Vol. XCVII, No. 19 Monday, April 11, 2016

HEThe Independent

Student Newspaperof Boston College

www.bcheights.com

e s t a b l i s h e d

Though their campaign generated considerable buzz, Anthony Perasso and Rachel Loos didn’t make it through primaries.

With three times the attendance as

the previous year, the second annual

Boston College Summit: Own It fea-

tured over 20 professionals in a variety

of fields to discuss their career paths

with students and inspire women to own

their accomplishments.

The summit took place on April 9 in

Robsham Theater. Robsham was filled

with over 300 students, both men and

women, as well as teachers, administra-

tors, and panelists.

The summit was sponsored by the

Office of Student Involvement, the

Women’s Center, Women In Business,

Lean In, the Undergraduate Govern-

ment of Boston College, the BC Career

Center, and Females Incorporating

Sisterhood Through Step.

The purpose of the summit, Samina

Gan, co-chair of Own It and MCAS ’17,

said, is to allow students to inspire and

motivate one another. It aims to build

on what women before us have done to

promote gender equality, Alexis Teix-

iera, co-chair of the Own it Summit and

CSOM ’17, said.

“It is also about each person owning

his or her accomplishments, opinions,

and differences,” Teixiera said. “Own

It seeks to motivate and demand that

women be provided equal opportunity,

compensation, and guidance globally.”

The keynote speaker of the summit

was Sophia Amoruso. Amoruso is the

founder and executive chairman of

Nasty Gal, a women’s clothing brand.

Amoruso also wrote a New York Times

bestselling book, #GIRLBOSS, about

her path to creating her company.

After Amoruso’s talk , attendees

broke off into varying panels, work-

shops, and conversations. Each par-

ticipant received a schedule based

on a survey he or she filled out upon

registering for the summit.

Other speakers at the summit in-

cluded Dani Incropera, a SoulCycle

instructor and brand director at Mini-

Luxe, Joy Moore, the former head of the

Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy

for Girls, and Andrea Lisher, head of

Northern America, global funds for J.P.

Morgan Asset Management.

Amoruso spoke to the Own It audi-

ence about her life path and the impor-

tance of building one’s confidence. She

offered three pieces of advice from her

experiences—the straight and narrow

isn’t the only path to success, all actions

are creative, and money looks better in

the bank than on your feet.

Amoruso was interested in photog-

raphy but could not afford to attend

college, and also had a hernia but could

not afford to receive corrective surgery.

As a result, she began to work at an art

school to get medical insurance.

She continued to follow her passion,

photographing monks and nuns.

Looking back on this time, her expe-

rience with photography ended up help-

ing her when she began her business.

The photographs of the monks and nuns

led her to realize that she liked

FEATURESAn exclusive peek into the life behind the beak, A4

BALDWIN, UNMASKEDARTS & REVIEWAs the semester winds down, Open Mic Nights allow BC artists a public forum to musically experiment, B8

OPEN MIC NIGHTSSPORTSScott Braren sent Birdball home with a series win against defending national champion Virginia, B1

LUCKY 13

See Ranchony, A8

SAVANNA KIEFER / HEIGHTS EDITOR

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren of Mas-

sachusetts was heavily recruited to run for

president in 2016. Proponents saw her as a

more liberal alternative to former Secretary of

State Hillary Clinton, with less political baggage.

After Warren declared emphatically last spring

that she would not be running, the media left

her alone about it.

But since then, Warren has been called one

of the most popular senators in the country. She

is considered a potential running mate to the

eventual Democratic nominee. Most recently,

she has been in the news for her attacks on Don-

ald Trump, ripping into the Republican front-

runner on Th e Late Show with Stephen Colbert

and in a Twitter tirade late last month.

Robsham Th eater hosted Warren on Friday

afternoon as the keynote speaker in a weekend

conference on economic inequality. Sponsored

by the Jesuit Institute and titled “Growing

Apart,” the conference sought to discuss the

implications of inequality with panels, speak-

ers, and presentations of papers and research

projects by Boston College students. Warren

focused her talk on the roots of American

inequality and what she sees as the rigged eco-

nomic system in the United States.

Seven weeks ago, when I

fi rst talked to Anthony

Perasso, LSOE ’17, and

Rachel Loos, MCAS ’18, they

showed up to an interview in

denim jackets and bright red

turtleneck sweaters. Loos sported

purple-blue hair. It was a little

weird, but also pretty much what

I had expected.

So when I talked to them again

last week, and Perasso showed up

in a “Make Donald Drumpf Again”

hat, and Loos, who shaved her

head a couple weeks ago, showed

up without hair, it was almost too

perfect. I hadn’t even remembered

to tell them I was bringing a pho-

tographer, but there they were,

once again striking that delicate

balance between “Wait, what?” and

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

But this time we were meet-

ing under very diff erent circum-

stances. Back in late February,

Perasso and Loos, editors for Th e New England Classic, were about

to launch a much-discussed, kind-

of-satirical, kind-of-serious bid

for Undergraduate Government

of Boston College (UGBC) presi-

dent and executive vice president.

Right after that initial interview,

the other two teams running both

dropped out, leaving them alone.

Perasso and Loos, fearing that

they hadn’t earned the positions,

See Warren, A3

This year, 2,592 students turned

out to vote in the general election for

Undergraduate Government of Bos-

ton College president and executive

vice president, which is 28 percent of

the total student body. Two hundred

ninety-eight seniors, 932 juniors, 684

sophomores, and 678 freshmen voted

for the presidential candidates.

Following the elections for the

2016-17 Undergraduate Government of

Boston College president and executive

vice president, the Elections Committee

has released data on voter turnout and

demographics.

In this year’s election, Russell Simons,

MCAS ’17, and Meredith McCaffrey’s,

MCAS ’17, team received the most votes

at 1,137. Matthew Ulrich, MCAS ’17,

and John Miotti, MCAS ’17, came in

second, receiving 695 votes total, and

Nikita

Patel,

CSOM

’17, and Jo-

seph Arquillo,

LSOE ’17, came

in third with 668

votes.

Last year, 3,411 students

voted in the general election, 900 more

students than this year. The voter turn-

out for the 2015-16 election was roughly

40 percent.

Rachel Mills, co-chair of the Elec-

tions Committee and MCAS ’16, owes

this year’s lack of turnout to

the primary elections. Holding primary

elections usually has a negative impact

on voter turnout during the final elec-

tions, Mills said.

The

Elec-

tions

Committee

did not hold

primaries for the

UGBC presidential

elections last year. The

Committee made the change

after six teams joined the race

when the nomination deadline was

extended in March.

“I think all of us who were cam-

paigning wish [the elections season]

was a little bit shorter,” Simons said in

March.

Simons and McCaffrey won the

most votes in each of the four schools.

They received 442 more votes overall

than the second-place team of Ulrich

and Miotti.

Ulrich and Miotti came last in every

school except for the Carroll School of

Management, in which they came in

second and received 218 votes.

Ulrich and Miotti’s team came

in second place, because Patel and

Arquillo’s team was docked 70 points

for unsolicited Facebook messages to

students. Prior to the point deduction,

Patel and Arquillo’s team received 738

votes, but with the 70-point loss, they

dropped into third place at 668.

This year’s election began with three

teams, two of which dropped out due

to personal reasons. The Committee

decided to reopen the nominations for

president and executive vice president

MAYBE NEXT YEAR, LIL’ GUY

See UGBC, A3

See Own It, A3

JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

ABBY

PAU

LSON

/ H

EIGH

TS E

DITO

R

THE HEIGHTS

BC faculty members Suzanne Berne and Christo-pher Boucher will read excerpts from their new novels on April 12 at 5 p.m. in Stokes S195. Berne has written four novels and a mem-oir, while Boucher is the author of two novels. 1

The BC Symphonic Band Spring Concert will be held on Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Trinity Chapel on Newton Campus. Conductor David Healey will lead the 90-piece ensemble. The concert is open to students, alumni, and commu-nity members. 2

Monday, April 11, 2016 A2

Elaine Pinderhughes, chair of the clinical sequence at the Boston College School of Social Work, will address students in a special talk in the Heights Room at Corcoran Commons on Wednesday. The event begins with an 8:30-a.m. breakfast buffet, and a panel of speakers follows at 9.

Top

things to do on campus this week

3 3

What’s the strangest place you’ve ever woken up?

NEWSBRIEFS

Jesse Mu, MCAS ’17, and Chris

Latour, MCAS ’18, recently won 2016

Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships for

their work in the sciences.

The scholarship, which is given to

undergraduates across the country for

their work in math, natural sciences,

and engineering, covers students’

tuition, fees, books, and room and

board up to $7,500 per year.

Mu is majoring in computer sci-

ence with a minor in math, and Latour

majors in biochemistry and music.

Mu is also a member of the Gabelli

Presidential Scholars Program at BC.

The two undergraduates are the 15th

and 16th Boston College students to

receive the Goldwater Scholarship.

Mu hopes to conduct research in

intelligence after receiving a Ph.D. in

computer or cognitive science.

Mu has worked closely with Josh-

ua Hartshorne, an assistant professor

of psychology, in the lab, and has

conducted research on how children

acquire language.

“Winning a Goldwater validates

the career path I have chosen,” Mu

said to the Office of News and Pub-

lic Affairs. “I have always debated

between software engineering and

research. I have committed to the

research path because I want to

work on the more interesting and

challenging problems. “

Latour is also a pre-med student at

BC. He hopes to work in a M.D./ Ph.D.

program post-graduation. Latour

would like to be a practicing physi-

cian. He has conducted research on

X-ray crystallography, an instrument

used to study the structures of protein

through crystal analysis.

“I am truly honored and delighted

to represent Boston College in receiv-

ing this esteemed award,” Latour said

to News and Public Affairs. “Above

all else, I would like to thank Profes-

sor Chatterjee, Professor Taghian,

Professor Fox, Dr. Bryan Sutton of

Texas Tech University, and my family

for their continued mentorship and

support, both in my daily life and

throughout the application process.”

—Source: TheBoston College

Police Department

POLICE BLOTTER 4/6/16 - 4/8/16

Wednesday, April 6

1:21 p.m. - A report was filed

regarding an arrest made for tres-

passing in the Lower Lots.

6:25 p.m. - A report was filed re-

garding a suspicious circumstance

at Edmond’s Hall.

Thursday, April 7

2:27 p.m. - A report was filed

regarding a BC student who was

transported to a medical facility

from Walsh Hall.

Friday, April 8

12:03 a.m. - A report was filed

regarding a BC student who was

transported to a medical facility

from Fitzpatrick Hall.

1:48 p.m. - A report was filed

regarding a BC student who was

placed under protective custody

at the Newton Lots.

Cathleen Kaveny, a professor

in the theology department, has

published two new books titled A Culture of Engagement: Law, Religion, and Morality and Prophecy Without Contempt: Religious Discourse in the Public Square. Her books on reli-

gious discourse are compilations of

columns that Kaveny has written for

publications including Commonweal Magazine and The American Journal of Jurisprudence.

A Culture of Engagement: Law, Religion, and Morality stems from

her work that was published in Com-monweal Magazine. The book talks

about the need to look at both reli-

gious tradition and secular, liberal

democratic tradition.

“Most American Catholics par-

ticipate not only in their religious

tradition, but also in the secular,

liberal, democratic rights-based

tradition that currently dominates

American political life,” Kaveny said

in her book. “We cannot stand com-

pletely outside either our American

identity or our Roman Catholic

identity. The best we can do is to

achieve some critical distance in

order to evaluate the strengths and

weaknesses of both identities.”

In her other novel, Prophecy With-out Contempt, Kaveny studies the

jeremiad, a type of political rhetoric

that stems from religious passion

and draws on both linguistic style and

moral substance.

In the article “Economics As-sociation Prepares for State-house,” it stated that the Eco-

nomics Association was founded last year. It was founded prior

to last year. It also said that Ian Wyllie was the head of the Economics Association, but he

acts as the director of the public policy analyst program.

CORRECTIONS

Eli Clare spoke about stereotypes regarding disabled people on Thursday.SAVANNAH KIEFER / HEIGHTS EDITOR

In 1997, Scheherazade Tillet

learned that her older sister, Sa-

lamishah, had been raped years be-

fore. Wanting to help her older sister

heal, Scheherazade, who was then a

student at Tufts University, turned

to photography, documenting Sa-

lamishah’s healing process—taking

photographs when Salamishah

went to therapy, exercised, or was

in her house.

It was the head of the Women’s

Center at Tufts who said that Sche-

herazade should do something more

with the photos that she took. The

idea quickly took flight and became

a multimedia arts show featuring not

only visual images, but also music,

singing, dancing, and acting— “A

Long Walk Home” was born.

On Wednesday, April 13, “A

Long Walk Home” is coming to

Boston College’s Robsham Theater

at 5 p.m. Eleven BC organizations,

including Bystander Intervention

Education, FACES Council, Females

Incorporating Sisterhood Through

Step, and the Thea Bowman AH-

ANA and Intercultural Center, are

collaborating with BC’s Women’s

Center to bring this multimedia

performance to BC.

“The performance tells the story

of a woman’s journey from rape

victim to rape survivor through

a collection of art performances,”

said Regine Jean-Charles, BC Af-

rican and African diaspora studies

professor and performer in “A Long

Walk Home.” “The idea is that the

performer will bring to life differ-

ent aspects of her story. All these

different women, this collection of

women are all telling the story of

her rape.”

Jean-Charles went to graduate

school with Salamishah at Harvard

University, where the two became

best friends. In 2001, a year after the

performances started, Salamishah

approached Jean-Charles to audi-

tion for a role. Now, 15 years later,

Jean-Charles is still performing in

the show.

The multimedia performance

features a song, then Jean-Charles’s

performance of two poems, fol-

lowed by a dance, and ends with the

original slideshow of photographs

that Tillet created put to a recording

of song and narration.

Jean-Charles will be reciting

two poems by Salamishah, one

called “Do you Know What Rape

Feels Like?” which was written

immediately after Salamishah was

assaulted, and another titled “I Died

and was Born on the Same Day.”

The second poem is about the hope

that Salamishah found and how

she was able to heal from what had

happened.

“I think the thing that makes ‘A

Long Walk Home’ so different is

using art to tell a story in so many

different ways and using a collec-

tive to tell that story,” Jean-Charles

said. “And even though this is a

story of just one woman, and it’s

her sister using the lens, it’s also the

story of these other women, such

as myself, and others who have be-

come involved in this organization,

regardless of whether or not you are

a survivor.”

Taking part in the performance

has propelled Jean-Charles’s activ-

ism on problems of sexual vio-

lence, she said. After joining the

performance and being incredibly

outspoken about her participation

in the cause, Jean-Charles found

that the more people knew about

her involvement and passion in the

issue, the more people disclosed to

her. To learn more about how to

respond, and best help those who

came to her, she was trained as a

rape crisis counselor at the Boston

Area Rape Crisis Center.

“This performance, really, for me,

was work that I do in an artistic way,

but also in an intellectual way, but

also in a personal way as I interact

with survivors,” Jean-Charles said.

The purpose of the performance

is two-fold. Firstly, the performance

is to make clear that there is no one

story of sexual assault. The perfor-

mance is one that tells a single story,

yet is influenced by the three differ-

ent performers who are featured in

the show. Jean-Charles stressed how

important it is that students under-

stand that there is no universal “rape

survival story.” Each victim’s journey

to become a survivor is influenced

by who they are, where they are, and

when they are surrounded by.

The second point that the per-

formance tries to make is how pow-

erful art can be for healing. In 2003,

three years after the show took off,

Scheherazade and Salamishah Tillet

cofounded the nonprofit A Long

Walk Home. Afterwards, a girls’

program was founded in response

to one of the co-founder’s work as a

health teacher who had met many

teens dealing with dating violence

and sexual abuse. She found that

art helped them tell their stories in

a way that they controlled.

“It’s important to remember just

the healing power that exists in art for

this issue, and for issues of violence in

general,” Jean-Charles said.

Jean-Charles noted that there

have been many steps in the right

direction on BC’s campus to address

sexual assault, including the support

of the Women’s Center, of Bystander

Intervention, and of various admin-

istrators. She said, however, that

there is still work to be done.

“As we think about sexual as-

sault as a social justice issue, at BC

as we think about being men and

women for others, it doesn’t have to

affect you for you to care about it,”

Jean-Charles said. “Everyone should

come. This should be required for all

students. It’s really powerful.”

Writer, speaker, and activist Eli

Clare addressed Boston College

students Thursday night about ste-

reotypical images of disabled people

and how these unfair assumptions

have led to lasting problems for the

disabled community.

“Label jars, not people,” Clare

said, pointing to a PowerPoint image

that quoted this line.

Clare, who was born with cerebral

palsy, holds a B.A. in women’s studies

from Mills College and an M.F.A. in

creative writing from Goddard Col-

lege. He has published numerous

books, essays, and works of poetry.

Despite his life’s successes,

Clare has been stereotyped in the

same ways that many disabled

people are. In particular, Clare

emphasized the stereotypical im-

age of the “supercrip.”

As Clare described, supercrip

stories consist of disabled people

doing incredible things, including

hiking the Appalachian Moun-

tains or batting .600 on the baseball

team. Clare noted that these stories,

however, can also include the more

mundane, such as a disabled person

getting a boyfriend or girlfriend, or a

disabled person learning to drive.

In supercrip stories, said Clare,

the disabled person has overcome

something to accomplish either a

great feat or an everyday task.

“I always pause when I hear

[the word] ‘overcome,’” Clare said.

“Is it that we no longer have the

disability? … What exactly is be-

ing overcome?”

Clare asserted that these stories

turn disabled people into inspira-

tional symbols, and they become in-

spirations because supercrips exceed

society’s expectations.

“Why am I being inspired?” Clare

asked those in attendance.

Clare recalled finishing last in

numerous high school cross-country

races. Regardless of the outcome,

he received standing ovations from

fans while not even the first-place

finisher would receive this praise. It

got old fast.

Clare then explained that an

individual with a disability is seen

as broken. As a consequence, there

are people who will often say that

disabled people need to be fixed.

The response from non-disabled

people, Clare said, is mostly pity and

tragedy. So when a disabled person

transcends expectations, he becomes

the inspiration commonly portrayed

in supercrip stories.

On the opposite side of super-

crip stories are stories of “ableism.”

Rather than perpetuating stereo-

types, explained Clare, ableism

stories raise issues of social justice

for disabled people.

In his own ableism story, Clare

talked about occasions in which

he failed timed tests because he

could not write fast enough due

to his impairment.

According to Clare, the general

public does not hear about ableism

stories often enough.

Cases of ableism tend to describe

disabled people as childlike, asexual,

violent, dangerous, and, by proxy,

incapable. As a result, disabled people

are impacted negatively when it

comes to gaining equal opportunity

in education and employment.

