MCELROY COMMONS, BOX L-132, CHESTNUT HILL, MA 02467 WWW.THEBCOBSERVER.

COM TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2009 VOLUME XXII ISSUE 3

BC Alumnus HA AT DA
at a sho
DAY:
how
Y: Union on org
on
w off soollid
dar
arit
rgan
aniz
ityy on
i er
iz e How
n Hill
owar
illlsid
id
arrd Ry
R an
de Pllazza.
a spe
a We
peak
pe akss to emp
Wearingg “B
mplo
BC Wo
l yeees
lo
Work
e
rkss
THIS ISSUE:
in the Race Beecaus
caausee We Do”
att B
BCC ggaath
her
ered
o” hats,
e wit
ed
ats, app
ith
p ro roxi
h a feew st
xima
stud
m teelyy 3300 of
ma
ud den
ents
of the
the 270 SEI
ts and profef ss
fe ssor
EIUU wo
work
o s in preepa
or para
rker
rkker
rati
erss
t on
ti
Sam Caligiuri ’88 is run-
ning against five-term in-
forr co
fo cont
nttract
ctt neggotia
iati
t on
ons.s.
NEWS
cumbent Chris Dodd. • Berlin Wall (2)
By Jesse Naiman • Ghostbusters (2)
The Observer • Eagle for Senate (3)
• Dean’s Beans (3)
United States Senator
Chris Dodd (D-CT) is a long-
• Gorey Exhibit (4)
term fixture in Washington
D.C., having served in the U.S.
Senate since 1980. As he has
become increasingly unpopular Union Struggle Goes into Overtime
after receiving both favorable Employees, the University, and students clash over overtime wages for maintainence staff.
mortgage loans and donations
from former mortgage giants By JP Bonner tempts to renew the contracts of VP for Human Resources and
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, The Observer approximately 270 members of the BC’s chief negotiator. “The heart
five Connecticut Republicans SEIU at BC have been deadlocked of the issue is that we are looking
have lined up to challenge the An invisible struggle that over a University effort to cut over- to be able to contract out work in
embattled incumbent. The first has been raging since May could time costs. “We’ve been meet- order to avoid some overtime.” Welcome to the new
candidate to announce his bid find a resolution today as the Uni- ing three to four times a month... Currently, the University Observer:
was BC alumnus and current versity and the Service Employ- working under a mutual agreement pays custodians overtime rates of www.TheBCObserver.com was
SEE ‘EAGLE RUNS’ ees International Union (SEIU) to extend the contract on a month- SEE ‘UNION’ reinvented this issue by staffers
page 3 meet at the negotiating table. At- by-month basis,” said Bob Lewis, page 6 Andy Rota and Marc L’Hereux.
Featuring comments, polls, ar-
ticle tagging, archives, online-only
Fulton Debate Tackles breaking news updates, staff blogs,
and more, the website will allow

Healthcare Reform new forms of journalism and feed-

The panel, a collaboration between OLAA and GJP, depicts a white
hand dangling money over reaching black hands.
Racially Charged Mural
Displayed in O’Neill
By Jesse Naiman
The Observer
A mural commissioned for
Hispanic Heritage Month (HHM)
depicts a white hand with the
word “wealth” written next to it
dangling money over five black
hands that are accompanied by
the word “poverty.” The mural,
titled “Challenging the Future a
Square at a Time,” was moved
to the O’Neill Library after pre-
viously being displayed in the
lobby of Gasson Hall.
This particular mural is one
of three murals that Boston Col-
lege’s Arts and Social Respon-
sibility Project (ASRP) spon-
sored for an art exhibition titled
“Strength in Unity,” one of six
HHM art exhibitions. The mural
itself was painted as a result of
collaboration between the Orga-
nization of Latin American Af-
fairs (OLAA), HHM organizers,
and the Global Justice Project
(GJP), a left-wing campus orga-
nization.
Sources inside the GJP re-
vealed that HHM Co-chair and
former OLAA President Bryan
Leyva asked GJP member Rich-
ard Rhom to recruit artists to help
paint the mural. According to an
October 8th email that Rhom sent
SEE ‘MURAL’
page 4
Four members of BC’s debating society argued the practi-
cality and benefits of a public option healthcare plan for
the US.
By Allison Gallagher
The Observer
“Sometimes people use statis-
tics like a drunk uses a light bulb,
for support and not illumination.
That’s why he would be so proud
of Michael’s speech – not only did
he use illuminating statistics, he
wasn’t even that drunk.” Spoken
by Ryan Malone at the Fulton
Debating Society’s healthcare de-
bate this past Thursday, the words
encapsulate the lighthearted, but
contentious spirit of the debate.
The debate centered on whether
or not a public option would truly
be beneficial or not to the people
of the United States.
Arguing for the negative were
senior Michael Stork and sopho-
more Brendan Benedict. Sopho-
more Ryan Folio and senior Ryan
Malone argued the affirmative.
After a show of hands by the al-
most full audience in McGuinn
121, Director of Debate John Kat-
sulas determined that the negative
team had won.
The debate consisted of four
brief speeches, two from each
team, and a short cross-examina-
tion after each one. Then the au-
dience was allowed to participate
and ask questions during a five-
back. Check it out today!
minute question-and-answer
period. Afterwards, one con-
BUSINESS
cluding speech from each team
• Internships 101 (7)
effectively ended the debate. • Extreme Accting (6)
The crux of the affir- • Ethical Business (6)
mative’s argument rested on in-
creasing competition within the
healthcare market in order to
lower costs and provide health-
care to a larger percentage of
the American population. The
SPORTS
healthcare market is “too stable”
and the competition a public op-
tion would bring to the market • Interview with Montel
would be greatly beneficial. In
Folio’s opening argument, he
called for “transparency and ac-
countability in the market,” ben-
efits that the public option would
surely force the private sector to
provide. The public healthcare
plan would be on a level playing
field with private, even though
they would have lower adminis-
trative and, therefore, lower ac- Catholic Issues
tual costs. • Anglicans Return
The negative, first argued by
Michael Stork, contended that
• Catholics on iPhones
the affirmative dramatically over- • Pope in Czech Rep
stated that lack of competition in • Respect for Life
the markets. As the affirmative Week
had stated that over 95% of mar-
kets had a single seller control-
SEE ‘DEBATE’
page 4

2 News
BC Commemorates the Fall of a Wall
The German Embassy selected BC to participate in the ‘Freedom Without Walls’ Celebration.
By Mary Margaret Brinkopf
The Observer
As the twentieth anniversary
of the fall of the Berlin Wall ap-
proaches, commemoration has
already begun at Boston Col-
lege with the establishment of a
life size replica of the wall and a
month of activities planned.
Boston College is one of
twenty-five universities select-
ed by the German Embassy in
Washington, D.C. to commemo-
rate the twentieth anniversary of
the wall’s fall. Boston College was
the only Boston-area university to
be selected to participate in the
commemoration titled “Freedom
Without Walls.”
BC’s selection most likely can
be attributed to its outstanding
rank in Fulbright Scholarships: it
is ranked tenth in the nation. In
particular, its German department
has annually sent, since 2004, at
least five Fulbrighters to Germany
(in 2007, thirteen students were
selected).
The German Embassy speci-
fied that each university chosen
was to include activities such as
film screenings and to build and
display a replica of the Berlin Wall
on campus from late October un-
til November 9, the official date of
the collapse of the wall.
Preparation for the commem-
oration, which began in January
2009, required a great amount
of inter-department collabora-
Schedule:
Wed, Oct 28
Film: the Spy Who Came in
from the Cold
Devlin 026
Thurs, Oct 29
Edwina Sandys, Sculptor
Devlin 101
Who You Gonna Call? Ghost Hunter Searches O’Connell
Jeff Davis, ghost hunter, inspected BC’s own haunted house for supernatural spirits just in time for Halloween.
By Thomas Brown
The Observer
Many realists argue that ghost
stories are fallacies. They say that the
ghosts are “a figment of one’s imagi-
nation” and “are just old, made-up
stories with the intent to scare oth-
ers.” Try telling that to Jeff Davis.
A “ghost hunter” and strong
believer in the supernatural, Jeff has
been all over the world trying to
quiet those doubters who say that
ghosts are not real. In his presen-
tations, however, he does not take
the approach of one attempting to
completely convince others that his
point of view is absolutely true. In-
stead, he provides strong evidence
“There is no freedom without the Truth”
tion and included: the Institute of
Liberal Arts, Office of the Dean
(Arts and Sciences), German
Studies Department, Jesuit Insti-
tute, History Department, Music
Department, Fine Arts Depart-
ment (Studio Art, Film Studies
Program, Calderwood Chair) and
the University Librarians Office.
Mark Cooper, a profes-
sor in the Fine Arts Department,
was given the task of creating BC’s
Berlin Wall. Cooper and students
Joon Park, Luke Kelly and Cathy
Sun spent the entire summer,
which amounted to about 1,500
hours, designing the wall. The fin-
ished product includes cutouts of
Iranian protestors from the June
elections and designs related to
the power struggle between the
Soviet Union and the United
States.
Cooper stated that the de-
signs chosen for the wall were
meant to make students question
“what do walls mean.” He also
incorporated symbols from other
pieces he had worked on before
the wall came down. He placed
two large, narrow windows in
the wall to represent the freedom
to move back and forth and also
included a seesaw to recognize
the teeter-totter balance between
the United States and the Soviet
Union in Germany.
The mural, stationed in the
Dust Bowl, is built to scale of the
original one – twelve feet high
and forty feet across. Just as the
Wed, Nov 4
Film: Writing on the Wall
Fulton 511
Thursday, Dec 10
Prof. Robert Darnton
Devlin 101
that the paranormal is out there and
allows the onlooker of his presenta-
tion to determine for his or herself if
they have really just witnessed evi-
dence that ghosts are real.
I had the privilege of attending
one of Jeff ’s sessions last Friday in
the O’Connell House. Having been
a believer in ghosts already, I will ad-
mit that I was slightly biased going
into the experience. Coming out of
it, my opinions were only reinforced.
Jeff not only told stories of his
uncanny encounters with spirits,
but also provided visual and audio
evidence that he recorded. He told
us tales of how he spent the night,
along with his wife and a friend, in
Vancouver Barracks Hospital in
original wall became covered with
graffiti to demonstrate opposition,
students are being given the same
chance. Spray paint cans are scat-
tered around the wall. Students
are encouraged to draw images
or write words that resonate with
them. The wall will remain in the
Dust Bowl until after November
9. It is not known if the wall will
go on tour after its time at Boston
College.
The mural was dedicated on
Wednesday, October 21. Presen-
tations were given by Michael Re-
sler from German Studies, Dean
Quigley from the College of Arts
and Sciences, John Michalczyk
from the Film Studies Depart-
ment, Mark Cooper from the Fine
Arts Department and a represen-
tative of the German Embassy. At
the end of the ceremony, the Ger-
man Embassy gifted Boston Col-
lege a small piece from the origi-
nal Berlin Wall.
A host of events are sched-
uled for the end of October and
Washington, a place widely specu-
lated to be haunted. One person
had insisted that the bathroom was
haunted, so Jeff had a look for him-
self. In the bathroom, he lifted up all
of the toilet seat covers and left the
bathroom later on.
Just about an hour later, upon
his return, he found that all of the
covers had been put down. No one
else had gone up to the bathrooms
during that time. Then, Jeff and his
friend set up recording equipment
in the bathroom, put all of the toi-
let seat covers back up, and waited
for a response. The audience and
myself were shocked to hear creak-
ing sounds, such as the opening of
a door (possibly that of a bathroom
THE OBSERVER
October 27, 2009
M. Brinkopf/The Observer
Clockwise from left: Senior John Of-
fer leaves his mark on the wall. Prof.
Michael Resler, head of German
Studies, and John Machalczyk, head
of the Fine Arts Dept. Students and
faculty gather for the dedication.
early November (please see below
for a full list of events). Highlights
include a lecture from Edwina
Sandys, the granddaughter of
British Prime Minister Winston Germany over the summer to in-
Churchill and the sculptor who terview Klaus Schutz, the former
created the infamous “Break- mayor of West Berlin, Alexandra
through” sculpture from eight Hildebrandt, the Director of the
panels of the Berlin Wall, which Museum at Checkpoint Charlie,
is displayed in Fulton, Missouri and Thomas Flanagan, who was
where Churchill made his famous involved in the Berlin Airlift, to
“Iron Curtain” speech. name just a few. Edwina Sandys
Other events include a series and Sergei Khrushchev, the son of
of films to be screened on BC’s Nikita Khrushchev, were also in-
campus. In particular, Profes- terviewed for the film.
sor John Michalczyk and Ronald The team filmed over twenty
A. Marsh from the Film Studies hours of interviews and footage
Department will show their new for the documentary, which was
documentary, “Writing on the cut down to one hour. Michalc-
Wall: Remembering the Berlin zyk stated that he hoped students
Wall.” The documentary, written and the general public would take
by Susan Michalczyk, premiered away from the documentary “the
earlier this month at the Museum idea that a government should be
of Fine Arts. respective and tolerate the differ-
Professor Michalczyk stat-
ent voices and not see them as de-
ed in the film that he wanted to
structive but constructive.”
“trace the history of the Cold War
Michael Resler, from the
and highlight the movement that German Studies department,
caused the wall to fall.” echoed Michalczyk’s sentiments,
Professor Michalczyk, as-
stating, “We want to show [the
sisted by Professor Resler of the
undergraduate community of BC]
German department and several
a rare and great event in history.”
other faculty members, traveled to
stall) and what appeared to be the pertained to the ghost and waited
slamming of toilet seats. to hear a response. In one particular
After recounting a few more case, a student asked, “Is this your
cases of ghostly encounters with favorite room in the house?” On the
hard evidence collected from his recording, an eerie and ghastly voice
findings, he then revealed to us his seems to say “No, no!” Each ghost
results from his inspection of our hunter claimed that they had not
very own O’Connell House. Along said it.
with four other students, he ven- And so I leave it up to you,
tured into different sections of the the reader, to determine your own
house late one night with an audio opinion on ghosts and the super-
recorder to determine if the infa- natural. Regardless of what you say,
mous ghost stories surrounding the however, Jeff Davis will still be out
house hold any validity. What he there, searching for more evidence
found was startling. to prove that the supernatural ex-
The five ghost hunters gathered ists in our world. In the event that
in a circle and asked for the ghost something strange appears and
to make itself present in some way. doesn’t look good, he’s the one you
They then asked it questions that want to call.
 “There is no freedom without the Truth”
THE OBSERVER
October 27, 2009 News 3
Eagle runs for Senate Dean’s Beans
from front Dean Cycon, creator of Dean’s Beans, spoke about sustain-
Republican state senator able business as a vehicle for positive societal progress.
Sam Caligiuri ’88.
Caligiuri is very frank By Morgan Chalfant does not contain the dangerous
when explaining why he en- The Observer pesticides typically found in in-
tered the race: “It is abun- organic coffee that are dumped in
dantly clear that we have to Dean Cycon, owner of third-world countries. As a result,
vote out Chris Dodd.” Dodd Dean’s Beans – an organic, fair- the men, women, and often chil-
has been in Washington for trade, kosher coffee roaster in Or- dren handling the coffee in coun-
over 35 years, having served ange, Massachusetts – and author tries like Guatemala will not be
three terms in the House of of Javatrekker: Dispatches from in contact with life-threatening
Representatives before mov- the World of Fair Trade Coffee, pesticides.
ing to the Senate. Caligiuri recently visited Boston College Additionally, Cycon has
believes that his candidacy to share his insight on sustainable worked with his coffee suppli-
represents a generational business as a vehicle for social ers to come up with a minimum
change in Washington, add- change. Recounting his journey price-per-pound of coffee, about
ing that Dodd has been in from lawyer to coffee connoisseur, $1.50, that will still ensure the
Washington since Caligiuri Cycon explained the great change coffee growers a well-nourished
was seven years old. that an environmentally friendly, and cared-for family. In other
Currently in his early fair-trade business has on the words, no matter the fluctuation
forties, Caligiuri has been ability to produce with little sacri- of the supply and demand for cof-
involved in politics ever since fice on behalf of the owner. fee, Cycon will never pay his cof-
1985 when he was a cadet at Cycon was originally inter- fee suppliers less than their mini-
Valley Forge Military Acad- ested in social justice and there- mum price-per-pound.
emy in Pennsylvania. Always fore went to law school in order to On the contrary, enormous
desiring a life in public ser- pursue a career in environmental coffee franchises like Starbucks
vice, he entered the academy law. Once he found a job at a firm, have paid as little as 35 cents-per-
with the hopes of gaining though, he realized that he had pound to the coffee suppliers due
admission to West Point to trouble tolerating the surplus of to steep increases in the supply of
eventually become an army Sam Caligiuri ‘88 announces his plan for a government reform initiative at a individuals who spent their time coffee. Because it costs approxi-
officer. While knee problems recent public appearence. not upholding the law, but rather mately 60 cents to grow a pound
prevented him from serving dubbed me ‘the last sane man in Caligiuri also touts his work- trying to cheat it. According to of coffee, the coffee growers in
his country in the army, he turned Hartford.’ I believe the corner- ing class background, the fact that Cycon, the “best day of [his] life” third-world countries were actu-
to politics: “I realized that politics stone for strong fiscal policy is he is the son of immigrants, his was the day his law firm fired him. ally driven deeper into poverty
was another route to fulfill my de- sound spending, and this is why ability to represent Democratic After abandoning his love of while Starbucks saw its most suc-
sire to serve.” I voted against this bill,” Caligiuri districts as a Republican, and his law, Cycon began giving lec- cessful corporate profit on record.
His first exposure to politics said. Caligiuri’s second accom- record of reform as reasons that tures at the University of Mas- As Cycon noted, “fair-trade can
came as an intern for then-Con- plishment was to pass a bill to he can best unseat Dodd. He sachusetts and the University of not make a living by killing the
gressman John Rowland (R-CT), fight gender pay discrimination, plans to appeal to every GOP Rhode Island, one of which at farmers.” In addition to guaran-
who later hired Caligiuri as dep- because Connecticut’s laws were town committee so he can win URI concerned the deforesta- teeing his coffee suppliers no less
uty legal counsel when Rowland lagging behind the federal laws the vote at the state GOP con- tion in Brazil. After his speech, than their minimum price, Dean
became governor. Caligiuri first against wage discrimination. vention in 2010. If his opponents Cycon was approached by a pro- also gives the farmers the oppor-
held elected office as an alderman Caligiuri faces a tough road force a primary vote, he contends fessor who spoke of a friend in tunity to receive 60% of the value
in his hometown of Waterbury, ahead in his campaign for Wash- that he will win. “With five can- Providence who founded “Coffee of their contract in advance. Al-
Connecticut after leaving Gover- ington. Not only does he trail didates splitting the vote, I am in Kids,” an organization dedicated though many companies do en-
nor Rowland’s office. Dodd in most head-to-head the best position to energize the to buying coffee in third-world gage in fair-trade, few offer this
He eventually rose to become polls, but he also faces four pri- GOP base and win the primary.” villages and conducting projects “pre-financing” option.
president of the board of alder- mary opponents. His competi- The state senator has some for social betterment, such as However, even with these
men when he suddenly became tors include former Congress- harsh criticisms of President the building of wells in the vil- beneficial updates to the normal
mayor in July of 2001 when in- man Rob Simmons (R-CT), Barack Obama. Caligiuri dis- lages. Out of “purely circumstan- coffee company system, it is still
cumbent mayor Phillip Giordano former Ambassador to Ireland agrees with Obama’s public op- tial” luck, Cycon happened upon difficult to “break the cycle of
was arrested for arranging sexual Tom Foley, Worldwide Wrestling tion proposal and offers harsh this opportunity to create social poverty.” Therefore, Cycon con-
liaisons with young girls. The FBI Entertainment CEO Linda Mc- words for the stimulus package, change; he seized it. tinues to work towards “people-
discovered Giordano’s solicita- Mahon, and financial analyst Pe- which he believes “has not helped However, after witnessing centered development” enabled by
tions while already investigat- ter Schiff. According to opense- the economy grow but has only the building of a new well in “Coffee Kids.” He works with the
ing him for corruption. Caligiuri crets.org, Caligiuri already trails helped fund Democratic pet Guatemala, Cycon realized that coffee farmers and their villages
served as acting mayor during Dodd, Simmons, and Foley in projects.” In addition, Caligiuri he wanted to do more than just to shape development programs
what he described as a “difficult total fundraising (data on Schiff staunchly opposes the cap-and- charity work. Cycon knew that based on the needs of the villages.
time” because “Waterbury had and McMahon are unavailable). trade bill and questions whether although acquiring obtainable For example, he recently devised a
already been subject to a finan- Furthermore, a Quinnipiac GOP Obama should have won the No- water for the well was paramount plan for reforestation in Peru that
cial crisis and corruption, but the primary poll from September 10- bel Peace Prize considering his to the village, the people’s lives he is helping to fund. With dona-
then-mayor’s crime was unfath- 14 gives Simmons a 43%-4% ad- lack of accomplishments. Regard- would not be significantly im- tions from supporters like Cycon,
omable.” vantage over Caligiuri. less of these disagreements, he pacted because they still did not the villagers helped create and
Caligiuri served out the re- Despite the daunting poll pledged to work with President have the necessary resources to manage the program, selected the
mainder of his term and left elect- numbers, Caligiuri is confident Obama when elected. provide better lives for their fami- trees for the new ecosystem, and
ed office at the end of 2001, as he that he can win the election Caligiuri spent his junior lies. Cycon stressed that “charity paid for the labor.
had decided to do before becom- and that he is best suited to un- and senior years at Boston Col- is good, but not when it inter- In order to advocate for “so-
ing acting mayor. He returned to seat Dodd. He not only believes lege after transferring from Val- feres with the possibility of real cial change and respect for farm-
politics in 2006 after winning a that he represents a generational ley Forge. He remembers his two change.” ers,” Cycon has used his public
seat in the Connecticut Senate in change in Washington, but also years fondly: “I had a great time at With this notion, Cycon de- speeches, such as those at the
a heavily-Democratic Waterbury- that having no ties to Washington BC. My only regret was not en- veloped the idea of Dean’s Beans, United Nations, as platforms to
based district. Caligiuri is proud is an advantage in the upcoming rolling at BC earlier.” He also re- an organic, fair-trade coffee com- make known his story and the
of his accomplishments during election. In order to argue that calls a diverse political climate at pany that focuses on the mainte- success of his business. Although
his state senate term. He was the Dodd has been in Washington BC, and though he was not par- nance of the environment and the his business is profitable, Cycon
only Republican to vote against for too long, the GOP candidate ticularly politically active, he was a betterment of economic and soci- maintains that Dean’s Beans is
the state budget in 2007. must be a Washington outsider, member of the BC Speech Team. etal problems in the third-world not focused on profit but rather on
“I believed it would lead and “unlike Dodd, Rob Simmons, Caligiuri commuted from Cam- countries from whom the coffee is “social change and environmental
to deficits, tax increases, and an or Tom Foley,…I have no ties to bridge his junior year and lived on purchased.
eroding economy. One newspaper Washington.” Dean’s Beans buys only 100% SEE ‘COFFEE’
Strathmore Road his senior year.
organic coffee, meaning the coffee page 4
 “There is no freedom without the Truth”
THE OBSERVER
4 News October 27, 2009

