Vol. XCVII, No. 9 Thursday, February 18, 2016

HEThe Independent

Student Newspaperof Boston College

www.bcheights.com

e s t a b l i s h e d 1 9 1 9

For over a year, the Office of Resi-dential Life and the Jesuit community has been working on a new initiative that will provide male Boston College students with a living space where they can explore the option of becoming a Jesuit.

The Loyola House is expected to open in the fall semester of 2016, and

SPORTSFreshman Makenna Newkirk is making a name for herself on the ice at Kelley Rink, B8

DAUGHTER OF THE DESERTMETRONew Harvard startup aims to empower students, A5

HERE TO HELPSCENELiam Connolly and Andrew Troum discuss being the only boys in BCID and DOBC, respectively, B3

DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY

The Elections Committee voted on Nikita Patel, CSOM ’17, and Joseph Arquillo’s, LSOE ’17, appeal to be added to the presidential ballot on Wednesday night. The Committee declined their request to extend the nomination deadline, which was originally set for Jan. 29. No other teams can be added to the ballot at this point.

In the appeals process, the Elections Committee can only look at new information and whether its original decision was

conducted fairly, according to Rachel Mills, co-chair of the Elections Committee and MCAS ’16. The only new informa-tion that the Committee received were emails from students in support of Patel and Arquillo’s campaign. The Committee decided that the new information was not enough to change the original decision of the Committee, Mills said.

Earlier, the Committee said that Patel and Arquillo’s run would not be fair to the campaigns that turned in their nomi-nation materials on time, including 250 student signatures. The Committee also believes that there is sufficient compe-tition between the two remaining teams—Anthony Perasso,

LSOE ’17, and Rachel Loos, MCAS ’18; and Olivia Hussey, current UGBC executive vice president and MCAS ’17, and Meredith McCaffrey, MCAS ’17.

“After careful consideration, the Elections Committee has decided to uphold our previous decision to not extend the presidential nomination deadline,” the Elections Committee said in an email. “We feel that it is important to stand by the rules outlined in The Elections Code.”

Patel and Arquillo submitted their written appeal to the

Students interested in working in sports business will have a networking event of their own.

Organizations like the Associated Press, the Boston Celtics, the Boston Red Sox, ESPN, New Balance, Nike, PGA Tour, The Boston Globe, and Under Armour will all attend the Sports Busi-ness Society of Boston College’s “SBS,” an inaugural Sports Business Network-ing Event on Feb. 22. The event will run from 6-9 p.m. in the Murray Function Room, Yawkey Athletic Center, and will give students the opportunity to network with business executives.

“Knowledge is invaluable. Network-ing is essential,” Wan-Yi Sweeting, MCAS ’17, a member of the Sports Business Society Executive Board and head organizer for the event, said in an email.

After working with Serena Williams’ agent in Paris over the summer, Sweet-ing learned the importance of network-ing in order to get a job. This inspired Sweeting to create the SBS event, giving her fellow students a chance to con-nect and network with different sports

ABBY PAULSON / HEIGHTS EDITOR

See UGBC, A3

The Elizabeth Foley, MCAS ’17, and Joseph McCarthy, CSOM ’17, campaign withdrew from the Undergraduate Govern-ment of Boston College presidential race Monday evening. Th is decision leaves two teams in the running—Anthony Perasso,

LSOE ’17, and Rachel Loos, MCAS ’18; and Olivia Hussey, current UGBC executive vice president and MCAS ’17, and Meredith Mc-Caff rey, MCAS ’17.

In a statement from the campaign, the Foley-McCarthy team said that its withdrawal was due to unforeseen personal matters.

Neither students nor administrators encouraged them to withdraw from the race,

the team said.“Th is, unfortunately was the best deci-

sion for us and we hope the student body of Boston College can understand that we could not have predicted or prevented these issues,” the team said in an email.

Despite the Jan. 29 deadline for teams to enter the race, Foley and McCarthy are encouraging the Elections Committee to ac-

cept the nomination of other campaign teams to ensure that the presidential race remains competitive.

The Elections Committee met on Wednesday night, however, to discuss the matter and declined to extend the nomina-tion deadline. Th e presidential election will continue as planned with only two teams of candidates.

“An election without diverse and rep-resentative candidates is not an election at all; it is an injustice to the student body and the candidates,” Foley and McCarthy said in their statement.

Th e Hussey and Perasso teams will launch their campaigns on Feb. 21, and studentscan vote for UGBC president beginning Mar. 2.

See SBS, A3 See Jesuits, A8

businesses. “BC usually has career fairs for ac-

countants, finance majors, marketing majors etc...but nothing along the lines of sports,” Sweeting said.

Norby Williamson, ESPN Inc. execu-tive senior vice president of production, program scheduling, and development, will be the keynote speaker for the event. Williamson will share his expe-rience in the sports business industry with students, offering advice to those who want to break into either the sports or entertainment industries. He will introduce each of the 23 guests from the 18 different companies that are at-tending the event.

“It’s both a serious but energetic en-vironment, because having our keynote speaker as the facilitator for the speed-networking event is going to be a lot of fun,” Sweeting said.

Similar to a musical-chairs setup, at-tendees will be able to “speed-network” with the different companies, facilitated by Williamson. Students will have an allotted 15 minutes with one or two representatives from a sports business at an assigned table before switching at the sound of music. Each table will have eight students.

“I want to force students into a situation where they had to talk to the

it will be a residential option open to both undergraduate and gradu-ate students. Rev. Casey Beaumier, S.J., the director of the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies, will be the leading director of the program, and Francisco Sassetti da Mota, a Portu-guese Jesuit who is currently studying at the School of Theology and Minis-try, will accompany him. According to Beaumier, other Jesuits from Saint Mary’s Hall and the Peter Faber Jesuit Community will also be involved in the program.

The program was proposed as a way for young men studying at BC to

discern whether the Jesuit lifestyle is one that they are seriously interested in. The programming that takes place in this house will give the residents a spiritual experience that is, in certain ways, similar to a priest’s.

The students will be encouraged to focus on the notion of living in acommunity, which means there willbe various activities for them to par-ticipate in. Some of these activities include service projects and weeklydinners, and they are meant to give residents an idea of what it is like to

PHOTO COURTESY OF BC.EDU

UGBC Elections <<<

UGBC Elections <<<

THE HEIGHTS

The Campus Activities Board is teaming up with Share Your Sport to host ’90s-Themed Ice Skating in Conte Forum on Feb. 18 from 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. There will be ’90s-themed food and throwbacks as well as give-aways. Entry is free. 1

Aziz Rana, a professor at Cornell Law School, will present “The Rise of the Constitution” in the Barat House on Feb. 19 at 12 p.m. He will talk about how the Constitution rose above dissent and what the implications have been for public life. 2

Thursday, February 18, 2016 A2

On Feb. 18, Professor Sheila Murnaghan, a professor of Greek at the University of Pennsylvania, will speak about the ways in which Nathaniel Hawthorne negotiated the intersection between childhood ignorance and adult knowledge. The event will be held in Gasson 305 at 5:30 p.m.

Top

things to do on campus this week

3 3

—Source: TheBoston College

Police Department

Who is Kanye West’s Pablo?

NEWSBRIEFS

With just two weeks until the Massachusetts primary, Massa-chusetts Students for Hillary is hosting U.S. Representative Joe Kennedy and State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry at Boston College to speak about why they think Hillary Clinton is the best choice for president. The “Hillary Kick-Off ” event will take place tonight at 7 p.m. in Gasson 100.

Kennedy, the youngest mem-ber of the Massachusetts Con-gressional delegation, and Forry will address how students can continue their leadership on Clinton’s campaign and will speak to why Clinton best rep-resents the interests of young people.

“Clinton’s bold New College Compact will make sure costs won’t be a barrier for students to get to college, and debt after graduation won’t hold them back,” James Cody, president of College Democrats of Mas-sachusetts and MCAS ’16, said. “Clinton’s plan enables millions of borrowers to refinance at low rates, ensures they never have to pay more than they can af-ford, and disciplines predatory schools, lenders, and bill col-lectors.”

Students from 14 Massachu-setts universities are expected to convene on BC’s campus. Over the last few months, the teams from these colleges have worked to engage young voters and gain their support for Clinton.

POLICE BLOTTER 2/15/16 - 2/17/16

Monday, Feb. 15

8:18 p.m. - A report was filed re-gardng a larceny from O’Connell House.

8:48 p.m. - A report was filed re-garding a fire alarm activation in Rubenstein Hall.

Tuesday, Feb. 16

9:56 a.m. - A report was filed re-garding a fire alarm activation in Devlin Hall.

2:04 p.m. - A report was filed re-garding hazardous material from Cushing Lot.

5:42 p.m. - A report was filed regarding medical assistance pro-vided to a non-BC student in Corcoran Commons.

Wednesday, Feb. 17

12:14 a.m. - A report was filed regarding medical assistance pro-vided to a BC student in Cheverus Hall.

The Boston College Alumni Association will present journal-ist and philanthropist Maureen Orth with the Ignatian Award at the 65th Laetare Sunday celebra-tion at Boston College.

The ceremony will take place on Mar. 6 at 9:30 a.m. Univer-sity President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., will preside over a Mass, which will be followed by a brunch. All students are wel-come but must register on BC’s alumni website.

The Ignatian Award honors individuals who live by the motto “men and women for others.” Re-cipients are meant to encourage others in their communities to exhibit philanthropic attitudes. Orth, as the recipient, will be the featured speaker at the annual Laetare Sunday Mass.

Orth is currently working as a correspondent for Vanity Fair magazine. She also recently wrote a cover story for National Geographic about the Virgin Mary.

Orth was one of the first female writers at Newsweek and worked as a contributing editor at Vogue for five years.

In her time as a reporter, Orth reported on both Michael Jackson and Woody Allen’s Hol-lywood child molestation cases. She also investigated Paul Shan-ley, a priest who was convicted of child molestation.

Orth was also the founder of the “Marina Orth” foundation, which works to give students of Colombian and low-income backgrounds a quality education. She is also the mother to NBC news journalist Luke Russert, BC ’08. Orth also worked as a correspondant at NBC News in 1983.

By Andrea OcasioFor The Heights

A well-known journalist and host of “All Things Considered” on National Public Radio, Mi-chele Norris discussed her mem-oir and the role of conversations on race in America today.

“There is often grace in si-lence. But there is always power in understanding,” Norris writes in her book The Grace of Silence: A Memoir.

Norris’ lecture on Feb. 16 came in the midst of Black His-tory Month, the buzz around Be-yonce’s Superbowl performance, and the Black Lives Matter move-ment. The event was sponsored by the Division of Student Affairs and the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs.

In 2008, Norris took a sab-batical from her radio program to follow the presidential campaign and, while traveling the country, developed two influential proj-ects: NPR’s Backseat Book Club and the Race Card Project.

During her time following the presidential campaign she noticed something interesting happening—both a man of color and a female were running for the Democratic nomination, and there was another woman running on the vice-presidential ticket on the Republican side.

“[This] sparked a lot of con-versations about race and gen-der,” Norris said.

Norris’ initial intention was to write a book about the con-versations circulating around America. This also stemmed from a series she collaborated on for NPR called “Race in the 2008 Elections,” where she and a colleague, Steve Inskeep, put

together a diverse group of voters from York, Penn.

“We just let them talk about issues and let them talk about their experiences and their view-points on race and identity and the world as they saw it,” Norris said.

The result was what Norris called “radio magic”—the voters in the focus group opened up and were comfortable enough to have an honest conversation about race. They were asked simple leading questions like, “If your son had dreadlocks, would he be treated differently?” This snowballed into bigger conver-sations around issues like, “Do black Americans make too much of race? Do white Americans underestimate race?”

The conversations delved into anecdotes and personal stories that inspired her to write a book about how Americans, in general, thought and talked about race.

“I wanted to understand America better at this interesting moment in American history,” Norris said.

These conversations also in-spired the Race Card Project, a project where she invites people of all kinds of backgrounds to write their stories about race in just six sentences.

As she began to explore the conversations further, she began to encounter them in her own home, as well. The older people in Norris’ family told stories about their own histories and experiences.

“They were suddenly expe-riencing something they never thought they’d see,” Norris said. “Seeing an African-American family move into the White

House for people who grew up in Jim Crow America was like saying, ‘Oh I’m just gonna go outside and reach up and touch the sun.’”

Discovering these stories she had never known about—these stories that had been kept from Norris for so long—inspired her to write them all down and dig deeper in order to fill in the holes in her family’s stories.

The most shocking one was her father’s.

Reading an excerpt from her memoir, Norris said, “As a young man, my father had been shot by a white policeman. He never talked about it. He never spoke about the incident after leaving Alabama and moving north. He never even told my mother. He took it to his grave.”

It happened when her father, a returning serviceman of color, was on his way to a building that was used to educate returning servicemen on the Constitution so that they could vote.

And like this one, many more

stories could be told from many different families. In fact, Nor-ris’ memoir includes many other stories from her family. These stories, she said, can be difficult to learn but are important to understand.

“Through these stories I have rediscovered part of my family’s wealth,” she said. “Not the kind of wealth that you can measure … but wealth that is treasured none-theless because you understand where you come from.”

During the question-and-an-swer portion of the event, Nor-ris opened up the conversation about race even wider, asking the audience members to consider their own experiences, of either privilege or of prejudice, and to think about where these feelings came from.

“I don’t want to weigh the next generation, particularly my own children, with tales of woe, but I want them to be grounded,” Nor-ris said. “I want them to soar, and I want them to understand where they came from.”

Please send corrections to eic@bcheights.com with

‘correction’ in the subject line.

CORRECTIONS

Michele Norris speaks about her book and her experience with racial tension.AMALIE TRIEU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

By Yolanda BustilloHeights Staff

Climate Justice at Boston College (CJBC) is one of the 26 funding campaigns of the Multi-School Fossil Fuel Divest Fund. The fund began as a grassroots collaborative that connected donors to campus divestment efforts, such as those led by CJBC.

After three active years on campus and several attempts at becoming a registered student organization (RSO), CJBC was officially recognized as an RSO this past fall.

The Divestment Fund hosted an auction that coincided with the 2015 United Nations Cli-mate Change Conference, which negotiated the Paris Agreement that pushed for the reduction of climate change, including global greenhouse emissions. The Divestment Fund hoped to connect local divestment initia-tives to the global climate crisis seen at the conference.

The auction raised over $50,000 by selling items related to divestment campaigns, such as lunch with climate scien-tist James Hansen. Climate justice activists offered items that would assist their goals of changing the future of the environment, like Zipcar gift certificates and a CSA Farm Share.

Jorge Mejia, MCAS ’19, said the purpose of the auction was to pressure institutions to divest in fossil fuels, because, in doing so, they will be able to access the funds that the Multi-School Fossil Fuel Divest Fund has raised. CJBC is unsure how much money BC invests in fossil fuels, but it hopes to find out if BC is required by federal law to reveal where assets go.

Fran Ludwig, member of BC Alumni for Climate Justice and BC ’63, assisted with the organization of the fund. She explained that she wanted the auction to be inclusive in all aspects. By doing so, she hoped

to engage people in the climate justice movement, particularly fossil fuel divestment.

CJBC stands by its mission of empowering BC on fossil fuel di-vestment. Bobby Wengronowitz, GMCAS ’19, said that, though his organization has had a dif-ficult journey, it has achieved its goal of raising awareness and

pressuring the administration.“The idea is that these groups

raised funds that they were hold-ing, offering it to institutions if they agreed to divest,” Mejia said. “Through the fund, they could offer a large donation but only if the institution agreed to its terms of divesting in fossil fuels.”

To curb climate change, a BC group raised funds through an auction.DANIELLA FASCIANO / HEIGHTS SENIOR STAFF

THE HEIGHTS Thursday, February 18, 2016 A3

SBS, from A1

reps to make best use of their time,” Sweeting said.

Sweeting started organizing the event in October, after contacting both the Athletic Department and the Career Center.