For example, the national un-

employment rate hovers around 5

percent, but as Clare mentioned, the

unemployment rate in the United

States for disabled people is well

above the national average—around

15 percent.

Likewise, these misguided views

of disabled people affect how they are

treated in education.

Although Clare can only write

four words per minute, he has pub-

lished an impressive collection.

Clare expressed his disappoint-

ment for the bevy of supercrip

stories, which grows the stereotype

that disabled people are overcoming

the odds, and the underwhelming

number of authentic ableism stories,

which bring social issues for disabled

people to light.

During his talk, Clare turned

to a poem by Lynn Manning called

“The Magic Wand.” Manning, a

blind playwright and poet who also

medaled in the Paralympics, writes

in his piece about facing a myriad of

stereotypes—all of which are shaped

by outside forces. This is a reminder,

said Clare, of how powerful external

perception can be.

“None of us will ever find a home

in stereotypes,” Clare said. “I know

I won’t.”

THE HEIGHTS Monday, April 11, 2016 A3

Warren began by acknowledging

generally positive trends in corporate

job growth and the stock market, plus

the decreasing unemployment rate,

which is now 5 percent compared to

its peak of 10 percent in October 2009,

just after the Great Recession. But she

remains concerned, she said.

“Here is the hard truth: despite

the cheery top-line numbers, Amer-

ica’s middle class is in deep trouble,”

she said.

Warren focused much of her

talk on those earning very low wages

despite working full-time. For the

50 percent of the American public

that does not have any savings in the

stock market, she said, the economic

recovery is invisible.

“The booming stock market just

looks like a train that is leaving the

station while you’re left behind on the

platform,” Warren said.

Warren said that there have been

deep structural changes in the United

States in the last 30 years. She told a

story about how when she was 12, her

father had a heart attack and could

no longer work. Her mother found

a minimum-wage job at Sears and

earned enough money to save their

family’s house. Warren eventually

moved on to a commuter college. She

worked hard there, but she attributes

her success to something more.

“I grew up in an America that

invested in kids like me, an America

where a janitor’s kid could become a

United States senator,” she said.

Warren then traced the roots of

modern economic inequality in the

United States. After the Great De-

pression and World War II, she said,

Americans enjoyed about 40 years of

uninterrupted and unprecedented

economic growth in the middle class.

GDP and wages increased across the

board. Ninety percent of the country

got about 70 percent of all income

growth from the late 1930s to the

late 1970s.

Warren argued that the pivot

point in American inequality was

1980. She said 99.5 percent of the

income growth in the last 36 years

has gone to the top 10 percent of

earners. She attributed that inequality

to supply-side or trickle-down eco-

nomic theory, which she said means

deregulating industry and giving tax

breaks to corporations to fuel job and

general economic growth.

“What [deregulation] really means

is ‘Let’s tie the hands of the regula-

tors and turn loose the big banks

and…corporations to do pretty much

whatever they want,’” Warren said.

She criticized outsourced jobs

and big risks like the subprime

mortgage crisis. Warren argued that

those policies pursue short-term

profits at the expense of the working

class, and she called for increased

taxes to support services like public

infrastructure, health, and education,

which have seen decreased funding

since the 1980s.

“The trickle-down experiment

started during the Reagan years has

failed America’s middle class,” she

said. She said politicians in Washing-

ton made that failure possible.

After Warren’s critique of the cur-

rent system, she laid out policy goals.

She argued for an expanded Social

Security program, a higher minimum

wage, immigration reform, increased

taxes on the wealthy, and an end to

subsidies for fossil-fuel companies.

After Warren’s main talk, she

answered pre-selected questions

from the audience. The first asked

how those on the other side of the

aisle can be convinced to support

policies to help decrease inequality.

Warren talked about infrastructure,

which she compared to plowing a

field—it helps the economy grow.

She called for a multi-trillion-dollar

investment in America’s roads and

public transit, and was especially

critical of the MBTA system, which

she called outdated.

“How many of you drive a 40-year-

old car?” she asked. When nobody

raised their hand, she said that the

Boston area shouldn’t be using 40-

year-old trains.

Another question asked how gov-

ernment regulatory agencies can get

around divided legislatures. Criticiz-

ing the U.S. Senate, Warren said bod-

ies like the Securities and Exchange

Commission and the Department

of Labor (DOL) could enact rules to

bypass Congress. She hailed a DOL

rule announced April 6 that requires

investment portfolio managers to act

in their clients’ best interests rather

than their own.

Pumping her fists and mouthing

“thank you” over and over, Warren

finished her talk by calling for a

fight against what she views as an

unfair system.

“I wanted to be here to talk to

people who care about…how we

can create an America that works

not just for those at the top, but

those on the bottom, those in the

middle,” she said. “We are going to

make decisions as a people about

what kind of country we’re going to

build going forward.”

historical aesthetics, which led her

to found a vintage-inspired cloth-

ing line.

During this time in her life, she

also met a lot of people who friended

her on MySpace and introduced

her to the world of vintage clothing

on eBay, which inspired her to start

Nasty Gal.

“That’s what life is—none of us re-

ally know what we’re doing,” Amoruso

said. “I’m still confused every day.”

Amoruso focused on the unique-

ness of each person’s life path and

offered advice to take what is in front

of you and own it.

“What is owning it?” Amoruso

said. “Owning it is showing up and

owning who you are. Owning your

successes. Owning your mistakes.”

Within the last year, Teixiera

noted, much has been done across

the globe to improve gender equal-

ity—Saudi women voted in their

first election, Jen Welter, BC ’00, was

hired as the first female coach in the

NFL, and Michelle Obama launched

a campaign to promote female educa-

tion across the globe. But there is still

much to do, she said.

“As this journey is far from fin-

ished, we must individually and col-

lectively continue our mission so that

our sisters, friends, grandchildren,

and our own children will live in a

more perfect world,” Teixiera said.

UGBC elections, from A1

Own It Summit, from A1

Elizabeth Warren, from A1

AMELIE TRIEU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Amoruso talked about the winding path that led her to found Nasty Gal.

to create more competition within

the race. Six new teams then joined,

and a primary was held to narrow

the field to three final teams.

Simons and McCaffrey will begin

their work as president and execu-

tive vice president at the end of this

academic year and carry into the

summer. The duo hopes to focus on

three goals: quality, inclusivity, and

accessibility. They also plan to look

at day-to-day improvements for

student life.

“We’re very happy with the

percentage of the vote we received,

and we believe in our mission of

‘Strength in Unity,’” McCaffrey said

in an email. “The information we

have coming out of this election

gives us a good idea of where we

need to start to connect with the

student body next year.”

THE HEIGHTS Monday, April 11, 2016 A4

JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

With the advent of the Class Councils

program this year, the students and admin-

istrators involved were challenged with

uniting the different classes for a common

cause. Their response? Let’s dance.

BC’s Dance Marathon will take place

on April 22 from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. in

the Flynn Recreation Complex. Nithya

Damodharan, co-chair of Sophomore Class

Council and MCAS ’18, noted that Dance

Marathon will be the only event at the Plex

that begins before it closes and ends after

it reopens the next day.

The 12 hours will be separated into

four themes—neon, red, white, and blue,

Hawaiian, and BC spirit—each accom-

panied by respective music, food, and

decorations. Giveaways and raffles will run

concurrently. Performances will be given

by student groups like Full Swing, Masti,

and Irish Dance.

Children being treated at Boston

Children’s Hospital will also attend for

two hours in the morning for the closing

ceremonies, where they will be able to

interact with Baldwin the Eagle and the

pom and cheer squads.

Four families will each be partnered

with a different class and will wear the

class colors and introduce themselves to

the students. They can choose to dance in

the designated family area or to spread out.

One child is scheduled to lead the crowd in

Simon Says, his favorite game.

Emmy Ye, the Sophomore Class Coun-

cil social chair, the director of BC’s Dance

Marathon, and MCAS ’18, added that the

event’s closing will include a reveal of how

much money was raised.

All of the money raised around the

event, including the $15 registration fee,

will go toward the Boston Children’s

Hospital’s Children’s Fund, which the hos-

pital uses as it deems necessary for medical

causes not covered by insurance. Most re-

cently, it has funded a new asthma-educa-

tion campaign and a program for child life

specialists who guide parents through their

children’s extended treatment processes, as

well as games, clowns, and research.

“We’re raising money for those extra

things that aren’t covered by what insur-

ance might think is necessary for treat-

ment … all of these things that make kids

feel better even though they might not be

surface-level that important,” Ye said.

Dance Marathon is an initiative of the

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

which began in 1991 at Indiana University

in the memory of a student who died from

HIV/AIDS. Dance Marathons nationwide

have since collectively raised over $135

million, all given to local Children’s Miracle

Network hospitals.

Dance Marathon has a history at BC it-

self but had been on hiatus for years before

a representative from Boston Children’s

Hospital approached the Office of Student

Involvement (OSI). OSI, which directs

the Class Councils that they started this

year, approached them with the proposal,

which they had expected to be too much

to organize in one year, suggesting instead

a debut in the spring of 2017.

“We thought it fit perfectly in with the

Class Councils program because it’s an

opportunity for service, involvement, and

philanthropy that anyone on BC’s campus

can be involved in,” said Brooke Goodman,

an M.A. candidate in Higher Education

Administration and a graduate assistant

for Student Engagement in OSI.

But Ye reached out again to the coordi-

nator from the hospital and began creating

a framework for the Marathon as early as

Behind the Mesh: baldwin the eagle’s secret life

Think back to the last interaction you had with Baldwin—whether

it was a stumbling hug, a lame handshake, or even as far as a well-or-

chestrated picture. Unless you’re actually convinced by the costume, it

may have occurred to you that someone, a real-life person, is actually

inside that thing.

For those of us who know we aren’t actually interacting with

a human-sized, ambulatory, freak-of-nature bird, it begs the ques-

tion—who really is Baldwin?

As it turns out, if you have a friend or classmate who is full of

Boston College spirit, is constantly working on his or her dance moves,

and disappears mysteriously for hours on end on game days, you have

reason to be suspect that you might know a Baldwin.

To this end, BC’s beloved Baldwin the Eagle is just as much a

superhero as he is a champion for school spirit. Behind the dancing,

felt-and-mesh exterior of this dancing Eagle, the identity of Baldwin

is shrouded in secrecy—it is the BC athletic department’s best-kept

secret.

The general population knows shockingly little about the hu-

man “behind the mesh” who brings the dance moves and high-fives

to life for BC’s countless sporting events. These students, the Clark

Kents and Bruce Waynes of the school- spirit world, walk among us

with no fanfare, their appearances signaling little about their second

identities.

So naturally, when it came time to arrange a meeting with the

unmasked Baldwin, secrecy was paramount. With some finagling and

a promise to maintain anonymity, The Heights-Baldwin summits were

safely executed. Under the cover of darkness, in undisclosed locations,

and over untraceable phone calls, I was given the full rundown on the

secret life of Baldwin—the person sweating behind the beak.

“They said, ‘you’re Baldwin, you have to dance big,’” explained

one Baldwin of the unique tryout process. “The whole thing is you

have to go big, it’s really go big or go home.”

According to our sources, dancing big is only a fraction of the

tryout process—an enormous amount of weight is put on the “Baldwin

Strut,” with which so many Superfans are unknowingly familiar. Simply

put, it’s a walk of confidence.

“You’ve got to know how to walk like you’re the biggest man

on campus,” explained our Baldwin informant, exhibiting the same

nonchalance that her feathered alter ego does so often.

The grueling tryout then takes a predictable turn—dance. Though

no prior dance experience is necessary, a level of stamina and a willing-

ness to throw down Baldwin-style certainly are requisite. In the words

of our interviewee, “you just dance—for like 45 minutes.”

The outcome?

“If you get it, you get an email that’s like, ‘We regret to inform

you … that your identity is changed,’” recalled one grinning Baldwin

of her acceptance email. “It’s a pretty cool email to get.”

From what was explained of the position, these words couldn’t be

truer. This notion of fully assuming a second identity is no understate-

ment, and for the right person, it’s liberating. In fact, that new secret

identity/superhero guise is an attractive part of the job for many.

“Honestly that’s the most fun part for me,” one Baldwin com-

mented with regards to her anonymity. “It’s like you have a secret

life.”

In addition, “the suit,” as it’s called, is a perfect vehicle for channel-

ing energy toward school spirit. Resoundingly, the best part of donning

the suit is making a wholehearted effort toward getting crowds excited

and maintaining an animated atmosphere.

“It’s a totally different mindset when you’re in the suit,” one

Baldwin said. “When BC is doing well, you feel great, and it’s so fun

to dance and to get people excited.

In the interest of aesthetics, however, the suit itself affords

(somewhat predictably) very little physical comfort. In fact, the suit is

over two inches thick in areas due to Baldwin’s striking musculature,

which makes for balmy conditions when the sun is shining during

early-season football games.

The position is also not without its quirks from a fan-interaction

standpoint, and one can be sure that any Baldwin has his or her share

of ludicrous fan stories, which range widely from receiving beatings

doled out by packs of middle-schoolers to being handed newborn

infants for photographs.

Despite the odd mugging or strange photo-op, however, the

fan reception is truly central to the experience as Baldwin. Between

being a vehicle for the crowd’s energy and a physical representation

of the school’s spirit, dressing as Baldwin offers a strange perspective

on athletics and fans in general. As it turns out, people shout strange

things at individuals dressed up as dancing birds.

“It’s really fun to dance and to get people excited, but at times

you’re laughing at what other people are doing,” Baldwin said with a

laugh. “You’re like, ‘Oh my god what is this person doing, they have

no idea that I’m actually a person in here.’”

In such a quirky position, anything can—and will—happen.

Though too many to count, mascot experiences covered in these

summits were as diverse as they are unique, ranging from frequently

high-fiving Jerry York, to taking part in a 196- person-wide NCAA

mascot GroupMe, to even joining Brad Paisley onstage at the CMAs

(true story).

At the end of the day, however, it takes a certain type of person

to really pull off a perfect Baldwin—the Baldwin that we see day in

and day out.

“You can feel the energy of the crowd, and you can feel when

you bring energy to the crowd, which is really cool,” said one Baldwin,

who recently completed a return trip from the Frozen Four in Tampa,

Fla.

In fact, of the five Baldwins currently on staff, the two The Heights

managed to get ahold of were both coming off of trips alongside BC

sports teams—one, as mentioned, from Tampa and the other fresh

off of a promotional trip to Ireland in preparation for the game in the

Emerald Isle next year.

As the interview ended and my interviewees slipped back into

their civilian lives, it occurred to me just how well-kept of a secret the

Baldwin name is. When they’re not traveling internationally or parad-

ing around Alumni Stadium triumphantly, they’re seated among us

with little indication (other than some subtle Under Armour gear) of

their alter egos.

AMELIE TRIEU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

The BC Dance Marathon is a 12-hour challenge to raise money for the Boston Children’s Hospital’s Children’s Fund.

October. Damodharan sees the purpose of

the event not only as an endeavor of service

but also as an opportunity to unite students

from different classes.

“When Sophomore Class Council was

founded this year, it became part of our

thing to figure out—what can we do to

create class unity, and what can we do for

the entire school to rally behind and get

involved in?” she said.

Ye said that she places particular im-

portance on this year’s Dance Marathon

because it is the type of event that will

guide the future focus of Class Councils.

BC’s new Dance Marathon commit-

tee found local help in starting its new

program. Several universities nearby

hold Dance Marathons, and many of the

committee members attended Emmanuel

College’s for inspiration. The New England

Dance Marathon network also keeps in

touch with monthly phone calls to offer

support. Both a Boston-based liaison

from the Dance Marathon division of the

Children’s Miracle Network and the liaison

from the Boston Children’s Hospital will be

in attendance throughout BC’s event.

Dance Marathon will be hosted by

the Sophomore Class Council every year,

although it remains an initiative of all four

classes. In addition to the Sophomore

Council representatives, Dance Marathon

has been an effort of over 60 volunteers

working in the divisions of event opera-

tions, dancer relations, public relations and

marketing, and finance.

“Having participated in Dance Mara-

thon at Marquette, where I went to under-

grad, and knowing what that experience

is like, I can’t wait to see how they feel,”

Goodman said. “It’s an amazing experi-

ence and one that I’m very excited for

them to have.”

Damodharan, Ye, and Goodman believe

that this year’s Dance Marathon will be

a way to introduce students to the idea

as well as to show how they can conduct

service locally.

“We’re a very activist student body, and

we try to give back. We’re men and women

for others,” Damodharan said. “I feel like

the point of Dance Marathon is [that it’s]

another outlet for us to give back to our

local community. You can see the change

that we’re making in each one of these kids’

lives. It’s about raising awareness and hav-

ing an amazing time doing it.”

ARTHUR BAILIN / SENIOR STAFF

THE HEIGHTS A5Monday, April 11, 2016

AMELIE TRIEU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

As many coffee-lovers and

groggy morning class-goers have

noticed, there is a new addition this

year to the Eagle on the Fly mart in

McElroy Commons: a Starbucks.

Opening to the masses last Sep-

tember, the Starbucks has been a

booming success, according to Mike

Forcier, general manager of McElroy

Commons Dining. The positive

student response proved that the

decision to establish an on-campus

Starbucks was worth the time and

research, he said.

The Starbucks was installed

to meet the growing demand from

Boston College students to purchase

the name-brand coffee and is now

operated as a “We Proudly Brew”

program, which allows BC to capi-

talize on the nationally recognized

brand while wholly benefiting from

the sales of Starbucks coffee.

Other than regular inspections

by Starbucks auditors, the Starbucks

facility in McElroy is managed and

operated by BC Dining staff, and

employs BC students instead of

the run-of-the-mill hipster baristas

normally hired by an independent

Starbucks chain.

“We absolutely pride ourselves

on having a good-quality dining

program with our own authenticity,”

Forcier said.

The goal of BC Dining is to

run a financially sustainable service

while also providing high-quality

food and equal benefits to employ-

ers, such as a fair minimum wage,

competitive benefits, and a guaran-

teed work week. The new addition

of the Starbucks national brand

to the Eagle On the Fly Minimart

in Mac has tremendously aided in

keeping costs reasonable for BC

Dining services in this zero-sum

game.

“BC Dining is run as a service

to the University,” Forcier said. “BC

Dining as a whole doesn’t run as

a profit center. What these Eagle

Marts and what this Starbucks does

is takes our whole service model and

helps us provide the service that BC

wants [its] students to have.”

As a result of being an inter-

nally run dining service, BC Dining

budgets so that it remains ever so

slightly in the black, if not at zero.

