Boston College Chronicle

PUBLISHED BY THE BOSTON COLLEGE OFFICE OF UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

NOVEMBER 9, 2023 VOL. 31 NO. 6

Forum on Racial Justice

INSIDE

Nov. 15 Event to Discuss Affordable Housing

3x Climate HeadlineChange

Career Center, Schiller Institute xxxxx. event helps students considering xclimate Headline change-related work. xxx.

5 Obituary Theologian x HeadlineRichard Gaillardetz died xxxxx. on November 7.

7 Kuechly’s Return

BY ROSANNE PELLEGRINI STAFF WRITER

Ex-Eagles star talks about his involvement with Project Life.

Finishing Strong Flexible degree completion programs, culture of support make WCAS a destination for transfer students

BY JOHN SHAKESPEAR SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE

Although she grew up in northern Virginia, Cate Hartnett spent most footballseason Saturdays cheering for a team from further north: Boston College. Her father, Michael B. Hartnett, had become an Eagles fan while studying at BC Law, and BC was her team—and her dream school.

When it came time to apply to college, though, she pursued an opportunity to play collegiate basketball at Wheaton.

She joined the team, but the stresses of the student-athlete experience led her to take time off from school. When she heard that the Woods College of Advancing Studies offered degree completion programs, the possibility of finishing her college journey at BC thrilled her, but it seemed like a long shot.

“I wondered if I was cut out for it, because I had gone through a lot and left another school,” Hartnett said. But when she enrolled in a non-degree College Writing course in the fall of 2019 to test the waters, the people she met made her feel like BC was within reach after all.

“Everyone at Woods, from the admissions counselors to my advisors, professors, and classmates, made me feel like I had my own valuable story to tell,” she said. By the following fall, Hartnett was enrolled as a full-time psychology major.

Continued on page 4

photo by caitlin cunningham

A Real Treat Boston College Campus School staff and volunteers took Campus School students for special trick-or-treating through the Mods on Halloween afternoon. Located in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, the publicly funded Campus School enrolls special education students, ages three to 21, who face complex challenges and have unique learning needs. The school also hosted its fall 5k “Run ’n Roll” (see page 7).

At a time when the country’s affordable housing crisis intensifies and exacerbates racial wealth gaps, the Boston College Forum on Racial Justice in America has convened a group of experts to address this timely and important topic at a November 15 panel discussion.

“Promoting Racial Justice in Housing,” which runs from 6-8 p.m. in the Heights Room of Corcoran Commons, will be moderated by Forum Co-Directors Joy Moore, vice president and executive director of the Pine Manor Institute for Student Success at Boston College, and Morrissey Continued on page 4

Mack Named Student Services Exec. Director

BY JACK DUNN ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Vice Provost for Finance and Strategic Initiatives Joseph Carroll has appointed Jennifer Mack, director of student information systems since 2019, as the executive director of Student Services. She succeeds Adam Krueckeberg, who left last year to become the vice dean for administration at Boston University School of Law. During her tenure as director of student information systems, Mack led the development of the Student Services Information System (SSIS) team as well as the implementation of EagleApps, the University’s student information system, in collaboration with Information Technology Services and other campus partners. She won praise from colleagues across campus for her dedication in delivering EagleApps, while simultaneously replacing a 40-yearold mainframe student information system.

In her new role, she serves as a senior member of the academic management team with direct responsibilities that span critical frontline and back-office operations in support of Boston College and its stu-

dents. She will also work closely with the bursar and directly supervise the registrar and the SSIS technology team, while also providing consultative support to Undergraduate Admission and Financial Aid, the University’s nine schools and colleges, and the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society. In addition to her direct management responsibilities, Mack sits on the Academic Officers Council and the Academic Technology Advisory Board, representing Student Services.

Carroll praised Mack as a skilled professional with the knowledge, commitment, and experience needed to effectively lead Student Services.

“Throughout her tenure, Jen has been a strong leader who is unwavering in her commitment to Boston College,” said Carroll. “She has consistently demonstrated an

Jennifer Mack

Continued on page 3

QUOTE

photo by lee pellegrini

In the U.S., we have long been willing to tolerate income inequality if we think it’s based on an individual’s efforts or degree of success. In doing so, we’ve put enormous stress on our schools to level the playing field.

–o’neill professor r. shep melnick, page 6

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Chronicle

November 9, 2023

Around Campus

Connecting with the World Almost every academic year since 20172018, members of the Boston College community have had the opportunity to immerse themselves in a unique real-time conversation with people in far-flung places across the world—ranging from refugee camps to schools to high-tech hubs. And once again, the Global Engagement Portal has come to campus to help make the planet seem just a little smaller, say organizers, and more connected.

The portal, a shipping container converted into a videoconferencing chamber, one of several dozen designed by Shared Studios and made available around the world, arrived on the Plaza at O’Neill Library October 23 and will be there until November 16.

Other current portals are in or near an internally-displaced persons camp in Iraqi Kurdistan; two of the world’s largest refugee settlements, one in Bangladesh and another in Uganda; a digital culture museum in Mexico City; an environmental conservation organization in Barbados; a public arts/ social enterprise hub in Rwanda; an innovative high-tech/indigenous knowledge academy in Mali; and locations in Brazil, South Africa, Ethiopia, and Nigeria.

Real-world dynamics sometimes force changes in the program, BC organizers note: A portal that had been placed in Gaza City was shut down because of the IsraelHamas conflict; its curator had to relocate when her apartment was destroyed.

