attention of students. With inboxes already cluttered with swarms of e-mails from other BC-affiliated groups, it is hard to believe that too many students would pay attention to another seemingly unimportant blast. Furthermore, the fact that an original e-mail was sent out with the wrong date of the primaries, as well as the momentary morning glitch causing some students’ votes to be discounted, demon-strates the evident disorganization of this year’s process.

That being said, the blame does not lie solely with UGBC or the elections com-mittee for the lack of student participa-tion. Many BC students are exceedingly apathetic, and handshakes and e-mails will never assuage this. UGBC, as the voice of the undergraduate population, must strive to figure out how to draw these students in. We at The Heights know this is a difficult and extensive undertaking, but it is one that must be done and one that must not be forgotten. UGBC—find out what makes these students tick and attempt to bring them into the fold. Be creative, be innova-tive, and never quit.

UGBC must target the uninvolved

After nearly a decade, Eagle EMS, Boston College’s fully student-run emergency medi-cal service, has secured a vehicle for their exclusive use. Because the group receives no money from the Student Organization Funding Committee (SOFC), Eagle EMS has worked with the University administration to make this goal a reality.

Out of the 100 EMS members, roughly 90 of which are registered EMTs, 15 will be allowed to drive the vehicle, and another 15 will be allowed to ride along after taking a specific training course. Now, every Thursday through Saturday, Eagle EMS will be able to more effectively help the BCPD and local EMTs provide emergency medical service during the overnight shift. Every weekend night, the new Eagle EMS vehicle will be the first to respond to calls and provide initial medical response.

The Heights feels that the acquisition of this vehicle will positively impact student safety and allow for a better use of medical resources. Because Eagle EMS members will arrive at the scene first, they will be able to stabilize patients before the ambulance company arrives, assisting local EMTs and streamlining the transportation process.

While members of Eagle EMS will not be doing new work, per se, they will be better

equipped to execute work they were already doing. The new vehicle will allow Eagle EMS to travel rapidly to both the Brighton and Newton campuses, meaning members of Eagle EMS will now be able to reach resi-dence halls before an ambulance company would.

Now that Eagle EMS can respond rap-idly to on campus emergencies, The Heights hopes that students will feel comfortable call-ing for help in situations when it is needed. Eagle EMS EMTs volunteer their time for the safety of students, and can lend both emergency medical assistance and moral support to those who might have had a bit too much fun on the weekend. Often students who are transported are distressed, worry-ing about how much trouble they will get in or whether their parents will find out about their escapades—with their new vehicle, Eagle EMS EMTs will be there to make sure patients are as comfortable as possible with the transport process.

In addition to allowing for primary medi-cal response, the new vehicle will strengthen the Eagle EMS program and enable them to reach out to the community more effectively. The vehicle will be a teaching tool, as well, providing hands-on ambulance experience to Eagle EMS members.

Haley House is more than just cookies

The Heights asks students to recognize the importance of Haley House’s mission and support the organization

Although Haley House cookies are a delicious presence on our campus, their compassionate mission deserves even more recognition because of its connec-tion to Boston College’s own Jesuit mis-sion. Emphasizing that all people deserve certain basic rights. Haley House aims to reduce poverty in Boston through employ-ment (even for those whose past records make it difficult to find jobs), warm meals, and free housing. To accomplish this vast mission, Haley House has expanded to 11 connected organizations, such as the Haley House Cafe, which supplies the baked goods BC students see in the dining

halls daily.The Heights sees donations to Haley

House, through the purchase of these cookies, as the perfect example of how small decisions can have a large ripple effect of good throughout the commu-nity. BC students should consider aiding the Haley House mission beyond cookie purchases, however. Students should ask their peers with PULSE placements at one of Haley House’s organizations about the experiences they’ve had and consider this organization (with which BC has such strong ties) when deciding where to vol-unteer.

Acquisition of vehicle will help better medical response time as well as improve community outreach

Eagle EMS vehicle a step toward better safety

Contributors:

EditorialThe heighTs

Established 1919The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College

taylouRKuMpf, Editor-in-Chief

eleanoRHildeBRandt,Copy EditordavidCote, News EditorgRegJoyCe, Sports EditortHeResetully, Features EditorBRennanCaRley, Arts & Review EditorCHaRlottepaRisH, Metro EditorelisetayloR, Opinions EditorMollylapoint, Special Projects EditorJaeHyung(daniel)lee, Photo EditorMaggieBuRdge, Layout Editor

BusinEss and opErations

JaMieCioCon, Business ManagerJaMesgu, Advertising Manager adRianaMaRiella, Outreach CoordinatorBoRuiWang, Systems ManageraMyHaCHigian, National Sales ManagerdanielaRnold, Local Sales ManagernatasHaettensBeRgeR, Collections ManagerdJteRCeiRo, Asst. Local Sales ManagerCHRistinaQuinn, Project Coordinator

danielottauniCK, General ManagerlindsaygRossMan, Managing Editor

WoogeonKiM,Graphics EditorKatieMCCluRg, Online ManagerMiCHelletoMassi, Assoc. Copy EditorCHRisgRiMaldi, Asst. Copy EditorandReWMillette, Assoc. News EditorsaMCostanzo, Asst. News EditorCHRisMaRino, Assoc. Sports EditoraustintedesCo, Asst. Sports EditoralexandRasCHaeffeR, Asst. Features EditortayloRCavallo, Assoc. Arts & Review Editor

dansieRing, Asst. Arts & Review EditorMaRCfRanCis, Asst. Metro EditorgRaHaMBeCK, Asst. Photo EditorMaRyRosefissingeR, Asst. Layout EditorJosepHCastlen, Asst. Graphics EditordavidRieMeR, Asst. Online ManagerdevonsanfoRd, Editorial AssistantCatHRynWoodRuff, Executive Assistant

SAmAnThA Cohen/ heighTS illuSTrATion

QUotE oF thE daY

Don’t ever forget two things I’m going to tell you. One, don’t believe everything that’s writ-ten about you. Two, don’t pick up too many checks.- Babe Ruth (1895-1948), baseball player

While victory is sweet, the Boston College hockey team deserves recogni-tion as well for a different important play at this year’s 60th Annual Bean-pot College Hockey Tournament. By taking the White Ribbon Day Pledge and putting a white ribbon on their helmets, the players demonstrated that men have an important role to play in preventing sexual and domestic vio-

lence against women. The competing teams found a universal cause in en-couraging all of their peers and young men everywhere to take and adhere to the White Ribbon Day Pledge to be part of the solution in ending violence against women.

Our appreciation goes to the BC, BU, Harvard, and Northeastern play-ers, coaches, everyone involved in the

Beanpot Tournament, TD Garden, and the fans for opening up your hearts and stepping up to promote a culture of positive masculinity that fosters equality and non-violence.

CRaignoRBeRg-BoHM

Coordinator of Jane Doe Inc.’s Massachusetts White

Ribbon Day Campaign

Members of hockey team are champions, on and off the ice

The heighTsThursday, February 16, 2012

OpiniOns

A7

Threepeating- Unless you live under a rock (or maybe on Brighton campus), you watched our men’s hockey team bring the Beanpot back to the Heights. We know this goes without saying, but TU/TD just wanted to say congratulations for the win and thank you for giving us something to really cheer about. Shoutouts to Billy Arnold and Johnny Gaudreau for just killing it out there. Enjoy all the perks from being campus celebrities for the next month or so, because you both definitley deserve it.

Google God- Knicks player Jeremy Lin has become a more popular search term than Barack Obama, Kim Kardashian, and get this —Jesus and Justin Bieber combined. With an average of about 27 points per game and an IQ that’s surely a mil-lion times that, seems like not even the sky’s the limit.

Lef tover Lovin’-TU/TD avoided commenting on Val-entine’s Day as not to offend any of our readers (assuming our ratio of sappy love tweets to suicidal/threatening ones is correct, it’s a very polar-izing holiday), but we can give a Thumbs Up to what happens afterwards: massive discounts on candy. So head to your nearest CVS, hit up the clearance aisle, and buy yourself a lifetime supply of Reese’s chocolate hearts for only $2.

High school hierarchies- Has anyone seen a picture of Rick Santorum in high school? We’re talking thick glasses, bowl cut, and f loral shirts with blazers. We’d bet our left hand that he got weekly swirlies from the captain of the football team. Maybe that explains his archaic views on women, because he never actually talked to one until he was 35.

Pampered Pooch- In a re-cent profile by Vanity Fair, Martha Stewart gave readers a glimpse into the life of her Chow-Chow, Genghis Khan. He eats brown or white rice with a medley of vegetables and fresh bluefish, all pre-pared by the domestic god-dess. He also has his face washed and has a footbath daily, making his life better than around 70 percent of Americans (we’d give this a higher number, but he still has to crap outside in the winter). And this, ladies and gentleman, is why the Taliban hates America.

The long stretch ahead- We know we can’t complain that much about the weather, but these next few weeks are arguably the worst of the winter season. We are about a month away from spring (and even closer to Saint Patty’s day), yet they seem so far away. Plus, with the increas-ing onset of work creeping in, its hard not to get the winter blues.

Follow us on Twitter @BCTUTD

Thumbs Down

Thumbs Up

The fact that happiness varies from person to person seems to downplay the impact of all those actions and activities we do to make our lives happier. Many studies have shown that factors influenc-ing our happiness are actually out of our control.

First of all, there are the biologi-cal factors. While the word “happiness” seems vague and intangible, brain scans show the different areas activated by varying emotions, such as happiness or sadness, and these “intangibles” can actually be tracked. And while many surveys use self-reported ratings of hap-piness, which are not based on quantifi-able data, significant trends cannot be ignored.

Of course, disorders such as depres-sion, stress, anxiety, and phobias all cause greater levels of unhappiness and dissatisfaction, and have large genetic components. However, happiness—not just causes of unhappiness—is influ-enced by who we are. In a study by Lyk-ken of identical twins raised separately, the role of genetics in later ratings of happiness was found to be 60 percent, showing that genes matter more than upbringing, lifestyle, location, or any other external factor. Even our basic appearance, something that we can alter only to an extent, has been shown to play a role, as higher physical attractiveness ratings have been positively correlated with happiness.

External factors that are often out of our control also influence life satisfac-

tion to a high degree. There are lists of the “10 happiest cities,” the “colleges with the happiest students,” and so on. Yes, one can choose to move to that loca-tion or attend that institution, but for many individuals who are not entirely independent and who do not have the means, this is not an option. A study by the World Health Organization asked students aged 11-15 in various coun-tries whether or not they agreed with the statement that, “most students in my classes are kind and helpful,” and while over 75 percent of those surveyed in Sweden, Switzerland, and Germany said yes, only about half of those from the United States, Russia, and England agreed with the statement. We may not know why this is true, but regardless of the cause, the results are the same: if you grew up in one of the latter countries, you are 25 percent more likely to feel unkindness from your classmates.

More specific facts about nations, especially economic factors, have been shown to shape their populations’ overall happiness rankings. When Europeans were surveyed in the late 1990s about their overall life satisfaction and hap-piness, it was found that an increase in their country’s unemployment rate of 4 percent moved 11 percent of the population down a level in life satisfac-tion ranking. This was true even when controlling for the individual’s personal employment status, so the employed in a high-employment nation are generally happier than the employed in a low-em-

ployment nation. If you have the means to move, then you have some control over this, but for most world citizens, this factor is out of their control. Infla-tion rates play a lesser, but still notable, role, as a 1.7 percent increase in inflation has the effect of a 1 percent increase in unemployment. Again, the individual has no control over this component of their satisfaction.

This is not to say that people should not try to be happy. After all, these satis-faction ratings are all reported by typical individuals, individuals who do try to lead happy lives. These statistics do not indicate a totally predestined level of happiness, and of course, individuals in a rich country living under ideal circum-stances could still be unhappy if they do not maintain relationships, strive to achieve goals, and pursue their hob-bies. However, it does imply an intrinsic unfairness in what most people view as their ultimate end goal. As much as one may strive to lead a happy life, biologi-cal and circumstantial factors could put their peak level of contentment at a lower level than someone else’s. We should still strive to be happy, but when we are hoping that all people can achieve equally high levels of satisfaction, the facts are nothing to be happy about.

My Valentine’s rejection

Striving for happiness: a futile endeavor?

Marye Moran is a staff columnist for The Heights. She welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.

I get sick every winter. There is something about the Boston winter that gets to me. I assume it’s the cold. So this winter, like clockwork, I strolled down to the infirmary in hopes of picking up my yearly dosages of Sudafed. Instead, to my surprise, I was diagnosed with mono.

For those who don’t know, mono is the “kissing disease,” a fact that makes my diagnosis all the more perplex-ing. Mono is like a giant chain letter humanity has been circulating for some time now, and it turns out that I am the latest recipient. Like most chain letters, I assume you have to forward it to six friends by midnight on the 10th day or one of your loved ones dies in a train accident.

At first, I felt kind of cool. The doctor asked me if I knew who could have given it to me.

“Who knows, Doc!” I said with a sly grin. In my head, I threw a scarf over my shoulder and rode my motorcycle out of the infirmary.

“It honestly could be anything,” said

Ask most individuals what they really want out of life, beyond specific achievements and objects, and most will answer with the vague response of “hap-piness.” It’s our ultimate end: it is why we study hard, visit the Career Cen-ter to find jobs, and hope for success. It’s why we go to football and hockey games, spend time with our friends, and participate in our dance clubs, commu-nity service events, and all other every-day activities. We want to be happy.

We certainly play a role in our own happiness, but given the large influence of external, uncontrollable factors, our attempts can seem somewhat futile. Psychologists, like David Lykken, Ph.D., say that every individual has a “set point” of happiness, so although a person’s happiness may vary based on the day’s events, time of year, or period of life, overall, each individual has his or her typical level of contentment (or lack thereof ). That set point of happiness is different for everyone, so as much as we may try to be as happy as our peers, we’re working in different planes, and ultimately, cannot compare ourselves to others.

Party Time | BEN VADNAL

Marye Moran

John Blakeslee

Woogeon Kim / HeigHTs pHoTo illusTrATion

the nurse, pushing me off the motorcycle. Nevertheless, when I usually get

sick, it’s because I ate too much coconut shrimp or because the air is too dry. At least with this, I can tell people I have the kissing disease, and it sounds kind of cool.

In the coming days, my doctor pro-vided me with a little brochure entitled, “So, You Have Mono: Taking the Next Step.” The brochure included pictures of somber-looking folk who stare at you with a “we shall overcome” look in their eyes. Judging from the tone of the pam-phlet, you might have mistaken the title to have read, “So, You’re Going to Die: Taking Your Last Step.”

Contrary to the looks of the people on the brochure, treating Mono essentially comes down to a four steps: sleeping a lot, avoiding the gym, limiting intimate contact, and abstaining from alcohol. The first three are easy. The doctor might as well have prescribed me to carry on with my usual activities. But the fourth one proved difficult.

I am not a heavy drinker, but I never appreciated the extent to which alcohol plays a role in my life. About a week ago, I ventured out from my bed and accom-panied my friends to Roggies. One by one, my friends each ordered a beer. Then they got to me. I ordered a root beer. The waiter laughed. He was from Ireland and had never even heard of root beer. That, and I was probably the only person in the

bar ordering rounds of soda like it was happy hour at the Wonka factory.

At parties, my friends were clearly puzzled as to why I was drinking soda as opposed to beer. They of course understood after I told them about my Mono, but it is interesting that in order for abstaining from beer to make sense, I had to be sick with a virus. No normal, healthy person would make that decision.