This, Forcier said, is the reason that

the money that is left over from the

mandatory meal plan is not given

back to the students at the end of

the academic year.

This refund is not provided be-

cause the money is already budgeted

and spent, a system of spending

similar to other schools which may

have a single swipe system instead

of the declining balance system in

place here at BC.

“This Starbucks absolutely

helps the model,” Forcier said. “And

not only that, but it fills the demand

from students who are saying ‘Hey,

we need these on campus,’ so this

helps us to cater to that demand.”

Because of the increase in rev-

enue provided by the Starbucks, BC

Dining is better able to serve both

the students and its employees the

goods and services it provides. Al-

though a significant complaint from

many BC students is the price of the

food, Forcier said that this system,

which is built on an emphasis on

quality, provides students with the

most efficient system of providing

high-quality food while allowing

BC Dining employees to enjoy the

benefits of the University.

“I know factually that the qual-

ity of our food is superior, but if you

want to have a sirloin steak every

night you’re going to pay for it,” he

said. “If you look at other schools,

they aren’t serving a 6-oz. filet of

salmon every day. Other schools

on an all-you-can-eat system won’t

have food cooked to order or any of

that.”

Think of the newly renovated

Boston College Women’s Center

as a mix between your local public

library and your grandma’s living

room—comfy couches, colorful

pillows, filled bookshelves, an

unfinished jigsaw puzzle on the

table. On the walls hang framed

inspirational quotes and pictures

of faces smiling at the brochures

and pamphlets attached to the glass

wall across from them. It’s hard to

believe, then, that the Women’s

Center was born in a bathroom.

BC had made the transition

to become a co-educational Uni-

versity in 1970, but this change

was not without its ensuing

difficulties. Three years after

the change, female BC students

still felt uncomfortable on the

male-dominated campus and

wanted to create a safe space

for women.

The students took over the

women’s bathroom on

the landing outside

what is now Eagle’s Nest

and declared the open-

ing of the BC Women’s

Center. Its first guest?

Then-president of BC,

Rev. Donald Monan,

S.J. Of course, no one

told him the center

was a bathroom. The

students had made the

most of their humble

abode, attaching a room

number to the door,

printing brochures and

pamphlets, and provid-

ing other materials that

they felt important for

women to have.

Monan took the hint,

moved the students out

of the bathroom, and

quickly searched for a

permanent place for the

new Women’s Center. Perhaps in

homage to the original location

of the Center in an unassuming

bathroom, the Center had always

been located in McElroy Com-

mons—until this past summer,

when it was relocated to the

fourth floor of Maloney Hall.

“It’s definitely been an up-

ward trajectory of growth,” Ra-

chel DiBella, assistant director of

the Women’s Center, said.

DiBella primarily works with

students who have experienced

sexual or intimate partner vio-

lence, helping students by walk-

ing them through the psycholog-

ical trauma associated with such

experiences. Various resources

offered by the Women’s Center,

such as SANet, the hotline of the

Sexual Assault Network, and a

sexual assault support group, es-

sentially provide students with a

support system on their healing

journies. Programs like CARE

Week are meant to raise aware-

ness of these important issues

on campus.

Katie Dalton, director of

the Women’s Center, regards

women’s issues as not only what

pushed her to pursue higher

education, but also as something

she dedicated her life to. Dalton

worked at Brandeis University

for four years before coming to

BC to pursue her academics in

women and gender studies. Dal-

ton’s first exposure to women’s

issues was as a graduate peer

minister living in Kostka Hall, a

freshman, all-female residence

hall. She realized through her

many conversations with the

students as they transitioned

to college life that many of the

problems female students faced

were rooted in their gender.

Dalton subsequently spent more

time working in the Women’s

Center, and it was this experi-

ence that catapulted her career

in women’s issues . Dalton’s

work and strong presence in the

Women’s Center have earned her

a reputation for being known as

the “mayor of BC” by her peers.

Student involvement in the

Center has increased through

the years with undergraduate

and graduate students alike

working in the office. In 2003,

the Center created the position

of professional staff member.

Two years ago, the position of

assistant professional staff mem-

ber was added.

“It definitely has been an

office on campus that has expe-

rienced growth throughout its

time here,” DiBella said.

CARE Week seeks to bring

to light many of the programs

offered by the Women’s Center

and give an outlet for student ex-

pression regarding sexual health

on campus. Bystander Interven-

tion is the Center’s flagship pre-

vention program that educates

students on sexual and intimate

partner violence. Bystander is

involved in almost every event

during CARE Week, promoting

various events through a social

media campaign and having

Bystander trainers represented

at every event.

“It certainly takes a commu-

nity-wide approach to encourage

everybody to think of themselves

as a stakeholder in ending [gen-

der-based and sexual] violence,”

DiBella said.

CARE Week kicked off yes-

terday with members of the BC

community participating in the

Boston Area Rape Crisis Center

(BARCC) Walk for Change, a

fundraising event in support of

its services. Most of the events

of CARE Week are run by stu-

dents to encourage camaraderie

among their peers . Student

work will also be on display

throughout the week, returning

to the Center’s mission

of serving the student.

O n We d n e s d a y,

April 13, the national

organization A Long

Walk Home will pres-

ent “Story of a Rape

Survivor” on campus.

The event is the result

of a collaborative ef-

fort between various

academic departments,

campus off ices , and

student groups and was

funded by a grant that

Dalton and DiBella re-

ceived from the Avon

Foundation. Presented

through various multi-

media platforms such as

poetry, visual photogra-

phy, acting, and danc-

ing, “Story of a Rape

Survivor” is the true

story of one woman’s

struggle to reclaim her body, self

esteem, and sexuality after hav-

ing been assaulted in college.

The annual “Take Back the

Night” event has always been

the most widely attended event,

attracting approximately 500

people. To be held this Thursday,

April 14, on O’Neill Plaza, the

event aims to use its platform

to draw a significant portion

of the BC community and raise

awareness of issues that it would

normally not think of.

“The point of the event is to

give an opportunity to the survi-

vors to share their stories, which

is a really powerful experience

for the community to hear and

for those survivors to feel that

support resonating within the

group of people who attend,”

DiBella said.

—Rachel DiBella, assistant director of the BC Women’s Center

See Women’s Center, A8

SAVANNA KIEFER / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Dalton and DiBella have hired both undergraduate and graduate staff members at the Women’s Center.

THE HEIGHTS Monday, April 11, 2016A6

HEIGHTSThe Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College

THE

“You’re born and forty years later you hobble out a bar, startled by your own aches. Nobody knows you. You steer down lightless highways, and you invent a destination because movement is key. So you head toward the last thing you have left to lose, with no real idea what you’re going to do with it.”

-Nic Pizzolatto, Galveston

QUOTE OF THE DAY

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 accom-

pany pieces submitted to the newspaper.

Letters and columns can be submitted online at ww

bcheights.com, by e-mail to editor@bcheights.com,

person, or by mail to Editor, The Heights, 113 McElro

Commons, Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467.

EDITORIALS

The views expressed in the above editorials

represent the official position of The Heights, as

discussed and written by the Editorial Board. A list

of the members of the Editorial Board can be found

at bcheights.com/opinions.

This past Friday, United States Sena-

tor Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts

spoke at Boston College about economic

inequality in the U.S. as part of a confer-

ence hosted by the Jesuit Institute.

Warren is a significant political fig-

ure, so bringing her to campus is a feat

that deserves commendation. She is a

highly sought-after voice in the Sen-

ate and may contribute to the political

atmosphere on campus with her pres-

ence. These are the kind of speakers

that groups should strive to bring to BC

in order to foster the most interesting

and relevant events possible.

The majority of attendees at the talk

were alumni and non-college students.

This is surprising considering the

Warren’s stature in American politics

and the relative political engagement

of BC students. As Warren is one of

the most impressive speakers offered

this semester, more BC students should

have taken advantage of the opportu-

nity to hear her. If more students had

been aware of the talk, this most likely

would have happened.

The fact that the student body didn’t

widely know about the talk continues

a negative trend for some speakers at

BC. In an earlier editorial, The Heights

pointed out how a talk by a number of

local mayors was sparsely attended by

students. This is part of a continuing

issue with event promotion. Many BC

students are not even aware of speakers

such as Warren, and the local mayors

earlier this year. As mentioned in the

other editorial, this occurred last year

as well with the president of the Philip-

pines, who spoke at Robsham.

A number of student groups ex-

emplify the most effective means of

publicizing their events. Events, such

as the recent BC Talks forum or the

Asian Caucus’ John Cho talk, have been

well-attended by students because the

information was widely disseminated

via social media, primarily. This same

methodology should be applied by BC

groups such as the Jesuit Institute.

Student attendance must be boosted

at these events in order for various BC

groups to be able to continue securing

quality speakers.

If speakers come to BC and find little

interest and attendance, this reflects

negatively on the student body and

makes the chances of having future

events lower. Because of this, speakers

should be heavily advertised through

more than just flyers. Emails and social

media should be used to ensure that

students are fully informed of the many

opportunities on campus see high-de-

mand speakers.

Whenever a group successfully

brings one of these speakers to campus,

it should immediately turn to promot-

ing the event aggressively and boosting

attendance as much as possible. This

not only makes the event itself more

successful, but boosts the relevance

of the group itself and increases its

chances of holding similar events in

the future.

Last year, Boston College had its

first Own It Boston College Summit.

This year, the summit, sponsored by

the Office of Student Involvement, the

Women’s Center, Women In Business,

Lean In, the Undergraduate Govern-

ment of BC, the BC Career Center,

and Females Incorporating Sisterhood

Through Step, was held on April 9.

These sponsoring groups have once

again put on one of the most successful

events of the year at BC.

Participation in this year’s summit

tripled, exemplifying Own It’s success.

Increased student interest should help

expand the summit in the future and

allow these groups to continue bringing

in good speakers and preparing worth-

while events. The success of this year’s

event is visible in a number of parts of

the summit.

As mentioned in an earlier Heights

editorial, the keynote speaker Sophia

Amoruso provides an interesting

perspective for the summit and is a

well-known figure sure to draw stu-

dent interest.

The other speakers were also inter-

esting and diverse in background. This

prevents a uniformity of message and

story that would have hindered the

goals of the summit. By bringing in

multiple, vastly diverse speakers, the

summit avoids simply bringing in many

conventionally successful female CEOs

and other corporate women.

Beyond this, the summit also in-

cluded a personalization factor. Before

participating in the summit, students

filled out a survey that was then used

to personalize workshops and events

that would be most relevant for those

students. This increases the benefit

of attending the summit, as students

are able to focus on things they care

about and are already engaged with in

some way.

By continuing to develop and im-

prove upon last year’s summit, Own It

has managed to bring more people to

its events.

This summit should also serve as

an example for other campus groups.

Just as the Women’s Center and other

groups managed to put together this

summit to promote successful women,

other campus groups can create simi-

lar events.

Diversity and LGBTQ groups would

do well to note the way Own It has

found success on campus and attempt

to create similarly structured and pub-

licized events that can draw student

interest and engage students in their

specific cause.

This formula and format has proven

successful with this year’s summit and

its tripled participation rates.

Applying it to these other student

interest groups would help develop

increasingly worthwhile BC events and

promote these groups’ goals.

GABE PASTEL / HEIGHTS STAFF

Your recent article about campaign contri-

butions indicates a lack of diversity among the

Boston College faculty. One hundred percent

of the employees of BC, who contributed

to political campaigns, gave to Democrats.

Shameful. One of the reasons that BC was

founded was that “No Catholics Need Apply”

to some of the other schools in Boston. I guess

that message can now be made to potential

hires … “No Non-Democrats Need Apply.”

I guess freedom of thought is alive and

well at BC, as long as the freedom of thought

supports the Democratic Party.

A Reponse to “BC Faculty Donated Exclusively to Democratic Campaigns in 2014-15”

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

to have simple solutions, the systematic

problems facing true democracy in the

U.S. are largely to blame. Following the

trail of money can help show why legisla-

tive decisions have been made the way

they’ve been. The corporate media has

consistently ignored talking about the

real issues facing the country because

of conflicts of interest. The corporate

media outlets are generally given to sen-

sationalism and fear mongering. The re-

sult is a country with many misinformed

people who aren’t willing to implement

obvious solutions for fear of losing their

individual rights.

After the New York Daily News interviewed Bernie Sanders this past

week, the establishment media seized on

his comment that victims of gun vio-

lence shouldn’t be able to sue the arms

manufacturer. The news cycle revealed

an intense dichotomy about the way that

people view the gun issue. The prevailing

attitude is that people are either anti-gun

or pro-gun. People who support gun man-

ufacturer immunity (and other measures)

are demonized almost to the same level of

the actual perpetrators of violence. Those

who want reasonable constraints on

gun purchases are seen to be against the

Second Amendment, and people question

when the “denial” of individual rights

will end. This new normal precludes the

ability of people to actually debate the nu-

ances of reasonable legislation.

This nuance is visible in the Sandy

Hook case Sanders mentioned. As heart-

breaking as the massacre at Sandy Hook

was, people should not be able to sue the

manufacturer of the weapons used to

harm them by virtue of it having cre-

ated the product. The person responsible

for the shooting in Newtown was the

murderer, not the manufacturer of the

murder weapon. Since the arms were all

obtained legally by the murderer’s mother,

the victims’ families appear to have no

legal standing to sue the manufacturer of

the Bushmaster AR-15 used in the mass

shooting on the basis of malpractice.

Allowing citizens to sue gun manu-

facturers simply because the product

was used to cause harm is absurd. Take,

for example, a car accident. If someone

is injured by someone driving under the

influence in a Chevrolet, the appropriate

response is not to sue General Motors.

But if people are getting hurt because

GM installed faulty ignition switches in

their cars and should have known that,

then an appropriate response might be

to bring GM to court. It is the person or

people acting as the subject that should

be held responsible for their actions, not

some other entity that has no control

over the situation.

The question still remains about what

to do about gun violence in America.

Common-sense measures like universal

background checks and monitoring un-

usual arms purchases would help prevent

the sorts of unspeakable acts of violence

that the country has witnessed in recent

years. Congress should eliminate the ban

on studies of gun violence and public

health implications at the Center for

Disease Control so that lawmakers have

better information to make decisions. But

there is still more to be done.

While there are many laws that can be

written to ensure people’s safety, the issue

becomes even more complicated when

it comes to people who partake in illegal

behavior to obtain firearms. Many acts of

gun violence are committed using weap-

ons that were legally purchased directly

from dealers or manufacturers, but were

stolen by close family members or friends.

These are the sorts of actions that the

government needs to look at very carefully

because there do not appear to be easy

ways to confront these sorts of problems.

Regardless of people’s predispositions,

polarization is not the solution. People’s

lives are on the line. Legislators can and

should maintain citizens’ rights to own

firearms while still working to mitigate

the threat of gun violence in the U.S.

THE HEIGHTSMonday, April 11, 2016 A7

SAUCES - Rule number one of the

sauce: It must be pronounced sowce.

As in “look at that sow in the field”

and “look at that sssssss also in that

same field.” If you fail to pronounce

it in precisely this manner you are

disappointing your forefathers who

struggled for millennia to secure

various sauces for your tasting

pleasure. When you stroll up into

a cafeteria, showing off your new

silver tank top and green-brown

semi-bleached capris, walk straight

up to whoever’s in charge and say, “I

must have my sowces.” This phrase

will trigger an immediate response

and you will be provided with all the

sauces you require.

GETTING REALLY WEIRD ABOUT THAT TIME YOU PUT BBQ SAUCE ON YOUR CHICKEN TENDERS - It’s a pretty

simple experience, really. Barbecue

sauce is good on chicken tenders.

But sometimes there’s nothing better

than getting real weird. Trust me. I’m

your friend. Shhhhhhhhhhhhh.

READING REALLY LONG BOOKS IN PUBLIC - Sitting on a bench, cross-

ing your legs, and popping open a

copy of some 800-page word-vomit

is always quite the thrill ride. “Wow,

that’s a long book,” admirers will say.

“You’re just reading that for fun?”

“Of course,” you reply, sneering. “I

read long books all the time because

I’m better than you.” Most of the

time these people get very quiet and

walk away, but don’t worry, that’s just

because they’re too in awe of you and

your specialness.

SEEING PEOPLE YOU KNOW FROM A LONG DISTANCE AWAY - The second

you spot that face, you feel a knot

form in your stomach. This is a

person you know, a friend even, and

now you must interact. Social pro-

tocol dictates some sort of response

to their presence. Maybe if you stare

straight up at Gasson he’ll think you

didn’t see him and were just too

engrossed in collegiate gothic archi-

tecture to notice the world around

you. But no. Your eyes have just met.

He knows you know. And now you

know he knows you know. You’re

close now. The sweat is forming on

your forehead. You see him smile.

Attempting to return the friendly

look, you grimace, giving everyone

the impression that a sudden bout

of gastrointestinal pain has just hit

you. “Hey, what’s going on?” he says.

“Good,” you scream back. You lower

your head and barrel forward. Two

minutes later you vomit violently

into a bush.

ENTHUSIASM - Don’t get the thumb-

meister wrong here, sometimes

enthusiasm is great. I would never,

ever, ever want you to get the thumb-

meister wrong. He is the meister of

thumbs and should not be misinter-

preted. His words are the words of

the thumb. His thumb is the thumb

that thumbs all the thumbs … … …

… … but, yeah, enthusiasm. Some-

times people talk too much and with

way too much excitement. Tone it

down a little, some of us resent your

happiness.

Like Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down?

Follow us @BCTUTD

Some people have asked me why I write

about pop culture instead of something more

substantive, like politics or history. It is to

those people that I dedicate this column.

I’m a fiction writer. I write fiction. I’ve

done this since fifth grade, when my short-

story assignment was three times longer than

everyone else’s, and in high school, when I

won a flash-fiction contest under a fake name

and didn’t tell anyone about it. I’m doing it

now still, in the form of an in-progress novel

slowly being molded in the gaps of time

between sleeps, with its contents kept under

lock and key and a personal vow to complete

it. This probably doesn’t seem like a big deal

to all of you, but it is my most tightly kept

secret, one kept namely from my parents

(who see it as a waste of time) and my friends

(who I just … haven’t gotten around to tell-

ing, mostly out of awkwardness). But here I

am, broadcasting this secret to all you kind

souls who have decided to read my column,

because I think you deserve to know it: Fic-

tion is where I find truth.

In my mind, writing is first and foremost

how I identify myself. It’s what I do in my spare

time, and sometimes, stupidly, in my not-spare

time. To others, I describe myself as everything

besides that: I am an economics major and

environmental sciences minor. I am Korean-

American, and I speak four languages, all of

them poorly. I’m a cinema fanatic, and I am

disorganized. I am 19 years old. But to myself,

in my own mind, I am really that one thing:

a writer. I write about my sweet, overworked

mother and clear Boston skies and the things

I am scared about losing one day. I write

about crumbling concrete buildings and white

uniforms and the perverse tranquility I feel in

their walled-in-ness. I write about trains and

time and liminal spaces. I write about myself.

