MCELROY COMMONS, BOX L-132, CHESTNUT HILL, MA 02467
COM TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2009 VOLUME XXII ISSUE 2
BC Health Insurance Covers
Birth Control
The Boston College Student Blue Plan, which is of-
fered by the college for those without family coverage,
contains “family planning” services to its recipients.
By Michael Reer
THE OBSERVER
Boston College’s optional
health insurance plan, Blue Care
Elect Preferred (PPO), contains
“Family Planning” under the list
of services covered by the policy.
A call by The Observer to Blue
Cross Blue Shield confirmed that
under these services include doc-
tor’s visits related to family plan-
ning, contraception, and “in some
instances birth control pills.”
According to Koster Insurance
Agency, INC, Boston College’s
insurance agent, these services
represent a “bundle,” or a group
of benefits that the provider op-
tionally selects to be part of a
larger package.
In order to obtain birth con-
trol or contraceptives, a student
would have to pay a $20 visit
fee, and 20% of the cost of any
prescribed contraception or birth
control pills. The remaining 80%
is picked up by the insurance
company. Surgical abortions do
not appear to be covered by the
BC policy, but neither Blue Cross
Blue Shield nor Koster Insurance
Agency could rule out the possi-
bility of surgical abortions being
covered under the policy without
a more thorough examination of
its guidelines.
The Boston College Plan
IN THIS ISSUE
Iranian Detainee at
BC... News, 3
Accounting Ranked
#1... Business, 7
Mart Ann Glendon
Speaks at BC...
Catholic Issues, 10
Catholics Come Home...
Catholic Issues, 10
UGBC Budget
Woes... Opinions, 14
New Alumni
Stadium Policy...
Sports, 18
WWW.THEBCOBSERVER.
ESPN Storms Chestnut Hill
does meet the Minimum Cred-
itable Coverage Standards
(MCCS) for Massachusetts, but
this minimum coverage standard
does not require family planning
services. Instead, it seeks to cover
preventative visits, prescription
drugs, emergency hospital visits,
and a financial plan based upon
the percentage of costs insured,
not a plan that caps out after a
certain dollar amount. According
to the Koster Insurance Agency,
covering contraceptives and birth
control is “not required by the
JP Pluta/The Observer
State of Massachusetts.”
University Spokesman Jack
Dunn commented that “gradu-
ate students can purchase health
insurance while studying at BC.
The Blue Cross plan is a com- Dedicated Eagle fans Matt Flynn (A&S ‘13) and Matt Twomey (CSOM ‘13) line up for
prehensive health insurance plan College GameDay, held in the Dustbowl as the football team faced the FSU Seminoles.
that provides a wide range of ser-
vices that the students are free to
choose from or reject at their own
discretion.”
Saving the Post Office
The BC health insurance Students launch letter-writing campaign to save the BC post office.
can be waived by students if
they have adequate health insur- By JP Bonner and left overextended in a chang- review, including still-profitable
ance through their employment THE OBSERVER ing world of communication, offices at BU, MIT, Tufts, and
or families. Belmont Abbey, in the United States Postal Service Babson.
North Carolina, recently made Students and union leaders (USPS) was placed on the Gov- “I heard about the review…
headlines for its lawsuit involv- have rallied to save the Boston ernment Accounting Office’s a few weeks ago,” said Kristoffer
ing female employees demanding College post office after news of “high risk” list after a loss of over Munden, Vice President of the
coverage for contraceptives. It is a possible discontinuation was re- $7 billion last year. It now faces a College Democrats. “The Col-
SEE ‘INSURANCE’ leased last month. government-mandated restructur-
Reeling from the recession SEE ‘POST OFFICE’
page 2 ing. Nine Boston branches face
page 5
Contemporary Theatre to Present Comedic Musical
Several Boston College students star in the upcoming musical, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
By Patrick Gallagher
THE OBSERVER
The Contemporary Theatre
group of Boston College is cur-
rently rehearsing for the musical
entitled The 25th Annual Putnam
County Spelling Bee, which will
be performed October 29-31.
Directed by senior Juergen
Kloo, the musical’s cast includes
nine Boston College students,
JP Pluta/The Observer
ranging from freshman to seniors.
The show is completely student-
directed and produced, and fea-
tures music and lyrics by William
SEE ‘SPELLING BEE’ Alex Oliviery of the Contemporary Theatre Group practices a scene.
page 2

2 News
Pink Week Raises Awareness for Breast Cancer
Event part of a series of initiatives to educate the BC community on cancer issues.
By Alec Campagna
FOR THE OBSERVER
Boston College’s second an-
nual Pink Week, an event spon-
sored by Colleges Against Cancer
(CAC) and BC Health Services,
consisted of numerous events to
raise awareness for breast cancer.
The goal of Pink Week was
to raise awareness of the impor-
tance of cancer research and to
educate the student body about
breast cancer.
BC Senior Michelle Stern is
the team captain for Boston Col-
lege Beating Cancer in the Mak-
ing Strides Against Breast Cancer
Walk. As a member of CAC,
which is the collegiate affiliate
of the American Cancer Society
(ACS), Stern was an integral fig-
ure in organizing Pink Week.
When asked how students
could get involved with cancer
awareness, she responded that
students “should educate them-
selves [about cancer] and pass
on the information to their family
and friends. There are so many
resources out there, including
Health Services and the Internet.”
Aside from Pink Week, CAC
has many other awareness events
planned for the rest of the school
year. These include the Great
American Smoke-Out in Novem-
ber, where information is distrib-
uted encouraging students to quit
Putnam County Spelling Bee to be performed
from front
Finn, book by Rachael Sheinkin,
wonderful choreography, and hi-
larious comedy.
“There’s no department help
at all, it’s all students-from the ac-
tors to the stage managers to the
design team,” Kloo said.
The show focuses on a spell-
ing bee at Putnam Valley Middle
School. Six fifth graders, all
equally nerdy and quirky, show
off their spelling talents and com-
pete to win the bee.
Vice Principal Doug Panch
is played by senior Joe Mahar.
Sophomore Cynthia Beckwith
and senior Dan Fabrizio play
spelling bee contestants Olive
Ostrousky and William Barfée,
respectively.
However, the show also begs
for audience participation. Unlike
most musicals, The 25th Annual
Putnam County Spelling Bee se-
lects several audience members
to come up on stage and compete
in the bee. Therefore, this calls
for quite a deal of improvisation
from the actors.
“So much of the comedy is
improv,” says sophomore Allison
Russel. Russel plays the role of
“There is no freedom without the Truth”
THE OBSERVER
October 6, 2009
smoking. Also, in the spring,
plans are underway for distrib-
uting sunscreen samples to raise
awareness for skin cancer.
Stern also stated that the ul-
timate goal for CAC is to have
monthly events for different can-
cers.
Some highlights of Pink
Week include “Paint the Campus
Pink,” where the Million Dol-
lar Stairs were decorated with
pink ribbons and flyers could be
seen all over campus with breast
cancer facts – such as that one
in eight American women will
develop breast cancer over the
course of their lives.
Later on in the week, free
pink lemonade was distributed
thanks to BC Dining Services.
Nicole Pasquale/The Observer
Lee National Denim Day fol-
lowed where students were en-
couraged to wear denim and pink
to show support for breast cancer
awareness.
T-shirts are also indepen- PRETTY IN PINK: Participants of the Making Strides Against Cancer Walk of Boston con-
dently being sold for the cause
gregated in Boston as a part of the day’s activities at the Hatch Shell on the Charles.
for $7. Last year, 300 were sold.
Stern feels that Pink Week ready raised $1,398,314 online. Plex. According to the website, FSU football game. To honor
has been a success. She affirms, Stern’s team expects to donate “teams camp out overnight and Mark Herzlich’s battle against
“People definitely seem to re- $2,000. The walk is 5.7 miles take turns walking or running Ewing’s sarcoma, t-shirts were
member it from last year.” and tens of thousands of people around a track while listening designed with his number, 94,
The Making Strides Against are expected to participate; last to live entertainment, munching and the words “Beat Cancer.”
Breast Cancer Walk, the conclud- year 38,000 individuals were in- on donated food, and playing The shirts are still available for
ing event of Pink Week, is being volved. games.” Teams consist of friends, purchase at the bookstore for $20.
held in downtown Boston along On February 12 and 13, the family members, or anyone else. All profits generated from the
the Charles River. According to American Cancer Society and BC Raising cancer awareness shirts will be donated to the ACS
their website, the event has al- are hosting a Relay for Life at the was also a key facet of the BC- for Ewing’s sarcoma research.
Health Insurance
from front
unclear whether or not the free-
Rona Lisa Peretti, a middle-aged This unique aspect of the dom of religion clause in the first
woman from Putnam County, and musical requires a great deal of amendment would disqualify
previous winner of the bee, who concentration and quickness from religious institutions from being
acts as moderator for the contest. the actors. compelled by the state to offer
Joining Russel is BC theatri- “It is so hard to not laugh services which conflict with their
cal veteran Pat Conally. Conally when some of the improvisation religious duties.
plays the role of Mitch Mahoney, lines are said,” added Allison. Boston College is one of
a security guard in charge of es- According to the director, only four Catholic universities
corting spelling bee losers off Boston College is the first school that have been found to cover
stage. The junior has already in Massachusetts to perform the contraception and birth control in
starred in five productions here musical, and also the first school their health insurance policies for
at BC, and is anticipating another to perform it in a thrust theater. students. Fordham, DePaul, and
great success. “The rights to perform the Holy Cross are the other three,
“The music in this show is show just became available in while other notable Catholic uni-
just unbelievable. (William) Finn August, so I jumped on the op- versities, such as Georgetown,
is a great composer,” Conally portunity” Juergen explained. Notre Dame, and Xavier Univer-
stated. “But I think the audience “I really wanted Contemporary sity have health insurance pro-
will also get a kick out of their Theater to do something funny grams which do not cover proce-
participation in the production. this year.” dures that threaten life.
Our performance feeds off them Although Kloo has been in- It is unclear what, if any-
in a really direct way.” volved with the Boston College thing, BC will do in order to
About four audience mem- theater department in the past, ensure that its health insurance
bers are called on stage and are this is his first production that he policy conforms to its duties as a
thrown into the world of Putnam is directing here at BC. Jesuit institution. It is equally un-
County. They become fifth grad- The show will be presented clear which experts on Catholic
ers vying for the same trophy as with a full orchestra accompa- ethics and Catechism were con-
the actors, and are asked to spell niment on October 29-31 in the sulted about the insurance plan
words, some easy and some ab- Bonn Studio, the black-box stage before it was implemented.
solutely impossible. However, at located within the Robsham The- Research done at the Car-
many times, the cast distracts the ater Arts Center. Tickets can be dinal Newman Society, Jesse
audience members through hys- purchased through the Robsham Naiman, and JP Bonner contrib-
terical songs and dances. Theater ticket office. uted to this report.
 “There is no freedom without the Truth”
THE OBSERVER
October 6, 2009 News 3
Iranian Detainee Speaks to BC
Dr. Haleh Esfandiari, a woman imprisoned in Iran’s Evin Prison for eight months, describes her harrowing experience to BC students.
By Alex Lopez pushed us to the side, we had to call asking me to go to the In-
THE OBSERVER stop, and within a second three telligence Ministry. I became
men carrying knives jumped out alarmed and very frightened
While on a family visit in of the car.” for two reasons. Firstly, because
2007, Dr. Haleh Esfandiari was I knew that falling into their
Dr. Esfandiari dismissed this
imprisoned and forced to endure clutches means there isn’t going
initial incident as a typical rob-
eight months of detainment in bery; she was robbed of her planeto be an end. Secondly, people
Iran. She recently came to Boston ticket and passport. Soon after, have gone into that building and
College to share her experiences. she began the process of apply- not come out.”
Dr. Esfandiari is the cur- ing for a new Iranian passport. Dr. Esfandiari was then in-
rent Director of the Middle East During the passport application terrogated about alleged anti-Ira-
Program at the Woodrow Wilson process, Dr. Esfandiari became nian government plans in which
International Center for Scholars aware that something was wrong. the Iranian Intelligence Ministry
and an Iranian intellectual who “The next day I went and accused her of being involved. Dr.
has focused her life on studying started applying for a new pass- Esfandiari endured eight months
and fighting for women’s issues of interrogations;
among other of these eight
social and po-
litical issues in
“I became alarmed and very frightened for two months, she
reasons. Firstly, because I knew that falling into spent 105 days at
Iran. Iran’s notorious
The pre-
their clutches means there isn’t going to be an end.
sentation began
Secondly, people have gone into that building and Evin prison.
n o t come out.” “I got into
with an intro- a car and they
duction from
-Dr. Haleh Esfandiari
DIRECTOR OF THE MIDDLE EAST PROGRAM AT THE WOOD- took me to Evin
Boston College prison. I was
ROW WILSON INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR SCHOLARS
political sci- blindfolded and
ence professor led by a female
Anthony Russo/The Observer

Ali Banuazizi. guard, a condi-

Dr. Esfandiari tion that became
took the floor and thanked those port. Within two to three days I part of my daily life at Evin. I
who fought for her release. She found out that this was not your must tell you that [being] blind-
then progressed into the recount normal robbery,” Esfandiari said. folded is not only disorientating,
of her detainment. “I was asked to meet with a pass- but it’s very humiliating. You are
“My odyssey started on the port officer whom turned out to dependent on someone else, just Dr. Esfandiari, above, spoke to BC students aobut her
30th of December, 2006. I had be a member of the Intelligence like a child,” Esfandiari said. internment in an Iranian prison.
gone to Iran to visit my mother. Ministry, and the questions had “The woman guard took me acts. However, she stood strong. harm. After the Intelligence Min-
That week was a very normal nothing to do with issuing a pass- to my cell, and I heard the door “In prison, I decided that I wasn’t istry was unable to bring up any
week. I said goodbye to her on the port.” click shut, a quiet click for her, but going to succumb to despair. I evidence against Dr. Esfandiari,
30th. For those of you who know The member of the Iranian to me, a click that resounded like knew that I was much stronger she was released from Evin. She
Tehran, December is a month Intelligence Ministry questioned thunder,” Dr. Haleh Esfandiari than they are, so I never showed remained at her mother’s house
when it snows. So, the roads were Dr. Esfandiari as to her work with said, as she recounted the details my emotion to them,” Esfandiari for 10 days, then left.
snowy, it was dark and we headed the Wilson Center, her husband’s of her incarceration in Iran to the said. “I sat on the plane waiting
for the road at 1:30 AM,” Esfan- work, her grandchildren’s names, group of Boston College students Iran’s Evin prison is notori- for the take off,” Esfandiari said.
diari said. “Halfway through the and so forth. The trouble only and faculty. ous for being the site of many tor- “When I heard that door click,
airport, we saw a car sort of tail- snowballed afterwards. During her incarceration, Dr. tures and killings. However, Dr. I knew that this time, it was the
ing us. Then, the car came and “Then, I received a phone Esfandiari faced other degrading Esfandiari received no physical sign of my freedom.”