To be clear, this is not a column con-demning Boston College drinking cul-ture. I think we can all agree we’ve heard enough of those lectures. BC students are by and large a responsible group. What our drinking habits tell us, however, is how completely unaware we are of the ways we live our lives. I had no idea how often I was offered a drink until I was forced to reject those offers.

This goes beyond drinking. We all have certain patterns of behavior. We wake up at certain times, we eat certain foods, we hang out with certain people. We all have an established pattern of behavior and most of us, me included, enjoy it. There is comfort in routine. In fact, it is so comfortable that most of the time we do not even notice it. We walk through our days not making active choices but passively accepting our usual patterns.

As students, this problem is prob-ably not that serious. At a university, you are constantly getting involved with new things and meeting new people. But

when I think about my future, this kind of submission to routine scares me. In a few years, most BC students will likely have a life where they go to the same job in the morning, come home and watch the same TV shows at night, and go to the same bars on the weekend. The world becomes smaller as your life necessarily becomes more regimented.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. Jobs are good. Routines can be good, but only insofar as you are aware of your habits and can make choices contrary to what is comfortable for you. For the next month, I am going to try to make one decision every day against what I find comfortable or routine. Five years from now, I don’t want my life to be scripted or predictable. I want to keep choosing. Essentially, I want to keep living.

The only way I can do that is if I choose against what I want to do. Valentine’s Day is a day about desire and passion. There is nothing wrong with that, and I think a little passion is worthy of celebration. But we will never be self-aware if we have no self-control, and be-ing self-aware is at the core of being free. It might just be the mono talking, but this Valentine’s Day I’m embracing rejection.

John Blakeslee is a staff columnist for The Heights. He welcomes comments at opinions@bcheights.com.

The heighTs Thursday, February 16, 2012A8

Arnold seals three-peat in OT over BU

Milner, from A10

Milner has big game in OT Boston College. It’s one of the cooler things to win. To hold that Beanpot and be the champs of Boston, it’s incredible.’’

Millan may have actually had the better night, with his 44 saves to Milner’s 32, as well as jaw-dropping glove saves when it looked like BC had a sure goal, but Milner did enough to let the superior Eagles offense close out the game. Team captain and senior defenseman Tommy Cross acknowl-edged Milner’s solid performance after the game.

“He’s really come on strong lately,” Cross said. “We’ve got competition at every position on our team, and goaltender is no different. Those guys push each other every day, and I think it’s made Parker better, and his attitude has remained very positive. I think he took it upon himself personally to take over that spot. And today he played great. He was a rock for us in net.”

Head coach Jerry York echoed Cross’ statement.

“I thought Parker Milner was really tested and came through with a strong, strong performance for us,’’ York said.

“That was certainly one of the keys to our game. He played great, he was a rock for us in net. And he definitely showed some real maturity, so it was great to see.’’

York also agreed that Milner’s constant competition with Venti and Billet has strengthened his goaltending this season.

Such a huge win will be key for Milner’s confidence down the stretch after dealing with some tough losses this season.

“I’d like to think that my confi-dence never wavered, but I’m sure it did,’’ Milner said. “It’s tough. We had a tough loss at Notre Dame, and that kind of hurt it. But it’s good to try to persevere through it. All those hard times are worth it to get here.’’

With his impressive outing, Milner joins the list of great BC hockey goal-ies that have won the Beanpot, and he recognizes that accomplishment.

“Every time you go out there, espe-cially in a Beanpot game, you want to honor the Eagle jersey and honor those who came before you,’’ Milner said. “With other goaltenders who have won the Beanpot like Cory Schneider and John Muse, it’s great.’’ n

GrAhAm beck / heiGhTs ediTor

Bill Arnold’s game winning shot (above) came with 6.4 seconds left in overtime against BU.

cohesive community to me.I came up here five months ago from Aus-

tin, Texas, where I had cheered on the Univer-sity of Texas Longhorns almost my whole life. Burnt-orange pride stretches far beyond the city limits in Austin, and it’s been a major adjustment for me to accept that not everyone on this campus, much less the city of Boston, lives and dies by the Eagles’ success. When the football team lost in the fall, I was told that the football team just sucks and I should accept it. When basketball started to lose in the winter, I was told that no one cares about basketball here. When the hockey team hit a rough patch in January, I wasn’t told anything, because most people in Chestnut Hill stopped caring about BC sports by then.

The few students at the men’s basketball game against Florida State last Wednesday made me start to rethink all of this, as they greeted the BC players with a swarming sea of congratulations after they knocked off the No. 15 Seminoles. All of you at the Garden

or on Twitter Monday night completely shut down what I had been hearing. I know that you want to care about the Eagles, and in the Beanpot finals Johnny Gaudreau, Jerry York, and the rest of the men’s hockey team gave you a reason to care. Don’t lose that. All of the Eagles need this support to stay strong.

The city of Boston will likely never accept the Boston College Eagles as its team since pro sports dominate this city so strongly. That’s why they need to be our team. Just like you beautifully backed the hockey team against BU, come and be crazy for the basketball team on Sunday against Duke. Please sell your ticket or sit far away from the court if you plan on coming just to see Austin Rivers or those despicable Plumlee brothers. (As hard as I try, I can’t hate on Seth Curry, though. He reminds me too much of his lovable big brother). Come out to see Jordan Daniels cross-up Rivers. Come out to see Lonnie Jackson drain a 3-pointer in Andre Dawkins’ eye. Come out to see Matt Humphrey steal a pass and slam it home right in front of the student section. Come out to

see Ryan Anderson and Dennis Clifford shut down those awful Plumlee brothers in the paint (sorry, I can’t stand them). Head coach Steve Donahue will have his team ready to go, and these players won’t disappoint.

If you haven’t seen them play yet, especial-ly in the past two weeks, then you really have been missing out. What was once a clunky and awkward offense is becoming a high-powered, thrilling array of slashing drives and 3-pointers falling from all directions. While the Eagles are nowhere close to perfect, they have more than enough to compete on Sunday. Basketball is a game of runs, and having a fanatically supportive crowd boosts those runs even further. Don’t show up to see the Blue Devils, because there really isn’t that much to see. I better not see any of that hideous Duke blue anywhere in the stands.

Austin Tedesco is the Asst. Sports Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at sports@bcheights.com.

Column, from A10

The Eagles deserve to be the focus on Sunday

“I think they’re a good offensive team in the sense that they have a lot of guys who can put the ball in the basket,” Donahue said. “Stoglin is obviously very explosive and scores in so many different ways. I think they have a lot of weapons, and they play a great schedule, which I don’t think people realize. They’re just playing what happens to be a very top-heavy schedule, and I think they’re a very good basketball team.”

The main issue that Donahue is concerned about, however, is rebounds. An obvious discrepancy on the boards led to the Eagles’ defeat at Virginia Tech, and things don’t get any easier with Maryland. The Terrapins average close to sev-en more rebounds per game than the Eagles do, and already have close to 300 offensive rebounds on the season, an issue that has plagued BC since day one.

“We talked about rebounding a lot going into last game, and I was really disappointed in it,” Do-nahue said. “There were a couple things we looked at, and there were probably five or six rebounds that

we should have had. We’re not go-ing to be 100 percent solid in that part of the game right now due to inexperience and lack of strength, but there are things we can do to get better, and we have done them for the most part.”

Donahue also commented on some of the recent changes he has made to his rotation. Deirunas Visockas has seen his most sig-nificant playing time of the season in the last two games, while KC Caudill’s minutes have dropped substantially. Donahue acknowl-edged a change in the team’s game plan and rotation, but not as a result of poor play from any individual.

“We play Ryan Anderson and Dennis Clifford in most games as much as they can, and they’re both playing well,” Donahue said. “When we took one out, we went smaller. I think it’s an opportunity for us to share the ball a little bet-ter and get open shots. We’ve been able to do that too, so that’s the reason behind it. It isn’t because [KC] isn’t playing well, because he has been playing well in practice. But I like the way we’ve played on offense with one big.” n

Column, from A10

BC looking to get back on track at Maryland

Alex TrAuTwiG / heiGhTs ediTor

A soldout crowd like the one above (last year’s game against UNC) will happen again Sunday, but Superfans should be there to see the Eagles, not Duke.

That’s for sure.”Arnold, for his part, was just excited to

help his team bring another Beanpot title to the Heights.

“We won last year, and we won again this year, and that’s what it’s all about,’’ Ar-nold said. “To score the goal feels nice, but winning is what’s important. And that feels much better than scoring the goal.’’

The game’s first three periods were defined for the most part by penalties. Until Arnold’s game-winner, all four goals were scored with either an advantage or disadvantage.

Junior Pat Mullane struck first for the Eagles at the 8:54 mark in the first period. With his team down a man, the forward broke down the ice for a one-on-one. As BU defender Max Nicastro tried to cut off the angle, Mullane swept by him to the left of the net, sending a wrister home for the score.

Throughout the game, both teams appeared evenly matched defensively, limiting each other to very few good looks. In particular, the play of BC goaltender Parker Milner and BU’s Kieran Millan was impressive, as both players kept their respective teams alive throughout the contest.

The second period saw a back-and-forth performance from both sides. Strong defense and goaltending kept the Eagles on top 1-0 for the majority of the period. Then, at the 16:11 mark, BU’s Garrett Noonan tied the game up with his team on a power play. The sophomore took a pass from Matt Nieto across the front of the net and lifted it just out of Milner’s reach.

The Eagles responded moments later when freshman forward Johnny Gaudreau fed a pass to Kreider in the circle. Krieder wound up and launched a slap shot for his 19th goal of the season.

Beanpot, from A10

The second period saw a very physical brand of hockey. Both teams combined for eight penalties. Two of these resulted in scores for the opposing team. For the night, the teams combined for 16 penal-ties. The Eagles finished with seven.

Though the Terriers entered the third stanza down a score, their deficit would not last for long. After penalties to Whit-ney and forward Paul Carey, BU capital-ized on a 5-on-3 advantage. The score came off Noonan’s stick once again, as he positioned himself in front of the net and tipped in a pass off Milner’s pads.

The rest of the period remained score-less, although both teams had solid op-portunities to give their team the lead.

Once again, the battle between Milner and Millan proved too strong for either team to overcome.

With Arnold’s last-second score, the Eagles’ bench erupted, as Terrier players fell to the ice. This victory was BC’s third straight Beanpot championship, as well as the school’s 17th overall tournament title.

Gaudreau, who finished the tourna-ment with two goals and two assists, was named the tournament’s most valuable player. Just as with Arnold, however, the freshman was most pleased with his team’s victory.

“It’s awesome to win MVP, but it’s an even greater feeling to win a Beanpot,” he

said. “I’ve always dreamed about playing in one, let alone winning one, and just to be able to bring that trophy home will be an awesome feeling.”

Despite the loss, BU played well throughout the contest. Millan, who fin-ished as the tournament’s top goaltender, finished the night with 44 saves.

“They’re a very talented team,” Kreider said. “They’re one of the, if not the, most talented teams we play all season, and you can tell from their record on the season that they’ve played us very tough. But we’ve given them a few good games, too. They’re a good team. They’ll definitely be there down the road.”

Both coaches expressed their pride in

Monday night’s performance, and showed their respect for the other’s tough play. York saw this game as not only a state-ment for his team, but also for the historic Beanpot tournament.

“For the last few years, people have been talking about if the Beanpot had lost its luster, how are the crowds, you know, where is college hockey in the Boston area. Tonight was a statement,” York said. “That place was jammed with fans of college hockey, whether they’re associated with BU or BC, Harvard or Northeastern. I think the Beanpot is in good hands. It has been for a long time. It’s going to continue, especially with that type of hockey game tonight.” n

GrAhAm beck / heiGhTs ediTor

Milner made 32 saves on Monday night, and was able to hold off the Terriers long enough.

Monday night’s Beanpot victory was BC’s third straight, meaning its banner will be hanging in TD Garden for at least one more year.GrAhAm beck / heiGhTs ediTor

The heighTsThursday, February 16, 2012 A9

courTesy oF cArA hAll

Gabriella Goode and the women’s fencing team won two of their three matches Tuesday.

Standings

Chris Marino

Austin Tedesco

Heights Staff

12-8

11-9

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Edit

or

s’ P

ick

s The Week Ahead

Greg JoyceSports Editor

Chris MarinoAssoc. Sports Editor

Austin TedescoAsst. Sports Editor

Marc FrancisAsst. Metro EditorThis Week’s Games

Recap from Last Week

BC

Guest Editor:Marc FrancisAsst. Metro Editor

“Madonna is God.”

BC

BC

Clemson

Knicks

BC

BC

BC

Knicks

Split

BC

BC

BC

Knicks

BC

Duke

BC

Clemson

Mavericks

The men’s hockey team edged BU in the Beanpot finals. The men’s basketball team lost a nailbiter to Virginia Tech, while the women’s team couldn’t finish off Duke. The women’s hockey team rebounded with a sweep of UConn. The Lakers topped the Celtics, but later lost to Linsanity.

Men’s Hockey: No. 3 BC vs. No. 9 Merrimack (Series)

Men’s Basketball: BC vs. No. 5 DukeWomen’s Hockey: No. 4 BC vs. Vermont (Series)

Women’s Basketball: BC vs. ClemsonNBA: New York Knicks vs. Dallas Mavericks

BC

Men’s basketball faces top-ranked Duke Sunday night. Men’s hockey coach Jerry York chases his 900th win in a series with Merrimack this weekend, while women’s hockey has a series with Vermont. Women’s basketball plays Clemson tonight. Jeremy Lin (and the Knicks) hosts the Mavs on Sunday.

Greg Joyce

Game of the Week

BostonCollegevs.

Basketball

The greatly improved Boston College men’s basketball team (8-17, 3-8) hosts the Duke Blue Devils (21-4, 8-2) on Sunday night. The Blue Devils come to Conte holding the conference’s top spot and a No. 5 ranking nationally. The Eagles are coming off a last-second loss in Blacksburg to Virginia Tech after upsetting No. 15 Florida State, while the Blue Devils defeated rival schools North Carolina and Maryland last week. As conference play winds down, both squads are searching for key wins as they com-pete for seeding in the ACC tournament.

Duke

Sunday, 6:00 p.m.

Alex TrAuTwig / heighTs ediTor

Anthony Melchionda (center) will be looked upon for his leadership and hitting when the Eagles begin their season this Friday in South Carolina.

Eagles begin season in challenging tourneyBy GreG JoyceSports Editor

It may not seem like it, thanks to the weather in New England, but baseball season has arrived. Boston College begins its schedule on Friday in South Carolina, where it will play in the Caravelle Resort Tournament. The Eagles are set to face No. 17 Virginia, James Madison, and Coastal Carolina, all teams that made the NCAA tournament last year.

“All three of these teams are tour-nament teams,” said head coach Mike Gambino. “This [tournament] actually looks like a regional. That’s a regional set- up right there with three really quality teams.”

The first opponent for BC will be ACC foe Virginia, though the game is a non-conference matchup. The Cavaliers are a perennial powerhouse, and will serve as a great test for the Eagles in their first game.

“I love it,” Gambino said of the chal-lenge to begin the year. “We’re going out there and seeing how we match up. I told our boys I think we’re a bubble team this year. So this is a really good first test to see how far we have to go after this weekend and in our next 53 games to get us ready to be on the right side of that bubble.”

Right-handed sophomore Eric Stevens will get the start on the mound for BC, opposing UVA’s Brandon Kline, who is transitioning to a starting role this year.