A Gorey Halloween in Burns Library

Just in time for Halloween, Burns Library is featuring a collection of chilling books by famous writer and illustrator John Gorey.
By Anne Archbald
The Observer
In the mood for something
“Gorey”? John J. Burns Library
is featuring a special collection
of the works of American au-
thor/illustrator Edward Gorey
(1925—2000) during this Hal-
loween season. The collection
will be on display in the Burns
Reading Room through No-
vember 7.
The Gorey Greene Halloween
Books are the second in a series
of seasonal features in Burns
Library presenting collections
coinciding with holidays. The
first “holiday show-and-tell” in-
cluded books from the Nicholas
M. Williams Ethnological Col-
lection that were highlighted
in celebration of “International
Talk Like a Pirate Day,” which
took place on September 19.
The books’ illustrations
have frequently been called
macabre because many of them
are quite odd and unsettling.
Skeletons, murderers, and other
frightening figures contribute
to a dark series of illustrations
that accompany the often-eerie
text.
However, much of Gorey’s
work is intended for children,
including The Bug Book. An-
other such work, Dancing Cats
and Neglected Murderesses, in-
cludes a series of illustrations
showing felines engaging in a
number of surprising activities,
such as reading tarot cards and
“juggling raisin cookies on the
back porch.”
The collection includes fif-
teen books illustrated by Go-
rey, including a pop-up book,
The Dwindling Party. Why We were Raddory Gewe and E. G. distinguished English author,
Have Day and Night and The Deadworry. playwright, and critic. Burns
Vinegar Works: Three Volumes of Edward St. John Gorey is Library has many other collec-
Moral Instruction, are also part also well-known for designing tions of letters and documents
of the collection. These works the animated opening sequence from Graham Greene’s library.
and many others were in the PBS Mystery! While the Gorey special col-
Library Hours:
written, as well as il- series. He published lection is available in the Burns
M 9-5
lustrated, by Gorey. more than 100 works Reading Room for Halloween,
T 9-5
Several compilations during his lifetime the books may be used in the li-
W 9-8
of Gorey’s work are and provided illustra- brary for research all year.
Th 9-5
also available in Burns tions for the work of Gorey’s style might be
F 9-5
Library: Amphigorey, many other writers characterized as vivid, evoca-
S 10-2
Amphigorey Too, and and poets. Gorey had tive, graceful, and witty. The
Amphigorey Also. a great admiration of ballet, and irony and strangeness in his
Gorey is known not only he received the Tony Award for writings offer fascinating in-
for his illustrations, but also for Costume Design for his work sight into this author and illus-
his fondness for pseudonyms. on the 1977 Broadway produc- trator. Visit Burns Library for
One of the books in the Ed- tion of Dracula. His home on a look inside the world of Ed-
ward Gorey collection at Burns Cape Cod is now a museum, the ward Gorey. The library is open
Library was written under the Edward Gorey House. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday,
pen name Hyacinthe Phypps, The 15 books of the Ed- and Friday from 9 am – 5 pm,
for example. Many of Gorey’s ward Gorey collection come Wednesday 9 am – 8 pm, and
pseudonyms were anagrams of to Boston College from the Saturday 10 am – 2 pm. Visitors
his own name. Among these library of Graham Greene, a are welcome.

Fulton
from front
Debate
ling 30% of the market share, the
negative cited the sheer number
of private sellers – over 1,300. In
addition, Stork argued that 30% is
not even close to the percentage
required to constitute a monopoly.
Over 75% of Americans are happy
with their private insurance. The
negative argued that the costs
are not rising because of a lack of
competition, but because of the
rising costs of innovation.
Ryan Malone, for the affirma-
tive, then answered that competi-
tion was not a “pre-existing” condi-
tion in the healthcare market and
he then quipped that the public
option “will only kill monopoly…
and old people.” Sarcasm aside,
he then addressed arguments that
stated that a single-payer system
was the only possible outcome of
a government-subsidized public
option. People will still have the
right to choose between public
and private; the public option will
never replace the private sector.
Brendan Benedict answered
for the negative, saying that the
public option will only be able
to offer lower prices because of
government subsidies, and “every-
thing the government runs, it runs
into the ground.” He explained
how the demise of the private sec-
tor was inevitable, and the short
steps the government would need
to take turn the system into a sin-
gle-payer one. Benedict also pre-
dicted the collapse of innovation
in a system that included a public
option.
The concluding speeches
summarized the preceding ar-
guments, and then the audience
voted. Afterwards, Ryan Folio
told The Observer that preparing
for the debate is a “week-long
process,” and that healthcare was
chosen because “it’s contentious
today.” He argued for the affirma-
tive view, which is his true view
on the issue. Brendan Benedict
however argued for the negative,
despite being pro-nationalized
healthcare in reality.
The Fulton Debating society
was established soon after BC was
founded, and acquired its name in
1890. The team travels to tour-
naments several times a year, and
holds debates at BC around 3
times each semester. On Novem-
ber 16th, they are debating the
Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy.

O’Neill
from front
Mural
to GJP members, OLAA was “in-
terested in finding some talented
artists for one of their exhibi-
tions.”
Rhom’s email continued by stat-
ing that the “idea is to make each
square represent an issue regard-
ing social justice taking place
anywhere across the globe. Con-
sidering our very name, this is
quite relevant! At least twelve,
and at most all sixteen paintings,
are to be painted by our group.”
Leyva confirmed that he asked
the GJP to help paint the mural.
The individual artists have not
been identified at this point, and
both the GJP and the ASRP have
been unavailable for comment.
Professor Dennis Hale of the
political science department de-
nounced the painting as “foolish”
and “self-defeating.” He added
that “It is a common understand-
ing among progressives that pov-
erty is caused by white people,
or by rich people; in fact, some
people think ‘rich’ and ‘white’
are synonyms.” Noting that pro-
gressives have never made any
“serious contributions to end-
ing poverty,” Hale concluded
that “the ultimate victims of this
particular ideology will be poor
people everywhere.”
However, Professor Martin Sum-
mers of the history department
offered a more favorable assess-
ment of the mural and noted
that the art intended to provoke
discussion: “The artist(s) clearly
wanted to provoke a discussion
about the historic economic ex-
ploitation and marginalization
of people of African descent,
whether it is slavery or share-
cropping or the convict-lease
system or the exclusion of Afri-
can Americans from labor unions
until the mid-20th century or the
role of discriminatory lending
practices in preventing the gener-
ational transfer of wealth within
the black community.”
While Summers acknowledged
that the artist’s portrayal of the
issues at hand did not tell the en-
tire story of racism’s history, he
said that “one of the roles of art,
it seems to me, is to provoke dis-
cussion. And it has done that.”
The Arts and Social Responsibil-
ity Project operates under Boston
College’s Center for Arts and
Ethical
from page 3
Coffee
Social Responsibility (CASR). sustainability.” He believes that ture of business and see what can
Founded in 2009, the center’s other large companies, such as be changed.
website states that its mission Starbucks, could adopt the same He emphasized the fact
is to “build upon the student’s goals as his company and still that the world environment and
passion for all types of art and turn a profit while improving economy will suffer the blows of
performance in combination the lives of the coffee farmers business “until business changes
with social responsibility to and their families. its fundamental operating prin-
create engaging new projects, Cycon encouraged his Bos- ciples.” According to Cycon, our
lectures and coursework.” ton College audience, the up- generation can make this change,
The mission statement also coming generation of business do “good work in the world,” and
adds that “CASR functions on owners, to look toward the fu- continue to profit.
the belief that every person has
the capacity and responsibility
to make positive social change.
Through ongoing dialogues
with the students and faculty,
we will continue imagining cre-
ative new initiatives, empow-
ering students to develop and
practice their passion for the
arts as a means to become ‘men
and women for others.’”
The CASR is sponsoring a
number of recent GJP-promot-
ed events, including a Nicara-
guan grass-roots arts movement
“promoting the empowerment
of youth, with a focus on gender
equity through programs in art,
music, dance, spirituality and
theatre for social justice,” and a
“Living Theatre” workshop.