Why? Because I am 19 years old, and I

am confused. Life doesn’t make sense to me,

not yet. It is chaos and disorder even among

its routine, from day that dissolves into night

and back into day again. There is no justice

in history—things happen because they

happen, not because the “narrative” requires

it. Most of the time, there is no confirmed

answer for anything that ever happens. The

world does not tell you when you’re right or

wrong, because the “truth” you learn is com-

pletely molded to who you are as a person.

But it remains that we as a species approach

this truth, whatever it may be, in many dif-

ferent ways. And this is mine: Fiction is the

only way to make sense of the chaos of our

human existence.

Last week in my western culture and tra-

dition seminar, we wrapped up Dostoevsky’s

The Brothers Karamazov, and it hit oddly

close to home. I say “odd” because the issues

Dostoevsky addresses—religion and spiritual-

ity, family and financial struggle, murder and

the morality of guilt—are not all that relevant

in my life. In fact, the Karamazovs of 19th-

century Russia deal with a bevy of problems

that I will never face here in 21st-century

Chestnut Hill. I am a 19-year-old girl with

un-callused hands, writing in a plush window

seat in the corner of O’Neill Library. Dmitri

Karamazov, the eldest Karamazov brother, is

a 30-some-year-old military ex-officer balanc-

ing money, women, and guilt with spiritual

enlightenment and redemption. And yet I

understood. I felt, somewhere in my soul,

Dmitri’s struggle and wished for him to find

his answer, if only for the rest of us.

Dostoevsky, somehow, understood the

human condition this stunningly deeply, and

was noble enough to share this private, raw

moment with us. In return, people all over

the world in dozens of translated languages,

through centuries of reading and loving, felt

and shared the same electric reminder of their

unresolved humanity. All good fiction does

this. Fiction hides within itself truth that is

supremely real, precisely because it is fictional,

precisely because it is invented by another hu-

man being. To capture the most essential, the

truest, the most human parts of life, we have

to build the window through which to view it.

Writing and understanding pop culture

is just as great an endeavor as my other

interests: climate justice, prison reform,

education reform. I want to be a human for

others, just like the rest of us who go here.

For me, fiction is my avenue to that noble

goal. And while there are no narrative arcs

in real life, as long as I’m looking for the

truth—or at least a truth—I can create one

that will explain life as I know it.

me that this lesson didn’t matter—he

was in it for the “good time.” That the

second he left prison, he was going to

“hustle” all over again. He said it was the

only thing he loved to do. I left that day

furious, hating Martin.

While Suffolk is not indicative of ev-

ery prison in America, the rehabilitation

programs, specifically the principle of

“good time,” need to be revised. Before

starting classes, inmates are required to

take a proficiency exam. One possible

solution would be to document the

exam score and award good time based

on academic improvement throughout

the sentence. This method has two

primary complications. First, inmates

might recognize how this new system

works and then intentionally fail the

proficiency exam. Therefore, teachers

would need to embrace the responsibil-

ity of assessing genuine development.

Additionally, if “good time” was not of-

fered for simply attending class, inmates

might not even bother going in the first

place—especially if they have failed

at school throughout their lives. Thus

“good time” for attendance needs to re-

main in place, and a performance-based

system should be used as a bonus. This

would not remedy recidivism issues, but

it could be a step in the right direction.

Despite the difficulties of tutoring,

there are the few instances when you

manage to form a connection with one

of the inmates. During my sophomore

year, I worked with a girl who we’ll call

Sarah. She was barely older than 20, but

talked about her daughter and dreams

of becoming a chef. We practiced math

together, and before she left the prison

she managed to earn her GED.

Yet I couldn’t share in her success.

I saw her inefficiencies with math and

basic comprehension, and it’s hard to

believe that her life will improve as she

carries the burden of a prison sentence.

The system has failed in its purpose of

rehabilitation and the consequences,

whether they involve race, socioeco-

nomic status, or national productivity,

are detrimental to everyone.

posters. The whiteboards are covered

with basic math expressions and gram-

mar rules, the colorful Expo markers a

welcome change from BC’s chalk.

For a moment, we are reminded of

the innocence of middle school. But

when we look closely, that illusion is

quickly shattered. One wall reveals

six-word poems like, “I swear I didn’t

do it” or “I miss my kids the most.” A

bright blue sign reads, “Using heroin

while drunk increases the chance of an

overdose by 50 percent.” Some pic-

tures comment on domestic abuse or

separated families. Yet all these painful

realities are interrupted by vibrant

posters that show you how to add frac-

tions or identify irregular verbs in the

English language. The whole scene is

unsettling, as if these two worlds don’t

belong together.

Then the inmates shuffle in and we

begin to teach. Except teaching might

be the wrong term. Oftentimes, many

inmates don’t want help or feel ashamed

to use a student tutor. There have been

times when I’ve gone to the prison and

simply sat in the corner of the class-

room, filling out the Metro Boston’s

crossword puzzles, waiting for someone

to accept my help. Again, if you’re an in-

mate, why would it matter if you learn?

You’re already getting “good time” just

for being in the classroom.

But what’s most upsetting is when

you spend time with an inmate who

doesn’t care. I remember one incident

when I worked with a man who I’ll call

Martin. He was 57 years old and had

seven kids and 30 grandkids. He had

been in and out of prison all of his life

and lacked basic reading skills. Together

we had to meticulously go through an

article that Martin read aloud, slowly

trying to sound each word out. But

every five minutes, he made sure to tell

The U.S. makes up 5 percent of the

world’s population but has 25 percent

of the world’s prisoners. Our judicial

and penal systems have failed, and they

perpetuate a system of racial dispar-

ity, increasing wage gaps, and broken

homes. Despite educational and psy-

chiatric initiatives, prison has not been

proven to rehabilitate behavior, as two-

thirds of prisoners will reoffend. So it

seems painfully ironic that I spend every

Monday morning tutoring at the Suffolk

County House of Corrections.

The HOC was built in 1991, and

it houses male and female inmates

convicted of crimes with a sentence

of two and a half years or less. While

incarcerated, inmates have access to a

number of educational courses rang-

ing from basic literacy to college-prep

classes. As the House’s Web site states,

“These programs are designed to pre-

pare offenders for a successful reentry

back into the community.” But attend-

ing these classes also earns them “good

time,” which reduces the length of their

sentence. Inmates are incentivized to

attend class or rehabilitation programs,

yet this methodology creates an inher-

ent problem.

Every week, nine 4Boston mem-

bers (including myself ), and a handful

of PULSE students volunteer in the

prison’s education department. After

entering the prison lobby, we exchange

our state licenses for visitor passes. The

guards make sure our outfits align with

the dress code policy, and we have to

put any items we’re carrying into lock-

ers. We are escorted through a series

of security checkpoints: entryways that

are remotely operated, solid metal doors

that require key cards, and narrow, win-

dowless hallways lined with cameras.

Yet the scene completely changes once

we reach the education department.

We’re suddenly surrounded by class-

rooms filled with tiny desks and colorful

No one should ever have to worry

about being shot while walking down

the street, but in parts of the United

States, that is the harsh reality. The laws

have failed many. Legislators have often

favored the expansion of individual gun

rights despite an abundance of externali-

ties tied to the sale of firearms to the

general public. The U.S. leads the devel-

oped world today in the number of gun

homicides and gun suicides per capita.

The country can and should implement

measures to prevent people who intend

to harm people with firearms from ob-

taining them.

The failure of a meaningful major-

ity of legislators to vote in favor of gun

control legislation may ultimately be tied

to inconsistencies in the public’s view. In

2015, Pew Research Center found that

85 percent of Americans favored “mak-

ing private gun sales and sales at gun

shows subject to background checks.”

It is interesting to note, however, that

when Pew asked about a popular piece of

gun legislation failing in the Senate, 47

percent of people were angry or disap-

pointed, and 39 percent were actually

happy or very relieved.

The inconsistency is telling about

the way that most people think about

gun control measures. People generally

support specific policy ideas like manda-

tory background checks and preventing

suspected terrorists from purchasing

weapons, but support is not nearly as

robust when it comes to actually doing

anything about it. Americans are well

aware of the negative implications of the

failures of current regulations regarding

the arms trade, but are weary of actual

gun control.

Like most other issues that appear

THE HEIGHTS Monday, April 11, 2016 A8

SAVANNA KIEFER / HEIGHTS EDITOR

On Friday, April 15, Olivia Hussey,

current vice president of the Under-

graduate Government of BC and MCAS

’17, will moderate a panel event called

“Where We Stand.”

The event was created to answer

questions raised in the UGBC’s recent

bill about sexual health. The event aims

to answer some of the concerns raised

regarding BC’s handling of sexual vio-

lence as a social, cultural, and institu-

tional problem, and make students feel

more comfortable with seeking help on

campus.

“What Rachel and I have seen over

the years is that it’s really important to

students not just to have resources avail-

able, but also accessible around campus,”

Dalton said. “[We’re] getting student

feedback on how we can be better, and

this panel will be an opportunity for the

students to assert what the community

needs.”

The Women’s Center offers a mentor-

ship program to prepare female students

for life after BC. Rise pairs female seniors

with female faculty and staff members to

reflect on the issues facing BC women.

The Center created the program in

response to studies that suggested that

female students’ academic self-percep-

tion was lower than that of their male

counterparts upon graduation from

college.

“I think that at BC it’s difficult to not

feel like you have to wear a mask and

kind of conform,” DiBella said.

The Women’s Center encourages

students to use the open space for work,

but hopes that the informal, welcoming

atmosphere will make students comfort-

able enough to express themselves.

“It is a nice change from O’Neill, and

this space is also open during finals,

where [staff members] sometimes get

pizza and try to maintain a level of hos-

pitality,” she said.

The Women’s Center has certainly

come far in its over 40-year journey

on the Heights. Despite the change,

the Center still adheres to its founding

principles of eliminating sexual violence

from the BC student experience, creating

an open and safe space reflective of the

BC community, and empowering stu-

dents by validating their sense of self.

Not bad for a bunch of girls going to

the bathroom together.

Women’s Center, from A4

encouraged the Elections Committee to reopen the ballot to

other candidates.

The EC listened, and five more teams jumped in. And when

the general election results were released on April 1, Russell

Simons and Meredith McCaffrey, both MCAS ’17, were an-

nounced as next year’s UGBC president and EVP. Not Perasso

and Loos.

Actually, they didn’t even make it through the primary.

What happened? They went for transparency and

realism, so much so that their only promise was

to “Bring Back the Funk.” They made funny vid-

eos, which Perasso said got several thousand views each, though

he acknowledged those numbers could have been inflated by

Facebook’s liberal definition of a view. They even made a Tinder

account under the name “Ranchony,” which they said they would

use to tell students about their candidacy instead of campaigning

in dorms, a common practice among most candidates.

“We’re #hip candidates,” Perasso posted in the Class of 2019

Facebook group. “We know #millennials don’t want human in-

teraction! That’s why we’ll be campaigning via Tinder.”

As Loos put it last week, the idea behind using Tinder was

“We’re hands-off so that you can keep your hands on.”

They seemed to do everything right, in other words. Stu-

dents’ disillusionment with UGBC—a theme echoed again and

again during the campaign season by teams like John Miotti and

Matthew Ulrich, both MCAS ’17—would in theory make a lot

of people take Perasso and Loos over more “serious” candidates

all day long.

“I’m really bummed that we didn’t make it through the pri-

mary,” Loos said. “I really thought we were gonna win.”

That comment looks very different than it sounded. She said it

like it would have been cool to be in charge of UGBC, just like it

would be cool to go to the beach or to see a good movie. Nice if it

happens, but who really cares if it doesn’t? Certainly not Loos.

“I am shocked that this [interest in our campaign] is still going

on,” she said. “I’ve been done with this for weeks.”

Part of that stems from how long they spent campaign-

ing—well over a month, after election day was postponed. They

got tired. Perasso talked about it the same way.

“We’re so happy that it’s over,” he said.

But they’re still a little disappointed, and a little confused.

Perasso said he figured that people would vote for them based

on their social media content.

“I would like to formally call out the Elections Committee to

release the numbers,” he said, grinning.

Rachel Mills, co-chair of the EC and MCAS ’16, said that the

Committee doesn’t release primary election voting data because

it wants to avoid establishing a frontrunner.

She’s not convinced that that’s the best policy, though, and

in the interest of transparency she said she would bring it up

as an option for next year. And this year’s results? It seems like

Perasso and Loos won’t be seeing those any time soon. But Mills

said it was close.

The first time we met, Perasso and Loos were pre-

vented by UGBC election rules from being too

specific about policy goals. Starting broadly, Perasso

said last week that he viewed their campaign as an interesting

attempt to combine satirical style with serious substance. One

thing that meant was sending cryptic email comments to The Heights with their thoughts on, for example, the EC’s decision

to reopen the ballot.

“Rachel and I feel various feelings about new candidates join-

ing the race,” begins a comment from March 5.

But it turns out that beyond being funny and bringing back the

funk, they also had a fairly narrow and concrete goal—increase

turnout in the election.

“If you can use satire to increase attention on the thing that

isn’t the joke, that’s the ultimate goal, deep, deep down,” Perasso

said. “That was my whole thought process.”

That didn’t happen. Just 2,592 students voted, down from

3,411 last year, and 4,332 two years ago. Mills attributed that

to voter burnout.

“I think oftentimes people feel like they voted in the primary

so they don’t have to vote again,” she said.

That’s what Perasso said, too.

Talking about their campaign, Mills said that she thought they

brought a fun energy to the competition. She said their mistake

was probably not campaigning at dorm hours, which some of

the candidates who made it through the primary did extensively.

Maybe that hands-off approach wasn’t so attractive, after all.

Mills mentioned that, right around the first time I talked to

them, the EC heard rumors that if elected Perasso and Loos would

resign immediately. The Committee called them to ask if they

planned on serving, and they said they did. Beyond that, Mills

said there were no problems with their satirical approach—they

followed all the rules, and she even figured they would do well.

That confusion gets at the more general issue, one that Perasso

and Loos fed into themselves—mixed messaging. Perasso and

Loos never clearly articulated whether they were satirists who

didn’t care or satirists who did.

On March 30, they posted a video on The New England Classic’s Facebook page. In it, they eat shrimp cocktail and talk

about how they faked a run for UGBC president.

“Oops,” Perasso says with a shrug.

“We tried our best to make it through, but you a-holes

didn’t vote for us,” Loos says. Perasso sticks his tongue out at

the camera.

They decided to run, they say in the video, because UGBC

elections are stiff. They wanted to change the atmosphere a bit.

Sure, they had all these issues they’d like to see addressed, but

they couldn’t get any of it done, they say. Why’s that?

“Because the administration is our dad, and our dad’s a jerk,”

Perasso says.

That video confused me. In February, I asked if they were

serious. They said they were, just like they told the EC. So I

asked again last week.

“We weren’t, then we were, then we weren’t, then we

were—kind of,” Loos said. First they got into it to “ruffle some

feathers,” Perasso said. Then they realized how much they care

about some of the issues UGBC deals with, and they faced some

outside pressure like that from the EC, faculty, and other can-

didates. Joseph Arquillo, LSOE ’17, part of the team with Nikita

Patel, CSOM ’17, that placed third, argued back in February that

Perasso and Loos should have been unable to run because their

campaign was satire.

“I think it was more us being competitive human beings for

a second,” Perasso said. “When there were just two teams left it

was like, ‘Okay, you can’t be assholes and disrespect this now.

Like you went into this expecting it to just be two teams and

the peanut gallery, and you can’t have one team and the peanut

gallery, because then Joe would have been right.’”

Then Loos nailed it.

“I think we were getting mad that people thought it was fake,

like why can’t it be real?” she said. “And then we realized we don’t

really have time for all of this.”

“At the end of the day, it’s not our fit,” Perasso said.

Then why did they put so much time into it, and why

did they say they were serious? And why are they a

little disappointed? Well, it wasn’t perfect. Running

a satirical campaign wasn’t that hard, they said last week. But

continuing to joke all the time once they got passionate was. And

their pessimism about getting anything done combined with

other things coming up—Loos wants to go abroad next year, for

example—led them to no longer care about the election. “Done”

as Loos said. They’re disappointed that they can’t work on these

issues with UGBC, but they’re relieved that they don’t have to.

Besides, they think Simons and McCaffrey will do a better job.

“It seems like Meredith and what’s-his-name are much more

qualified,” Loos said.

“Russell,” Perrasso said.

“Yeah, Russell,” Loos said. “I keep thinking his name’s Bucky.”

“Ranchony” was about showing people that UGBC doesn’t

have to be so serious. The issues are important to them, but

why couldn’t the process be a little fun, too? Before they left

for a concert—a Waka Flocka Flame show at the Paradise Rock

Club—Perasso and Loos said they hope people keep doing what

they did, but maybe do it a little more seriously, a little more

focused.

“We wanted to show that anyone can run if they want to,”

Perasso said.

Loos smiled and said, “Yeah, even if they shouldn’t.”

Ranchony, from A1

INSIDE SPORTS TU/TD...................................B2Sports in short............................B2More baseball............................B4THIS ISSUE

SPORTS B1

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

TAMPA, Fla. — The final buzzer on the

2015-16 season for Boston College men’s

hockey had just sounded.

I ran over to the crowded mess that was

the Amalie Arena’s only media elevator. They

tell you it’s a 10-minute cooldown period for

the press conferences, but when the team

that loses does it in a heartbreaker, it usually

comes quicker. For some reason, the elevator

had to stop at every one of the seven floors.

Less patient members of the media corps

screamed at the employee who had corralled

us in at the top, as if he could help.

As soon as it arrived, and the wrought-

iron cage from hell opened on the bottom

floor, I dashed to get a front row seat. I had

faced Jerry York in joy and misery 19 times

TAMPA, Fla. — Colin White took one look at the snapped

stick in front of him and slapped it away. He knew what it repre-

sented: a broken opportunity in the game’s waning moments.

It was a miracle glove save by Quinnipiac goaltender Michael

Garteig on a blast from Ian McCoshen that ended Boston Col-

lege men’s hockey’s season. A desperation shot from a danger-

ous defenseman from deep around the circles. It was the perfect

setup for a memorable moment.

It should never have come to that.

A hockey team is not defined by its worst 10-minute stretch.

But in a single game—especially one of such importance as a

national semifinal—play out of your element for even the short-

est amount of time, and you’re doomed.

The Eagles picked the worst time for their poorest 10-minute

stretch of the season.