The Career Center directed her toward contacting company executives

in November. “I was told by the Career Center that

I would most likely get a 90 percent “No” response—this was not the case—most of them were very eager to participate in our event,” Sweeting said.

After contacting the different com-pany executives, Sweeting found that she was receiving many more accep-tances than rejections and changed the venue from the much smaller Shea

Room in Conte Forum to the Murray Function Room in the Yawkey Athletic Center.

“I put this event together for my peers to become exposed to such net-working opportunities, and I guarantee that my fellow students will gain invalu-able advice from each one of these com-pany reps no matter what type of career they are interested in,” Sweeting said.

In part, Sweeting created the event

to promote the club to females and student-athletes.

She believes that although sports business is a male-dominated industry, females should still take part in it and explore their options.

As captain of the varsity tennis team, Sweeting found that she did not mingle much beyond her sport, but hopes that networking events like these will encourage other student-athletes to

mingle with people who work in a wide range of athletics, as she has.

“These events are important becausethey prepare you for the real world,”Sweeting said.

“Students get the chance to meet some top sports business executives, recruiters, professors, and journalists,to learn about their life experiences and apply what they’ve learnt in their own post-college career.”

Elections Committee Tuesday after the Elections Committee had originally de-cided to not allow new teams to join the race on Monday evening.

The Elections Committee’s original discussion came after Elizabeth Foley,

MCAS ’17, and Joseph McCarthy, CSOM ’17, dropped out of the presidential race on Monday due to personal matters. In a statement about their withdrawal, Foley and McCarthy encouraged the Elections Committee to accept other potential teams to join the race to allow for a more competi-tive election. In the duo’s statement, Foley

and McCarthy alleged that the campaign of Perasso was only centered around satire and had no real intention of winning.

“Upon our removal from candidacy, we support the nominations of other campaign teams to ensure a competitive election, as there is only one team with the genuine intention of holding office,” Foley

and McCarthy’s statement said.Foley and McCarthy also endorsed the

nomination of Patel and Arquillo, who both worked on their campaign prior to the team’s withdrawal. Patel had previously received 250 student signatures when she originally planned to run for president on a separate team.

“As students ourselves, we understandthe unfortunate nature of the circumstanc-es around this election,” the Committee’sstatement said. “However, as an unbiasedcommittee we cannot create an excep-tion, nor is it our responsibility to assess the content or platform of any campaign teams.”

UGBC, from A1

By Nicholas DeMottHeights Staff

On Tuesday night in Fulton Hall,

under the leadership of Carroll School of Management business law profes-sor David P. Twomey, Boston College celebrated the silver anniversary of its

On Tuesday night, BC celebrated the silver anniversary of its 1940 undefeated football team and its “mythical national championship.”SARAH HODGENS / HEIGHTS STAFF

By Heidi DongHeights Editor

In early 2013, Tom Coburn, BC ’13, dropped out of Boston College, veering sharply off his path to medical school, to work full-time on his startup, Jebbit. In 2015, Coburn was named to Forbes Magazine’s 30 under 30 list in Market-ing and Advertising for his work on Jebbit.

Coburn came to BC in 2009 ready to tackle four years of a biology major’s requirements, then move on to attend medical school.

Three years after starting college, however, Coburn started Soaring Startup Circle (SSC), a program for BC students who are pursuing an idea and aspire to become entrepreneurs. This year will be its third in existence.

“We’re just trying to give students the opportunity to go for it for the whole summer, and just invest all their time and energy into trying to get an idea

up and running,” Coburn said. “We care less, honestly, about the physical idea itself. It’s much more about the people and getting them a great educational experience.”

After Coburn’s roommates intro-duced him to Boston College Venture Competition, a competition for venture capital that is now a program under the Shea Center for Entrepreneurship, his career outlook took an unexpected turn.

During Coburn’s sophomore year, his team submitted an early version of Jebbit and it tied for first place. The fol-lowing summer, in 2011, he was invited to participate in Highland Capital’s Summer@Highland program, where he was given $10,000 of funding, speakers to learn from, and three months to work on his idea. His experiences during that summer program were a driving factor in starting SSC.

“He was pretty frustrated that there wasn’t enough for students either after

they graduated or during the summers,” said Miguel Galvez, co-founder of SSC and BC ’12, and co-founder of SSC. “Be-fore that point he was forced to choose between working on his company and getting a paid internship, an experience that he was frustrated that not more BC students got. And it was that frustration that led him to email a bunch of guys, a bunch of alumni, to get this started.”

SSC normally takes four teams over the summer and throws them into the startup world.

According to Coburn, teams are giv-en funding, normally around $10,000-$15,000 per team, which is meant to give team members some income for three months without needing to get a second job and to cover some small costs like launching Web sites or hosting.

Every Wednesday night, SSC brings in a CEO, 10 in total, to speak with the accepted teams and share their experi-ences with starting their companies or investing in startups.

There is also a session during the week that looks more closely at specific topics such as marketing, product de-velopment, or legal workshops.

This is meant to help students build a large, influential network around the Boston area. SSC will also provide stu-dents with an office space to work in.

The idea is to let the students see what startup life is really like—the dif-ferent office cultures, processes, and communication styles.

“That’s probably the one thing that’s most unique about what we do, versus some of the other programs out there,” Coburn said. “We literally just give you a couple desks in our office space, next to our employees.”

The application period begins in May for the summer of 2016 and will feature a written application, a 15-30 minute idea pitch to all six board members, and a lengthy question-and-answer period. Everyone with an idea is encouraged to apply, keeping in mind that the program

is, essentially, a full-time position work-ing on a project.

While the resources that the Univer-sity provides the students with are good, they are fairly limited, Galvez said.

Aside from the BC venture com-petition for funding, and initiativessurrounding that, there is not much else for BC students to draw help from.Galvez, however, mentioned that theUniversity is working toward more ofan entrepreneurial push by bringing in Jere Doyle, the managing director atSigma Prime Ventures, as the executivedirector and senior lecturer for the Shea Center for Entrepreneurship, as well as the introduction of entrepreneurship asa co-concentration in CSOM.

“I think [other schools] just havemore resources,” Galvez said. “We’re allcompetitive, proud alumni. I mean, wewant to see BC succeed. At SSC, we’relooking at ‘How do we expose talentedstudents to the resources they need tobe leaders of these fields?’”

1940 undefeated football team and its “mythical national championship.” Abby Farr, president of BCTV and MCAS ’16, directed the event.

As Farr explained, no team at BC has since equaled the greatness of the 1940 team.

The Eagles led the nation in scoring with 32 points per game en route to an 11-0 record that included a 19-18 victory over Georgetown University, in what famed sportswriter Grantland Rice dubbed “the greatest game in foot-ball history,” and a 19-13 victory in the 1941 Sugar Bowl over the highly favored Southeastern Conference champion, the University of Tennessee.

Despite running the table topped off with a win over the Volunteers, in New Orleans, circumstances prevented the crowning of a clear national champ.

In those days, the Associated Press released its final weekly poll at the end of the regular season rather than after the bowl season, a policy that was not changed until 1965.

By this mark, BC finished at No. 5, behind the University of Minnesota, Stanford University, the University of Michigan, and Tennessee, in order from No. 1 to 4.

Yet there was still football to be played in the postseason, and following the bowl season, many news sources at the time declared any of the three re-maining undefeated teams—Minnesota, Stanford, and BC—as having rightful claims to the championship banner.

The Heightsmen, BC’s all-male a capella group, kicked off the evening with the singing of the national anthem as well as the 1940 version of “For Boston.”

Sean Smith, editor of The Boston College Chronicle, described student life during 1940-41. Back then, as Smith explained, the football players were local, Irish Catholic, and multi-sport athletes.

The school itself was small: about 1,200 attended the Chestnut Hill campus and took classes in just four buildings.

With the Great Depression in the rearview mirror and World War II on the horizon, Smith explained, many in the college football world found it remarkable that an all-boys, small Catholic college forced itself into the national spotlight.

Team historian Reid Oslin high-lighted Frank Leahy, the head coach responsible for the Eagles’ success in 1940.

Oslin described the College Football Hall of Fame coach as well-spoken, de-manding, and, often times, eccentric.

Leahy, Oslin said, once gathered and addressed the entire student body for ameeting concerning the winning culture that he hoped to establish at BC.

In fact, he even expected the non-playing student body to attend prac-tices.

Oslin spoke highly of the 1940 “Teamof Destiny,” as it was dubbed, highlight-ing the five Hall of Fame players thatcame from the team: Chet Gladchuk,Gene Goodreault , Mike Holovak ,George Kerr, and Charlie O’Rourke.

By contrast, Doug Flutie, 1984 Heis-man Trophy winner, is the only Eagle tobe inducted since.

“There were 100,000 people at South Station,” Oslin said, describing the team’s return home to Boston afterwinning the Sugar Bowl.

Barry Gallup, associate athletic director of football operations, led the viewing of that Jan. 1, 1941 Sugar Bowlgame between BC and Tennessee.

As Gallup pointed out, many of the 72,000 fans entering Tulane Stadiumthat day wore suits and ties—thereweren’t any Superfan shirts back in 1940.

While there may not have been 72,000 in Fulton, those in attendance cheered as they watched O’Rourke run 24 yards for the game-winning touch-down and subsequent interception on defense to seal BC’s 19-13 win.

Though the 1940 BC football teamtechnically does not share its nationalchampionship with Minnesota, Ten-nessee, and Stanford on record, many still contend BC was the best teamthat year.

So while Leahy, his players, and BCstudents in 1940 could not claim anoutright national championship, the BCcommunity 75 years later remembereda great team that symbolizes a bright spot in school history.

“There was no Patriots,” Gallup said. “It was the college sports teams.”

THE HEIGHTS Thursday, February 18, 2016 A4

Cafe Nero on Washington Street is, of course, just another coffee shop on another Boston street. Even the sophis-ticated aura of the place—suggested by the dark wood paneling, tall fireplace, exposed light bulbs, and high ceil-ings—cannot hide this fact. A step inside reveals regular coffee-goers, people meeting friends, stressed students hunched over Macbooks, awkward first dates, and overworked baristas.

But to me, Cafe Nero is not just an-other coffee shop. The last time I visited this coffee shop was during the summer on a trip to England. Last summer my aunt, my sister, my grandmother, and I went to England for two weeks. It was my first time abroad, and I loved it. We visited London, Bath, and Oxford. We took two Harry Potter tours, seeing Diagon Alley and the inspiration for the Great Hall. We took a ride on the London Eye. We visited Westminster Abbey and stood where Will and Kate got married. We saw the Lion King in theaters, which was spectacular. We climbed all 200 steps to the top of Bath Abbey—one of the most stunning views I have seen. We strolled through Hyde Park. We visited countless museums. We all got lost in the three-mile base-ment of a bookstore. We went to Oxford University, where the weight of history is felt as soon as you step on campus, and which my sister decided she would like to attend.

And we went to Cafe Nero. We would rush there if we woke up late or if we needed a midday snack. As we wished to explore the cities around us, it was never the goal to spend so much time in Cafe Nero, but we did, and the shop became an important part of our trip. I remember visiting the Cafe in Trafalgar Square, looking through the window at the intimidating lion statues and immense sculptures that seemed to pierce the sky. I remember visiting the Café in London, looking at a regular London street—but to me it was more than that, because it was somewhere that was not Boston. I remember the time we spent together in the coffee shop, because it was more time than the four of us had to spend together back at our home.

Leaving England was bittersweet. Like everyone else, I was ready to return home, but I was not quite ready to leave. For someone who had only experienced cities in America, London, Bath, and Oxford were exciting and incredible. I wanted to keep traveling, to see more cities in England, and beyond. But our plane tickets dictated otherwise, and it was time to go home.

I did not expect to experience Lon-don again for a long time, but the op-portunity came sooner than I thought. Last weekend I ventured into Bos-ton—seeking to embrace the city around me, perhaps—and visited Cafe Nero. I noticed the differences immediately. The Cafe Nero on this side of the pond is larger and has more room for seating. This shop is also packed with people, as it had recently opened at this location. I was going to meet my aunt, and we de-cided that the new Cafe Nero would be the perfect place to go. We miraculously got a seat and tried the food. We had a great time talking and laughing, discuss-ing my involvements on campus and my aunt’s upcoming trip to New York City.

For a moment it felt like England again. I’ll never forget my first time abroad, and spending the afternoon in Cafe Nero with my aunt was a reminder of that experience. Even though we were missing my sister and grandmother, for a moment there might have been red double-decker buses or lion statues waiting on the other side of the window.

There weren’t, but until the next time I go to London, Cafe Nero on Washing-ton Street will be more than enough.

MBTA officials have unveiled their plan for privatizing several corporate services. Specifically, the group plans to cut 250 jobs, which has intensified hostility between union leaders and administrative officials.

The initial target of the outsourcing, according to MBTA reports outlining the privatization plans, will be the automated fare technician (FAC) services. This will account for 165 of the 250 jobs to be eliminated by MBTA privatization. The outsourcing, granted through a three-year exclusive suspension of the anti-privatiza-tion Pacheco Law, could be undertaken by a transportation organization that has overlooked similar projects in Chicago and London. The effectiveness of these endeav-ors has been widely disputed by officials of the respective cities.

The focus of exercising these flexible contracting methods is to control operat-ing costs in non-core areas, which include long-term pension and retiree health. This focus is consistent with the “cost control problem” in the operating budget that Brian Shortsleeve, chief administrator of the

MBTA, identified as the primary concern of his administration earlier in the year. Despite this clear goal, Shortsleeve and his cohorts have not produced a dollar value to support the outsourcings of departments like FAC, although they have provided a few million dollars for other projects.

Thirteen companies have already shown interest in the contract, according to MBTA officials, including Wells Fargo, Xerox, First Data Government Solutions, and Ac-centure.

Over the last decade, according to the 2015 special panel report on the MBTA commissioned by Governor Charlie Baker, the neglected transit authority had slipped slowly into fiscal insolvency and structural disrepair. During this time, workers and union leaders became accustomed to operat-ing under an unaccountable and indifferent management system. These traits trickled down from the management into almost every department in the MBTA. The April report also added that there had been six MBTA general managers, including three interims, making the current GM, Frank DePaola, the seventh in 11 years.

These rapid changes in leadership inhibited any development of enduring

communication or system integrations. This past summer, the leadership team was reorganized and re-staffed to clearly outline the responsibilities of each individual. The MBTA culture endured the administrative changes and with it, so did the unspoken segregation of management and the work-force, especially Union leaders.

Lou Antonelli, president of Boston’s Electrical Union, Local 103, condemned the privatization as a flagrant “union-busting tactic” of this administration to eradicate whole departments of union employees without any accountability or definable benefit other than their empty intentions to “privatize.”

“Although there might be issues with the equipment, there is no problem with the maintenance technicians,” Antonelli said. “That group is arguably the most productive and most efficient group in the MBTA.”

James O’Brien is president of the Boston Carmen’s Union, representing around 70 employees in the FAC employed in Charles-town’s Sullivan Square “money room.”

“Our guys have been doing great work, they’re senior employees,” O’Brien said to the Milford Daily News. “They do a great job at the work they do.”

Despite his praise, in 2012 State Audi-tor Suzanne Bump found several lapses insecurity practices in the very same facil-ity. Among Bump’s findings, there were incomplete tracking of fare box cash and deposits, and fare money was not being protected. Most alarmingly, while techni-cally no definitive evidence of lost money or theft was found, Bump did find that $100million was not accurately processed from2006 to 2011.

“There is an $8 million dollar discrepancy that the T can not explain,” Antonelli said.“I have asked Brian Shortsleeve to explain why he’s saying 17. We know it’s only nine and he won’t do it. So I have written a letterto the state auditor, Susan Bump, asking her to look into that discrepancy.”