THE OBSERVER
October 27, 2009
Observer Participates in Race Relations Panel
Students and administrators form a panel to discuss race’s role on BC’s campus.
By Adam Wladis
The Observer
The Student Programs Of-
fice hosted the panel “Can I, As
a Caucasian, Be a Part of Your
Group?” in the Murray Room of
Yawkey Center. The panel was
a direct result of a controversial
Observer article dealing with race
relations at Boston College.
Michael Reer, Editor-in-
Chief of The Observer at Boston
College, stressed the mission of
the newspaper in his defense of
the article – as an initiator of
campus dialogue and education
on important issues and con-
cerns. The Observer is a non-
profit publication that functions
to promote Catholic ethics, val-
ues and concerns, and personal
responsibility. As such, its inten-
tion is never to alienate or polar-
ize specific groups, but rather to
bring those groups together in
campus conversation.
Reer argued that “As being
a responsible member of campus
media, we need to follow up on
these issues…attending these
panels and listening to the stu-
dents gives us the opportunity to
do just that, so a lot of tonight is
going to be me listening to all of
you [the students].”
Jennifer Liao, President of
the Asian Caucus, said, “The first
thing that I saw was people just
getting angry, almost as if their
own mothers had been insulted,
The First Pregame: Notre Dame Pep Rally
Students gathered in O’Neill for a show of spirit before heading off to South Bend.
By Adam Wladis
The Observer
The Boston College Ath-
letics Department hosted the
annual Boston College-Notre
Dame pep rally this past Tuesday,
October 20th in O’Neil Plaza
to boost morale for the football
game this Saturday against the
Fighting Irish.
The Screaming Eagles
Marching Band and Irish Danc-
ers kicked off the night with
some dance and music to the
rhythms of the Dropkick Mur-
phys’ “I’m Shipping Up to Bos-
ton.” This entertained the stu-
dents for the time but was just
the appetizer. From the get-
go, the host set the tone for the
night as he said, “Now let’s get
pumped for the pigskin battle
this Saturday…which we have
won six straight years, I might
add.” At that mocking gesture,
the students went wild with BC
pride.
Soon thereafter, the host
introduced our 2009-2010 Bos-
ton College hockey team. Head
Coach Jerry York was the first to
“There is no freedom without the Truth”
or as if the core of their own be-
ing had been greatly damaged
by these comments.” Liao con-
trasted this with her own, much
milder response to the issue at
hand: “We should be quick to
listen and slow to anger.” The
panelists and everyone else in at-
“Michael Reer, Editor-in-Chief
of The Observer at Boston Col-
lege, stressed the mission of the
newspaper in his defense of the
article – as an initiator of campus
dialogue and education on impor-
tant issues and concerns.”
tendance nodded in agreement
with her statement.
Furthermore, Reer stressed
the difficulties inherent in man-
aging a newspaper, but not as an
excuse so much as an opportunity
to harbor an understanding. For
example, when he is faced with
the task of scrutinizing his sec-
tion heads concerning possibly
offensive articles, Reer said, “I
have to ask myself if the decisions
step up to the podium, and, in
a show of great confidence, he
said, “We are looking for a dou-
ble-header sweep here…we are
going to knock off the Irish on
Friday and give our football team
a chance to complete a sweep on
Saturday.”
Senior Captain Matt Lom-
bardi mirrored his coach’s en-
thusiasm as he stepped up to the
microphone and said, “We are
going to start off the weekend
with a win because we are one
school united in the purpose of
beating Notre Dame.”
The festivities continued
with trivia questions aimed to
test the hockey players on their
knowledge of Boston College
football history. The host asked
for four volunteers from the team
to come forward, one person
from each respective class. Fresh-
man Parker Milner, Sophomore
Tommy Cross, Junior Joe Whit-
ney, and Senior Ben Smith all
stepped up to the plate.
The questions dealt with
Doug Flutie and his Hail Mary
pass, all-time BC Bowl wins, and
the NFL superstars the school
News
were made in a prudent fashion
and with the best interests of the
Boston College community at
heart.” Sometimes, these deci-
sions do result in controversial
articles, but does that mean these
articles should not be published
in the first place? If the article
had not been published, there
would have been no panel to dis-
cuss the issue.
Reer presented the issue
from the newspaper’s perspec-
tive, arguing that “we have to
struggle in order to find a deli-
cate balance between establish-
ing a newspaper that will sustain
a large readership among Boston
College students and promote
our Catholic heritage, ethics, and
has produced. The hockey play-
ers knew their stuff, but the best
question was saved for last.
The host asked, “In what
year did Boston College last lose
a game to the Irish?” The first
three answers to choose from
were tempting, but the players
answered with a resounding “D.
Never.” Laughter filled the plaza.
Once again, the Screaming
Eagles Marching Band came out
onto the plaza and played a tune
for the students whose strained
vocal cords could use the break.
Then, the members of the
Boston College cheerleading
squad joined in with some danc-
ing and, soon enough, threw free
t-shirts that read “Bleed Maroon
and Gold” to the crowd.
Afterwards, it was time for
the main course. Boston Col-
lege Head Football Coach Frank
Spaziani led the team onto the
stage and took the podium. As
the throng of students cheered
and applauded, Coach Spaziani
thanked everyone in attendance
for coming out that night as
well as for supporting the team
so far this year. Spaziani contin-
values. Our hands are tied be-
tween attempting to initiate and
sustain a meaningful conversa-
tion on campus and still remain
appealing to the student body
and community at large…in this
case, we believe that Boston Col-
lege students want to read pieces
that help begin this campus dia-
logue.”
Dean Karl Bell, who was
moderating this panel discussion,
said that “as offensive as this ar-
ticle was (in its language), it did
spark an engaging dialogue and
had truth in it.” Bell continued,
“Everyone does like to stick to-
gether in their own little ethnic
enclaves and that has to change.”
Bell sincerely urged those in
attendance to educate themselves
on this issue, to “read up on their
literature and their facts so that
they will be able to engage in
meaningful conversation.” The
other panelists concurred with
this, especially Ines Maturana
Sendoyna, who is the Director of
the Office of Student Programs.
Sendoyna reflected that,
“people do tend to gravitate to
those individuals of their own
ethnicity and cultural back-
ground…we must improve inte-
gration and become more cultur-
ally competent and conscious.”
She divided this “cultural com-
petence” into three parts: cultural
sensitivity, knowledge, and em-
pathy.
In his concluding remarks,
ued, “You guys come early, you
stay late, and you stay loud and
enthusiastic and these guys and
myself – well, we appreciate it. It
helps us play.”
Coach Spaziani handed the
microphone to Senior Captain
Mike McLaughlin. Although
Spaziani did not guarantee victo-
ry in the “Holy War,” McLaugh-
lin was not quite as generous
towards the Fighting Irish. The
senior captain said, “I guarantee
you we are going to go do our
thing at 3:30 out in South Bend
on Saturday…I guarantee you
that. You know these guys…
these guys, we’ve beaten them in
the past for a long time and it’s
not by mistake. We are prepar-
ing this week as hard as we can
and we are going to bring home
a “W” for you guys on Saturday.”
Sophomore Will Thompson
spoke next and, just as the oth-
ers had done, stressed the impor-
tance of the fans thus far into the
season as well as the impact their
support would provide on game
day in South Bend. Thompson
said, “Whether you are RVing
or flying to South Bend, or just
5
Reer said, “So much good has
come from that article with re-
gards to initiating dialogue…it
creates a spark, no matter what
the source. To have the courage
to stand by the article and begin
dialogue on this important issue
is something that I, and hope-
fully a lot of other people, can
learn from.”
During the question and
answer session afterwards, one
teacher asked the panelists to
elaborate on what the audience
should take away from all this.
The consensus among them was
to educate ourselves, initiate dia-
logue, and reach out to others
who are different from us.
Working off this point, one
student described his own reac-
tion to the controversial article:
“I wasn’t angry about the article
itself, just curious. We have to
come to understand and appre-
ciate someone and their back-
ground before we rush to judg-
ment. And in order to do this,
we must be willing to step out of
our comfort zone.”
Often these days, people
are unwilling to do just that: to
step out of their comfort zone
and engage with others who are
different from ourselves. Reer
concluded that it is The Observ-
er’s hope that some good might
come from this controversial ar-
ticle, and that it might be able to
act as a unifying, rather than a
dividing, factor.
staying back in the dorms, give
your support.”
The trivia questions picked
up once more, this time to test
the football players on their acu-
men of Boston College hockey.
The host asked for four volun-
teers; freshman Dave Shinskie,
sophomore Montel Harris, and
seniors Jim Ramella and Nick
Rossi came forward.
The last question posed was
the most memorable: “Who did
Boston College beat in the 2008
NCAA Championship game?”
The possible answers: A. Notre
Dame, B. Notre Dame, or C.
Notre Dame. With that ques-
tion, the pep rally had achieved
its purpose: school pride ran
rampant and the students were
united in their competitiveness
for the Fighting Irish.
The night ended with Dave
Shinskie and Codi Boek throw-
ing footballs out to the student
crowd. At this time, it was pitch
black outside. On any other
night, such disregard of the dark-
ness would have been considered
a safety hazard, but tonight was
different.

6 Business
Dean’s Beans Presents a Better Way to Do Business
Author and entrepreneur Dean Cycon’s speech described a socially conscious path to developing a business, and implicated larger companies’ practices.
By Stephen Habetz
The Observer
Dean Cycon, author of “Java
Trekker” and founder of Dean’s
Beans came to Boston College
this week to talk about fair trade.
The audience he found was com-
prised of the sort of demographic
one has come to expect at a dis-
cussion about social change or
social equity.
Amongst the BC Green
shirts and Philosophy majors,
Mr. Cycon talked about the role
Dean’s Beans played in the lives
of its coffee bean suppliers and
the simple ways in which larger
coffee companies, such as Green
Mountain and Starbucks, could
Extreme Accounting
BC students win cash and the chance to reach a national from front
competition in the PwC xTREME Games
By Chloe Sigillito
The Observer
The winning team for the
Boston College 2009 Pricewater-
houseCooper xTREME games
competition, “Healthy Tax,” re-
cently won $1,000 and a chance to
continue on as one of five finalist
teams nation-wide.
For the past several years,
BC students have participated in
the xTREME games hosted by
PricewaterhouseCooper, a huge
employer of BC grads. The com-
petition allows the participants the
opportunity for real life business
experience and face-to-face time
with PwC representatives.
Each year, teams of five people
compete using the various business
strategies they have studied in class
to attempt to resolve a hypotheti-
cal nation’s financial issues. Teams
must be comprised of one junior,
two sophomores, and two “any
level” members. This year, six total
teams competed at a chance to win
one of the five finalist prizes: a trip
across the country to meet with
PwC experts in New York City
and $10,000.
While this competition
weighs heavily on knowledge ac-
quired through the Carroll School
of Management, all BC commu-
nity members are encouraged to
participate. The faculty advisor to
the event, Professor Edward Taylor
said, “These games are not just for
CSOM.” He emphasized that the
experience gained from the event
would be valuable to many BC
undergraduates. However, as usu-
al, members from these six 2009
teams were predominately from
CSOM.
After two weeks of preparing,
collecting data and researching the
topic, the actual competition was
“There is no freedom without the Truth”
dramatically impact the lives of
the millions of people involved in
the coffee bean production indus-
try, at little cost to their profits.
Dean’s Beans started when
Dean Cycon was fired from his
job working as an environmental
attorney. Deprived of a paycheck,
he still wanted to work to change
the lack of social consciousness
in the world of commercial trade.
He hoped to start a company that
paid socially just (and therefore
higher) prices for coffee beans
while simultaneously charging
low prices for its coffee.
He aimed to reinvest a por-
tion of any profits back into the
coffee-producing community.
The goal of his experimental
Union Negotiations Continue
held on October 16th, when the
teams presented to PwC officials.
This year’s hypothetical situation
asked competitors to resolve tax is-
sues by creating reforms for a theo-
retically struggling country. On
BC’s campus, the 2009 winning
team, called “Healthy Tax,” in-
cluded Michael Sodic, Carl Conti,
Christen Scanion, Asie Mustafa,
and TJ Kinon. They won the cam-
pus prize of $1,000, each receiving
$250, and their proposal has been
submitted to be considered for the
finals.
This competition has become
a staple on BC’s campus. Not only
does it emphasize teamwork and
strategizing in real world situa-
tions, but it also exposes members
of BC’s community to outside
companies.
Professor Edward Taylor, who
works with PricewaterhouseCoo-
pers to coordinate the event, names
two benefits to the experience: “it
gives students a chance to present
material to PwC professionals, as
all teams have the opportunity to
present to board members. It also
lets PwC advertise on BC’s cam-
pus.”
PricewaterhouseCooper is
one of the largest employers of
BC grads. The xTREME games
is an excellent opportunity for BC
undergraduates to make personal
connections with PwC leaders, and
gain a foothold into one of the Big
Four accounting firms.
The winning Boston College
team’s research and understanding
of the hypothetical situation im-
pressed the PwC representatives,
enabling them to have their work
exposed to a wide audience. It is a
tremendous accomplishment; con-
gratulations to the winning team,
and thanks to PwC for invigorat-
ing the business spirit on campus.
company was to remain fairly
profitable.
Cycon’s business model was
a success. He described a steadily
growing profit margin and mar-
ket share, despite an overall de-
cline in U.S. coffee consumption.
The portion of profits rein-
vested in coffee-producing com-
munities has, over the years, led
to great social improvements.
There are now wells in Ethiopia,
so that the women and children
of the village no longer have to
spend all day walking up and
down a mountain to get water for
the coffee plants. Deforestation
around Latin American villages
has been reversed through the re-
planting of trees, reviving a stag-
$30 to $40 per hour for cleanup af-
ter sporting events and other spe-
cial events. Article 18 of the union
contract currently prohibits BC
from contracting this work.
“People rely on that overtime,”
said a union employee who wished
to remain anonymous. “They wait
weeks for just four hours of it. A
lot of people would have to go out
and get part time jobs elsewhere.”
Another employee added, “Early in
the negotiations, we offered a one-
year pay freeze. The University re-
fused it; they want to cut costs.”
Union organizers and em-
ployees gathered at Hillside Plaza
yesterday for a ‘Hat Day’ show of
solidarity before the final negotia-
tion of the month, joined by stu-
dents and professors.
Students have taken up the
workers’ cause, with a petition al-
ready circulating and a teach-in
event planned. “We want the
University to enter negotiations
with the mindset of Catholic so-
cial teachings,” said Katie Sellers,
a graduate student at the School
of Theology and Ministry and the
creator of the petition.
The University was unable to
say how much it spends overall on
these overtime costs, and it remains
unclear where the cost-cutting idea
originated.
A union employee was skep-
tical of the University’s intentions
in removing Article 18 entirely.
“They want to take away all special
events, and keep us at our regular
40 hours. At one time, BC cus-
todial staff was considered family.
Now we’re just numbers.” Em-
ployees seemed to suggest that
escalation of contracted work was
a primary concern. “If they’d put
down in writing what they want,
we would definitely consider that,”
stated a union employee. Lewis
was adamant about the University’s
nant lumber industry. And thou-
sands of children are receiving an
education they would otherwise
be without.
Cycon’s business model was
not the only topic of his discus-
sion, however. His other main
talking point was the deception
of the public perpetuated by
larger coffee companies. He cited
Starbucks as an example of one
company that claimed to be “Free
Trade,” when in reality only four
per cent of its coffee beans are
bought in that process.
He estimated that to be fully,
one hundred per cent Free Trade,
Starbucks would have to pay ap-
proximately the equivalent of sev-
en cents a share. Their share price
commitment to workers. “They’re
great, long-term employees, and
we have no intention of doing any-
thing to affect their job security at
all. If we do contract this out, we’d
contract it out to a union contrac-
tor, in fact, the same union that
represents these employees. So far
the union has been unwilling to
work with us on this.”
Still, “as a union worker here,
I think it’s a great place to work,”
clarified the employee. But “BC
has stated at the negotiating table
that they are lowering the stan-
dards here - grass being cut less,
furniture being replaced less - and
that’s not sitting well with the
union. We’re not going to do short
work, because we have high stan-
dards. That’s why BC is BC.”
University Spokesman Jack
Dunn acknowledged that the uni-
versity is trying to cut costs, but
said that it is trying to do so with-
out the “lay offs that have occurred
at universities throughout the
country, including 300 at Harvard,
and 400 at Stanford, among many
others. To do so, and to continue to
moderate our tuition increases, we
have to examine ways of reducing
expenditures.”
Dominican Sister Mary Prin-
iski, OP, formerly of Catholic Schol-
ars for Social Justice and The Labor
Guild in Boston, believes firmly in
the connection between Catholic
social teaching and labor rights.
Now a regional superior for her or-
der, she retains her strong support
for labor. “The Catholic Church
has said forever that workers have
the right to a living wage, to collec-
tively bargain, and to have decent
working conditions. The Catholic
position is that a normal workweek
should be enough income for a
family to live on...if workers abso-
lutely have to do overtime to sur-
vive, then they should be allowed
THE OBSERVER
October 27, 2009
is $20.27 as of October 23rd.
Despite his self-proclaimed
social activist roots, Dean Cycon
has proven himself a very ca-
pable businessman. He founded
a multi-million dollar company
focused not solely on its bottom
line, but primarily on conducting
business ethically.
His business practices have
released third world communi-
ties from the grip of poverty.
His outspoken opposition to the
deceptive policies of larger cor-
porations has raised awareness
of their malfeasance. His lecture
was remarkable. But there was
one thing that didn’t make sense
– why were there so few business
students there?
to do that. These are the broad,
concrete principles, but every lo-
cal level has practical implications
which need to be taken into ac-
count.”
Katie Sellers, busy bringing
together student support for the
union, praised the University’s re-
cord. “This is what I’m proud of,
as an alumna and a student,” said
Sellers. “I am so encouraged by the
example BC has been setting. To
no longer be demonstrating that
example is something I question...
We’re not supposed to be a typical
university; we’re supposed to be a
Catholic university. We go above
and beyond. How else can we ex-
pect to be a model of social justice?”
Sellers’ initiative is backed by
students from groups as diverse as
OLAA, UGBC, 4Boston, and GJP.
In fact, says Sellers, “The teach-in
is a new phrase for me- it’s a GJP
thing. We’ll come together, have a
discussion, and learn about the is-
sue. I really think this is going to
snowball.”
Bob Lewis acknowledged
students’ commitment, but said
“The only way this is going to
get resolved is at the negotiating
table. There’s nothing that’s go-
ing to bring about a solution other
than both parties sitting down and
working it out. I’m optimistic that
reasonable people can come to-
gether and come up with a reason-
able solution.”
When they sit down once
again at the negotiating table,
Lewis and union officials will again
attempt to end the impasse around
contracting labor. But Katie Sell-
ers reminds the community that its
true identity is reflected in its ac-
tions.
“We’re men and women for
others...building community is
what we’re called to do as a Catho-
lic community. Let’s do it.”
 “There is no freedom without the Truth”
THE OBSERVER
October 27, 2009 Business 7
FINDING AN INTERNSHIP: 101
Don’t think there are any out there for you? Think again. An interview with the Career Center reveals a myriad of internship opportunities available
in the spring semester and into the summer.
By Dana Flynn
The Observer

Given the global economic

state of affairs, the majority of stu-
dents are questioning their abil-
ity to find a job after graduation.
Most major companies have scaled
back their open positions; many
students are turning to post-grad
positions with organizations such
as Teach for America or deferring
the job search for several more
years while in graduate school.
Still, the Career Center at Boston
College stresses that job openings
are in fact available to those who
look in the right places. The best
place to start finding a job? In-
ternship experience. An interview
with Russ Ventura, Internship
Coordinator of Boston College’s
Career Center, reveals the oppor-
tunities available to current stu-
dents for the upcoming semester
and summer.
Ventura begins, saying that
the number of internships avail-
able this current school year has,
for the most part, gone unchanged The Career Center helps students find internships
from previous years.
Currently, there are 1,720 list- always the best approach for find- a wide range of internship op- portunities are still available for
The University Career Ac-
ings on the UCAN database, 238 ing employment,” Ventura affirms. portunities, Ventura emphasizes, students to “get a foot in the door”
tion Network (UCAN) database
in the EagleLink database, and “If students are uncomfortable or “Students don’t realize how many of their choice career. The key
lists thousands of internships from
336 in the Interview Review sys- not knowledgeable about how to employers are willing to look at lies in looking in the right places.
a nation-wide network offered to
tem. Still, Ventura stresses that, network, they should visit our of- students with any major. Compa- Ventura stresses the importance of
students from top schools, includ-
“there are other ways to find in- fice for advice.” nies are more concerned with the starting the search early. A brief
ing Boston College. EagleLink,
ternships besides looking at listed Also important to keep in overall profile and how well the look at the Career Center website
Boston College’s own database,
positions.” One should not limit mind is the fact that many valuable student has done in whatever they reveals the multitude of resources
includes listings from the Cam-
his or her search to those three da- opportunities are overlooked when have studied.” Students should offered to students – from resume
pus Recruiting Program and other
tabases. students focus their job or intern- not forget the importance of their critiques and mock interviews to
known internship opportunities
Primarily, Ventura encour- ship search on larger, well-known effort in classes, as well as extra- workshops and networking as-
offered exclusively to BC students.
ages students to “be proactive,” companies rather than exploring curricular activities when focusing sistance. Furthermore, students
The Internship Review system
and contact companies when they availability with smaller and medi- on the all-important internship or should attend the Internship Fair
posts reviews from Boston College
do not see an internship listing um-sized firms. job search. on January 26 to meet with pro-
students regarding past internship
posted. Even more valuable is the On a final note, regarding Despite the financial crisis, spective employers and learn about
programs, as well as contact infor-
skill to network. “Networking is the majors most suited to finding it seems that a wide range of op- various internship options.
mation for the same companies.
 “There is no freedom without the Truth”
THE OBSERVER
8 Editorials October 27, 2009