“He was a really, really good closer,” Gambino said. “His stuff’s good—fastball, slider for the most part. I’m sure, stepping into that starter role, that he has developed a third pitch. I’m sure he’s going to have a changeup in there as well. He’s got a good arm.”

Gambino noted that while the Cava-liers won’t be as experienced overall as they were last year, they will be talented nonetheless.

“UVA is going to be young, but they’re going to be good—they’re always good,” Gambino said.

On Saturday afternoon, BC will take on a powerful James Madison team that hit 80 home runs last season. Sophomore Matt Alvarez will get the nod on the hill for the Eagles, while the Diamond Dukes will send right-hander Evan Scott to the mound.

In the final game on Sunday, Hunter Gordon will likely get the start against Coastal Carolina, though his start is de-pendent on whether he sees relief action on Friday or Saturday. Kyle Prohovich was set to be the closer for the Eagles, but he has been set back with tenderness in his forearm. If Prohovich is not able to close out games for BC, then Gordon could be used in his spot.

“If [Gordon] closes Friday night and throws an inning, then we’ll back off his pitch count on Sunday,” Gambino said. “We wouldn’t let him throw more than 20 pitches, but if we have the lead in the ninth on Friday, he’s going to come in and get it. If we have the lead in the ninth on Saturday, then we might possibly go back to him, depending on how many pitches he threw [Friday]. Then he wouldn’t pitch on Sunday.

“So it’s a little bit up in the air, but I just trust Hunter so much. His stuff’s so good, he can get right-handers and left-handers out, get swings-and-misses. He has a heavy fastball, so he’ll get a lot of ground balls.”

While the Chanticleers may not be as highly ranked as they have been in the past

few years, Gambino knows that they will still be a tough challenge and one of the top teams in the nation.

“Coastal took a step back from what we’ve seen the past couple of years—they’ve been a top-10 team,” Gambino said. “But they’re still a top-25 team, and probably even better. Probably a top-15 team, and they’re going to be a regional team again.”

As far as the lineup goes, Gambino said that he’ll probably be switching and adjusting it for the first three to five weeks of the season. Who’s playing in certain positions will likely depend on who the Eagles are facing on the mound. But some players have gotten the upper hand in position battles in practice, according to Gambino, as Matt Pare has stepped ahead at catcher and John Hennessy has stepped ahead at third.

The double play combination will be filled by senior captain Anthony Mel-chionda at shortstop and Blake Butera at second. Spenser Payne will be getting the start at first base against left-handers, while Robbie Moir or Tyler Hinchliffe will start against right-handers. The outfield is set with Andrew Lawrence, Tom Bourdon, and Matt McGovern. Marc Perdios will see action either in the outfield or at DH against left-handers. Gambino also noted that Travis Ferrick and Geoffrey Murphy were likely to get some at-bats.

Overall, the opening tournament will give Gambino and the Eagles a glimpse of their potential for the season in a talented conference by facing three quality teams right off the bat.

“If we go down there and play well, we have a chance to win three games,” Gambino said. “So it’s a good first weekend for us.” n

BaseBall

By Tim JaBlonskiHeights Staff

Attempting to head into the postseason on a strong note, the Boston College men’s and women’s fencing teams took on three local schools in the 2012 Fencing Beanpot Tuesday night at Harvard. Rather than the traditional hockey Beanpot quartet, both Eagles squads took on a trio of Harvard, Brandeis, and MIT. The men emerged from the round robin tournament with a 1-2 re-cord, and the Lady Eagles were able to net victories in two of their three bouts.

Taking on Harvard, which boasts the No. 3 ranked men’s and No. 7 women’s team, both teams were unable to secure the victory against the eventual victors of the tourna-ment. The pedigree of a Harvard squad that was resting its starter took the day, claiming each weapon bout on both sides by at least three and taking both matches by identical 20-7 final scores.

“Losing to Harvard wasn’t unexpected or a backbreaker on either side,” said senior captain Peter Souders, who posted the men’s team’s strongest performance of the day with a personal 7-2 record in bouts.

Against Brandeis, the men’s epee, con-sisting of Albert Shawshak, Nikhil Patel, and Brian Like, was able to garner a 6-3 victory. The judges posted strong results in both the sabre and foil bouts, posting wins of 7-2 and 4-5 respectively, to claim the match by a score of 17-12. The BC women were more successful, earning a victory highlighted by a 6-3 win from the epee squad of Amy Bera-ducci, Cara Hall, and Anabel Young.

“I’m very proud of how the epee squad performed,” Beraducci said. “I think the squad, as a whole, has been experiencing some confidence problems this year, but I didn’t see any of that yesterday. We stepped on strip with a positive mindset, and it got

us great results.”Looking for a similar confidence booster,

the men’s team found success later in its match against MIT. The Eagles won all three weapons for a vindicating victory over the Engineers, who narrowly defeated BC earlier in the season. Both the sabre (Souders, Denis McGovern, Jr., and Devin Midgley) and epee claimed 6-3 wins over the Engineers. The foil squad had its best performance of the day in a thorough 7-2 victory, with freshman Ryan Prince and sophomore Pat Riley both going 3-0.

“Getting a second shot at [MIT], and putting up a big number the way we did was definitely a good feeling,” Souders commented.

Similarly, the women were able to secure a winning record for the Beanpot with resounding triumphs in all three weapons against MIT, led by a foil squad that domi-nated its way to a 7-2 victory that included an impressive 3-0 showing in foil by fresh-man standout Ryan Western.

For a team looking for confidence, Tues-day night’s showing should provide it in no short amount to a women’s team that will be seeking its second straight New England Championship in less than two weeks. The men will join them in their hunt to repeat as regional champions.

“I think we’re in a good spot heading into championship season,” Souders said. “If we can get our energy going from the first bout, then we should be very competitive in the coming weeks.”

While both teams were unable to prove they were the in same class as Harvard, each squad took away a good amount of self-confidence in the victories they earned. Whether they can turn that self-confidence into conquests when the lights are brightest, during New England’s and NCAA qualifiers, will show their true mettle. n

Fencing teams fare well at annual Beanpot tournament

points. Shields, who has been noticeably struggling in recent games, helped make the difference in a close contest.

The Eagles, having lost 38-35 against the Hokies earlier this season in Chest-nut Hill, managed to overcome their opponents by making more of their three-point attempts. The team was 10-for-21 from behind the arc for the night, with five of those baskets coming from Shields.

Despite their youth, the Eagles have shown progress in their past two games, and have a good opportunity to pick up a second ACC win against the Clemson Tigers (6-17) at Conte Forum tonight.

Head coach Sylvia Crawley was not present at the game on Monday night due to sickness, but was still able to watch the game and should be back for BC’s matchup tonight. n

Women’s Basketball, from A10

Women’s basketball gets first ACC win

grAhAm beck / heighTs ediTor

Kerri Shields recorded 15 points in Monday night’s win at Virginia Tech.

The heighTsThursday, February 16, 2012

Thursday, February 16, 2012 SPORTSA10

inside sports Baseball begins FridayThe Eagles hit the road for a weekend tournament in South Carolina.............A9

Fencing BeanpotThe men’s and women’s fencing teams took part in their Beanpot Tuesday night...............A9

Editors’ Picks..............................A9Game of the Week.......................A9this issue

Austin tedesco

I couldn’t sleep Monday night. I got back from the TD Garden around 1 a.m., and by 4 a.m. I was still ecstatic. Part of it was Bill Arnold and his end-of-over-time goal that gave Boston College its third straight Beanpot title over BU. That definitely had something to do with it. But the real reason I couldn’t sleep was you guys.

It was your voice erupting from the balcony after that incredible shot went past a stifling goalie and into the net. It was your tweets that made Arnold trend nationally. It was all of your Facebook statuses and BC Memes that I couldn’t read enough of. It was the celebratory songs and high fives that lasted all night. It was you, coming together because of our team. I definitely do not know every Superfan, but on Monday night we felt like a family. I’ve been an Eagle since September, but Monday night, when Arnold’s shot flew past Kieran Millan, was the first time BC felt like a real,

See Column, A8

By Chris MarinoAssoc. Sports Editor

In Monday night’s 60th annual Beanpot champi-onship, the No. 3 Boston College men’s hockey team (19-10-1) inched past No. 2 Boston University (17-10-

1) by a final score of 3-2 in a physical, overtime thriller.

“We talked about Beanpot Monday, and how fun it is,” said junior Chris Kreider. “And the only thing better is winning. And the only thing better than winning it is winning it in overtime. That’s something you dream about growing up.”

The victory came off the stick of sophomore Bill Arnold with 6.4 seconds left in the game’s first overtime. Arnold’s score came on an odd-man rush down the ice. Senior Barry Almeida pushed from the defensive zone, making a nice pass to linemate Steven

Whitney. Then Whitney took a look across net and found Arnold cutting across for the score.

“I knew there was under a minute left,” Arnold said of the score. “I wasn’t exactly sure how much time was left when we were skating up the ice. But you don’t want to turn over the puck in that situation. You want to make sure you at least get through the period without giving up a goal. But if you see the chance to skate down the ice and get a shot, you’ve got to take it.”

Eagles head coach Jerry York applauded his players for executing the final drive down the ice so well.

“The pass Steve Whitney made to Billy Arnold at the end was textbook,” he said. “We had an odd-man advantage. He found the late guy, and Billy wristed it glove side, which was pretty electric for our bench.

alex TrauTwig / heighTs senior sTaFF

Arnold tallies game-winner in overtime

See Beanpot, A8

Come early, be loud, wear gold

Boston CollegeBoston Univ.

32

graham beck / heighTs ediTor

By austin tedesCoAsst. Sports Editor

Coming into Monday’s Beanpot finals, Boston College goaltender Parker Milner had allowed eight goals to Boston University this season, while BU goalie Kieran Millan only let up three scores in the two previous contests between the cross-town rivals.

Although both netminders had given up two scores heading into overtime, topping Millan looked like it would be a daunting task for the less-experienced Milner. Before the semifinal game last week, it wasn’t even certain that Milner would be the starter, since senior Chris Venti and freshman Brian Billet had both put up strong performances throughout the season.

“Brian and Chris, they’re great goalies and I can’t

be like, ‘How can you not play me every game?’ because they’re great and they deserve to play too,” Milner said.

While Milner hit a rough stretch during the middle of the season, his overtime performance against the Terriers proved that he is hitting his stride heading into the Hockey East tournament and likely the NCAA tournament. Despite a relentless BU attack throughout the whole overtime and an impressive stand by Millan, Milner held on long enough for Bill Arnold to sneak a goal between the pipes in the waning seconds of the first overtime for the Eagles’ third straight Beanpot championship.

“It’s tough to describe. It was amazing, a phe-nomenal feeling,’’ Milner said. “It’s just something that you dream about whenever you commit to

Milner a rock between the pipes in win

See Milner, A8

Eagles earn first ACC win at Va. Tech

By daniel ottauniCkHeights Editor

The Eagles are growing up.After suffering an 11-game losing

streak to open up ACC play for the sea-son, the youthful Boston College women’s basket-

ball team (6-19) picked up its first confer-ence win, defeating the Hokies of Virginia Tech (7-18) by a score of 64-60 Monday night in Blacksburg.

With the win being foreshadowed by their competitive loss against the No. 5 Duke Blue Devils on Thursday night, the BC team came to Blacksburg with a nothing-to-lose mentality, knowing their status as underdogs could allow them to steal a road win from a struggling op-ponent.

Following the trend of Thursday night’s loss, the team was led by sophomore forward Katie Zenevitch, who scored 17 points. The sophomore continued to be a force on the post during ACC play.

Also playing a major factor in the win was junior Kerri Shields, who put up 15

See Women’s Basketball, A9

Dennis Clifford (right) and the Eagles will look to have a better rebounding performance tonight at Maryland if they want to pick up a win.

BC looks to rebound at Maryland tonightBy steven PrinCiPiHeights Staff

The youth of the Boston College men’s basketball team has been well-documented all year. After an awful start to the season that featured a new starting lineup in virtually every game and a few bad losses, the team responded with a strong start to the ACC schedule and has already exceeded their expectations this year in conference play. With the physical challenges overcome, the Eagles will now have their mental resolve tested. On the

heels of their devastating last-second loss to Virginia Tech on Sunday, the Eagles travel to Maryland to face off with the Ter-rapins tonight. Instead of worrying about a potential carryover effect, head coach Steve Donahue is optimistic that his team can overcome any letdown.

“I’m sure the guys will be ready to go,” Donahue said. “We did a lot of good things [against Virginia Tech]. I think we can learn some things we can do better down the stretch, but I expect the guys to be fired up and ready to go.”

BC will face a Maryland team that, on

paper, appears to be having a down year. Despite boasting a 14-10 overall record, the Terrapins are just 4-6 in ACC play and have just two wins in their last eight games. They are also still attempting to recover from the recent loss of point guard Pe’Shon Howard, who suffered a season-ending knee injury during practice last week. Maryland does still have some talent on its team, however, including Terrell Stoglin, who leads the ACC with over 21 points per game.

See Men’s Basketball, A8

Three-peaT

Zenevitch, Shields come up big in win

Boston CollegeVirginia Tech

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Woogeon kim / heights photo illustration

radio singles

Nicki’s “starships”The rapper follows up grammy performance wiTh a hiT, page b5

TasTe debaTe

New oscar ruleswiTh nine besT picTure nominees, The show is in flux, page b4

sTar value

a u.k. starbenedicT cumberbaTch makes The leap To The sTaTes, page b4

Thursday, FEBruary 16, 2012

Thursday, February 16, 2012B2 The heighTs

My girlfriend is studying abroad in Ecuador this semester, but it’s remarkable how often I feel her presence here in Boston. We’ve spent the past two years and change exploring the city, getting to know the school’s nooks and cran-nies, zipping across town on the T, the bus, or in a car. Last semester we got brunch every weekend all over Boston, one weekend at a box-car diner in Allston, another at a ritzy restaurant in Cambridge next to a gospel church.

She may be thousands of miles away—thankfully in the same time zone—but I see her everywhere. We’re one of those nerdy couples that love to talk about art for hours on end. I could ramble about Jean Michel-Basquiat and Keith Har-ing for hours as she listens, ever patient. I wouldn’t blame her for zoning out, but she never does. For Christmas, she got me a beautiful phone case that she designed to look like a work by one of my fa-vorite artists, Piet Mondrian, which means she really does listen to all my boring art stories and stores them for future use. Whenever I take my phone out, I smile and think of her.

Last semester, she taught me the wonders of sushi—a little late for a guy to be trying such a commonplace dish, but for all my adventurous eating, I was always too chicken to try raw fish. When we went to sushi places, I would always order cooked entrees as she impressed me with her knowledge of the menus, her grasp on the chopsticks, and her elegance in plucking the sushi from the plate. She walked me through the easy stuff, like shrimp tempura rolls, and laughed when I gobbled down an entire order of Fin’s spicy tuna roll. Last week I ordered Fin’s for the first time since she left, since I’d been too scared to try anything all by my lonesome. When I opened up my spicy tuna roll, I smiled and thought of her.

On our first date, we went to a Mika concert in Boston together. It quickly became obvious that con-certs were going to be our thing. We share the same interest in mu-sic and have spent an embarrassing amount of money on shows like Florence and the Machine, Lady Gaga, M.I.A., and Foster the Peo-ple. During our first summer break apart, she met me at a concert in Brooklyn while I was working, and we ran towards each other like a couple of corny lovebirds. A couple of weeks ago, I bought tickets to a concert at the House of Blues, my first show in Boston without her by my side. When I got the tickets in the mail, I smiled and thought of her.