Returning to the pressing issue of privati-zation, Antonelli captured the antipathy and overall sentiment of the union concerningthe direction of the MBTA,

“The administration is fixated on thisword, ‘privatization.’ Now ‘privatization,’ if it’s done right, can have a positive effect,” he said. “But they’re just not considering what the costs are. To eliminate a workforce likethis AFC maintenance crew … That’s a costright there, that’s not a savings.”

FRANCISCO RUELA / HEIGHTS SENIOR STAFF

The heart of the Fenway area now houses the latest creation of culinary powerhouse Tiffani Faison: Tiger Mama. Considered one of the most anticipated openings in the coun-try by food review website zagat.com, Tiger Mama, the brainchild of three-time Top Chef alumna Faison, is one of the newest Southeast Asian restaurants to open in the city.

Located on the same block as her award-winning and critically acclaimed Sweet Cheeks, and adjacent to parts of Boston University and Northeastern University, it aims to appeal to the younger urban crowd. But, its family-style menu options and tables equipped with Lazy Susan revolving trays also make it the perfect place for family dinners.

Inspired by Faison’s travels to Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, the menu consists of nearly 40 medium-sized plates, as well as larger banquet-style platters. Prior to opening Tiger Mama, Tiffani Faison and her wife re-visited Southeast Asia to master the region’s authentic recipes and cooking tech-niques. After perfecting both barbeque and European cuisine, Faison considers learning the Southeast Asian culinary language and cooking method the most difficult aspect of opening Tiger Mama.

Faison also explained to The Boston Globe that in learning a new cooking style, she had to remain open to self-teaching and ample experimentation.

The funky, modern décor classifies Tiger Mama as a tropical getaway destination rather than as a restaurant in downtown Boston. The palm trees, beautiful food presentation, and elaborate Tiki bar only add to the transport-ing experience. There is an array of seating options, two different bars, booths, high-top tables, and tables with a clear kitchen view. Although the restaurant can comfortably accommodate 135 people and is open every day, reservations are highly recommended, especially on the weekends.

Tiger Mama’s objective is “not to re-create traditional recipes, but to respectfully inter-pret them, and have some fun doing so,” ac-

cording to its website. While maintaining the flavors of Southeast Asian cuisine, Faison has added her own flare to the traditional recipes. She hopes that the menu can accommodate both Asian food enthusiasts and those who are less experimental by nature. At the same time, the dynamic varieties really inspire and encourage customers to step outside of their comfort zones. In an interview with The Boston Globe, Faison said, “[We aim] to allow people to feel like they can find their place here, a door into these flavors.”

Tiger Mama recommends ordering about two to four dishes per person to try a variety of flavors and experience a true family-style dining experience. The employees serve the plates sporadically throughout the course of the meal and purposefully group certain dishes together to enhance the combination

of flavors like the staff at most tapas restau-rants. The amount of care and consideration the chef puts into the presentation of the food is apparent. Digging into a platter of lobster rolls feels like carving off a piece of Michelangelo’s David.

Though not overwhelming, the menu still abounds with choices and incorporates a diverse assortment of delectable foods. Because the restaurant is relatively new, it is difficult to point out signature or specialty items, but, the assistant manager said the pad tai and the Bun Cha Hanoi, or pork rolls marinated in a delectable Teriyaki-inspired sauce, are among the establishment’s most popular dishes.

Dana Mallard, the assistant manager takes the time to speak with each of the customers at the conclusion of their meal. He explained

that speaking with the customers helps Tiger Mama improve and respond to thecustomers’ suggestions, recommendations, and needs.

When asked what sets Tiger Mama apart from the other restaurants in the area, the as-sistant manager confidently pointed aroundthe room and asked, “What other restaurantis possibly like this?”

He raised a good point: no other res-taurant in the Boston area serves “CowboyHat Lady Pork” and boasts a Tiki bar, a wallof hanging plants, and a sequined elephant.Despite being open for only a short time, so far Tiger Mama has distinguished itselfas a “must-go-to” restaurant that promises an unforgettable and unique dining experi-ence with exceptional service and incrediblefood.

MARGARET BREE / HEIGHTS STAFF

Some of the employees of the MBTA, especially those currently manning the fare-checking system in the wagons of the T, will likely be affected by the cut-back in employment.

The recently opened Tiger Mama resturant, features a tropically inspired decor, and is located in the heart of the Fenway area

cannot walk away from. While Whac-a-Mole might be an okay(ish) strategy for an individual person with limited responsibilities, it is definitely not a strategy that a city can avail itself of.

A city has too many people to protect, too many individuals to cater to on a daily basis. It must learn to cope and balance, which is exactly what Boston needs to do with the funding and promotion of its vibrant arts culture.

And now, with these problems under more scrutiny as of late, Boston

has a chance to pull the innovative minds that populate the city together and develop a lasting solution.

In Boston, as in any city, these problems will never be dealt with as easily as a game of Whac-A-Mole, but they must be addressed. Because without these small organizations that add beauty and spontaneity, a city has no life.

THE HEIGHTS A5Thursday, February 18, 2016

I’ve often thought that life closely resembles a giant game of Whac-A-Mole. If you actually manage to fix one thing, something else inevitably pops up and goes wrong, and then you’ve got to fix that too.

As far as I can tell, this horrible chain will continue until you throw in the towel out of sheer disgust for the vicious cycle and walk away from the problems altogether.

This might not be the best strat-egy, but it definitely works. And most of the time it only results in mild feelings of regret.

But unfortunately, this Whac-A-Mole problem doesn’t only apply to individual people, like me, it seems to be something that plagues larger entities, like the City of Boston. Take for example what took place within Boston’s vivacious art world over the past week.

The Boston Public Library (BPL) houses many examples of stunning art and architecture alongside its extensive collection of books. One of these examples is a set of eight 19th century French murals surrounding

the Library’s main staircase. Installed in 1895, the murals were painted by the famed French muralist Pierre Puvis de Chavannes and depict “The Muses of Inspiration.”

Each mural was painted on a canvas and installed in a manner that mimics the installation of wallpaper. Unfortunately, after so many decades, one of these murals is beginning to peel off.

According to WBUR’s The ARTery, BPL officials noticed that the mural depicting the muses of philosophy had developed a bulge in the upper right corner.

After a scramble to identify the cause—the degradation of sup-ports due to moisture—BPL officials worked with art conservators to develop a method of safely removing the mural from the wall.

Happily, everything went as planned and the mural is safely awaiting a restoration process that is estimated to take between six and eight weeks.

But just as this art problem was solved, another popped up on the preforming arts side of Boston’s exist-ing art community.

After 36 years of performances, the Boston Classical Orchestra (BCO) filed for bankruptcy. According to The Boston Globe, the orchestra was unable to cope with steadily declining ticket subscriptions.

After originally cancelling their remaining performances, the orches-

tra will finish out the year under a new name: The Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms Society.

Organized under Steven Lipsitt, the former music director of the BCO, this new group, which features many members of the former BCO, will perform five concerts in the upcoming year. The original problem, although not fully addressed, has at least been momentarily resolved.

Unfortunately, the closing of the BCO in not neatly resolved like the problem of the Boston Public Library’s murals. The BCO unearths a larger problem of funding in Boston, one that cannot be easily resolved.

After a recent study by the Boston Foundation was published, it became apparent that the city of Boston suffers from an underfunded arts community that makes it difficult for smaller organizations, like the BCO, to survive.

According to The ARTery’s analy-sis of the data, while private Boston individuals are very generous in their support of the arts, larger organiza-tions and cooperation in Boston are much more reticent to contribute funds than organizations in other metropolitan areas.

Arts-focused organizations also pay the full cost of their facilities, which ultimately adds up to be much more than other arts and cultural organizations pay in other major American cities.

This is a problem that Bostonians KELSEY MCGEE/ HGIGHTS EDITOR

By Juan OlavarriaMetro Editor

Midterm season is upon us. Once more, the seemingly never-ending waves of stress and sleepless nights become the reality of any given college student on any given day.

Quickhelp, one of the newest start-

ups to come out of Harvard’s In-novation Lab, is now available and offers personalized in-person tutor-ing services for any subject, ranging from English to Molecular Biology, on demand.

The brainchild of Harvard alum-nus Hikaru Senju, Quickhelp seeks to lower the cost of in-person tutoring

for students in the area, and increase accessibility to the service for those students who may not be able to afford it otherwise.

Senju originally got the idea to make the startup during an internship, where he learned how to make mobile apps, and later on developed the concept for the app itself after talking with a friend, who happened to be a tutor, and listen-ing to the struggles of finding enough students to tutor.

After a few conversations and many hours brainstorming, the concept soon began to become a reality, especially with the ever-growing startup sector in the city for inspiration.

“On-demand apps are in right now,” said Senju. “After I built the first ver-sion we felt we could join the growing ‘sharing economy’ sector.”

After considering many different concepts to explore, including a blind dating service, he set his mind to tackle what he felt was his passion: the oppor-tunity gap in education between those who had more resources and those who did not.

Studies have shown that in-person tutoring significantly improves the performance of students, and Senju felt that it should not just be for those who can afford it.

“It’s a social mission,” he said. “I want

to empower the students.”Making the app was simple for him,

Senju explained, since his background was in engineering and programming.

Last December, he released the first version of the app to significant success, surpasing his own expectations.

Within one month of launching the app, Quickhelp had over 1,000 users, which then grew to over 10,000 after the first semester, Senju said.

The large amount of traffic through the app is partly due to the simplicity of the app itself: the student, no matter where he or she is, specifies what he or she needs help in, and then the student gets matched with a tutor in the area who is knowledgeable in the field.

Most of the tutors are graduate stu-dents so students can set up a tutoring session with knowledgeable individual nearby within minutes.

“Our tutors [the graduate students] know a lot,” said Senju. “[And] they are looking for extra sources of income.”

Senju also attributes the success of the service to the high density of under-graduate and graduate students in the greater Boston area, as it creates a vast and self-replenishing market for both those who need the service and those willing to provide it.

One of the biggest challenges fac-ing Quickhelp, however, has been the

marketing aspect of launching theproduct.

“It’s not something you directly tell your friends [about],” Senju said. “Butstudents are seeing the value.”

One of the biggest goals for Senjuhas been making the community stron-ger by encouraging more interaction between undergraduates and graduatestudents within a college community.

For example, there could be some-one in the same coffee shop as theuser, such as a graduate student, who could help with whatever subject theuser needs.

Fueled by his success, Quickhelp has recently expanded into neighboring markets such as Philadelphia and NewYork City, but Senju remains focused on his goal of making a difference.

“If I wanted more money, I would do something else, but that is not what[Quickhelp] is about,” he said. “I’m in itfor the long run.”

Currently, the Quickhelp team is focused on improving the product forits core areas, such as Boston, where they learned from past mistakes thatexpanding too fast in one area can bea detriment.

“We have been approached by people wanting to invest … too much money can be a distraction, we want to focus on the product first,” Senju said.

PHOTO CUTROSY OF QUICKHELP

Quickhelp founders pose at the Harvard Innovation Lab to promote their new tutoring app.

THE HEIGHTS Thursday, February 18, 2016A6

HEIGHTSThe Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College

THE

“Books are the perfect entertainment: no commercials, no batteries, hours of enjoyment for each dollar spent. What I wonder is why everybody doesn’t carry a book around for those inevitable dead spots in life.”-Stephen King

QUOTE OF THE DAY

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

Letters and columns can be submitted online at www.bcheights.com, by e-mail to editor@bcheights.com, inperson, or by mail to Editor, The Heights, 113 McElroy Commons, Chestnut Hill, Mass. 02467.

EDITORIALS

The views expressed in the above editorials represent the official position of The Heights, as discussed and written by the Editorial Board. A list

of the members of the Editorial Board can be found at bcheights.com/opinions.

On Wednesday night, the Elections Committee denied an appeal from Nikita Patel, CSOM ’17, and Joseph Arquillo, LSOE ’17, to appear on the presidential ballot for the upcoming election, which would have extended the Jan. 29 nomina-tion deadline.

This means that no new teams may enter the race and it will officially be Anthony Perasso, LSOE ’17, and Rachel Loos, MCAS ’18 against Olivia Hussey, current Undergraduate Government of Boston College executive vice president and MCAS ’17, and Meredith McCaffrey, MCAS ’17, on the 2016 ballot.

The Elections Committee’s decision was grounded in the rules outlined in its official Elections Code. The previous extension of the deadline from Jan. 22 to Jan. 29 was a different circumstance because it did not reopen a closed elec-tion, as an extension would now.

UGBC presidential candidates are expected to abide by the rules set out in the code. Although the situation is unusual, with the recent dropout of can-didates Elizabeth Foley, MCAS ’17, and Joseph McCarthy, CSOM ’17, it remains imperative that the established rules for the election still be followed. The can-didates should not make the decision to run last minute.

One of the arguments put forward for the extension of the deadline was that the campaign of Perasso and Loos was satirical and was not truly interested in winning the election. This allegation has nothing to do with the direct issue at hand of whether to extend the deadline. The Committee is not meant to make decisions based on the campaign’s plat-forms, ideas, or how the campaign may be perceived.

As the Committee’s statement read, “As an unbiased committee we cannot

create an exception, nor is it our respon-sibility to assess the content or platform of any campaign teams.” Perasso and Loos’ campaign submitted the necessary information before the deadline and is therefore afforded the same privileges as any other campaign.

This issue comes down to a simple adherence to the pre-established rules. The two remaining campaigns both followed the rules from the beginning and it would be unfair to allow a third campaign to enter the race that did not do this.

Past deadline extensions were made when a team was running unopposed and asked for an opponent to run again, but this is a different situation. The elec-tion has been closed for some time and a team’s dropping out does not necessitate reopening the ballot.

The Elections Committee’s decision was based on these rules and it was right to stick by them.

It is not the Committee’s job to judge the quality of a particular team or campaign, or to make decisions based on extenuating circumstances when there are already two teams running for the offices.

Although the Elections Committee (EC) claims to be an unbiased, nonparti-san group, its decision to limit the UGBC election to two teams is clearly inspired by Bernie Sanders’ argument that “you don’t necessarily need a choice of 23 underarm spray deodorants.” This may seem absurd but consider this: both candidates and deodorants tend to be white, and when offered in many choices, both can confuse the student body. (Does one go with Old Spice Fresh or Sport? What about Fiji? That sounds exotic! Do I vote for the “insiders” or “outsiders”? I just don’t know.) Noting this reality, I applaud the EC for its second stellar decision this election cycle. (The first, you’ll recall, was ensuring a fair elec-tion by aggrandizing for itself the power to craft debate questions.)

For those that would condemn this deci-sion as undemocratic, let me assure you that you don’t want competition. Two fateful years ago, I was a candidate for UGBC. At the time, my running mate and I were the only team competing, so the EC declared us winners by default. Worried our uncon-tested victory would undermine UGBC’s legitimacy and hurt the student body, we refused to be coronated and instead worked with the EC to reopen the election. The result was horrible! Suddenly there were two other teams running, and I was forced to respond to questions about festering campus issues like, What are my thoughts on campus vegetation? (Dodged that one.) Why doesn’t our platform promise vacuum cleaners in dorms and an abundance of

staplers on campus? (We just didn’t think of it.) All I wanted was to talk about free speech, dammit!

The fact that we were ultimately victori-ous proves competition is futile. It’s not asif one of the other candidates went on toserve in a managerial role in our admin-istration or that the team of sophomoreshelped break the mold of only juniors run-ning. And it’s definitely not the case thatthe election saw the highest voter turnoutin UGBC’s history.

Keeping this comprehensive history of UGBC elections in mind, I have a sugges-tion for the EC: abolish elections. Seriously.You guys are The Chosen Few; YOU shouldbe leading UGBC. You’re two for two thiscampaign season and that record of leader-ship would surely benefit the student body.Plus, you’d be doing the entire campuscommunity a huge favor. Writers for cam-pus publications would no longer have torely on trite labels for campaign teams, and students would be spared cliche slogans and an inundation of false promises on socialmedia. Democracy is wicked overrated.