Portal sessions last about 50 minutes apiece, and can accommodate six to eight participants. Multiple sessions can be booked, back-to-back or on different dates; walk-in sessions also are available [go to bc.edu/bc-web/schools/mcas/sites/isp/projects/global-engagement.html].

“I have found that conversations in the

portal help to humanize the distant other in a powerful and memorable way,” said Erik Owens, a professor of the practice in theology and director of the International Studies Program, one of nine University sponsors for the portal program at BC. “Sometimes we’ve hosted encounters that are unforgettable because they are so unique: a session where people on each side of the portal take turns performing a song and explaining why it’s meaningful to them; or where both sides push a table toward the video screen and share a meal at what looks like a dinner table extending from Chestnut Hill to Kigali [Rwanda].

“I definitely leave these conversations feeling a personal connection to the people I’m speaking with; the conversations can be inspirational, educational, and challenging, but I always leave with a greater sense of empathy for the perspective of the people I’m speaking with.”

BC undergraduates play an important role in the portal program by curating sessions—assisting BC groups in getting used to the portal, introducing them to the remote participants, and helping initiate conversations. Olivia Absey-Allen ’27 led a discussion in which students from the BC Sustainability Council spoke with a representative from an ecological preserve in Barbados and learned about her work.

She also curated a session in which teaching assistants from the Lynch School of Education and Human Development talked with IT experts in Mexico City.

Said Absey-Allen, “It can be a bit challenging to get the conversation flowing in the beginning, but as the session goes on, I can see both groups getting comfortable with each other. It was so interesting to talk with the Mexico City group about technology, especially how it both divides us

A session in the Global Engagement Portal last fall. The portal is on campus through November 16, part of Boston College’s observance of International Education Weeks. photo by erik owens

and connects us. Without technology, we wouldn’t be able to participate in these dialogues with people from around the world.”

Assistant Professor of the Practice Joshua Snyder (Theology), director of BC’s Faith, Peace, and Justice minor, and his students interacted with representatives from an organization in South Africa that focuses on empowering young adults through creative expression, art, and culture. Snyder said his group heard about the pervasive legacy of apartheid in South Africa and the challenges young adults face: “The crippling levels of poverty, unemployment and HIV rates were shocking for our students.

“In my courses we talk a lot about the power of solidarity through proximity, which is the ability to see another’s cause as your own by meeting with others and listening to their lived experiences,” said Snyder. “The essential first step is for students to have an encounter with another culture.

Through listening and mutual dialogue, they are then in a better position to take up the causes and concerns of others by being allies and advocates. I think the students had a powerful experience. This is obviously only a first step, but through encounter their perspectives and worldviews become more expansive.”

Sometimes, the revelations these talks yield are more personal, but no less deeply felt, as Vincent Sablich ’24 found when speaking with two Congolese refugees in Uganda about Maitre Gims, a musical artist from the Congo of whom Sablich is an avid fan. “Music allows people from all backgrounds and experiences to connect heart to heart and soul to soul. I think this highlights what it means to be a global citizen.”

The Global Engagement Portal is presented as part of Boston College’s observance of International Education Weeks [see bc.edu/iew] —Sean Smith

Snapshot

photo by caitlin cunningham

Distinguished Guest

The Lynch School of Education and Human Development welcomed Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper to Gasson 100 Tuesday night. Skipper’s talk was part of the school’s Formative Education Lecture Series.

ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Jack Dunn

SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS

Patricia Delaney EDITOR

Sean Smith

CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Phil Gloudemans Ed Hayward Audrey Loyack Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan

Chronicle

PHOTOGRAPHERS

www.bc.edu/bcnews chronicle@bc.edu

Caitlin Cunningham Lee Pellegrini

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Chronicle

November 9, 2023

A Climate for Opportunity

BC undergraduates aren’t just learning about climate change. They’re looking at it as a potential career path.

BY PHIL GLOUDEMANS STAFF WRITER

Anna Davis ’24, a history major in the Morrisey College of Arts and Sciences, arrived on the Boston College campus with an interest in climate change; over the course of three years, it’s become her North Star.

“I did not anticipate climate change dominating my studies,” said Davis. “I’ve taken a wide variety of courses on the topic, exploring the intersection between my major and the development of climate activism in the United States. I minored in Managing for Social Impact and the Public Good. Now, I’m working on a Scholar of the College thesis that explores the legal and economic thought that developed in response to the 1973 Endangered Species Act, which reflects the broader polarization over environmental and climate issues in America today, which has merged all my academic interests into a singular project.”

Davis, who will travel to Dubai next month for the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) as a member of the BC faculty and student contingent, was one of nearly 50 students who attended the first Climate Change Professional Dinner and Networking Night on October 26, sponsored by the BC Career Center and the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society.

The event enabled undergraduates to interact with BC alumni employed by companies focused on the long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, and—as reflected by opening remarks from Professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences Yi Ming—underscored the University’s commitment to climate change-related research and teaching, and providing students like Davis the opportunity to consider the field as a potential career path.

“Over the last 10 years, we’ve experienced the hottest decade in our history; there have been numerous wildfires; the temperatures in the Southwest have soared; and in Florida, insurance companies are refusing to insure homeowners because of excessive flooding,” said Ming, the Schiller Institute

(L-R) Chantala Chanthasiri ‘96 of State Street spoke with Brightna Hu ’24 and School of Theology and Ministry student Ana Gonzalez ’25 at the University’s first Climate Change Professional Dinner and Networking Night on October 26, sponsored by the Career Center and the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society. photo by lee pellegrini

Professor of Climate Science and Society, in his address. “If we go back to Hurricane Katrina, the storm flooded 80 percent of New Orleans, impacting underprivileged residents disproportionally. Worldwide, the Global South has historically had a lower rate of greenhouse gas emissions, but often is the most exposed to the effects of climate change due to a lack of financial and technological resources, and a limited access to renewable energy sources.