Whenever she comes to visit me at home, she stays in the guest bedroom that we rarely use. I went home last weekend and had to move some things into the bed-room for my mom. When I went inside, I couldn’t help but remem-ber all the amazing memories we’d shared together in New York. We danced in the rain at Fuerzabruta, and strolled above the cobblestone streets of SoHo as we walked on the Highline. Heck, she even collid-ed with Kim Kardashian in Nolita, and didn’t realize who it was, as I stood there with my mouth open like some tourist who’d never seen the big buildings before. When I went into the spare bedroom last weekend, I smiled and thought of her.

Last week she sent me a box of multi-flavored toffee for Valentine’s Day, the best kind of present I could’ve asked for (lime-raspberry? Yes, please). Since the day I met her, she’s taught me to be a better person. She’s made me feel like a king from day one, and has been the only person who can put a smile on my face when I’m down. She’s my best friend in the world, and miles between us won’t ever change that.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Jen.

Brennan Carley

A guy only gets this lucky once

Brennan Carley is the Arts & Review editor for The Heights. He can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.

Matt Bomer, the star of USA Network’s comedy/crime drama White Collar, has been good about keeping his private life private—until now. While accepting an award in Palm Springs this weekend, in his acceptance speech, Bomer gave a shout out to his life partner, publicist Simon Hall, and their three children. Bomer received the New Generation Arts & Activism award for his fight against HIV/AIDS. In the upcoming Ryan Murphy film, The Nor-mal Heart, Bomer plays a gay advocate raising HIV/AIDS awareness in the 1980s. The Normal Heart is set to hit theaters in 2014.

For all the Transformers fans, it was a Valentine’s Day miracle when it was—accidentally—officially announced that director Michael Bay will be directing the fourth installment of the franchise. However exciting the news, Bay was not too pleased to find out the beans had been spilled. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura slipped up in an interview with an MTV reporter and confirmed the news. Transformers 4 is rumored to be a “reboot” for the series and will be released summer 2014. The film credit has yet to appear in Michael Bay’s IMDb page.

On Sunday, Feb. 12, in the wake of the Whitney Houston tragedy, rumors started to circulate that film star Keanu Reeves died in a snowboarding accident. It all started on Twitter, and soon escalated to the point where it became a trending topic. A fake news website, Global Associated News, was responsible for this death hoax. Fortunately, just as quickly as the news spread, it was put to rest. Reeves is alive and well and working on a few films for release in the coming year.

On Saturday, the world was in shock to hear that a very in-fluential musical talent had passed away. Whitney Houston, at the ripe age of 48, was found dead at the Beverly Hilton Hotel—the same hotel where, that evening, a pre-Grammy party was hosted by Clive Davis. The cause of death is yet to be determined, but according to reports, Houston was found unconscious and underwater in the bathtub of her hotel room. Whatever the cause, one thing is clear, the world has once again lost a beloved singer whose voice will continue to inspire new generations of musicians.

2. R.I.P. WHITNEY

3. BOMER COMES OUT

4. IS KEANU ALRIGHT? 5. TRANSFORM AGAIN

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This year, a better name for it would have been the “Adele Awards.” The British sensation was nominated for six Gram-mys, and, no surprise, she went home with six new “golden goods,” as she put it. Aside from winning in every category she was nominated for, she was the hype of the show, with fellow musicians commenting on how she was “back” after her recent surgery. All in all, the Grammys played out with a huge televised concert, with Adele the main act.

SCENE ANd HEARd

@robdelaNey (rob delaNey, comediaN)

“if you haven’t prepared your kids for the possibility that they’ll have to eat your dog in a post-apocolypse world, you’re a shi**y parent.”

@coNaNobrieN (coNaN o’brieN, host ‘coNaN’)

“an arizona senator wants to create a special holiday just for white people. we already have one called the season premiere of ‘mad men.’”

@chelseavperetti (chelsea peretti, writer, ‘parks aNd recreatioN’)

“crazy! valentine’s day cancelled! via cnn.’”

@sethmacfarlaNe (seth macfarlaNe, creator, ‘family guy’)

“watch a bit of ‘real housewives of beverly hills.’ don’t know how science gave that many platypuses the power or speech.”

1. GRAMMY AWARdS

submit your favorite tweets of the week for coNsideratioN at artseditors11@gmail.com.

BY: CAROLINA dEL BUSTO

Chris Brown, made famous by accusations of domestic violence, should not be recognized as a notable artist.phoTo CourTesy oF google

the CritiCal Curmudgeon

Let’s talk about the Grammys. Not about Nikki Minaj’s perplexing exor-cism-reenactment, or Skrillex, or even Cee Lo’s continued nefariousness. No, these are mere trivialities in com-parison to the fact that the nebulous “musician” Chris Brown was given an award for the release of his album F.A.M.E.

It’s critical that I elaborate what makes this so excruciatingly unaccept-able. I have four contentions which I will do my best to explain.

Contention #1: This one’s obvious. There is simply no valid reason to give a subjective award to a man whose most extensive media exposure is be-ing found guilty of domestic abuse. No scenario exists in which you’d honestly be required to give Brown a Grammy, especially not in the presence of the very same woman he battered. Hell, there are some music icons who never got any, including Buddy Holly and Diana Ross. Brown’s alleged “talent” is certainly a far cry from iconic, and it comes with the delightful additive of his being an absolute jerk. By what thought process does one conclude this guy deserves a return to celebrity? I’m all for second chances … actually, no I’m not. If you’re a second-rate musician who beats his girlfriend and hardly apologizes, you can go straight to hell.

Contention #2: As a musician, Brown’s music is obtuse and unin-spired, with lyrics so insubstantial that they threaten to reverse the listener’s gravitational pull. If you listen to this album and visualize anything other than a bloated chauvinist making ag-gressive, unrequited sexual advances on your eardrums, I need the drugs you were on.

Contention #3: Screw current R&B. Rhythm and blues has always been sort of an organized catch-all when it comes to classifying music: since the ’50s, the genre has included an im-practically wide array of artists, rang-ing from the Yardbirds’ heavy blues to Chuck Berry’s rockabilly. Prior to rock and roll, R&B essentially served as a catch-all for growing styles with roots in traditional African-American styles, namely gospel, blues, and funk.

Hip-hop is not and will never be R&B. It simply does not satisfy the fundamental prerequisites of blues. Rather than mislabel popular artists such as Cee Lo, Usher, and Beyonce as “R&B,” a consensus needs to be reached in which these impotent tracks make their way into either of the existing “rap” or “dance” catego-ries. Why was it necessary for these genres to come into being, if not to include music with pivotal elements of rap and dance? Had Brown, who is essentially only recognizable because of his dancing, been classified in the dance section with all the other acts

that are completely devoid of R&B qualities, this conversation could’ve been avoided entirely.

Contention #4: At best, Mr. Brown ought to be considered a stagnant talent. There are certain talents that receive recognition for their im-mense potential, such as Adele, whose voice has such interesting timbre and resonance that it brings a noteworthy vigor to her lyrics. Her potential as a vocalist opens possibilities for bolder, riskier ingenuity as a songstress: excit-ing stuff, to be sure. At the other end of this spectrum, there is talent that is considered “timeless,” such as Tony Bennett, who received several awards in recognition of his work cutting duets. His is a voice that established a standard, one that continues to inspire new, worthwhile material.

And then there is Brown, who has unflinchingly shoveled the same old rubbish out of his godforsaken studio for seven years now. To call this mediocrity extraordinaire a “one-trick pony” would be assuming that he actually has a trick. Dancing, maybe? Acting? Fisticuffs? Don’t know, don’t care. It just certainly isn’t music.

I’m not sure what the Grammys are for anymore. All I know is, this shouldn’t be it.

Mediocre Chris Brown is unworthy of recent Grammy

Matt Mazzari is a staff columnist for The Heights. He can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.

Matt Mazzari

The heighTsThursday, February 16, 2012 B3

CommerCialization or Creation?

BY taYlor CaVallo | aSSoC. artS & reVieW eDitor

DutchpainterVincentvanGogh(1853-1890)iscertainlyaninfamousarticon.Hislegacyisfilledwithpithylittleanecdotes:thathewasinsane,neversoldapaintingduringhislifetimeandthat,ofcourse,hecutoffhisownear.Regardlessofhistroublingpersonallife,vanGoghisatimelesspainterwhosetalentisevidentamongartconnoisseursandamateursalike.Whileallofhispaintingsarebeautiful,featuringbold,vibrantcolorsandharshbrushstrokes,hismostfamouspainting,andperhapsoneofthemostfamousandrecognizablepaintingsintheworld,isStarry Night.Thereissomethingaboutthispaintingthatresonateswiththeaverageviewer—somethingrelatable,intangible,andtrulymoving.Asthepaintingissobeautiful,itisnowonderthatithasbeenrecycledintheworldofpopculture.WoodyAllen’s2011filmMidnight in ParisfeaturedvanGogh’spaintingasthebackdropmovieposter,despitethefactthatthepaintingdoesnotdepictParis.Fromcoffeemugstocakestofakenailstoshoes,Starry Nighthasgrowntoinfamythroughcommodification.Whileitisques-tionableastowhetherornotvanGoghhimselfwouldappreciatethis,ithasbroughtthebeautifulpaintingintothelivesofmany.

Intheend,hemaybebestrememberedforamuraldepictingaskeletonholdingaburningdollarbillasthewords“CrackisWack”aresplashedacrossthehandballwall.Anartistandsocialactivist,KeithHaringgothisstartwithchalkdrawingsintheNewYorkCitysubwaysystem.Hebroughtpoparttoadeeperlevelwithhisradiantbaby,akneelingoutlineofachildwith

broad,blackstrokesandflashesbranchingoutfromhisbody.Laterinthe’80s,hebefriendedAndyWarhol,wholaterbecamethesubjectofHaring’swork,includinghispopular“AndyMouse”series.HaringwasanadvocateforAIDS-relatedcharities,andlater,in1990,succumbedtoAIDS-relatedcomplications.Hegaveavoicetoagenerationtooafraidtospeak,splatteringhispowerful

andmeaningfulgraffitionsubwaycars,billboards,andeventheceilingoftheNewYorkHistoricalSociety,whichwasrecoveredandrestoredlastyearforpublicviewing.AlongsideJeanMichel-Bas-quiat,hewasthepreeminentgraffitiartistofthedecade,likealesssecretiveBanksy.HisKeithHaringFoundationenlistedhisimagerytohelpspreadawarenessaboutthediseasethatwouldquicklybringthegenius’slifetoanend.

Today,artistslikeRihannaandNickiMinajwearskintightbodysuitsplasteredwithHaring’ssymbols,butnostarhasyettakenthetimetoexplaintheirsignificance.Theartist’sworkshaveseenaresurgenceofpopularityinrecentyears—UrbanOutfittersranat-shirtlinewithhisimages,andseveralpopularshoelinesfeaturedsneakersemblazonedwiththeart—buthismessagesofacceptanceandawarenessshouldbeconsideredjustasimportantasthepiecestheyinspired.

Van Gogh: Starry night

Keith Haring: radi-

Dan SierinG | aSSt. artS & reVieW eDitor

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Mostpeoplefromourgenerationknowmanyfamouspiecesofartsolelythroughcommodities,asopposedtotheoriginalpiecesthemselves.Whilethisexposuretofineartisundeniablyvaluabletothepublic,itisimperativethatweunderstandtheartists’inten-tionsandappreciatetheoriginalpaintingsthemselves.

Withhissimplesurrealistthemes,BelgianpainterReneMagrittedecisivelyanddirectlychallengedthebasicconceptsofmodernlogicduringhiscareer,whichspannedthemajorityofthe21stcentury.Hispaintingsandsketcheshavebeenthecenterofdeepandcomplexdiscussionsinphilosophyandarthistoryclassesthroughouttheworld.Perhapsyouhavehadaclasswhereyou’vemeditatedonhisinfamous

workTheTreachery of Images,whichjuxtaposesasketchofapipewiththephrase“Thisisnotapipe.”OrperhapsyouhadlookedathisSon of Manpaintingandtriedtoassesswhytheheckheputthat

appleinfrontofthatguy’shead.Nonetheless,sincehisdeathinthelate’60s,thesurrealist’sthought-provokingimageshavebeenspoofedandadaptedendlesstimesbythemetricsofpopculture.Whetherit’splacing

thesuitedgentlemenonthetopsofMacbooksorreplacingthepipewithatoiletoraNikehightopsneaker,atleastaportionofthelegacyofMagrittelieswithinacom-moditizedsectorofmodernsociety.Yetwithhisuseofsuchmodestandcomprehen-siblesymbols,canyoureallyblamepopculture?

rene magritte: treachery of images, Son of man

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GOOGLE.COm

The heighTsB4 Thursday, February 16, 2012

turn mere 18-year-olds into dedicated Superfans in the course of a few days at orientation. They stand to unify us, to give us a common identity.

They don’t call it a fashion statement for nothing. And as fashion week will be coming to a close shortly, there is no lack of inspiration out there. Take a cue from the politi-cal members of our campus, or from the top designers themselves, and more importantly, realize that every piece of clothing you put on each day says something about you, even if it’s only that, “I just went to the Plex.” Use this power for good, not evil. And if that means showing sup-port for the next UGBC president, or the next president of the United States, or simply showing that you put some effort into your look that day, know your wardrobe speaks volumes for you.

Sometimes we don’t have the words or the opportunity to say who we are and what we believe in, but luckily, our clothing can serve as a mediator with the outside world, doing the work for us. It is not self-evident that a simple garment–literally fabric and thread stitched together in a factory somewhere in the world–could hold such amazing powers, but it seems that each piece does. And maybe this all sounds a little overstated to you all, but the fact is, clothing affects us more than we may be aware. After all, it is a presence in all of our lives everyday. Let us know who you are: throw on a red shirt, a green shirt, or a gold one and let everyone hear your voice.

con

To paraphrase a rock legend, Who guitarist Pete Townshend once said that it must be really hard for a bright person in the Midwest, because you don’t have a London or a New York City that can provide you with fresh input, that can rub against you and rub off any illusions.

Though I’m hesitant to rebuke Townsh-end, one of my musical idols, I want to draw upon some evidence to demonstrate that his claims might not be entirely accurate, or at the very least, not applicable within the modern music scene.

Allow me to draw from the history of my home state of Minnesota. When I tell my east coast acquaintances that the Minneapo-lis/St. Paul area is—and has been for quite some time—a notable music hub, I promptly receive a conceited eye roll, and, from the more smug critics, a hackneyed impression of Fargo-inspired Minnesotan drawl.

Yet, by the end of this column, I hope that those detractors will at least be able to acknowledge that the Twin Cities, only the 14th largest metropolitan area in the U.S., is somewhat of an anomaly in this country’s music scene.

One can say that Minnesota’s love affair with modern music began in 1941, when a third generation Lithuanian immigrant named Robert Zimmerman was born in Du-luth, Minn. Looking to escape the rough life of the state’s northern Iron Range, Zimmer-man moved to Minneapolis and enrolled in the local university. The young guitarist lived in the University of Minnesota’s Dinkytown neighborhood and was quickly immersed in the local folk rock circuit. It was here that Zimmerman, looking to becoming more recognizable, began introducing himself by a shorter, simpler name: Bob Dylan.

Though Dylan’s stint in Dinkytown was short-lived—he dropped out of school after two years to move to New York—it showed that a strong reverence for pop music was brewing in the sleepy state. The music world took note. In 1965, The Beatles made Bloomington, Minn. their sixth stop on their infamous U.S. tour, and the Rolling Stones’ fourth concert during their stateside tour in 1964 was in front of 300 Minnesotans in Excelsior.