In the meantime, since there are two teams running, here’s my advice: avoid discussing campus issues. Talk about build-ing walls around BU instead. It’s not that students don’t care per se, but it’s hardfor them to pay attention when choosing the right deodorant is just so much moreimportant.

A Response to the Election Committee’s DecisionLETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Soaring Startup Circle, an accelerator tarted by Boston College alumni, had an nformation session this past Tuesday. The roup connects students with alumni who

have experience with startups and gives them ccess to office space and other resources to ssist them. Over the summer, selected ap-

plicants can work with alumni and use their upport to improve the startup idea and

develop the company. Another event in a similar vein will be

held next Monday. The Sports Business So-iety of Boston College will hold a network-ng event, at which students can interact

with representatives from companies such s the Associated Press, ESPN, and the

Boston Red Sox. The keynote speaker will be Norby Williamson, ESPN’s executive se-nior vice president of production, program cheduling, and development. Afterward, ttendees may quickly meet and exchange nformation with the 23 guests, including xecutives and recruiters.

Both of these events encourage students o take initiative and explore various career

paths. The constantly evolving world of ntrepreneurship can easily intimidate tudents, and the SSC is a useful step to-

ward bringing more students into the field. ports business is a different pursuit that equires different things from potential mployees, but it shares many of the same

principles, especially the importance of networking.

These two efforts help connect students with important and influential figures in hese fields. The resources provided by the SC accelerator program and the profession-ls who will attend the sports business event

both give students important opportunities o achieve some increased level of success

in their respective industries. Students who hope to pursue careers in these fields need these opportunities in order to gain a head start and have a better chance of reaching their goals.

These events demonstrate a continued effort by the University to promote entre-preneurship and assist students in achieving their professional goals. The Shea Center for Entrepreneurship is an example of this effort, as is the Endeavour program.

As students face an increasingly uncer-tain job market with shifting technologi-cal focuses, the importance of developing interpersonal connections within desired

industries and seeking help from established professionals is more important than ever.

The University has done well to emphasize this and provide students with the necessary resources to pursue their field of interest. Many other universities foster similar pro-grams, like Harvard University’s Innovation Lab. It is good to see BC supporting these types of programs and events.

Future development of existing programs like the Shea Center, support of alumni accel-erators such as SSC, and the continuation of events such as the sports business networking talk are all worthy uses of University resources that should be continued in the future.

an experience you don’t especially love.That speech, admittedly, would be a

dreary start to things—and on another level, it would feel like an altogether he-retical point of view for a BC student to take. As a senior, it’s hard for me to feel anything other than gratitude for the past four years, and yet, I can say that the early emphasis on accepting BC as a perfect fit wasn’t particularly helpful to me.

Marketing college as an experience rather than an environment pushes stu-dents toward unrealistic expectations of the services BC can provide. When you analyze the steady increase in tuition over the last two decades—which has heavily outpaced inflation—the windfall of those tuition dollars has disproportionately been directed toward the expansion of services provided to students (while academic resources have not enjoyed the same level of growth).

Universities provide a whole lot more than they once did. Once simply places to learn, these institutions now serve as mechanisms for the mass consolidation of wealth—a trend federal lawmakers are now investigating at highly endowed universities like BC. I bring this up to point out a potentially fraught connection between money and happiness, particu-larly in the case of higher learning.

Getting an education is a high-stakes exercise for most students, whether they’re personally taking on extreme levels of student debt or their families are foot-ing the bill for an education which grows in expense each year. When students “fall in love,” it gets difficult for them to ratio-nally engage in this highly consequential

financial decision.Beyond that, this heavy commitment

results in unhealthy expectations all around: parents, students, administra-tors, and faculty are all expected to meet increasing demands, often at odds with the reality of what they can give. And for the students, your happiness can feel like a mandate—if you’re anything less than infatuated, you’re afraid to admit it. It would mean letting down your fam-ily, letting down yourself, and damaging the mythology that keeps the higher ed behemoth afloat.

It’s a situation where falling in love is imperative—a magic that governs this massive financial exchange. All stakehold-ers (students, parents, the University) have a strong interest in perpetuating the view that a college education is worth a lot more than the sum of its parts, that there’s something fateful in that admissions en-velope, that this experience fundamentally defines who we are.

Fall in love, stay in love—or maybe not. It isn’t unreasonable to expect to find the kind of love Arrupe speaks about at BC, but it most certainly did not arrive in the admissions envelope. I would even hazard to say the odds are pretty good you could have found that same love some-where else. You don’t need to be married to the institution you attend or the ideas it espouses to have a healthy relationship with it.

The idea of fit—that your emotional connection to a place should take prece-dence over all else—necessarily distances us from the reality of who we are and what BC can give us. It undercuts the hard work required to make our commitment work. And most damagingly, it closes our perspective, making us less receptive to unexpected opportunities.

Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything. But don’t decide every-thing before you fall in love.

THE HEIGHTSThursday, February 18, 2016 A7

CHRISTMAS SWEATER BARGAINS - Snatching up a $5 Boston College Christmas sweater from the Book-store is the smartest thing you can do right now. In 10 months you’re going to be sitting back and laughing at those poor fools paying $30 for the same sweater. HAHAHAHAHAHA-HAHAHAHAHAHA. You’ve won my friend, you’ve won.

DELIGHTFUL - Whenever someone asks you to describe something (your feelings, a television show, a class) say that it’s delightful. Be sure to speak in a very monotone voice and maybe add the word “absolutely” or “positively” beforehand. Do not smile or laugh when you say this. No one will be quite sure how to react.

PEOPLE WHO CHEW GUM IN THE LI-BRARY - You sound like a toothless old hag trying to gnaw her way through a bucket of sweet potatoes. The fleshy, moist sound of your chewing is making everyone around you want to vomit. How clueless do you have to be to not realize how disgusting you sound? Some of us are trying to finish writing our mani-festos, you brainless gum-chewing heathen.

STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HALLWAY AND HAVING A CONVERSA-TION - MOVE. There are so many places on this campus where you can stand around like a braindead jackwagon and talk with your equally stupid friend about what must surely be unbelievably stupid things. An entire student body is trying to walk around you and you don’t even seem to notice. Next time this happens, we’re just going to lower a shoulder and drop your sorry self to the ground.

WEARING A BASEBALL CAP IN THE PLEX - What the hell is that supposed to be? Some sort of statement? What possible reason could you have for wearing a baseball cap inside the Plex? Does the elastic absorb the sweat from your pulse-pounding, muscle-ripping workout? You look like a fool with no sense of place or self. You’re working out inside a hot, sweat-stained gym. There are exactly zero reasons to wear a baseball cap. Go stand in the corner until you learn your lesson.

DANCING LIKE NOBODY’S WATCHING - People are watching and you’re making a fool of yourself. Develop a sense of shame, for God’s sake.

THE WORD “JUXTAPOSE” - In our recent observances, it seems like people think using this word in class discussion makes them look smarter. It doesn’t. It makes you look like you heard someone else use it once.

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Fellow men, doesn’t the topic of feminism often degenerate into a fight club? Isn’t it frustrating how women refuse to listen to your point of view even when you present logical perspec-tives? Why does it always turn into the same exasperating struggle when they deny hearing us out? I need you to think back on the last conversation you had with a woman about feminism. What did you talk about? How did you approach the subject? And most importantly, who talked the most?

My co-ed conversations about femi-nism have broken down into something like this: guys talking about how sexism is over because Hillary Clinton is run-ning for president—60 percent; guys talking about that one time a purple-haired “Nazi-feminist” verbally assaulted them—20 percent; guys talking about how feminism is about the equality of genders and how gender roles are constraining for both sexes—16 percent; girls getting a couple sentences into a personal account of sexism before being interrupted—4 percent. I’m being quite facetious, but my point remains—men often don’t allow women to fully articu-late how sexism has impacted their lives.

But men, as much as we want to ar-ticulate our perspective, by talking more than them, we are actively perpetuat-ing the exact issue women are trying to bring to our attention. If women are claiming systemic oppression of their gender and being societally unequal in relation to men, doesn’t our domi-nance of these conversations illustrate the problem? Every one-sided dialogue undermines any good intention. Every time we pretend to listen while care-fully constructing our next point, we are promoting the very injustices they say they experience.

This is something that had never crossed my mind. How can I be sexist when I’m not wanting or trying to be? The mere possibility that I could oppress creates cognitive dissonance. I know myself—I couldn’t be sexist! Yet, just like Fight Club taught us, two seemingly distinct personas can actually be one and the same. I can simultaneously desire gender equality while also taking part in the subconscious manifestations that stop equality from becoming a reality.

The good news is that this is okay as long as we recognize it. Do you take note of this subconscious apprehension regarding the word “feminism?” For example, would you have even read this column if written by a woman? If not, don’t feel bad, just begin to recognize this mindset. Women have been subju-gated for over two millennia, so the sys-tems through which they are oppressed are not going to simply disappear if Clinton wins the presidency or Beyonce releases the most empowering album of the century (which she obviously will). We are going to have innate misogynistic tendencies due to the immense weight that our history holds. Dismantling them requires admitting that sexism exists within each and everyone one of us. As men, our first step is to step back.

The first rule of feminism is to not talk about feminism. That is, to not dominate conversations and to recognize our bias as men. This does not mean that we should fear entering conversa-tions about feminism—if anything, we should have more of them—but, we need to genuinely listen to women when they share their experiences. Our view is certainly not worthless, but shouldn’t women, the subject of discrimination, have more say? We will never entirely know what it’s like to be a woman in this world, but admitting that fact will get us closer to understanding. Yes, us men might have to admit we are a part of the grander system of gendered oppression, but it is paramount that we listen. Even well-meaning men can end up co-opting the conversation and begin to “mans-plain” their way into a one-way exchange (like I’m doing now). So, there you have it boys, the first rule of feminism: don’t talk about feminism.

the relationship in the first place. Let’s compliment our bodies instead of con-stantly criticizing them. Let’s consider how our actions will help our bodies. As we become better speakers and listeners, we’ll notice that our bodies are willing to make concessions—and that they tell us when they need something. They’re not hard to please—if we bother to give them the time of day.

In the meantime, the mind and body continue to turn on each other, strug-gling for control—as indicated by Zach’s later descriptions of the mentality behind eating disorders.

“In the under-eating, there’s this weird kind of sick sense of pride,” he ex-plained, “Underneath there’s self-loath-ing as well, but at the time I was actively feeling, ‘Oh, this is good, I should keep this up.’ [Over-eating] was the more emotionally tasking one, by far. ‘Cause you lose control, and you feel like you’ve been regressing to this lower point as a person. I think it was pent up after the under-eating.”

In short, anorexia demonstrates the mind’s attempts to dominate the body. Binge-eating serves the other extreme, in which the body rebels against its enslave-ment and overthrows the mind. The mind, usurped, turns on itself and falls into self-loathing. Both partners violate boundaries and upset the natural balance in the process.

Body and soul are not equal in the sense that we commonly ascribe to relationships; they can’t “talk” about their issues, since one is action and the other is that which guides and reasons it. We can’t claim that the body is “just as smart” as the mind—but we can’t mark the mind as entirely superior, either. One is thought, the other action. And when the two act in communion, that union is entire. It’s the body bending to the mind and the mind reacting to the body, the two knit so tightly together that we can’t decipher, exactly, where one ends and the other begins. An infinite union within a disjointed world.

A love like that is worth working for.

often unfair and unhealthy. We play the part of tyrants, accepting the benefits that bodies offer while refusing to give them much in return. We complain when they can’t correct every mistake that we make. And we accept what other people tell us about the statuses of our bod-ies—so that those bodies we should love can become objects of our disdain. This means that the relationship that most directly and most often affects us is con-stantly jeopardized.

For more perspective, I spoke with Zach Russell, MCAS ’16, who strug-gled with anorexia and binge-eating his freshman year. He’s since written about his experience for Elite Daily and uses it as material for his comedy routines. He agreed to the interview without hesitation.

Zach related his experiences candidly and with humor, gaining momentum as he told one familiar story after another. But when I asked him how he viewed the relationship between the body and the mind, he paused before answering:

“I’m always going to be focused on it, and it’s never going to be off my mind. It’s a constant maintenance thing.”

“So it’s a commitment,” I prompted. “Yeah,” he said after thinking for a

moment, “I agree with that.“Later, Zach added: “I’m worried I’m

not giving you what you need. I feel like I don’t have as many—maybe I should—theoretical or philosophical things about self and the body as I do personal experience. I haven’t theorized about it that much.”

In that moment, I felt like I’d struck gold—Zach had pointed out the same problem I saw. It had taken me 20 years to consider the purpose of my body and its relationship to me. And the more I thought about it, the more I wondered if maybe that’s part of the problem with America’s perspective—we don’t bother to consider the body. We work with it, brand it, discuss it, but we forget to appreciate it as more than a means. We forget to love it. But until we can reconnect these disjointed parts of the individual, we have to commit ourselves to courting them. We have to recondition the love—and that means recognizing

You were with me before I knew myself. You were with me when I forgot myself. For as long as I can remember, you’ve been with me. I can’t remember a moment that we haven’t been together. For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer—we’re committed. I say this even though you already know: I love you.

I’m not afraid to say this, even though it makes my friends laugh: I love my body.

How many of us actually appreciate our bodies? Most of us seem to view the relationship as an arranged marriage, made long before we could protest. We desire the freedom to marry more attractive bodies. We’re trapped in the unhappy homes of bodies that don’t fit as we’d like. Besides, the degree of attach-ment between body and mind appears unhealthy within the context of all other relationships we’ve known. But because the body and the mind together com-pose the individual, they can’t be viewed separately. Imagine two lovers trapped in a single body, speaking in a single voice: a relationship that intimate, however natu-ral, unnerves even the clingiest of us.

We choose instead to view the body as a task. We exercise, eat reasonably healthy, and we occasionally sleep. This is our contract: take care of the body, and in return, (generally) reap proportionate benefits. It’s a professional relationship for us that we rarely acknowledge, except when it proves inconvenient.

I didn’t consider my body as more than a set of tasks until Winter Break, when I realized how happy I felt when I was healthy. I began to view my body as a partner, a teammate—when I treated it with more respect, I saw encouraging re-sults. Working with my body to meet its needs meant that my mind was sharper and fresher, which led me to treat my body more kindly, and so on. It’s a cycli-cal win-win situation.

The way that we treat our bodies is

It was an envelope. It was a hunch. It was a name you’d known for some time. However it happened, the moment you “became” Boston College most likely felt like fate—because after all, it’s supposed to feel that way.

Being wedded to your college most certainly has its benefits. For me at least, in choosing where to apply, the emphasis was on falling in love. In hindsight, it was a slightly unreasonable expectation of a high school senior, but essentially the premise of the process for me was that if you walked around enough campuses, you’d be able to simply know where you needed to be.

Quality of education, of course, played a part in final judgments, but most of the concern there was where you could get in. SAT scores (which are increasingly falling out of the favor of admissions committees) felt symbolic—some guise of science in a process that was anything but that.

This “love,” of course, would need to be reciprocated. As admissions officers would tell you most every info session you’d attend, there was no “formula” for getting admitted. It was a holistic approach, which is to say that American admissions com-mittee are open to falling in love too.

Particularly at BC—with Pedro Arrupe’s task force constantly lurking the dining halls—falling in love with the University, with the college experience, can feel near compulsory. “Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything,” the prayer goes. We get a lot of that the first few months. At freshman orientation, there was no contrarian speech telling you that, in fact, your initial love might be little more than a fleeting feeling, that what you do in college might not decide everything, that you can potentially finagle a lot out of

THE HEIGHTS Thursday, February 18, 2016 A8

If you walk down Centre Street in Newton Center, you will notice its busiest, and trendiest, new addition, the Little Big Diner. Perhaps it was a strain of pop music drifting out from the inside that caught your ear, or maybe it was the bright orange of the restaurant’s stools that grabbed your attention through the window as you walked by. It’s even possible that you noticed the crowd of hungry restaurant-goers that always seems to be hovering in front of the restaurant, hop-ing to get a seat or curious about what everyone was eagerly waiting for.