Against all odds, BC—the youngest team in the nation with

several freshmen as the cornerstones, little defensive depth, rare

flashes of consistency, and a goaltender coming off of double-hip

surgery—found a way to make it to the Frozen Four. Yet, under

the brightest lights of the season, the Eagles (28-8-5) couldn’t

keep the momentum that earned them a vacation to Florida.

And Quinnipiac (32-3-7), the nation’s best team, exploited every

weakness in a 3-2 victory.

BC’s defensive corps looked frazzled at the outset of the

game. Off the opening draw, the Bobcats’ exceptional speed

pressured Thatcher Demko to an alarming degree. With the

heat coming, Casey Fitzgerald tried making a safe pass over

to Michael Kim. But the first-semester freshman was double-

covered, and, in a panic, the puck took a funny bounce and

Softball: Saved from a SweepAfter falling twice to North Carolina on Satur-day, BC salvaged a game on Sunday..........B2

Men’s Hockey: Demko On TopThough the Eagles didn’t win the big trophy, they came away with a little hardware....B3

The Eagles run out to celebrate after Scott Braren (N.P.) hits a walk-off single in the 13th.

See Frozen Four, B3

BASEBALL

COLD

that season entering the game—and had

imagined what he would’ve said in a press

conference while watching the game on

television or listening on the radio in the

remaining 21.

When York, Teddy Doherty, and Steve

Santini approached the podium, they didn’t

try to hide their emotion. Ever the stoic

leader, York appeared more somber than

usual. Santini looked all-business, appear-

ing in a strong leadership role as Doherty’s

heir apparent as captain of the Eagles, just

like Doherty had done last year in BC’s

first-round NCAA loss to Denver. Doherty,

justifiably so, made no attempt to try and

cover up how he felt, yet was remarkable in

how he answered questions on behalf of BC

for the final time.

Seeing three men I had respected and

followed from October to April broken by a

crushing defeat was difficult. But that wasn’t

the hardest part. It was watching them all

walk by me.

As I had settled into my seat, poring over

my notes and the box score to come up with

the right way to talk about BC’s 3-2 loss to

Quinnipiac in the Frozen Four, I saw each

one pass me on the way back to the hotel.

Some had their heads down all the way

through. Others, the ones who appeared to

know they’d have another shot at it next year,

were laughing and talking with any one of

their 23 closest friends. The select few that

I had developed somewhat of a relationship

with over the year from my constant inter-

views—guys like Doherty, Austin Cangelosi,

Alex Tuch, and Zach Sanford—exchanged a

knowing head nod with me. And I chatted

with one in particular, senior Travis Jeke,

who sat next to me and Heights A1 Editor

Tom DeVoto in Mark Gelfand’s American

Journalism and Democracy class during the

fall semester. His sentiments were about the

same as any of theirs: “it just sucks.”

But despite the disappointing ending,

this was a team that fought through the most

difficult circumstances to reach Tampa, in

a season that should go down as one of the

more memorable in BC history. And it’s a

team that should be ready to be a force in

college hockey immediately come October.

The Eagles were faced with unseemly

preseason expectations. York’s crew came in

as a probably undeserving preseason No. 1

that seemed solely determined by the future

talent that the Eagles had instead of the cur-

rent one. There are plenty of names on BC’s

roster that you’ll be seeing in the NHL in the

future.

But it entered the year as the youngest

team in the nation, with an average age of

20 years, 11 months. That’s a full six months

younger than Michigan, the second-young-

est in the country. Entering the season, they

simply weren’t ready to play as a team that

could compete in college hockey. It doesn’t

mean that it should’ve been counted out,

but to open up the year as the team to beat

wasn’t a fair expectation.

It didn’t make it easier that BC had a

poor opening-season schedule. BC only

played one team that made the NCAA

Tournament (Denver) during a hot 11-game

winning streak in October and November. A

three-game slide against Notre Dame, lowly

Ohio State, and Providence in December

cast doubts as the gut of Hockey East play

loomed. Yet the forwards produced, big time.

Led by the emergence of Colin White and

Miles Wood, a breakout campaign by Ryan

Fitzgerald, and steady production from the

guys that BC knew it had in Tuch, Sanford,

Cangelosi, and Adam Gilmour, BC lost only

one game, the season’s final regular-season

game at UMass Lowell, before getting to the

playoffs.

Of course, no one was concerned about

those forwards. It was the men behind the

blue line that would be the big worry. How

could the Eagles recover from losing two of

the best defensemen in the country, Noah

Hanifin and Mike Matheson? Again, it wasn’t

for a lack of talent. Ian McCoshen and Steve

Santini were high draft picks, and Scott Sav-

See Reflections on MHOK, B3

It isn’t easy to tie in baseball. You

have to dig deep into the subsections

of the rule book to find the rare cases

when i t may

happen in the

Major Leagues,

and even then it’s not even called a tie

but a “suspended game,” which is sup-

posed to be made up at some point in

the season. That doesn’t mean it never

happens—the Houston Astros and

KRISTIN SALESKI / HEIGHTS STAFF

Cincinnati Reds finished a game in a tie

as recently as 2005—but pretty damn

close to never.

It’s a bit more common in college

baseball, where the conference schedule

is so set in stone that any games cancelled

over a weekend, such as the two Boston

College had against Florida State a week

ago, cannot be made up. It’s still very

uncommon, especially with lighting fix-

tures at parks, but on Sunday afternoon,

BC came about two minutes away from

ending without a winner or loser.

That is, until Scott Braren made it

5-4.

After Michael Strem flew out to start

the bottom of the 13th—the longest

game for BC (16-11, 5-8 Atlantic Coast)

since March 21 last year against North

Carolina State, and the longest for its

opponent, No. 16 Virginia (20-14, 7-

8), in its ACC history—Johnny Adams

picked up his first hit of the series: a

double into the right field gap. A walk, a

strikeout, and another strikeout left the

bases loaded for Scott Braren, who had

pinch hit a few innings earlier for Dono-

van Casey after the right fielder injured

his left hand on a slide into second.

Braren walked up to the plate at

6:05 p.m., just five minutes before the

6:10 cutoff time. That doesn’t mean the

game would have ended immediately

at 6:10, but no new innings are allowed

to begin after that time. This rule is

in place to protect the travel plans of

VirginiaBoston College

45

FRONT

2EAGLES BOBCATS3

MEN’S HOCKEY

JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

See Baseball vs. UVA, B4

THE HEIGHTS Monday, April 11, 2016B2

HOV HEATS UP Justin “Hov”

Dunn made his fi rst start of the

season for Birdball on Saturday

against UVA, throwing five

scoreless innings and garnering

attention from scouts for his up-

per-90s fastball. You can’t blame

’em for checking cheddar like a

food inspector.

YORK & CO. Despite the disap-

pointing result of the Frozen

Four, the Eagles truly played

their hearts out, and were a

miracle glove save away from

completing an incredible come-

back. Great season, boys.

BIRDS MAKING NOISE - Birdball is

offi cially out of its slump after

taking two of three from No. 16

Virginia, the defending national

champions. Both wins were in

walk-off fashion: Saturday fea-

tured a game-winning strikeout,

while Sunday’s contest lasted

fi ve hours and 13 innings before

BC fi nally prevailed.

ELS CATCHING L’S - We all know

how it feels to three-putt, but

imagine how Ernie Els felt when

he six-putted —all within four

feet of the hole—on the fi rst hole

of the Masters for a score of 10.

It was the worst opening hole in

the history of the tournament.

ENDANGERED SPEITH-IES - With

a comfortable lead heading into

the 12th hole of the Masters,

Jordan Speith collapsed, send-

ing two balls into the water for

an eventual quadruple bogey.

We’re all Speith-less.

SPRING FOOTBALL MANIA? - With

all the hype around the return

of football during spring scrim-

mages (Clemson drew over

50,000 fans to its April outing),

we ask the question: Will BC

crack four-digit attendance in its

spring game next week?

THUMBS

UP

THUMBS

DOWN

Like Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down?

Follow us @HeightsSports

ELISE AMENDOLA / AP PHOTO

EMILY FAHEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Emily Fahey / Heights EditorCupicatuidet L. Fulessedo, querfecta, nihilicii ineri fic

SPO

RTS

in S

HO

RT Numbers to Know Softball Standings Quote of the Week

Harvard’s Jimmy Vesey battles for control of the puck in front of the BC net.

Boston College lacrosse went

down to Durham, N.C. in search

of its second conference win.

Wi th a

majority

of oppo-

nents ranked in the top 15, BC

needed this win to prove that

they can compete with the best

of the best. With an opponent

close in ranking, the Eagles

knew this was a great opportu-

nity to get that win. But Duke

never makes things easy. No. 17

BC (7-6, 1-5 Atlantic Coast) fell

to No. 13 Duke University (9-5,

4-1) in a hard-fought 12-8 loss.

BC knew Duke had the ad-

vantage on its home turf and

decided to make things a little

more difficult for the Blue Dev-

ils by getting on the board

first. Less than two minutes

into the game, Kenzie Kent put

the Eagles on the board after

converting a free position goal.

But the 1-0 lead did not last for

long, as the Blue Devils fired

back and managed to amount a

quick 3-1 lead.

Tess Chandler pulled the

team within one after finding

the net twice halfway through

the first frame. And again, Duke

pulled away. With just over six

minutes left in the half, the Ea-

gles faced a three-goal deficit.

Sarah Mannelly found Kent

at the front of the net to give BC

another tally, but the Blue Dev-

ils netted another, causing the

Eagles to trail 7-4 at the half.

BC came out hot and tied

the game at seven after a goal

by Kate Weeks and two more by

Chandler. But Duke snapped the

Eagles’ 3-0 scoring streak, mak-

ing it a 9-7 game. Kent brought

BC back within one with 12

minutes remaining.

The Eagles offense fizzled

after that, while the Blue Dev-

ils snuck three more past Zoe

Ochoa. BC struggled to play

a tough game of catch-up and

ultimately fell 12-8 to Duke.

The Eagles struggled to get

the win they desperately needed.

Relying on two players to score

seven out of the eight goals is no

way to beat a deep Duke team.

While Kent and Chandler

managed to shine for a full 60

minutes, the rest of the BC

squad needs to pull together

to finish out the season with

tenacity.

Boston CollegeDuke

812

The bases were loaded with

one out in the bottom of the third

inning, and Annie Murphy stepped

to the plate. Murphy laced a hit up

the middle, driving in two runs

and giving Boston College softball

a 3-2 lead. Th e Eagles never looked

back.

On a cold, windy Sunday after-

noon in Chestnut Hill, the Eagles

(20-15, 4-5 Atlantic Coast) sent

right-handed pitcher Allyson Frei

to take on North Carolina (22-19,

7-8) and its left-handed pitcher,

Lauren Fuller.

Both off enses started strong and

faded as the game went on. In the

fi rst inning, North Carolina second

baseman Taylor Wike ripped a

triple down the fi rst-base line with

one out, but the Tar Heels could

not seize the opportunity to get on

the board fi rst. In the bottom half

of the inning, the Eagles made them

pay. Murphy drove in the fi rst of her

four RBIs with runners on fi rst and

third after sending a hard ground

ball up the middle.

Frei struggled mightily with

control in her second and fi nal in-

ning for the Eagles. Th e Tar Heels

managed to score two runs to take

the lead, despite failing to record

a single hit after Frei surrendered

four walks and hit one batter. Fortu-

nately for BC, the fi nal batter of the

inning put the ball in play directly at

right fi elder Taylor Coroneos.

Jessica Dreswick relieved Frei in

the third inning, and she recorded

an impressive fi ve scoreless innings.

She only registered one strikeout,

but trusted her fielders to make

plays. The wind was certainly a

factor, as fl y balls to the outfi eld

were a bit trickier and tailed toward

the lines, but the Eagles were pre-

pared. Th e infi elders also excelled,

attacking ground balls to avoid bad

hops and making quick throws to

record outs.

After Murphy gave the Eagles

the lead in the bottom of the third

inning, sound defense and solid

pitching allowed them to keep it.

BC scrapped together a couple of

insurance runs as the game pro-

gressed, as Chloe Sharabba hit a

sacrifi ce fl y in the third inning and

Murphy hit a sacrifice fly in the

fifth inning. The Eagles avoided

the sweep with a 5-2 victory. After

coming up short in both games

of a doubleheader on Saturday,

this Sunday afternoon victory was

needed.

Th e second game of Saturday’s

doubleheader proved to be heart-

breaking for the Eagles. Despite

posting eight hits and only allow-

ing three, BC went down 4-3. Frei

pitched the entire game for BC

while Fuller earned the win, and

LACROSSE

SOFTBALL

TAMPA, Fla. — Just because

the college hockey season is over

for some doesn’t mean the ac-

colades stop coming. Players tend

to not focus on awards, especially

in the wake of defeat for their re-

spective teams, preferring only to

focus on raising a championship

trophy over their heads at the end

of the season. But when it comes

to winning college hockey’s most

prestigious honor, a season can

be memorable without a banner.

For Harvard’s Jimmy Vesey, that

season is this season.

Announced at the Tampa Th e-

atre on Friday evening, Vesey has

won the Hobey Baker Award for

the best player in college hockey.

Vesey is the fourth player in

Harvard history to win the award,

joining Mark Fusco (1983), Scott

Fusco (1986), and Lane McDonald

(1989). Th e senior forward from

North Reading, Mass. finished

17th in the nation with 46 points—

24 goals and 22 assists—despite

playing the fewest games out of

any player in the top 75 (33), given

Harvard’s minimized schedule.

He is a two-time Hobey Hat Trick

fi nalist and two-time First-Team

All-ECAC. Vesey also won ECAC

Player of the Year in 2015-16. Th e

left winger made waves in the

hockey world when he turned

down an off er from the Nashville

Predators, the team that selected

him in the third round of the 2012

NHL Draft, to graduate Harvard

with the rest of his class and go

into the summer as an unrestricted

free agent.

In the process, Vesey beat

out Michigan’s Kyle Connor and

Boston College’s own Thatcher

Demko.

Connor, a freshman forward

from Shelby Township, Mich., was

the nation’s leading scorer of 2015-

16 with 71 points, as well as the

country’s top goal-scorer with 35. He

also had 36 assists, tying him with

New Hampshire’s Tyler Kelleher

for third place. Earlier this season,

he was named Big Ten Freshman of

the Year and Player of the Year. Con-

nor is a 2015 fi rst-round draft pick

of the Winnipeg Jets and is likely to

sign after this season.

Demko, a three-year starter for

the Eagles, fi nished eighth in the

country among qualifying goal-

tenders with a 1.88 goals against

average, and fourth with a .935 save

percentage. He did, however, come

away with another prize—the Mike

Richter Award for the nation’s best

goaltender.

MEN’S HOCKEY

Lynch came in for the save for the

Tar Heels. A key two-run home run

opened up the scoring for North

Carolina, as Kristen Brown deliv-

ered in the third inning. BC tied up

the game after Tatiana Cortez hit a

solo home run in the fourth inning,

but North Carolina responded with

two more runs in the fi fth. Cortez

drove in another run in the fi fth

inning to cut the lead to one run,

but the Eagles failed to send home

the game-tying run.

Th e fi rst game of the double-

header started off as a pitcher’s

duel between North Carolina’s

Kendra Lynch and BC’s Dreswick.

After three innings, both teams

had managed to only earn one hit

each. In the bottom of the fourth,

however, the Eagles struck fi rst and

scored their only two runs of the

game. Th at lead would not hold up,

as Dreswick ran out of gas in the

sixth inning. Kendra Lynch helped

her own cause with a two-run home

run, and the Tar Heels took the

lead after a throwing error. In the

seventh inning, North Carolina

added a few insurance runs after

a three-run home run by the other

pitcher, Fuller. Th e Tar Heels held

on in the bottom of the seventh to

win 6-2.

Having a short memory is im-

portant in softball, whether it’s for-

getting a mistake within a game or

forgetting about the previous day’s

losses. Th e Eagles fought hard in the

third game of the series and earned

a win despite the heartbreaking

doubleheader the day before. When

Murphy stepped up to the plate in

the third inning, she made sure

that the Eagles would regain the

lead and Dreswick made sure that

BC would not give it up down the

stretch.

TAYLOR PERISON / HEIGHTS STAFF

A BC hitter looks to the umpire for the verdict of a pitch on the outside corner during Sunday’s game against UNC.

THE HEIGHTSMonday, April 11, 2016 B3

poked out to Kevin McKernan.The

sophomore defenseman blasted it home

to give Quinnipiac a 1-0 lead only 2:31

into the game.

Five minutes later, pandemonium en-

sued again. Strong work along the boards

by QU’s Travis St. Denis after a turnover

allowed Andrew Taverner to take advan-

tage. Not even halfway through the first,

BC found itself in a 2-0 hole, one that any

team knows is too deep to dig out of.

“Two goals in the first 10 minutes

is unacceptable,” team captain Teddy

Doherty said. “And it cost us the game.”

Other teams would’ve quit. A team

coached by Jerry York isn’t one that

quits.

BC needed to get some quick offen-

sive production—the team only got seven

shots on Garteig in the first period. Alex

Tuch was happy to oblige.

Off the opening draw, White skated

down the middle of the ice with a rocket

that bounced off Garteig to the right.

Tuch was there to eat up the rebound to

cut Quinnipiac’s lead in half. All of a sud-

den, a strong attack led by Adam Gilmour

and Zach Sanford appeared destined to

end BC’s first-period woes.

Yet BC’s Achilles’ heel, along with

some poor puck luck, struck again.

After Ian McCoshen took a seat for a

cross-check, the Bobcats rushed Demko

in net. The goaltender stifled their attack,

but a stray puck flew in front of an open

net. Landon Smith was there to make the

Eagles pay. Any momentum BC would get

in the second was quickly gone.

Rand Pecknold’s crew seemed deter-

mined to allow the Eagles back into the

game. The Bobcats were peppered with

penalties throughout—two in the first,

one in the second, and two in the third, as

well as the three by Tim Clifton—giving

BC a consistent man advantage.

But every time the Eagles got the ad-

vantage, Quinnipiac was there. A strong

forecheck kept BC off-balance. Every

time a forward had the puck and aimed

toward Garteig, two Bobcats swarmed

and mobbed him, whether with a stick or

a body. They eliminated the Eagles’ pass-

ing lanes and tracked the puck wherever

it went. And man, did it frustrate BC.

“I think they played within the struc-

ture well,” alternate captain Steve Santini

said of Quinnipiac’s penalty kill. “They

knew who our top guys were and what

we were trying to do. So we’ve got to give

a lot of credit to Quinnipiac.”