“The Schiller Institute, through its collaborations with BC economists and social work faculty, is focused on solutions, such as renewable energy and windfarms, and addressing the impact of climate change on the mental health of those living in low-income countries,” said Ming. “We share the same humanity; we have an obligation to pass down our planet to the next generation in better condition than we found it.”

Co-hosts Jim West, outgoing assistant director of Schiller Institute Programs, and Career Center Associate Director Kayla Pelland invited attendees to chat with BC alums in attendance, including Ashley Medlar ’11 from the advocacy group Environmental Defense Fund; Olivia McCaffrey ’17 of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs; Chantala Chanthasiri ’96, from State Street, a global finan-

cial services company; Caitlin Connelly ’19, of energy research and consultancy Wood Mackenzie; Michelle Fay ’95, at business management consulting firm Guidehouse; Asa Ackerly ’22, from Ceres, an accelerator for sustainable capital markets; and Joe Fonseca ’20 and Leanne Ortega ’23, of solar energy company EnergySage.

“It was a great opportunity to learn about the diverse range of sustainability careers, and to network with professionals who are eager to bring students into the field.”

—Anna Davis ’24 “There was a buzz in the Schiller Convening Space as students and alumni discussed pressing issues and opportunities associated with climate change,” said West.

“This collaboration provided an opportunity for students to connect with alumni, and develop the professional networking skills they will need to achieve their potential.”

Students were quick to comment on the session, funded by a Career Center’s Big Ideas Innovation Grant, developed to

Mack Is New Head of Student Services Continued from page 1

exceptional ability to inspire and guide her team and foster a culture of collaboration and excellence. As she steps into her new role, I am confident her leadership skills will continue to drive positive change.”

Mack said she is enjoying her new role and the opportunities and challenges that come with it.

“I am excited and grateful to continue to serve the staff, faculty, and students at Boston College,” said Mack. “The opportunities to contribute in meaningful ways—

whether it has been through implementing new processes, systems, and communications or partnering across organizations— has been both challenging and incredibly rewarding.

“I look forward to working with the dedicated and service-focused staff within Student Services as well as my colleagues in departments across campus to find new ways to innovate, support, improve efficiency, increase employee and customer satisfaction and, most importantly, col-

laborate and communicate consistently and effectively.”

A graduate of Simmons College, Mack received an M.B.A. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She also holds an executive education certificate in Women in Leadership from Babson College and has done graduate studies in library and information science at Simmons College.

Mack lives in Brookline with her husband, Manheim, and their five children.

encourage staff to innovate and experiment with bold, new programs that enhance career education and student opportunities.

Davis, who has hopes of attending law school and specializing in environmental law, characterized the networking night as a major success.

“It was a great opportunity to learn about the diverse range of sustainability careers, and to network with professionals who are eager to bring students into the field. These sessions have shown me that professionals in this field come from various backgrounds and possess a diverse range of expertise. I appreciate that BC has taken the initiative to organize such events, encouraging students to explore numerous career paths within the sustainability sector.”

“As a BC alumna and now a [Woods College of Advancing Studies] grad student looking towards my next step, I found the Climate Change Professional Networking Night particularly more enjoyable than other networking events,” said Kirsten Stanislawski ’22. “It was great to connect with professionals not only on what we’re passionate about, but to also discuss our BC experiences. It gave me hope that other BC alumni who studied the same things I did, found work and are successful post-college.”

Pelland, who heads up the Career Center science, technology, and engineering career cluster, explained that the center operates in a career cluster model, with industry-specific mentors who provide tailored advice and support students in their career development.

“Given that climate change-related careers span multiple industries, many of our cluster coaches have worked with students interested in this field to develop targeted job and internship search strategies,” she said.

She noted that in their post-event survey, 100 percent of student respondents reported they felt confident in their ability to communicate with alumni and professionals after attending the Climate Change Professional Dinner and Networking Night.

“Looking forward, the Career Center and the Schiller Institute hope to build on this momentum by collaborating on Green Careers Night in April, a networking event for students and alumni interested in sustainability,” she said. “Talking with people in climate change-related careers is a great way to explore and build meaningful connections.”

Due to the Thanksgiving break, the next edition of Chronicle will be published on November 30.

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Chronicle

November 9, 2023

For Transfer Students, Woods Is Welcoming Continued from page 1

“On my first day, I climbed the stairs and saw Gasson Hall,” she said. “I grew up dreaming of what going to BC would be like, but it has been better than I even imagined.”

Hartnett is just one of many students who’ve found a home at the Woods College after starting their bachelor’s degree elsewhere or earning an associate’s degree.

Through a degree completion program architected by retiring Dean Karen Muncaster, Woods accepts up to 60 transfer credits from other institutions—a full half of the 120 credits required to earn a B.A. Its graduates earn standard Boston College degrees, with no asterisks or caveats.

The transfer process can seem daunting, especially for students who have attended multiple schools or taken time off. To ensure that applicants can transfer every credit they’ve earned and earn their degree at an affordable cost, the Woods admissions team works with each one individually throughout the process.