Poet Speaks On African American Studies

Acclaimed poet Elizabeth Alexander promotes African American studies in higher education.
By Adam Wladis
THE OBSERVER
Elizabeth Alexander, the poet
laureate who addressed the nation
at Barack Obama’s presidential
inauguration, spoke with students
and faculty in the Heights Room
of Corcoran Commons. The
presentation, Hearing America
Singing: Multi-Vocal Cultures in
America, focused on the role of
African American studies in our
nation.
Alexander began her lecture
through an appraisal of those in-
dividuals who came before her –
such influences as Walt Whitman,
John Hope Franklin and W.E.B.
Dubois. She read aloud Whit-
man’s “I Hear America Singing,”
which illustrates the common-
place activities in the lives of
such distinctive and disparate in-
dividuals. The poem reflects the
belief that there is no harmonious
and monolithic America that is
“beyond race” – and that is how
it should be, for our differences
should be cherished.
Throughout the lecture, Al-
exander stressed the importance
of African American studies in
higher education. This curricu-
lum was first implemented 40
years ago, and the anniversary
provides us with a lens through
which we might examine both the
progress and current position of
the field.
African American studies
first gained its institutional foot-
ing as a discipline due to the
protests and civil disobedience –
such as sit-ins – that an ambitious
and youthful generation devoted
itself to.
Alexander delivered a stern
warning against turning our backs
away from the archives, especial-
ly at such a time as now when the
humanities are under attack. She
discussed the notion of personal of racial prejudice. The poem, sentation by imparting a personal
responsibility, urging everyone to which Alexander read aloud, de- story. She discussed sending her
become caretakers of the tradition tailed being taught Gone with the children to Nature’s Classroom
and to sustain an ongoing conver- Wind in the 1970’s – more so, and the double-edged sword of
sation from within. Furthermore, being taught it as a true account. the education received there.
with the increased dismantling The stereotype is quite evident On the one hand, the children
of the dominant literary studies in one line: “a slave stood big as learned social truths of that time
comes space for African Ameri- life: big mouth, bucked eyes, our period through the “Underground
can studies to enter into the fray. textbook’s grinning proof – a lie Railroad game” – the clear-cut
Alexander lamented what my teacher guarded.” benefit of such multicultural edu-
she terms the “cost of racial think- However, Alexander ar- cation.
ing.” She referenced the poet gues that there have been those However, to her dismay
Paul Lawrence Dunbar who had moments in which the African Alexander also discovered that
perceived white audiences that American community has com- the children had sung the song
were concerned only with fulfill- pletely disowned these racial “Jump Down, Turn Around, Pick
ing the racial stereotype through stereotypes. For example, just a Bail of Cotton.” Although the
writing with an African American read through Alice Walker’s The faculty had the best intentions in
dialectic and tone. Color Purple, concerning a black mind, it failed to appreciate the
Alexander challenged what woman’s uphill struggle against backbreaking servitude and racial
most take for granted – histori- racist white culture. Or take Zora stereotype that the song stood for
cal texts. As a means to show Neale Hurston and her work How – the negative consequence of ra-
her point, she mentioned the It Feels to be Colored Me, regard- cial ignorance.
poet Natasha Tretheway, whose ing self-discovery and cultural Alexander finished by reiter-
“Southern History” narrates her appreciation during such turbu- ating one fundamental concept to
own high school education as a lent times. live by: “You only hurt yourself
blatant disregard for the record Alexander finished her pre- by not educating yourself.”
 “There is no freedom without the Truth”
THE OBSERVER
4 News October 6, 2009

Ending Conflict Through

Financial War
Former Reagan counselor Roger Robinson believes that the
United States can successfully avoid conflict by applying fi- Professor Kenneth Kersch discusses expansions of the Clough Center, his new book,
nancial warfare.
By Michael Reer
THE OBSERVER
The man who helped Presi-
dent Reagan plot the downfall of
the Soviet Union is at it again, this
time targeting countries that sup-
port terrorism.
Roger Robinson, president
and CEO of Conflict Securities
Advisory Group, has helped de-
velop a financial terrorist watch
list, which compiles information
about companies who currently
engage in business with countries
suspected of terrorist involve-
ment, such as Iran. At its high-
water mark, Conflict Securities
advised investment holdings to-
talling approximately one trillion
dollars, lending advice to groups
ranging from the New York Po-
lice Union to multiple state pen-
Professor Profile:
Kenneth Kersch
working with financial foreign
and his experience in the Boston College Community.
policy, leaving Chase Manhat-
tan to join the Reagan Adminis-
tration in early 1982, at age 32,
as the Director of International
Economic Affairs. Robinson’s ar-
ticle in the Washington Quarterly,
entitled Soviet Gas: Risk or Re-
ward?, caught President Reagan’s
eye in July of 1981, and Reagan
convinced him to join govern-
ment service soon afterwards.
Robinson met with the president
four to five times a week as the
two worked on a strategy to bring
down the Soviet Union. Robinson
wrote several National Security
Decision Directives, or NSDDs,
including several which mapped
the specific strategies to be used
to stop the influx of available
credit to the Soviet Union.
While ambitious, Robinson’s
Nicole Pasquale/The Observer

sion funds. plan was particularly difficult

Robinson takes a two-track
approach to his financial strategy.
First, he stresses the asymmetric
risk, or risk which is not account-
ed for in a stock’s price. Usually,
with everything else equal, a high
risk stock will have a lower price
than a low risk stock. Robinson
does not believe that companies
who do business in terrorist spon-
soring states have an additional
risk factor subtracted from their
stock price. Second, Robinson be-
lieves that there is a moral obliga-
tion for investment companies to
disclose when they buy stocks of
companies that do business in ter-
rorist sponsoring states.
Conflict Securities Advi-
sory Group (CSAG) researches
businesses with publically trad-
ed stocks and looks for poten-
tial links to terrorist-sponsoring
states.
The greater the stake a busi-
ness has in a terrorist sponsoring
state, the more ardently CSAG
warns against investment. “There
are already divestment campaigns
in a dozen states,” says Robinson,
“but we refrain from advocating
for divestment. We simply present
the information and let businesses
decide what to do.”
There are certainly a few
challenges to be overcome with
CSAG. With a relatively small
staff, thorough research on all
companies doing business with
terrorist-sponsoring states is dif-
ficult. “Firms don’t usually adver-
tise when they’re doing business
in Iran or North Korea,” admitted
Robinson. To compensate, CSAG
subscribes to foreign business
journals and newspapers, which
generally report on American
companies opening new opera-
tions.
Robinson has experience
because of the secretive nature
of NSDD-75, which created the
financial master plan for the So-
viet takedown. “There were only
twelve people in the loop in the
United States,” Robinson remem-
bers, “it created the framework
By Morgan Chalfant
for the Soviet takedown.”
THE OBSERVER
The crux of Robinson’s plan
was to squeeze off Soviet credit
by pressuring allied banks to stop
lending money to the Kremlin.
President Reagan bought the plan,
claiming that he always knew the
Soviet Union was not financially
independent. “I don’t care how
you do it. Just do it,” Robinson
says Reagan told him. Even now,
Robinson seems awed by Rea-
gan’s instructions, remembering
that his plan “wasn’t a rollback of
the USSR; it was the literal take-
down of the Soviet Union.”
The United States ended up
excluding six major European
countries from the U.S. market,
which Robinson admits created
a “major dispute” between the
allies. “It was war with the allies
because they were underwrit-
ing the Soviets, and furthermore
Western governments were giving
the Soviets loans at a full percent-
age point and a half less than the
market value. This closed a 15 or
16 billion dollar deficit, about half
of their operating budget.”
Robinson’s plan saw fruition
two days before the formal col-
lapse of the Soviet Union, when
the USSR defaulted on over 90
billion dollars of Western debt.
“Our plan was almost intuitively
obvious,” Robinson claims, “but
as far as I know we never had an
international banker in national
security before me, and that’s
why I think international finance
is still a very neglected part of na-
tional security.”
Professor Kenneth Kersch in his office.
lege through their constitutionalConstitutional Democracy. His
democracy programs. teaching career began roughly
Professor Kersch is very ten years ago when he taught at
Associate Professor of Po- busy writing his new book. The Lehigh University, an institution
litical Science, History, and Law piece focuses on the “novelty primarily devoted to the study
Kenneth Kersch, for whom this of thinking” and the “diversity” of business and engineering. He
fall is the beginning of his third of the conservative movement, admits that Lehigh and BC differ
year at Boston College, is the the conservative interpretation greatly because BC more heavily
Founding Director of the Clough emphasizes the study of the arts.
of the Constitution, the role that
Center on Constitutional Democ- the Constitution plays in political Though he enjoyed his time
racy. He is currently working on life and the way in which consti-at Lehigh, Kersch applied for a
a book that explores the “Consti- sabbatical in 2001 at Princeton,
tutionalism unites our society. By
tution outside the Courts,” and referencing sources, such as the received it, and after spending a
just returned from giving several Catholic Conservative journal year there, he was asked to stay
lectures at Brigham Young Uni- Triumph, and explaining his own and teach political science.
versity. observations of conservatism and At Princeton, Professor
Although his job as Clough constitutionalism in the United Kersch experienced a differ-
Center founder has many com- States, Kersch will produce a ent kind of teaching. Whereas at
ponents, his main concern is the book that delves into the tradi- Lehigh he felt more connected
“character” and “personality” of tions of American government. to his small groups of students,
the program. His goal is to ca- he taught large lectures
ter to the typical BC at Princeton and spent
student by offering a “Kersch will produce a book much of his time meet-
place where members
that delves into the traditions of ing scholars and culti-
of different schools vating his own intellec-
on campus can come American government.” tual ability. He feels that
together to converse his time at Princeton
about the Constitution was more of an educa-
and its role in the cul- tion for himself because
ture of the United States. Before beginning this proj- the university devotes a great deal
Kersch recently shared his ect, Professor Kersch wrote a of energy to continuously im-
ideas about constitutional democ- book evaluating the progressive proving its faculty and advancing
racy with the students and faculty outlook on the Constitution, spe- all aspects of its community.
at Brigham Young University in cifically between the late 19th and Now at Boston College, Pro-
an event that celebrated Constitu- early 20th centuries. Although fessor Kersch witnesses the intox-
tion Day. dealing with similar subject mat- icating spirit of the BC communi-
In addition to giving lec- ter, this piece discussed not the ty. Kersch notes that he was very
tures to both students and fac- conservative point of view but of happy with the students’ positive
ulty about constitutional issues that of the progressives, which, as responses to the Clough Center
and the subject matter of his new Kersch noted, sets the two books and feels that it has, so far, suc-
book, he also was interviewed by enormously apart. ceeded in adopting a “personal-
the Utah Public Radio Station. Kersch has spent much of ity” that suits the Boston College
In the future, he hopes to unite his time exploring the realms of community.
Brigham Young and Boston Col-

THE OBSERVER
October 6, 2009
‘Coming Out Week’ Celebrated
The University community celebrates the gay rights movement.
By Jesse Naiman
THE OBSERVER
Boston College celebrates
“National Coming Out Week”
(NCOW) this week.
Founded in 1988, NCOW
has been celebrated at Boston
College for at least a decade,
according to BC junior Kelsey
Gasseling and senior Larissa Bel-
cic, president and vice president
of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual,
Transgender, and Questioning
Leadership Council (GLC).
“There is no freedom without the Truth”
the United States and achieved
a large, successful turnout due
predominantly to the efforts of
American politician and gay
rights activist, Harvey Milk, who
was assassinated in 1978.
Gasseling and Belcic be-
lieve that the purpose of NCOW
is consistent with the values of a
Catholic and Jesuit institution of
developing the “whole person.”
“[NCOW] strives to wel-
come, celebrate, and accept the
whole person by encouraging
students to leave behind igno-
News 5
mitted to providing a welcom-
ing environment for our GLBTQ
students. Discussions regarding
sexual orientation and its rela-
tionship with the Church are wel-
come and consistent with our role
as a university,” Dunn said.
“Boston College, as a whole,
has been very supportive of its
GLBTQ and Allied community’s
participation in National Coming
Out Week,” Gasseling said.
Gasseling and Belcic also in-
sist that NCOW is not only about
promoting homosexuality but

Sarah Hatton/The Observer

NCOW originated as Na-
tional Coming Out Day, which
was started to commemorate
the 1987 “First National March
on Washington for Lesbian and
Gay Rights,” an event that over
500,000 people attended.
These marches originated
from the gay rights movement in
rance and prejudice and truly love
themselves and others,” Gassel-
ing said.
Boston College Spokesman
Jack Dunn agrees that NCOW
has a place at BC.
“As a Jesuit, Catholic Uni-
versity we value the dignity of all
of God’s children and are com-
also love and acceptance. They
hope that students feel welcome
to ‘come out’ for whatever it is
that they are passionate for, and
to free themselves from the con-
GLC member participates in NCOW event
straints of ignorance-based limi-
tations.” Tuesday, a musical performance who’s gay” event on Thursday,
As part of NCOW, the GLC by a bisexual Chinese-American and a dance on Friday to close out
will host an open-mic night on band on Wednesday, a “guess the week.

Pops Electrify at Conte Post Office Closure

The Boston Pops and Bernadette Peters perform at Boston College in an event that
raised more than $2 million for need-based scholarships.
By Anne Archibald
THE OBSERVER
The first night of Parents
Weekend ended with a “pop”
as hundreds of balloons drifted
down from the ceiling of Conte
Forum to an eager audience at the
seventeenth annual Pops on the
Heights Scholarship Gala. Bos-
ton College hosted this annual
concert featuring the Boston Pops
Esplanade Orchestra in an event
that raised approximately $2.1
million for need-based financial
aid awards for students.
The proceeds of the Pops
on the Heights concert provide
the funds necessary to grant
scholarships to Boston College
students. Since the concert first
began seventeen years ago, 623
scholarships have been granted to
292 students, according to Renee
LeBlanc, the Senior Associate
Director of Alumni Programs and
the coordinator of the concert.
“The $2.1 million is on par with
the money raised in past years,”
she said.
The concert provided a lively
and entertaining evening for the
attendees, who enjoyed not only
the exuberance of the orches-
tra, but also Bernadette Peters’
performance. The renowned
Broadway singer and actress per-
formed numbers from her exten-
sive Broadway career, including
Gypsy and Into the Woods. The
performance also featured Boston
College’s own University Cho-
rale.
The Pops on the Heights
Concerts were originally the idea
of Jim Cleary, a Boston College
alumnus from the class of 1950
who, according to LeBlanc, had a
very close relationship with both
the University and the symphony.
Eager to expand Boston College’s
scholarship fund, he approached
then-University President J. Don-
ald Monan, S.J. with his idea for
the Pops Scholarship Gala. The
Pops on the Heights Concerts be-
gan in 1993.
Cleary now holds a position
as Trustee Associate, and he is the
Chairperson of the concert. Re-
nee LeBlanc credits the success
of the scholarship galas in part to
Cleary’s hard work and dedica-
tion. “Our chairman is a passion-
ate supporter of BC. . . . He is one
of our hardest-working alumni
volunteers,” she said.
Another reason for the suc-
cess of the Pops on the Heights
Scholarship Gala, says LeBlanc,
is its presentation during Parents
Weekend, when the excitement
of the new school year and the
visitors on campus bring many
people to the concert. The Pops
on the Heights Concert is a “feel-
good event for parents, alumni,
family members, and friends of
Boston College,” she said. LeB-
lanc also considers it “unique,”
as it never fails to entertain au-
diences and is one of few events
at Boston College that provides
such significant contributions for
the scholarship fund.
Approximately 8,400 people
attended the Pops on the Heights
Scholarship Gala this year.
Ticket prices ranged from $50
to $100, and included a gourmet
picnic dinner. A number of cor-
porate sponsorships of $10,000,
from front
lege Democrats decided to move
forward with a letter writing
$25,000, and $50,000 afforded campaign.” The Save the Post
guests a private cocktail recep- Office campaign has so far been
tion and preferred seating. These publicized mainly through online
donations provide the foundation social media. “Early next week,
for the scholarship money raised we will print the letters individu-
through the galas. ally then mail them to Postmaster
Thanks to the “driving force Holland...we’re confident that
of Jim Cleary” and the generosity [he] will value our opinion.”
of alumni, parents and friends of Postmaster James J. Holland
Boston College, the Pops on the was sympathetic but reiterated
Heights Scholarship Gala once the need for reorganization. “No
again provided the money nec- final decision has been made re-
essary for numerous students to garding the future of the BC post
receive an education at Boston office,” he said. However, “mail
College. volumes continue to plummet as
The Pops on the Heights expenses increase. BC post of-
Scholarship Gala is at the fore- fice revenue, customer visits and
front of efforts to provide need- total transactions have decreased
based financial aid to students significantly over last year. We
hoping to attend Boston College. believe that these trends, unfortu-
Together with the private dona- nately, will continue.”
tions of Boston College’s bene- No American Postal Workers
factors, the financial burden of Union officials could be reached
attending college is reduced for about the issue, as the entire ros-
hundreds of students each year. ter of officers was attending a
The conductor of the Bos- conference in Las Vegas. How-
ton Pops Esplanade Orchestra is ever, President Moe Lepore has
Keith Lockhart, who has led the attempted to whip up support at
orchestra since 1995. The Boston MIT and BU with a fervent form
Pops have been entertaining au- letter to the editor, in which he
diences since the late nineteenth accuses “those in positions of
century. Past guest performers authority” of “deficient financial
at the Pops on the Heights Ga- practices”.
las have included Brian Stokes Lepore does raise an im-
Mitchell, Linda Eder, and John portant point when he asks, “if
Williams, who was present for the Postal Service is supposedly
the fifteenth anniversary of the bleeding money, why would it
concerts. consider closing a profitable op-
LeBlanc says that she is now eration?” The BC office gener-
eagerly looking forward to the ated roughly $100,000 in profit
continuation of the Pops on the for USPS last year.
Heights Scholarship Gala in the “There may be a valid point
future, as each concert is an event there, as far as being in the black,
which brings together the Boston but you have to look at the trend
College community for a worth- as well. If you own a business
while cause. that’s losing 10% per year, do you
wait until you’ve lost 90%, or do
you do something about it now?”
asked Ann Powers, Communica-
tions Officer of USPS Boston.
Furthermore, argued Post-
master Holland, the USPS’ man-
date has nothing to do with reap-
ing profit in the cities. “The Postal
Service is tasked with provid-
ing regular and effective service
across the nation in all communi-
ties, urban and rural.” If revenues
in Boston have dropped sharply,
then revenues in rural areas have
fallen off a cliff. “The world is
changing rapidly. Communica-
tion in today’s world has certainly
shifted from written communica-
tion to electronic...We expect that
mail volume will continue to de-
cline over the next 5 years.”
As USPS readied itself for
a continuing decline in business
from recession and changing
communication practices, Moe
Lepore was not giving up with-
out a fight. “In mid-September
we will be leafleting your cam-
pus to further inform you of our
collective plight,” he promised to
the MIT Tech and BU Daily Free
Press.
“There has been some mini-
mal distribution of flyers from the
union on our campus,” reported
John Hawkinson, News Editor
of The Tech. “The lifetime of a
postered flyer is approximately
1/2 week, and I’m not aware of
there being more than one round
of such flyers.”
As the union continued its
stand, Munden has advice for
BC students who want to get in-
volved. “In addition to signing
the letter, students should use the
post office, and tell their friends
that it actually exists.”
 “There is no freedom without the Truth”
THE OBSERVER
6 Business October 6, 2009