Now, I’m not imprudent—I know Min-nesota cannot be considered an artistic epicenter simply because Lennon and McCartney once ate at the local Denny’s. But by the late ’70s, a large movement that transformed music lovers into music makers was beginning to occur within the state. It started when the lead singer of the band 94 East decided to embark on a solo career. The world would soon know this flamboyant guitarist as Prince.

Unlike Dylan, Prince embraced his Min-neapolis roots for his entire career. He wrote songs about aspects specific to the city and eventually starred in the film Purple Rain, which brought notoriety to the city’s now infamous First Avenue Entry concert venue.

While Prince brought an R&B funk movement to Minneapolis, bands such as The Replacements, Husker Du, and Soul Asylum were beginning to plant the seeds to an alt-rock movement that would take the city by storm in the early ’90s.

This movement, which momentarily made Minneapolis the center of pop music, created a slew of alternative bands such as The Jayhawks, Low, and Semisonic, with the latter band giving the movement and the city a definitive trademark song with the bar ballad “Closing Time.”

So where does the Twin Cities’ music scene stand nowadays? Its position in the music world is still strong. A main contribu-tor to this high standing is the metro’s public radio station The Current, which for almost nine years has been feeding Minneapolis/St. Paul with a vast spectrum of music. I readily admit that majority of my current favorite bands I first heard on The Current.

One of the biggest factors that makes The Current so unique is its emphasis on lo-cal music. Mark Wheat, the station’s prime-time English-accented DJ, has called this a “golden era” of Twin Cities music. From the now nationally-known groups such as rap duo Atmosphere and folk guitarist Mason Jennings, to local favorites including the bluesy slam poet Dessa and the electro pop band Policia, it looks as though the Twin Cities’ music scene, with or without a large metropolis to rub against, is here to stay.

Despite almost always showcasing bands before they are propelled into the main-stream, The Current does not emit a speck of an elitist hipster attitude. Instead, they embrace the moment their favorite bands go mainstream. For example, to celebrate Adele’s plethora of Grammys, the station played their in-studio version of “Someone Like You,” which just so happens to be co-written by Minnesota native Dan Wilson.

Keeping with the CURRent

Dan Siering is the Asst. Arts & Re-view Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.

The midwest music hub

I love fashion, obviously. This shouldn’t come as shock-ing news about someone who has been writing a fashion column for almost a year now. But honestly, I really love it. It’s not just the sky-high heels that defy the laws of gravity, the innovative designs that continue to blow my mind, the rich fabrics, the brilliant hues, and ever-changing styles. I also love fashion for its power; I love it for its influence to direct us, and change our minds. The things we wear and the way in which we pair them speak volumes, and literally have the power to influence those around us.

Walking around campus during the past few weeks, it is evident that something is going on. Even without speak-ing to any of these people (though they may try to shake your hand or hold the door for you), you can tell what they are all about. These people are wearing matching shirts. Stated simply as what it is, this seems strange. Why would a subset of the Boston College population choose to match for days at a time? These people are aligning themselves in a political way, in fact—they are the campaign teams for each respective UGBC team competing in the upcom-ing election. Not only are the teams themselves donning team–colored apparel, but their loyal supporters are doing the same. They are standing in solidarity with those they support, letting everyone know how they feel, without ever uttering a word.

These students are literally making themselves walking billboards. They are outwardly representing their beliefs right on their literal sleeves, something that surely takes courage. Though, it seems that many students are willing to express their allegiances through their fashion choices, an easy and effective method to spread the word if you ask me. You know the team colors that survived the prima-ries–red and green–and I am sure you have seen them around campus. Though these shirts cannot outline the whole platform of any candidate, finding yourself in a sea of people wearing matching neon green shirts may make the average student stop and think, “Hey, I wonder why all these people are supporting this candidate?” In turn, maybe this student will become more educated about the stances of each candidate, and cast a vote on Monday.

Our clothing really does make a statement in so many ways. Heck, every time we put on our Superfan shirts we are showing where our allegiances lie. These shirts have the power to not only identify us as BC students, but also unite us. Walking into Conte for any given sporting event, and seeing fellow undergraduates donning matching gold shirts, one cannot help but feel like he is a part of some-thing bigger than himself. These shirts have the power to

Fashion serves as a means of expression

Therese Tully is an editor for The Heights. She can be reached at arts@bcheights.com.

Clothing allows statements to be articulated without the spoken word

For the past several weeks, students on campus have been spotted wearing t-shirts emblazoned with messages, much like the three designs pictured here. Not only do the shirts work as fashion statements—similar to the Gap (RED) movement that swept fashion several years ago, as worn by Abigail Breslin—they show loyal support to teams campaigning for UGBC, literally transforming the students into walking billboards. Much like Superfan shirts, these tees grant the student body with a common, shared identity.

Fashion FoRwaRd

TasTe debaTe: new oscar rules

People might look at the nine Best Picture nominees this year and say that the Academy’s new nomination process for their highest cat-egory has failed. To start complaining, one need not look further than a certain film that was Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close to nomination day, having its wide release on Jan. 20 this year. Some see this puzzling inclusion as a sign that Academy voters rely too heavily on other awards shows and critical praise when picking Best Picture candidates, not knowing what to do when a film is released too late for either. While I won’t argue this point, I will certainly take on anyone who blames it on the new nomination process.

After spending two years nominating 10 films in an attempt to draw in more viewers, the Academy has implemented a process where anywhere between five and 10 films can be nominated for Best Picture, as long as each nominee garners at least 5 percent of first-place votes. This new strategy makes more sense than selecting the traditional five nominees, as that process sometimes left moviegoers angry by ignoring classics such as The Dark Knight, Blade Runner, and Some Like it Hot. The 10-nominee experiment of 2009-2010, however, took some of the prestige away from a nomination via The Blind Side.

I believe the Academy simply picked an unfortunate year for this to be first used. In 2011, there was no The Social Network or The King’s Speech to gather behind. Without a juggernaut success story for voters to rally around, they all ended up choosing different films as a first choice. If 2011 had been a better year for movies, the new process would have worked like a charm and silence wouldn’t be so golden.

Back in June, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences once again changed the rules for nominat-

ing movies for Best Picture: instead of the traditional five nominees or the more recent 10, the new system

allows anywhere from five to 10, as long as each nominee receives more than 5 percent of the first-place votes. What does all this bureaucratic nonsense mean? In theory, the new rules ensure

that each of the nominees actually has a chance of winning, while also allowing room for widely-liked

popular hits. In practice? Just look at the nominees and it’s easy

to see that despite apparent changes, it’s all business as usual for the Academy. There are nine nominees, but critically acclaimed hits like Drive and Bridesmaids didn’t make the cut, nor did worthwhile indies like Take Shelter or Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Instead, we have Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, the weepie reviled for turning the tragedy of 9/11 into simplistic kitsch. The Oscars are clearly not pleasing popular audiences or discerning crit-ics, so who are they for? The answer is the same as it has always been: the Academy is pleasing itself, projecting an image of a Hollywood that deals with “serious issues” and grand themes rather than rewarding the movies with the most artistic merit or popular support.

SEAN KEELEYHEIGHTS STAFF

JOE ALLENHEIGHTS STAFFPRO

Therese Tully

Dan siering

staR valUe by allan gUzman

Benedict Cumberbatch–a name that makes you feel thoroughly British after saying it just once. But to whom does it belong? The name is that of the British film and stage actor who has recently garnered a considerable

amount of international fame. Cumberbatch has been active mainly in British TV shows, Sherlock being the most popular, and films such as Atonement. He’s about to become much more well known, however. He was recently cast in Steven Spielberg’s War Horse, as well as the spy thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. His upcoming projects include a rumored role as a villain in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek sequel and voice work for the dragon Smaug and the Necromancer in Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Hobbit: There and Back Again. Cumberbatch’s praiseworthy portrayal of legendary sleuth Sherlock Holmes is the main reason for his recent success, though now he has a slew of new projects that will allow him to expand his acting capabilities.

Benedict Cumberbatch prepares for his Hollywood takeover

PhoTos courTesy oF google.com

PhoTos courTesy oF google.com

The heighTsThursday, February 16, 2012 B5

Mya’s musical return is neither notable nor enjoyableSingleS

1 Stronger Kelly Clarkson

2 Set Fire To The Rain Adele

3 Good Feeling Flo Rida

4 We Found Love Rihanna

5 Turn Me On David Guetta

6 Domino Jessie J

7 Rack City Tyga

8 Young, Wild, & Free Snoop Dogg

9 Sexy And I Know It LMFAO

10 It Will Rain Bruno Mars

Top AlbumS

1 21 Adele

2 Born To Die Lana Del Ray

3 Old Ideas Leonard Cohen

4 Grammy Nominees Various Artists

5 Kidz Bop 21 Kidz Bop Kids

By Taylor Cavallo

Assoc. Arts & Review Editor

Subtlety is key. Subtlety is also something Mya’s K.I.S.S (Keep It Sexy & Simple … yes, seriously) does not have. To start with, the absurdity of the album title is almost unbelievable. If female empowerment is what she’s going for, that title negates all efforts. The entirety of the album is al-most too blatantly about female empowerment while trying to stick “it” to some anonymous man (though after listening to the whole album, I’m still not sure exactly what “it” is). While there is no doubt that this one-dimensional girl power music has a target audience that will probably enjoy this album for all its shallow glory, it doesn’t do much for the average person with good taste. Each song is about a different aspect of a romantic relationship, hitting on all the highs and all the lows. There is certainly a time and place for this type of music, but Mya doesn’t even deliver amidst the lackluster genre populated by the Ke$has and the Katy Perrys.

While lyrics can occasion-ally be disregarded for a good dance song, the lyrics in the song “Someone Come Get This B—h” are completely laughable, to the point that they stand out too blatantly to be ignored, de-spite being paired with dance beats—which are boring too. “Rear View Mirror,” the second track on the album, features Sean

Paul and is the only song with the potential (key word) for re-demption. And by that I mean it has the potential to become one of those screaming anthems for girls who have just been dumped, in which newly single Mya, with “not a care in the world,” states over and over, “I’m not looking back” (get it?!).

The apex of irritation on the album culminates in the track “Fabulous Life,” where Mya dis-cusses her “fabulous life,” all the beautiful people in it, how the stars are aligned in her favor, and how she lives by “Livin’, Dancin’ / Lights, Camera, Action.” Prob-ably to no one’s surprise, once the song ended, I wasn’t envi-ous of this life. Her voice is so auto-tuned on this track, as on most others, that she is almost unrecognizable, and could basi-cally be any girl singing about vapid things. “Love Me Some You,” featuring former Immature frontman Marques Houston, is honestly not even worth men-tioning. If you’re going to col-laborate, do it with someone who listeners don’t assume had given up years ago.

Things slow down a bit on the track “Love Comes, Love Goes,” again exemplifying Mya’s groundbreaking wisdom. De-spite the fact that her voice is clearly altered in this song, it does offer some relief from the in-your-face girly dance songs with only her voice and a piano (or so it sounds). Mya proudly proclaims on the deeply

By NaThaN rossi

For The Heights

Tennis is a band that most of you have probably never heard of. Composed of Alaina Moore and

her husband Patrick Riley, the duo released their debut album, Cape Dory, about a year ago. Since then, the group has done a small club tour and performed at many of the summer’s biggest music festivals,

including Chicago’s Lollapalooza. They return this week with the release of their sophomore album, Young & Old. Upon first listen, Tennis sounds reminiscent of Feist or She & Him. Lead singer

Source: Billboard.com

With ‘Young & Old,’ Tennis provides a slew of slow summer tunes

courTesy oF google.com

K.i.s.s.MyA

produced by MyA pLAneT 9

releasedFeB. 14, 2012our rating D

ChART TOppeRS

Tennis gives us a few tracks to add to our summer playlist with warm hearted ballads such as “Traveling” and “Petition.”

young & oldTenniS

produced by FAT pOSSuM ReCORDS

releasedFeB. 14, 2012our rating B-

courTesy oF google.com

titled track “Evolve” that she will “evolve,” and that this man in question should “watch [her] evolve / Through the heartache and pain.” The track “Mess Up My Hair” offers a playful and flirta-tious side of the singer, in which she states over and over that she will “Let her hair down” and that her man can “Mess her hair up.” This album features a lot of repetition: Mya keeps telling the listener what she is going to do, which is usually either implicitly or explicitly stated in the title. Lyricism is not the strong point

of this R&B album. Mya for some reason deemed

it appropriate to preach about her love philosophy and air her grievances to the listener at the start of a few songs, which would usually not be something to complain about, but again, also proves to be laughable. In “Fugitive of Love,” Mya states in a breathy voice, “I’ve been running and hiding for so long / Could it be that I’m scared to give in to something so strong?” In “Problem & Solution,” she hits us with the novel idea that

“It’s crazy how the things that bring the most pleasure / Cause the most pain.” Thank you, Mya. This tactic of speaking before a song can be done well in small doses, and if the words are natu-ral and/or meaningful, but fea-tured on more than three tracks on the album, it’s not only a bit overdone, but also boring. If you want a good, romantically relevant album that doubles as a post break-up listen, go listen to Adele’s 21, which you probably already do. So really, just keep doing what you’re doing. n

Moore has a really interesting tone that reminds me a lot of Ellie Goulding, minus the slight British accent. Like Goulding, the duo fits uniquely in the indie pop genre.

The album begins with one of the band’s best tracks, “It All Sounds the Same.” Lyrically, the track speaks of a relationship with lost potential, “When I say your name / I look for a change / But everywhere I go / It all feels the same.” Although not ground-breaking, the lyrics are quirky and feel really authentic when sung by Moore.

The highlight of Young & Old is definitely “Petition.” With an up-tempo beat that has a touch of jazz, Moore’s voice soars on the track, singing, “Misinform the life all know / On my banner censor shows.” While the lyrics may be open to interpretation, the song, as a whole, benefits from the ur-gency and emotion in the vocals. This welcome energy and spirit is unfortunately lacking on most of the rest of the record.

The only other track that ri-vals the freshness of “Petition” is

“Traveling,” which is an upbeat love song about falling in love. Moore euphorically sings in the passionate chorus, “Tell me where you need to go / Darling can we take it slow / Let’s not stop / Please let’s go / Say you’re mine, say it slow / To be sure we know.” This is one of the most lyrically complex songs on the album and it really shines amongst the rest of the album’s lighter tracks.

Another song, “Robin,” brings to mind a lot of the tracks from earlier No Doubt records. In fact, upon first listen, one might ac-cidentally confuse Moore’s vocals with those of No Doubt’s Gwen Stefani. Like many of the earlier No Doubt recordings, the song is just as moody, especially consid-ering the chorus, “No, you see, not all is as it seems / Fate you can’t be real.” The hopeless lyrics are really one of the album’s biggest weaknesses.

One of Young & Old’s greatest strengths is that all of the songs fit together nicely. The tempo and flow of the album really feels com-plete, despite the eclectic subject

matter in the song lyrics. Despite the “completeness” of the album, however, it feels almost lackluster. There is nothing special about the album that could help Tennis potentially break out and garner a lot of new fans. Current fans of Tennis will definitely be pleased by Young & Old, but I fear that it won’t get attention from many other people or musical outlets. Likewise, this is not the album that will boost Tennis into big-ger venues. That being said, this album is probably better off being heard in a smaller, more intimate setting.