“BC Woods is the third college I’ve attended, and the transfer experience here was the smoothest I’ve had,” said Otto Haeg, an applied liberal arts major who came to Woods after stints at The University of the South (Sewanee) and St. Olaf College. “The people are what made the difference—I connected with [Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions] Anna Hughes immediately, and everyone was eager to help.”

Once students are admitted, a dedicated academic advisor helps them craft a program of study that fits their schedule and needs. Flexible online, hybrid, and inperson evening courses enable students to balance their studies with work, family, and other responsibilities.

For Gayana Daniel ’22, who earned a B.A. in criminal justice after finishing an associate’s degree at Boston’s Bunker Hill Community College, this flexibility was a major draw.

“I was interning at the Mayor’s Office in Boston, and I also had another job at the time,” Daniel said. “As a Black woman and a first-gen college student, it was very important to me to finish my bachelor’s, and Woods came into my life at the right time.”

Working with her advisor, Daniel was able to take all of her courses after work, almost entirely online. For her, the quality of a BC education was evident throughout, undiminished by the format.

“The discussions and group projects made me more comfortable with public speaking and leadership,” she said, noting that she feels more able to take initiative and make herself heard. “I feel I have the education, resources, and knowledge to make a change myself.”

Daniel’s commitment has paid off— today, she is chief of staff for the Mayor’s Office of Language and Communications Access, where she helps residents across Boston access essential translation and interpretation services.

“Transferring my credits was seamless, and going to Woods ended up being one of the best decisions I’ve made,” she said.

Sociology major Nick Owen also came to Woods because he was seeking to complete his degree while working. As a program director at Action for Boston Community Development, he leads initiatives to fight food insecurity in the Greater Boston area, and he did not want to put this vital work on hold.

“It’s huge to be able to take a mix of inperson, hybrid, and online courses without sacrificing quality, in a diverse learning environment,” Owen said. “I’m a reflective person, and Woods strikes a unique balance between big-picture thinking and practical skill building.”

Even as Owen’s studies at Woods have dovetailed with the career he’s already building, courses like Examined Life and Designing Your Career have helped him

photo by lee pellegrini

“It’s huge to be able to take a mix of in-person, hybrid, and online courses without sacrificing quality, in a diverse learning environment,” says WCAS student Nick Owen. “I’m a reflective person, and Woods strikes a unique balance between big-picture thinking and practical skill building.” consider the future, and classes like Data Visualization have helped him build new skills.

Other transfer students come to Woods to focus on their studies and find professional opportunities in the process. After transferring, Hartnett interned for BC football, learning firsthand about the operations behind the team she’d grown up rooting for. Then, her academic advisor, Ben Arcangeli, referred her for a job as a certified peer specialist at Riverside Community Care, a respite home outside of Boston.

“Woods has prepared me to work in the mental health field,” said Hartnett, who plans to pursue a master’s degree in mental health counseling after graduation. “In this

role, I use my lived experience to help others start their rehabilitation and give them some hope.”

For Haeg, Woods has offered both a path forward professionally and a chance to finish his college experience in a holistic sense.

“In coming back to school, I wanted to have a community experience, a professional experience, and an intellectual experience,” he said. “It was clear from the beginning that Woods was all those things.

I can honestly say that I’m in the process of changing my life, and Woods is a huge part of that.”

John Shakespear is a senior digital content writer in the Office of University Communications

Nov. 15 Forum on Racial Justice Focuses on Housing Continued from page 1

College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J. Co-sponsored by the Joseph E. Corcoran Center for Real Estate and Urban Action, the event will bring together prominent leaders in law, housing, government, and business to discuss what they see as the critical issues related to racial equity in housing today, and what steps would need to be taken to address them.

“The history of racial injustice in housing in America is part of a larger crisis of affordable and inequitable housing affecting all Americans,” said Fr. Kalscheur. “We have much to learn from our distinguished panelists about the historical causes of the current reality, the roles played by various actors in the housing production, finance, and policy systems, and the hope for progress that can be found in current efforts to remedy past injustices. I am looking

forward to a rich conversation about this critically important topic.”

Topics to be addressed include: what racial injustice in the United States housing system looks like; the history and causes of racial justice in the United States housing system; and what steps could lead toward a more racially just housing system. Other issues include the role of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as the housing production and finance systems.

BC Law School Professor Lisa T. Alexander—whose scholarship focuses on U.S. housing law and policy, and the law’s role in making housing markets more efficient and equitable—will be among panelists.

Alexander has conducted extensive research in legal and extra-legal rights to property, housing, and urban space; teaches corporations, housing law and policy, and local

government law; and serves as faculty director for Housing and Property Rights Programs of BC Law’s Initiative on Land, Housing & Property Rights. [See a Q&A with Alexander on page 8] Other panelists are: Chrystal Kornegay, executive director of MassHousing, which lends over $1 billion annually to produce and preserve affordable rental housing and create homeownership opportunities for low- and moderate-income borrowers; Juana B. Matias, appointed by President Biden as New England regional administrator for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development; and MassHousing Board of Trustees Chair Jeanne Pinado, executive vice president of Colliers International, where she plays an integral national role developing and nurturing the firm’s global diversity and inclusion initiatives.

“We have a dynamic panel with years

of experience in expanding the fair housing space,” said Moore. “Their insights, expertise, and connections to the communities they serve will give us all much to think about and action steps to help change the landscape of racial injustice in housing. We are looking forward to the BC community coming together to learn from four women leaders who are on the ground making change happen.”