Teach for a New Job

As the economy has struggled, the organization Teach for America has thrived.
By Timothy West
THE OBSERVER
Almost exactly a year after
the crumbling of Lehman Broth-
ers which triggered the pres-
ent economic recession, there
are estimates that over six mil-
lion people have lost their jobs.
Many positions that were of in-
terest to college graduates, such
as Wall Street opportunities,
have disappeared. In the past
year, the unemployment rate
for college graduates doubled
to 4.3% (cbs.com). However, as
many job opportunities evapo-
rate, organizations like Teach
for America have blossomed.
Teach for America is a non-
profit organization that aims to
put its recruits into the school
districts around the country that
are in need of the most help. As
the economy has struggled and
college graduates continuously
search for jobs, Teach for Amer-
ica applications have skyrock-
eted, the numbers expanded. In Teach for America is now Teach for America is financially are trained in schools for years
this economic stress, it’s easy to the top employer for top gradu- supporting thousands of newly before they can teach, many take
see why graduates are clamber- ates in the country, from schools graduated college students. offense to Teach for America’s
ing over the positions. The ad- like Vanderbilt, Georgetown, However, the controversy rapid method of training. Dean
vantages of Teach for America and Brown. As reported by ABC over the effectiveness of the Cawthorne, of the Lynch School
are undeniable: a guaranteed News, “So many kids from Har- program has caused many to of Education, claims that Teach
starting teacher’s salary, a brief vard and Yale…have applied to doubt the quality of the idea. for America’s method is like a
two-year commitment, and full Teach for America, that Teach By putting these trainees into “slap in the face” to educators.
benefits. school systems after Yet, Teach for America has
These benefits, “In this economic stress, it’s easy to see only five weeks of blossomed at a time of great
coupled with the
why graduates are clambering over the training, the program economic stress, allowing many
struggling job mar-
positions. The advantages of Teach for is potentially sending grads opportunities they would
ket, have prompted people into classrooms not have had otherwise. Teach
America are undeniable: a guaranteed
over 30,000 people ill-equipped. The dif- for America’s benefits are two-
starting teacher’s salary, a brief two-year
to apply for Teach for ference between this fold: give graduates jobs in an
commitment, and full benefits.’’
America. While only and the more conven- economy that has faltered and
half of the students tional, four year path boost districts that have suffered
graduating in 2009 with an for America has to be more se- to education is raising debate from an economy which has dic-
MBA even received job offers lective than Harvard and Yale.” throughout the country. tated smaller, tighter budgets.
(buzzle.com), Teach for Amer- The data supports this seemingly Thousands of teachers In these troublesome economic
ica applications have increased impossible claim. In 2009, TFA across the country are being laid times, Teach for America has
42% from 2008. Not only has received 35,178 applications off, yet Teach for America is become the leading employer
the number of applications in- and accepted 4,100, an accep- placing more recruits than ever of the most ambitious college
creased, but the number of po- tance rate of 8.58%, lower than into schools. In Boston alone, graduates. However, only time
sitions has expanded; Teach for both Harvard and Yale’s accep- while two hundred teachers have will tell if this trend continues
America hired 4,100 new edu- tance rates. As other job mar- been let go, Teach for America is once the economy begins to sta-
cators, up from 3,600 in 2008 kets have slowed or even halted opening a Boston branch for the bilize and presently unavailable
(businessweek.com). new hiring of college graduates, first year. Since most educators jobs reappear.

BCVC Helps Students Make Their Own Way

Boston College venture competition provides an opportunity for students to pursue entrepreneurship
By Timothy West
THE OBSERVER
Every company begins with
a few people who have a good
idea. However, having a good
idea is pointless without capital
to transform the idea into real-
ity. The Boston College Ven-
ture Competition encourages
students to develop their ideas
while teaching them how to ob-
tain the capital they need to turn
their ideas into reality.
The Boston College Ven-
ture Competition motivates
groups by rewarding the three
best teams with ten thousand,
three thousand, and two thou-
sand dollars of seed money, re-
spectively. This is the fifth year
that the competition has been
held.
It is hoped that this year’s
field will exceed forty teams,
compared to the thirty-six teams
from last year. Over 100 people
attended the kickoff meeting,
proving increased interest in the
competition.
Teams vying for this mon-
ey will be judged by a group of
veteran entrepreneurs. In past
years, the group of judges has
consisted of some of the most
successful graduates from BC.
One notable past judge, Profes-
sor Mike Naughton, is both the
Chairman of the Department of
Physics and co-founder of So-
lasta, a venture established by
several Boston College physics
professors to market a discov-
ery of the department’s research
lab.
The depth of knowledge as-
sociated with the competition
extends beyond just the judges
to successful BC alumni who
serve as mentors to the com-
peting teams. The mentors are
available to teams to aid in pre-
paring a full business plan.
BCVC opens students’
eyes to a world of opportunities
outside of the normal scope of
business careers. CSOM senior
Brett Witrick, the Chair of the
competition’s Executive Com-
mittee, believes that the com-
petition would have a “signifi-
cant impact on the career path
of participants in two ways.
One, teams may go on to pur-
sue the growth of their business
and two, people may alter their
career path and try and get into
the venture capital and private
equity industries because of
what they learn at some of our
events.”
Past BCVC winners have
a web site aimed at helping oth- nership between a Yale and BC For more information, see
er college students launch their student, an expansion of stu- the BCVC facebook page. Par-
own businesses. They provide dents’ networks encouraged by ticipants are required to declare
a public forum for evaluation the competition. interest by October 9th.
of fledgling businesses, giving
new firms both publicity and
feedback.
During the competition,
organizers bring in speakers to
teach teams the fundamentals of
entrepreneurialism. Past years
have seen insiders such as Larry
Begley, a former CSOM Profes-
sor who co-founded the venture
capital firm .406 Ventures. He
shared tips and tricks about be-
ing a successful entrepreneur
with the aspiring competitors.
This year BCVC will host
Shawn Broderick, manager of
TechStars Boston, a seed-stage
investment fund. He will lead
a seminar on “How to Write a
Business Plan.”
Other groups associated
with BCVC include WePay and
WakeSmart. WePay, an inno-
vative financial services firm
founded to help groups pool
money, was created by one of
the founders of BCVC and is
currently seeking additional
funds from the west.
Last year’s winner,
WakeSmart, developed a meth-
od for determining the optimal
JP Pluta/The Observer

Most of the past judges have
at least one successful start-up
under their belts. Some are part-
ners at successful venture capi-
tal firms, who are paid to evalu-
ate ideas similar to their own.
attained success beyond the
competition; web-based busi-
nesses Eagle Nites and College
Mogul both continue to grow
post-competition.
College Mogul’s product is
time to wake a person up based
on their sleep cycle. Their men-
tor worked for Sequoia Capital,
the same company that funded
Google, Apple and YouTube. Team WakeSmart, the 2009 competition winners
WakeSmart consisted of a part-

THE OBSERVER
October 6, 2009
G20 Summit Discusses Global Economic Issues
World leaders meet in Pittsburgh to discuss how to prevent world financial crisis in the future.
By Taylor Wagner
THE OBSERVER
World leaders met in Pitts-
burgh, Pennsylvania, on Friday,
September 25th for the G-20
Summit to discuss global eco-
nomic issues. Also discussed was
the recent financial crisis that
began in the United States last
year and has since sent most of
the world into a severe recession.
In attendance were world leaders
from both rich and economically
growing countries such as China
in order to discuss ways in which
to best prevent future economic
depression.
At the Summit, leaders an-
nounced that the group of eight
big industrial nations – the United
States, Britain, France, Germany,
Courtesy of Federatedinvestors.com
The David L. Lawrence Convention Center, located on the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, is where the G20 Summit convened.
Senior Accounting Majors Facilitate CSOM’s Ranking
By Christina Schmohl
THE OBSERVER
In Business Week’s an-
nual “Undergraduate Specialty
Ranking,” published this Feb-
ruary, Carroll School of Man-
agement’s (CSOM) Accounting
Department was ranked number
one. The survey was based on
seniors’ satisfaction with their
college’s departments.
Senior majors ranked all
CSOM departments, including
popular majors such as Market-
ing (third) and Business Law
(fifth). Students based their vote
on factors such as job prepared-
ness and class curriculum.
“I take particular satisfac-
tion in the thought that the peo-
ple who can best evaluate the
quality of the program form the
“There is no freedom without the Truth”
Japan, Italy, Canada and Russia –
will now be expanded to a group
of 20 countries including China,
India, Brazil, South Korea, and
South Africa. This is intended
to incorporate many developing
countries with strong economies
to help fight the global downturn
by engaging in an aggressive
stimulus package with the United
States and Europe. China and
other Asian countries were also
promised a greater stake in the
International Monetary Fund and
World Bank since their emerging
economies will be important to
the world’s economic success.
The group of 20 countries
decided together at the Summit
that each country must submit its
policies to a “peer review” from
other world governments in order
basis of the ranking,” Account-
ing Department Lecturer Billy
Soo says.
Following finance, the Ac-
counting Department shifts be-
tween the 2nd and 3rd largest
concentration in CSOM. The
department offers three major
concentrations, including Tra-
ditional Accounting, Corpo-
rate Reporting & Analysis, and
Accounting and Information
Systems. The varying concen-
trations allow students expan-
sive career options as certified
public accountants (CPAs), firm
employees, finance specialists
and more.
“Our CPA pass rates are 30-
40% higher than the national
average,” Soo affirms. “I think
that provides objective evidence
of the quality of our product.”
Business
to better monitor the way govern-
ments control their economies.
Given the situation of the pres-
ent economy, world leaders who
had previously avoided disclos-
ing their own national economic
practices, now collectively agree
that there needs to be some type
of monitoring to prevent the
same thing from happening in the
future.
One of the most important
agreements made during the Fri-
day negotiations was that all 20
countries must require higher
levels of capital at banks and oth-
er financial institutions in order
to create a buffer against huge
losses or unexpected disruptions
in the market. They unanimously
agreed for stricter regulations on
financial institutions. Although
About 50-60% of account-
ing graduates go on to work for
a public accounting firm. Ap-
proximately 90% of such gradu-
ates are employed by one of the
largest accounting firms in the
world, known as the “Big Four.”
Another 10-15% end up work-
ing in financial firms like com-
mercial and investment banks.
The remaining graduates work
in consulting or internal ac-
counting for large corporations
such as Macy’s and GE.
“I attribute the ranking to
the fact that we have outstand-
ing faculty who care not only
about what happens to you in
the classroom, but also what
comes after. This is reflected in
the large cadre of loyal alumni
who recruit our majors because
they know we teach our students
some countries differed on views
of how to keep capital reserves
high, all present agreed that it
was a necessary measure in order
to improve the economy and cash
flow.
Also addressed were the
huge bonuses given to executives
that had contributed to the finan-
cial crisis. The United States and
Britain found the caps on bo-
nuses proposed by France to be
too strict; they instead backed a
plan that would allow the pay-
out to occur over a longer span
of time. By the end of 2010, they
are planning to have devised pol-
icies concerning the distribution
of huge bonuses that will assess
why some businesses, one year
ago thought too big to fail, in fact
did.
very well and provide them with
the necessary skills to succeed,”
Soo said.
Supplementing the Ac-
counting Department is the Ac-
counting Academy, a student-
run organization overseen by
faculty advisor Ed Taylor. The
academy sponsors many events
throughout the year, including
events that introduce students to
popular firms to assist seniors
with the difficult career search.
In keeping with the high
reviews of the Accounting De-
partment, BusinessWeek’s annu-
al “undergraduate business pro-
gram” rated the Carroll School
seventeen. The ranking includ-
ed categories such as cost, re-
cruiter survey, median starting
salary and the “Undergraduate
Specialty Ranking.” As Soo ac-
7
President Obama told The
New York Times, “We have
achieved a level of tangible,
global economic cooperation that
we’ve never seen before.” The
feedback from the Summit has
been extremely positive by most
experts’ standards, even though
an immense amount of protesters
swarmed the streets of Pittsburgh
during the convention. The man-
ner in which the organization
has embraced the developing
countries as important to global
trade is a step toward improve-
ment of the global economy. A
senior US administrating official
was quoted by The Wall Street
Journal saying, “It’s a reflection
of the world today…its basically
pulling international cooperation
into the 21st century.”
cents, BC excelled in faculty
grading. CSOM received an
overall A+ in Teaching Quality
and an A in Facilities and Ser-
vices.
In his BusinessWeek ar-
ticle, “The Best Undergrad B-
Schools,” Geoff Gloeckler ad-
dresses changing rankings due
to the declining job market.
Students expressed decreased
satisfaction in prestigious uni-
versities that previously had
distinguished business ratings.
Gloeckler asserts, “the schools
that excelled in our surveys
have put an intense focus on
guiding students through the ca-
reer search.” As evidenced by
the success of the Accounting
Department, CSOM excelled in
helping students plan for future
employment.
 “There is no freedom without the Truth”
THE OBSERVER
8 Editorials October 6, 2009

BC Health Insurance Editor-in-Chief

Michael Karl Reer
Executive Editor
Needs Review Jesse Naiman
Deputy Executive Editor
JP Bonner
Managing Editor
Revelations that the BC health insurance plan covers family plan- Mary Margaret Brinkopf
ning services offers a chilling reminder of how far this university has Layout Editor
to go before it is fully in line with the Catholic Church. At a basic lev- Andrea Kalsow
el, this revelation points out the need for a review of the health insur- The Observer Associate Layout Editors
ance policy. University officials need to become more knowledgeable Boston College Timothy West
Box L-132 McElroy Commons Alex Lopez
on why the policy was written with family planning services included.
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 Catholic Issues Editor
If it is true that Massachusetts does not require family planning ser- Rachele Reis
vices in its health insurance plans, then this part of BC’s policy should A Member of the Collegiate Network
Assoc. Catholic Issues Editor
be deleted entirely. Marc Gerard L’Hereux
We stand strongly opposed to the university’s statement, which Mission Statement Asst. Catholic Issues Editors
in essence states that BC is conforming to other schools in the region. Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam—For the Greater Glory of God Max Bindernagel
The Observer at Boston College is a student newspaper produced by mem- Michael Williams
Just because other schools offer similar services does not unilaterally
bers of the Boston College community. It promotes and defends traditional Philip Micele
make these services ethical. Reason, and not conformity, should be the News Editor
method of determining difficult questions at a Jesuit institution. The political and religious values both within Boston College and beyond. The
Allison Gallagher
University needs to make its own decisions, based upon the teachings Observer strongly champions the ideals of Western Civilization, the free Associate News Editor
of the Catholic Church, and not blindly conform to societal norms. In market, limited government, personal freedom and responsibility, and ad- Akash Chougule
addition, the Pro-Life Club should become more active in this debate, herence to the Magisterium of the Catholic Church. Taking seriously the Assistant News Editors
values to which Boston College is committed as a Catholic university in Adam Wladis
researching the health plan and possible solutions. This is a perfect Anne Archbald
example of how the Pro-Life Club can have a real impact on campus, the Western tradition, The Observer strives to promote the highest quality
Business Editor
and we hope that it contributes to the dialogue surrounding this issue. of journalism by providing a forum for news, opinion, and editorial at BC Dana Flynn
For our part, The Observer will keep a close eye on the administration that otherwise would not exist. Dedicated towards advancing the intel- Assistant Business Editors
and its response either for or against life. lectual life, The Observer desires an active and healthy exchange of ideas, Taylor Wagner
and encourages letters and article submissions from all of the members of Christina Schmohl
the University Community. Opinions Editor
Megan Rauch

An Open Letter to the Policies

First three copies free, each additional copy $3.00. Requests for multiple
Associate Opinions Editor
Lara Barger
Assistant Opinions Editor

BC Community copies can be directed to info@thebcobserver.com. Subscriptions to The

Fellow BC Students:
I have never had to write an open letter to the BC community in
my four years here. Together, we have often engaged in crucial, pro-
ductive, and sometimes heated dialogue over the years. We have found
common ground whenever possible, listened to all points of view, and
trusted that each person’s opinion was based upon what they thought
was honestly best for the college as a whole. We now have a situation
before us that threatens this spirit.
In the September 22nd issue of The Observer, an article appeared
entitled Can I, as a Caucasian, Be a Part of Your Group? I understand
that this article stirred up a fair amount of controversy among the stu-
dent population. Regardless of your view on this article, I think that
we can all agree that the conversation that surrounds it is one that the
BC community needs to have. We need to know why BC is one of the
worst universities in the nation when it comes to interracial relations.
It is a black eye for the school and we, the students, need to take proac-
tive measures to change the status quo.
Unfortunately, this conversation has taken an ugly turn with
threats being leveled against the author, a freshman, who is under-
standably taken aback by the situation. Whether or not you agree with
what the article said, I once more believe that we can all agree that all
people have a right to articulate their point of view without fearing
for their personal safety. I am not going to outline the specific threats
in this publication, but I will call on leaders of the BC community to
stand behind this letter and call for respect and civility in this matter.
I have come to love and respect the people on this publication that
I have grown so very close to over the past four years. I see them as
my brothers and sisters and would do anything for them. As such, it
pains me incredibly to see this happen to one of my writers. This has to
stop, and it has to stop immediately. From the time of this publication
forward, any threats or harassing e-mails to the writer will be reported
immediately to the Boston College Police Department.
Since I have taken over as Editor-in-Chief, this publication has
made a strong commitment to dialogue. I have previously met with
members of the Global Justice Project, the President of College Dem-
ocrats, and we will continue that commitment. In the two days after the
publication of this issue, I will be meeting with the co-president of the
Cuban-American Students Association, the AHANA Caucus, and any
other minority student group which asks for my time. Additionally, I
have already committed to a panel on race-relations sponsored by the
Student Programs Office and Dean Karl Bell on October 26th.
Thanks so much for reading The Observer.
Michael Karl Reer
Editor-in-Chief
bcobserver@gmail.com
Observer are $50. Papers will be sent by first class mail. Please send re-
quests to the address above. All advertisements in The Observer do not
Jack Schwada
Sports Editor
Kaitlin McKinley
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Andy Rota
The BC insurance policy covers
contraceptives and birth control
pills for students and condoms for
Jesuits.
The “Seagle” cheerleaders are showing up in Irish green for the half time shows.
Apparently they want to be confused with the Notre Dame cheerleaders. This is
incomprehensible considering how ugly ND’s cheerleaders are.
The BC post office might be closed down for a lack of traffic, sparking out-
rage amongst certain student groups. With the current pace of the post office,
we might see the doors closed for good in about ten years.
Coach “Jags” was fired from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for disobedience just
one season removed from his firing from Boston College for similar reasons.
The Superior General of the Jesuit order reportedly placed a personal phone
call to Jags asking him to join the Jesuits, claiming that he would be a five-star
prospect.
A Jesuit at a St. Ignatius Mass recently called for lay preaching after the Gospel read-
ings. If you think that a lay person without seminary training can preach just as well
as you can you are not providing a testament to how “open” the Church is. You are
providing a testament to how much your homilies suck.
A man in Istanbul threw his shoe at the head of the IMF to protest international
capitalism. The shoe was Nike.