The Little Big Diner opened in January under the leader-ship of chef and owner David Punch. Punch began considering opening another restaurant after his other Newton restaurant, Sycamore, reached its three-year anniversary.

But instead of continuing to work within the confines of the romance language cuisine, Punch decided to approach a concept that was slightly more straightforward than the complexity of an appetizer-entrée-dessert restaurant. With the Little Big Diner, Punch embraced his love for the East Asian cuisine.

Although they are close in proximity, this tiny ramen shop could not be more different from the more traditional Sycamore, as it fits only 18 customers at a time.

The shop opens early and closes late, and features many daily specials announced on chalkboards hanging from the ceiling.

Meticulously arranged place settings are abandoned in favor of small, wooden racks on each table that hold tradi-tional ramen eating utensils. All of these qualities ultimately help to create the cozy and casual atmosphere that Punch hopes to achieve.

“I just wanted to try something new, something different, where it was a little more immediate, a little friendlier and a little more accessible to everyone who wants to come in, if you know what I mean,” Punch said. “I don’t really like big

restaurants all that much … You become more of a manager of people than a cook.”

Although the Little Big Diner kitchen is under the daily command of chef Daniel Scott, there is no mystery as to why Punch wants to maintain his hand in the kitchen.

Ramen is Punch’s favorite dish, and the Little Big Diner embodies his passion for ramen. He readily acknowledges that the establishment is not a money-making endeavor, but rather an incubator restaurant.

If the concept of the Little Big Diner proves successful,

there is a chance that Punch would open more locations in the Boston area with even smaller and simpler menus.

“This [is] a Little Big Diner, so we have a bunch of differ-ent things on the menu,” said Punch. “It’s not just ramen, it’s ramen, rice bowls, and then we have small plates. We make our own dumplings, and then we do chicken wings and all

sorts of appetizers.”But the star of the menu is certainly the ramen, which has

a comforting depth of flavor that sets it apart from many other Boston ramen shops.

When speaking about the process of actually crafting the ramen, Punch warned against assuming that the simplicity of the end result means the process is minimal.

“Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to pull off,” he said. “We make a double broth here, so we start off with making a dashi, which is a very umami-rich, very simple, often called the simplest of simple Japanese stock that you can make,” he said. “We steep that in water and then we put Benito flakes in there and then we let that sit for a couple hours.”

After boiling a broth for between 11 and 15 hours, Punch uses a refractometer to measure the Brix Level and density of the broth. This precise measurement informs the chefs exactly when their intricate broth is ready, and although Punch seems to have the broth worked down to a science, he emphasizes the unique nature of ramen broth.

“Every broth is going to be different,” Punch said. “They’re living things.”

Punch certainly does his best to make his ramen shine, as he uses the same ingredients that he would use in his high-end restaurant, Sycamore, without charging high-end prices. Many ingredients are sourced from the New Jersey Sun Noodle Factory, the same place where artisanal ramen shops across the country order noodles and miso from.

Although the ramen is the star, Punch’s current favorite item on the menu is the “Hawaiian-Style” burger appetizer, which packs intense flavors into what Punch calls “a perfectly greasy little burger.”

Despite his lighthearted and outgoing attitude, it is obvi-ous that Punch takes the ramen, and his work as a chef, very seriously. Instead of viewing ramen as a quick fad, Punch emphasizes the innate complexity of the dish. The Little Big Diner ramen is classic, and Punch works with Scott to make it as authentic as possible.

Jesuits, from A1

live in a Jesuit community.House members will have spiritual

directors to help them with their needs as they take the time to contemplate their choices and learn more about this aspect of the Catholic religion.

The house will be located at 50 Quinc y Road—between the Col-lege Road dormitories and Comm. Ave.—and students living there will have access to a chapel, kitchen, and

dining hall.“I think having an option like

Loyola House contributes in a very positive way to the future,” Beaumier said in an email.

He explained that the discernment program is still in its early stages, but that he is very hopeful for the future opportunities its development would create for the students.

“We want there to be Jesuits for the future, especially at places like BC,” he said. “So it makes a great deal of

sense that we do what we can today to help promote the future work of the Jesuits.”

Beaumier continued to express his hope for the program’s establish-ment and also acknowledged that the number of members will probably be relatively small. Realistically, the Loyola House will not be able to fit as many students as most of the residen-tial options on campus because it is a house. He explained that the simple existence of such an option demon-

strates the hope he has for the future of the Jesuit mission.

Currently, the Manresa House on College Road serves as a resource for BC students looking for assistance with their vocational discernment. Led by Rev. Terry Devino, S.J., the Manresa House aims to promote con-versation that leads to individual dis-cernment. It organizes various retreats and meetings throughout the semester in order to help students explore their personal callings.

Although the Manresa and Loyolahouses will be working toward the same goal, the Loyola House is differ-ent because it is a residential building.Thus, the addition of this new pro-gram will add to the spiritual support system that BC students can access ifthey so desire.

“Boston College is distinctive be-cause of its Jesuit Catholic identity,” Beaumier said. “Many people at BCcare a great deal about this aspect of the University.”

—David Punch, Owner, Little Big Diner

PHOTO COURTESY OF LITTLE BIG DINER

‘BETTER CALL SAUL’BOB ODENKIRK RETURNS AS NEW MEXICO ATTORNEY JIMMY MCGILL,

BEING AN ‘ALTERNATEEN’LOOKING BACK TO THE AWKWARD MIDDLE SCHOOL PHASE IN ITS PRIME,

PAGE B4

REVIEW

REVIEW

‘Learning How to Drown’PAGE B2

COLUMN

BONN STUDIO’S LATEST MUSICAL FEATURES IRISH FOLKLORE AND TROUBLED LOVE,

ABBY PAULSON / HEIGHTS EDITOR

THURSDAY | February 18, 2016

THE

Page B2

THE HEIGHTS Thursday, February 18, 2016B2

When mythology comes to mind, there are a few creatures that, millennia after they were conceived, still permeate popular culture. The kraken, centaur, and Cyclops are seen in blockbusters made in the last decade and are still rife in the mul-titudes of fiction novels published each year. While a myriad of ancient creatures still captivate the public’s attention, many fall into the recesses of irrelevancy and are at first difficult to remember when reintroduced into modern culture.

Such is the case with the selkie—a seal that has the ability to shed its skin and live on land for one year every seven years. This Irish and Scottish sea-beast might not be at the forefront of most writers’ minds when they think of great creatures to center a story around, but in the case of Bonn Studio’s latest musical, Learning How to Drown, the selkie actually works as a wonderful catalyst to tell a tale of a love lost, a love that is, and a love that could be. The musical was written and scored by Patricia Noonan, BC ’07, and plays in Robsham Theater through Saturday.

Emma O’Connell and her boyfriend John live in Manhattan in 2011. They’re young, they’re in love, and, presently,

they’re trying to evade Hurricane Irene. The two lovers hole up in Emma’s apart-ment and, when things start to get ro-mantic, John asks Emma to marry him. Emma, startled by the suddenness of John’s proposal, refuses, vaguely explain-ing to John that she doesn’t want to seal her future. John isn’t satisfied with this answer. He loves Emma too much to ac-cept her doubts. Pressured by her genuine affection for John, Emma tells him a story to help explain her thoughts—a story John isn’t too keen, at first, to believe.

In the early ’40s, Emma’s grandmother and grandfather, Clare and Aidan, meet on a beach. We find out, along with Aidan, that Clare is a selkie who has just begun her year on land. After a bit of prodding, Aidan begins to believe that Clare actually is a selkie, and the two, rapidly falling for each other, decide to travel the Nordic seas in Clare’s year as a human. A beau-tiful, yet troubled relationship unfolds between Clare and Aidan, and the two are separated time and time again.

Notably, the same pair of actors por-trays the two pairs of lovers. Jared Rein-feldt, MCAS ’16, takes on Aidan and John while Caroline Portu, MCAS ’16, graces the stage as Clare and Emma. Seamless transitions and musical numbers separate the two interweaving stories and the two

actors switch from their modern Ameri-can accents to Irish accents in a matter of mere seconds.

Clare and Aidan’s daughter, Emma’s mother Lori, isn’t left out of the fold either. Amanda Melvin, MCAS ’17, portrays an older Lori, a photographer traveling around the world with a young Emma, while Julia James, MCAS ’17, plays a younger Lori, growing up in Clare and Aidan’s house. Lori bridges the gap between the oldest and youngest genera-tions. She helps Emma understand where Clare and Aidan failed in their relation-ship, while also prompting Emma to live her life to the fullest, seeing as much as she possibly can.

While the time jumps in Learning How to Drown may sound a bit confusing, they’re actually executed exceedingly well. There’s no point where a viewer might question if they’re watching the present or the past. The grandparents’ Irish accents and costumes help in this regard. The set design also lends itself to the time jumps throughout the show. Rocks are melded onto the sides of a wooden floor-set, while a wavy, painted blue base represents the ocean. The two primary settings are Emma’s apartment and the beach where Clare and Aidan meet, so the intriguing and innovative set design does well in

capturing these distinct locations.The Celtic Irish musical numbers are

both a lot of fun and quite engaging and evocative. A live band in the corner of Bonn Studio performs them and the live instrumentation is extremely appreciable. The songs also exude an array of emotions that are appropriate to the several themes and developments in the show.

The only complaint on this front is that the actors, at times, aren’t able to holdtheir Irish accents in their singing, but thisis only occasionally noticeable. It’s fittingthat a musical centered on Irish folklorewould include this type of music and thisstyle adds another uncommon, yet lovely facet to Learning How to Drown.

There’s a lot going on in Learning Howto Drown. It explores three generations of a family with an interesting perspective,interweaving the sets of characters along with their hopes, dreams, and worldviews. Between past and present, we see lovers seduced by the possibility of worldwideexploration and lovers overwhelmed bythe fact that there might not be muchleft in the world to explore. Learning How to Drown, despite its seeminglybizarre driving narrative, is a compas-sionate tale of love, loss, and the sea, and what we, as people and seals alike,can learn from them.

A FULLER PICTURE

As the bullets whiz past me, I realize just how in over my head I am. There is barely any cover to be seen. Flashbangs are blowing up in my face. My radar shows that enemies are closing in on my position. I’m s—t out of luck. There’s only one thing that keeps me from losing it—Kanye West’s “Devil in a New Dress” blaring in the background. I calm down, and as my buddy Sam comes storming through the blaze of fire suppressing me, I regain my cour-age. I vault over the fallen pillar I was using as protection, and as I cry out, “When the sun goes down it’s the magic hour—the magic hour,” Sam and I mow down the troops in front of us. We had won the moment, and though there were plenty of more perilous instances ahead, Sam and I knew we had Kanye to back us up.

Alright, I was actually only playing Halo: Reach, but that didn’t mean the threat didn’t feel real for us. We were soldiers on a battlefield, albeit with a sick sound system behind us.

This is how I was introduced to Kanye West. Sam had downloaded My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy on his computer and brought it over for one of our freshman year Halo sessions at my place. At first I was violently opposed. I’d heard “Flashing Lights” and “Stronger,” and thought they were pretty catchy, but I didn’t see myself possibly getting into Kanye West—a rapper I considered, at the time, to have a noto-rious, obnoxious public persona.

Even through most of my first listen of MBDTF, I was reluctant to really listen to the album. I focused more on Halo and let Sam go through the first few tracks on the album hoping I would soon be rid of Yeezy. Then, “Devil in a New Dress” came on. There are a few instances I can vividly remember when I was hit with a song that changed my taste in music forever, or at least when a song instantaneously found it’s way to my heart and soul.

I suddenly realized how wrong I was—how prejudiced I was against this man who had the capacity to make such a sublime song. I played back the rest of the album, slowly finding how harshly I had misjudged what I had listened to. MBDTF was soulful, mysterious, and experi-mental in all the right places. There were one or two exceptions. I still hate “Hell of a Life,” but hey, they can’t all be great.

The next week or so was spent gather-ing Kanye’s other albums. College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation, and 808s & Heartbreak all found their way into my library as quickly as I could usher them in. Now, my Halo sessions with Sam were much more about Kanye West than they were about Halo. We’d spend hours dissecting Kanye’s music—picking apart lyrics and tracing back samples to find where he got his inspiration. We rarely listened to anything else, even after we’d gone through each album a multitude of times. I knew I wasn’t near his biggest fan, but Kanye had me in the palm of his hand.

That was until Yeezus came out. I was so excited for it too. I had loved Watch the Throne, but I was waiting for Kanye’s 6th studio album. With how I felt about the rest of his work, nothing else would suffice. Yeezus was the first time I felt that Kanye’s public persona and pop-rap tendencies had encroached on the quality of his music, and in my opinion, it ruined the album. The soul samples that had given Kanye’s first five albums so much flavor were replaced with these really artificial horns, drumbeats, and autotuned voices that just weren’t accessible to me. In my opinion, none of Yeezus was nearly as personal as Kanye’s other work had been. I missed his compassionate stories and impassioned instrumentation.

The same thing has happened to me with The Life of Pablo. I went through it all, and despite a few exceptions (“Real Friends,” “Fade,” and “30 Hours”), I would list the same complaints for The Life of Pablo as I would with Yeezus. Sure, Kanye’s experimenting with sound, but at least to me, it’s not anything worth listening to. For me, Kanye West’s music has lost his fun, charismatic personal-ity that embodied a lot of the content on his first five studio albums. He’s been overcome by this persona that needs to prove that it can keep trying radically different styles and sounds—even if most people think he’s try-ing to prove nothing to nobody. Now, with Kanye’s new music, there are few songs I can charge into battle with, feeling empowered by a beat that’s the only thing keeping me going.

THIS WEEKEND in artsANIMAL COLLECTIVE(MONDAY AT 7 P.M.)Stopping in Boston following the release of its latest album Painting With, Animal Collective is playing Monday night at the Royale mega-club on Tremont St., just south of the Boylston T-Stop. Buy tickets on the club’s website.

CAB COMEDY NIGHT(THURSDAY AT 7 P.M.)The Campus Activities Board is putting on Comedy Night in Robsham Theater, featuring comic Alex Stone and Matthew Broussuard from Last Comic Standing, the Just for Laughs Comedy Show, and MTV’s Guy Code. Stop in for some laughs. Tickets are free.

CARRIE UNDERWOOD(TUESDAY AT 7 P.M.)Carrie Underwood tours for her late-2015 album Story-teller as she enters the year with new songs and energy. She takes the stage at the TD Garden.

IMPROV ASYLUM(FRIDAY AT 4 P.M.)Improv Asylum puts on its Afternoon Delight show, which will leave you craving more. The interactive experience is rife with participation and audience interactions, leading to a night of pure spontaneity.

JIM NORTON(FRIDAY AT 7:30 P.M.)Comic Jim Norton kicks off his 2016 Mouth of Shame Comedy Tour in Boston. As a New Jersey native and a regular on late-night television, Norton is sure to bring his brand of dark and cringe-worthy comedy to the Wilbur Theatre Friday night.

JUICE AT GARAGE LOUNGE(THURSDAY AT 9:30 P.M.)Juice heads to the Garage Lounge for what is to be another complete performance from the band that has proven itself again and again. For those who have not had the opportunity to see the band in person, the chance is now.

‘LEARNING HOW TO DROWN’(FEB. 17 THRU 21)Stop by the Bonn Studio in Robsham to see a beauti-ful love story that blends myth and mirth. As some characters begin to understand the complexities of love, they look to the past to glean insight into the topic that has remained elusive throughout time.

VISITING PICASSO PIECES AT MFA (FEB. THRU JULY)A small visiting collection of Picasso pieces are on dis-play in the MFA. The renowned artist’s works are truly a sight to be seen, and with the works in close proximity, a unique experience is to be had.