Subtle is the perfect way to describe Tennis. You are not going to be hearing their music in rota-tion at Top 40 radio stations, nor will you hear their music blast-ing in the clubs. Rather, Young & Old is the perfect album to play while you’re sitting on the beach or lounging in the park. It’s a relaxing album that strives on its quiet melodies. Those looking for a lighter collection of indie pop tunes should look no further than Young & Old. n

RADIO SINGLeS BY KIRA MuLShINe

Singer Mya proves she is unable to adaquately translate her post-breakup feelings into emotive song lyrics.

ever since “Teenage Dream” blew up internationally, Katy perry has been one of the most recognizable names in pop music culture. yesterday she released “part of Me,” another upbeat ballad encouraging women to remain confident in themselves when relationships get tough. it is conceivable to visualize adolescents appreciating this song, but beyond that, do not expect this track to break any records.

you’re cruising down route 90 in late July 2012, nodding your head to a catchy melody. There is no doubt that this catchy melody will be nicki Minaj’s single “Starships,” discreetly released on Valentine’s Day. not only does this track display the imposing rap rhymes our country now adores, it also incorporates an enlivening chorus similar to what we witnessed in nicki’s top charting single “Superbass.”

Katy perry“part Of Me”

Nicki Minaj“Starships”

The soothing sound of estelle’s lucid voice enhances each of her songs immensely. you might remember her as the sensual voice in the popular 2010 hit “American Boy,” but today her palpable vocals soar smoothly above fluid melodies in her most recent single, “Wonderful Life.” As the comforting full band sound progresses, estelle elaborates upon the notion that life is difficult but is still manageable.

estelle“Wonderful Life”

By allaN GuzmaN

Heights Staff

Islands’ fourth album, A Sleep & A Forgetting, brings songs of heartbreak and heart-ache just in time for Valentine’s Day. The record is a departure from their funkier and catchier past albums, such as Arm’s Way and Vapours. The Canadian indie rock group, led by vocal-ist Nicholas Thorburn, has produced an album that is de-cidedly more personal, but not necessarily more enticing. Ac-cording to Thorburn, the record is based on a failed relationship and its aftermath.

The album’s repertoire sways primarily between soft, delicate songs and soft, delicate love songs with a more upbeat at-titude. Thorburn’s vocals are mere whispers for much of the record, revealing his closeness to the subject matter. He summons more melodious vocals in sev-eral instances, however, which remind the listener that he has a rather likable voice.

Prior to the release of the

Islands channels their softer, more subtle side with fourth album

With sleepy and docile melodies, Islands’ ‘A Sleep & A Forgetting’ is a soothing yet easily forgettable collection.

a sleep and a forgettingiSLAnDS

produced by AnTi ReCORDSreleased

FeB. 14, 2012our rating B

courTesy oF google.com

album, Thorburn explained that the songs deal with loss, forget-ting, and dreaming—quite the melancholy assembly of topics. Even the album artwork—a barely visible black rose against a black background—is fairly depressing. Thorburn sings in “This is Not a Song”: “So why do I find it so hard to move on / Feels a crime to be crying for this long.” In “Same Thing,” Thorburn shows signs of moving on, though he’s unsure if he’ll ever love again: “I can’t wait to see / What becomes of me / The ease with which I sleep / Tends to frighten me.” It seems that the band intended releas-ing the album on Feb. 14 as a companion to those left without a Valentine.

Although the album clocks in at 37 minutes—there are only two songs that pass the four-minute mark—the slow pace makes it feel prolonged, even after a nonstop listen. “No Crying” is one of the more memorable tracks of the album. Listening to it should evoke a 1950s senior prom vibe with its vintage guitar tone and chord progression. “Lonely Love”

is particularly tender and almost passes for a love song. A pleasing guitar rhythm and Thorburn’s voice mesh well here as he sings, “Home, where you wanna be alone / With your lonely little love.”

Despite the gloomy lyrics, the accompaniment livens them up—almost as if turning them into sweet break-up songs. “Can’t Feel My Face” and “Hallways,” with their handclapping beats, have a more cheerful sound and should muster up some foot-tapping or head-bobbing thanks to the distinctive sounds of the guitar and organ.

One of the nicer touches is the eclectic instrumentation. There are hints of strings, vari-ous organ effects, handclaps, and chains—all thrown in like spices to give the album variety. These “spices” work well to give each song a different flavor—otherwise the majority of the songs would sound very similar. The piano and guitar—used with various vintage tones and effects—add a lively spark to the otherwise dreary lyrics.

The biggest flaw with the al-bum is that it is not very memo-rable. That does not translate into it not being an enjoyable album, and by all means it should not discourage anyone from giving it a listen—the songs are nicely arranged and the produc-

tion is simple. However, there are no standout lyrics or catchy melodies worth remembering. In a sense, then, A Sleep & A Forgetting’s title is very fitting because it may just put you to sleep and cause you to forget most of the songs. Neverthe-

less, A Sleep & A Forgetting is a change of pace for Islands that has allowed the band to focus on its softer and more emotional side. The result is worth explor-ing, but just make sure you find something to do that will cheer you up afterward. n

The heighTs Thursday, February 16, 2012B6

The heighTsThursday, February 16, 2012

By Molly SheaFor The Heights

Located in a strip of restaurants lining North Beacon Street in Allston, YoMa serves outstanding Burmese cuisine to its many loyal customers. Having never tried Burmese food before, I was filled in by—owner and chef—Sai Kwai. Burmese food is related to Indian cuisine by the use of curries, and to Vietnamese and Thai food in salads and noodle dishes. The food is fresh, a little spicy, and intensely flavor-ful. Sai, head of the family-run restaurant, left Burma as a political refugee in 1988, first opening a Mongolian restaurant in Kansas City before moving to Boston. While there are no other Burmese restaurants in Boston, it is clear YoMa would outshine any competition.

The first dish served was the most identi-fiably Burmese—a salad of cabbage, roasted peanuts, tomatoes, lettuce, crispy garlic peas, and sesame seeds, with pickled tea leaves as dressing. This Tea Salad, unlike anything I’ve ever tried before, is deliciously mind-blow-ing. The ingredients are plated separately on the dish, and when mixed together form a crunchy, salty, lightly spiced salad that hits on a variety of tastes. The secret lies in the pick-led green tea leaves, flown in from Burma. Sai considers the Tea Leaf Salad to be the star dish at YoMa, but for those with a deep aversion to green tea, there are a variety of other salads and appetizers to be had.

Next came pumpkin tofu, a dish so deli-cious that I cannot believe I’ve missed out on Burmese food for 20 years of my life. The dish comes with generous pieces of tofu and steamed pumpkin in a slightly sweet tomato-lemongrass sauce, with rice and crispy spiced peas on the side. Part of the dish’s appeal is how fresh it tastes: YoMa never fries its food, and Sai prides himself on using the most natural ingredients possible. The tofu is made of chickpeas instead of soybeans, yielding a softer, more mellow taste than usual. The pumpkin and tofu are perfectly light, slightly spicy, and completely delicious.

The Assorted Noodles, a dish with a variety of tastes and textures, is also a popular fa-vorite. Included in the dish are three types of steamed Burmese noodles, cabbage, cucum-ber, tofu, peanuts, cilantro, onion, potatoes, and tamarind sauce. Spicy and sweet, the va-

riety of ingredients makes this entree a menu standout. The peanuts add a crunch to the trio of noodles, and each bite holds flavorful bits of cilantro and garlic. The chunks of potato mixed into the noodles were a bit overwhelm-ing, but the vegetables and spices added enough diversity to keep me wanting more. Because YoMa doesn’t stir fry, the noodles are hearty and flavorful without added oily weight.

YoMa has two separate menus, one fully vegetarian, almost entirely vegan, and one

with meat dishes. Non-veg standouts include the Chicken Potato rice dish and the Happy Shrimp. Vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes are cooked using separate kitchen equipment. I sampled dishes off the vegetarian menu, but the non-vegetarian meals earn equally rave re-views on Yelp, in The Boston Globe, and from customers who’ve written to Sai after their meals, telling him how much they enjoyed his food. A loyal fan base keeps YoMa thriv-ing through the rough economy, with diners coming from all around New England to get their fix. The three dishes I tried are customer favorites, but everything on the menu is made with the same flavorful spice combinations. Like Vietnamese and Thai food, ingredients such as ginger, garlic, lemongrass, cilantro, and tamarind give the food a slightly sweet and spicy fresh taste.

For those looking for a new type of food to fall in love with, YoMa offers up unique tastes for around $10 per dish. Take it from me—the longer you wait to try the food at YoMa, the greater your regret when you realize just what you’ve been missing.

B7

Flavors blend in Burmese cuisineRestauRant Review

Location: 5 North Beacon St., Allston

cuisine: Burmese

signature Dish: Tea Salad

atmosphere: 9/ 10

price: $$

overaLL experience: A

2/11/12 — 2/14/12

Personal belongings stolen from Foster street while victim in show-er

At about 2:10 p.m., an officer responded to a radio call for a breaking and entering report at 264 Foster Street. The officer spoke to the victim on site, who reported that while he was in the shower, from approximately 1:50 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., an unknown suspect stole his silver Macbook Pro laptop and white Dr. Dre Beats headphones from his bedroom. A roommate of the victim reports that when he exited the apartment, a male (approximately 18 to 20 years old, wearing a dark beenie cap, silver jacket with dark hooded sweatshirt, 5-foot-10, thin build, separated teeth) was in the foyer of the two-family home and asked him if the family was home. The roommate told the man that he had the wrong apartment and the suspect then went outside and began talking on his phone as he walked away. The roommate then stated that he went to class at Boston College. There was no sign of forced entry, but the front door of the apartment was possibly left open and the rear basement door was unlocked.

no force break and entry theft on Commonwealth ave.

At about 1:44 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11, an officer responded to a breaking and entering report on Commonwealth Ave. The victim stated that his apartment had been broken into by his ex-wife. The victim had gone to the hospital for an illness around 2:00 a.m. on Friday, and was released at about 1:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. While in the hospital, he spoke to the suspect and stated that he wanted her to remove all of her remaining belongings from his house and that he would call her when he was released from the hospital. The suspect sent a text message to the victim, reading, “I came to the house but you changed the locks.” The victim responded, “If you break the window I will call the police.” The victim returned from the hospital and found that his apartment had been entered and was missing almost $1,000 worth of personal belongings. The officer observed a chair near a window in the rear bedroom. The window was observed to be unlocked and the outside of the window had smear marks from being pushed open from the outside.

Female attacked, purse stolen at gas station

At about 3:00 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11, the victim entered District 4 to report an assault and bat-tery/robbery which took place at the Sunoco gas station located at 850 Commonwealth Ave. The victim states that when she left the gas station bathroom, she was attacked and grabbed by three males who then stole her purse. The males were acquaintances of her brother. The men punched her in the throat and hit her in the back, causing her to fall and hit her head on the pavement.

- Courtesy of the Boston Police Department, District 14 Gathered by Charlotte Parish, Metro Editor

allston-Brighton Crime Reports

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Within the Boston Public Library, the historic study room attracts students throughout the city.

Going through the Back Bay in just one day

When there are papers to be written, textbooks to be read, and notes to be taken, a Boston College student typically heads to O’Neill or Bapst to tackle the tasks, which gives libraries, in general, a somewhat negative connotation as a place devoid of fun. Maybe this opinion would change if a trip to the library could also

entail shopping at a chic metropolitan mall and eating an unlimited meal for cheap in a hip atmosphere. All of this is possible in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood.

The beautiful Boston Public Library (BPL) sits on the edge of Copley Square on bustling Boylston Street in Back Bay. Conveniently located just down the road from the Copley T Station, the central location of the BPL’s 25-branch system offers far more than just an expansive collection of books. In fact, the BPL es-sentially doubles as an art museum. The

Renaissance-style building encloses numerous well-stocked shelves of reading material alongside impressive works of art, while a majestic courtyard complete with a fountain provides a peaceful escape from city chaos. Li-brary programs include a free art and architecture tour, movie and documen-tary screenings, photography exhibits, author talks, and concerts throughout the year. This library surpasses most in providing more than just a venue for reading and research.

A short walk down Dartmouth Street from the BPL awaits the Copley Place Mall. The shopping center strikes a balance between mainstream and boutique, though at first glance most of the stores tend to appear on the upscale side (think Jimmy Choo and Barneys New York). If a top-notch designer wardrobe doesn’t fit the budget, enjoy just walking around and windowshopping, which is a great way to escape both the boredom and chill of these winter months. Still, it’s nice to splurge on occasion in the name of haute couture.

It’s dinnertime and hunger hits, but so does indecision on what to eat. Fire + Ice is the perfect restaurant solution for those seeking variety and custom-ization. The spot offers an interactive “anything you want, any way you want it” kind of deal when it comes to the menu. At 205 Berkeley Street, it is best to get there via Boylston Street by

cutting through Copley Square, past the famous Tortoise and Hare bronze sculptures and Trinity Church.

The best time to dine at Fire + Ice, hands down, is College Night on Mondays. With your BC ID, unlimited

dinner is $9.95, and it’s as good as it sounds. The Fire + Ice experience in-volves choosing fresh meats, seafood, pasta, veggies, and sauces while having your culinary creation cooked on a huge circular grill in the middle of the room. Service is quick and efficient, yet personal. The chefs at the grill scurry

about the heat-intense station but still manage to strike up a conversation while you wait, never more than 10 minutes, for your food. Great music, modern decor, and college student ca-maraderie blend nicely to make up the

restaurant’s exciting atmosphere. Fire + Ice is popular and attracts crowds, so reservations are a necessity.

At the end of the night, hop back on the T at Arlington Station just around the corner on Boylston Street to head back to campus, or wherever your next adventure may lie. n

CourTesy oF GooGle.Com

Customers gather around and watch chefs cook their selected foods at Fire + Ice.

HOUSE AD

BY LAUREN TOTINO

CourTesy oF GooGle.Com

The heighTs Thursday, February 16, 2012

portunities through Haley House. “It wasn’t easy,” he said, “but I was willing to work from the ground up. It’s a joint effort. They’re willing to work, but you have to make that change too.” Haley House has allowed Thompson to be “involved with a caring community while earning a sustainable income.” It has en-abled him to learn lifestyle changes that he could pass on to his children: “You want them to grow up and live better than you did,” he said. With a radiant, genuine smile on his face, Thompson affirmed, “Haley House shows you a love for people. You learn what the world is about.”

Joe Bartley expressed similar senti-ments of gratitude. A graduate from the Transitional Employment Program (TEP), Bartley is now supervisor of wholesale and production at the Bakery Cafe. He spent 12 years in the federal system, found himself in the Coolidge House, and soon after, learned that Haley House was conducting interviews for employment. “Haley House was it for me,” Bartley said. “We were both born in 1966, so I think I’m here. This is my place.” He shared how Haley House gave him a second chance for life. “It al-lowed me to be a productive father and grandfather ... I was blessed to come to the Haley House,” Bartley said.

Peter Leary, a 63-year-old resident of a Haley House apartment, divulged his emotional story about his ongoing battle with alcoholism, but trying to be light, he added, “I’m Irish and probably should have an alcohol problem.” Leary was extremely reflective as he explained,

“Ending up homeless was all self-inflict-ed. I couldn’t see myself living without alcohol.” He struggled to maintain a job: “I drank myself into the streets more times than I could count.”

“The first time it happened, though,” he said, “was a huge shock for me.” He was 39 years old at the time, and he at-tempted to get arrested—he figured that spending 30 days in a correctional insti-tution was better than having to “sleep out under the stars.” The second time he found himself homeless, he decided to accept the cold reality. “And by accepting it that one time, I accepted it a whole lot of other times too,” he said.