THE OBSERVER
October 6, 2009
To the Editor:
In Regards to the Article, “Can I, as a Cauca-
sian, be a Part of Your Group?”
1. What came first, the cultural group or the
“ethnic pack?” When one spends a large portion
of time with a club, cultural, musical, religious, or
otherwise, one tends to bond closely with the other
members, forming something called a friendship.
2. Has the author considered that groups of
white friends, and the predominantly white school at
that, may be just as intimidating to minorities as the
minorities are intimidating to the author.
3. The author has been on campus for all of
three weeks at the publication of her article. She has
been alive for 19 years at the most. What she has
seen in her life and her time here at BC is limited
and could use some broadening. The causes of the
cultural divides at our school and society at large are
more complex than we, that is to say, the author and
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
IF
YOU LOOK UPON HAM
AND EGGS AND LUST, YOU
HAVE ALREADY COMMITTED
BREAKFAST IN YOUR HEART.
“There is no freedom without the Truth”
Editorials
Sustainability
By Kevin Keegan
FOR THE OBSERVER
“Sustainability” has become
somewhat of a buzzword these
me, can comprehend at our level of experience, edu-
days. Like many popular move-
cation, and development.
ments, its direction has been
As a member of a culture that is in many ways
steered by some who look to gain
homegrown American, and yet in other ways, decid-
from the movement. One need
edly not, and as a minority who has reached out to
only to walk through an Urban
both white and non-white BC, I can generally refute
Outfitters location to see such
her article. All in all, it seems as if the author blames
a process in action. There is no
minorities for the lack of intercultural connection at
doubt that some who are trying
Boston College rather than taking a look in the pro-
to and will co-opt sustainability
verbial mirror. When it comes down to it, we’re all
and use its momentum to benefit
to blame.
themselves. Perhaps the idea of
Yes, even though you are white, you can join
sustainability is still somewhat
my group. If you’d like, I would be glad to give
nebulous in the minds of some,
you a taste of life at Boston College for minorities.
and because they don’t under-
Please shoot me an e-mail if you’re interested:
stand it completely, they become
jacob.ishibashi.1@bc.edu.
weary of it and reject it. An ex-
amination of the word and our
Sincerely,
history as a species may help us
Jacob Ishibashi
to understand the philosophy be-
hind the movement.
To be sustainable is to be
able to endure. Travel back a
few thousand years to before the
advent of the catalytic converter,
the steam engine, or agriculture
to when humans were mainly
hunter-gathers. During that time
period humans were a nomadic
bunch, following herds and gath-
ering what they could from the
flora around them. Human popu-
lations at this time were relatively
low, and we made a negligible
impact on Earth. We were en-
gaged in a sustainable relation-
ship with nature.
Time went forward. We
began to settle as we developed
agriculture and began to domesti-
cate animals. Early on, our forms
of agriculture and animal farming
were fairly sustainable. We plant-
-- C.S. LEWIS
ed multiple crops which comple-
mented each other ecologically,
and we took advantage of the web
of life to produce our meat: Sun
and rain grow the grasses and le-
gumes, cows eat the grasses and
legumes, chickens clean up after
the cows, what’s leftover enhanc-
es soil fertility, etc.
As time went on we strayed
from the natural order of sym-
biotic relationships that nature
has developed so perfectly. We
began to monocrop, and manu-
facture fertilizer with the use of
not solar energy, but the energy
from finite fossil fuels. This pat-
tern of straying from the natural
order continued with a few hints
of the environmental degradation
which could and would come: see
Cuyahoga River.
In time, we realized that the
Earth was not an inexhaustible
reservoir of resources for our use.
We began to set aside particularly
beautiful areas of the country as
protected areas. Soon we had a
vibrant national park system. We
began to see the effect man-made
pollution had on our water and air
9
so we enacted the Clean Air Act
and the Clean Water Act in the
1970s. We began to understand
the importance of maintaining a
diverse community of plant and
animal species, so we enacted the
Endangered Species Act.
These actions were all done
in recognition that our previous
way of life was not sustainable.
As scientific research continued
into the current century, we began
to notice other ways in which we
were living in an unsustainable
manner. We realized that fossil
fuels were finite, so we began to
invest in solar and wind energy.
We realized that the concentra-
tion of carbon dioxide in our at-
mosphere was increasing, which
leads to an enhanced greenhouse
effect. The list goes on.
The sustainability movement
is a popular movement whose
only goal is to improve the qual-
ity of life on Earth for all of us.
It is easy to become shortsighted.
To see those who serve to gain
from the movement financially
as the leaders and architects of
the movement would be ignorant
to the history of the movement.
Superficially, sustainability may
seem to inhibit our unbridled
growth as individuals and as a so-
ciety. We may not be able to cut
costs as easily, but what costs are
we cutting? Monetary costs, for
sure. But what costs do we sub-
sequently incur as a society when
we all ignore the effects of our
“cost cutting” measures on the
environment? It would certainly
be easier for General Electric, and
cheaper, to dispose of their toxic
waste directly into the Hudson
River-and that is precisely what
they did for a long time. Now
they and we have realized what
a flawed decision that was, and
they are attempting to rid the river
of the contaminants that they re-
leased into it.
Sustainability is a movement
built on the recognition of how
nature works, and that no matter
how much we may think we have
conquered nature, we will always
owe our success and failure as a
species to the environment that
we live in. If we destroy our en-
vironment, we destroy ourselves.
This fact is what compels and
implores us to act to protect it.
To sustain it. To do so we must
understand the effects of our ac-
tions, however small or seem-
ingly innocuous. There may be
times when we have to make sac-
rifices in order to ensure the rich
biodiversity that is slowly erod-
ing, and to ensure a high quality
of life for as many as possible.
But we have made them before,
and there is no reason why we can
not continue to in our attempt to
live more harmoniously with the
world around us.

X Catholic Issues
Inviting Catholics to Return to the Church
Catholics Come Home, Inc. produces television messages urging a return “home.”
By Rachele Reis
THE OBSERVER
Catholics today live in a soci-
ety focused on technology, often
to the detriment of spiritual life.
Fortunately, the Internet offers
numerous resources for Catho-
lics looking to rekindle the fire in
their lives. One such resource is
Catholics Come Home, founded
by Tom Peterson.
According to its website,
Catholics Come Home is an apos-
tolate that creates media messag-
es and broadcasts them “in order
to inspire, educate and evangelize
inactive Catholics and others, and
invite them to live a deeper faith
in Jesus Christ, in accord with the
magisterium of the Roman Cath-
olic Church.”
CCH has two prominent ve-
hicles for evangelization, televi-
sion messages and an extensive
website. The first message was
televised in 1998, inspiring thou-
sands of Catholics to return to
their parishes. Ten years later,
during Lent 2008 and the six sub-
sequent months, 92,000 Catholics
“came home” in the Diocese of
Phoenix, AZ and Corpus Christi,
TX alone.
“CCH was founded after I re-
ceived a calling while on a Catho-
lic men’s retreat. God invited me
Former Ambassador to the Vatican Speaks to BC Students
Mary Ann Glendon addresses the issue of “Politics as a Vocation” as part of the Bradley Lecture Series.
By Andy Rota
THE OBSERVER
Mary Ann Glendon, former
US ambassador to the Vatican
and current Learned Hand Pro-
fessor of Law at Harvard Law
School, spoke this past week to
Boston College students and fac-
ulty on the topic of “Cicero and
Burke: Politics as a Vocation.”
Inaugurating the final year of the
Bradley Lecture Series, the talk
focused on how one can be true to
personal values while also being
successful in political life.
Former U.S. Amabassador to the Vatican, Mary Ann
Glendon during the “Politics as Vocation” speech.
“Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam”
to use the advertising talents He “At Catholics Come Home,
gave me, to serve the Church. we promise to always give you
Since then, my life has been an the honest truth, with nothing
amazing adventure! When we held back. We won’t shy away
are open to doing God’s will, and from difficult subjects, nor will
invite Him to use us to spread we refrain from pointing out the
His Good News, many lives will many beautiful, wonderful, and
be transformed...including our even miraculous aspects of the
own!” Peterson recently said in Catholic Church.”
an email interview. When asked what college
Peterson is very enthusiastic students can do to help CCH, Pe-
about the future of the founda- terson responded, “The mission
tion. “CCH plans to air coast to of the Church is to evangelize the
coast in 15 other dioceses and world. But nearly 70% of Catho-
Archdiocese, from Sacramento lics worldwide do not even attend
to Providence, from Chicago to Mass. To answer the Holy Fa-
Colorado Springs. Even Austra- ther’s call for a New Evangeliza-
lia is working on implementing tion, and usher in a “new Spring-
Catholics Come Home!” time of Hope” we need to invite
The homepage of the CCH frriend
nds,
our friends, s,, rrelatives
elat
ela iv
ives
es a n d
website
ite offers three starting neig
ig
g h-
neigh-h-
points,
s, “I used to be Catholic,
why should I come home?”, “I’m m ing donations and purchase
not Catholic, I have questio
questions
ons
ns
aboutt your faith”, and “I “I’m
I’m
m rriials for evangelization.
Catholic,
olic, I’d like to help
help”.
lp
p”.
”.
From there, the answer can bbee
foundd to virtually any questionn
that could
ould be raised.
Glendon began by reflecting compared to philosophy, because
on the “relationship between the politics was the way in which
calling to politics and the calling philosophical ideas were put into
to philosophy – the two vocations action.
that Aristotle called the most- The lecture was more than a
choice worthy.” She said that “Ci- history lesson though. Glendon
cero and Edmund Burke would explained that “what interests
qualify under both headings.” me, in connection with Cicero
She explained that both Ci- and Edmund Burke, are the great
cero, an orator and politician dur- numbers of young men and wom-
ing the late Roman Republic, and en who come to law school say-
Burke, an eighteenth century Irish ing they want to go into politics,
born politician in England, “em- and…something happens so that
phatically gave priority, unlike by the time they graduate they
Aristotle, to politics as the more change their minds and they will
choice worthy” vocation when give you a lot reasons … [but] the
most intelligent and principled
young men and women say they
turned aside from politics after
wrestling with questions like
these: How can I handle politics
of personal destruction, or is poli-
tics such a dirty business that I
would become contaminated…
would I betray my principles to
the point where I might even lose
my soul as I endeavor to get and
keep public office?”
JP Pluta/The Observer
This question of politics and
personal values is one that Glen-
don has been forced to wrestle
with in her own life. Less than
six months ago, Glendon was to
bors home to the Catholic Church.
“BC students can specifical-
ly help by visiting the Catholic-
sComeHome.org website, order-
ing the free book “Rediscovering
Catholicism”, sharing the website
with others, and financially sup-
porting the airing of more Catho-
lics Come Home ads on popular
television programs across the
country.”
Peterson and the CCH web-
site explain that the cost of pro-
ducing television messages is
very low in relation to the num-
ber of lives the messages touch,
“100,000 people returned to
Church, for an investment of only
$2 per soul.” CCH relies on dona-
tions to carry out its immen
immensely
im
important mission. There are sev-
eral ways to contribute, inc
eral includ-
ing purchases of
books, magnates, and other m
books, mate-
rials
The CCH foundation has
substantial goals for the years
su
substantial year to
come. “In 2010, with the sup-
come.
port of many faithful Cath
port Catholic
receive Notre Dame’s Laetare
Medal, considered one of the
highest awards given to American
Catholics. However, when it was
announced that President Barack
Obama, a vocally pro-choice pol-
itician, would be giving the uni-
versity’s commencement address
and receiving an honorary degree,
Glendon decided to decline the
award.
In her April 2009 letter to Fr.
Jenkins, President of Notre Dame,
she explains that commencement
“is not the right place...in disre-
gard of the settled position of the
U.S. bishops—to honor a promi-
nent and uncompromising op-
ponent of the Church’s position
on issues involving fundamental
principles of justice.”
Glendon said she thought
it “might be interesting to inter-
rogate the biographies of people
like Cicero and Edmund Burke,
to see how they dealt with prob-
lems that are in many respects
similar…to those our students
have faced, especially the more
difficult ones: how far can you
go in compromising before losing
sight of everything that got you
into politics in the first place?”
THE OBSERVER
October 6, 2009
families, and hopefully some
Catholic foundations, Catholics
Come Home plans to air on the
main national TV networks and
in the most popular TV programs!
This will help heal our culture and
bring countless families home to
the loving arms of the sacramen-
tal Church,” Peterson explained.
The website also asserts that, “If
every Catholic brought one per-
son into the Church each year, it
would only take only three years
to be a totally Catholic society.”
The Leadership Team for
CCH includes three American
Bishops and a Cardinal, as well as
many well-known lay theologians
and philosophers, such as Scott
Hahn, Christopher West, and
BC’s own Peter Kreeft. “Catho-
licsComeHome.org is a powerful
sacramental, a means of grace. It
is a willing, waiting taxi to take
us home, to our home away from
Home, the Catholic Church, the
Mystical Body of Christ,” said
Kreeft.
Tom Peterson is also the
founder of VirtueMedia, Inc., an
educational apostolate dedicated
to promoting the sanctity of life.
To find more information
about Catholics Come Home and
the answer to any questions about
Catholicism, visit www.catholic-
scomehome.org.
Burke, for example, had to
balance his Irish Catholic heri-
tage with political success in a
Protestant England hostile to
Catholics. Cicero was forced to
balance his love of republican
values with political opportunity
in an increasingly authoritarian
Roman government.
To conclude her lecture, she
asks what Ernest Fortin, a theol-
ogy professor at Boston College
and co-founder of the Bradley
Lectures, who passed away in
2002, would have thought of
this topic. Quoting from one of
his writings, she says he would
have offered another option to
traditional philosophy and poli-
tics that “is between a philosophy
that owes its highest dignity to its
status as the handmaiden of theol-
ogy and one that refuses to bow to
any higher authority.”
The lecture was followed by
a question and answer session,
and later with dinner and discus-
sion at the McElroy Faculty Din-
ing Hall. Glendon be back on
campus in the spring to help wrap
up the year of Bradley Lectures
by chairing a round-table discus-
sion on the works of Fortin.