A University-wide initiative, the Forum provides a meeting place for listening, dialogue, and greater understanding about race and racism in America. Under the auspices of the Carroll School of Management, the Corcoran Center leverages a multidisciplinary approach to cultivate discussions and develop actions that foster community transformation.

For more information about this University-wide event, see rb.gy/v470yt

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Chronicle

November 9, 2023

OBITUARY

Theologian and Author Richard Gaillardetz, 65

Renowned ecclesiologist Richard R. Gaillardetz, the Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic Theology at Boston College and an award-winning theologian and author, died on Tuesday. He was 65.

A wake for Dr. Gaillardetz will be held on November 15 from 4-8 p.m. at the William J. Gormely Funeral Home in West Roxbury. A funeral Mass will be celebrated November 16 at 9:30 a.m. in St. Ignatius Parish.

Dr. Gaillardetz was a respected and leading voice in the interpretation and reception of Vatican II and questions of authority in the Catholic Church. He was the author or co-author of nine books, editor of six others, and published more than a 100 articles and book reviews. He was also a popular public speaker, addressing theological and pastoral conferences.

His book Teaching with Authority: A Theology of the Magisterium of the Church is a standard text in its field and has remained in print for a quarter-century, while Keys to the Council: Unlocking the Teaching of Vatican II (co-authored with Catherine Clifford, a professor of systematic and historical theology at St. Paul University in Canada) presents a less intimidating and more accessible introduction to the vision of the Vatican II. His other notable works include By What Authority? Foundations for Understanding Authority in the Church and An Unfinished Council: Vatican II, Pope Francis, and the Renewal of Catholics. His publications have received numerous awards from both the Catholic Press Association and the Association of Catholic Publishers.

Theology Chair Andrea Vicini, S.J., said, “Within the department, with our colleagues, staff, undergraduate, and graduate students, as well as within our University, the academy, and the Church, Professor Richard Gaillardetz shared his great love and passion for the present and the future of the Church, and for the not-yet fully realized contributions of the Second Vatican Council. During his sickness, he allowed us to accompany him in his spiritual journey.

With heartfelt gratitude, we will greatly miss him, striving to continue his theological work.”

Dr. Gaillardetz and BC School of Theology and Ministry faculty members Thomas Groome and Fr. Richard Lennan co-chaired a faculty seminar on “Priesthood and Ministry for the Contemporary Church,” which undertook a scholarly, practical, and ecclesiastical examination of the priesthood and ministry. After two years of meetings, the group issued a document, “To Serve the People of God,” that outlined the essence of the priestly ministry and became the basis of a 2020 conference held at BC that involved cardinals, bishops, seminary rectors, ordained and lay ministers, and scholars. At the conclusion, a formal communique outlined 10 pastoral recommendations to expand existing ecclesial ministries and explore new models for ordained ministry.

The seminar’s project culminated in the publication of Priestly Ministry and the Peo-

Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic Theology Richard Gaillardetz photo by gary wayne gilbert

ple of God, a book of essays from a variety of voices—a cardinal, bishops, seminary rectors, ordained and lay ministers, and academic theologians—who put forth their best hopes for the future of the priesthood.

Dr. Gaillardetz served as a co-editor and contributor, along with Groome and Fr. Lennan.

In the book, Dr. Gaillardetz highlighted the flaws in the existing system for forming priests. “Our current vocational system is constructed more to discern impediments to ordination than the existence of a charism or aptitude for the exercise of genuine pastoral leadership or pastoral ministry of any kind.”

“Rick was a person of enormous energy and wonderful creativity as a theologian,” said Fr. Lennan. “Rick’s work on the theology of church and ministry has enriched significantly the life of the ecclesial community in the United States and beyond.

As a teacher, Rick was a skilled communicator, able to express complex ideas in a clear and compelling way that invited his hearers into conversation. Rick exemplified in many ways the attributes proper to ‘love for the Church’: he was neither romantic nor apologetic but always deeply committed to the realization of a Church characterized by faith, openness to conversion, and ways of living that embody all that it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

Rick’s writings during his illness have manifested the faith, hope, and love that shaped his life and vocation as a theologian.”

In September 2022, the University hosted a conference to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Gaillardetz as a scholar, teacher, and mentor. Hundreds of theologians and former students gathered on campus for the event, titled “New Directions in Ecclesiology: The Contributions of Richard Gaillardetz.” The conference included an address

by Dr. Gaillardetz, one he dubbed his last lecture, on “Loving and Reforming a Holy

Yet Broken Church.”

In his talk, reported the National Catholic Reporter, Dr. Gaillardetz encouraged his colleagues to continue the work of “meaningful and lasting ecclesial reform” and to seek out a middle path between over-critiquing the Catholic Church as an institution and being over-trustful of its leaders, especially after the clergy sexual abuse scandals.

“Our Church today is paying the price for our failure to maintain a reflective equilibrium. We are becoming divided into two camps, those who embrace the tradition, whole cloth, as a reality that stands beyond critique, and those whose sweeping denunciations leave us only a few salvageable fragments of a largely failed tradition,” he said.

In an interview with NCR, Clifford— Dr. Gaillardetz’s collaborator on Keys to the Council—called him “a generous mentor, teacher, and colleague. I have always been impressed by Rick’s work ethic and his commitment to collaborate with others to address pressing theological issues.

“He is always looking ahead, seeking a constructive way forward, yet never losing touch with the well-trodden path of tradition,” she said. “Rick has never shied away from an honest assessment of the immense challenges that face the Church in our time. Yet his incisive criticism is always tempered with Christian realism and the virtue of hope in merciful God.” Massimo Faggioli, a theologian at Villanova University, spoke to NCR about Dr. Gaillardetz’s work in trying to address polarization in the American Church and in training young theologians.