Eventually, Leary heard about hous-ing options through Haley House. “Be-cause of the life I led, I’ve been in a lot of rooming houses, but none of them would put up with me … so having this beats the hell out of living on a heating grate,” Leary said. During the four years he has lived in Haley House apartments, he said, he has binged about 12 times. “I’ve got this endless history,” he said. “It doesn’t seem anything will stop me. I’ve got a daughter and grandkids, and I love them … but even that won’t stop me. I just hope I can muddle through this.” Leary’s sincere narrative is different from Thompson’s or Bartley’s, but his story is a reminder that everyone struggles in a different way, and Haley House’s mission is to be there for those people. “We do what we do to enable people to work out their problems safely and with dignity. We’ll be there to celebrate, but we’ll also be there to sustain,” said Noreen Manzo of Haley House.

Clearly, Haley House has affected people’s lives directly through their

programs, but it has also significantly influenced the lives of those who serve. Two members of the live-in community, Albert Ramirez and Jon Klein, discussed how serving the less fortunate altered their outlook on life. Ramirez joined the community after graduating from St. Louis University in 2011, instead of going to graduate school or taking a job. He was inspired by an internship he had done his senior year in the Philippines with the rural poor. After realizing that “people do not choose the circumstances they are born into,” Ramirez wanted to discover “how empathy works and how [he] could use compassion as a mecha-nism to find something in common with the homeless.” He said that Haley House taught him, “There are an infinite number of layers behind an individual … if there are 70 guys in the soup kitchen there are 70 different stories.”

John Klein is an older live-in volun-

teer. He used to be the executive director of a series of non-profit organizations, but “it wasn’t the right fit.” He dedicated himself to full-time volunteering, stay-ing with friends on a rotating schedule. When asked how he came to Haley House, Klein replied with a chuckle, “I came on a bicycle, from Richmond, Va.” Throughout his life, Klein struggled with depression, and eventually, he was diagnosed as bipolar. When he came to Haley House, though, he said that he found people that supported him. He continued, “Many of the people here have encountered difficulty in their lives, but with the right support, these people can change their lives for the better.”

Whether it ’s through providing food, housing, employment, or even a chocolate chip cookie, Haley House, one way or another, reaches out to people, touches their souls, and changes their lives. n

B8

Andy Boynton is the dean of the Carroll School of Management here at Boston College. As a 1978 BC graduate, Boynton went on to earn his MBA and Ph.D. at the Kenan-Flager School of Business at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He also served on the MBA faculty at the Kenan-Flager School of Business and the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.

Prior to joining BC as a faculty member, Boynton served as a professor of strategy at the International Insti-tute for Management Development (IMD) in Lousanne, Switzerland for 10 years.

Boynton is the co-creator of DeepDive, the world’s leading methodology for helping executives harness the power of their teams and improve problem-solving speed, innovation, and results.

In an interview with Bob Morris for “Blogging about Business,” Boynton stated that DeepDive “helps organi-zations create solutions, prototypes fast—often in hours instead of weeks.” He added that “from a dozen exec-

utives in a planning session to hundreds of managers at an offsite or conference, DeepDive works to shape breakthrough ideas and actionable results that any orga-nization needs, and it does it through focused teamwork.” Simply put, DeepDive is “a combination of brainstorming, prototyping, testing, and feedback merged into a carefully choreographed experience for managers.”

Boynton has published several books, including Virtuoso Teams: Lessons from Teams that Changed their Worlds and Invented Here: Maximizing Your Orga-nizations Internal Growth and Profitability. His latest book, The Idea Hunter: How to Find the Best Ideas and Make Them Happen, is based on research and was co-authored with Bill Fischer and William Bole.

“We didn’t have much time, and we wanted to write a book that was really consumable by managers and leaders of all rank and file,” Boynton told Bob Morris. “I think the book is relevant for homemakers also —aren’t ideas important to them? So we wanted a book that would be easy to read, motivate people, and help them become better idea hunters.”

The goal of the novel is threefold: to explain the im-portance of ideas for every professional, demonstrate how to expand the capacity to find and develop winning business ideas, and to reveal the mne-

monic I-D-E-A—interest, diversity, exercise, and agile. When asked by Bob Morris how The Idea Hunter

differs from other books that also examine creativity, innovation, and idea generation, Boynton asserted that his book is not about cognitive processes but rather about behavior trumping IQ. He asserts, “Genius is not required to be innovative and creative. Innovation is not about crazy techniques. Our book asserts that ideas are

all around us. They are there to be found, if we hunt for them. And, key point, if we are vigilant …

ever alert when they appear. Not all hunters are finders.”

Praise for the novel has been streaming in since its publication. Ron Sargent, chair-man and CEO of Staples, Inc. proclaimed that “‘hunting’ is an apt metaphor. Ideas exist everywhere in the ‘wild.’ The trick is knowing where to look for them and

how to capture them. Boynton and Fischer tell us how.”

Ton Buchner, CEO of Sul-zer Ltd. added, “Observe, ask questions, be curious, dare to throw odd ideas into a group’s conversation to make it better. These are all the ways to ensure that the ‘blind spots’ that we all are threatened to do not stay ‘blind.’ Be an Idea Hunter!”

Finding a romantic hotspot

Hundreds of couples were seen celebrating their love as I walked passed the extravagant Italian restau-rants throughout the North End on the eve of Valentine’s Day. Whether one considers such a scene nauseat-ing or uplifting, there is no doubt that Boston is a great place to spark a romance. Although every major city is filled with romantics, Boston happens to be a “college town.” If you take a large population of single youths and pour them into a me-tropolis, the odds of a match being made are heavily increased. But just because a potential match is formed, does not mean that a permanent re-lationship has been divinely granted unto the two lovers—a relationship requires effort, love, and all that mumbo jumbo. But most important-ly, it calls for a romantic setting.

A relationship is, in fact, like its own motion picture. A successful film never fails to have a dedicated cast, an engaging storyline, and an al-luring setting. The question of which city is the best setting for brewing romance is a complicated one. New York City provides the pizzazz need-ed to add the element of unpredict-ability, and Boston offers a unique serenity and tradition that builds the core foundation of a relationship’s longevity.

New York City is in itself a hub of acceptance and diversity, which alleviates the societal pressures a traditional city like Boston imposes on a couple in love. There are many popular locations in New York that contribute to its status as a city of ro-mance—Central Park, the ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center, the several botanical gardens, and for those with big wallets, Tiffany’s. And then there are the everyday, non-tour-isty locations, like the local Whole Foods, where you never know who you might stumble upon and connect with.

The fast-paced New York lifestyle also contributes to its reputation, for the good and the bad. A large percentage of the city’s population is made up of working men and women who excel in their professional fields and may not be looking to enter a serious relationship. Many consider New York City to be a temporary home as they nurse their careers to new heights. Supposedly, there are 200,000 more single men than single women in the Big Apple, further fuel-ing the male’s ego as the dominant “chooser.” The fast life embodies itself in relationships, as they are prone to kicking off immediately but ending up as a fleeting fling. After all, there is a reason why the hit comedy-drama was coined Sex and the City. Many New Yorkers have developed a habit of using each other to get what they want, especially in relationships.

And then we have Boston—the city that attracts all those who want to settle down and depart the hectic lives they once led. With the Com-mon, public gardens, and Charles River, Boston provides its citizens with the most natural romantic settings. I cannot say that the most exciting and adventurous relation-ships are formed in Boston, but the ones that do last have a nostalgic, fairytale-like quality about them.

In recent years, the city of Boston has been the leader of “technological romance.” Facebook, originally set up as a dating scene for college students, has its roots in Boston, along with other rising dating websites. Dat-ing is becoming more complicated nowadays, especially with the rise of the Internet. Recently, two Harvard graduates set up a site called coffee-meetsbagel.com. Its users receive a match every day at noon, and if they dare go on a date, they are showered with complimentary gifts. I am not sure if it is fair to generalize and say that one city is a better romance set-ting than the other, but it is impor-tant to highlight that in the end the Harvard grads did not launch their website services in Boston, but in New York.

Marc Francis is the Asst. Metro Editor for The Heights. He can be reached at metro@bcheights.com.

Subway SerieS

Marc Francis

Who: Andy Boynton, dean of CSOM

What: Boynton takes on the publishing world through his latest book, The Idea Hunter.

Where: Boynton has taught internationally for 10 years and is currently a member of the BC faculty.

Why it matters: Boynton’s novel focuses on discovering and nurturing an idea to the point of successful execution.

From Sallie Mae, B10

Personal tales reflect workers’ struggles

Anti-Valentine entertains

Alex GAynor \ For The heiGhTs

Workers hurry to prepare the day’s many catering orders at Haley House Bakery.

Person to Watch By: Arjun Gajulapalli

By: JacquelineMurray

unemployment rate, should not have this extra burden placed on them. Gray’s ultimate campaign goals are to have the fee completely removed and for colleges to be more explicit when referring students to outside loan companies.

Patricia Christel, a spokesperson for Sallie Mae, said to CNBC that the company had been considering such changes “for some time, and the petition confirmed there was an appetite for this modification,” but that they feel having a fee of some kind emphasizes “the importance of and commitment to resuming pay-ments.” n

two microphones and a projector screen on the back of the stage that showed a variety of embarrassing childhood photos periodically throughout the show. The only sounds were the presenter’s voice and the responding roars of laughter and empathetic “ohhhh”s of empathy from the audience.

The show was titled the “Lonely Hearts One-Night Stand-off.” This meant that the performers read only one really terrible “kick in the balls story,” as the program described, as opposed to a collection of stories from their childhood. The title also hinted at the show’s Valentine’s Day theme, or perhaps anti-Valentine’s Day theme. Therefore, all the stories, which were presented with the help of journal entries, songs, lists, and artifacts, had to do with relationships, sex, love, loneliness and, of course, teenage awkwardness.

Each of the 10 participants presented their humiliating stories a little differently. One woman read an entry from her ninth grade journal, which showed the pinnacle of her frightening obsession with JC Chasez from ’N Sync. It was written just after she attended an ’N Sync concert in Foxborough Mass. After the concert she wrote multiple pages about the concert’s every detail. She outlined ev-erything from the stage design to an in-depth recap of each of the 13 songs the band played. This woman’s particular presentation also

included artifacts from her ’N Sync obsession, including a scrapbook of photos of JC Chasez, homemade JC Chasez t-shirts, and finally two rings that she bought at Claire’s that had the initials JC on them. It was only years later that she realized that they were promise rings and the JC stood for Jesus Christ.

One man read a series of dark poems from his high school journal. He explained to the audience that after he was made fun of for playing the bagpipes, his self-esteem took a major hit and he decided to reinvent himself. In an effort to become dark and edgy and attract his crush, he composed the poems “Anger Part 1” and “On Fear.” These poems contained such angsty lines as “There is red all around, is it paint? No silly, it’s blood,” and “Voices all around, but no one was speaking.”

Another man expressed his story of teen-age angst through song. He performed his high school band’s chart-topping hit, “Adam wants a B—job,” which had the deep and meaningful chorus of, “ya ya ya Adam wants a b—job ya ya ya.”

Last to present was Boston Globe love columnist Meredith Goldstein. She explained to the audience that in high school she had an intense fictional relationship with Christian Slater. From her journal, she read an angst-filled hypothetical letter she had written to him after she had learned from watching Entertainment Tonight that he was getting

engaged to Nina Huang.These stories, in any other venue, could

have been completely awkward, but with the help of Mortified, the show was an extremely enjoyable and cathartic experience for both the presenters and the audience. There was a sense of unity between everyone in the theater because, let’s face it, everyone has had those embarrassing teenage experiences.

If you missed Monday’s show at the Coolidge Corner Theater, Mortified has shows going on in the Boston area periodi-cally throughout the year and has a critically acclaimed television series, the “Mortified Sessions,” which airs on the Sundance Channel. n

From ‘Mortified,’ B10

From Haley House, B10

Despite changes, Gray not satisfied with Mae

CourTesy oF GooGle.Com

Coolidge hosted many heartbroken comics.

CourTesy oF GooGle.Com

The heighTsThursday, February 16, 2012 B9

Anybody that has ever smoked pot (or knows anybody who has) will be the first to tell you, when they think it through, that legalizing medicinal mari-juana is the worst idea since unsliced bread.

First is the issue of control. Just look at California: anyone can get a weed license by simply claiming that he or she has not been eating well. Thus, there is no good way to keep the drug in the hands of those who need it for significant medical reasons. One can make the argument that sale would be restricted to individuals with the proper documentation, but forged marijuana licenses are common fare in the fake ID market. If pot is sold as a competitive good and not, as it is now, a non-renew-able resource, it will become cheap and accessible. It’s obvious that this ultra-potent grass would find its way into the bongs of the underage.

Additionally, the position that legal sale would boost Massachusetts tax rev-enue is valid, but, given that the federal government still considers the traffick-ing of marijuana a criminal offense, state funds would continue to be tied up in prosecution, and the legal system would remain clogged with the distribu-tion of minor drug amounts.

But these are all of the expected cons. It is clear that marijuana would become a prevalent aspect of our society. California, for example, has more pot stores than Starbucks. The real problem, as I mentioned, is most

apparent to people who have actually smoked pot. I admit I’ve been there. Many people leading normal, produc-tive lives have. What everybody needs to understand, however, is that people smoking pot do so with the repose that, “It’s okay, I can enjoy this and fool around, because the people around me are still making sure that the world is spinning in the right direction.” For all the talk of “It’s a peaceful act,” and “It’s a non-addictive substance,” people who smoke know that what they’re doing would not be acceptable on a society-wide basis. Marijuana may not be the horrific gateway drug that the DEA campaigns make it out to be—however, it does make you feel all right about the bad things happening in your life, and it’s not okay to be content with that! It’s great to de-stress, of course, but we have to be able to kick ourselves for the mis-takes we make and to assert ourselves for the injustices committed upon us. It’s not OK to go through life in a mel-low pot-haze, and though motivated in-dividuals (like Boston College students) might be able to control themselves, it is the harsh reality of the human condition that many people would not be able to resist a consistent high. With the pro-liferation of medicinal pot in our social systems, we would be forced to reevalu-ate the social dynamics upon which our communities are built.

The seemingly timeless debate over the legalization of marijuana in the United States continuously produces similar arguments in favor of the drug’s use. First, sober advocates and users alike are dumbfounded by the classification of cannabis as a “Schedule I Controlled Substance,” grouping it among such dangerous and taboo drugs as heroin, psychedelic mushrooms, and mescaline. An example of a “Schedule II” substance (the so-called less dangerous drugs) would be cocaine.

Over and over again, THC activ-ists swear by the substance’s inability to cause an overdose. Moreover, these backers plead that the drug’s non-addic-tive nature renders it safe for consump-tion. Finally, perhaps the most appealing argument for the legalization of pot is the promise of money. Certain estimations ring in a $1 billion annual cash revenue for the state of California alone. That’s a whole lot of green.

However, the ongoing debate about the movement in Massachusetts ad-dresses issues specific to the state’s current policies pertaining to marijuana and to the nature of the proposal at hand. Considering these particular issues, by all measures the production, distribution, and usage of medical marijuana should be legalized in the state of Massachusetts.

Currently, marijuana is decriminal-ized in Massachusetts. This means that if a person was caught in possession of the drug, he would likely face a fine barely exceeding the price of the drug itself.

Clearly, Lewis deliberately had his eyes on Massachusetts, and for good rea-son. The state is historically liberal. From the days of the Tea Party to the allowance of same-sex marriage, the ruffians of this New England blue state have had a knack for upsetting the status quo. Given this, in addition to the state’s current pot poli-cies, it is not unreasonable to believe that policy makers would join forces with the 16 other states that have backed medical marijuana—“medical” being the opera-tive word in this phrase.