BY: HANNAH MCLAUGHLIN | ASST. ARTS & REVIEW EDITOR

DREAMWORKS ANIMATION

JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

JULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

THE HEIGHTSThursday, February 18, 2016 B3

When traveling on foot, the Chocolate Bar in Stokes is situated approximately four minutes away from Fulton 511—three, if the caff eine from my medium cappuccino kicks in, and I’m feeling adventurous. A relatively short route, it makes for either a leisurely stroll on sunny days or a brief one in the blistering cold. It’s pretty scenic, too. Just like Ferris Bueller once said when he was talking about BC’s unparalleled aesthetic beauty, “If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

But amid the awe-inspiring architec-ture—the regal splendor of a stone-cov-ered Stokes Hall, for example—one major construction-related oversight is evident. At one point in the painstaking process of de-signing BC’s blueprint, the guys and gals in charge of mapping my walking route from one English elective to another neglected something important—nay, something nec-essary—and it really is quite the travesty.

Th e problem is, this walk from Stokes South to fl oor fi ve in Fulton doesn’t allow nearly enough time for Kanye’s six-min-ute-and-18-second “Monster” to play from start to fi nish out of my trusty Apple headphones.

Let me take a moment to briefl y address those music ignoramuses who dare say this track is anything less than solid gold in song form. To quote the incomparable Miss Nicki Minaj with an excerpt from this exact song, if I may, this 2010 track is “hotter than a Middle Eastern climate,” and you know it.

If you’re an over-the-top music fan like me, you are that kid who walks around wearing headphones all day, tucking them not-so-sneakily under your baseball hat while walking from dorm room to dining hall, Conte Forum to class. You’re not anti-social, you’re simply music-savvy. It’s not being rude, it’s reliving the Dark Fantasydays when Kanye peaked and wasn’t pulling some crazy Amanda-Bynes crap with his weird Twitter tirades of today.

But back to my “Monster” dilemma. Try as I might, despite shortening my stride or slowing my walking speed, I barely get to hear the sinister string of Cannibal Nicki’s demonically decisive lines (“Ok, fi rst thing’s fi rst I’ll eat your brains . . . ”) before I fi nd myself sitting down for my next class. It isn’t until after class that I am able to fi nd out the rest of Nicki’s dastardly plans (“then I’mma start rocking gold teeth and fangs”). Not even a discussion about Shakespeare’s revered works should interrupt the unrivaled poetic stylings of this star-studded rap collaboration. We’re talking about a cameo by Minaj and raps from Rick Ross. Hova graces listeners with his godly pres-ence, and for some reason, Bon Iver is there too.

In my humble opinion, “Monster” is one of the best songs to walk to. I’m sure I’m not the only one whose purposeful stride sometimes coincides with the song I’m playing at any given time. What I re-ally like is that music has this unique abil-ity to connect listeners to the confi dence that emanates from their favorite artists.

Most importantly though, “Monster” (among many others) is a loud, unapolo-getic song that makes me forget all of my assignments, if only for a moment. It seems there have been a whole lot of those pesky assignments thrown on my plate recently, and it hasn’t been too easy. Th e short walk to class is just a teeny-tiny slice of time where I can walk to the rhythm of Kanye’s raps without worrying about yet another work-fi lled weekend looming in my not-so-distant future.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that sometimes, songs boast mood-boost-ing capabilities you can’t find anywhere else. Everyone deserves an empow-ering playlist as a backdrop to their otherwise boring existences. When your work is piled miles high or your pathetic proclivity to procrastinate gets you down, you just have to find your walk-up song—even if you’re Prince Fielder of the Texas Rangers, and it’s the screeching sound of a siren that gets you motivated.

These beats were made for walking, and for now, that’s just what I’ll do.

Two dancers sat beside one another in quiet contemplation, each using his indi-vidual experiences to formulate some kind of a response to the same impossible question. One of the guys glanced down at the tabletop, the other was equally at a loss for words—his eyes searched for an answer, as if words would suddenly materialize somewhere on the ceiling tiles in Addie’s Loft.

Andrew Troum and Liam Connolly, both MCAS ’16, struggled to think of what they disliked most about dance. Th e problem was, neither of them could come up with anything at all.

As the only male dancers on their re-spective BC-based dance teams—Troum an integral part of the Dance Organization of BC and Connolly an essential member of BC Irish Dance—the two guys started thinking about how they ended up devoting most of their days to dance.

Troum began dancing as part of a musical theatre group when he was eight years old. At 16, he joined a local dance studio near his hometown of Ocean City, N.J. Opting out of the glitz and glam of competitive dance teams, he invested his time in a studio that focused on the tech-nical aspects and dramatic art-istry of dance. “What you see on Dance Moms, that’s obviously a competition studio,” he said. “It’s all about the tricks, the costumes, and the excit-ing faces. My studio was more tech-nique-

based, so it was defi nitely more balletic and

less about jazzy faces and all that.” It was here that Troum focused on honing his contemporary jazz skills, learned to master

other genres, and developed a deeper love of dance.

Having tried his hand at choreography in a DOBC show last year—a successful en-deavor that resulted in a high-energy routine set to Britney Spears’ “Womanizer,” where he assumed the role of a suave, sought-after bachelor onstage—Troum has made many an impressive contribution to DOBC over the course of his college career. While abroad in London, Troum took his talent overseas when he joined a traveling dance troupe that toured cities along the southern coast of England.

In contrast to Troum’s relative inexperi-ence in the realm of competitive dance, Con-nolly is well-versed in the competitive nature of performance. Because the backbone of Irish dance is competition, Connolly has attended more than his fair share of local feis competi-tions, nationals, and Worlds’ championships. For Connolly, the pressure of a perfect perfor-mance to secure points at a competition has always been an integral aspect of dance. He was only two when he tried on his fi rst pair

of dance shoes. Twenty years later, and

he

has choreo-

graphed a hand-ful of routines, pep-

pered his passport with stamps from countries that

have hosted competitions, and made his mark as a stand-

out contributor to BCID’s captivating performances.

Though their groups differ greatly in preferred dance styles—BCID does traditional hard and soft

shoe Irish dance, while DOBC dabbles in jazz, ballet, pointe, and a little bit of everything else—Troum and Con-nolly have experienced

many of the same senti-

ments when it comes to being the only boy in a female-dominated dance group.

Laughing, Connolly explained how Irish dance has helped him become more outgo-ing. “As the only guy on the team, you have to stand up for yourself sometimes,” he said. “Th e girls always have ideas on costumes for diff erent dances. You have to speak up, you have to be like ‘I’m still here!’” Troum nod-ded enthusiastically in agreement. “Yeah,” he said. “Sometimes I have to say, ‘Sorry girls, but I can’t wear that!’ In my genre’s choreography, there’s a lot of poses and sexy stuff that the girls like to do. Th ere’s defi nitely some sexy stuff .”

When it comes to pre-performance jitters, however, the guys have had very dif-ferent experiences. “Oh yeah, stage fright has always been a thing for me,” Connolly said with a smile. In spite of the occasional cold feet, however, years of training has prepared him for such situations. “I’ve had multiple times at competitions where “I’ve just completely gone through a mind blank, or I just didn’t remember the steps in my routine. I’ve actually just made them up on stage and gone with it.”

Troum shook his head. “I don’t get stage fright,” he said. “I get ner-vous, but i don’t get frightened. I get eager, and I might think to myself, ‘I need to get out there right now. I need to go onstage immediately.’ I can’t wait to get out—I’m terrifi ed in a way, but I can’t wait.”

“Yeah,” Connolly added. “Th at’s exactly where I am now.”

For both dancers, BC has been an environment that was incredibly accepting of their preferred pastime. “I think that the BC community thinks it’s awesome that you go on-stage and do your thing—regardless of whether you’re a boy or a girl,” Troum said. “I’ve never at this school felt any judgement, any negativity. In fact, I’ve always felt the exact opposite.”

Coming to BC from an all-boys high school where Irish dance wasn’t some-

thing he chose to advertise often, Connolly was anxious to see how his college friends would react to his beloved hobby.

“I thought coming to BC would be the same kind of situation where I would have to go through the whole process again,” he said. “I thought I’d have to show people what it was so that they understood. But people are actually a lot more open than you would think at BC. If you’re a guy who wants to dance, my advice is to just go with it.”

“When I’m dancing, I’m probably my happiest self,” Troum said. “If I had a bad day or got a bad test grade, I don’t think about it at dance. I’m with my friends doing what we like to do. I’m just so in the zone, so happy when I dance.” He looked to his left and nodded at Connolly. “Know what I mean? It’s really the best thing that I’ve ever decided to do.”

Well into their last semester as under-graduates at Boston College, the two re-

fl ected upon the painstaking hours of dance practice, the nights spent perfecting intricate steps

and meticulously Smapped choreography. Still, there was no negative aspect of dance that they could decide on. Despite the obvious downsides of any big-commitment club on the BC cam-pus—physical exhaus-tion, time constraints,

the pressures of per-formance week, for ex-

ample—the two agreed that dance has been an

incredible part of their BC experience.

“Th e whole dance com-munity at BC is really inter-

esting,” Connolly said. “For in-stance, the Irish dance family

on campus is amazing. It’s really a tight-knit com-munity. Th ey’re my best friends.”

“Yeah,” Troum said, grinning. “Same here.”

The sole male dancers in DOBC and BCID on stage fright and communityJULIA HOPKINS / HEIGHTS EDITOR

A MCLAUGHLIN MINUTE

Writing on the rubber of my Con-verse was the one action concern-ing fashion I could never reconcile with my mother. Throughout the wild ride that was what she called my “alternateen phase,” my mom valiantly rode out the colored skinny jeans, the graphic tees purchased exclusively at Delia’s or band mer-chandise tables, and the side bangs that covered almost half of my face. She drew the line at having to buy me multiple pairs of the same black sneakers, however, just for me to purposefully tatter them and deface any white surface with my favorite All Time Low lyrics. By now, I’m sure it’s pretty clear that in middle school I was the worst. I fit into every single stereotype of the alternative pop/rock fan girl, driving my parents insane by blasting MCR in the car on family road trips and answering basically everything they asked with, “Whatever. You wouldn’t get it.” I repeat: I was the. worst.

But even while I cringe thinking about all the Blink-182 posters and

LEIGH CHANNELL

The boogie meN

Never Shout Never stickers I proudly displayed, I can’t help but look back on this phase—which I promised everyone was permanent, or even worse, “the real me”—with some sense of fondness. This was a time when I knew the lyrics to every single song on my iPod Nano, and practically had the track listing of each alternative rock record memorized.

My friends would play a game with me in homeroom, timing how long it took me to recognize a song and then gaping in amazement as I cut the number of seconds from the teens to nearly indiscernible values. It’s been awhile since I’ve been so invested in all of the music of a band, much less of multiple different bands.

The current Top-40 system lends itself to a dichotomy of fandoms: art-ists are either written off as one-hit-wonders as their one lucrative summer comes to a close, or they are intensely stalked by a fan base that knows more about the band’s members than the members themselves do—we’ve seen the insanity that is “Bieber Fever.”

It’s a depressing prospect, espe-cially for those on the less successful side of the spectrum. With Spotify

and iTunes making it possible for fans to download only the hit single, some performers quickly become irrelevant. No one can sell out hour-long touring sets to an audience that only came for one song.

This divide isn’t exclusive to pop—even my beloved “alternateen” genre is being split into unsuccessful ventures like This Century and glob-ally known personalities like All Time Low. This can’t solely be the cause of music streaming services, however, since those were around for all of my (painfully expensive) middle school downloads.

The problem lies within the com-munity of these “fandoms.” Those who find a new group they enjoy have to tread carefully until they’ve done enough research, because if they slip up and mention their new affection to a super-fan, they’ll be mercilessly attacked. “Can you name more than five songs? What’s their lead singer’s name? Which member’s basement did they hold their first practice in dur-ing their junior year of high school?” Laugh all you want, but notice how easily you can imagine a Directioner spitting that interrogation at you. For

our own safety, we’re left to either ded-icate an inconvenient amount of time to researching a new affinity, or feign indifference, and at that point, it’s too easy to give up all together.

I’m not saying we should bring back the “I <3 Boobies” rubber wrist-bands. I’m not saying that shopping for accessories at Hot Topic was one of my better ideas. I am sure as hell not trying to bring back the whole, “rawr means I love you in dinosaur,” thing.

What I’m suggesting is bring-ing back the invested following of a band without any qualifications for considering yourself a fan. I want to tweet a live stream of my first time listening to a new album and not get angry replies because I’m simply en-joying the music, and not considering the songwriter’s “tragic and moving backstory.” Maybe I’m just feeling sentimental after finding a defaced Chuck Taylor in my closet over break, but I think it’s worth a shot—it’s time to bring back the OG fangirl.

THE HEIGHTS Thursday, February 18, 2016B4

The year is 1973 and the big-gest band in the world is Led Zeppelin. It is so big, in fact, that the band would have you believe that its vehicle of choice is a repurposed Boeing 720. Dubbed “The Starship,” the aircraft is a potent symbol of the music industry’s golden era.

Here’s a moment in time when an artist and major label could reasonably expect to rake in the millions and carve out an empire just for themselves. Grandiosity and personality are inflated to levels previously reserved for royalty and religion. For the executives behind the scenes, such idolatry results in massive cash grabs. To maintain themselves, labels have legions of A&R reps scouring for new talent just to keep the money taps flowing.

At this point, there are still plenty of potential music scenes to be commercialized. In 1973, the sordid underbelly of the New York underground had yet to be fully mapped out. Punk hadn’t emerged yet. This is what makes Vinyl, HBO’s latest series, a po-tentially rewarding enterprise. In today’s world, when even genres like punk have been completely

TOP SINGLES

1 Love Yourself Justin Bieber 2 Stressed Out

twenty one pilots 3 Sorry

Justin Bieber 4 Work

Rihanna ft. Drake 5 My House

Flo Rida 6 Hello

Adele 7 Pillowtalk

Zayn 8 Me, Myself & I

G-Eazy x Bebe Rexha

TOP ALBUMS

1 EVOLFuture

2 25Adele

3 ANTIRihanna

4 Headful of DreamsColdplay

5 PurposeJustin Bieber

Source: Billboard.com

CHART TOPPERS

Th e concept for Ok Go’s new-est music video, “Inside Out and Upside Down,” which appears to have been fi lmed in one take in a zero-gravity fl ight, is quite excit-ing. The initial scene, however, seems ordinary. Th e four members of the group sit quietly inside the cabin of a plane. Th e video soon picks up its pace as the song comes on. Th e team types on its com-puters, synchronizing with each other, then gravity disappears and objects begin fl oating and being thrown around the room.

The visuals gradually grow more and more extravagant, with some members jumping out of their chairs, and colored balls are released as the song builds. Th e aesthetics move along with the relative intensity level of the song. When the track winds down, the screen becomes less cluttered. Th en, at the last big movement in the song, balloons fi lled with paint are burst as color fi lls the screen. The video ends when gravity is fi nally restored and the fl oating paint rains down from the air.

Th ough the song is quite ex-pansive at points, its music video feels confi ned in comparison. Th is, of course, is a matter of practicality, since the only way to simulate zero gravity is inside a plane. It does, however, call into question the relevance of the video’s concept. A zero-gravity setting does correlate roughly with a line in the song: “gravity’s just a habit that you’re really sure you can’t break.” But beyond that, the video does little to justify itself—it just looks cool. Little meaning or clarifi cation is added to the song by the video.

But, with relatively little lyrical complexity, that doesn’t seem to matter. Th e music video is a fun video for a catchy song. There doesn’t appear to be any overt ar-tistic agenda, because there doesn’t need to be. By the end, your eyes are assaulted with color as the mu-sic overfl ows your ears with sound. “Inside Out and Upside Down” may seem like just a gimmick, but it’s defi nitely a fun ride.

“INSIDE OUT AND UPSIDE DOWN”

OK GO

PARAMOUNT TELEVISION

VINYLMICK JAGGERPRODUCED BY

PARAMOUNT TELEVISIONRELEASE

FEB. 14, 2016OUR RATING

more concerned with the drama that occurs as a result of making money.