“As a teacher, he trained a new generation of scholars that are now the ecclesiologists of our time, and at this time of ecclesial redefinition of terms, his contribu-

BC Scenes

Voices in the Night

The Acoustics, above, and The Common Tones were among the performers at the Boston College A Cappella Showcase, held on November 4 in Robsham Theater.

tion has given us young scholars a sensus ecclesiae that will be crucial in the next few years.”

Dr. Gaillardetz was born and raised in a military family and spent much of his youth traveling, an experience he credited with the development of a lifelong appreciation for the diversity of people.

He received a bachelor’s degree in humanities from the University of TexasAustin, a master’s degree in biblical theology from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, and both an M.A. and Ph.D. in systematic theology from the University of Notre Dame.

He joined the Boston College Theology Department in 2011 and served as chair of the department and director of graduate studies. Immediately prior to joining BC, Dr. Gaillardetz was the Margaret and Thomas Murray and James J. Bacik Professor of Catholic Studies at the University of Toledo. He also taught at the University of St. Thomas Graduate School of Theology at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston.

Dr. Gaillardetz was a member and past president of the Catholic Theological Society of America, the largest professional association of Catholic theologians in the world. He was also a member of the American Academy of Religion and the College Theology Society. He was the recipient of the Yves Congar Award for Theological Excellence from Barry University and the Sophia Award from the Washington Theological Union for theological excellence in service of ministry.

He is survived by his wife Diana, who graduated from the BC School of Social Work in 2022, and their sons David, M.S.W. ’16, M.A. ’19; Andrew; Brian ’17; and Gregory ’19.

—Kathleen Sullivan

photos by ann hermes

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Chronicle

November 9, 2023

Melnick Examines the Odyssey of Desgregation Efforts

BY SEAN SMITH CHRONICLE EDITOR

Make no mistake, says O’Neill Professor of American Politics R. Shep Melnick: The 1954 United States Supreme Court decision in the Brown vs. Board of Education case paving the way for school desegregation was a historic milestone in the nation’s quest for civil rights.

But Brown v. Board also represented a missed opportunity that has frustrated America’s efforts to promote racial equality in education, according to Melnick, who explains this flawed legacy in his recent book The Crucible of Desegregation: The Uncertain Search for Educational Equality.

For all the magnitude of Brown v.

Board, he says, the Supreme Court never specified what desegregation should actually encompass or devised a means for evaluating different methods of desegregation—nor did the court do so in the decades that followed. Giving particular scrutiny to the interactions between federal courts and agencies, the book asserts that it is administrators and lower court judges who have largely interpreted and implemented desegregation policy, with a mixed record of success and often amid highly charged circumstances.

Melnick had long planned The Crucible of Desegregation as the second of three books examining the institutional roles of the courts, government, and other key players in American education. Its publication on the eve of last summer’s Supreme Court ruling that effectively ended affirmative action in college admissions was coincidental, but as the national dialogue on racial equality in education continues, he says, remembering how Brown set the stage for that conversation is important.

“School desegregation was critical to institution building in the U.S.,” said Melnick, who was appointed as O’Neill Professor in 1997. “It established the alliance be-

R. Shep Melnick photo by christopher soldt (MTS)

tween courts and agencies that exemplified the civil rights state which emerged in the 1960s to combat discrimination not only on the basis of race but sex, language, disability, age, and other factors.”

However, he added, this quest faced immediate difficulties because the Supreme Court’s explanation for its Brown ruling was so incomplete: Instead of a convincing legal argument for invalidating all forms of state-sponsored segregation, Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote an opinion crafted to avoid inflaming the South while offering a morally compelling explanation for the court’s decision that would resonate with the public.

“He sought an opinion that would unite the U.S., and was short enough to be reprinted in newspapers and clear enough to get public support,” said Melnick, who notes that the court’s inclusion of the phrase “with all deliberate speed” served to impede compliance with the ruling.

Absent a clear Supreme Court directive,

school desegregation followed two paths on the local level, he said, “both insufficient in of themselves and difficult to sustain.”

The first was to take a truly color-blind approach, in an attempt to undo the effects of years of segregated education.

“At the time, this was viewed as the essential step toward eradicating the racial caste system that had long existed in the South,” said Melnick. “But overall, colorblind desegregation proved far too easy for school officials to evade and resist; in response, federal guidelines were revised to institute racial quotas, without much effort to determine to what extent ‘racial balance’ would ameliorate the impact of segregated education.”

Later, in the wake of “white flight” and the deterioration of public education in many urban areas, federal judges and administrators sought to eliminate what came to be known as “racial isolation” by mandating racial balance in schools in the North as well as the South. Underlying this approach, said Melnick, was the belief that Black students would do better academically in schools that were heavily white— and, theoretically, had more resources and a better educational culture. But this path led to a series of busing controversies in the 1970s—an era, Melnick notes in the book, that was recalled during the 2020 presidential campaign in a terse exchange between then-candidates Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. This second phase of desegregation failed to significantly close the achievement gap between Black and Hispanic students and white students.

Melnick points to Boston’s busing turmoil as indicative of the over-arching problem in carrying out desegregation: “The argument for racial balance was that mixing middle-class whites with lower-income Blacks would create a ‘culture of learning.’