Union Contracts Put Editor-in-Chief

Michael Karl Reer
Executive Editor
Employees at Risk Jesse Naiman
Deputy Executive Editor
JP Bonner
Boston College unions are protesting the University’s reluc- Managing Editor
tance to sign any contract that does not provide a cost-saving initia- Mary Margaret Brinkopf
tive. Boston College has done a remarkable job securing the jobs of
Layout Editor
Timothy West
union workers during these challenging economic times. The admin- The Observer
Catholic Issues Editor
istration has avoided the layoffs that have plagued even prestigious Boston College
Rachele Reis
Box L-132 McElroy Commons
schools such as Harvard and Stanford. Additionally, the University
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
Assoc. Catholic Issues
has succeeded in keeping the base pay and benefits, including those A Member of the Collegiate Network
Editor
regarding health and dental care, of its employees remarkably consis- Marc Gerard L’Hereux
Asst. Catholic Issues
tent. Mission Statement Editors
The founding Catholic document concerning the labor re- Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam—For the Greater Glory of God Max Bindernagel
lationship between the employer and employee is Rerum Novarum, The Observer at Boston College is a student newspaper produced by Michael Williams
written by Pope Leo XIII in 1891. In paragraph 20 of Rerum Novar- members of the Boston College community. It promotes and defends tra- Philip Micele
ditional political and religious values both within Boston College and News Editor
um, the Catholic Church declares that the employer has an obligation beyond. The Observer strongly champions the ideals of Western Civiliza-
to allow his or her employees to pursue their respective religious du-
Allison Gallagher
tion, the free market, limited government, personal freedom and respon- Associate News Editor
ties and, furthermore, to pay them what is just. The definition of “what sibility, and adherence to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. Taking Akash Chougule
is just” is open to interpretation, but we believe overtime pay in excess seriously the values to which Boston College is committed as a Catholic Assistant News Editor
of $30 to be more than just. university in the Western tradition, The Observer strives to promote the Adam Wladis
highest quality of journalism by providing a forum for news, opinion, Anne Archbald
Rerum Novarum also places restrictions on unions, charging and editorial at BC that otherwise would not exist. Dedicated towards ad-
them with the duty of protecting the jobs of their constituents. Unions Business Editor
vancing the intellectual life, The Observer desires an active and healthy
Dana Flynn
that put the jobs of its constituents at risk simply to pursue one add- exchange of ideas, and encourages letters and article submissions from
Assistant Business Editor
ed incentive may be running afoul of this sentiment. The University all of the members of the University Community.
Taylor Wagner
must, and will, ultimately achieve the cutbacks needed for financial Christina Schmohl
solvency. The only question is whether these cutbacks will come from Policies Opinions Editor
layoffs or cost-saving initiatives. In an economic downturn, paying First three copies free, each additional copy $3.00. Requests for multiple Megan Rauch
$40 per hour per employee to clean Alumni Stadium is a recipe for copies can be directed to info@thebcobserver.com. Subscriptions to The Associate Opinions Edi-
Observer are $50. Papers will be sent by first class mail. Please send tor
fiscal disaster barring yet another tuition increase. requests to the address above. All advertisements in The Observer do not Taylor Wagner
We commend Boston College for keeping tuition constant. Stu- constitute endorsement by The Observer, Inc. Assistant Opinions Editor
dents who sign the petition against the University’s bargaining prac- The views and opinions portrayed in various articles within The Observer Jack Schwada
tices would often be the same ones decrying another tuition hike. As may or may not represent the opinion of each individual staff member. Sports Editor
more and more BC families need relief from tuition, it is important that The Observer reserves the right to edit all letters to the editor for length Kaitlin McKinley
and clarity purposes. The Observer reserves the right to refuse any letter Associate Sports Editor
small cutbacks are not confused with cataclysmic changes in policy. to the editor. The Observer is not responsible for grammar, punctuation, Stephen Pope
The unions must realize that cutbacks are inevitable in any capitalization, and spelling. The Observer welcomes letters to the editor. Copy Editor
economic downturn. The administration prefers for these cutbacks to Submissions may be emailed to bcobserver@gmail.com. Morgan Chalfant
take the form of overtime pay and not layoffs. Boston College is not The Observer, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization; all donations are Editor-At-Large
asking for a cut in base pay nor benefits, making it hard for any union tax deductible. All content is property of The Observer and may not be Jared Sheinuk
to make the case that their workers are being treated unjustly. Given
used without expressed written permission. © 2008, The Observer, Inc. Photography Editor
John-Paul Pluta
this mindset, it is incredible that the University is being demonized by Photographer
leftist groups for trying to save jobs. We believe the present changes Sarah Hatton
proposed by BC offer the most satisfying solution to the situation at Webmaster
hand in the present economic climate for all parties involved, tuition Sarah Gilliand
payers and union workers alike, and for this reason, we applaud the Andy Rota
University for its efforts to both preserve jobs and protect students
from an increased financial burden.
If you’re reading this newspa-
Apology per, congratulations. You’re
one step ahead of the Theol-
In the last issue of The Observer, two glaring faults should have ogy Department.
caught the attention of our editors. First, much more sensitivity should
have been shown to the Jesuit order in the “Observed” section. The re- A Chicago meter reader won a $1.5 million lawsuit against the
mark linking the Jesuit order to the condoms provided by BC’s health city after police arrested her for ticketing a cop car. BC students
insurance policy was both in poor taste and insensitive to the excel- quickly attempted to capitalize on the precedent by reporting Steve
lent work that so many Jesuits are accomplishing day in and day out
Montgomerey to the police for standing on his porch.
in our community. For this insensitivity to our role in the campus and
larger Catholic community, the entire Observer staff offers a heartfelt
apology.
Michael Reer recently expressed a desire to attend law school
Secondly, a mistake was made on the front page of the last issue. at Santa Clara. Haberdashers around Santa Clara immediately
The article entitled BC Health Insurance Covers Birth Control relied stocked up on suspenders, belts, and bow ties.
mainly upon one source. There is a reason why we encourage our writ-
ers to cite two independent sources on all information. For while the Computer Science majors were reportedly so dismayed at the promo-
source our writer relied upon had in the past proved reliable, it turned tion of the Information Systems concentration during the Notre Dame
out in this case to be gravely mistaken. The more proper action would
game that they refused to leave their computer-filled dorms. This was
have been to allow the university to vet the article before publication
doubly convenient in that it fit into their regular daily routines.
if a second reliable source could not be found.
Obviously, responsibility for these errors begins at the top. New
policies have been put into place in order to keep this from happening
again. The entire executive staff will review the entire issue before its Michael Reer found a typo on the internal memo, and reprinted all 200
publication. The news staff will be fact checking separately from the printed copies. The GJP, furious about this waste of paper, printed out
contributing writers to double check sources and prevent false infor- 1000 leaflets denouncing Reer’s lack of concern for the environment.
mation from getting through to the BC community.
We also want to take this opportunity to thank the Boston College
community for its patience and understanding in these matters as The
Observer continues to grow in both size and experience. We cannot The price of vinyl jumped 300% as hundreds of thousands of stu-
promise that these will be the last mistakes that we make, but we can dents sought to be the only “Thriller” zombie Michael Jackson at the
promise greater care and vigilance to prevent them. Halloween party.

THE OBSERVER
October 27, 2009
To the Editor:
I was quite disappointed with your ar-
ticle of 6 October “ ‘Coming Out Week’ Celebrat-
ed”. While it is true that this article served as a
fairly objective portrayal of the event, it does not
provide the whole story. As the only newspaper
on campus that respects traditional (one hesitates
in the post-Bush era to say ‘conservative’) values, I
had expected more from your coverage.
Unfortunately, homosexuality has be-
come an issue in our society on which open-
minded, fair discussion is denied. The National
Coming Out Week events do not promote dis-
cussion, which is the very thing they say is intend-
ed, rather they hinder it. According to GLBTQ
Council leadership Gasseling and Belcic, the
week is meant to help people “free themselves
from the constraints of ignorance-based limita-
tions.”
People cannot, however, honestly discuss
a view when one side has so little respect for the
other that it calls the other’s views ‘ignorant’. If
true discussion on this issue is ever to come about,
neither side can be as disrespectful, uncharitable
and closed-minded as the NCOW organizers
have shown themselves to be.
Universities are meant to pride them-
selves on open-minded, fair and respectful discus-
sion, which BC spokesman Jack Dunn intimated
when quoted for your article. As a university, Bos-
ton College should seriously question its support
for such discussion-limiting rhetoric as that pro-
vided by NCOW.
I had hoped the Observer would say as
much, but it appears you, too, have come under
the purview of the stultifying oppression of Po-
litical Correctness.
-Anonymous
Please submit letters to the editor to bcobserver@gmail.com
The Observer reserves the right to edit for length and content
Quote of the Issue
The doors to the Church are al-
ways open to those wishing to enter.
Now there is not only a door open
to Anglicans, but also a house full of
furniture
- Fr. John Zuhlsdorf (wdtprs.com)
Subscribe to The Observer at Boston College
“There is no freedom without the Truth”
Editorials
To the Observer Staff,
While I disagree with many of the things
written within the pages of your paper, I respect the
thought that you obviously put into your articles
and opinions. I enjoy picking up your paper be-
cause it gives me an opportunity to read arguments
against many positions that I hold.
What stuck me as inappropriate in this past
week’s Observer came from your “Observed” sec-
tion. I don’t really care if your “observations” are
supposed to be satirical, sarcastic, funny, or serious
in nature, there is a problem when you so openly
attack the Jesuits and thus the Church that many of
us call home.
You may have issues with the BC health in-
surance policy, but saying that it “provides Jesuits
with condoms” crosses a line. It is offensive to many
Jesuits as well as myself, and simply not funny.
Then you continue on in another “observation” that
provides insightful commentary on the homilies
given by our priests on Sundays. The punchline is
essentially the homilies “suck.”
You may feel a decline in the nature of hom-
ilies given, but if you would like to take issue with
them you should do so in a more intellectual man-
ner befitting of a reputable collegiate newspaper.
While you may have considered these “ob-
servations” to be funny, I find it odd that you so
blatantly attack the Jesuits when the motto of your
paper is Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam. In trying to
find God in all things, I fail to find God in your
humor.
-Sam Hay
Theology Major, Class of 2010
www. thebcobserver.com
bcobserver@gmail.com
9
You Don’t Know Jacq
Dear Jacq,
I’ve been dating my boyfriend for four months, and things are going great.
The only problem is that he has a lot of friends that are girls, and I find myself
getting jealous of the time he spend with them. I know on a rational level
that I shouldn’t be jealous of them, but why do I feel this way? Also, when
I try to hang out with him and his female friends, they come off really cold
towards me, and I don’t know why.
Help!
Pushing Possessive
Dear Pushing Possessive,
First of all, don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s pretty common
for women to feel jealous when their boyfriends have strong relation-
ships with other females, particularly when those females aren’t recep-
tive to your role as The Girlfriend.
Unfortunately, women aren’t always happy when their male
friends find a girlfriend. Ideally, we’d all be delighted when anyone
starts a loving relationship, but sometimes females aren’t welcoming
to the new girlfriend, and the piranha teeth come out. This might be
because they are resentful of him having to share his time with you, or
maybe they are recognizing that the friendship boundaries between
them and their male friend are more clear-cut now, whereas before they
might have been blurry.
Some girls have a bad habit of making certain guy friends their
“substitute boyfriends” when neither one is in a relationship, mostly in
order to gain the emotional support and confidence boosters that they
feel they are missing by not having a boyfriend. This, then, might cause
problems when the guy enters into a new relationship. For instance,
flirting isn’t so harmless anymore, and friendly arm touches aren’t okay
anymore. Even those late night heart-to-hearts might be considered
questionable in light of his new girlfriend.
Honestly, when a guy enters into a romantic relationship with
a girl, his friendships with some females are likely to change, and that’s
not necessarily a bad thing. It is important that female friends respect
the relationship that their male friend is in, and this means that all their
actions should indicate a healthy acknowledgment of your relationship.
If you feel like some of his female friends are coming on too
strong, talk to your boyfriend. Tell him that you feel like Touchy Tam-
my is getting too touchy-feely, which you think is disrespectful to your
relationship. How your boyfriend reacts to what you are sharing with
him will be very telling about the kind of person he is and about your
relationship. The danger with not voicing what you feel are very real
concerns is that these bad feelings can build up until they manifest
themselves in other ways, potentially negatively affecting your relation-
ship.
Also, assess the nature of his female friendships. There’s a dif-
ference between him actively going out and meeting new girls to serve
as female emotional support and him hanging out with female friends
that he had before you were dating. As far as acquiring new female
friends, I think this is something to be wary of. When a guy has a girl-
friend, she becomes his main means of female emotional support, so he
shouldn’t be out looking for others. This isn’t to say that he can’t talk to
other women or that he can’t make new acquaintances, but he shouldn’t
be looking to find a new female best friend. That’s your role.
I know it’s tough to be introduced to your boyfriend’s friends
and be met with animosity. Recognize that it’s not a reaction to who
you are as an individual, but a reaction to your title as The Girlfriend.
If you make an effort to be kind and friendly, and you don’t feel as if
your efforts are being reciprocated, then you don’t have an obligation to
hang out with them when your boyfriend does. If you trust that your
boyfriend respects your relationship enough to act appropriately with
his female friends, then there’s no need for you to socialize with them
as well, especially if it’s not fun for you.
Have a question you want answered? Write to holla.at.jacq@gmail.com

X
10
Does Religion Cause More Conflict Than Good?
Is the problem with religion religion itself or how we, as humans, handle the passion that surrounds its practice?
By Michael Reer
THE OBSERVER
Religion has come under at-
tack in recent years from atheists
and agnostics who believe that its
practice causes more harm than
good. Wars, atrocities, and human
rights violations have been com-
mitted over the past few centuries
in the name of religion, lending
enough credence to the atheistic
argument that it must be taken
seriously. To compound the prob-
lem, defenders of religion, such
as Dinesh D’Souza, have done a
shoddy job defending religion, ar-
guing that atheistic regimes, such
as Nazi Germany or the Commu-
nist Soviet Union, are just as like-
ly to commit atrocities and wars.
Although this argument is prob-
ably true, it does not refute the
argument that religion spills more
blood than it is worth. It simply
argues that atheism is just as bad.
The essential question that
should be considered is whether
or not religion causes atrocities
by its very nature or if there is a
secondary causation which fol-
lows the practice of religion in
certain situations. Upon careful
consideration, it must be the case
that the latter is true. Religion is,
in some instances, accompanied
Carry Your Faith!
CatholicTV introduced an App for the iPhone
By Rachele Reis
THE OBSERVER
Many Catholics enjoy attend-
ing daily Mass, but often a hec-
tic schedule prevents them from
getting to a church. CatholicTV,
America’s Catholic Television
Network, realized this problem and
has taken steps to make the daily
commute “holier.” The CatholicTV
App for the iPhone or iPod Touch,
released in July 2009, now enables
Catholics to “Carry your Faith!”
The CatholicTV App is a free
download from the iTunes App
Store, because, according to the
CatholicTV website, “How could
we possibly put a price tag on what
has been so freely given?”
The App features five main
sections: Daily Mass, Daily Ro-
sary, What’s New, Reflection, and
Blogs. Each section contains sever-
al options for the faithful to peruse.
Daily Mass features Mass
said by a different priest each day,
including BC’s own Fr. Casey
Beaumier. Masses from days past
are also available, allowing view-
ers to go back and hear homilies
from earlier in the week, or see a
Mass they might have missed.
On Daily Rosary, users choose
“Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam”
Catholic Issues
by passion. Passion, is the most
fundamental feeling which causes
violence. Handling this passion is
the key to avoiding violent con-
frontations between segments of
civil society that are passionate
about two diametrically opposed
ideas, concepts, or entities.
The problem here is the pas-
sion, and not the cause of the pas-
sion. The two concepts are related
but not nearly identical. Consider
that murderous riots have result-
ed from relatively simple soccer
matches. While this would be un-
thinkable in the United States, and
not necessarily just because the
U.S. is extremely apathetic when
it comes to soccer, these riots
are not unheard of in many Latin
American countries, where soccer
is of primary importance. In athe-
istic, or even materialistic societ-
ies, economic concerns can cause
armed conflicts (oil anyone?). The
larger point is that anything that
is of a primary importance to a
large group of people can cause
violence.
If mankind really wanted to
solve conflict once and for all it
would have to abolish passion; but
it is this passion that makes man-
kind human at its very core. Love
for one’s family, country, and yes,
even religion, are what makes us
the mysteries they would like to
pray and the location for the video
to take place. The App is updated
frequently, changing the location
options, to give users different
prayer experiences each time they
click. Currently, the options are
the Blue Hills, the Cathedral of the
Holy Cross, the National Shrine,
and the Basilica at the University
of Notre Dame.
What’s New offers the latest
news from CatholicTV including
“Newsbreak” and this week on
“The Day.” There is also a feature
on Respect Life during October’s
Respect for Life month.
For the month of October, Re-
flection features a five part series
on Our Lady of the Rosary pre-
sented by Monsignor Jim Lisante.
Past reflections still available in-
clude “Year for Priests”, “Reasons
I Love Being Catholic” by Eliza-
beth Kelly, and “Encountering
Christ in the Sacraments” by Fr.
Dan O’Connell. These short videos
provide insight and invite consider-
ation by the viewer.
Blogs allows users to stay
up to date on the goings on at
CatholicTV. Upcoming interviews,
which priests will be saying Mass,
and other news are frequently up-
THE OBSERVER
October 27, 2009
who we are. It gives us a reason to
get up in the morning, but it also
raises the possibility that we will
have fundamental disagreements
with other groups of people.
Abolishing religion would not
take these conflicts away, but just
makes us most passionate about
other concerns. While we could
only eliminate passion in theory
but not in fact, would we really
choose to live a life of meaning-
less apathy instead of valiantly
JP Pluta/The Observer
living for a cause and trying to
control the passion that drives us?
In reality it is the few that
give most a bad name in this in-
stance. A vast majority of reli-
gious people are peaceful, prefer-
ring reason and logic to rule over
the evil tendencies of a vindictive
heart. Religious institutions are
often the largest philanthropic
organizations in society, and the
Catholic Church educates more
children than any civil institution
in the world. Most people con-
sider religion to be most saving
aspect of the human race. Our hu-
man passion has moved us to pro-
vide amazing feats which credit
both the human race and our cre-
ator, but it also the ability to con-
tort our greatest aspect. It is this Students pray in St. Mary’s chapel
contortion, and not religion itself,
which injures and harms.
dated, keeping users informed and
current.
CatholicTV joined the air-
waves in 1955, broadcasting a
Pontifical Low Mass celebrated by
then-Archbishop of Boston, Rich-
ard J. Cushing. In 1964 the name
was changed to Boston Catholic
Television, and in 2006 the station
adopted the name CatholicTV. In
addition to the television station,
the network has an expansive web-
site, a profile on Facebook, and a
YouTube Channel. The iPhone
App is the most recent endeavor
by the network to be able to reach
Catholics all across America.
The average rating on iTunes
is 3.5 stars; the majority of reviews
praises the App for its potential and
content but criticize the loading
speed. Hopefully, future versions
of the App will improve the speed
of this otherwise wonderful prod-
uct.
Jay Fadden, General Manager
of CatholicTV, encourages BC
students to look into the App. So
next time you have a half hour to
spare, try using that time to pray
the rosary or Daily Mass, or reflect
on some part of your faith life, and
consider using the CatholicTV The CatholicTV App
iPhone App to help.
 “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam”
THE OBSERVER
October 27, 2009
Catholic Issues XI
11