Nonetheless, the show is cer-tainly not lacking in credibility. Vinyl liberally uses name drops and references to both major and obscure ’70s pop culture icons that are dizzying for even the most obsessed music nerd. Including Mick Jagger as an executive producer inspires con-fidence and adds a dimension of reliability. The band backing up the troubled proto-punk singer Kip Stevens ( James Jagger) is

the contemporary New York indie rock band Beach Fossils. This should all increase viewers’ confidence that the show will get it right. Vinyl will be important because all period pieces are subject to extra scrutiny by view-ers who are particularly attached to the relevant moment in his-tory. Despite critics’ discovering such anachronisms as modern subway benches and blips in historical recounts, the debut episode remains sufficiently convincing.

Though they may stand out

to hawk-eyed viewers, these slips do not break or compromise the feel of the show. The world created in the series feels as full of life and energy. This may be chalked up to the producers who lived in the era.

Hopefully, future episodes will balance the show’s primary concern with supply-side drama with the massive cultural evolution that actually occurred during this period of time. So long as it is able to do this, Vinyl will likely remain an interesting period piece in an intriguing and unique setting.

“Th is is the gravy train, and it’s about to leave the station.”

Th ough this line might describe the premiere of the second season of AMC’s Better Call Saul quite aptly, it actually came from a character no one expected to see past season one—a character who actually stole the show for most of season two’s

fi rst episode. Better Call Saul might be named after Jimmy McGill’s pseudonym Saul Goodman, but for the majority of season two’s premiere, “Switch,” Jimmy was lying poolside at an Albuquerque hotel. Instead, viewers followed Daniel Warmolt, a local pharmaceutical drug dealer who was introduced in season one in a side-plot showing fan-favorite hit-man Mike Ehrman-traut diving into the New Mexico

crime scene.Th ough the episode takes some

of the spotlight off Jimmy, it likely sets up some plot where Warmolt and McGill cross paths and get into some shenanigans, but these Warmolt-centric scenes felt really forced, especially when what little time was spent with Jimmy felt so precious.

It’s fantastic to see McGill pining for his gal-pal Kim Wexler. Th eir ill-

defi ned relationship in season one left a lot of questions to be answered and it seems, at least in this fi rst episode, that we might see some well-developed romance between the two unfold throughout the rest of the season. McGill and Wexter are quirky, but they understand each other in a really genuine way. Th e subtle, yet noticeable emphasis on McGill and Wexter’s chemistry was the saving grace of “Switch.” It felt unimaginably real compared to many TV relationships.

Th ings have changed for Mc-Gill. He’s still as restless as a dog chasing its tail, but now we’re not seeing the usual off -the-wall hu-mor and energy that made Jimmy so admirable in the first season. Now he’s dealing with purposeless restlessness. After fi nding out that his own brother Chuck has barred him from joining Chuck’s reputed law fi rm, McGill doesn’t know how to handle himself. “You’re not a real lawyer!” Chuck shouted at him toward the end of last season. With the blank stare occupying McGill’s face throughout most of “Switch,” it seems like his brother’s voice is still echoing in his head.

Bob Odenkirk is still at his best as McGill—there’s nothing to fault him on with this latest episode. Es-pecially considering the spectrum of moods McGill has crossed in the

last couple of episodes, Odenkirk is handling the part rather well. We’ve never seen McGill like this and Odenkirk looks noticeably dazed, just as he should. Season one had its share of heavy moments where Odenkirk had to crack down and show viewers that McGill could be more than just the goofball with a charismatic grin.

That being said, the season premiere’s deviation from Jimmy’s main storyline was shocking. If viewers learned anything from watching Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul’s fi rst season, it’s that the series’ creator, Vince Gilligan, has always got a grand master plan for a season’s arc. Gilligan doesn’t mind if things don’t make sense or seem relevant for a couple episodes. That’s why it’s important not to discount this seemingly unfocused season premiere.

Th is is where Warmolt’s gravy train quote comes into the picture. “Switch” answered practically none of the questions that the end of sea-son one asked. It actually just loaded more onto the already heaping pile. And that’s fi ne. Th is is just the fi rst stop that the 10-episode season With Odenkirk and Gilligan as the conductors, viewers are in for a fun, albeit crazy ride, with no rest stops in sight. All aboard the gravy train, it’s time for Better Call Saul. SONY PICTURES TELEVISION

BETTER CALL SAULVINCE GILLIGANDISTRIBUTED BY SONY PICTURES

RELEASEFEB. 15, 2016

OUR RATING

TELEVISION

TELEVISION

SINGLE REVIEWS BY RYAN PANNY

Absent from the track list for the duo’s upcoming sophomore LP This Unruly Mess I’ve Made, “Spoons” is a Valentine’s Day ode to relationships that manages to be cute, goofy, yet utterly cringe-inducing. Macklemore’s playfully intimate rhymes suffer in the presence of bland folk guitars and an unsavory hook.

MACKLEMORE“Spoons”

The second single from the No Doubt frontwoman’s third solo album is as bubbly, airtight, and infectious as anything pop music has seen in 2016 thus far. Stefani’s light-hearted account of a reluctant crush is a surefi re radio smash. Her latest album, This is What the Truth Feels Like, is due out Mar. 18

GWEN STEFANI“Make Me Like You”

This latest taste from the Chi Town crooner’s sophomore full-length is an entrancing R&B performance over sensual electric guitars and a touch of cinematic strings. Frequent collaborator Kendrick Lamar delivers a mellow verse that proves the perfect complement to BJ’s silky, dexterous vocals.

BJ THE CHICAGO KID“The New Cupid (ft. Kendrick Lamar)”

MUSIC VIDEO

Over the past 10 years, the crime-drama formula has panned out well for primetime American television. Whether it’s the gritty themes of Law and Order: SVU, Mark Harmon’s breakout hit NCIS, or even the latest Netflix-based craze, Making A Murderer, television audiences can’t seem to get enough of the dark side of humanity. It is

any doubt, is Gooding, Jr.’s, but he is well-supported by others: John Travolta (as defense attorney Robert Shapiro) and David Schwimmer (as Robert Kardashian) both live up to their fame, even if these aren’t their most top-notch performances.

In particular, Schwimmer as Kar-dashian is a remarkably bold casting choice—it becomes diffi cult to sepa-rate Schwimmer from his previous roles, but he performs adequately with the material he has. One fi nal

role stands out in particular: Sarah Paulson, portraying Simpson’s pros-ecutor, Marcia Clark. She is only a single notch behind Gooding, Jr.’s knockout portrayal.

Even with a full cast list, however, American Crime Story: Th e People v. OJ Simpson fi ghts an uphill battle from the very beginning. By creat-ing a show based on well-known, real-world crime, FX has created a compelling dichotomy: on one hand, viewers of American Crime Story gain a unique insight into the life of O.J. Simpson, but on the other, those who are familiar with the nationally followed court case will experience little to no suspense.

Moving forward, this is the chal-lenge of the show—to stay both com-pelling and profi table, the writers must continue to paint the pre-exist-ing story in an ever-more interesting light as each episode passes.

It would seem as though Ameri-can Crime Story’s primary strategy is to look inside the mind of O.J. Simpson. One of the most mortify-ing scenes of the program comes from the fi rst episode: the audience sees Simpson crouched and shaking in a corner, threatening to commit suicide in the room of the now-20TH TELEVISION

AMERICAN CRIME STORYSCOTT ALEXANDER

DISTRIBUTED BY20TH TELEVISION

RELEASEFEB. 2, 2016

OUR RATING

TELEVISION

famous Kim Kardashian. Robert Kardashian (Schwimmer) talks him down from the metaphorical ledge, but the scene is a harrowing glance at the mental state of O.J. Simpson during the most infamous point of his life. If American Crime Story continues to capture scenes such as these—ones that allow viewers to see the hidden side of O.J. Simpson’s trial—the show will not only con-tinue to prosper, but likely grow into a household name as well.

On a grander scale, American Crime Story is not solely about the life and trial of O.J. Simpson—sea-son two is slated to be centered on the aftermath of 2005’s Hur-ricane Katrina. Coming from the creators of American Horror Story, American Crime Story has adopted the anthology format as well. Th is suggests that the writers of the show seek to expand the mod-ern understanding of the stories television tells. Th is model is not one seen widely across today’s TV industry. If executed well, it will serve as a vessel to focus on a wide assortment of true crime stories that both excite the viewer as well as educate them on some of America’s darker pasts.

dissected and commodified, it’s hard to imagine what an entirely original and unmolested genre would even look like. Vinylcomes in and tries to put the audience right in front of this pretty crucial juncture in mod-ern popular culture. Similar to other period pieces like Mad Men, the show does a reasonably good job at it.

In practice, the show isn’t so much concerned with music as it is the people and money behind it. The storyline centers on Richie Finestra (Bobby Can-navale), an embattled record exec determined to keep his label and artist roster afloat while simultaneously pursu-ing a buyout deal from a larger German conglomerate known as PolyGram.

We get to see Finestra lose the confidence of massive art-ists, most notably Led Zeppelin. His personnel and entourage engage in shady tactics to keep up the appearance that the label is actually selling records. At the climax, an associate of Finestra takes it upon himself to rough up a radio station owner that’s giving the label a hard time. All this and more is done in the name of keeping the profits go-ing. So while music is what the label is peddling, the show seems

in this environment that American Crime Story: Th e People v. OJ Simp-son thrives, and if it can shore up its various shortcomings, it has the opportunity to catapult itself to the very top of today’s TV scene.

Th e fi rst two episodes certainly have an initial leg up in the person-nel department. Primarily starring Cuba Gooding, Jr. as O.J. Simpson himself, the show possesses a lengthy docket of time-tested celebrities. Th e strongest performance, beyond

SHAAN BIJWADIA

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THE HEIGHTS Thursday, February 18, 2016B6

ally gives way to single-sex teams once kids become older. She worked her way up the ladder, landing on rosters throughout the Southwest. Eventually, Newkirk’s talent had expanded past what the region could off er her, even when tournaments took place in Michigan and Illinois, closer to the hotbed of hockey.

When she tried to play an age division up, a team in Colorado said that she had to be in the top 3 percent of 28 forwards who tried out. As No. 5, she

didn’t make the cut. Frustrated with the dead ends the leagues at home gave her, she handed her father a slip of paper with the name and number of a hockey coach for Team Pittsburgh, a travel team based 2,047 miles away from home that featured fellow future Eagle Gabri Switaj. It was a part of USA Hockey, a league for national youth play. After fl ying out to meet the coach and skating for him, she landed a spot on the team. Eventually, in 2013, Newkirk led the team to the championships, only to lose by one goal to a team that had future teammate Kenzie Kent on the roster.

Instead of moving to somewhere closer when she got on the team, she spent the fi rst two years traveling back and forth between home and hockey, fl ying into Pennsylvania at least once a month for games. With the stress of travel and only few absences allowed a semester, Newkirk switched to online schooling. Six months later, she decided that the best way to be a part of her team in Pittsburgh was to be nearby. She approached her parents with the idea of

going to prep school. When her father questioned the fi nancial

repercussions of attending a high-end high school, Newkirk, knowing that the benefi t

of a prep school could earn her a college athletic scholarship, offered a short

response:

“Pay now or pay later.” After a few tours, she de-

cided to fully uproot her life in Scottsdale for the Pomfret School, a boarding school in Connecticut. There, she en-gaged in a full three seasons of school sports (soccer, softball, and, of course, hockey) on top of her travel team commitments. She fl ourished on the fi eld and rink and off , landing on the honor roll at the highly touted institution.

At a high school that lists 82 alumni on uni-versity athletic rosters, Newkirk was bound to attract attention because of her skills. Th e

recruitment letters kept coming—a seemingly endless sup-ply of colleges asking for Newkirk to take a spot on their team, to suit up in a jersey and score some goals for them. Th e fi nal count hit more than 30, forcing her to narrow the list down to visit just 11.

One of the earlier cuts included Harvard, the best-known school in the Ivy League and the home of one of the most suc-cessful women’s hockey programs in the country. Th e Crimson is led by its highly successful head coach, Katey Stone, who is the second all-time winningest coach in women’s hockey history. Stone has led the best players across the nation to the Olympics as the head coach for Team USA at Sochi in 2012. Th ere had to be a good reason to pass up an opportunity to grow under Stone’s tutelage.

But Newkirk, seemingly drawn to the place where she had watched national championships and worked in development camps, chose BC, a team on the up-and-up. In the 2014-15 season, the Eagles won all but fi ve games, losing three integral matches—the Beanpot fi nal, the Hockey East fi nal, and the NCAA fi nals—and tying in two regular-season games. A stunning 34-3-2 record, but three losses. It may not seem like a program that suc-cessful would need such a talented player to contribute so quickly. But after coming so close to etching their names among the all-time legends in the sport, BC and head coach Katie Crowley needed that “missing piece.”

She has played in every single game this season. She has played on the fi rst line with BC greats Haley Skarupa and Alex Carpenter, the latter of whom is possibly the best woman who has ever played the game. When faced with the Beanpot fi nal against Northeastern, Newkirk hit a stride and quieted all doubts of another tourna- ment loss. She scored a goal sandwiched between two assists. Newkirk took a powerful shot on goalie Brit- tany Bugalski that initially looked like a de-fl ection, but actually slid past her.

After the trophy was claimed in a dazzling 7-0 vic- tory, Newkirk re- flected on the

game with her father. “I said, ‘Were you nervous?’ and she said, ‘Not really. We knew what we needed to do,’” Greg said.

What sets Newkirk apart from her peers is her ability to read the ice and make plays happen. During the Northeastern match right after the Eagles’ victory

against the team in the Beanpot, Newkirk stripped the puck by the Huskies’ goal and passed it behind her, setting it up for a teammate right in front of the goal, though no one was there. In the same game, she took control of the puck, slowed down, and shot high as a Husky defenseman was coming toward her. She sent the puck fl ying past Bugalski’s left shoulder. Less than two minutes later, she waited farther out from the goal to get a pass from Carpenter. Th e second the puck hit her stick, it went hurtling past Bugalski again. As a player with one of the highest numbers of assists—she’s fourth on the team, behind captains Carpenter and Skarupa, and sophomore defenseman Megan Keller—Newkirk is all about get-ting the puck in the net, no matter who scores it.

In the meantime, Newkirk wants to accomplish the normal student-athlete goal: fi nishing out the year with the most hardware. With 32 wins, the longest uninterrupted streak

in program history, it seems more likely than ever that the Eagles will hold up more trophies. But Newkirk’s dreams don’t end with the season. She also wants to participate as an Olympian one day, and the National Women’s Hockey League opens up another door for her future.

By her age, Newkirk should be a junior, and many of her friends will exit the college scene before her. Instead of pining for adult life in the “real world,” Newkirk is content with the way things are going now.

“I’ve asked her every once in a while about how she’s going to be in school for longer and that stuff , and her response is, ‘Yeah, but I have another year of hockey,’” K.C. McGinley, her close friend and a club hockey player at Arizona State, said.

For now, Newkirk is taking it all in. She loves to re- call the fi rst time she stood shoulder

to shoulder with her team-mates o n t h e

blue line at Kel le y

Rink, waiting for Andy Jick to announce the

starting lineups, eager to face a women’s hockey powerhouse, the University of Minnesota Duluth. Th e fi ve skated up to the other blue line, and then the opening notes

of the pre-recorded, instrumental version of “Th e Star-Spangled Banner”

blared through the stadium’s speakers. “I didn’t know where to put my helmet

or what hand to hold it in,” Newkirk said. “[BC defenseman Toni Ann Miano] was laughing

at me.”But amid the swell of the music, it fi nally hit Newkirk that she

was here, playing on one of the best teams in college women’s hockey—no longer one of two girls in a co-ed league.

Newkirk was an Eagle now, and she would waste no time proving her worth on the team.