THE OBSERVER
October 6, 2009
Restoring All Things in Christ
After nearly 50-year absence, Traditional Mass returns to Boston College.
By Philip Micele
THE OBSERVER
Fr. Agustin Anda of St. Co-
lumbkille’s Parish offered an
Extraordinary Form Mass in St.
Mary’s Chapel on the feast of
the Dedication of St. Michael the
Archangel. Assisting Fr. Anda at
the altar were Fr. Gary Gurtler,
S.J., and servers Michael Wil-
liams, Philip Micele, and Andy
Rota. The Gregorian propers and
the Ordinary were sung by the
Cathedral of the Holy Cross choir,
Schola Amicorum, who also sing
regularly at St. Columbkilles’
First Friday Masses and at other
traditional Masses throughout
Boston. Though the Mass was not
extensively publicized, approxi-
mately 30 people, many of them
students, were in attendance.
To many unfamiliar with
the traditional Roman Liturgy,
the Mass offered a stark contrast
to their typical experiences. The
free standing altar normally used
for daily Masses at St. Mary’s
was moved, and Fr. Anda faced
the same direction as the people,
towards the chapel’s elegant high
altar. The Mass was done entirely
in Latin (with exception of the
sermon and concluding prayers),
with much of it being sung by
the Schola. The use of bells and
incense, frequent genuflections,
elaborate vestments, and Com-
Upcoming Contraception Conference at Boston College
With its plethora of resources, BC ought to sponsor a colloquium on contraception.
By Max Bindernagel
THE OBSERVER
Amid the controversy sur-
rounding the availability of birth
control on Catholic campuses,
several factors and realities seem
to be left out of the debate. Stu-
dents have asked, quite open-
mindedly and honestly, about the
Church’s reasoning behind its
stance on contraception.
Unfortunately, the Univer-
sity’s lackluster response and
the pathetic failure of the faculty
panel/discussion on birth control
midway through last semester fell
miserably short of expectations.
On a campus run by the most
intellectually-elite order of Cath-
olic priests with the excess of
resources flowing from the vari-
ous departments and offices at
the University, there is no reason
Boston College should not host
a colloquium on birth control in
light of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical
letter Humane Vitae.
The debate on campus has
– and still does – fail to mention
many arguments and aspects of
birth control with broader impli-
cations than those in the dorm
“Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam”
Catholic Issues
munion received kneeling and
on the tongue, also are all things
rarely seen in the liturgy since the
Second Vatican Council. Though
this is the case, fidelity to the
Council’s documents does not at
all require a dislike for liturgical
beauty, but rather a love for it, a
fact more and more BC students
seem to be discovering.
The liturgy, as the conciliar
document Sacro Sanctum Concil-
ium says, is “the summit toward
which the activity of the Church
is directed; at the same time it
is the font from which all her
JP Pluta/The Observer
power flows”. Such a statement
only serves to affirm the ancient
Christian maxim “lex orandi, lex
credenda”, loosely translated as
“the law of worship is the law of
belief”. All the Church’s activity
must be directed towards the sa-
cred liturgy, because the sacrifice
of the Mass is the same sacrifice
as that which took place on Cal-
vary, and nothing but Jesus Christ
and His redemptive work can be
at the center of Christian belief
and practice. Likewise, all the
Church’s power flows from this
work of redemption, as the Mass
is the application of the fruits of
Calvary to the souls of those pres-
ent.
For these reasons, it is ap-
parent that the Mass ought to be
celebrated and attended with ut-
room. For example, the philo-
sophical relations between sexu-
ality, birth control, and the human
person have nowhere been men-
tioned.
There are questions that need
to be explored, such as: What
does it mean to be a sexual be-
ing, and is our humanity inhib-
ited, enhanced, or affected in
anyway by the blocking of our
procreative processes? Do Catho-
lics (ideally) save themselves for
marriage because the Pope says
so, or because doing so is in ac-
cordance with a life of virtue, the
fulfillment of what it means to be
human? Are there sociopolitical
reasons for strengthening the core
unit of society – the family?
The long-term effects of
abortion and contraception are
being felt in more places than col-
lege campuses. While the birth
rate in the United States is just
barely enough to replace the death
rate, certain demographics there-
in are slowly inhibiting pregnan-
cies and aborting themselves out
of existence, such as the African-
American community. Other na-
tions similarly suffer insufficient
population-replacement rates.
Mike Williams, Andy Rota, and Phil Micele serve during Mass in St. Mary’s Chapel.
most reverence and devotion, and
treated as the Theo-centric act
which Christ instituted it to be. If
the most sacred act of the Church
is turned into a platform for in-
novation, disobedience, and self-
affirmation, the sacrifice of the
Cross being renewed there will
cease to have meaning in the lives
of Christians. The fruits of such
disregard for the Eucharistic sac-
rifice can be clearly observed in
the decline of priestly vocations
and the widespread doctrinal con-
fusion that has occurred in recent
years. Conversely, dioceses and
Austrian chemist Carl Djer-
assi, who was awarded the Na-
tional Medal of Science by Presi-
dent Nixon for pioneering the
oral contraceptive pill, lamented
in January of this year his work
in the field.
He holds himself somewhat
responsible for the 1.4 children
per family birthrate in Austria, a
crisis he claimed to be worse than
obesity. The Austrian newspaper
Der Standard quoted him as say-
ing that continental Europe sees
“no connection at all between
sexuality and reproduction.” The
sociological problem of a coun-
try which cannot replace its own
population is the greatest catas-
trophe of modern Europe, Djer-
assi explained.
The current era is the only
one in human history which has
seen absolutely no connection be-
tween sex, procreation, and love.
It is conceivable, and indeed quite
common, to have sex without
love, or even to procreate with
neither sex nor love due to sperm
banks and in vitro fertilization.
Simultaneously, the positive
aspects of expressing or promot-
ing the virtue of chastity are like-
religious communities which
stress reverence and beauty in
the liturgy find themselves strug-
gling quite less with the problems
which have arisen throughout the
Church over the past few decades.
Where the lex orandi is properly
followed, the lex credendi is both
loved and obeyed.
Such a correlation cannot
be ignored if there is a genuine
desire to maintain BC’s Catholic
identity. The graces which flow
from reverently-celebrated and
devoutly-attended Masses will
serve to excite a deeper love for
wise being ignored. For example,
does chastity and monogamy
within the context of marriage
correspond to what each and ev-
ery person needs? Is there some-
thing about being human which
requires chastity as a formative
tool to work towards our perfec-
tion? Need sex within marriage
be the “repressing” of desires or
the fulfillment of them?
In addition to these philo-
sophical questions, there are
practical aspects of chastity, too.
Uganda, a country which has suc-
cessfully implemented abstinence
policies to halt the spread of
AIDS, has been incredibly more
successful than other African na-
tions which have had relatively
negligible success with a focus
on condoms.
Further, a stable, secure fam-
ily bonded by love and solidified
in the profession of marriage has
been the key to every viable city-
state throughout human history.
This truth was the wisdom that al-
lowed ancient Greece and Rome
to flourish as they did.
Moreover, Paul VI, in Hu-
mane Vitae, saw the crisis that
would be caused by the lack of
XI
the truth among students and fac-
ulty alike, and to cast out unsound
doctrine. As Fr. Anda discussed in
his sermon, there is a grave crisis
in the Church and in society, but
there are also reasons for hope,
namely, the desire among young
people for liturgical beauty. If the
work of doctrinal restoration con-
tinues through liturgical rebuild-
ing, there is reason to believe
that Boston College will one day
become the great Catholic univer-
sity it aspires to be.
chastity and divorce between
procreation and sex. The depths
of his insight have yet to be ex-
hausted in their entirety, but what
better time or place to begin ex-
hausting them than a prestigious
Catholic university such as Bos-
ton College?
These preceding paragraphs
serve as a reflection and ground-
ing on which an academic inquiry
can be built. Birth control is thus
the center of a major crisis in
modern times. Yet Boston Col-
lege seems extremely reluctant
to comment on the issue in all its
complexities, facets, and chal-
lenges. With its resources, es-
pecially from the Church in the
21st Century and the incredible
strength of our Philosophy De-
partment, Boston College has the
ability, indeed the duty, to host a
colloquium about birth control.
Failure to do so would be a
disservice to the student body, the
intellectual needs of the school,
and the Catholic Church at large
which continues to struggle over
this issue. On behalf of a curi-
ous student body and a Church in
need, we at The Observer demand
such a colloquium.
 “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam”
THE OBSERVER
XII Catholic Issues October 6, 2009

The New Liturgical Movement

Two years after Summorum Pontificum, church begins to reap spiritual fruit.

By Michael Williams
THE OBSERVER
Last month’s Feast of the
Exaltation of the Cross marked
the second anniversary of the
implementation of Pope Bene-
dict XVI’s apostolic letter Sum-
morum Pontificum. With this
letter, His Holiness allowed for
a more widespread use of the
Missal of 1962 (Extraordinary
Form of the Mass). Those who
opposed the Holy Father’s deci-
sion went so far as to claim he
desired to suppress the Missal
of 1970 (Ordinary Form of the
Mass) or undermine the au-
thority of Vatican II, although
no pontiff could effectively do
either. Rather, in allowing the
widespread celebration of the
Traditional Latin Mass, Bene-
dict, with a true pastoral spirit,
is promoting nothing less than
the recently emerging “New
Liturgical Movement,” which
seeks to faithfully implement
the reforms that Second Vatican
Council called for.
The original Liturgical
Movement found its roots in the
19th and early 20th century, pro-
moting, among other things, the
recovery of authentic worship in
the liturgy of the Church through,
for example, a restoration of
Gregorian chant as the standard
for liturgical music. Scholars
also considered reforming the
liturgy in light of the study of
then-recently discovered patris-
tic texts, including Hippolytus’
Apostolic Tradition. The Second
Vatican Council, especially in
its Constitution of Sacred Lit-
urgy Sacro Sanctum Concilium,
transformed this general schol-
arly movement into an official
and explicit need for reform of
the Church’s worship. Sacro
Sanctum Concilium stressed
that the point of this reform was
“that the Christian people may
more certainly derive an abun-
dance of graces from the sacred
liturgy.” The forty years fol-
lowing the council gave rise to
a completely vernacular, versus
populum celebration of Mass,
let alone countless illicit and
invalid liturgical deformations.
With the current collapse of a
once life-giving Catholic cul-
ture, one must question whether
the intentions of Vatican II were
implemented with fidelity.
His Holiness’ allowance of
the celebration of the Extraor-
dinary Form of the Mass, which
has given sustenance and life to
Catholic culture since the 6th
century, is nothing more than an
act of pastoral care for the whole
Church. Certainly, reconciling
with the Church the schismatic
Society of St. Pius X, which re-
jects the reformed liturgy, is an
undeniable goal of the letter.
Furthermore, the motu pro-
prio in part was written specifi-
cally to give freedom to groups
of the faithful who, as the Holy
Father described in an accom-
panying letter to bishops, had a
“deep, personal familiarity with
the earlier Form of the liturgi-
cal celebration” as a fruit of the
original Liturgical Movement.
These groups could not obtain
permission from their local bish-
ops due to their fears that the
celebration of the 1962 Missal
would undermine the authority
of Vatican II.
However, the Holy Father
ultimately intends with a wider
celebration of the Missal of
1962 to bring about an unofficial
“reform of the reform” of a de-
formed Roman liturgy. In other
words, Benedict seeks to restore
continuity with the liturgical
Tradition of the Church. Rather
than relegate the matter to theo-
retical liturgists, Benedict seeks
to restore this living Tradition
by a living practice of an accu-
rate expression of it in the Ex-
traordinary Form of the Mass.
By having more of an opportuni-
ty to pray or celebrate the Mass
as celebrated before the untidi-
ness of the latter 20th century,
both the laity and priests alike
have an opportunity to experi-
ence firsthand its unique graces.
The ultimate hope is that hav-
ing Masses celebrated accord-
ing to both the 1962 Missal and
the 1970 Missal in parishes will
bring about a better understand-
ing of the need for reform of the
former and a more reverent, ed-
ucated, and Tradition-conscious
celebration of the latter.
Why call this “reform of
the reform” an authentic expres-
sion of the pastoral nature of the
Council? As mentioned above,
the council sought reform of
the liturgy primarily so that
Christians would receive greater
graces from its celebration as
the life-source of the Church.
However, as evidenced by the
collapse of Catholic culture in
the late 20th century, the graces
have not been flowing as hoped.
Even those who attend daily
Mass, including many students
at Boston College, will admit a
certain lack of spiritual fulfill-
ment from the liturgy. The prob-
lem must be in the source. Thus
the allowances granted by Sum-
morum Pontificum are aimed at
the benefit of all who receive
their spiritual sustenance from
the liturgy of the Church.
Two years after Summorum
Pontificum, numerous Catholic
faithful have experienced deep-
ened spiritual fruit from praying
and celebrating both forms of
the Mass. Philip Micele, A&S
’11, explains that “the reverence
and beauty of the traditional
Mass has helped me to remem-
ber that people are made to love
God above all things,” bringing
him joy and even “more enthusi-
asm for service than I had” upon
first coming to Boston College.
As the reverent celebration
of both forms of the Mass con-
tinues to proliferate, including at
Boston College, expect the grac-
es of the New Liturgical Move-
ment to flow only more freely.

C21 Hosts Discussion on U.S. Latino Catholicism

Three Professors Explore “the Signs of the Times”

By Shane Ulbrich
FOR THE OBSERVER
The Church in the 21st
Century Center sponsored a
panel of professors discussing
“Latinos and U.S. Catholicism:
Present Contributions, Future
Possibilities.” Dr. Hoffsman
Ospino, Dr. Nancy Pineda-Ma-
drid, and Dr. Robert Goizueta
each gave presentations.
Dr. Ospino began the eve-
ning by situating the experience
of Latinos within the larger
context of U.S. Catholicism,
which is undergoing significant
transitions. “U.S. Catholics
know,” he said, “that something
is happening.” He pointed out
three particular phenomena.
First, Catholic communities
are experiencing rapid demo-
graphic change. In just a few
decades, Hispanics have come
to constitute 40% of the total
Catholic population in the U.S.
In the area of priestly ministry
and religious life, the Church
faces some unsettling facts:
91% of religious sisters, and
75% of priests are at least 60
years old, and most of the rest
are 50 or older. Alongside these
developments are some inter-
esting sociological transitions.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Catho-
lics entered the middle class
and moved to the suburbs, leav-
ing behind their urban neigh-
borhoods and parishes. At the
beginning of the twenty-first
century, though, the Church is
experiencing a reversion “back
to barrio and city,” Ospino
said, through growing urban
Hispanic populations. These
transitions demand that “hard
questions” be asked: how are
Hispanics to be served, how is
the Church to evangelize today,
and what role will Hispanics
play?
Dr. Nancy Pineda-Madrid
spoke about the “spiritual re-
sources” that Latino Catholics
offer U.S. Catholicism. She
described some of her own ex-
perience growing up in El Paso,
Texas, with what she called a
“borderlands vision.” She went
on to describe popular religious
practices of Hispanics, defining
“popular” as that which comes
“from faithful Catholics mar-
ginalized by Church authori-
ties.” She characterized the
Church as “hostile” to Latinos.
She cited such practices as the
carrying of images of saints and
the building of altars in homes.
It is difficult to see, though, in
what ways these practices could
have represented the protest of
an oppressive Church. In fact,
they seem to suggest the op-
posite. Regardless, Pineda-
Madrid summarized the rele-
vance of these experiences and
insights for U.S. Hispanics in
terms of tolerance and the hope
that Catholics might “expand
their vision of what it means to
be human, and learn to accept
one another, and thereby form
a more peaceful, Godly world.”
Dr. Roberto Goizueta situ-
ated the evening theologically
by describing the origins of
U.S. Latino/Latina Theology.
Specifically, he referred to
the Second Vatican Council’s
document, Gaudium et Spes,
in which the bishops wished
to say, according to Goizueta,
“if we want to know what it
means to be Christians today,
we must look not to heaven but
to the signs of the times” (the
Council document itself reads:
“In every age, the Church car-
ries the responsibility of read-
ing the signs of the times and of
interpreting them in the light of
the Gospel…”). He described
the development of the “pref-
erential option for the poor” in
Catholic Social teaching.
He went on to describe the
theological method employed
by those who articulate a par-
ticularly Latino theology. Theo-
logians in the 1970s and 80s
held that “what you see in the
Bible is influenced by where
you stand,” Goizueta said. He
asked, “what might theology
look like if its text is not simply
words on a page, but instead the
‘text’ of lives lived today?” Ex-
perience and practice thus yield
insights to which theologians
must pay attention. Theology,
he explained, develops as any
intellectual project does: in the
form of an ongoing conversa-
tion.
Goizueta briefly referred
to the need to “bring the great
Catholic theological tradition
into engagement with people’s
lives.” Perhaps the evening’s
reflections would have benefit-
ed from a more extensive con-
sideration of this essential ele-
ment. For experience obviously
teaches lessons about life. But
Christian theology goes further;
it brings something more than
what is already present in us.
Theology reflects and devel-
ops from the starting point of
sacra doctrina, a “holy teach-
ing” or “sound doctrine” that
brings to the world something
beyond the gleaning of insights
from collective experience. It is
certainly worthwhile to reflect
on experience, but Christian-
ity must bring something more,
something its own, on which we
can rely and in which we can fi-
nally place our trust. In the last
analysis, theology answers the
question, “who is Jesus?” and,
having answered that question,
teaches us how to live. Jesus is
revealed as “the Christ, the son
of the living God.” Our theol-
ogy indeed must be expansive,
must grapple with the signs
of the times, those present re-
alities “on the ground.” But it
must also look to first things, to
heaven, to the articles of faith,
and allow them to transform
minds and hearts. It must allow
creatures to reunite with their
Creator, their Father, through
his Son, Jesus Christ.

THE OBSERVER
October 6, 2009
Giving a Name to the Issue of Abortion
Skirting the issue in Mass only confuses the faithful
By Marc Geraud L’Heureux
THE OBSERVER
Apparently abortion is one of
those things we don’t talk about in
Mass. In what I can only guess is
an act of ecumenism towards the
American Catholic Church on the
part of St. Ignatius Church, the
priests refuse to call this evil by its
name.
I recognize that it is not the
place of the Church to annoy peo-
ple: this is my job. However, it is
“Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam”
Catholic Issues
the place of the Church to educate of what these politicians say, the
the faithful for the end of the abo- Magesterium and Tradition of the
lition of sin. Abortion is a sin. Church clearly state that abortion
Abortion, in fact, amounts is evil and reprehensible, going all
to murder. It is the destruction the way back to “The Didache”,
of a precious human life in cold a writing of the earliest Apostolic
blood: premeditatedly, violently, Fathers from the first or second
and inhumanely. Americans – so century.
also Catholics in America – might In Mass – not only at St. Ig-
not know this, though, given the natius, but at many other parishes
generally poor state of catechesis both in and out of Massachusetts
and completely underprepared – the general intercessions often
politicians like Nancy Pelosi and hint that it is abortion about which
the late Ted Kennedy. Regardless we speak, but do not say so. “That
we may have respect for all human
life, from conception until natural
death…” is the usual formula.
With abortion so clearly
wrong for Catholics, why do we
continue to refuse to use its name?
How can we meet this evil face to
face till we have faces? Why must
we jump through semantic hoops
to hide our true intentions? Is it out
of fear of losing “faithful”?
I answer “absolutely not!”
Are these people truly faithful
to the teachings of the Church if
XIII
they reject her teachings on the
fundamentality and sacredness of
human life? For, if they do reject
this, then they in a way reject the
significance and power of Christ’s
crucifixion and resurrection. St.
Athanasius, one of the Doctors
of the Church, said that, “Even if
Catholics faithful to Tradition are
reduced to a handful, they are the
ones who are the true Church of
Jesus Christ.” I cannot add to this
in any way so as to make it more
meaningful, profound, or correct.