Respecting Life for Christ

BC Pro-Life club sponsors week to raise awareness of abortion on campus
By Philip Micele
THE OBSERVER
From Monday, October 19
through Thursday, October 22,
the Boston College pro-life club
sponsored Respect Life Week, a
series of events aimed at increas-
ing awareness of abortion on cam-
pus and raising money for various
causes in order to assist pregnant
women. The club hosted a variety
of speakers throughout the week,
including the head of A Woman’s
Concern, a nearby pregnancy re-
source center, and a representative
from Project Rachel, a program
specializing in post-abortive heal-
ing.
The week began with a dis-
play of an unborn child’s devel-
opment over the course of a preg-
nancy. Posters were arranged in
the Dustbowl, along with tables
set up to provide brochures and
information to curious passers-by.
On the second day, three hundred
sixty crosses were planted into
the ground of the campus green,
each symbolizing ten women and
JP Pluta/The Observer
indeed necessary that the Church’s
opposition to abortion continue to
exert a visible influence on cam-
pus. If BC students are so strongly
encouraged to be “men and wom-
en for others,” there is no reason
such an exhortation should push
pregnant women and the unborn
into the background. Yet often, it
seems that many at BC are willing
to allow this to happen. Despite
the urgency of the issue of abor-
tion and the good efforts of the
pro-life club, the rhetoric around
campus is consistently character-
ized by the vague, circuitous idea
of “social justice.” This language,
while well-intended by many, ul-
timately does away with the true,
Catholic notion of social activism,
and undermines the importance of
the pro-life movement.
Typical activism at BC and
many other Catholic schools is
unfortunately pervaded by teleo-
logical error. Man is taken to be
his own last end, rather than as a
creature destined to union with his
Creator. Consequently, true bless-
edness would consist not in union
with God, as the Church would
teach, but rather in an earthly
“paradise” where poverty and
suffering are eradicated. There
is nothing wrong with meeting
the needs of the poor, or working
for a just social structure that pro-
vides for them and reduces their
difficulties. Many wonderful,
holy individuals throughout the
Church’s history have done just
that. However, all of them saw
this aim as something secondary
and subservient to man’s ultimate
end or telos, which is met with not
here, but in the next life in the be-
atific vision.
In the modern Church, how-
ever, many reverse the two ends,
and transforming society becomes
the goal of Christianity, as op-
posed to Faith-inspired social
transformation being a means to
make society conform more ful-
ly to Catholic teaching. A truly
Catholic renewal of society would
aim to do away with everything
opposed to truth, goodness, and
beauty, and assert the preemi-
nence of the moral good in per-
fecting the human person. This
is because authentic social trans-
formation sees spiritual rather
than material poverty as the real
enemy, keeping intact the Chris-
tian notion of God as man’s last
end, and the only true source of
happiness and freedom. As Pope
Pius XI puts it so perfectly in the
encyclical Quas Primas, “When
once men recognize, both in pri-
vate and public life, that Christ is
King, society will at last receive
the great blessings of real liberty,
well-ordered discipline, peace,
and harmony.”
For this reason, Catholic ac-
tivism would never undermine
the importance of helping the
poor, but rather, would empha-
size the end of providing such
assistance. We care for the poor
because Christ commanded us to
do so, and because meeting the
basic needs of others provides
them with an easier opportunity
to attain, by grace, to their super-
natural end. Catholic activism
also would absolutely never allow
the issue of abortion to be glossed
over, when the current legal status
of such an awful crime deprives
unborn children of their most ba-
sic right to life, and permits doc-
tors and pregnant mothers to bla-
tantly violate the natural law. For
a Catholic university which so
greatly emphasizes the idea of be-
ing “men and women for others”
and creating a just social order,
it is essential to emphasize more
forcefully the Kingship of Christ
over every aspect and dimension
of Boston College.

unborn children hurt by abortion

each day. The “Cemetery of the
Innocents” Display drew the ire of
a number of protesters, who lined
up a few feet away to hold signs
and voice their disagreement with
the Pro-Life Club and the Catho-
lic Church.
Though the reactions of many
to the events of the week suggest-
ed significant opposition to the
pro-life cause, there existed some
support among the student body.
For instance, Matt Dunn, A&S
’11 praised the week, saying “it
is important to learn about what
happens with respect to choosing
to have sexual intercourse, and
what results, and how people’s
lives change from having children
or having an abortion and how
both have dire consequences.”
Some passing by the events also
expressed their approval and their
support for making known pub-
licly the harmful effects of abor-
tion on individuals and society as
a whole.
If Boston College’s Catholic BC Student passing out information by the cemetary of the innocents
identity is to be maintained, it is

Technological Overload: Noise vs. Silence

Have technological advances made us less aware of God in everyday life?
By Dennis Carr After the earthquake there was of us since childhood. Texting, sion is filled with the static of from technology rested, but
THE OBSERVER fire—but the Lord was not in Facebook, Twitter and You- notifications, looking at pic- emptier than before you used it.
the fire. After the fire there tube—all these instantaneous tures taken for the sake of tak- The computer screen, and the
“A strong and heavy wind was a tiny whispering sound” 1 modes of communication have ing pictures, and status updates phone screen act in the same ca-
was rending the mountains Kings 19:11b—12. rapidly developed and perme- we do not remember ten min- pacity—as a drug that robs our
and crushing rocks before the God was in the whisper. ated into our lives that we expe- utes later. time and saps our energy, giv-
Lord—but the Lord was not in But can our society—our gen- rience them as givens. And what do we get each ing us the fix of a pseudo-social
the wind. After the wind there eration especially—hear Him? Look at Facebook, the time we log on? What do we
was an earthquake—but the A technological overload of most notorious socializing tool have to show for it?
SEE ‘TECHNOLOGY’
page 12
Lord was not in the earthquake. noisy static has besieged most among our peers. A typical ses- You do not come away
 “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam” THE OBSERVER
XII
12 Catholic Issues October 27, 2009

Professor Discusses Perspectives Program

Philosophy Professor Brian Braman, Ph.D. ’96, sits down with The Observer to discuss the Perspectives Program, his career, and the influence of
the Catholic Faith in his life.
By Jesse Naiman
THE OBSERVER
Professor Brian Braman has
not taken the conventional path to
professorship. He did not enjoy his
first philosophy class, which he took
while serving in the United States
Army while stationed in Okinawa
in 1969. However, after working in
sales, Braman studied philosophy
and fell in love with it at Gonzaga
University in Spokane, Washing-
ton before arriving at BC in 1989 to
write his dissertation on the works
of the late Father Bernard Lonergan,
S.J., whose writings are currently
stored in Burns Library.
Braman currently serves as the
director of the Perspectives Program,
a position he has held since 1998.
The Perspectives Program is a con-
centration within the philosophy
department that intends to expose
students to the texts of our Western
Culture, offer a way to merge the
study of the humanities and the natu-
ral sciences, and answer large ques-
tions such as “Who are we? Where
do we come from, and where are we
going?”
Perspectives is also consistent
with the mission of the Catholic
Church and Jesuit mission. “Perspec-
tives is an example of the liberal arts
within the context of a Jesuit educa-
tion. While we educate the ‘whole
person,’ students can critically evalu-
ate how to live a more authentic life.
Perspectives sets the conditions for
students to become more intelligent,
attentive, reasonable, and respon-
sible.”
When Professor Braman dis-
cusses the links between philosophy
and the Catholic faith, he speaks not
only from an academic perspec-
tive, but also from personal experi-
ence. Raised a Catholic, he left the
Church at age eighteen because he
was “eighteen and stupid,” as he puts
it. Braman rediscovered God after
traveling alone through Texas at age
thirty-one. Braman realized that in
order to fulfill himself, he had to re-
discover God and return to the faith
of his childhood.
Philosophy and Catholicism
have always complimented them-
selves in Braman’s mind. “In the
Catholic Tradition, there has always
been a relationship between faith
and reason: Athens and Jerusalem.”
Philosophy helps him understand
his faith and why he believes as he
does as a Catholic, and because he
knows philosophy’s limitations faith
helps to overcome the limitations of
reason, and the limits of philosophy.
While philosophy students can
participate in the four-year Perspec-
tives program, which is an honors
sequence within the philosophy de-
partment, many freshmen enroll in
Perspectives I, a course which covers
the philosophy and theology core.
The first semester focuses on the
foundations of philosophy while stu-
dents will read more modern philos-
ophers such as Pascal, Kierkegaard,
Newman, Luther, Kant, and Hegel.
If Perspectives students choose
to join the eighty philosophy majors
who currently have a concentra-
tion in Perspectives, they must take
Perspectives II, titled “Modernism
and the Arts.” The next two courses
students take, Perspectives III and
IV, focus on philosophy and the sci-
ences. To finish the program’s re-
quirements, students must complete
a senior seminar and a thesis.
Braman believes that the Per-
spectives Program is a worthwhile
venture for students. According to
Braman, Perspectives can help them
critically appropriate themselves
and determine how they have been
shaped intellectually. Perspectives,
says Braman, provides students
with the grounding to evaluate how
they have come to know what they
know. Even if students do not major
in Perspectives, Braman believes
that freshmen can benefit immensely
from Perspectives I because they
read both the ancient and modern
philosophers, and try to answer ques-
tions that philosophers have tried to
answer for thousands of years.

“Technological Overload”
Continued from page 11
encounter while depriving us of
that face-to-face interaction so
integrally essential to human
experience.
It would be a sad thing to
find oneself ten or twenty years
later having only lived vicari-
ously through a screen. So start
now—set aside 30 minutes a
day of silent contemplation
where you clear the static from
your mind.
On those warm days we
still have left, stake out a spot
on the Bapst lawn and just sit
and listen. Allot some time for
sitting in St. Mary’s Garden
or visiting St. Mary’s Chapel.
In small reprieves like these,
perhaps we can hear more at-
tentively that whispering voice
which is our Creator.
Some might scoff at this as
unproductive, but in the grand
scheme, how wasteful is it re-
ally to listen to the wind or see
the clouds go by? So long as
we have tunnel vision while we
walk and text at the same time,
we will never be able to discern
His presence in the world and in
others.
In The Screwtape Letters,
C.S. Lewis examined the strat-
egy underscoring Satan’s oper-
ations through correspondence
between a fictional demon and
his nephew.
In one letter, the uncle ex-
tolled the very noise that seems
to characterize the ubiquity of
technology in our times.
The demon uncle wrote,
“We will make the whole uni-
verse a noise in the end. We
have already made great strides
in this direction as regards the
Earth. The melodies and silenc-
es of Heaven will be shouted
down in the end.”
If 1 Kings has it right that
God is in the whisper, then
surely the conjecture by C.S.
Lewis that the Devil seeks to
fill our lives with static is not
at all “just” fiction. Noise that
keeps us from contemplative
awe of God is surely the objec-
tive of the Evil One.
To each of us, then, the
question is posed, “Will you
live your life dominated by
noise or centered on the whis-
per?” In the end, it makes all the
difference.

Is Holiness Still Relevent?

Pope Benedict XVI recently completed an Apostolic journey to the Czech Republic
By Luisa Navarro
FOR THE OBSERVER
Pope Benedict XVI recently
embarked on a three-day pil-
grimage to the Czech Republic,
where citizens have become pro-
gressively dispassionate towards
religion since the overthrowal
of the communist regime, which
brutally persecuted the Roman
Catholic Church.
Benedict felt that Prague
was a significant landmark to
urge the world to follow the ethi-
cal principles of Christianity be-
cause, “Over all the centuries,
the Czech Republic has been the
meeting place for cultures.”
Benedict’s visit took place
two months before the Czech’s
Twentieth Anniversary of the
Velvet Revolution of 1989,
which peacefully disassembled
a communist administration that
persecuted Roman Catholics.
While at least 40,000 pil-
grims crowded into Prague to
come and see the Pope, some of
the citizens of the Czech Repub-
lic felt apathetic about the Visit.
“When I think about his
old-fashioned, even nonsensical
views of the world, you can’t ex-
pect me to be among those who
will line the streets to greet him,”
said one disgruntled Czech citi-
zen. Another felt his visit
was a detriment to her nation’s
economy. “It’s just a waste of
money. At a time of economic
crisis, when our salaries are go-
ing down, the visit is a useless
investment.”
Reverend Federico Lombar-
di, the Pope’s spokesman said,
“Secularism is so engrained in
the modern Czech Republic the
practice of religion is reduced to
a minority.”
Pope Benedict XVI ad-
dressed this minority at the Visit
to the “Holy Infant of Prague” by
commencing with a speech that
stressed how children should
covet a relationship with Jesus or
the “all-powerful God who be-
came man.” He also encouraged
young people not be attracted
and captivated by consumerism.
“You are greatly loved by
the Child Jesus, and you should
return His love by following his
example: be obedient, good, and
kind. Learn to be, like Him, a
source of joy to your parents. Be
true friends of Jesus, and always
turn to Him in trust.”
Throughout the mass, Bene-
dict stated, “Those who deny
God and appear to lead a com-
fortable life are in reality, sad
and unfulfilled people.”
In his speech, Benedict
asked the audience a confound-
ing question many individu-
als consider when inquiring the
meaning of religion, today. “We
ask ourselves: In our day, is holi-
ness still relevant? Or is it now
considered unattractive and un-
important?”
Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz
of Krakow, Poland, who served
as secretary to Benedict’s pre-
decessor, the late John Paul II,
advised Europeans to observe
Benedict’s message.
“It is a crucial moment for
the future of Europe, and Bene-
dict speaks like a prophet,” he
told Sky TG24 television. “Don’t
abandon the roots from which
you grew, because a tree without
roots dies. If Europe abandons
these roots, the future is uncer-
tain.”
Pope Benedict encouraged
individuals to continue to see
the beauty in God’s truth by con-
cluding his speech with a quote
by Franz Kafka, which states,
“Anyone who keeps the ability
to see beauty never grows old.”
In a population where polls
suggest that 10 million do not
believe in God, the nation’s top
churchman, Cardinal Miloslav
Vlk, was surprised to see so
much response and confessed,
“I have achieved almost nothing
during my 20 years” as an arch-
bishop.
“I shall treasure the memory
of the moments of prayer that I
was able to spend together with
the Bishops, priests and faithful
of this country,” Benedict said to
the people in his farewell speech.
Many individuals came
from all over the world just to
hear the Pope’s message or even
to see his face.
Twenty-one year old Lukas
Jaska walked almost two hun-
dred miles just to catch a glimpse
of the pope and suggested it was
essential for citizens to steer
the negative secular view of the
Church into a more positive and
faithful direction.
“It is important for us to
show that we’re just not an athe-
ist nation—that there are believ-
ers here,” he said.
Overall, the pope’s journey
was successful, considering there
were no posters or billboards to
promote his visit and the local
media coverage was minimal.
Lombardi said the 82 year-
old Pope was “very happy” with
the response he received from
one of Europe’s most secular na-
tions.