On the final one, BC solved Quin-

nipiac’s plan. Tanner MacMaster—a

former BC commit—headed to the box

for tripping Tuch. It looked like another

failure after Austin Cangelosi’s blast was

deflected by Alex Minor-Barron. But with

time about to expire on a fifth power

play, Ryan Fitzgerald pushed through

QU defenseman Devon Toews to cut the

lead to 3-2.

With the clock winding down, York

pulled Demko for a final gasp. The Eagles

did their best on the attack, with several

great chances on Garteig that the goal-

tender turned away. And, of course, he

saved his best for last.

Despite the loss, York and the Eagles

will come out of Tampa with their heads

held high. An immense amount of pres-

sure was placed on the team as the year

began—despite all of the freshmen and

clear holes, BC was the preseason No. 1

team in the nation. But there were times

the Eagles looked like a team destined for

a one-and-done year, especially after an

embarrassing 5-4 loss to Northeastern in

the Hockey East Semifinals. The lack of

confidence entering the big dance wasn’t

lost on this team.

“I think a lot of people underesti-

mated us coming into this tournament,”

Doherty said.

Underestimate they did. The Eagles

righted every wrong and came back

strong against Harvard and Duluth. They

nearly did the same against Quinnipiac.

“I liked the way we rebounded,” York

said. “Even though it was 3-1, I thought

we had the capability of coming back, and

came within a fraction of it. I mentioned

Frozen Four, from B1

MEN’S HOCKEY

Reflections on MHOK, from B1

Junior Thatcher Demko finished with a .935 save percentage and 1.88 goals against average.

TAMPA, Fla. — They don’t call him

the best in the country for nothing.

Boston College’s Thatcher Demko

has won the Mike Richter Award, in

honor of the best goaltender in all of

college hockey. The junior received

the award at Champions Sports Bar at

the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel

during ESPN’s Talk Frozen Four and

#CawlidgeHawkey event, hosted by John

Buccigross and Barry Melrose.

Demko finished seventh in the nation

among qualifying goaltenders with a

1.88 goals against average and .935 save

percentage. He played the third-most

minutes in the country—2,361:48—de-

spite coming off double-hip labrum

surgery in the offseason. Demko also

led the nation in shutouts with 10, a

new single-season program record for

BC surpassing Cory Schneider.

Demko has received several awards

this season, including Second-Team All-

American, First-Team All-Hockey East,

All-New England, and Co-Hockey East

Player of the Year, which he shared with

UMass Lowell goaltender Kevin Boyle.

He was also a Hobey Hat Trick finalist,

losing to Harvard’s Jimmy Vesey earlier

in the night. Demko’s 1-0 overtime shut-

out in the 2016 Beanpot against Boston

University will go down as one of the

greatest single-game performances by a

BC goaltender in program history.

The San Diego, Calif. native is the

third winner of this award, following

Lowell’s Connor Hellebuyck and North

Dakota’s Zane McIntyre. He has been a

finalist in each of his three seasons at BC.

Demko beat out Boyle, North Dakota’s

Cam Johnson, St. Cloud State’s Charlie

Lindgren, and Yale’s Alex Lyon.

The award was named after New

York Rangers great Mike Richter, a goal-

tender who spent 14 years in the NHL en

route to an induction in the U.S. Hockey

Hall of Fame.

A 2014 second-round pick by the

Vancouver Canucks, Demko is consid-

ered likely to sign, ending his three-

year run as starter for the Eagles. As

of this publication, however, Demko

has stated he will wait before making a

decision.

age was a solid three-year starter. It was just

a matter of that depth, with Josh Couturier,

Casey Fitzgerald, and, later, Michael Kim all

coming in undersized and young. But as I’ve

written (ad nauseum, I might add), the Eagles

overcame and created a strong defensive unit

in front of the goaltender.

Not that they needed to.

The best part about covering this team

was knowing the narrative from start to fin-

ish. Members of The Heights’ editorial board

are in their positions for a full calendar year.

That means one spring and one fall semester.

It may work for other sections, but it makes

things a little confusing for sports. You have

the full football season, but you go into

spring practice without knowing the team’s

intricacies. You dive right into hockey and

basketball in the middle of the season, often

the stories already written for the year to

come. It made taking the beat as sports edi-

tor for 2015 difficult, especially as a freshman

who didn’t understand why a program built

on the reputation of its offensive production

had such a problem scoring.

This year, my second term as sports edi-

tor, I got the full package—getting to decide

what went in the preview, who deserved to

be featured, starting the season from the

beginning and going through the end. And

the story of 2015-16 was Thatcher Demko.

Without question, Demko was the most

talented and NHL-ready player in college

hockey this season. Brock Boeser, Kyle Con-

nor, Matt Grzelyck, Zach Werenski, Drake

Caggiula, and Jimmy Vesey can make an

argument, but I dare any to go mano-y-mano

with Demko. It was just a matter of Demko

holding up from his double-hip labrum

surgery in the offseason.

27-8-4 record. 1.88 goals against average.

.935 save percentage. That unbelievable

performance in the Beanpot. All worthy of

the Mike Richter Award. I’d say Demko did

just fine this year.

Brace yourself, because here’s where the

story takes its unfortunate turn.

Wood and Santini are gone. The New

Jersey Devils have snatched them up to stave

off a Vesey-esque departure after free agency

would release them next year. Doherty is

gone as well, ready to start a career as an un-

drafted free agent for the New York Islanders

that will be an absolute steal by the time he

hits the big-league club.

Tuch and Sanford are flight risks, as

are Chris Calnan, Gilmour, Fitzgerald, and

McCoshen. White is almost certainly out

the door. The Canucks general manager was

in Tampa to talk to Demko and his family

the day after the loss to convince him that,

despite Vancouver’s failures with countless

goaltenders in the past—ones that Roberto

Luongo, Cory Schneider, and Ryan Miller

all know very well—British Columbia is still

for him. It’s a hard discussion to have with

a 20-something. Do you leave college early

and get paid now, guaranteeing that you’ll

earn something without risk of injury or

poor performance while playing for nothing?

(Ask Marcus Lattimore what he thinks about

that.) Or do you get your college degree for

life after hockey and become a free agent to

get a luxury most young players in sports

don’t get: choosing your team? Kevin Hayes

worked the system to perfection, as did

Vesey.

So when the dust settles, BC’s worst-case

scenario is losing its starting goaltender, two

top defensemen, and five of the top six point-

scorers. If all of the players who could leave

do leave—including Jeke and Doherty—that’s

309 of BC’s 438 points. That’ll hurt any team.

But when is a team coached by Jerry York

just “any team?”

BC has dealt with massive attrition in the

past. After 2012-13, the Eagles lost Parker

Milner—the goaltender who almost single-

handedly won the 2012 National Champion-

ship—as well as Pat Mullane, Brooks Dyroff,

and Steven Whitney. In 2013-14, the team’s

most recent Frozen Four trip before this

year, York lost 2014 Hobey Baker winner

Johnny Gaudreau, Hayes, Bill Arnold, Isaac

MacLeod, and Patrick Brown. Those five

players alone combined for 239 of BC’s 461

points in 2014.

The Eagles are guaranteed to keep Mat-

thew Gaudreau, who had a blazing start to

the season before tapering off toward the

end. They’ll also have Cangelosi, one of the

most dangerous centers in the country off

the draw and as a goal scorer. My hunch

is, despite their draft status, Gilmour and

Calnan are likely to stay. Calnan is poised to

be next year’s captain and make the patented

“senior jump” that we’ve seen from York’s

guys in the past, and Gilmour’s growth

makes me think he’ll jump solidly into the

top-50 in scoring. Minnesota and Chicago

will try to take them away, but I don’t think

those two will take the bait. Christopher

Brown and J.D. Dudek, both of whom

showed flashes of brilliance (albeit small

ones), will see more playing time next season.

Chris Shero will also see some playing time

and should be a good factor for the team. If

Tuch and Sanford stay, they’ll create a bruis-

ing duo that could be in the top- 10 in scor-

ing in the country. If Ryan Fitzgerald stays,

put him on Hobey Watch. From behind the

blue line, Casey Fitzgerald, Couturier, and

Kim will have to anchor the team, along with

Savage.

As he always does, York has another

talented recruiting class coming to Chestnut

Hill. BC has a top-10 recruit in 6-foot-2, 200-

pound forward David Cotton, a sixth-round

draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes. BC

will also toss in a young and speedy forward

in Graham McPhee, son of George McPhee,

who won the Hobey Baker Award in 1982

when York coached at Bowling Green.

Several defensemen will also join the Eagles,

including Finnish native Jesper Mattila, Con-

nor Moore, Michael Campoli, and Luke Mc-

Innis, son of assistant coach Marty McInnis.

Between the pipes, BC will add Joseph Woll,

a 6-foot-2 backstop who is highly touted after

coming out of the United States National

Team Development Program. Should Demko

depart, he’ll likely have to fight off Chris

Birdsall and Ian Milosz for the starting spot

in goal next year. This class isn’t as strong as

last year’s, but it’s certainly one that will keep

the Eagles more than competitive in Hockey

East (and beyond).

It’s not a rebuild, but merely a reload for

the Eagles. I can’t say what the identity of

next year’s team will be just yet, not until the

decisions of so many important players are

finalized.

What is a guarantee is that the Eagles will

be back in the hunt for another title, as long

as Mr. 1,000 is behind the bench. Even as the

Demko era apparently reaches its end, the

future looks brighter than ever. For the sec-

ond time in three seasons, the Eagles made

the Frozen Four as the youngest team in the

country. There’s no reason we can’t expect

them in Chicago next year.

And when I write that story in April of

2017, I hope the players will pass me by with

a happier walk.

to our team maybe another minute there

in the game, we might have. But you only

play 60 minutes.”

Now it comes down to a waiting game.

Doherty, the team’s leader and key senior,

will depart. In an emotional final press

conference, Doherty praised how much

it means to him to be a Boston College

hockey player and represent the players,

coaches, and University in the way that

he did. BC will also await the fates of

several of its highly-drafted players, such

as Tuch, White, McCoshen, Sanford, and

Santini. The most important to watch

is Demko, a Hobey Hat Trick finalist,

and Mike Richter Award winner, whose

NHL team—the Vancouver Canucks—is

anxiously awaiting his decision.

At their best, the Eagles mobbed

Garteig with an onslaught of shots that

came from all directions. At their worst,

they scuffled in their own zone, allowed

Quinnipiac to get off easy attempts on

Demko, couldn’t control the puck off the

draw—their best skill—and failed on the

power play.

“We just took a little too long to get

our feet under us, and by the time we

started playing as a team and playing BC

hockey, it was a little too late,” Fitzgerald

said. “We knew what type of team they

were. We did our homework. We didn’t

execute early enough.”

When it mattered most, the Eagles’

Cinderella run turned back into a pump-

kin. And throughout the rest of the game,

they looked poised to continue the fai-

rytale, fighting back in a way only a York-

coached team knows how to do.

But it came down to a desperation

heave. And it never should have come

to that.

JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Ryan Fitzgerald (19, top) and Alex Tuch (12, bottom left) scored the Eagles’ two goals, but it was Quinnipiac who celebrated Thursday.

THE HEIGHTS Monday, April 11, 2016 B4

Men’s track and field traveled to Princeton to compete in the Sam Howell

Invitational this weekend. BC had a strong showing at the meet. Nicholas Nash

claimed first place in the 200-meter event, and Oliver Boucher claimed third in

the 400-meter dash. Evan Gray and Darren James finished in sixth and seventh,

respectively, in the 400m event. Brian McDavitt finished second in the 1,500-

meter event.

It was a fi tting ending for Boston

College baseball against the reigning

national champions.

After scor-

ing two early

runs against

University of Virginia starter (and

leadoff hitter) Adam Haseley, the Eagles

went quiet. As the sun went down and

Shea Field went cold, so did BC’s bats.

Th e Cavalier pitching staff retired 18

straight hitters after the third inning,

and owned all the momentum after

Pavin Smith tied the game at 2-2 with a

blistering RBI double in the sixth.

So how did head coach Mike Gam-

bino’s crew pull out a win against No.

16 Virginia?

A walk-off strikeout.

Gambino must practice that play all

the time.

The two-out, ninth-inning rally

started when pinch hitter Chris Balogh

singled up the middle against UVA clos-

er Tommy Doyle, who relieved Haseley

after eight innings of fi ve-hit ball. In-

serted into the game as a pinch runner,

Dominic Hardaway quickly made his

presence felt when he stole second and

advanced to third on an errant throw

from catcher Matt Th aiss.

Meanwhile, shortstop Johnny Adams

stood at the plate. He was hitless on the

day but made a crucial, run-saving play

up the middle in the fi fth inning. Adams

has struggled at the plate this year, hit-

ting only .200, but has found ways to

make impacts elsewhere. With two outs

and two strikes, Adams chased a break-

ing ball in the dirt, leaving Th aiss with

the duty of throwing the ball to fi rst base

to put a stamp on the strikeout.

But Adams was clever. As the junior

sprinted toward the base, he veered to

the left of the base line to block Th aiss’

throwing angle toward the bag. At third

base, Hardaway waited for the ball to

leave Th aiss’ hands before breaking for

the plate.

Thaiss’ throw glanced off of Ad-

ams’ leg, scooting away from the fi rst

baseman and giving the Eagles (15-11,

4-8 Atlantic Coast) a 3-2 victory over

Virginia (20-13, 7-7), their fi rst win in

10 days.

“You just gotta fi nd a way,” Adams

said. “I got a little bit up inside the base-

line—probably a little more than I’m

allowed to—but we’ll take it. Anything

to get a win.”

While the storyline will most likely

revolve around the paradoxical final

play, the real heroes of Saturday were

Birdball’s pitchers

Ex-closer Justin Dunn earned his

fi rst start of the season for BC, replac-

ing Jesse Adams as the Saturday arm.

Th e junior fl amethrower attracted an

entourage of radar guns to his outing,

as scouts waited with baited breath for

a “97 mph” to fl ash across the screen.

Th ey got plenty of those.

From the fi rst pitch of the game—a

97-mph high heater that Haseley couldn’t

catch up to—to late in the fi fth inning,

Dunn’s fastball rarely dipped below the

upper-90s. And, more importantly, he

kept his go-to pitch down in the zone,

away from the powerhouses of Virginia’s

sluggers.

If there was any discomfort with his

transition from the bullpen to starting

role, no one noticed it. Dunn appeared

relaxed, poised, and confident as his

favorite rapper, Jay-Z, played before

each inning and his signature gold chain

bounced freely around his neck.

Held to a strict pitch count in his fi rst

start, Dunn was pulled before the sixth

inning, but his line was impressive none-

theless: fi ve innings, two hits, zero runs,

fi ve strikeouts, and only one walk.

Middle reliever Brian Rapp took

over for Dunn and lost the lead after

Smith’s RBI double. In need of a reliable

pitcher in the later innings—a situation

normally reserved for Dunn—Gam-

bino called upon Adams, the very same

pitcher he had swapped for Dunn to

start the game.

Th e switcheroo paid dividends.

Adams kept the game tied despite

running into trouble during the eighth

inning. Ernie Clement pounded a lead-

off double down the left-fi eld line, and

advanced to third on a grounder to the

right side. Gambino elected to inten-

tionally walk Smith, putting runners

on the corners with only one out. With

shortstop Daniel Pinero, who had two

strikeouts in three prior plate appear-

ances, up to bat, the Cavaliers chose to

run a suicide-squeeze bunt, but Adams

was ready for it.

He and catcher Nick Sciortino co-

ordinated a fastball high and outside

to make it diffi cult for Pinero to push

the bunt toward the chalk. The bunt

catapulted right back to Adams, who

glove-fl ipped it home while charging

toward the plate. Sciortino laid the tag

down, and the crisis was averted.

Adams would go on to allow just one

hit in 2 1/3 innings of work, picking up

his third win of the season.

“Sometimes you got a guy No. 2 or

No. 3 in the order, and you drop him

down to No. 7, and all of a sudden they

relax and start swinging it. Th at’s kinda

what Jesse did,” Gambino said of his

transition to the bullpen. “All of a sud-

den, it was like, ‘Alright, cool, just let

me go pitch.’ He was great today. It was

awesome to see.”

Th e win also marked the fi rst home

game for Birdball that truly felt like a

spring baseball atmosphere. Fans and

alumni packed into Shea Field to wit-

ness Dunn’s debut as a starter against

last year’s champions. Kids sprinted

and competed for control of foul balls.

Onlookers chirped at the officiating

crew when a questionable call didn’t

go their way. At long last, the Birdcage

returned.

And for those who stayed all nine

innings despite the rapidly dropping

temperature, it was an ending that won’t

be forgotten anytime soon.

“Can’t get anything past the Bird-

cage,” Dunn said. “It has a lot of wild

tricks up its sleeve.”

BASEBALL

KRISTEN SALESKI / HEIGHTS STAFF

Scott Braren’s walk-off single drove teammate Johnny Adams home for the victory against UVA.

VirginiaBoston College

23

ROUND UP BY ANNABEL STEELE | ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

M. T

RACK

Women’s tennis took a road trip to North Carolina this weekend to play Duke and the University of North Carolina. On Saturday BC fell to No. 8 Duke, 6-1. All three doubles teams lost, and five of the six singles matches also went Duke’s way. But Asiya Dair ensured that the Eagles would get at least one point on the day. Dair defeated Chalena Scholl on the number one singles court to claim the Eagles’ only point against Duke. On Sunday, BC traveled to Chapel Hill to face the No. 2 Tar Heels. UNC proved to be too much for the Eagles, claiming a 6-1 lead on the day. The Tar Heels won all three doubles matches and five of the singles matches. Emily Safron defeated Kate Vialle, 7-5, to contribute BC’s only point on the day. W

. TEN

NIS

M. T

ENN

IS

Boston College men’s tennis defeated Brandeis University 5-2 on Saturday at home. The Judges picked up the doubles point after winning two of the three matches, falling only to Hank Workman and Kyle Childree. BC made up for the doubles losses in the singles matches, winning five of the six total contests to take the match. Workman picked up another win in straight sets. Meanwhile, Aidan McNulty, Alexandre Thirouin, Kent Mukai, and Will Turner also defeated their Brandeis counterparts.

Women’s track and field headed to New Haven, Conn., for Yale’s Mark T.Young Invitational this weekend. The Eagles dominated the 200-meter event,making up five of the top six finishers. BC’s Molly McCabe finished first in the400m dash, while Julia Barron won the 100-meter hurdles event. The Eagles alsohad a strong showing in the 800-meter run, contributing the second- throughsixth-place finishers. W

. TRA

CK

travel plans of teams fl ying home on Sun-

day, who are already required by the ACC to

book the latest possible fl ight to minimize

such cutoff s.