That’s fine, but why do it in South Boston, which had problems of its own in terms of educational resources and culture? The un-

At Lecture, Dr. Kerry Praises BC Global Public Health Major Speaking at the November 1 Connell School of Nursing fall Pinnacle Lecture, global public health expert Vanessa Kerry, M.D., described the climate crisis as “a health crisis”—one that “is killing us.”

“The events of this past summer brought these painful truths into sharp focus,” said Dr. Kerry, citing the wildfires in Canada and Maui, extreme heat in the American Southwest, flooding in Libya, and cyclones in southern Africa.

Dr. Kerry is a physician and co-founder and CEO of Seed Global Health, which has helped educate doctors, nurses, and midwives in seven countries, improving health care for more than 73 million people. She also is the World Health Organization’s first-ever Special Envoy for Climate Change and Health.

Introducing Dr. Kerry as the Dr. Maureen P. McCausland Pinnacle keynote speaker, CSON Dean Katherine Gregory

called her, “an exemplar of how health care professionals can bring about transformational change in the world of global health and climate advocacy.”

The event, held in the Yawkey Center Murray Room, also served as a celebration of the new Global Public Health and the Common Good undergraduate major, administered by the Connell School in partnership with the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society. Dr. Kerry praised the major as “an extraordinary statement and exactly the kind of leadership that we need from academics—to train the next generation of leaders and the next generation of smart decision-makers that can take us on a different course.”

She shared a hopeful anecdote from Malawi, a country that partners with Seed Global Health, to illustrate that countries that invest in their professional health workforce will be better prepared to re-

derlying rationale makes no sense, but the Supreme Court guidelines made it difficult for [U.S. District Judge] Arthur Garrity to rule otherwise.”

Through Brown v. Board, according to Melnick, the U.S.—having long emphasized education as the path to upward mobility—essentially tabbed school desegregation as the driver for racial equality, and over time it became the impetus for expanding the civil rights state.

“In the U.S., we have long been willing to tolerate income inequality if we think it’s based on an individual’s efforts or degree of success. In doing so, we’ve put enormous stress on our schools to level the playing field. We created elementary schools before European countries did, for example, and we’ve spent more on education than most other countries—but with worse results.”

One of the major obstacles facing school desegregation other types of reforms, said Melnick, is that education is a highly decentralized process that relies to a large extent on local control, and is difficult to change from the top down—especially when there are far-reaching social and economic factors that reach well beyond the school grounds.

“If school desegregation did achieve some meaningful successes, at the same time it revealed more complicated issues to deal with in our education system than racial discrimination. For example, is it ‘discrimination’ if some kids begin school with a sound basis in reading because their parents read with them when they were little, whereas the parents of other kids weren’t able to? Or if one family has the resources to hire private tutors for their kids, and another doesn’t?

“The fact is, there are severe inequalities present before kids even start school, so some will go in with advantages others lack, and desegregation by itself is not going to solve this.”

Seed Global Health CEO Vanessa Kerry, M.D., spoke with an audience member prior to giving the fall Pinnacle Lecture on November 1.

photo by lee pellegrini

spond to the effects of climate change.

Battered by powerful tropical storms in 2022 that sparked a historic cholera outbreak, Malawi was struck earlier this year

by Freddy, the longest and deadliest cyclone on record. Despite fears that the cholera outbreak would spiral even further out of control, Dr. Kerry said, efforts to curb it were effective. Malawi’s health workers were already well trained, well resourced, and well supported to respond to the situation,

and the country managed to control the cholera outbreak in 21 of the country’s 29 districts.

“At the heart of any resilient, functional, quality health system are knowledgeable, skilled, confident, caring health workers who can flexibly and capably respond to the unpredictability of climate change, to the deep need of patients, and be on the front line serving those in need,” said Dr. Kerry.

—Kathleen Sullivan

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Chronicle

November 9, 2023

Q&A: Luke Kuechly

‘Making a Positive Impact’ Luke Kuechly ’15, a star linebacker for Boston College and the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, returned to campus on October 25 to promote and participate in the Undergraduate Government of Boston College’s Project Life Movement drive, which encourages BC students to enter the donor pool for bone marrow and stem cell transplants. After spending part of the day manning the Project Life table on the Quad, Kuechly spoke that evening in the Yawkey Center’s Murray Room about his commitment to this life-saving organization and the immense impact one person can have.

During his BC appearance, Kuechly introduced a pair who had been matched through Project Life and were meeting for the first time: Boston College alumnus Tim Smyth ’22, the donor, and the recipient (whose name is withheld for privacy reasons).

Last week, Chronicle correspondent Meghan Keefe ’24 caught up with Kuechly and talked with him about Project Life and his post-NFL activities.

(This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and condensed.)

How did it feel to be back on campus, and to see how you’re able to help make an impact here?

I loved my time at BC. I’d go back to school there again. Being up there, especially at this time of year, was a blast. Obviously, it’s powerful for the family of the recipient but also the donor, because when you swab your cheek at school you don’t really think much of it but then when you get that call it’s like, “Wow, I’m actually able to help somebody.”

When did you join the Project Life Movement, and how has your commitment deepened or changed since then?

Snapshot

I’ve been working with them for a little over 10 years and I just enjoy helping people. I think that’s the biggest thing that I take away from all of it. I just want to help people and this is a very direct way of making a positive impact on other people’s lives.

Your talk touched on the life-changing aspects of this movement that all BC students have a chance to participate in.

What did you want to make sure those who heard you speak took away from it?