THE OBSERVER
October 27, 2009
The Vatican Welcomes Anglicans into the Church
An Apostolic Constitution will allow former Anglicans to become Catholic while retaining Anglican traditions
By Andy Rota
THE OBSERVER
The Vatican has announced
the upcoming publication of an Ap-
ostolic Constitution which creates
a structure under which former An-
glicans could enter into full com-
munion with the Catholic Church.
It creates a canonical model to
retain the “distinctive Anglican
spiritual and liturgical patrimony,”
for groups and individuals who
desire “full and visible unity with
the Bishop of Rome, successor of
St. Peter.” It also provides for the
ordination of both unmarried and
married former Anglican priests.
“Pastoral oversight and guid-
ance will be provided for groups
of former Anglicans through a
Personal Ordinariate, whose Or-
dinary will usually be appointed
from among former Anglican
clergy,” explains the Congregation
for the Doctrine of the Faith. The
Ordinary, a term usually applied
to diocesan bishops, would be a
shepherd for former Anglicans,
Catholic Church Canonizes Five New Saints
Bishop Zygmunt Szsczęsny Felińsk, Dominican Father Francisco Coll, Father Jozef Damiaan de Veuster, Father Rafael Arnáiz Barón, and
Sister Marie de la Croix ( Jeanne) Jugan are the newest Catholic Saints
By Rachele Reis
THE OBSERVER
Pope Benedict XVI canonized
five new saints in a liturgical cele-
bration at St. Peter’s square on Oc-
tober 11. The canonized are Bish-
op Zygmunt Szsczęsny Felińsk,
Dominican Father Francisco Coll,
Father Jozef Damiaan de Veuster,
Father Rafael Arnáiz Barón, and
Sister Marie de la Croix (Jeanne)
Jugan.
Bishop Zygmunt Szsczęsny
Felińsk (1822-1895) was the
founder of the Congregation of the
Franciscan Sisters of the Family of
Mary. He was the archbishop of
Warsaw, and as Pope Benedict said
during the homily, “a great witness
of faith and pastoral charity in very
difficult times for the nation and
for the Church in Poland”.
He spoke out against the shed-
ding of blood during the uprising
against the Russian annexation of
Poland in 1863, and he defended
the oppressed after the uprising
was put down. The Russian Czar
exiled him to Siberia, where he
spent twenty years. “In every situa-
tion he stuck steadfastly to his trust
in Divine Providence … may his
dedication to God and to men, full
of trust and of love, become a shin-
ing example for all the Church.”
Francisco Coll (1812-1875)
founded the Congregation of the
Dominican Sisters of the Annun-
ciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
“Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam”
Catholic Issues
regardless of geographic diocesan
boundaries. This provision means
former Anglicans entering the
Catholic Church will be led by a
priest or bishop who understands
the uniqueness and importance of
the Anglican spiritual tradition.
The announcement, writes
the Congregation for the Doctrine
of the Faith, is a response to “the
many requests that have been sub-
mitted to the Holy See from groups
of Anglican clergy and faithful in
different parts of the world who
wish to enter into full visible com-
munion.”
While ecumenical dialogue
has been strong between Catholics
and Anglicans since the second
Vatican Council, some Anglican
groups have strayed from tradi-
tional Christian beliefs by ordain-
ing women as priests and bishops
and by blessing homosexual part-
nerships.
This has prompted many An-
glicans, who disagree with these
changes in doctrine, to seek full
communion with the Catholic
As a Dominican, Coll’s “passion
was preaching, for the most part in
an itinerant manner and following
the form of ‘popular missions.’”
His audience was the people of
Catalonia, and he strove to lead
them to a profound encounter with
God.
“Francis Coll reached the
hearts of others because he trans-
mitted what he himself lived with
passion, that which burned in his
heart: the love of Christ, his devo-
tion to Him. [He] founded the Con-
gregation of the Dominican Sisters
of the Annunciation of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, with the goal of pro-
viding an integral education to
children and youth…[and] animat-
ing our hope with his Word of life.”
Jozef De Veuster (1840-1889)
was a member of the Congrega-
tion of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus
and Mary. He is more commonly
known as Fr. Damiaan. In 1863
he left his home in Flanders and
traveled to the Hawaiian Islands
and then the Island of Molokai to
proclaim the Gospel to the lepers
living there. He therefore exposed
himself to their disease and “be-
came a suffering servant, a leper
with lepers, during the last four
years of his life.”
“To follow Christ, Father Da-
miaan did not only leave his na-
tive country, but he also risked his
health: therefore he received eter-
nal life, as the Word of Jesus that
was proclaimed in the Gospel to-
Church. The statement mentions
groups of Anglicans, such as “the
Anglican diocese of Amritsar in In-
dia, and some individual parishes
in the United States,” who have
already made this decision to be-
come Catholic.
Catholic Archbishop Vincent
Nichols and Anglican Archbishop
Rowan Williams said in a joint
statement that “The Apostolic
Constitution is further recognition
of the substantial overlap in faith,
doctrine and spirituality between
the Catholic Church and the An-
glican tradition … [T]his Apostolic
Constitution is one consequence of
ecumenical dialogue between the
Catholic Church and the Anglican
Communion.” They also affirmed
that “The on-going official dia-
logue between the Catholic Church
and the Anglican Communion pro-
vides the basis for our continuing
cooperation.”
Anglican Archbishop John
Hepworth, representative of the
Traditional Anglican Communion,
said in a statement that “We are
day says.”
Brother Rafael Arnáiz (1911-
1938) was an Oblate of the Trap-
pists of Saint Isidore de Duenas.
“He said yes to the proposal to
follow Jesus, in an immediate and
decisive way, without limits or
conditions.”
“Brother Rafael, still close to
us, continues to offer, through his
example and his works, a fascinat-
ing journey, especially for young
persons who are not satisfied eas-
ily, but who aspire
to the full truth, the
most inexpressible
joy, reached for the
love of God.”
Jeanne Jugan
(1792-1879) was
the foundress of
the Congregation
of the Little Sisters
of the Poor. “[She]
is like a beacon to
guide our societies
which must always
rediscover the
place and unique
contribution of
this period of life.”
She gave up her
bed one night for
a homeless wom-
an, and eventu-
ally began begging
for the poor and
homeless.
“Jeanne lived
the mystery of love
profoundly moved by the generos-
ity of the Holy Father, Pope Bene-
dict XVI…this is an act of great
goodness on the part of the Holy
Father. He has dedicated his pontif-
icate to the cause of unity. It more
than matches the dreams we dared
to include in our petition of two
years ago. It more than matches
our prayers. In those two years, we
have become very conscious of the
prayers of our friends in the Catho-
lic Church. Perhaps their prayers
dared to ask even more than ours.”
Anglican Archbishop Robert
Duncan of the Episcopal Diocese
of Pittsburgh said in a statement
that “While we believe that this
provision will not be utilized by
the great majority of the Anglican
Church in North America’s bish-
ops, priests, dioceses and congre-
gations, we will surely bless those
who are drawn to participate in this
momentous offer.”
Fr. John Zuhlsdorf, a promi-
nent Catholic blogger, writes that
“The doors to the Church are al-
ways open to those wishing to en-
by peacefully accepting darkness
and divesting herself of all mate-
rial possessions until her death…
May Saint Jeanne Jugan be for
the elderly a living source of hope
and for the persons so generously
placing themselves at their service
a powerful stimulus to pursue and
develop her work.”
Benedict concluded his hom-
ily with, “Dear brothers and sisters,
let us give thanks to the Lord for
the gift of sanctity that today shines
XIII
13
ter. Now there is not only a door
open to Anglicans, but also a house
full of furniture.”
Zuhlsdorf, who refers to Bene-
dict XVI as the “Pope of Christian
Unity,” also believes this document
is an important step in reuniting
other separated groups, particularly
the Society of St. Pius X (SSPX).
The SSPX, a group of traditional
Catholics who disagreed with
changes in the Church after the
second Vatican Council, recently
made headlines when Pope Bene-
dict XVI remitted the excommuni-
cations of the four SSPX bishops
who were illegitimately consecrat-
ed. The Holy See has expressed
its desire that the group be fully
reunited with the Catholic Church.
This document could provide a
framework for that unification.
The forthcoming Apostolic
Constitution is an important part
of the ecumenical movement, and
reminds the Church that the move-
ment’s end is not just dialogue and
understanding, but full visible uni-
ty of Christ’s Church.
in the Church with a singular
beauty… I would like to invite all
of you to let yourselves be drawn
by the shining example of these
Saints, to allow yourselves to be
guided by their teachings, so that
our whole existence can become a
hymn of praise to the love of God.
May we gain this grace through
their heavenly intercession and,
above all, the maternal protection
of Mary, Queen of the Saints and
Mother of humanity. Amen.”

14
President Obama and the Nobel Peace Prize:
Both without Substance
Why the President is not worthy of this honor, and how the prize itself is rapidly losing its prestige.
By Jack Schwada
THE OBSERVER
When I heard recently from
a friend that President Obama
had won the Nobel Peace Prize, I
thought that it was a joke. I know
that millions, including some of our
media friends, have fawned over
the man, but for him to win this
honor of such regard, just seems
completely ridiculous to me.
Look, Obama seems like
a really nice guy, maybe I would en-
joy spending some time with him,
but this is the Nobel Peace Prize we
are talking about. This award is not
like the prize everybody gets at the
second grade spelling bee just for
showing up.
Stressed out? Have a cig.
Smokers on Campus — Why are there so many?
By Marion Halftermeyer
THE OBSERVER
American Spirit. Marlboro
Light, Marlboro Red. Winston.
Camel. Davidoff. Parisienne Or-
ange, Parisienne Yellow. Gaulo-
ises. Smoking is bad. I am al-
most absolutely positively sure
that 100% of college students
have heard this phrase repeatedly
throughout their 20-somewhat
years of life. But what exactly
does this mean and what does
smoking do to you?
“It relaxes me when I have to
study. It also keeps me awake and
more attentive,” says one anony-
mous female smoker.
“When I’m having issues
with writing, having a cigarette
relaxes me and makes me con-
template where I am going to go
with my writing,” remarks a an-
other anonymous male smoker.
“It relieves a lot of stress for
me,” remarks a third anonymous
male smoker.
Smoking prevents you from
getting proper oxygen in your re-
spiratory system. The American
Council on Science and Health
states on their website that “when
you smoke a cigarette […] your
lungs are directly exposed to the
4,000 toxic substances, toxics
which interfere with the protec-
tion of your lungs against dis-
ease.” Additionally, smoking
increases the possibility of de-
veloping rheumatoid arthritis and
lupus, two joint diseases. Not
exactly great if you’re an athlete
of some sort, as many of the stu-
dents are here at Boston College.
Also, many of us are still
developing our nervous systems,
and smoking disrupts that devel-
opment. Furthermore, it increas-
“There is no freedom without the Truth”
Obama, just under 50, has,
I have to admit, done some im-
pressive things. For one, he is the
president of the United States. That
in itself stands out pretty well on
the resume of life. And to add on
to that, he is the first black man to
have taken this honored position.
I’d say that those are two highly
impressive achievements, and I
think we can all agree on this issue,
Democrat, Republican, conserva-
tive, liberal.
But despite his few presiden-
tial successes, I wouldn’t go so far
as to say he has “done the most or
the best work for fraternity between
nations, for the abolition or reduc-
tion of standing armies and for the
holding and promotion of peace
es the possibility of developing
nervous-system related diseases
such as MS (multiple sclerosis).
The fact that smoking affects our
nervous system in turn affects
other parts of our daily life such
as thinking, laughing, remember-
ing, feeling pleasure…breathing.
Just a thought you might want to
consider.
And these are just a few
problems you might encounter
by smoking. Then there is always
the yellowing teeth, bad breath,
yellowing skin, the cravings and
mood swings, the trouble you
have going up stairs, the finan-
cial loss. The social stigma and
stereotype—no one will ever re-
ally understand why people will
knowingly hurt themselves. If
you are still not convinced that
smoking is bad, you could always
consider the chances of devel-
oping cancer or stomach ulcers.
You also have a higher chance
of having mental problems, such
as anxiety disorders, depression,
substance abuse, or addiction.
So why do so many of us
at BC smoke? According to the
American Lung Association, over
20% of the college student popu-
lation in the U.S. is currently ad-
dicted to cigarettes. You’d think
that anyone would be turned off
by smoking because of the lack
of beneficial effects of smoking.
And it certainly doesn’t seem to
help you stay sane during your
educational experience How did
the students even start?
Anonymous female and male
smokers respond that smoking re-
ally is not about the health issues.
It is not like they want to develop
cancer. It starts off as experimen-
tation, rebellion, as a necessity
Opinions
congresses.” In fact for the past
year or so, he really has not done
too much, especially in regards to
these issues.
Now, I’m not going to say as
a conservative who disagrees with
many of Obama’s policies, that he
never will deserve this award, but
it is maybe a little early. Perhaps
by this time next year Obama will
have earned the Prize, but I think
our Nobel friends over in Norway
were a little premature.
Despite my criticisms of
Obama, I have to say the world
does love him (for some strange
reason that I’m unsure of). And he
has softened the image of the Unit-
ed States, renewing some national
friendships that had suffered under
Despite bans on smoking in public places and dorms, ever-increasing numbers of young people
are addicted to cigarettes.
to “fit in” or “be cool”. “I started
smoking to help me lose weight”
an anonymous female smoker
says. “For me it was just there. I
had friends who smoked and they
offered me cigarettes politely so
I tried one and started smoking
regularly,” another anonymous
male smoker states. And for oth-
ers, like this anonymous male
freshman, starting to smoke has
a somewhat emotional take: “I
started smoking because I real-
ized the taste of it reminded me
of my ex-girlfriend, who was a
smoker.”
Students smoke for a variety
of reasons that all range around
the dealing of stress and school
work. One anonymous female
freshman explains, “There are
no benefits to smoking. It’s just
that it relaxes me and keeps me
awake when I have to study.” For
some, it is a combination of en-
joying smoking and helping to
reduce stress levels in order to be
President Bush. But just because a
lot of people like him doesn’t mean
he should win this award. If that
was the case then maybe Brad Pitt
should win and maybe Yasser Ara-
fat shouldn’t have.
To compare Obama with such
greats as the Dalai Lama, Arch-
bishop Desmond Tutu, and Mother
Teresa is absurd. However, this
Prize has become a celebration of
a person’s temporary fad-like suc-
cesses. We have Obama this year
and then, just a few years ago, we
had Al Gore. Al Gore, the man who
claimed he invented the Internet
and who made a documentary be-
cause, well, he didn’t have much
else to do. If he cared so much
about the environment, maybe in-
able to complete homework as-
signments. An anonymous male
freshman confirms “as a philoso-
phy major, when I have to write a
difficult paper I find that smoking
a cigarette is actually beneficial
to helping me write. But I also
enjoy the atmosphere of being
able to go out during a nice day
and smoke a cigarette and con-
template questions.” For the most
part, the main reason smokers
will come up with is dealing with
stress issues. But is smoking re-
ally the best outlet?
Because Boston College is
a competitive and hard-working
school, it is normal that its stu-
dents are stressed out. However,
they shouldn’t have to turn to
smoking a cigarette after a long
day before being able to start
their homework. Yet for many it
is the only way they see that will
help them. It has already been en-
grained in their minds that when
they’re having trouble with a pa-
THE OBSERVER
October 27, 2009
stead of making a movie about how
much he cares, he could have done
something serious about it when he
was the second in command of the
country. Talk is cheap, and practi-
cally worthless in regards to Mr.
Gore.
However, I hope that in the
coming years President Obama
will accomplish enough to make
him worthy of such an honor. But
at this point in his presidency, it’s
just not right. I’ll let the President
have the last word here as he sums
up what I’ve just told you: “I do not
feel that I deserve to be in the com-
pany of so many of the transforma-
tive figures who have been honored
by this prize.” Thanks for the hon-
esty, Mr. President.
per or some other assignment, a
cigarette will relax them.
Why are there so many
smokers on campus? My answer
would be that college is stress-
ful. Students are pressured to do
well and this adds to that stress.
Being that we are all different
individuals, we deal with our
stress and anxiety differently.
Some take anxiety prescriptions,
others have a more healthy op-
tion by going running or work-
ing off the tension, and even
more students smoke to release
stress and induce relaxation. To
most students—especially those
who smoke—health is second to
achieving good grades. This says
something about the level of aca-
demic pressure and competition
at the university level. Perhaps
we’ve been looking at the wrong
issue here, maybe a more suitable
question would be “Stressed stu-
dents on campus: Why are there
so many?”