Th at time never came. At 6:08 p.m.,

fi ve hours and one minute after starter

Mike King had fi red the fi rst pitch, Braren

knocked a single in between fi rst and sec-

ond, bringing Adams home from third and

his team fl ying out of the dugout, mobbing

him on his way toward second.

“I hadn’t been in that position, so I didn’t

really know what to do,” Braren said. “It was

a feeling I’ll defi nitely never forget.”

Th is base hit by Braren gave BC a big

series win in the ACC, in which the team

has struggled since taking two of three

from NC State in the opening weekend

of conference play. But the Eagles almost

hadn’t gotten that far, having to come from

far behind in the 10th.

BC had already stolen one game from

Virginia on a walkoff strikeout the day

before, and had rallied once to take a 1-1

score into extra innings. In the top half of

the frame, righty John Nicklas returned for

his third inning of relief, looking sharp after

allowing a pair of hits in his fi rst inning.

After getting the fi rst batter to fl y out, he

allowed a base hit and a sacrifi ce bunt to

put a UVA baserunner on second.

With the power-hitting Matt Thaiss

coming up, BC head coach Mike Gambino

opted to intentionally walk Th aiss and then

brought in lefty Kevin Connor to face UVA’s

cleanup hitter, Pavin Smith. Connor has

served primarily as a lefty specialist, get-

ting both Th aiss and Smith out on Friday,

but prior to that had rough outings in

pressure situations against Connecticut

and Pittsburgh.

Th e pressure was even higher on Sun-

day, but Gambino opted to play the lefty-

lefty matchup instead of sticking it out with

Nicklas, or going to a more proven bullpen

option like Bobby Skogsbergh, who was

available and warming.

“Matt Th eiss is one of the most danger-

ous hitters in the country,” Gambino said.

“[Connor] had gotten Smith out two days

ago and we liked the matchup of what we

had with [Connor] against Smith better

than Nicklas against Th eiss with fi rst base

open.”

Connor’s first pitch was a hanging

fastball, and Smith sent it sailing over the

right-fi eld fence, giving UVA a comfort-

able 4-1 lead heading into the bottom of

the 10th.

But BC got going right away. Joe Cronin

and Braren knocked back-to-back base hits,

Stephen Sauter struck out, and then Nick

Sciortino was hit by a pitch to load the

bases. After Gian Martellini fouled out in

his pinch hit at bat, it was left to Michael

Strem, who was dropped to seventh in the

order after going hitless in the fi rst two

games of the series.

Down to BC’s fi nal out, Strem deliv-

ered.

He sent a line-drive double down the

left-fi eld line to clear the bases, with Ga-

briel Hernandez, who had pinch run for

Sciortino, just sliding ahead of the throw

at home. All in all, Strem went 3-6 with a

run and those three RBIs, a day befi tting

the slugger more than his 0-3 days Friday

and Saturday.

“I was more on the attack today, more

on the hanging curveballs and fastballs,”

Strem said. “I found some holes.”

Strem’s and Adams’ doubles, BC’s big-

gest hits of the game, both came against

the bullpen of UVA, which had not seen

much action until Sunday. After getting

a complete-game, one-hitter from Con-

nor Jones on Friday and eight innings of

two-run ball from Adam Haseley Saturday,

Virginia turned to Alec Bettinger, a reliever

making his fi rst start of the season. He was

sharp in his fi rst four innings, which had

been about the goal for him entering the

game, but with a healthy pitch count he was

brought back for the fi fth. It was then

that Strem singled, Adams laid down

a sacrifi ce bunt, and Logan Hoggarth

drove in the Eagles’ fi rst run.

Bettinger departed after that inning,

leaving BC to work on a bullpen that

isn’t as sharp as its rotation—only David

Rosenberger pitched a perfect inning.

“We couldn’t get to the bullpen Friday

or Saturday night, so cracking into the

pen was big,” Strem said. “We got it going

at the end, fi nally.”

On the other side, besides the one

mistake by Connor, BC’s pitching was

top-notch. King delivered a characteris-

tically strong performance, going seven

innings and allowing just one run. He

was narrowly bailed out from potential

trouble in the sixth inning, when UVA

began with a double and a walk.

After a muff ed pickoff play by Scior-

tino allowed the runner to advance to

third, Smith hit a fl y ball to right fi eld a

deep enough distance that should have

plated a run. Casey, the right fi elder, fi red

a strike to home, where Sciortino placed

down the tag just as the runner slid in. It

was a close call that might have gone the

other way with video replay, but it was

nevertheless a fantastic outfi eld assist.

Casey’s next time at the plate, how-

ever, he sent a double down the left-fi eld

line. As he went into second, he dove

forward for his slide too late, barreling

into the second baseman and injuring

his hand. He’d remain in the game for

a couple of innings before he was re-

placed by Braren, the eventual hero of

the game.

Th ough Sunday’s highlight came long

after King had fi nished for the day, his

performance, along with the solid outings

from Jacob Stevens and newly-returned

starter Justin Dunn, are perhaps the

key takeaways from the weekend. After

watching Jesse Adams struggle to make

quality starts on Saturday, pitching coach

Jim Foster had the idea to switch things

up, something that Gambino said he

was hesitant about at fi rst. Yet after the

three great outings from the starters,

along with Adams hurling 3 1/3 score-

less innings in relief—not to mention

picking up both wins in the series—he’s

convinced.

“[It’s great] when you have staff like

that coming up with good ideas, and

Coach Murphy did an unbelievable job

with the infi eld this week … those guys

both did an unbelievable job this week-

end,” Gambino said.

Baseball vs. UVA, from B1

THE HEIGHTSThursday, January 17, 2014 B5

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THE HEIGHTS Monday, April 11, 2016B6

In many ways, Deftones’ newest

studio album release is a self-fulfilling

prophecy. Gore may be a step in the

right direction, but there’s no escaping

the fact that it is a violent, caustic mess

of sounds and images. This is not even

a criticism—in fact, for a band that has

not released an album in four years,

Gore’s tone works surprisingly well. The

blood and guts of Deftones is here in the

best way possible, even if it is a messy

ride along the way.

The previous Deftones album, Koi No Yokan, was an interesting insight into

the potential of the band but ultimately

failed to deliver any substance, save

the second song, “Romantic Dreams.”

It is clear

that Def-

tones has

learned

from

its mis-

takes,

shoring up everything from pacing, to

lyricism, to instrumental work.

Gore opens with the song “Prayers

/ Triangles,” which does well to set the

mood of the work. Lead vocalist Chino

Moreno’s first foray into the stylings

of Deftones’ trademark metal sound

is an impressive homage to the work

of Chi Cheng, the band’s previous lead

singer. His passing, not only extremely

tragic for the band and his family,

could have potentially ended the band’s

long-running work—however, in this

iteration of Deftones, vocals could not

be stronger.

Much like the name of the album

itself, the title of Gore’s second song,

“Acid Hologram,” leads listeners down

the path of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Though rooted in its metal upbring-

ings, the work very much sounds as if it

were influenced by a more psychedelic

style—a risky choice that both helps and

hurts the album in a variety of ways.

This laid-back, “trippy” type of work

from Deftones gains traction in the

category of exploration, proving that

the band is not afraid to take risks. In

certain areas, it pulls it off well: “Xenon,”

“(L)MIRL,” and “Phantom Bride” are

heavily layered in this sound, which

creates a new foothold for the band in

the minds of listeners. On the other

end of the spectrum, however, comes

the messier pieces of Gore. “Geometric

Headdress” and “Hearts / Wires” over-

incorporate psychedelics into Deftones’

original metal stylings, a mix that be-

comes too much to handle for even the

most devoted listener.

The problems, unfortunately, do

not end here. As with much of new-

age-style music, much of Gore has a

tendency to run together, failing to de-

note the beginning and end of each indi-

vidual track. On the surface level, this is

not problematic, but it hints at a larger

problem: not enough songs and sounds

on Gore are unique enough to make

more than a couple of impacts on the

listener. This is bound to happen when

engaging in the level of genre-mixing

that Deftones has taken part in, but it is

no less excusable because of it.

“Gore”—the titular song—is un-

questionably the highest point of the

entire work. It sounds the most like the

Deftones of days gone by—raw emotion,

pure metal, without too much angst to

overwhelm the technicals of the song.

And though it is the least innovative,

“Gore” is also the most surprising. The

band has made a massive, structured

transition between genres, lead sing-

ers, and styles, but the root of the art

they create has remained undoubtedly

good. For any Deftones fan, this will be

a breath of fresh air.

Though this shift has occurred the

story remains the same for Deftones.

To remain (or become, perhaps) cultur-

ally relevant, one of two things must

take place. Deftones must remaster

the old or shore up the problems with

the new.

The band finds its raw skill in the

field of metal—should the members

choose to return to this road for the next

album, no blame would be laid upon any

of their shoulders.

With the release of Gore, however,

the band has proved that it can innovate

how it sees fit. If this continues to take

place, Deftones must strike the right

balance between psychedelic rock and

metal—otherwise, the band may see its

following begin to dwindle.

For nearly four years, Th e Lumineers’ fans

have been listening to the same album—the

band’s self-titled debut, featuring successful

singles “Ho Hey” and “Stubborn Love.” With

the band on a world tour and no sign of new

music, many resigned themselves to believing

that the band would be another failed attempt at

a folk-rock

crossover,

similar

to Shep-

p a rd o r

American

Authors.

With its sophomore release Cleopatra, how-

ever, Th e Lumineers have proven that they

will continue to fi ll the niche carved out for

hauntingly honest songwriters in the best-

seller charts.

With Cleopatra, the band trades in what

frontman Wesley Schultz described as the

“innocent demo feeling” of its fi rst album for

a fuller, heavier sound. Rather than writing

catchy acoustic songs, the group layers gritty

1

DUALTONE RECORDS

TITLE WEEKEND GROSS WEEKS IN RELEASE

1. THE BOSS 23.5 1

2. BATMAN V SUPERMAN 23.4 3

3. ZOOTOPIA 14.3 6

4. MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING 2 6.4 3

5. HARDCORE HENRY 5.0 1

6. MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN 4.8 4

7. GOD’S NOT DEAD 2 4.3 2

8. ALLEGIANT 3.6 4

9. 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE 3.0 5

10. EYE IN THE SKY 2.8 5

SOURCE: New York Times

1. FOOL ME ONCEHarlan Coben

2. PRIVATE PARIS James Patterson

3. THE NESTCynthia Sweeney

4. PROPERTY OF A NOBLEWOMANKristin Hannah

5. ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE Anthony Doee

6. GIRL ON THE TRAINPaula Hawkins

7. THE SUMMER BEFORE THE WARHelen Simonson

8. THE NIGHTINGALE Kristen Hannah9. OFF THE GRID C. J. Box10. THE GANGSTER Clive Cussler

HARDCOVER FICTION BESTSELLERS

3

WALT DISNEY PICTURESGOREDeftones

Though the effort to fuse psychedelia and metal is admirable, the overall effect renders the album’s sound homologous and bland.REPRISE RECORDS

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE REPORTUNIVERSAL PICTURES

2 3

WARNER RROS. PICTURES

though it comes straight from the mouth of a

life-worn, heartbroken cowboy.

Not all of Cleopatra’s tracks shine. “In Th e

Light” builds to a grand fi nale of nothing, leav-

ing the listener dissatisfi ed and bored. Closing

track “Patience” is an interesting disruption to

the fl ow of the album, as it is simply a minute

of piano playing. While the piece is beautiful,

the highlights of Cleopatra are the stories it

tells, conveyed through its cinematic lyrics—a

facet missing from “Patience.”

Th e album is decidedly short and sweet,

clocking in at around 35 minutes of play. Yet

within this short period of time, Th e Lum-

ineers have proved that they are more than

just a fl ash in the pan of folk music. While

Cleopatra may not earn them the success in

the Top 40 that their fi rst album provided,

the band has already sold out over half of the

locations on its upcoming world tour and does

not need further validation. Th e 35 minutes of

music on Cleopatra is beautifully crafted, and

arguably not enough—Lumineers fans will

be happy to listen for hours.

‘Cleopatra’ will appease fans, though it might not achieve the acclaim of the band’s other work.

CLEOPATRAThe Lumineers

ELECTRIC AVENUE PRODUCTIONS

his best friend’s love interests. With a way-

ward plotline that leaps from failed romantic

ventures to friend troubles and back again, the

show has no momentum thanks to a plotline as

uninteresting as the dusty furniture company

Chip owns and operates. “Oh, it’s just you,”

Chip says with a laugh. “I thought we actually

had a customer coming in this time.”

Without much substance or impassioned

performances, Flaked is a disappointing step

back for the Arrested Development alum.

Disguised as a nuanced comedy about over-

coming the complications of addiction with

the added fl are of the characters’ alternative

and trendy lifestyles, the Netfl ix original series

is nothing but a poorly executed and awkward

attempt at a comedy-drama blend.

“Chip’s a complicated guy,” Dennis says to

the protagonist’s often-neglected girlfriend.

While the statement may be true of the

confl icted man troubled by his demons, the

one aspect of Flaked that isn’t complicated is

discovering just how pointless the new Netfl ix

series really is.

Little rapport between its cast leaves ‘Flaked’ as vapid and inconsistant as the title suggests.FLAKEDNetflix

In just one of the many attempts to bring

profundity and meaning to his new Netfl ix

series Flaked, Will Arnett’s character Chip

searches for the perfect cliche-coated line.

Finally, he settles on a trite piece of stock

dialogue dull enough to emphasize exactly

how stale the show’s premise is.

“Th e only thing I can do is just try to be a

better person,” Will Arnett’s confl icted charac-

ter Chip

explains

thought-

fully, his

voice

saturated

with

feigned sincerity as he tries to replace

regrets of the past with optimism for the

future. Viewers of Arnett’s new series can

relate to the recovering alcoholic character’s

confl icting sentiments of disappointment and

hope—for those who have seen the new com-

edy-meets-drama-meets-romance disaster

regret having wasted time watching and are

optimistic that the show won’t be picked up

for another season.

Unfortunately, season any of the new

Netfl ix series just doesn’t have any iota of the

wow factor he hoped it would. Set in scenic

Venice, Calif., the show centers on a narcis-

sistic and hypocritical life guru—a self-help

extraordinaire who, though he would never

admit it, could use a whole lot of help himself.

When he’s not preaching grand narratives of

soul-cleansing sobriety to his friends and pre-

senting himself as the poster boy for recovery,

Chip takes a hefty swig from a bottle of wine

when no one’s looking.

Hiding under a safety blanket of complex

lies, Chip somehow still admired by his friends

and mentees despite his only “advice” being cli-

che quotes one might fi nd ironed onto a cheap

throw pillow. He avoids responsibilities, opting

instead to hone his skills as a suave womanizer.

Chip undermines his friendships in order to

benefi t himself—a character element meant to

make the protagonist intriguing ,but instead

renders him utterly unlikeable.

Armed with his trusty bicycle, the nau-

seating over-confi dence of a guy who knows

he’s kind of good-looking, and more inspira-

tional quotes than can be found on a teenage

girl’s Tumblr page, Chip sets out into the

world alongside his odd posse of misguided

pals—the hopeless romantic Dennis and an

aspiring stand-up comedian named Cooler. It

would be incorrect to claim that the crew fi nds

itself in a slew of all the hijinks and shenanigans

expected from a drama comedy series, for the

characters do very little except frequently fi ght

with each other over women and personality

fl aws they fi nd unbearable.

Perhaps the dull plotline could be salvaged

if the actors’ performances were engaging. Th e

chemistry between the show’s supposed best

friends is lacking, and the delivery of almost

every line is disappointingly dry. Unenthused,

hollow, and unconvincing, the characters stroll

lazily through town, all the while sporting

a permanent expression of disinterest and

apathy.

Together the eight 30-minute episodes

are astoundingly uneventful, for it seems as

though producers Mark Chappell and Arnett

made a concerted eff ort to create the dullest

TV show on record. Chip’s life seems to consist

only of butting unwantedly into the personal

problems of others and swooping in to steal

cowboy chords with echoing percussion, pia-

no, and cello for simple, yet gripping, melodies.

Beyond the matured sound of the album, the

band also elects to change the content of its

songs. Th e Lumineers is fi lled with relatable

but trite breakup songs—lyrical quality was

sacrifi ced in the eff ort to write catchy hooks.

In its sophomore eff ort, the group widens its

scope to recount personal experiences and en-

counters with people they found particularly

remarkable. Th ere is romance to the album,

but it is found in subtler, fascinating paths.

While Cleopatra doesn’t present any ap-

parent hits like “Ho Hey,” there are multiple

standout tracks whose reach will surely extend

beyond the album. Single “Ophelia” has al-

ready achieved moderate success, dominating

alternative radio since its release in February.

Ragtime piano partnered with a bubbly hook

echoes back to Th e Lumineers’ fi rst album

and will appease fans hoping for more of the

same content. Th e track even seems to follow

the same love-story theme of Th e Lumineers’

older music, but is in fact a criticism of falling

in love with fame. After being thrown into the

spotlight with “Ho Hey” peaking at No. 3 on

the Billboard Hot 100, booking an SNL perfor-

mance, and performing a world tour, Schultz

can certainly be considered an authority on

the subject of fame.

Following “Ophelia” on the LP is the

title track “Cleopatra,” arguably the best track

on the album. The song recounts, from a

female’s perspective, the story of a taxi driver

who refuses to settle down, and the chaos

of her life. In an interview with the Denver Post, Schultz confessed that the character

was not his own—his wife had encountered

a taxi driver who fell in love at 16 and never

responded to her suitor’s proposal. When he

gave up on their love and left town, she left his

footprints untouched on her fl oor, an aspect

of the story hearkened to in the song’s lines,

“and I left the footprints, the mud stained on

the carpet / and it hardened like my heart did

when you left town.”

Other standouts include the album’s third

single, “Angela,” disturbing “Gun Song,” and

wispy “Gale Song.” “Angela” is another example

of The Lumineers’ new tendency toward

slowly escalating tracks, beginning as a quiet,

folksy ballad and ending as an expansive pop

crossover. “Gale Song” comes straight from

another era of American history, feeling as

THE HEIGHTSMonday, April 11, 2016 B7

pie ce s o f wo o d shave d to

create the desired sound and

supported by calabash gourds

for resonance, the balafon is

an integral part in the roles of

jeliw (griots), oral historians

and musicians of West African

tribes. These individuals would

pass down history, records, and

poetry for the people, effectively

acting as a living time capsule for

events that would otherwise be

lost in time.

Deeply rooted in this role

of symbolism and heritage,

Kouyate brings both tradition

and innovation to the ancient

craft and makes it his own. By

placing two balafons horizontal

to one another, Kouyate is able

to utilize a wider array of notes.

This allows for more complex

musical movements that are

heard in many of his pieces.