Celibacy of Diocesan Priesthood Discussed

Cardinals, Bishops, Theologians Gather at Seminary.

By Daniel Molinaro
FORTHE OBSERVER
A conference was held at St.
John’s Seminary, adjacent to the
Boston College Brighton Cam-
pus, from September 25-27, titled
“Chaste Celibacy and Continence
of the Diocesan Priest: ‘The Pre-
cious Gift of God.’” The quote
comes from Optatam Totius, which
is the Decree on Priestly Training
produced at the Second Vatican
Council.
The conference had been a few
years in the making. James Francis
Cardinal Stafford, President Emer-
itus of the Apostolic Penitentiary,
and prior to that, Archbishop of
Denver, originally conceived the
idea and Sean Cardinal O’Malley
OFM Cap, Archbishop of Boston,
agreed to have the conference in
the Archdiocese. The planning
then fell to Rev. Arthur Kennedy,
rector of St. John’s Seminary.
Conference attendees came
from all over the United States,
Canada, and Germany. It began
with a talk by Marc Cardinal Ouel-
let, P.S.S., Archbishop of Quebec,
who spoke on contemporary val-
ues and challenges to the practice
of clerical celibacy.
He said that secularization, a
general decline in morality, and the
sexual revolution have made the
idea of celibacy incomprehensible
to the minds of many. In addition,
the creation of a “parallel academic
Magisterium” which is in conflict
with the Church’s teaching con-
fuses some of the faithful.
Addressing the question as to
why the priest should not change
its policy simply in order to ensure
all an have access to the Eucha-
rist on Sundays, the Cardinal said
that if there was to be a change,
it would need to be one of proper
discernment, and not of caving to a
culture that does not understand the
Christian message.
Speaking of the value of the
practice, he noted that virginity
was not an Old Testament value
and that it was the “historical and
eschatological” situation which
arises in the person of Christ that
changes this. He cited the Coun-
cil of Elvera in 306 which said that
priests who were married were to
remain continent.
Diving more deeply into the-
ology, Cardinal Ouellet states that
to understand the priest as a repre-
sentation of Christ is to understand
why he must be continent and male.
In the way that Christ is the Bride-
groom to his Bride the Church, the
priest is also a Bridegroom. He en-
couraged the Latin Church to not
borrow from the East but to renew
her own traditions. Ouellet’s talk
was followed by evening prayer, a
wine and cheese reception served
by some seminarians, and then a
dinner at the seminary.
Participants were then bussed
to Our Lady Help of Christians
in Newton where Archbishop Vi-
gneron of Detroit spoke publicly
on “Christ’s Virginity: Model of
Celibacy and Service for the Dioc-
esan Priest.”
The talk, steeped in phenome-
nological language, explained why
the fact that exceptions are made to
the rule of celibacy and therefore it
cannot be a necessary requirement,
it nonetheless remains essential.
Saturday began with morning
prayer followed by Mass celebrat-
ed by Cardinal O’Malley, featur-
ing a beautiful quartet. This was
followed later in the day by talks
given by Rev. Dr. Stefan Heid,
who is Professor of Liturgy and
Hagiography at the Pontifical In-
stitute for Christian Archaeology,
speaking on celibacy in the early
Church, and Dr. Paul Vitz, whose
talk was titled, “Psychological
Consequences of Common Sexual
Practices.”
The final talks were given by
Rev. Richard Gabuzda, S.T.D.,
from the Institute of Priestly For-
mation in Omaha, and Cardinal
Stafford himself.
This was followed by a formal
dinner, once again served by some
seminarians. On Sunday, Mass
was celebrated by Cardinal Staf-
ford, featuring the St. John Semi-
nary choirs.
The conference was consid-
ered a success, and the talks given
at the symposium will be turned
into a book in the near future.

Our Society’s Mentality: Contraceptive vs. Receptive

Is selfishness or self-gift a hallmark of our culture?
By Dennis Carr
FOR THE OBSERVER
Artificial birth control is an
especially rampant and contro-
versial practice in our culture.
The issue is particularly rele-
vant to campus life, since some
Boston College students last
year pushed for “prescription
of birth control at Health Ser-
vices [and the] availability of
condoms on campus” under the
euphemism of “sexual health.”
The problem with artificial
contraception, according to the
Catholic Church, is that it closes
the sexual act to the possibil-
ity of new life. It says to one’s
beloved, “Yes, I want you, but
not all of you,” while saying to
God, “I can take Your plan for
creation, and make it a little bet-
ter myself.”
In Mere Christianity, C.S.
Lewis used an analogy to con-
vey the perversity of strip Contraception and sex out- motivates proponents of artifi- whim of popular opinion, and
shows, in which he described a side marriage, similarly, take cial contraception? In Lewis’s rightly rejects the adolescent
situation where people gathered the pleasure of sex but throw The Problem of Pain, he de- idea of providing contraception
in a hall for the singular purpose out the beauty that this pleasure scribed the “golden apple of to students.
of watching a chef who slowly points to: the loving hand of selfhood, thrown among the It seems that the contracep-
revealed a dinner that had been God’s creative power touching false gods.” Proper stewardship tive mentality regards life as a
covered. This fascination with down upon this earth to create mandated “that every player given, not a gift—as something
food is clearly absurd. Likewise, a family. In marriage, contra- must by all means touch the ball to control and not to value. This
strip shows manifest and then immediately contraceptive attitude extends
an unnatural obses- pass it on. To be found beyond the issue of birth con-
sion with sex. with it in your hands trol. We cleave to our resumes,
To extend C.S. “Boston College remains faithful to is a fault: to cling to it, our accomplishments and GPAs,
Lewis’s analogical its Catholic identity, not the ever-shifting death.” our egos and curricula vitarum.
reflection, I would whim of popular opinion, and rightly re- The use of contra- We forget that we do not choose
like you to imagine jects the adolescent idea of providing ception fails to receive to wake up each morning, but
a person who went contraception to students...” fully another’s love and that each day is a grace given by
to a very fine din- reciprocate it. Rather, it God. Will our culture continue
ner. He samples ev- grasps “the golden ap- to seize each day as if life is
erything, but only ple of selfhood.” There only experienced on our terms
chews it. The taste is all that ception weakens the vows that will always be those, who dis- and not surrendered to its ulti-
matters, so he spits the food out, a couple pledges to each other satisfied with the way of life mate Author? Quite oppositely,
and does not eat it. It is clear to and to God. Outside of mar- mandated by the Truth, seek to we should be ready each morn-
see that such a man is a fool for riage, contraception furthers a create their own perverted con- ing to make our lives ones of
just tasting food, and is demean- society that is, quite literally, ceptions of it. Boston College self-gift, mirroring the very ex-
ing his own dignity as a human deadly by being against life. remains faithful to its Catholic istence of Him in Whose image
by ultimately starving himself. What is the perspective that identity, not the ever-shifting we are made.

14
UGBC Budget Woes
Too much of the UGBC budget is unavailable to students looking to bring programming to campus outside of the Student Programs Office
By Michael Reer
THE OBSERVER
The Undergraduate Govern-
ment of Boston College recently
released a very basic form of its
budget for the 2009-2010 fiscal
year. Although the budget allo-
cates over a half million dollars,
the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet
is comprised of only 17 rows and
two columns. This is definitely
a start in terms of transparency,
especially since UGBC seems to
have plans to update how much
money has been spent and how
much money remains throughout
the year. The real problem with the
budget, however, is that so much
of it is already tied up in events
The UGBC office located in 21 Campanella Way
Does Obama Lack Substance?
A response to Howard Fineman’s accusations in Newsweek.
By Adam Wladis
THE OBSERVER
President Obama has proven
himself to be somewhat ineffi-
cient thus far, but the notion that
he lacks substance is unfounded.
Such an assertion came this past
week from Newsweek Senior
Correspondent Howard Fine-
man, convinced that the presi-
dent has been too omnipresent
in the media limelight without
adding much content to the con-
versation.
Fineman assessed Obama as
“a man with an endless, worthy
to-do list…but, as yet, no boxes
checked ‘done’…and doing Let-
terman again won’t help.” To
these critics, Obama’s ambitious
goals represent the stereotypical
political rhetoric that is devoid
“There is no freedom without the Truth”
and programming that happens
year in and year out.
The Student Programs Office
provides programming resources
for student clubs like the College
Republicans and the History Club.
This allows groups of students
with similar interests to pull Uni-
versity resources together to put
on campus events to which all are
invited. SPO has no procedure to
help students who are not attached
to a specific club or organization
who want to do programming. Ad-
ditionally, even if, for example,
a student from the History Club
wants to bring in a speaker, like
say Curt Schillins, who has noth-
ing to do with the History Club per
of actual substance. They argue
that his eloquent language is just
a means to impress the audience,
rather than to convey important
information. And the far-right
will even have you believing that
the man is Adolf Hitler himself,
maybe worse.
But to listen to his words
reveals far more than shallow
rhetoric; it reveals the substance
behind this man. For example,
consider his speech delivered
to schoolchildren just this past
month. That speech has not re-
sulted in any tangible accom-
plishment, nor has it affected
immediate change – and neither
was its goal. Substance is not
just accomplishments and con-
crete results. Rather, it is core
belief and the ambitious goals
set forth to achieve that belief.
Opinion
se, that student has no resources
to put together the event. Speak-
ers are just one example. Students
could be thinking about student
activities and other events which
are a little more participatory.
UGBC seems like the perfect
place for students to go if they do
not have the backing of an official
group or organization for an event.
Unfortunately, a large percentage
of UGBC money is already tied up
in the same places every year. Just
under 67% of the budget is tied up
in administrative expenses, com-
munications, and yearly UGBC
events such as university speakers
and the fall and spring concerts.
Another 20.6%, or $111,000, is
As a nation, we find our-
selves so impatient in difficult
times, asking for too much in
too short a time frame. It has not
even been a year since Obama
took office, yet we already criti-
cize him for an apparent lack of
substance.
Consider his pledge to shut
down operations at the Guan-
tanamo Bay prison facility.
Obama promised at the begin-
ning of his presidency that the
detention center would be closed
down within his first year in of-
fice. However, with that dead-
line looming just ahead, it ap-
pears that there might not be
enough time to close it down by
the specified deadline of January
22, 2010.
Of course, this results in
the president appearing some-
THE OBSERVER
October 6, 2009
given to ALC and GLC. The Observer. Students should
It is completely understand- demand that ALC make similar
able that these two groups garner efforts, especially since a former
money from UGBC because they UGBC Vice-president admitted,
would not exist if they did not. “With just a little effort, ALC
Spending 20.6% of the budget could undoubtedly break even on
on two groups that comprise vast the year.”
minorities of the BC population Perhaps revenue neutral may
(there are not readily available not happen anytime soon, but
numbers for gay and lesbian stu- should students at least ask for a
dents but only a shade over 28% token effort to be made? If ALC
of students are estimated to be eth- fundraised just 10% of its budget
nic minorities) seems to be a little UGBC would save $8,000 each
extreme. This problem is com- year, more than most clubs are
pounded by the fact that ALC does given through SPO.
not make enough of an effort to be Adding to the problem is the
revenue neutral. Several groups on propensity of the UGBC Senate
campus are successfully revenue to give to the same programs and
neutral, including The Heights and events each year. Giving $500 of
$1,000 to the Vagina Monologues,
an event which is actually in the
green each year, or to the same
service trips, does not allow for
enough creativity in the student
body. Perhaps these are not exam-
ples of undergraduate government
waste, but at the very least I would
make the argument that some of
this money could be better served
when spread around to students
looking to bring new events and
ideas to campus.
John-Paul Pluta/The Observer The UGBC should either set
up an additional department dedi-
cated to students looking to bring
events to campus without the back-
ing of a club or increase UGBC
Senate funding with the stipula-
tion that only a certain percentage
of the funds can be allocated to the
repeat recipients of UGBC fund-
ing. This would allow for greater
creativity and self-initiative in the
student body while using our mon-
ey in the best way possible.
what inefficient in implement- pearances as superficial and not
ing his policies, but his intention achieving anything, but this is
to close down Guantanamo Bay the president’s method for keep-
and send the message to the rest ing in touch with the nation –
of the world that torture tech- similar to FDR’s Fireside Chats.
niques are not acceptable still On the healthcare reform
remains. front, Obama has committed
The influence the media himself to the idealistic ambition
wields over us is much to blame of universal healthcare. Once
for the misconception. Through again, the media jumps on his
constant exposure, we readily apparent failure so far in this en-
accept what we hear in the media deavor, but that does not reflect
as God-given truths, often with- his lack of substance. Such a
out even reflecting on the biases grand venture does not happen
present in the media. within one year, but over time.
Obama is not delivering Obama is not just some
empty promises. They might not charismatic rhetorician attracted
have come to fruition quite yet, to the glamour that media spot-
but the promises are not empty. light affords – he is a man with
His words give hope and inspira- substance. Though some regard
tion. him as an inefficient president,
Fineman focuses too much do not confuse this notion with a
on the president’s television ap- lack in substance.

THE OBSERVER
October 6, 2009
Why Sarah Palin Lost My Vote...
And Her Dignity
Months after Palin resigns from office, she has completed her new book, Going Rogue
By Jack Schwada
THE OBSERVER
When one hears the name of
former Alaska governor Sarah
Palin, a rush of memories comes
to mind. First and most obvious-
ly, there was Palin’s completely
surprising nomination to run
alongside John McCain in the
presidential election that placed
her on the national scene. Then
we have the subsequent, fonder
memories, which I will gladly
delve into later.
Let us begin the commen-
tary on Palin with her nomina-
tion. There is so much to say
about this matter alone. But I
would like to start by asking a
question specifically directed
towards Senator McCain: What
were you thinking?
We have all heard the story
of how McCain only met Palin
once before he decided to nomi-
nate her. It puzzles everyone,
except McCain himself, as to
why he picked a person he had
met once to run alongside him
in one of the most important
elections in the past fifty years
and that he did so after meeting
The Truth Behind Democratic Deceit
Massachusetts legislature clearly employed partisan politics to fill Ted Kennedy’s vacant seat in the Senate.
By Jared Scheinuk
THE OBSERVER
In 2004, the Massachusetts
House of Representatives and
Senate, in which the Democrats
held an overwhelming majority,
voted to change the state law
which provided that in the event
of a vacancy in the U.S. senate,
the Governor of Massachusetts
would appoint an interim sena-
tor. According to the new law, all
future vacancies would be filled
by way of a special election.
The circumstances sur-
rounding the 2004 vote were
pretty obvious. John Kerry, a U.S
Senator from Massachusetts,
was the Democratic nominee for
President. Mitt Romney, a Re-
publican, was Governor of Mas-
sachusetts. The Democrats in
the State House and Senate were
worried that if Kerry became
President, Romney would ap-
point a Republican to fill Kerry’s
Senate seat. To prevent this from
happening, they voted to change
the existing law so that if Kerry
became President a special elec-
tion would be held to determine
his successor. Although this vote
was clearly politically motivat-
“There is no freedom without the Truth”
Opinion 15
that said person once. But I di- over the fact that Palin was a tion approached. But as a Re- the resignation. Just six months
gress. We could discuss this is- woman, a fairly attractive one at publican I cannot insult a party after her loss, she agreed to a
sue for quite sometime, but we that, things got ugly. member any further. At least not book deal, and another four
must return to the even more en- Interviews were not ex- for now. months later, she had finished
tertaining topic of Sarah Palin. actly Palin’s forte. We remem- But Palin gave all conserva- what will likely be a very bad
At first, this little known ber the scene unfolding, as Ka- tives a bad name. We who stuck read. However, I guess Sarah’s
Alaskan governor seemed to tie Couric casually asked Palin by her, trying to make excuses decision to leave her state be-
comport herself with dignity. what newspaper or even maga- for her fairly idiotic responses, hind and start looking out for
We remember her speeches zines she read to keep informed. lost some credibility because number one has paid off. Her
as being very personal and, at The painful response still makes of our defense of the governor. book, Going Rogue¸ (if I hear
times, rousing. She seemed to me squirm. In fact, there was no That was not what turned me that or maverick one more time
bring those Republicans with response, just the verbal ram- against her, however. I swear…) is at number one on
distaste for the “lib- What truly turned Barnes and Noble online and
eral” McCain into his dislike into disgust for number two at Amazon.com for
ranks. The base of the
“Just six months after her loss, she Governor Palin was pre-orders.
Republican Party was
agreed to a book deal, and another four her behavior after the People like Palin are ruin-
an awakened beast, loss. Palin first decid- ing the political environment
months later, she had finished.”
poked in the eye by ed to resign as gover- of this country. Disingenuous
Sarah Palin as it lay nor. She had not been politicians who look out only
dozing. a bad governor of Alaska, for themselves abound in this
This boded well for the blings of someone with nothing and so there was no reason to country. To truly be the “mav-
Republicans. The McCain cam- to say. Maybe she could have resign. She claimed in her prac- erick” she claims to be, maybe
paign needed to revitalize the mentioned Mad magazine or tically incoherent resignation she shouldn’t follow the unfor-
social conservatives who had National Geographic Kids— address that it was because of tunate trend of this country’s
distanced themselves from the works with which she might be family issues. The spotlight had elected officials. Or, at least
Senator. This was especially im- more familiar. Honestly, any- gotten to her. Fair enough, espe- next time she decides to put her-
portant with the wave of Obama thing would have been better. cially after all of the matters of self and money over the people
mania that seemingly swept the We could go on about the family had been brought into the she vowed to help in every way
nation, perhaps stoked by some endless fuss-ups that Palin en- campaign. possible as their elected official,
of our liberal media friends. countered and we could discuss Sarah, if you had just she should try to be a bit more
But this political honey- the fact that she was practically stopped there, you would have subtle about it. Maybe wait a
moon, like so many others, was banned from doing interviews at least one more supporter. But year before she gets in on that
short lived. Once the nation got by the McCain camp as the elec- then we see the real reason for book deal.
ed, it was reasonable. with less than a day’s worth of with the well-being of the Com- take in 2004, then they should
Less than six years later, the debate, there would have been a monwealth of Massachusetts. have changed the law going for-
Democrats have undone what special election held in January It had everything to do with ward so that it would not have
they did in 2004. In a sudden to determine who would have providing Democrats with a affected the current vacancy.
change of conviction, Massachu- served as the interim replacement filibuster proof majority in the Unfortunately, they would have
setts Democrats have decided for the late Senator Kennedy. On United States Senate, which will never even dreamed of doing this
that the Republicans were right the surface, this appears to have allow President Obama to rush because their vote had absolutely
in 2004 and that the Governor been a reasonable proposition. his agenda, especially his health nothing to do with principle.
should fill all vacancies. Isn’t So, why were the Democrats in care proposal, through Congress As for Senator Kennedy’s
it great that we finally before the midterm letter, there was understandably
have politicians who Congressional elec- a good bit of emotional pull to
will admit their mis- tions. There is little carry out his wishes by allowing
takes and seek to cor- doubt that state Demo- Gov. Patrick to appoint his suc-
rect them? Not so fast! “In a sudden change of conviction, Massa- crats folded amidst the cessor. However, Senator Ken-
Not surprisingly, chusetts Democrats have decided that the pressure to act quickly, nedy was undeniably a partisan
the circumstances Republicans were right in 2004 and that which came from the and clearly had universal health-
were different this the Governor should fill all vacancies.” party’s leadership in care in mind when he wrote the
time around. For start- Washington D.C. letter. This may sound a harsh,
ers, Deval Patrick, a The effort put but Senator Kennedy’s wishes
Democrat, is Gover- forth by Massachu- should have been completely ir-
nor of Massachusetts. Addition- such a hurry to change the law? setts Democrats to change this relevant. Laws of succession ex-
ally, a vacancy already existed As I’m sure many of you law was an example of coward- ist for a reason, and whether or
in the United States Senate as a already know, Governor Pat- ice, hypocrisy and political ma- not these laws fit the political
result of the death of Senator Ted rick appointed Paul Kirk, a lib- neuvering. The Democrats have agenda of the predecessor should
Kennedy. To make matters even eral democrat, to replace Senator used their overwhelming major- be immaterial even if the prede-
more interesting, Senator Ken- Kennedy in the United States ity in the state legislature in an cessor’s last name is Kennedy.
nedy, a political icon in Massa- Senate. Senator Kirk is now im- attempt to manipulate national It is unethical for Massachu-
chusetts, left a letter in which he mediately eligible to vote on leg- policy. They have bypassed and setts Democrats to change this
expressed support for changing islation. Although state Demo- ignored the voice of the people law to meet their political objec-
the law in order to allow Gov- crats have tried to disguise their of Massachusetts and deprived tives. Hopefully the people of
ernor Patrick to appoint his re- underhanded actions as an issue them of the right to vote in a spe- Massachusetts will see through
placement. of representation, in reality their cial election. this political ploy and vote those
Prior to the passing of the motivation was purely political If the Democrats truly were who seek to play political games
bill, which passed both houses and had absolutely nothing to do convinced that they made a mis- with the law out of office.