THE OBSERVER
October 27, 2009
In Fourteen-Hundred and Ninety Two Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue
The Journey in Hell
My reflections on traveling to Notre Dame.
By Steve Pope
THE OBSERVER
I had always grown up hat-
ing Notre Dame from afar, and
that certainly did not change
this past weekend when I trav-
eled to South Bend to watch the
Eagles lose a heartbreaker. To
say Notre Dame is a different
place from BC is a vast under-
statement.
After waiting in Logan
Airport for several hours due
to typical Midwest weather,
I finally landed in the Windy
City and made the trek east via
CoachUSA bus with a few other
proud Eagles. My “What Ri-
valry” shirt got me some dirty
looks, which was exactly my
intention. After sitting in a bus
for over two hours and not see-
ing a light for a solid half hour,
we finally arrived on the “ma-
jestic” Notre Dame campus.
I was immediately taken
aback by this Catholic school’s
refusal to enter the twenty-first
century. While I like the Gothic
look of Gasson Hall and Bapst
library, Notre Dame’s campus
has the feel of the mid-950s.
Everything the school does
must be grandiose, otherwise it
“There is no freedom without the Truth”
is unfit for these exalted people.
After arriving late Friday
night, we retired for the night
after a rather tranquil evening
at this prestigious university. I
slept in Morrisey Manor, a typi-
cal Notre Dame dorm. From the
outside one wonders if you are
entering a chapel, an old Brit-
ish meeting house, or a living
residence.
After waking up, we ate
at the Notre Dame dining hall,
which was filled with families
and ardent ND followers. As
I entered the dining hall nick-
named “Hogwarts,” due to its
medieval appearance, the Notre
Dame band played its fight
song for the first of two thou-
sand times throughout the day.
I enjoyed wearing my “Take it
to the Heights” SuperFan shirt
among the sea of navy, green
and gold.
While ND fans heckled us
on the bus about SAT scores and
their superiority, some fellow
Eagles decided to intelligently
respond while others ignored
them and just slapped the bag.
We arrived in a supremely
classy place that is the RV lot
SEE ‘HELL’
page 17
Opinions
Meditations on Columbus Day
Is this a day and a man worth remembering?
By Jesse Naiman
THE OBSERVER
A little-noticed event trans-
pired recently. BC invited indig-
enous poet Bobby González who
refers to Christopher Columbus’
1492 expedition to American
as the “American Holocaust.”
As González spoke, community
members sat and watched, ab-
sorbed every word, and left en-
lightened. Why wouldn’t they?
They now know the truth about
Columbus, that he was a racist,
genocidal, bloodthirsty maniac
who is singlehandedly respon-
sible for permanently destroying
the peaceful lifestyle of the indig-
enous peoples.
I ask, what happened to the
glories of Columbus Day? On the
400th anniversary of Columbus’
discovering America, our great
nation celebrated Columbus’ he-
roic legacy. The United States
hosted the 1892 World’s Fair in
Chicago when we celebrated the
merge of western civilization and
the western hemisphere. America
featured displays documenting
the great architectural and tech-
nological triumphs of our civili-
zations.
The displays included the
White City and an exhibition
showing innovations in electric-
ity (Although I must acknowl-
edge the disgusting racial over-
tones of this event.) Tourists
from around the globe migrated
to Chicago to admire the accom-
plishments of the world’s great-
est democracy, a democracy that
only became greater and freer as
time progressed; the civilization
that defeated imperialism, fas-
cism, and communism, she who
brought liberal democracy to the
most backward and downtrodden
of nations. Had not an Italian ex-
plorer in search of a western route
to India stumbled upon fertile
ground to expand western civili-
zation, we cannot be certain that a
democratic-republic in the Greek
and Roman tradition could have
flowered into the rose we call the
United States of America.
Instead of celebrating the
birth of the tradition which grants
them the very right to speak out
against Columbus Day, they see
Columbus as a figure for imperi-
alism, genocide, and racism. Con-
sider the description of González’s
talk: “The event description on
the Hispanic Heritage Month
Website also describes the con-
tent of González’s lecture, which
“steps into the world of the Indig-
enous Peoples who encountered
Columbus and subsequent ‘ex-
plorers.’ The American Holocaust
was a great tragedy from which
all peoples can draw important
lessons.” Some universities have
displayed more overt hostility to-
ward Columbus Day. Brown Uni-
versity renamed Columbus Day
“Fall Weekend,” a move that two
out of three students supported.
If we consider the nature of
the opposition to Columbus Day,
we find a unity of two distinct
groups who lead the charge. The
first is an ultranationalist contin-
gent of natives who use Colum-
bus Day to celebrate their own
heritage. Venezuelan socialist
dictator Hugo Chávez helps lead
the ultranationalist contingent, as
he renamed the day “Day of In-
digenous Resistance.”
It is at the university where
the ultranationalist contingent
unites with the left-wing faculty
members who see Columbus’
discovery as the spread of Euro-
pean imperialism, colonialism,
and capitalism. The view that
colonialism is a necessary com-
ponent of a capitalist society is a
long-held opinion amongst com-
munist and socialist scholars, in-
cluding Vladimir Lenin (whose
successors ironically established
an empire of their own in Eastern
Europe).
Countless university profes-
sors subscribe to this viewpoint
and use it to justify undermining
Columbus’ gift of western civili-
zation to our hemisphere. Former
University of Colorado Professor
Ward Churchill, who lost his po-
sition for plagiarism, is a perfect
example. Churchill gained notori-
ety for referring to 9/11 victims as
“Little Eichmanns,” a reference to
Nazi Adolf Eichmann who engi-
neered the Nazi final solution to
perpetuate mass murder during
the Holocaust.
As an opponent of the Ameri-
can capitalist system, Churchill
15
would naturally believe that
workers in the World Trade Cen-
ter were not innocent victims
but rather people who “formed
a technocratic corps at the very
heart of America’s global finan-
cial empire.” Given this view, it is
not surprising that Churchill and
professors of a similar mindset
use Columbus Day to vent their
frustrations with capitalism and
American civilization in general.
I understand the reasons that
liberal faculty members and ul-
tranationalist contingents oppose
Columbus Day. Yes, Columbus
brought disease to native popula-
tions, and yes, natives were sub-
jected to colonial rule for hun-
dreds of years. But this makes
Columbus no different from those
who came either before him or af-
ter him. The civilizations in place
in the Americas were there be-
cause they deposed a civilization
that existed before they did. Em-
pire is not a western idea. It has
existed on every continent for all
of history.
An attack on the day is not
simply an attack on Columbus
the man, but rather one on the
bedrock of American democracy
and civilization. As the world’s
inheritor of Greek and Roman
civilization, we cannot let a small
ultranationalist contingent and a
few liberals revise the historical
record and destroy the pillars of
our democracy.
Today we lose Columbus,
and tomorrow we lose the found-
ing fathers and the Constitution.
The great irony of the leftist
sympathizers and ultranational-
ists’ objections to Columbus Day
is their failure to appreciate that
only in western civilization do
they have the right to host radical
poets like González.

16
What’s Wrong With the Right?
How the Republican Party can become more accessible to a broader spectrum.
By Dorian Barrero-Dominguez
FOR THE OBSERVER
What’s wrong with the
right? The answer to this ques-
tion is one that continues to
daunt the Republican leader-
ship and many of the Party
faithful across America today.
Much to the detriment of our
nation, attempts to answer the
question have been somewhat
hidden from public view. What
we continue to hear are the
voices of the Bush, Us against
Them, Republicans, despite
their growing status as a mi-
nority within a minority.
The voices of modera-
tion coming from the likes of
Senator John McCain, Sena-
tor Lindsey Graham, and Joe
Scarborough are drowned out
by right-wing fanatics more
roused by intellectual light-
weights like Glen Beck and
Rush Limbaugh who are more
concerned with waving ban-
ners, comparing Obama to Hit-
ler and depicting our President
as a monkey than having a real
debate about the policies that
affect our country.
Just last week, Rush Lim-
The Top Majors at BC
Communications, Economics and Pre-Med Continue to Thrive in A&S and Finance Reigns Supreme in CSOM
By Mary Margaret Brinkopf
THE OBSERVER
The numbers are in and com-
munications, mathematics, science,
languages and finance are the hot
majors on campus. A few musings
on the results:
First, to the College of Arts &
Sciences: Congratulations to com-
munications for once again being
the popular major on campus (a
position it has held since 2003.)
“There is no freedom without the Truth”
Opinions
baugh went on the air to at- epitome of tabloid politics yet President Obama’s plum-
tack McCain yet again about they’ve become emblematic meting poll numbers have
his efforts to reform the Re- of what America associates proven that Americans didn’t
publican Party in his own im- with Republicanism. The view vote for Democratic policies in
age, a prospect Limbaugh said of Republicans as backward- as much as they voted against
would signal eight years of
the death of what rightful-
Republican- ly seemed to
ism (I think be Republi-
Limbaugh is can treachery
equating Re- to the very
publicanism values Con-
with racism servatives
and bigotry, are supposed
which would to espouse.
explain his Above all,
concern). Conserva-
A few tives are ex-
weeks back, pected to con-
Glenn Beck serve.
dedicated a We con-
portion of his serve our
show to blam- money, our
ing the lack rights, our
of God in our environment,
politics as the our military
cause of all of force, and
our problems. our use of
In short, these governmental
desperate men contribute no in- thinking, racist, Christian fa- power to do what individuals
tellectual or philosophical cap- natics has damaged our reputa- are fully capable of doing. We
ital to ongoing debates about tion, diluted our conservative are supposed to be the party
the proper role of government message, and made America of opportunity, small govern-
in our society; they are the worse off in the process. ment, fiscal discipline, and in-
However, this does not come as a The rise in the number of stu- that profession, either that or the
surprise if one takes a look at the dents in the Pre-Med program is lack of a glass ceiling for malprac-
classes required for the major. The good news for the babyboomers, tice suits. Nonetheless, I wish you,
major allows students to pursue a who will be in dire need of their happy seventeen hundred under-
plethora of opportunities upon en- services in the next two decades. graduates, the best of luck!
tering the workforce in the areas Although perhaps that number will It is gratifying to see the Slavic
of: journalism, production, public steadily begin dropping if President and Eastern Languages and Litera-
relations, advertising and broad- Obama and the Democrats get the ture Department continue to grow
casting. For students in the College one thousand page controversial by leaps and bounds in under a
of Arts & Sciences, this major en- healthcare bill passed. decade from just seven majors to
compasses many desirable jobs and The sudden increase of twenty forty-eight. Hopefully, the admin-
gives students, in this job economy, million people to a healthcare pro- istration will allow more majors
a leg up. gram would send me running from and minors to develop out of this
expansion.
Perhaps by the time I graduate
in 2011, BC will feel compelled that
it has enough majors and minors in
this department to finally getting
around to naming the Asian Ameri-
can Scholarship after twenty-five
years. It would be a shame to wait
another decade for this scholarship
to be named.
Next, to the Carroll School of
Management: Despite the rough
waters the economy has faced in
the past two years, CSOM students
seem to have faith that finance is
still the wave of the future.
Add on that the Finance De-
partment is ranked in the top twen-
ty-five of the country and it is no
wonder why it remains year in and
out one of the most popular majors
in the business school.
Accounting wrestled out mar-
keting as the second most popular
THE OBSERVER
October 27, 2009
dividual responsibility because
these are the principles we hold
dear and the principles that res-
onate with the vast majority of
the American electorate.
So instead of allowing
bigots like Rush Limbaugh
or religious fanatics like Rick
Warren to use our Party as a
vehicle to advance a divisive,
unproductive, and backward-
looking agenda, we must think
of ways to broaden our appeal
and make our case to the Amer-
ican people in the same way
the great Ronald Reagan did.
He adopted a winning strategy
by appealing to people’s intel-
ligence and not their fears, and
we must begin to do the same.
I end with a quote by Abra-
ham Lincoln and ask every Re-
publican who cares about his
country to reflect on its sig-
nificance for us today: “The
dogmas of the quiet past, are
inadequate to the stormy pres-
ent. The occasion is piled high
with difficulty, and we must
rise with the occasion. As our
case is new, so we must think
anew and act anew. We must
disenthrall ourselves, and then
we shall save out country.”
major in CSOM, a feat not accom-
plished since 1994. Perhaps this
change can be accounted for all the
changes currently underway in the
Securities and Exchange Commis-
sion (SEC) after all the debacles
last year with bonuses.
Economics, shared between
A&S and CSOM, also continued
its upward march. The major, a
popular one for drop-out pre-med
students, has been undergoing
changes in the past year. For new
freshmen, the number of electives
has been cut from five to four, and
a new class has been added under
its required intermediate courses.
However, I have often heard eco-
nomics majors complain that there
are too few electives to choose
from and not enough professors in
the economics department.
We have often heard the quote
that “your undergraduate major”
does not matter in the long run.
And perhaps this is true. However,
that does not give leeway to begin
budget cutting.
Let me be clear, this is not an
indictment against the administra-
tion but rather, in my opinion, a
helpful set of guidelines. I realize
BC has fallen on hard times from
the economic crisis, however, now
is the time to take a hard look at
what can be done to make students
enjoy their time here at BC.

THE OBSERVER
October 27, 2009
The Side Effect of Success
A look at how the new expansion for Boston College may have negative effects on the relationship with the Continued From Page 15
local community
By Megan Rauch
THE OBSERVER
After nearly two years of
meetings and debates, Boston
College’s $1.6 billion Institu-
tional Master Plan, which will
take ten years to complete, was
approved by the city council on
May 8, 2009.
The goals of the expansion
include to “commit Boston Col-
lege to becoming the leader in
liberal arts education among
American universities” and to
“become the world’s leading
Catholic university and theo-
logical center,” according to
the website for the Institutional
Master Plan.
Although these changes
will unquestionably be trans-
formative for the University’s
reputation, residents in the
communities around Boston
College have expressed doubts
and dissatisfaction about the
construction. One of the major
concerns BC’s Brighton neigh-
bors have raised is the danger-
ous impact the construction will
have on aqueducts underneath
the campus that supply water to
nearby towns.
Moreover, as a May 2009
article on Boston.com ex-
plained, “Members of Brigh-
ton Neighbors United, a group
that focuses on preserving
green space and limiting insti-
tutional expansion, came out in
force and vocally opposed BC’s
plans, arguing that the universi-
ty had steam-rolled its proposal
through the process.”
The Boston College ad-
ministration has responded to
such attacks with a statement
on the Institutional Master Plan
website, which emphasizes the
school’s commitment “to en-
gaging the community in an
open dialogue and inclusive
process that gathers input from
interested stakeholders in the
neighborhoods surrounding our
campus. The University’s goal
is to establish ongoing com-
munication with the community
“There is no freedom without the Truth”
and identify areas where we can
agree on resolutions to shared
issues.”
The site also includes a
table that delineates an “up-
to-date list of the community
outreach efforts undertaken by
Boston College since 2004.”
The most important ques-
tion we, as students and mem-
bers of the Boston College com-
munity, must ask ourselves is
how the new “town and gown”
tension will impact our safety,
not only on campus but also in
the surrounding neighborhoods.
Currently, BC has an A in
safety in The College Prowler,
“Although these changes will
unquestionably be transformative
for the University’s reputation, res-
idents in the communities around
Boston College have expressed
doubts and dissatisfaction about
the construction. .”
a guide that outlines various
and sundry facts about differ-
ent colleges for prospective
students. Will the construction
change this ranking?
The attack of a female stu-
dent on campus during the early
morning hours of May 5, 2009
by an unidentified older male
indicates that the boundaries
between campus and commu-
nity are unquestionably blurred.
In January, furthermore, a male
student was involved in an al-
tercation with locals that ended
with the student being hospital-
ized for stab wounds.
Although these events are
not necessarily related to the
Master Plan, students and staff
alike have shown concern for
the changing nature of safety on
campus. Last week, the Bos-
ton College Police Department
and observed the activities.
published a special edition of
Callbox, a newsletter on neigh-
borhood policing. The issue
includes a section on neigh-
borhood safety that provides
students with key tips on how
to develop habits and common
sense to avoid any problems
while traveling around the city.
After the attack on cam-
pus in May, students began the
“Swipe for Safety” campaign,
which was aimed at changing
the dorms a student can unlock
with an access card. Their pe-
tition, as posted on the website
“Students Take Action” includ-
ed the following: “It is our opin-
ion that students should at least
have access to other dorms near
their own after midnight, and
access at all hours to dorms that
house other members of their
class. We would also like to pe-
tition for BC to consider a situa-
tion where a student is attacked
somewhere other than around
their building; in such a situa-
tion, the student is locked out
of dorms which could provide
a safe haven for the attacked.”
The group’s goal of 1000 sup-
porters had not been reached by
press time.
Tension between a univer-
sity and its surrounding com-
munity is nothing new. In fact,
Yale University has experienced
conflicts—and even violent ri-
ots—with the residents of New
Haven, Connecticut since 1806.
The Princeton Review even
publishes a list entitled “Town
and Gown Relations Strained,”
a list of the colleges with the
greatest problems with locals.
This year, Trinity College
was ranked first. Boston Col-
lege was not ranked, but that
does not mean we should dis-
count community strain as hav-
ing an impact on safety.
Other colleges that have
undergone large development
plans have witnessed the dan-
gerous consequences that can
occur when the neighbors do
not agree with the project. For
example, in 1992, Rowan Uni-
versity, in New Jersey, formerly
known as Glassboro State, re-
ceived a $100 million gift from
Henry and Betty Rowan. At
the time, this was the largest
donation to a public college in
history, and for this reason, the
school was renamed to honor
these two benefactors.
On October 27, 2007,
the University’s homecoming
weekend, student Donald Far-
rell, 19, was attacked and killed
by locals on campus at a loca-
tion that was visible from a
major intersection. The town
itself is notorious for resenting
the growing status of Rowan
University, which is ranked in
US News & World Report for
its engineering program and is
also well known for its educa-
tion school.
At Boston College, we
have not—and hopefully never
will—experience the kind of
tragedy that took place at Row-
an, especially since, despite
efforts from America’s Most
Wanted, Farrell’s killers have
never been caught. At the same
time, however, we must be
mindful of the changing nature
not only of our campus but also
of our relationship with the lo-
cal community. We must recog-
nize that our success comes at
a cost. We must work to make
sure that cost is strictly the $1.6
billion allotted for the expan-
sion plan and not our safety or
our lives.
17
In Hell
After whetting our appetites,
we headed back to the stadium
with some optimism and ex-
citement. We were again ver-
bally attacked for our mental
deficiencies, but this time by a
75-year-old man who was there
for Knute Rockne and the like.
After finding general amuse-
ment in their entitlement, we
ventured into the stadium.
After getting my ticket
checked fifteen times, we made
our way up to section 119, row
21. After a migraine from voic-
ing my displeasure with Jim-
my Clausen and crew for four
hours, and deeply pained by
Shinskie’s play, we left the sta-
dium disappointed and deject-
ed. Everyone was clearly angry
that we lost to these buffoons,
but it was especially annoying
because Notre Dame was com-
pletely beatable. If we did not
shoot ourselves in the foot time
after time we could have ex-
tended the streak.
It was quite comical when
we left the stadium and heard
several Notre Dame fans ex-
claiming, “We’re back on top!”
I’m not sure what they’re on top
of, if it is not the leprechaun.
After avoiding the “candle lit”
dinner and communal mass fol-
lowing the game, some BC peo-
ple and I were forced to bring
a little BC to ND. Being over-
whelmed by Notre Dame’s at-
titude, we had to band together.
It was extremely odd to expe-
rience what we did. It seemed
as if they felt that God was on
their side. As if He cared who
won the game. It was weird to
hear church bells tolling after a
victory.
We attempted to ignore
their delusions and have a good
time for ourselves. Someone
would attempt to bring up Un-
cle Dave’s play, or their cham-
pionships won in leather hel-
mets but we would not stoop
to their level. We made the best
of our remaining time in South
Bend and thought of the greener
pastures back on Comm. Ave.
 “There is no freedom without the Truth”
THE OBSERVER
18 Sports October 27, 2009