Kouyate, who played with

his son Sekou and daughter

Josira, showed that the history

of the instrument and its unique

sound continues to be passed

on to generations . Though

thousands of miles away from

Mali, the cultural and historical

ties were resolutely felt through

these songs attesting to the

history of Mali and the Mande

people. The family served as

a microcosm of sorts for the

culture it represents.

The performance given in

Gasson 100 highlighted the

essential connection to family

and tradition present in the

instruments, as each song had

family members contributing,

be it through instrumentation,

dance, or vocals. The movement

e x p r e s s e d t h r o u g h t h e

progression of each song was

infectious and hard to subdue.

“It is hard to sit down and

listen to this type of music,”

Kouyate said at one point. The

beat and intricate connection to

flow and fluidity in the musical

pieces proved to inspire or

almost demand a response from

listeners. And this held true as

some members of the audience,

in their own style, stood up and

joined Josira as she danced to her

father’s creations.

One of the most touching

aspects of the show was the

performance of “Massa ni Cisse,”

a song about the Mande notion

that people cannot run away

from their destiny. Kouyate’s

elated lyrics elevated the piece

in a profound and moving way as

his voice passionately rung out

in a high, yet stable fashion. His

voice complemented the balafon,

dropping in and out, adding

a beautiful embellishment to

higher hits, or contrasts to lower

notes, ringing out strong and

solid. The notion of destiny was

conveyed marvelously through

these heartfelt vocals and strong

strikes on the balafon.

The night closed with “Balla

Folyke,” a song about Kouyate

and his personal destiny as a

jeli, passing down history and

capture the past though the art

of song and balafon.

“I am Balla and I play the

bala,” Kouyate said. “You don’t

meet many people who play the

piano named Piano.”

In this poetic fashion, Kouyate

spoke again to the nature of

destiny and historical importance

to his cultural craft. As the song

progressed, Kouyate’s hands

moved about the balafon with

immense speed and precision,

displaying a technical skill in

addition to harmonious unity

with the instrument, as the song

was birthed as each single note

rang out, filling out the musical

progression.

traded off on primary vocal

duties. The result was a beautiful

display of intertwined melodies

and well-versed harmonies.

One of the evening’s strongest

and strangest performances

came from Music Guild co-

president and long-time open

mic provocateur Sean Seaver,

MCAS ’16. Laying a guitar across

his lap, Seaver began to gently

slap the instrument’s neck to

emit a bright wave of harmonics

that began to form the outlining

rhythm to a new song. Seaver’s

proceeding lyrical contributions

seemed to spring forth from the

unlikely intersection between

tongue-in-cheek playfulness and

dead-serious artistic expression.

The song was a manifestation

of all the essential qualities that

make open mics so endearing and

pleasantly weird.

Another evening highlight

included an original piece by Alex

Moran titled “We Hold On.” The

song was written by Moran about

her transition from high school

to freshman year at BC. Noting

a discrepancy between her actual

self and the image she puts forth

on campus, as necessitated by our

society’s unrealistic expectations

for young women, the song was

a shot against all the facets of

our college experiences that go

against authenticity and emotional

connection.

The Music Guild’s open mic

night is a great opportunity for

songwriters and performers

to escape the often-stringent

requirements of our increasingly

surface-level society. As each

of the performers took risks

in executing his or her artistic

vision, the room was elevated

beyond usual social pressures.

Open Mic Night, from B8

African Music, from B8

This weekend’s BIG Show audiences were brought into many of My Mother’s Fleabag’s improv games.JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

‘An Evening of African Music’ enlived Gasson with profound lyrics and traditional African instruments.

SARAH HODGENS / HEIGHTS STAFF

FACES and the AHANA Leadership Council fuse cultures through performances at the annual ‘Speak Your Change’ event.

Fleabag, from B8

KRISTIN SALESKI / HEIGHTS STAFF

AMELIE TRIEU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Sean Seaver, Alex Moran, Chris Dalla-Riva, and others came together for Thursdays Open Mic Night.

found their places on stage,

throwing candy to the audience

to invite them into their world

of humor and cooperativeness.

This, perhaps, is the strongest

piece of Fleabag’s work—each

of its pieces, whether sketch,

improv game, or otherwise, is

crafted to make those who are

watching feel like more than just

flies on the wall.

Take, for example, the game

“Freeze.” An onlooker is chosen

to be a volunteer, who then

proceeds to arrange two Fleabag

members into a bizarre pose to

begin a scene. After the scene has

started, any audience member

can yell “freeze!” at any time,

and two more Fleabaggers must

take their places and begin a

new scene from scratch. The

premise, while simple, can result

in hilarious scenarios for the

actors driving the scene.

Very much in this vein is the

long-running Fleabag bit “185.”

At the midpoint of the show,

every member came on stage and

offered the chance for viewers

to come up with the subject of a

joke. Once an audience member

yells out a topic—in Friday’s

show, topics ranged anywhere

from sweet treats to bugs and

insects—the fun begins. Any

Fleabagger can make a pun out

of this topic, but the catch is

that the setup of the joke must

be, “185 somethings walk into a

bar…” Improv comedy, naturally,

is the speciality of Fleabag, but

hearing every single member

rattle off several jokes made

up on the spot was extremely

impressive.

These improv games , of

course, are only half of the show.

The skits that Fleabag crafted for

its spring show were not only

hysterical, but once again had

the uncanny ability to draw the

audience in.

In particular, the Cupcakes

skit was phenomenal—featuring

a young woman doling out

desserts in a 300-person lecture

hall, the usage of the audience

as the students in the skit was a

clever, innovative decision, and

the handing out of treats made

the bit that much sweeter.

It’s clear that the members

of the troupe not only have

chemistry with audiences, but

with each other, too. One of the

most unique games of the night,

“Bing,” showcased this quite well.

Two actors stood on stage, as per

usual, and performed another

audience-driven scene. In this

case, however, a third actor

stood offstage, yelling “bing”

at the top of his or her lungs

at random points in the game.

When this took place, the actors

would be forced to redo the last

thing they said or did, resulting

in a high level of backtracking,

but an even higher level of

laughter.

As an idea of how off-the-wall

this game can become, consider

this : the four-minute scene

began with a couple finding a

mouse in their cupboard, and

ended with taking John Adams

into the future with a randomly

generated time machine.

The Fleabaggers this year are

skilled at playing off each other’s

ideas, and this strength showed

quite clearly all throughout the

night.

This, after all, is perhaps the

most important facet that any

self-respecting improv group can

have. At the end of the night, the

underclassmen actors gathered to

sing a song regaling how much they

would miss their upperclassmen

friends—a heartwarming end to

a laughter-filled night.

Every single Fleabagger has

a clear and unabashed love for

each other, and it truly serves

to make his or her onstage

performance that much better.

It is a real treat not only to see

them perform, but much more

importantly, to see them at home

with one another. Comedy will

always have its place, but My

Mother’s Fleabag has a bond that

will last a lifetime.

During her spoken word piece,

Mashaunda McBarnett, LSOE

’16, took a deep breath before

continuing her poem. “Take what

is yours,” McBarnett declared,

“leave what isn’t.” McBarnett’s line,

in many ways, encapsulated the

tone of FACES and the AHANA

Leadership Council’s fifth annual

Speak for Your Change event. This

year Speak for Your Change was

a part of Embrace Week, and the

event was about the cultural give-

and-take that goes on between

audiences and performers in music,

dance, and poetry performances.

The two emcees for the event

were Kevin Ma, CSOM ’18, and Joon

Park, MCAS ’18. The sophomores

sang the praises of each act and

kept the show moving along. As an

emcee, Park was a particular crowd

favorite, injecting humor into the

serious messages of the night. In

his own introduction, he provided

an explanation for his eccentric

outfit, revealing that “I’m wearing

two flesh tones because flesh tones

don’t come in one shade.”

Luis Miguel Torres, MCAS

’16, started the night off as the

first spoken-word artist. His piece,

metaphorically starting in the

Himalayas, spoke of coming down

from a high place when his father

became ill. He spoke of “etching

memories into the blank slate

that was my father’s recollection.”

The recount of this story was as

beautiful as it was painful. Torres

left the audience with the message

to let loved ones shine light through

you.

Ronald Claude, MCAS ’16,

was next up to perform a spoken

word piece, which he had finished

just two minutes before stepping

on stage. The senior’s poem was

about growing up, hearing that

black was bad and white was good,

and having his actions compared

to those of a white person. He

was told he was “the whitest black

boy [someone] knew” and grew

up knowing “everything [he is] is

everything [he’s] not supposed to

be.” He ended with the powerful

introspection, “my blackness is

excellent and [an] unapologetic goal

… your black is good enough.”

Later, Juice brought down

the house. The band performed

three songs, the first speaking to

superficiality, the second entitled

“Where I Wanna Be,” and the

third a cover of Amy Winehouse’s

“Valerie.”

Jovani Hernandez, MCAS ’16,

was next in the lineup. Born and

raised in the Bronx, Hernandez

focused his spoken -word

performance on growing up as a

Latino. Starting out saying, “I am

not black, but I’m not white either,”

the senior dove into how he would

hear about white history and black

history, but would struggle to hear

about Latinos. The piece ended

with Hernandez saying, “I’m not

white, I’m not black, and I’m trying

to hold onto a story I know very

little of.”

Orig inal ly a rap writer,

Jonathan Reed, MCAS ’16, was

next to perform two spoken words.

Beginning to write in middle school,

Reed was influenced by Eminem

and the rhythm and meter in

which he performed. The first piece

relayed his identity with the closing

line, “It will take more than a poem

to discover me.” Reed had written

the second spoken word piece for

a class but wanted to perform it

for an audience. It spoke of love for

another: “You see fullness where

others see dullness.”

The Dynamics, the co-ed a

cappella group, performed next.

The group’s repertoire spans from

Top-40 hits to country music, and

is always a treat. The performance

was filled with mash-ups of feel-

good songs and beautiful solos

that left the audience wanting to

hear more.

Following the Dynamics was the

dance group Conspiracy Theory.

This all-male group included

members of the Boston College

community and beyond. The

performance had an improvised

atmosphere to it, filled with spins

on the ground, headstands, and

flips. The crowd fed off of the

energy and excitement of the

routine.

Commanding the stage next

was Cristine Oh, MCAS ’17. She

began, “What kind of Asian are

you anyway?” From here, she spoke

of how she and Asian people have

been treated for years—“let my

body fill your diversity quota.” She

spoke with passion and vigor.

“Dear Asian-American women,

you make the very earth shake,” she

said to conclude.

The program closed with

a quote from author James

Baldwin.

“Not e ver y thing that i s

faced can be changed,” Baldwin

once said, “but nothing can be

changed until it is faced.”

For all of their technical skill and

expertise, the comedy clubs of Boston

College have a tendency to blend

together. By no fault of their own, the

sheer number of BC organizations can

override the individual distinctions,

which makes it all the more important

for each and every group to f ind

what makes it unique. Luckily for

audiences of the latest show put on by

My Mother’s Fleabag, the troupe knows

its strengths quite well and plays to

them masterfully.

From the very first second that

an audience member walks in, the

distinctiveness of My Mother’s Fleabag

is evident. Fleabag members have an

unparalleled ability to connect not only

with one another, but with everyone

around them. As the viewers took

their seats, members of the troupe

In our increasingly fast-paced world, the open

mic is perhaps one of the last great institutions

that goes against everything that social media

has been trying to get us to do for the last 10

or so years. For one, the open mic thrives on

genuine openness and vulnerability. Contrast

this with our newly ingrained tendency to

offer up highlight reels and best-of collections.

When individuals have total control over what

they’re projecting to the world, with tools like

Facebook and Instagram, the results tend to

be controlled narratives that forsake actual

information for showy, highly planned bits of

self-aggrandizement.

The op en mic i s sp e c ia l b e c ause i t

encourages people to drop their guards and

act spontaneously. When the kid who just

learned to play guitar last month starts playing

a song he wrote in his bedroom, he’s no longer

fronting his optimized image to his equally self-

consumed followers. Compared to our society’s

predilection toward perfectionism, he’s actually

taking a massive risk. And even just that little

spark of actual realness is something to be seized

and celebrated.

The Music Guild’s bi-weekly open mic night

tends to fluctuate in participation throughout

the semester. The first few, before the general

wear of assignments and responsibilities sends

students deep into seclusion, tend to draw a

large crowd of performers and listeners. During

these sessions, it’s pretty common for the

performers to have less than five minutes per

set. Both big groups and soloists take to the mic

with well thought-out arrangements of covers

and originals. Their friends shout out in the

back between songs, as the audience tends to

support everyone from the acoustic songsmith

to the self-starter vocalist.

Thursday night’s open mic felt much smaller

by comparison, which was perhaps to be

expected as Boston College lunges forth into

the homestretch of the spring semester. The fair

weather masses were replaced with a dense core

of devoted performers and listeners, but this was

in no way disadvantageous to the evening. The

result was an even greater emphasis on intimacy

and spontaneity.

The evening opened with Chris Dalla-Riva’s,

MCAS ’17, spin on the classic Beatles song

“Blackbird.” For a song that has likely been

played in open mics since time immemorial,

Dalla-Riva managed to keep things fresh by

inserting bits of originality within the typically

subdued rhythm of the original. His acoustic

guitar plucked along as he helped establish a

tone for the rest of the evening. While covers of

classic hits tend to be very popular at open mics,

the evening also featured a few interpretations of

songs that are still trending on the charts. Tucker

Davey’s, MCAS ’16, cover of “I Took A Pill In

Ibiza” was compelling and remained true to

the song’s original, acoustic character. Another

interesting performance was Nicole Rodger and

Alex Moran’s, both MCAS ’19, cover of “Roses”

by The Chainsmokers. With Moran holding

down the song with a guitar, both performers

&MONDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2015

INSIDEARTS Th e LumineersTh e Colorado folk band released its sophomore

record this weekend, B6THIS ISSUE

‘Flaked’Will Arnett’s new Netfl ix series inartfully mashes

comedy and drama, B6

Weekend Box Offi ce Report.........................B6Hardcover Bestsellers....................................B6Speak For Your Change.................................B7

Spider-Man has always been my favorite

superhero. Surely this is in part due to Sam

Raimi’s Spider-Man (2002) and Spider-Man 2 (2004) which were released at a time

when my fi xation on superheroes was at its

strongest. During this time, my brother and

I transfered our focus from creating heros

of our own with Legos or Bionicles to those

that had already been made. Spider-Man

caught my eye. As a kid, I amassed a few toys

and action fi gures. I wore shirts covered in

webs as I traversed the house, swinging my

arms up, pressing into the palm of my hand,

envisioning webs propelling me forward.

With the action fi gures, tables became

rooftops and living rooms became the busy

streets of New York in which Spider-Man

crawled on walls, spun webs, and dismantled

the criminal enterprises lurking in the

shadows. As a kid, one can see why the Wall-

Crawler would be a favorite, but even as I

got older, Spider-Man always remained the

most interesting and compelling superhero.

In a way, the reason I like Spider-Man

is because I was supposed to like him. In

response to the growing numbers of teenage

comic book readers in the 1960s, Stan Lee

sought to create a hero that was relatable.

All other superheros were invincible in most

respects—poetic lyricists who were morally

upright in face of the simple caricature

villains. Most villains were as banal in their

quests for evil as the superheros were in

fi ghting for the greater good. Th is new hero

had to be special, a true hero, yet he had to

remain plagued with the petty, inane, day-

to-day ongoings of teenage life. And, thus,

Peter Parker was born. As an introverted,

shy, or otherwise unassuming high school

kid, he was not the conventional hero.

But nonetheless he would become a hero

through one radioactive spider bite. Stan Lee

describes it best in a 1977 article in Quest titled “How I Invented Spider-Man.”

“If you suddenly gained the muscle pow-

er of a hundred men and could outwrestle

King Kong, it doesn’t mean you still don’t

have to worry about acne and dandruff ,

right?” he wrote.

Spider-Man spoke as much to the escap-

ism that superheros and superhero comics

gave to readers as much as it served as a

reminder of the inescapability of those more

tiresome, daily fi ghts. Whether it’s girls,

homework, getting a job, or appeasing Aunt

May, Spider-Man has to put up with a lot

of bull, as we all do. Spider-Man is seen as

a character who takes those things in stride

and does great things in spite of them. Great

power, responsibility, and such.

And with that kind of mentality, the

Web-Slinger off ers up two diff erent kinds of

identities—the witty, smart-talking Spider-

Man and the socially troubled Peter Parker.

Two sides of the same coin. In almost all

his incarnations, comic book or otherwise,

this is explored in one way or another as the

power of a mask allows you to become your

best self, while hiding the imperfections of

your other self.

Spider-Man’s secret identity is more cru-

cial to understanding his character because

it means so much to how Peter Parker sees

himself as Spider-Man and vise versa.

In the few issues of of Th e Spectacular Spider-Man I had bought during this time,

and even in some of Th e New Avengers comics, Spider-Man always stood out as

diff erent. His stakes were nothing like that

of other superheros. Without the mask, he

is just a kid, a nobody, really. With the mask,

people care what he has to say. He matters.

In Spider-Man 2, in the scene in which

Spider-Man stops a train and loses his mask,

one passenger says “He’s just a kid … no

older than my son.”

His story was often more personal and

intimate, lending a more inclusive, and thus

more relatable, tale of a man-turned-spider.

Th at is why he remains my favorite

and pulls at the essence of why so many

others fi nd him a compelling character. He

is like us. He shares in those uninspiring,

unextraordinary aspects of everyday life. But

in a way, when Stan Lee created Spider-Man,

it was not so much to show him like us, but

to show us like him—people or heros in a

diff erent right.

&MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2016

ARTS REVIEWB8

See Open Mic Night, B7

Music often captures what words

cannot. The collections of sounds

coalesce to form ideas and phrases that

mean something to those who listen to

them. When you introduce new types

of sounds and instruments, much like

learning a new language, listeners are

given a different vocabulary to explore

the same feelings in a different way.

“An Evening of African Music” was an

introduction into a new way of seeing

and hearing with artist Balla Kouyate of

the Mande people of Mali. As his hand

moved gracefully about the balafon, an

ancient instrument, his technical skills

and grace showcased his versatility as

well as his instrument’s. Striking sounds

from the balafon brought about the

smiles on the faces of listeners in the

presence of its unique sound.

The balafon, or bala, is a type of

wooden xylophone originating in

Africa. Typically constructed from

KELSEY MCGEE / HEIGHTS EDITOR

See SASA, B7

JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Artist Balla Kouyate played the balafon in a lively celebration of African tradition.

See My Mother’s Fleabag, B7

KRISTIN SALESKI / HEIGHTS STAFF

See African Music, B7