Many are quick to jump ship when they hear talk about “Mary Jane,” but they are overlooking the former, more important descriptor. This is medicine being discussed: the same stuff provided to ailing youths by their mothers.

Maybe the substance is not so com-parably innocent. However, the proposed bill would only allow the drug to be used by the most needy patients, primarily those suffering from “cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis,” according to Steve LeBlanc of the Associated Press.

If the ballot is passed in November, patients of serious diseases such as these may finally find some relief. A chemo-therapy patient may finally find the appetite he has been seeking. A woman suffering from MS may find some pain relief. The process will be strictly moni-tored, and we as a nation may be keeping millions of suffering men and women from relief that is easily at hand.

THE ISSUE:The legalization of medical marijuana in Massachusetts has found recent financial support, the majority of which stems from billionaire Peter Lewis, chair-man of the board of the auto insurer Progressive Corp., who has donated over $500,000 to stimulate awareness and support for the drug’s legal, medical use. Lewis’ monetary contribution of $525,000 accounts for more than 99 percent of the Committee for Compassionate Medicine’s funding in 2011. Lewis has also contributed to similar movements in Washington and his home state of Ohio. Advocates for legalization are asking out that Massachusetts citizens be able to receive the same medical treatments provided in 16 other states, while protestors believe the act would promote marijuana use in non-patients. If the Committee is able to generate enough support, the question will appear on ballots in November.

Pain relief for the sickSean PowerS

Gravely unstable drugDmitry Larionov

Dmitry Larionov is a writer for The Heights. He can be reached at metro@bcheights.com.

CourTesy oF GooGle.Com

Sean Powers is a writer for The Heights. He can be reached at metro@bcheights.com.

taken by EMS for an eye and back injury, all persons were ordered out of the build-ing and away from the fire.

“As members were exiting to get in a better position, there was a fire wall that came right out, and they barely escaped out of there. At that time, the decision was made to pull all people out of the building,” said Deputy Fire Chief Robert Calobrisi. Fortunately, no one was seri-ously harmed as a result of the fire.

Since the cause of the fire was par-tially fueled by a gas line, firefighters demolished the building after finally extinguishing the flames Sunday eve-ning. Tow trucks began evacuating cars in front of the burning building at ap-proximately 2 p.m. on Sunday afternoon to prevent the fire from spreading. The National Grid gas company dug up the street lining the front of the former busi-nesses in an effort to shut off the gas lines after the front walls were knocked out. The gasses continued to feed the fire long after the majority of flames were out. Calobrisi ordered two engines and a ladder to douse the pockets of still burning fire at approximately 5:45 p.m.

Sunday evening, 12 hours after the first trucks arrived on scene.

The entire building on the corner of Chestnut Hill Avenue and Embassy Road was demolished, leaving the four businesses without a store home.

In the days following the fire, Mayor Thomas Menino has been working with Department of Neighborhood Develop-ment (DND) Director Evelyn Freidman and Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services (MONS) Director Jay Walsh to bring restoration to these businesses. City officials from DND and MONS have been at the scene since the fire originated in Bocca Buona Sunday morning. The DND’s Office of Business Development will continue to work with the four busi-nesses in the following weeks to assess their needs in order to reopen. City officials will also be working with the owner of the former building to decide on a course of action for rebuilding. Menino encouraged, “We will work col-laboratively to do everything we can to help those involved. We want to get these folks back on their feet …” For more in-formation on the fire’s aftermath and the effects, follow the Boston Fire Depart-ment on Twitter at @BostonFire. n

identity. It was not until Facebook was projected to have more than 500 private stockholders by the end of 2011 that Zuckerburg decided it would be best to take the company public. According to a regulation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, any private company whose private stockholders number is greater than 500 is required to disclose some of its financial state-ments to the public.

Facebook, with its soon-to-be ticker symbol FB, has many reasons to send investors’ hopes aflutter. Boasting a net income of an even billion dollars, net cash flows from operations of $1.549 billion, and the ability to advertise to over 850 million users all bode well for Facebook’s IPO. Despite the jaw-drop-ping projections in the tens of billions, there are some who are not completely sold on Facebook

Many older investors remember the horror when the dot-com bubble of the late `90s and early 2000s burst, causing many of those businesses to go under

and causing severe losses for anyone too heavily invested in the market. Tech companies such as Facebook are generally associated with rapid growth, fierce competition, and higher than average risk.

For many investors, Facebook’s pre-dicted potential appears too good to be true. Not long ago in 2004, a simi-larly infamous Internet tech company, Google, Inc., released its IPO to a valu-ation tune of $23 billion. There are in-vestors who feel that this is their second chance to catch the boat if they missed out on Google’s swift success. But there are also a multitude of questions that Facebook’s financial statements can only hint at answering.

Will Facebook be able to increase its revenues while slowing down its rapidly growing expenses? Could Face-book adjust quickly enough without Zynga, which comprised 12 percent of Facebook’s revenues in 2011? Whatever doubts there may be for its long-term success, Facebook promises to have an exciting entrance to the publicly traded market. n

Investors contemplate the future of Facebook’s revenues

Building complex demolished

From Facebook, B10

From Fire, B10

Daniel lee \ heiGhTs eDiTor

Firefighters had to spend over 12 hours subduing the fire, as a natural gas source fed the flames.

CourTesy oF GooGle.Com

Investors are torn over Facebook’s success due to Google’s meteoric rise and the dot-com burst.

The heighTsThursday, December 8, 2011 metroThursday, February 16, 2012

B10

inside Metro On the Flip SideShould Massachusetts allow an out of state businessman to sway the vote on legalizing medical maraijuana with extensive campaign funds?.............. B9

Restaurant Review : YoMa.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .B7Person to Watch: Andy Boynton.......................................................B8this issue

Decline of an empire

I have an archnemesis. Its name is Kindle. With its dark case and smooth screen, the Kindle sits coldly on shelves in bookstores across the country, somehow managing to be sold along-side its victims. I have waited all of my life to face off against this six-fingered villain, and now I say, “Hello, my name is Charlotte Parish. You killed my books. Prepare to die.”

But short of physically snapping every Kindle I come across (I have not yet ruled this option out), I have no idea how to go about defeating them. Here’s the problem: I understand that Kindles are more portable, cheaper in the long run, small, and more environmentally friendly. I also concede that my problems with the electronic books are not unique. I resent that I cannot flip pages or feel the books heft or enjoy that old novel smell. Recently, though, the fight has gotten even more personal, since Kindle is effectively destroying my dream job.

Alongside the environmental benefits of the paperless book reader is the decline of a significant portion of the publishing industry. While I knew this fact in theory, the total ramifica-tions of such a shift didn’t hit me until I began searching for publishing houses in Boston who were looking for interns this summer. Searches frequently popped up tauntingly for companies in New York City, completely ignoring that I want to stay in this fair city. When I finally did corral the Internet into doing what I wanted, the results were less than satis-factory since there are barely a handful of publishing houses in Boston that are hiring for editorial and content-produc-ing sections (although CSOM-ers take note, financial internships abound as usual), are larger than a five-man opera-tion, don’t use words like “independent” (read: small potatoes), and have a janky website that makes me skeptical that it is a legitimate company.

I knew that the evil Dr. Kindle would eventually take over the world unless stopped. I’m floored, however, that the decline seems to have happened so quickly. While the big names like Random House and Penguin Books can maintain their momentum for a while, many companies are picking off their smaller branches in order to streamline and economize their business. That’s not even considering how many are turning to the dark side and making significant investments in creating eBooks.

In the fall, I had a lot of hope that this was not the case. Attending the Boston Book Festival, I was surrounded by fellow bibliophiles, presentations about new and growing genres of fictions, and booths for local publishing houses. What I failed to realize in my rose-tinted bliss is that I was walking through the last refuge of the book industry in Boston. While I thought I was interacting with the rising faces of the publishing indus-try, the little guys who might someday rise to incredible heights, I was actually observing that rare brand of people who join a losing fight.

So what to be done? For my current summer plans, not a whole lot. With so few options, I’m better off applying to work for my town library or bookstore than a Boston publishing house if I want to be around the physical treasures. In my retreat, I can only lodge a futile plea with the deities who control Boston’s industry. Our city (and state) has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and has an impressively consis-tent showing on lists of the “best com-pany to work for” in the country. These two facts clearly should inspire business-people to invest in our city, even in risky markets. For publishing in particular, with the vast number of college students in and around the city, there is a built-in work force and consumer force.

I may have to wait a little longer for my counter-attack on Kindle, but never fear. The injustice will not go unfought!

Charlotte Parish is the Metro Editor for The Heights. She can be reached at metro@bcheights.com

Wicked cultured

Charlotte ParishBy AriAnA igneri

For The Heights

Beneath its many different so-cial justice programs rests the fun-damental goal of Haley House: to

value the inherent dignity of each and every human being. Many

people are a part of this single mis-sion, whether directly or indirectly,

and in the end, everyone involved with it finds that his or her life has been changed in an incredible way.

Jeremy Thompson, catering man-ager at Haley House Bakery Cafe, shared how Haley House gave him the “fresh start” he needed. “I’m a firm believer in first, second, third chances … whatever you need to get back up,” Thompson said. “Never let your faults define you—it’s how you progress.” Before being incarcerated, he worked at a law office, a real estate agency, and even at Citi-zen’s Bank Investment. To strangers, his life

may have seemed perfect, but Thompson said that he was dealing with unresolved

family issues at home. “You look at all these things and you say, ‘What was wrong with this person’s life?’ But you always look from the outside in, and you think everything looks beautiful. But when you look at a person’s insides, you see that they’re dying,” Thomp-son explained.

He began to keep company with friends he grew up with in the projects: people who sold drugs, carried guns, and broke the law. “I was bound to do the same things,” he said. A close friend, envi-

ous of Thompson’s double life, shot him six times. Thompson decided not to report it, but when he threatened Thompson’s daughter and her mother, he finally pulled the trigger. After spending time in jail, he was depressed, as no one would hire him. He couldn’t even get a job at McDonald’s. After serving time again for selling drugs, his lawyer told him about employment op-

See Haley House, B8

Facebook IPO received cautiouslyBy Andrew Schweiger

For The Heights

As Facebook prepares for its Initial Public Offering (IPO), which will occur at an undisclosed time this spring, many investors want to know what value of a singular website is—especially one whose whole purpose is devoted to conveniently providing its members with fun and easy access to social communication via the Internet.

If the projections within the media prove accurate, then the answer is ap-proximately quite a lot: $75 to $100 bil-lion according to the Wall Street Journal on Feb. 2.

Facebook, Inc., which has until now been largely financed by private investors, hopes to raise between $2 and $10 billion with its IPO, making it the largest Inter-net IPO in history. Facebook’s CEO and founder Mark Zuckerburg had long been opposed to converting the company from a private venture into a publicly traded

Local businesses ravaged by 12-hour blaze

Daniel lee \ HeigHTs eDiTor

Last Sunday, a complex housing and four local businesses on Chestnut Hill Avenue suffered over $4 million in damages.

By TriciA TiedT

For The Heights

Last Sunday, Feb. 12, firefighters at-tempted to quell a fire that caused ap-proximately $4 million worth of damage. Burning for a total of over 12 hours, the fire began across the street from a local sandwich shop, Moogy’s. The building con-tained four businesses: Village Laundry, Bocca Buona pizza company, Ora Cater-ing company, and a janitorial supply shop. The entire building and all four businesses were destroyed.

Firefighters arrived on the scene at

160 Chestnut Hill Avenue at 5:48 a.m. in temperatures reading fourteen degrees. Icicles formed on Engine 29 as firefight-ers spent the day attempting to calm the flames, which originated from a natural gas source. Temperatures dropped while firefighters climbed high on cranes in order to get a bird’s eye view of the building. The firefighters showed their appreciation and tweeted their appreciation for the Boston Sparks and Salvation Army volunteers, who provided coffee and hot chocolate to them throughout the day. The Boston Fire Department also tweeted hourly updates, pictures of the fire and damage, and any

major developments on the extinguish-ing.

The cold temperatures led to ice hazards and a low water supply. At 8:54 a.m., the Boston Fire Department tweeted “Fourth alarm now ordered. Water supply issues. Need relays. Large volumes of water being used.” While the ice caused firefighters to slip, the weather did not harm anyone at the scene. Five firefighters were sent to the hospital durig the ordeal. Fortunately, all were treated and released with no signifi-cant issues. After the first firefighter was

Sallie Mae faces criticism on student debt repayment plans

By chArloTTe PAriShMetro Editor

It is the hope of every college student that they will leave their undergraduate experience with a degree and a wealth of experiences that will lead to monetary wealth as well. Due to the rising cost of post-secondary education, however, the vast majority of students find themselves needing to crawl above student loan debts before they can begin to work toward autonomous success.

In efforts to reduce this issue, the Obama Administration has recently de-voted itself to lowering the federal interest rate on student loans, increasing the Pell Grant’s maximum allocation per student, and doubling work study jobs over the next five years.

Yet, many students have loans outside of the federal program, Sallie Mae being one of the largest providers of these per-sonal loans. The company is now facing a great deal of criticism after Steph Gray

started an online petition with Change.org, drawing attention to the interest and payback programs that she believe make it unreasonably difficult for students to ever come out from under their debts.

For those with a personal loan, Sallie Mae allows students to declare forbear-ance on up to three accounts and used to charge a $50 fee for each of these ac-counts, totaling a possible $150 after a three-month period. After these three months are up, the account holder may ask for an additional three months, but would incure another $150 charge in the process.

Since Gray’s campaign gathered over 110,000 signatures and attracted coverage from the national press, Sallie Mae has changed their policy so that the fee will be put toward paying down the debt. Gray feels that the policy is still unfair though, and in a phone interview said, “Its still a fee that I can’t afford to pay right now.” She stressed that this is not a personal attack on the company, referring to the 110,000 signatories in saying that this is a com-mon situation, and that the vast numbers of college graduates who are out of work due to the country’s 8.3 percent national

See Sallie Mae, B8

Steph Gray, Change.org bring unfair practices to consumer attention

Coolidge ‘Mortified’ by young loveBy SeAn PowerSFor The Heights

The day before Valentine’s Day, 10 regular people from the greater Boston area shared their teenage thoughts and angsty emotions to a sold-out venue of 250 people at the Coolidge Corner Theater.

Getting up on stage and reading from a middle school diary or playing a song from a high school band may seem like some people’s worst nightmare. At Mon-day night’s show, however, enough time had passed that the presenters had turned their mortifying teenage journal entries, poetry, and other creative endeavors into comedic gold.

This performance, and hundreds like

it around the country, was produced by “Mortified: Angst Written.” Mortified, which began in 2002, asked people to go back into their childhood closet and pull out their old diaries, notebooks, lyrics, poetry, artwork, and share them, “to re-veal stories about their lives.” Mortified provides a forum for grown men and women, professional performers and total amateurs, to air out their awkward teen-age thoughts and experiences, confront their past, and create authentic and great comedy.

The Mortified show Monday night was very simply put together. There was no dramatic lighting or stage props, just

CourTesy google.Com

Local comedians, professional and amateur, turn their adolescent hurt into comedic gold.

See Facebook, B9 See Fire, B9

See ‘Mortified’, B8

haley houseAn inside look at those who inspire the heart of the non-profit’s mission

the faces of

alexanDra gaynor \ For THe HeigHTs