Uplifting Athletes Raises Money for Ewing’s Sarcoma

Support for Mark Herzlich and his rare form of cancer comes from teams throughout the ACC.
By Kaitlin McKinley
THE OBSERVER
It has been a common oc-
currence this season to see Mark
Herzlich standing at midfield
receiving a giant check from the
schools of opposing teams.
SuperFans who have been
to any of BC’s home football
games should be able to recall
seeing him, with the yellow
towel around his neck, shaking
hands with the presenter of the
check and smiling for a picture
at midfield in Alumni Stadium.
The money is for Uplifting
Athletes, a national nonprofit
organization founded in 2003 by
a group of college football play-
ers. According to its website,
chooses a rare disease that is rel-
evant to their team. Boston Col-
lege’s chapter supports victims
of Ewing’s Sarcoma, the cancer
that Mark Herzlich was diag-
nosed with last May.
While most people associ-
ate BC’s chapter with Herzlich,
Uplifting Athletes at BC was ac-
tually started by Ryan Lindsey,
a junior wide receiver. Lindsey
started BC’s chapter after learn-
ing of Herzlich’s battle with Ew-
ing’s Sarcoma.
“As soon as we heard about
Mark’s battle with this rare dis-
ease, we wanted to do some-
thing,” said Ryan. “I was famil-
iar with Uplifting Athletes from
some of my friends that play
football for other schools and
mates supporting me, but that should respect them for sup- coaches, though, we can look at
my situation has inspired them porting one of our players and a our own football program. Play-
to do something that will help a cause that our school has taken ers like Lindsey and coaches like
lot of people facing similar chal- on. The ACC is full of caring Spaziani helped BC’s chapter of
lenges,” said Herzlich. players and coaches, and we Uplifting Athletes get started,
At the Notre Dame game, should acknowledge their gener- which allowed for all the money
Charlie Weis presented Her- ous contributions that will go to- that has been raised to support
zlich with a personal check for ward Ewing’s Sarcoma research. Herzlich and many others who
$5,000. Clemson coach Dabo To find caring players and suffer from Ewing’s Sarcoma.
Swinney also gave a personal
check for $5,000, FedEx Orange
Bowl donated $5,000, Virginia
Tech donated $9,494.94 and
Florida State donated $9,400,
both in honor of Herzlich’s
number 94.
Teams have raised money
through various fundraising ef-
forts. The North Carolina State
dance team collected money at
all entry gates to the stadium

its mission is “to align college
football with rare diseases and
raise them as a national priority
through outreach, research, edu-
cation and advocacy.”
There are chapters of Up-
lifting Athletes at universities
across the country run by Cur-
rent football student-athletes.
There are currently chapters
at Maryland, Ohio State, Penn
State, Colgate University, and,
of course the school nearest to
our heart, Boston College.
Each one of these chapters
they put me in touch with the
executive director, Scott Shirley.
The coaches were supportive of
the idea so we met with Scott
and he helped us get started.”
The inaugural event for
BC was “Lift for Life,” which
took place over the summer and
raised over $30,000, a record for
an inaugural event. The event in-
cluded eight strength and train-
ing competitions, and more than
60 football players participated.
“It’s humbling for me to
learn that not only are my team-
JP Pluta/The Observer
during a home game against
Duke. The NC State football
players also donated their meal
money for two weeks. Virginia
Tech sold “Team United” wrist-
bands for $1 each.
BC has also raised money
itself with the “Beat Cancer” t-
shirt. BC is donating $5 from the
sale of every t-shirt to the Amer-
ican Cancer Society in support
of Ewing’s Sarcoma research.
While we may not like op-
posing teams, especially the Teams have donated thousands of dollars in honor of Mark Herzlich
ones that hand us a loss, we diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma last may

Tom O’Brien and the Eagles Recent Managerial Overhaul

With North Carolina State’s recent trip up to Alumni Stadium, seeing Tom O’Brien on BC’s field is a time for reflection.
By Steve Pope Navy.) Many of the players found gambling scandal. He was basi- For some odd reason he felt School, and he seemed to love all
THE OBSERVER out that O’Brien was quitting by cally what he appeared to be which that he could become a big-time aspects of Boston College.
reading the bottom ticker on NESN may have been the problem. coach if he took his game to NC There’s great speculation
Even though Boston Col- SportsDesk in their dorm rooms. While he was a pretty solid State. Perhaps the lax academic that Jags had a strong distaste for
lege is already on its second head With the man who standards appealed to the recruiting aspect of coaching.
coach since the departure of Tom many believe to have him. He thought he While I wouldn’t enjoy sucking up
O’Brien, one can only help but been complacent (i.e. would be able to lure to seventeen-year-old prima don-
JP Pluta/The Observer

think that BC got the better of this
divorce as O’Brien is now the head
man of the ACC cellar-dwellers,
North Carolina State.
It was a sweet scene seeing
Tom O’Brien’s surly face when he
came to Alumni Stadium only to
witness his Wolfpack get massa-
cred by Montel Harris, Luke Kue-
chly and crew.
For Frank Spaziani it must
have been satisfying to whip his
former boss in the dominating fash-
ion that he did, 52-27. Although
Coach Spaz is known to be quite
modest, it must have been nice to
hear the remaining faithful student
section chanting TOB’s name as
he hustled off the field amongst his
entourage of state troopers.
O’Brien flew south follow-
ing the 2006 regular season in odd
fashion. He left the team follow-
ing its last regular season game
and during bowl-game prepara-
tion (Spaz led us in victory against
repeatedly playing in those special athletes nas either, one must know what is
the Boise and Champs he never could attract at required for a successful program.
Sports Bowls of the BC. Perhaps he left be- Thus after Jags essentially
world and perenni- cause of his off-season fired himself by taking the inter-
ally hauling in medio- house in South Caro- view with the New York Jets, and
cre recruiting classes) lina that he owns. It’s the Eagles were back recruiting
gone, the Eagles have also very possible that themselves, this time for a new
done pretty well in his he grew old with Coach head coach. After the most tu-
absence. While it’s Flip’s controlling ways. multuous off-season in decades,
too early to judge the He may have wanted the Eagles settled for the reliable
Frank Spaziani era at more autonomy in his Frank Spaziani.
BC, post- O’Brien life coaching so he took his It will be interesting to see
has been pretty good act elsewhere. how long the 62-year-old Italian
as we’ve reached two I for one was will stick it out. Hopefully he can
ACC championship pleased when O’Brien bring energy and genuine enthu-
games and are on our walked. At the time of siasm to the position. The Eagles
way to a decent third Tom O’Brien, NC State Head Coach his hire, Jagodzinski success over the next five years or
year. seemed like a solid choice. so under Spaz will probably be de-
BC’s moderate success cer- coach, BC never would have got- His enthusiasm was as impres- termined behind closed doors and
tainly beats what O’Brien has done ten to the “next level” with him. sive as his slogan, “the BC guy.” It in the living rooms of high school
in Raleigh, his overall record with O’Brien backers would have a seemed like a marriage that would juniors and seniors.
NC State is 14-18. hard time refuting that, as he es- work in great accord. Apparently The future of Boston College
O’Brien paid ten years of ser- sentially admitted it following his Jags got tired of the college life- football is dependent on the stabil-
vice to BC and compiled 75 wins resignation. He claimed that “nine style two years after settling in. He ity at the head coaching position,
over his tenure. He brought the or ten wins was the best you can seemingly had a great gig here. His and the impact of Spaz remains to
team out of darkness that was the do at BC.” daughter thrived in the Campus be seen.

THE OBSERVER
October 27, 2009
Eagles Blow Countless Opportunities, Fall to Fallible Irish
Continued from back page
their rush defense doesn’t exact-
ly inspire one to think of great
run-stuffing defenses. While I
like to give Harris the benefit of
the doubt and usually look to the
O-Line for the running game’s
struggles, his fumbles really cost
the Eagles.
The defense turned in a truly
valiant effort and kept the Eagles
in the game while their offense
struggled. Things did get better
on the offensive side of the ball,
Staying Active At BC: It isn’t just
limited to a treadmill
Intramurals are allowing more and more students to stay active.
Chris Osnato and Chris Penny demonstrate their appreciation for the dodgeball games BC helps organize
By Chris Seymour
THE OBSERVER
Though we all wish we were
Montel Harris, most Boston Col-
lege students don’t get the op-
portunity to play a varsity sport
or club team when they arrive at
our division 1 school. Many come
from high schools accustomed to
playing two or three sports per
year, but the programs at BC have
reached a level where one must
be a superstar to make the team.
Though we love having a school
with such strong programs, the
transition from a basketball court
or hockey rink to a treadmill isn’t a
fun new way to stay active. How-
ever, intramural sports such as
flag football and dodgeball allow
students to join teams, stay fit, and
try some new sports.
Chris Penny and Chris Os-
nato, members of a dodgeball
team have been able to take ad-
vantage of BC’s intramural sport
system. They play on a team of
“There is no freedom without the Truth”
and the Eagles took a 16-13 lead
midway through the third quar-
ter. They were knocking on the
Irish doorstep, two yards from
giving them a ten-point lead.
The man who last week seem-
ingly broke all of BC’s rush-
ing records in a single game,
coughed up the precious pigskin,
turning the tide of the game.
After failing to pound it in
from the two, the Eagles were
never able to deliver the knock-
fifteen made up of both guys and
girls that plays every other Mon-
day. BC sets up a schedule and
organizes the teams. There are
even rules that 2-3 girls must be
in the starting eight players to en-
sure that everyone gets a chance to
play. “The relaxed nature” Penny
notes “allows students to try new
sports and discover games that
they may have never attempted in
high school.”
Many schools leave intramu-
ral sports to the students to orga-
nize. BC sets registration dates
and takes these activities seriously.
They even hire referees for games
to ensure that games are played
fairly.
As a former hockey player
in high school, I was hoping that
I could continue playing through
college but knew that going to BC
meant only watching our all star
team. Luckily, I can take advan-
tage of the intramural ice hockey
here and stay active through the
winter. Boston College has also
Sports
out punch. While the offense
never seized the opportunities
before them, the defense contin-
ued to play tough and kept them
in the game.
The D, led by McLaughlin
and Kuechly, stuffed the Irish
on fourth and goal with twelve
to go in the fourth quarter. How-
ever, after being unable to move
the ball out of the shadow of
their own end zone and punting,
the “Irish’s” Jimmy “I guarantee
JP Pluta/The Observer
added sports such as ultimate fris-
bee, wiffleball, badminton and
golf over the years, accommodat-
ing pretty much anything a BC
student could want to play.
I’m sure most upperclassmen
have grown accustomed to hav-
ing these sports available over the
years, but as a freshman, this was
a great surprise. Since arriving, I
have continued to see places that
BC places its money into. These
intramural sports are just one area
where BC goes the extra mile to
provide a great atmosphere for its
students. If you haven’t tried any
sports yet, registration dates run
until the 28th for the second phase
of sports (basketball, ice hockey,
and tennis). Chris Osnato states,
“the intramural program at Boston
College allows everyone to feel
like the stars they see on television
no matter how they are or where
they come from.” If you haven’t
tried any of them yet, I encourage
you to join a team and try some-
thing new.
four national championships”
Clausen connected with Golden
Tate to take the lead.
They wouldn’t relinquish
that lead even though they al-
most threw away the game on
multiple occasions. Shinskie
was given multiple opportunities
to put his mark on the Holy War.
He had two fourth quarter drives
that could have given the Eagles
the lead. This, however, wasn’t
his coming out party.
The first “shoulda coulda
woulda” drive started with 6:04
left in the fourth. The Eagles
moved the ball to the Irish 42.
Shinskie then looked left and
apparently did not see the three
leprechauns surrounding his in-
tended receiver. An ill-advised
pass that was behind the receiver
resulted in an interception by
ND captain Kyle McCarthy.
This still wasn’t his last
chance though. The defense an-
Montel Harris
Continued From Back Page.
with 5 touchdowns, which broke a
16-year-old record set by Darnell
Campbell with 4 rushing touch-
downs. Why do you think you had
such an impressive game against
NC State?
Mr. Harris Well, I have to
give most of my credit to the offen-
sive line. They did a wonderful job
the whole game by blocking and
opening up some of the biggest
holes I’ve seen this year. Without
the blocking, I wouldn’t have had
the night I had.
The Observer Your
outstanding playing has received
national recognition. You were
named the ACC Offensive Back
of the Week. You were named the
Football College Performance
Awards National Player of the
Week. You were named the Wal-
ter Ca smp Football Foundation
National Offensive Player of the
Week. How does it feel to receive
so many honors?
Mr. Harris I felt great. It’s
nice to see your hard work pay off.
The Observer How
do you think you’ve improved
from last season?
Mr. Harris The biggest im-
provement from last season is just
me being around the game mean-
ing knowing what to expect be-
cause I’ve been there before. And
of course, you strive to improve
each season so I also think that I
have improved on basic skills.
The Observer Do you think
because of the Holy War rivalry
that playing against Notre Dame is
any more intense than other games
or is every game played with the
19
swered the call again and gave
their boys on O one more chance.
The Eagles started from
their own 32 and had ample
time. The first play, however,
was ominous as a screen to Har-
ris got snuffed by freshman sen-
sation Manti Teo. After a few
incomplete passes, Rich Gunnell
made an acrobatic catch over the
middle on 4th and 17 to move
the chains, and kept hope alive
for the true Irish. After a ND
pass-interference call and a four-
yard pile push, the Eagles were
down to the 27 with 1:45 left.
The stadium of 80,475 was
quiet. Coming out of a timeout,
Shinskie did the unthinkable on
a first down.
The true frosh showed his
age and fired a bullet between
the numbers of a Notre Dame
cornerback, thus abruptly ending
BC’s chance at extending their
six-year winning streak to seven.
same intensity?
Mr. Harris I wouldn’t say
that there is more intensity, as
Coach Spaz would say, “As you
get deeper into the season, each
game means a little bit more.” So,
Notre Dame being the 7th game
weighed more than the team being
Notre Dame.
The Observer How
does it affect you and the team to
have Mark Herzlich as an “assis-
tant-assistant coach?”
Mr. Harris It’s great to
have a person like Mark around.
He’s a wonderful person who you
can talk to about anything not just
football.
The Observer
You have four games left, three
of which are conference games.
You have Central Michigan and
North Carolina at home and away
games at Virginia and Maryland.
With three conference games left,
do you feel more pressure to win
those games for ACC standings?
Mr. Harris I don’t neces-
sarily feel more pressure because
I feel that if we prepare and play
at the level that we are capable of
playing, we should be on top of the
ACC and going back to Tampa.
The Observer What
will have to happen for the team to
consider 2009 a successful season/
what is the ultimate team goal?
Mr. Harris We would have
to win the ACC championship and
win a BCS football championship.
The Observer What record
will the Eagles finish the 2009 sea-
son with?
Mr. Harris 9-3.
 “There is no freedom without the Truth”
THE OBSERVER
20 Sports October 27, 2009

Eagles Blow Countless Opportunities, Fall to Fallible Irish

Eagles lose the Holy War with a 20-16 loss and see their streak of six straight wins come to an end
By Steve Pope
THE OBSERVER
It is a shame someone had
to win this game because both
teams played so poorly. After
five turnovers and countless
missed opportunities, the Eagles
fell to Notre Dame 20-16.
Entering the game, there
was the possibility that Notre
Dame’s supposedly explosive
offense would come out firing on
all cylinders and put the Eagles
back on their heels from the get-
go. The Eagles held ND to an
opening field goal.
We had already seen twice
this season how bad it can get in
just a few short minutes when the
Eagles play on the road. Howev-
er, BC showed up in South Bend.
BC’s offense struggled in
the first quarter, but they were
patient and eventually started
to move the chains as the game
progressed. Shinskie, in particu-
lar, was not very sharp starting
off, but he and Rich Gunnell
found a nice rhythm in the sec-
ond and third quarters. The Irish
secondary was truly anemic and
allowed the senior captain to run
free. He had a career day, pulling
in ten balls for 179 yards and a
touchdown. Had Shinskie been
able to hit Gunnell and Larmond
Jr. in the first quarter like he did
in the second and third, the out-
come may have been entirely
different.
While one could, and maybe
should, point to Shinskie’s three
picks as the difference in the
game, his job was made tougher
as the team was completely one-
dimensional. Take away a Harris
14-yard dash out of the wildcat
and a 15-yard schoolyard scam-
per by Shinskie, and the Eagles

JP Pluta/The Observer
only amassed 41 yards on the
ground. The offensive line did
not exactly open up the world’s
biggest holes. They did, how-
ever, give Shinskie considerable
time to throw (although this may
be due to just a BC-esque pass
rush.)
The weakness of the run-
ning game is rather perplexing.
Notre Dame had the 104th best
defense in the nation entering
the game. Even though their sec-
ondary is their main weakness,

SEE ‘NOTRE DAME’

The Pep Rally at Boston College for the upcoming weekend was held in O’Neill plaza on Tuesday, October 20. page 19

Question and Answer with #2, Montel Harris

BC’s sophomore running back talks about the 2009 season so far and predicts how it will end up
By Kaitlin McKinley
THE OBSERVER

The Observer Your hometown is Jack-

sonville, Florida. How was it having snow in
Boston in the middle of October?
Montel Harris Yeah, it was crazy. The
worst part was having to practice in the snow.
The Observer The team is undefeated
at home this year. Do you feel like the Super-
Fans have been helping you at all?
Mr. Harris Yes, tremendously.
Whenever there is a down time in the game,
I can always turn to the student section for
encouragement. Also, it’s always fun having
people cheer you on.
The Observer BC is 5-3 overall, 3-2
in the conference. What do you attribute the
Eagles’ success to?
Mr. Harris Our team’s hard work, ded-
ication and determination.
The Observer You had a record-break-
JP Pluta/The Observer

ing performance in the game against North

Carolina State. You set the new Boston Col-
lege single-game record with 264 rushing
yards, which broke a 47-year-old record
set by Phil Bennet with 253 yards against
Temple. You set the new Boston College
single-game record for rushing touchdowns
SEE ‘HARRIS’ BC Running Back Montel Harris at the NC State game
page 19