16
In Praise of the Bus GPS System
Why the new GPS system for the buses has become a lifesaver for time-pressed BC students.
By Lauren Donatucci
FOR THE OBSERVER
Every year the Undergradu-
ate Government of Boston Col-
lege (UGBC) looks for new ways
to improve the experience of
students. One of the big changes
this year is the new bus locator
system. Students can visit the
website www.bc.transloc.com
and check on the location of any
Boston College buses. Each bus
has a GPS locator to track which
stop it is heading towards and
what direction it is going.
The system works on com-
puters and some phones. On a
computer, it shows a map with
bubbles for each bus. The phone
system has written information
about the bus locations.
With the system, students
can specify which bus line they
need. The information for the
Newton bus line and the Com-
monwealth Avenue line is dis-
played separately. The system
even shows an early morning
Law School line that runs direct
Timothy West/The Observer
THE WHEELS ON THE BC BUS GO ROUND AND ROUND: The BC Bus drives down Beacon Street.
“There is no freedom without the Truth”
THE OBSERVER
Opinion October 6, 2009
from off campus stops to New- to run on a regulated schedule. check on my computer to see my phone, but the web browser
ton Campus. The system also does not work when a bus is approaching Main did not have the right capabili-
The company that runs the on all cell phones, even if they Gate and leave in time to arrive ties (I have a regular phone with
system, Transloc, comes out of have some form of web browser. with the bus. After spending far a limited browser, not a Black-
Raleigh, North Carolina. They Some students have even no- too much time in my past three berry or iPhone). As long as I
run similar bus tracking servic- ticed inaccuracies in the bus years here waiting endlessly for am within reach of the Boston
es at numerous universities, in- times. buses to arrive, this knowledge College wireless network, how-
cluding Harvard University and Having lived on Newton is immensely valuable. ever, I can use my iPod. This
our ACC rival, N.C. State. freshman year, I can say the For the freshman living on works well and as long as I re-
The Transloc system is in- bus locator system is certainly Newton Campus, this feature fresh the page the information
tended to reduce the amount an improvement to transporta- is particularly useful. Students is incredibly accurate. I walked
of time students need to wait tion at BC. Although the buses heading to class no longer have up Commonwealth Avenue to-
for buses by allowing them to are supposed to run on a regu- to leave incredibly early or wor- wards Main Gate and read as it
identify exactly when a ry about missing the told me what direction the bus
bus will arrive at their bus. One Newton RA was heading in and whether it
stop. This should al- said his residents use had left the College Road stop
low students to time “This system makes travelling on the BC the bus tracker all the or not.
their transit more ef- bus lines a much better experience..” time. Blackberry users have re-
ficiently. As far as accuracy ported similar accuracy with
UGBC worked for goes, I have not no- their system.
several years to bring this ticed any problems. The This system makes travel-
system to BC. They invested a lar schedule, it is difficult to map on my computer loads well ling on the BC bus lines a much
significant amount of money tell when they will arrive at any on all the web browsers I have. better experience. Students no
into it in the hopes that it would given stop. Traffic and other fac- All I need to do is find the stop longer need to wait for a long
improve the experience students tors affect how long it takes to I want and see where the closest time at bus stops guessing when
have with transportation. get between stops and throw off bus is. While I have still missed their bus will arrive. And once
Some, however, have raised the schedule. the bus after checking, this is the weather starts getting cold
the question of whether the sys- Knowing exactly when a entirely my fault for not timing and snowy, this is one change
tem was worth the investment. bus will arrive allows me to time the walk to the bus stop well. that will be even more appreci-
After all, the buses are supposed when I leave my room. I can I tried using the system on ated.

THE OBSERVER
October 6, 2009
Don’t Get Me Sick!
With the looming threat of H1N1, how seriously are students and administrators taking this virus and the measures necessary to prevent it?
By Megan Rauch
THE OBSERVER
I am sure that many students
on the Boston College campus—
myself included—have found
themselves caught up with one
of the Seven Deadly Sins, swept
away in a deadly riptide of envy.
Despite going to one of the best
schools in the country, in one of
the best cities in the country, in
one of the best countries in the
world (no bias), we have all at
one point or another experienced
a twinge of jealousy.
Whether it is the girl with
the awe-inspiring singing voice
who skillfully juggles the Hon-
ors Program and a great boy-
friend, the “really, really ridicu-
lously good-looking” guy who
went home at the end of the keg-
ger with the girl you were eyeing
all night, the kid who does not
buy the books and shows up to
class only for the mid-term and
final and still gets an A, or the
football player—just because
he is a football player and your
athletic endeavors are limited to
solo cups and a ping-pong table,
we have all been there.
Previously, something that
President Obama’s Healthcare Reform Bill: Reform or Refrain?
Why the Healthcare Reform is dangerous to the American economy and the American people.
By Jezzica Bellitti
FOR THE OBSERVER
In the past few months,
we have seen and heard more
and more about our President’s
Healthcare Reform Bill. Regard-
less of political affiliation, few
know what this bill actually im-
plies. The whole healthcare dis-
pute has concentrated on Presi-
dent Obama being too broad and
how aggressively he is pushing
for the bill to pass. While both
of these are legitimate issues
we are forgetting the bill’s sig-
nificance entirely. I am here to
break down President Obama’s
Healthcare Reform Bill and ex-
plain what it means to you and
your pocket.
The bill plans to fix the high
cost of health care by making
it more affordable, increasing
healthcare coverage for children,
computerizing patients’ health
records, researching better treat-
ments for illnesses, and invest-
ing in prevention. While this
all sounds grand, what cost does
the president want Americans to
pay? Already over eight trillion
dollars in debt, we must evaluate
whether the reform is worth the
cost. Moreover, the cost for this
“fix-all” bill is unknown. Some
“There is no freedom without the Truth”
might have comforted us was
the old adage, “Well, at least you
have your health.” Thanks for
the support, Mom, but unfortu-
nately, thanks to the new threat
of H1N1 on campus, our health
may no longer be able to satiate
us in times of jealousy and self-
doubt. Although the University
has put forth a great amount of
effort not only to spread aware-
ness about swine flu but also to
educate the community about
prevention of the virus, multiple
cases have already been reported
and the numbers are growing.
Part of the problem with the
lack of consciousness on campus
regarding H1N1 can be attrib-
uted to the means through which
the administration has chosen to
communicate the pertinent infor-
mation. If one were to happen
across the main page of the Bos-
ton College website, the link to
swine flu information is a small
maroon rectangle that, to those of
us who lack technological savvy,
appears more like a decoration
than a useful resource. More-
over, after one has signed in, the
main page of Portal has no direct
links to any of the three main BC
swine flu documents: the Aca-
say it could be more than $630
billion, while others say it won’t
cost us a dime. Ultimately, if we
don’t know the cost of the re-
form, we don’t know how much
we’ll save.
The president claims that
he, “will not sign health insur-
ance reform that adds even one
dime to our deficit,” yet analysts
question how this is even re-
motely possible. Obama plans
to not add to our deficit by let-
ting the wealthy and middle
class pay for most of it. Obama’s
Healthcare Reform Bill cannot
possibly help the economy. In
fact, all evidence proves just the
opposite. We must keep in mind
that the health care industry is
part of the American economy.
By dismantling it, faulty as it
may be, we are dismantling, or
possibly even destroying, an en-
tire industry.
The bill also plans to man-
date health insurance. By doing
so, about 100 million Americans
would have to switch to a more
expensive government designed
health plan. Americans that
don’t receive adequate insurance
coverage will be required to pur-
chase one or be fined (a tax equal
to 2.5% of their income) until
they do so. This clearly violates
Opinion
demic Protocols, the Guidelines
for Season Flu and H1N1 virus-
es, or the latest Update.
Even worse, another one
of the ways BC has tried to in-
form students about the threat of
swine flu has been e-mail. What
is the likelihood that many peo-
ple actually noticed that in their
inboxes, let alone read it? Con-
sidering I also receive e-mails
from BC about parking when I
don’t have a car, the probability
that many students were able to
distinguish that this e-mail was
important—and then took the
time to scrutinize its contents—
is slim at best.
While the free hand sanitizer
distributed by the Office of Resi-
dential Life has certainly come
in handy, college students are not
the most discriminating individ-
uals when it comes to free stuff.
Just because we have Purell
with a BC logo, does not guar-
antee we will consciously use it
to prevent the spread of germs.
We may just use it after touching
something really gross, like used
napkins left on a table in Eagle’s
Nest or helping our friends after
they drunkenly drip fro-yo from
Lower all over our futons.
Obama’s promise to let people
keep their current health insur-
ance.
A study at MIT by Amy
Finkelstein suggests that the
dominance of insurance itself
has almost doubled the cost of
healthcare. So by expanding
coverage, we would also be in-
creasing the cost of healthcare.
Making health insurance com-
pulsory would make it easier for
anyone to get coverage, which
is beneficial for Americans with
I will be the first to admit
that I have jealousy issues when
it comes to people who have the
immune systems of oxen. They
never seem to suffer from the
common cold, don’t sneeze like
maniacs when the flowers start
blooming in April, don’t require
gloves and hat when it falls be-
low forty degrees (Celsius), or
don’t think swine flu is a serious
threat. Someone could sniffle
in O’Neill and I, who prefer to
study in Bapst, will end up under
the weather for two weeks.
For all the other students on
campus like me, I am asking ev-
eryone to please, please, be more
careful. H1N1 affects people
under 25 in greater numbers than
people over 64, according to data
collected since the April 2009
outbreak. Cover your mouths
when you sneeze or cough, both
of which the Center for Disease
Control classifies as the most
common means though which
germs are spread. As the cap of
a Snapple bottle has taught us,
a single sneeze releases 40,000
aerosol droplets at a rate of 100
miles per hour. That is an aw-
ful lot of airborne germs for one
measly “Achoo.”
chronic diseases but would, at
the same time, increase the cost
for young, healthy Americans.
There are only two ways,
according to CATO, that the
bill would help the economy.
One way would be not mandat-
ing health insurance; however
this would defeat the purpose of
the reform. Another way would
be increasing funding to allevi-
ate healthy individuals of high
costs, which means that the gov-
ernment would have to provide
17
Also, stay away from your
friends who are sick! There is
a new phenomenon called a
“Swine Flu Party,” where a group
of healthy people will hang out
with a person with H1N1 to
build up their immunity. As the
CDC explains on their website,
this will not work. Even if you
personally don’t get sick, you
may transmit the germs to other
people who weren’t cool enough
to be invited to your flu fiesta.
Seriously, save your partying for
the weekends.
If you are the one who be-
comes infected with H1N1,
please understand no means no.
That means no going to class, no
being around other people, no
physical contact. Nobody will
be impressed if you show up to
class with swine flu, nobody will
think you’re a warrior for being
out in public with a contagious
illness, and nobody will thank
you if you get them sick.
For further information on
what you can do to protect your-
self and others during flu sea-
son, visit the Center for Disease
Control website or simply follow
that little maroon box on the BC
homepage.
the funding (increasing the defi-
cit).
All in all, the president’s
Healthcare Reform Bill is unreal-
istic. There is no way that Amer-
icans will want to risk paying
more in taxes and in healthcare
when they are not guaranteed
that the reform is worth it. The
bill would not only have drastic
repercussions on the American
economy but also spark politi-
cal disputes over what should be
covered and what should not.
 “There is no freedom without the Truth”
THE OBSERVER
18 Sports October 6, 2009

Students Left Holding Their Bags

New policy at Alumni Stadium discriminates against students.