Th e incessant questions of the fi ve-year-old girl from Arizona fi nally paid off .

Newkirk, from B8

JOHN QUACKENBOS / BC ATHLETICS

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

THE HEIGHTSThursday, February 18, 2016 B7

Nevertheless, Ampadu excelled at the prep school, leading the Bearcats to back-to-back New England titles and earning all-state honors along the way. In 2012, he attended Hartford be-fore transferring to BC for his sophomore season. But things didn’t get easier from there.

Ampadu was forced to sit out his during first year under head coach Ed Kelly due to transfer rules, but returned to anchor an Eagle defense that was among the best in the conference. After his junior year, an ankle injury kept him sidelined for six months, leav-ing many to wonder if Ampadu would be the same player for his final year of eligibility.

With a two-goal perfor-mance against No. 23 SMU in the third game of the season, Ampadu erased any such doubts. The second goal, a 30-yard strike that proved to be the game-winning blast, was particularly convincing.

“It feels great, I’ve been injured the whole summer,” Ampadu said after the 4-2 win. “I’m working my way back—I’m still not 100 percent yet—and to get these two goals feels good and it gives me a boost for Sunday.”

The September victory also marked my first time covering a game for The Heights, and my postgame chat with Toby was my first interview for a college newspaper. Nervous as hell, I stumbled toward Ampadu

after the game to ask him a few questions, only to be greeted by his infectious smile and refreshingly authentic person-ality.

To me, it’s no surprise that Ampadu has decided to try to keep playing in America, despite the obstacles, given his bubbly passion for soccer. The sport has handed him a ticket to the land of opportunity and a degree from a prestigious university. Why quit now?

As a defender, there’s noth-ing flashy about his style of play, and his career stats don’t jump off the page (four goals, three assists). But to overlook his journey and personality would be to ignore two aspects of the Ghana native that make him so effective as a player. As

Kelly can attest, Ampadu is one of the hardest working people to come through the program in recent history.

And even though signing a foreigner like Ampadu could mean extra paperwork or logistics issues for an American soccer club, it shouldn’t deter a team from taking a chance on an international player. For Ampadu, his Ghana roots aren’t inconvenient—they are his biggest strength, an indica-tor of his character, and the reason why the NASL and MSL should take a flyer on this kid.

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Sports Editor

MICHAEL SULLIVAN

RILEY OVEREND

Assoc. Sports Editor

ANNABEL STEELE

Asst. Sports Editor

Okay, so I know I said this last week about North Carolina, but this time I’m serious: I am very encouraged with how the Eagles have played over the last couple of weeks. BC ac-tually outperformed itself in Sunday’s game against Syracuse, proving Jim Christian can solve the 2-3 zone and work effectively on of-fense. This should translate well when taking on a pitiful Wake Forest team this Sunday night.

It would be fitting for last-place BC to pick up its first win against second-to-last-place Wake Forest. But head coach Jim Christian will bring his limping, winless squad up against a Demon Deacon team that just battled Pitt into double overtime. Yes , that’s the same Pitt team that demolished BC earlier this season, when A.J. Turner and Jerome Rob-inson were still healthy. Plus, Carter wasn’t shooting 1-of-17 from the field then, either.

Both teams are coming into this game with long losing streaks, but the Demon Deacons will come out on top and BC will remain winless in the ACC. Wake is coming off three away games, most recently a double-overtime loss at Pitt. It will look at a pitiful team still limited by injury and still looking for their first conference vic-tory. The Demon Deacons will give their home fans a show and earn their first victory since Jan. 10 with a solid victory over the woeful Eagles.

Prediction:BC 67, Wake 60

Prediction:Wake 65, BC 59

Prediction:Wake 65, BC 53

Ampadu, from B8

BC vs. Clemson, from B8

Despite this, the Eagles led just 34-31 going into the locker room at the half. Much of that had to do with Clemson’s prowess on the of-fensive glass, where it battered an undersized BC team to the tune of nine off ensive rebounds and seven second chance points.

Additionally, Clemson picked up easy points in transition, where the Tigers could attack the Eagles before the zone was fully set. Th e tempo led to some easy post-ups for junior forward Jaron Blossomgame, who played all 40 minutes and scored a game-high 23 points. Blossomgame also dropped the hammer on Clif-ford with a fastbreak dunk late in the fi rst half.

The first half saw a concerted eff ort among BC players to pass the ball quickly and decisively, as well as move off the ball. Th is helped to off set Carter’s 0-for-7 shooting.

In the second half, Clemson’s defense really clamped down. After a Cliff ord dunk with about 15 min-utes remaining put BC up 41-37, the Eagles went ice-cold from the fi eld and scored just 13 points over the remainder of the contest.

A lot of the credit should go to Avry Holmes, who played tremen-dous defense on Carter and also scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half. Holmes played Carter

physically, getting into his body and disrupting the timing and movement of the BC off ense.

Th en, with the shot clock wind-ing down, he forced Carter into tough isolation shots. While Carter often voluntarily takes such low-percentage shots, Holmes did an excellent job of walling off his driv-ing lanes.

While the offense stalled out, Clemson fi nally began to solve the zone. Th e key proved to enter the ball to Blossomgame near the middle of the zone, where he could either drive to the basket or post up his man. His strength and array of fl oaters was too much to handle for the Eagles’ interior players.

A Donte Grantham 3-pointer with 12 minutes left that gave Clem-son a 45-43 lead put them in front for good.

The Eagles’ disjointed offense took care of the rest, committing eight of its 11 turnovers in the half, with Cliff ord’s four giveaways blemishing an otherwise outstand-ing night. Th ese gave Clemson easy transition opportunities, which helped them to put the game out of reach, especially on a night when the Tigers were struggling to make any jump shots.

A night like this one highlights how much the Eagles miss Jerome Robinson and his ability to create his own looks. With Carter in a

On a brisk Wednesday after-noon in Worcester, Mass., No. 9 Boston College lacrosse struck quickly and often and built on the momentum that it gained in the season opener against BU. Any win is a good win, and the Eagles (2-0) appeared to be in mid-season form in their 19-6 victory over College of the Holy Cross (0-2).

The win boosts BC’s record against Holy Cross to 20-3 all-time, with the 20 wins against Holy Cross being the most wins that the Eagles have against a single opponent in the pro-gram’s history (the second-clos-est being Virginia Tech, which BC has defeated 12 times). BC entered cruise-control mode early in the game and never looked back as it left Holy Cross in the dust, picking up its sec-ond victory of the season—and showing just how dangerous this team can be.

After a free position shot put Holy Cross on the board five minutes into the game, BC flexed its muscles and re-sponded a mere 30 seconds later, when Sam Apuzzo began the scoring for the Eagles and tied the game 1-1. Once the scoring started, the floodgates opened and the goals poured in for BC.

This turned out to be the turning point in the game, as

BC proceeded to go on a 10-0 run and entered halftime with a lead of 11-3.

In addition, 10 different Eagles scored, led by junior Tess Chandler ’s five points (four goals, one assist). Though BC’s dominant performance in the first half effectively sealed the victory, the team did not let up and added eight second-half goals. After BC amounted a 10-goal lead in the second half following a Kara Magley goal, a running clock was added to speed up the lopsided game.

The afternoon proved to be historic for the Eagles, as a number of BC players made program, and personal, history. Leading the way was senior captain Caroline Margolis , who became the 20th player in program history to reach 100 career points.

Alongside Margol is was fellow senior Sarah Mannelly, who assumed sole possession of sixth place in the BC career assists record. Mannelly, like Margolis, is also a member of the 100 career-point club, a feat that she accomplished in 2014. In regard to the underclassmen, Apuzzo has been leading the way. She not only got the scor-ing going for BC against Holy Cross, but she also accumulated her second hat trick in her two-game career as an Eagle.

In addition, the three goals from Apuzzo, combined with a game-high four goals from Tess

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Chandler, would have proven to be enough for the Eagle victory, as the defense was rock solid throughout the game and was led by goalie Zoe Ochoa, who tallied four saves before Lindsey Reder took over in net for the last seven minutes.

Overall, the victory over Holy Cross was a good win. As the favorites going into the matchup, BC did what it needed to do and limited the number of mistakes it made, while also capitalizing on the

opportunities that presented themselves.

Looking forward, a harsh ACC slate awaits BC. The team heads to the Midwest to South Bend, Ind. to take on the Univer-sity of Notre Dame in what will likely be an exciting matchup.

While it is still too early to think about the ACC and national championships, this will be the first true test that BC will face in terms of the caliber of both the conference and national stages.

BC destroyed Holy Cross for its 20th win all-time in the teams’ rivalry.AMELIE TRIEU / HEIGHTS EDITOR

LACROSSE

horrible slump, another player who could take the ball and make plays for others would have been highly useful. As it stands, Carter is the only active player capable of doing so. While his shot selection in the game was fairly indefensible, it’s still important to note that likely no one else on the roster would’ve created better looks in those late-clock isola-tion situations.

And so the hunt for a confer-ence win continues. Th e hope of a victory should only increase after this game, due to both the Eagles’ weaker remaining competition and

the consistent eff ort and intensity the team showed. While it was lack-ing in some of the early conference games, this marked the third straight game that BC held a second-half lead. Additionally, if Carter had shot anywhere near his average—37.8 percent—this game would have been signifi cantly closer.

All streaks must come to an end. Unfortunately for the Eagles, they’ll have to wait at least another game to snap theirs. If they can adopt Carter’s mantra, playing like they’re not in a slump, that fi rst victory may not be that far off .

Carter, the graduate transfer guard, had his worst night as an Eagle.DREW HOO / HEIGHTS EDITOR

Scoreboard....................................................................................................B7Editors’ Picks.......................................................................................................B7

SPORTSB8

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2016

INSIDESPORTSTHIS ISSUE

“When are you gonna call ’em?”Something had caught fi ve-year-old Maken-

na Newkirk’s eye as she took off her newly-worn skates at an ice rink in Scottsdale, Ariz. and prepared to leave from her fi rst class, earlier in the day. On the ice where she had just slipped and slid, struggling to keep her small frame balanced, there was now a collection of boys skating eff ortlessly, moving around the ice and passing a hockey puck back and forth. It was mesmerizing.

“I wanna do that,” she said. Th ough she’d only just before taken her fi rst steps on ice, she was ready for a bigger challenge.

Her father, assuming that she would not remember by the time she got home, held off on calling the league. But then came the ques-tions.

“Have you called ’em yet?”It was a tall order, considering Newkirk’s

geographic positioning in the hockey world couldn’t have been farther off . Living in Scotts-

dale, when she fi rst asked her dad to play, there were minimal programs for young boys and girls interested in hockey. Newkirk’s parents were ill-equipped to deal with a hockey-playing daughter. With her mother from Missouri and her father from California, neither had grown up knowing the sport.

“I didn’t really believe people put blades on the bottom of their shoes and skate on ice,” her father, Greg Newkirk, said.

So after days of pestering, he broke down and called. And Boston College women’s hockey is glad he did, since the now-freshman is making waves on the team. She has notched 18 goals and 21 assists this season, and is second only to Minnesota’s Sarah Potomak on the freshman point-scoring list.

***Th e caller on the other end said there was a

co-ed league and there was a space for the young Newkirk, the only girl who played in the league for the fi rst year.

Like most sports, co-ed hockey eventu-

Lacrosse: BC Crosses Up CrusadersThe Eagles followed a victory over crosstown rival BU with one over cross-state rival Holy Cross......B7

See Ampadu, B7

A reporter once asked former UCLA Bruins and Indiana Pacers shooting guard Reggie Miller how he broke out of shooting slumps. Th e premier marksman responded, “Shoot like there is no slump.”

Wednesday night, it might have been benefi cial for Boston College men’s basket-ball if Eli Carter didn’t abide by that advice. Mired in a four-game rut, in which he shot 26.5 percent from the fl oor and made more than two shots just once, the graduate transfer danced his way across the fl oor, fol-lowing one step-back jumper with another. And one after the other, the shots clanged away, including one particularly excruciating miss that twice rolled around the rim before falling out.

Bogged down by Carter’s woeful 1-for-17 shooting, the Eagles (7-19, 0-13 Atlantic Coast) fell 65-54 to Clemson (16-10, 9-5), thwarted in their quest to fi nally win a game in 2016.

Buried beneath Carter’s struggles was one of the most complete eff orts BC has put together in conference play, with all other players combining to shoot 54.1 percent. Dennis Cliff ord was particularly impressive for the third straight game, fi nishing with 17 points and eight rebounds. He even swished his fi rst 3-pointer of the season.

Despite falling behind 14-5 early in the fi rst half, the Eagles roared back with an 8-0 run in which they exploited Clemson’s pick and roll defense, which suff ered lapses all night.

BC really excelled at quickly moving the ball when two defenders went to harass the

ball handler, leading to easy layups and dunks for their big men. Cliff ord benefi tted from this movement all night, with three dunks coming on nearly identical sequences.

Garland Owens joined in on the dunking, with his nightly highlight, corralling a slightly errant pass from Ervins Meznieks for an al-ley-oop after a nice back cut.

Defensively, BC opened up with a 2-3 zone, which it used quite frequently all night with the goal of keeping Clemson’s athletic wings out of the paint. Th e zone worked better than it had all season in the fi rst half, keeping Clemson from driving into the paint and forcing the Tigers to keep the ball on the perimeter. Clemson took 14 three-point shots in the half and shot just 33 percent from the fi eld.

Earlier this month, Toby Ampadu watched as his former schoolmate in Ghana, Joshua Yaro, was taken second overall by the Philadelphia Union in the MLS SuperDraft. Ampadu’s name was never called.

Though it didn’t come as a shock to the former captain of Boston Col-lege men’s soccer, the outcome left Ampadu with serious questions about his future. The Accra, Ghana, native graduated from BC in December, just 10 days after Syracuse ended the Eagles’ Cinderella run in the NCAA Tournament before they could clinch their first College Cup berth in school history. A week earlier, Ampadu held Yaro’s No. 2 Georgetown to only one goal in BC’s upset win in the Sweet Sixteen. Before that, Ampadu’s Eagles were a mere afterthought in the ACC.

Now, the left back is training in Boston as he awaits the verdicts of his tryouts with teams from the North American Soccer League (NASL) and United Soccer League (USL), where most players earn less than $40,000 a year. In each league, Ampadu and his agent are starting at the top of the standings and working their way down the list of potential destinations for the 22-year-old.

“I want to stay in the game here [in America], I’m planning on that,” Ampadu said in a phone interview earlier this week. “But for me, it’s very difficult to get on a club because I’m not American. They have so much to do for me in terms of waivers and stuff like that.”

It might be easier to pursue soccer overseas, where the sport garners genuine, widespread interest that can help Ampadu cut a bigger check. Or he could use his degree from BC to get a job here or abroad, or even return to Ghana to reunite with family and friends in his hometown.

As tempting as those options may be, Ampadu is opting to chase the American Dream on the pitch, even if he has to absorb an offseason job in order to supplement his professional soccer aspirations. And there’s some-thing noble in that.

The road to the U.S. hasn’t been an easy one for Ampadu, who, along with fellow Eagles Mohammed Moro and Ike Normesinu, earned a chance to come to America through Right to Dream, an organization that provides scholarships to gifted African athletes. Many of Ampadu’s childhood friends, like Mohammed Abu, chose to skip college and head straight to Europe to pursue a professional career. In-stead, Ampadu picked The Hotchkiss School, a private boarding school in Connecticut with a yearly tuition upwards of $50,000. The college matriculation rate? 100 percent. The motto? “Be a gentleman.”

Talk about a culture shock.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

See BC vs. Clemson, B7 Dennis Clifford put up his third consecutive great game, with 13 points and eight boards.ALEC GREANEY / HEIGHTS EDITOR

NEWKIRKON THE

BLOCK

See Newkirk, B6ASSISTS

GOALS

LEADING SCORER IN THE NATION

AMONG FRESHMEN