By Kaitlin McKinley
THE OBSERVER
There have been four home
football games so far during the
Eagles 2009 season. Starting with
the third game at Alumni stadium
this season, event staff, the peo-
ple wearing the brightly colored
jackets that say “Event Staff,”
began enforcing an Alumni Sta-
dium policy on bags and purses
that had not previously been en-
forced in my own personal expe-
rience.
This policy prevents stu-
dents from bringing in purses or
bags, while allowing the general
public to bring in both.
There had not been an e-mail
sent out about a new student pol-
bring any bags into Alumni Sta-
dium. General guests may bring
bags into the stadium but all bags
will be searched for prohibited
items by stadium officials.”
Now, if this is not discrimi-
nating against Boston College
students, I certainly don’t know
what is. Why are students not al-
lowed to bring bags into Alumni
Stadium when the general public
is allowed to? Do the bags of stu-
dents really pose a much more
significant risk than those of the
general public? What is the ra-
tionalization behind allowing the
general public to have bags or
purses of any size while prohibit-
ing students from having any bag
or purse at all? Can event staff
of a “clutch?” Secondly, if stu-
dent “clutches” are actually al-
lowed in the stadium, why isn’t
this stated online with the policy
that prohibits purses and bags?
Another major problem with
this policy is that it seems to be
enforced whenever event staff so
desires to enforce it. As was men-
tioned, this policy was not en-
forced the first two home games,
yet it was enforced the third home
game…. for the most part. There
were still students in the student
section of Alumni stadium with
bags significantly larger than a
“clutch,” yet there were other stu-
dents that had been told by event
staff that they would have to take
their bags back to their dorms

Mary Brinkopf/The Observer

icy, so I contacted Matt Conway,
assistant athletics director of op-
eration, asking when students
were informed of this policy.
“Students were first informed via
an email blast when we instituted
the bag check policies prior to the
2008 Football Season,” Conway
said.
Interestingly enough, this
policy is not listed on BC’s web-
site under “Stadium Policies,”
nor are purses or bags listed on
the “Prohibited Items” list for
Alumni Stadium.
This policy, however, can
be found on the Boston College
Athletics website, in the Boston
College Football A-Z Guide, un-
der “Bags and Bag Searches.” It’s
not easy to find, so good luck if
you go looking for it.
This is the policy as stated
on the website: “To expedite your
entrance into the facility, we rec-
ommend not bringing bags into
Alumni Stadium. Student season
ticket holders are not permitted to
not just search the purses and
bags of students, the same thing
they do for the general public? Is
it that much more of an inconve-
nience to search students’ bags
and purses?
At the third home game
(versus Wake Forest,) I asked
an event staff person who turned
away two girls with relatively
small purses why students had
been allowed into the stadium
with bigger purses and bags the
previous two games.
He answered with this: “I
don’t make the rules, I just en-
force them.” Apparently, he
thought that was a sufficient an-
swer. It is not, however, because
there are several other problems
with this policy, beside the fact
that it is clearly discriminatory
against students.
One of these problems is that
this same event staff man said
that they would allow students to
have “clutches” in the stadium.
First of all, who defines the size
or apartments before they could
gain admission to the game.
The event staff man who
turned away these two girls
showed no mercy even when the
one girl told him she lived on
Newton Campus. Students are not permitted to bring bags and purses into
The interesting thing is that Alumni Stadium on game day
these two girls both gave their
purses to a woman who entered depends on how convincing you Considering the time it
as general public, and she pro- are since clearly some students would have taken that girl to
ceeded to hand them their purses are allowed in with their bags and take her purse all the way back to
once inside. purses while others are not. Newton Campus, she may as well
Don’t you find it a little odd The question at the heart of have just skipped the football
that someone in the general pub- this article: Why does this policy game. Not every student lives in
lic can enter the stadium with not apply to the general public? dorms on main campus.
three purses and yet students can When I asked Matt Conway this I’ll leave it up to you to de-
be turned away for having one? question, he responded, saying, cide if Conway’s answer is good
In the most recent home “Boston College students have enough to explain this double
game against the Florida State access to their dorm room for standard, but word of advice to
Seminoles, again, there were stu- storage of personal belongings. BC students: your chance of get-
dents with bags much larger than Many of the general public, who ting into Alumni Stadium with a
“clutches.” arrive via public transportation bag or purse is 50/50 on any given
Maybe the event staff did not mainly the “T,” do not have this Saturday. If you get turned away,
feel like enforcing the policy be- luxury and thus are permitted to just find an approachable person
cause of the rain, maybe it just de- bring bags into the stadium once in the general public. There is no
pends on what event staff person they have been searched by event limit on how many bags they can
you are dealing with or maybe it staff.” bring in.

GameDay
from back
telling him to be proud of
being a survivor. He also re-
vealed that his doctor is 99%
sure he is now cancer-free.
Proud survivor of a stroke,
Tedy Bruschi later came out of
the orange GameDay RV and
made his own appearance on the
stage: a much applauded sur-
prise to soaking wet SuperFans.
When it came time for
Saturday Selections, the most
popular part of the show where
Corso and Herbstreit make their
put on the head of Chief Osceo-
la, FSU’s mascot, indicating he
thought the Seminoles would
win; This was, of course, greet-
ed with intense boo’s from the
fans in gold.
Corso should have put on
the head of Baldwin because
the Eagles won the thrilling
game. Maybe we won’t have to
wait another four years for Col-
lege GameDay to come back to
BC if the Eagles keep winning
like this and proving doubters
JP Pluta/The Observer

predictions of which teams will wrong.

win the top games, including the
game location they are at, Brus-
chi smartly chose the Eagles
over the Seminoles.
Herbstreit also wisely pre-
dicted that the Eagles would
come out victorious, but Corso
Hopefully next time, they’ll
come under better circumstanc-
es: not when one of our players
is fighting in the battle of his
life, but when we are the mar-
quee matchup of a Saturday in
college football. BC linebacker Mark Herzlich motivates fellow teammates.

THE OBSERVER
October 6, 2009
FSU
from back
ankle. The junior defensive
end from St. Xavier High School
in Cincinnati, Ohio (same alma
mater as Luke Kuehcly), had ter-
rorized Ponder all day.
Following his departure, the
pass rush was weak. Ponder had
ample time to find open receiv-
ers, and the ACC passing leader
pierced the Eagles secondary as a
result of that time.
In the second half, the Eagles
defensive ends were often Austin
Giles and Brad Newman. While
A Young Mens’ Soccer Team Just What the Doctor Ordered: A
Playmaker
Up and down season may be attributed to youth
By Chris Seymour
FOR THE OBSERVER
The mens’ soccer team has
had a wild roller coaster ride over
the past month since the season
began. There have been several
disappointing losses, but a few
unexpected big wins.
The team entered the 2009
season with predictions that it
would establish itself in sixth
place in the league by the end
of the season. These predictions
came alongside the fact that
eleven seniors departed from the
team last season. Yet despite these
crucial losses, eight letter winners
and three starters from last sea-
son’s squad have returned.
Despite the youth of this
year’s squad, veteran Head Coach
Ed Kelly, after 22 years of coach-
ing Boston College men’s soccer,
has remained optimistic.
“We have to be cautious in
the sense that we have a lot of
young kids,” he said earlier in
the season. “We have to keep
an understanding that there will
be a learning curve and a lot of
teaching and development will
be required. It’s a good class, but
they’re young so we have to be
patient.”
The youth of the team may
explain the season’s major up-
swings and downswings and their
5-5 record. The first four games
left the squad with three losses
“There is no freedom without the Truth”
both are solid, tough players, nei-
ther are excellent pass rushers.
Giles is a hybrid defensive tackle/
defensive end and Newman is a
former fullback. The Eagles re-
ally needed a burner off the edge,
something they sorely missed.
The turning point of the
game came with 7:03 to go in the
fourth quarter.
The Seminoles had just tied
the game up, only to have Jeff
Smith hand them the ball on the
ensuing kickoff. They got the ball
and one victory, one of those loss-
es against #7 ranked Maryland, a
conference rival.
However, after this shaky
start, the team kicked into high
gear over the next week and a
half, winning the next four games
in a row. One of these victories
was over non-conference mem-
ber Boston University, who be-
fore Boston College’s upset was
ranked #14 in the nation. The
score at the end of this upset was
1-0 with sophomore midfielder
Edvin Worley scoring the team’s
only goal in the 57th minute of the
match.
Another of those four vic-
tories came against conference
member Duke. Before Duke’s
loss, their squad was ranked #11
in the nation. Freshman midfield-
er Colin Murphy and freshman
forward Kevin Mejia were the
heroes of this huge victory, each
scoring one of the goals in the 2-0
victory.
After these four victories,
including the two major upsets,
Boston College moved up to #14
in the nation. Though holding
onto that ranking has proved too
difficult of a task for the mens’
squad.
The team’s impressive win-
ning streak ended, beginning with
back-to-back losses against un-
ranked Siena and against confer-
ence rival North Carolina State,
who is ranked #24 in the nation.
Sports 19
to the Eagles’ 19, only to have of feet is not interference.) held on and improved to 4-1 (2-
freshman kicker Dustin Hopkins The Eagles, however, made 1). The Eagles delivered in front
miss the go-ahead 37-yard kick, the most of their good fortune of a national audience and con-
which sent Alumni into a frenzy. as Montel Harris then ripped off tinue to prove the pundits wrong.
After a typical wide-right an impressive 42-yard run up the Can anyone find Andre Ware
kick by the Seminoles, the Eagles middle into the end zone, and right now, two wins? Really?
drove 80 yards in under three sweetly into the sea of the Florida Let’s hope the boys can keep
minutes. State faithful. it going next week when they
They were extremely for- Harris did his best Jonathan travel down to Lane Stadium for
tunate when Greg Reid dropped Papelbon impersonation as he a tough game with the Hokies.
a sure interception on second amassed 99 yards in the fourth A little redemption would be
down, only then to receive a ben- quarter. nice after last year’s debacle in
eficial pass-interference call on After a close call on a fumble the ACC Championship game in
third and ten (incidental tangling with under two to go, the Eagles Tampa.
Shakim Phillips may be coming to Boston College next season
By Steve Pope Terrell Owens. Phillips has really playing time, especially due to his
THE OBSERVER big hands and lean legs that could physical prowess (6’2”, 200 lbs.)
use some additional muscle mass. Although BC has been cursed
1987; I’ve heard it was a good He has the body to take punishment by four-star prospects before, there
year, perhaps the year you Mod- over the middle.” are many reasons to believe that
dwellers were born. It was also the Phillips was also named to the Phillips will be different. Phillips
last year that a BC wide receiver Army All-America team, poten- was pursued by many of the foot-
was drafted into the NFL, which tially one of only two BC players to ball factories, as he picked the Ea-
partially explains why we’ve never ever make that distinguished team gles over Georgia, Tennessee, West
reached that “next level.” Hopeful- (Brian Toal being the other.) Virginia and Wisconsin (he had to
ly, Shakim Phillips, when he steps I chatted with John McKenna, cut his list down from 29 schools.)
on campus next year as a fresh- the head coach at DePaul, and he Hopefully, he and incoming
man, will make all Eagle fans forget said that Phillips is a tall, strong kid freshman QB, Chase Rettig (three-
about Kelvin Martin and give us with great hands. He said that Phil- star out of San Clemente, CA,) de-
that playmaker the offense desper- lips chose BC because of the com- velop a nice rapport and bring the
ately needs. fort level with the coaches. McKen- Eagles offense to a new level.
Since that time of blown-out na remarked, “BC and DePaul have While the future is still uncer-
hair and neon leggings, BC football a great relationship. Bill McGovern tain and it is tough to project the
has had 17 offensive linemen draft- also is a great recruiter and Shakim career of a 17-year-old, things defi-
ed into the NFL. It has produced its felt very comfortable with him.” nitely look brighter at the wide-out
fair share of big uglies as BC are With Rich Gunnell and Justin position with Phillips coming to
a stepping stone to the NFL for o- Jarvis graduating in May, the Eagles BC.
linemen. will be left with a shortage of re- From the very start of the re-
However, we’ve been missing ceivers. Colin Larmond, Clyde Lee, cruiting season, BC had two glar-
that guy that defenses have to game- Billy Flutie, Ifeani Momah (likely ing needs: wide receiver and quar-
plan around. Every good offense redshirting this year) and Jonathan terback. They may have satisfied
has at least one guy that makes the Coleman will be the returning wide- them both. With continued solid
opposing defensive coordinator an outs. Although McKenna said that line play and a young, dominant de-
insomniac during game week. Our the BC coaches haven’t yet told fense, Phillips may be just what the
history of pedestrian receivers has Phillips how he will be used next doctor ordered to get the team over
limited our offenses. Even in the year, it wouldn’t be unrealistic to the hump, which Tom O’Brien said
year that could have been, 2007, think that he could see some serious was impossible.
our golden boy quarterback’s lead-
ing receiver was his halfback!
Therefore, it was, and has been,
imperative for BC to recruit receiv-
ers. And finally, the coaching staff
has landed one, or so we think. On
September 15th, Shakim Phillips
pledged his commitment to Head
Coach Frank Spaziani (although
not officially until early February-
see Joe Boisture.)
Phillips is a senior at DePaul
Catholic High School in Wayne,
New Jersey. Rivals.com has rated
Phillips as the 37th best overall
prospect in the nation, assigning
him four out of a possible five stars.
Courtesy of Facebook.com
He is rated as the fifth best receiver
in the nation, and the second best
player in New Jersey.
They have described him
physically as “wide, thick-shoul-
dered and a thin waist similar to Shakim Philips, a future wide receiver for the Eagles.

THE OBSERVER
October 6, 2009
Eagles Cuff Criminoles Thanks to an Offensive Resurgence
With the nation watching, BC comes through in a key ACC matchup against Florida State with a final score of 28-21.
By Steve Pope
THE OBSERVER
It was a sweet day at Alumni
Stadium that started with a fool-
ish prediction by Lee Corso
and ended with Mark Herzlich
jumping up and down. Herzlich
pumped his fists in excitement
toward the student section, as he
celebrated the Eagles’ 28-21 vic-
tory over Atlantic Coast Confer-
ence division rival Florida State.
The Eagles got off to an
excellent start as they quickly
jumped up on the Noles 21-3.
The first half was the Dave Shin-
skie show as he picked apart the
FSU defense and had great tim-
ing with Colin Larmond Jr. and
Rich Gunnell.
He showed great touch on
his passes as he exploited the
openings in the Seminole zone
defense. Nothing was prettier
than his 23-yard teardrop pass to
Larmond along the right sideline
over two FSU defenders in the
first quarter. He also showed the
ability to air it out, as he fired a
62-yard bomb over Larmond’s
shoulder early in the second quar-
ter.
Although Shinskie was the
story of the first half for the of-
fense, the defense was no slouch
either, as they held the Noles to
six points. Mark Herzlich gave
an inspiring pre-game pump-up
speech at the 50-yard line, and
the defense played with the same
intensity.
Freshman sensation Luke
Kuechly led the way with 12
tackles, punishing helpless FSU
players all day. Kuechly played
so exceptionally that senior cap-
tain Mike McLaughlin dubbed
him the “Boy Wonder” in the
post-game press conference.
The key defensive moment
in the first half was the goal line
College GameDay Airs Live from Chestnut Hill
BC is the focus of college football as ESPN descends on a soggy and muddy campus
By Kaitlin McKinley
THE OBSERVER
Chris Fowler, Lee Corso,
Kirk Herbstreit, and Desmond
Howard came to BC on Sat-
urday for College GameDay,
marking only the second time in
23 years that the show has aired
from Boston College.
First airing in 1987, the
show spent six years in the stu-
dio before going on the road in
1993. BC first welcomed Game-
Day back on September 17,
2005, for Boston College’s first
game in the Atlantic Coast Con-
ference, after they moved from
the Big East Conference. That
matchup featured #8 Florida
“There is no freedom without the Truth”
20 Sports
stand that took place to open the
second quarter. Jumbo Fisher’s
boys started with the ball from
their own 32 and marched down
to the Eagles 30. Christian Pon-
der then hit Taiwan Easterling
with a 27-yard strike, which put
JP Pluta/The Observer
the Noles right near the goal line.
The Eagles then clamped down
and stuffed the Seminoles on four
consecutive attempts.
FSU went for it on fourth
and one, and Christian Ponder
rolled out on play action, only to
find Alex Albright ready to drop
him. McLaughlin also remarked
“It’s a credit to the whole defense
obviously. They tried to power it
through a couple of times and we
stuffed them pretty good.”
As glorious as the first half
was, the second half had an
equally awful turn of events.
The Seminoles had 18 unan-
swered points and tied it up with
11 minutes to go in the fourth
quarter. Alumni grew quiet as one
could only help but think of the
JP Pluta/The Observer
last game against Wake Forest.
Ponder picked apart the
Eagles defense in the third and
fourth quarters, in which he
amassed most of his 345 yards.
The Eagles were overly cau-
tious with their defensive backs
as Spaziani has always liked to
give the corners a 10-yard cush-
ion between themselves and their
receiver, which really hurt them
on Saturday. Ponder continu-
ously found open targets, which
enabled him to move the ball at
ease. The loss of Roderick Roll-
ins, their top corner, was evident
on Saturday.
The defense also lost a huge
part of their core when Alex Al-
bright went down with a sprained
SEE ‘FSU’ Shinskie and Harris put on a show; Uncle Dave heads for the marker while the
page 19 Noles have to work to bring down Harris, the player of the game.
State versus #16 Boston College Lance Armstrong said in a video Herzlich has the BC community and the loud crowd went si-
(interestingly enough, both Col- message to Mark Herzlich that behind him, and his story of bat- lent as a video montage of him
lege GameDay appearances at aired during the show presented tling Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare played on the big screen. As
BC have come when the Semi- by Home Depot, “I love the fact cancer, has put BC at the focal he was interviewed for the live
noles are in Chestnut Hill.) that this weekend BC doesn’t point of college football, at least segment, fans cheered the loud-
The GameDay location of mean Boston College, it means it did for one rainy day. est when he talked about his re-
each Saturday is usually the lo- Beat Cancer. I cannot say it any SuperFans stood in the turn in an Eagles’ uniform next
cation where the big game is be- clearer and couldn’t agree any pouring rain for two hours while season.
ing played: the marquee match- more.” the show aired, hoping to appear Messages to Mark from
up. This game usually has one A “Gold-Out” was planned on ESPN, if only for 15 seconds Lance Armstrong, Tedy Brus-
or two nationally ranked teams. for when the Seminoles came while wearing an orange con- chi, Jon Lester, and Butch Da-
Neither Florida State nor to play in Alumni Stadium, al- struction hat from Home Depot vis, current head football coach
Boston College are nationally though not the traditional “Gold- or if only to have their home- of the North Carolina Tar Heels,
ranked, so why is it that College Out.” This time the “Gold-Out” made signs shown off to the aired during the segment.
GameDay aired from Campus was to support cancer. sports’ world (two of the best Herzlich said he has re-
Green when #8 Oklahoma was The “Beat Cancer” cam- signs of the day: “Ponder this, ceived tons of encouragement
playing at #17 Miami (Fl). paign has resulted in the gold Bowden… Retirement,” and from people, including a phone
The answer can be found “Beat Cancer” t-shirts selling “Eagles Soar Past Noles.”) call from Bruschi two days prior
in what BC stands for… Bos- like crazy in the bookstores, at No surprise, Herzlich came
SEE ‘GAMEDAY’
ton College or Beat Cancer? As the stadium, and online. Mark to the stage in Campus Green, page 18