I think the thing that’s really powerful is when you get to see a donor and a recipient meet because that’s when it truly hits home and shows how this registry provides someone with a second chance at life. I think it’s really amazing. It does help to be on college campuses like BC because the students will come and listen. They’re willing to help. Having people there that have been through the process and can show people that what they’re doing can help save someone’s life.

What has been your favorite part of being an ambassador for this program?

I love coming back up to school, of course, but I think the biggest thing is seeing how people’s lives are impacted in positive ways because of the work. The donors and recipients, when they get to meet each other, it’s a really powerful thing and I think it shows that what we’re doing is working. What we’re doing is worth everybody’s time.

You devoted so much of your life to football—how does this dedication carry over into your work with Project Life?

I love the game of football and that’s something I’ll always remain close to. It had a big impact on my life in a very positive way. There were a lot of people around me that helped get me where I was and BC was a huge part of that. That’s one of the photo by frank curran

‘Run ’n Roll’

Luke Kuechly ’15, left, shown during his October 25 appearance at Boston College as a representative of the Project Life Movement, which seeks to enroll potential bone marrow and stem cell donors on the global registry. Also on hand were Tim Smyth (center), a 2022 BC alumnus who became a donor, and the recipient, whose name is withheld for privacy reasons. ”The donors and recipients, when they get to meet each other, it’s a really powerful thing and I think it shows that what we’re doing is working,” says Kuechly. “ What we’re doing is worth everybody’s time.” photo by frank curran

reasons I love coming back to BC for stuff like this. Everyone there has always treated me so well and I wanted to come back and do the same.

Besides your work with Project Life Movement, what else are you working on or passionate about at the moment?

I coach a 12-year-old Pop Warner team with all my buddies that I played with and it’s awesome. Next Friday, we play in the regional semifinals so I’m super excited about that. We’ve spent a lot of time working with them, getting the boys ready. I think it’s going to be a ton of fun.

Jobs The following are among the recent positions posted by the Department of Human Resources. For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/jobs or scan the QR code at right.

Assistant Director, Corporate Sponsorships Assistant/Associate Leadership Giving

Director,

Parent

Physician/Assistant Director, Sports Medicine Conservation & Preservation Manager

Fiscal & Events Specialist

Research Associate

Senior Assistant Director, Financial Aid

Food Service Worker

Special Education Teacher

Director of Faculty Services and Publication Support

Speech & Language Pathology Assistant

Medical Assistant, University Health Services

The Boston College Campus School held its annual “Run’n Roll” 5K last Saturday, the school’s largest fundraiser of the year. Participants follow a course that loops through the Boston College campus, around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, and finishes back at the Campus School for a celebratory brunch.

Assistant or Associate Director, Organizational Effectiveness Senior Construction Manager

Assistant Director, Data Management

Senior Gift Processing Specialist

Admissions Assistant, School of Social Work

Assistant Director, Graduate Recruitment & Admissions

Research Associate, TIMSS & PIRLS

Consulting Dietician, Pediatrics

Public Safety Dispatcher

Patrol Officer

Building & Laboratory Operations Specialist

Assistant Director, Counseling Practicum Experience

Staff Psychologist or Staff Social Worker/Clinician

Staff Nurse

Design & Prototyping Manager

Post-doctoral Research Fellow (multiple positions)

8

Chronicle

November 9, 2023

BC Research

Law and the Affordable Housing Crisis Boston College Law Professor Lisa T. Alexander is an expert on United States housing law and policy and the law’s role in making housing markets more affordable, efficient, and equitable. Alexander has done extensive scholarship in legal and extra-legal rights to property, housing, and urban space—including most recently the study of tiny houses, providing insights to policymakers on how to reimagine housing options and property rights for today’s world. Alexander is also faculty director of Housing and Property Rights Programs for BC Law’s new Initiative on Land, Housing & Property Rights Programs.

In a recent discussion with Chronicle, she touched on housing trends in Massachusetts, particularly the affordable housing crisis and possible remedies to address it. Alexander will be a speaker at the November 15 Boston College Forum on Racial Justice in America [see page 1].

Although statistics indicate that while mortgage lending to Boston-based Black and Latino home buyers hit record highs in 2021, disparities continue in wealthier communities and areas where the practice of “redlining” persisted, despite being outlawed by the U.S. 1968 Fair Housing Act. What steps could be taken to increase the number of Black and Latino homeowners, even in an expensive market like Boston?

In every state, Black, Latinx, and Native American households have lower homeownership rates than white households.

Greater Boston has one of the largest racial homeownership gaps in the nation, with just 40 percent of Black and 37 percent of Latino households headed by an adult 35 years or older owning their homes, compared to 73 percent of white households.

Law and public policy choices undeniably caused these racial disparities. White Americans became homeowners and built wealth due to the 1930 Federal Housing Authority housing insurance subsidies, the GI Bill, and USDA policies, while Blacks and other immigrants of color were explicitly denied these opportunities because of their race, not their socioeconomic status.

Today in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood, where 90 percent of the population is Black or Latinx, only 23 percent of the population owns their homes, as compared to 34 percent in Greater Boston. States and localities should consider legal strategies to remedy the present effects of past discrimination and affirmatively further minority homeownership, such as down payment assistance and homebuyer education for first-time homeowners who were subject to racially restrictive covenants and other forms of state- and local-sanctioned discrimination before the Fair Housing Act. The act’s affirmatively furthering fair housing provisions may also permit narrowly

tailored remedies for past racial discrimination, such as race-conscious marketing and buyer selection for homeownership, among other solutions.

The MBTA Communities Law passed in 2021 mandates that cities and towns outside of Boston with MBTA access must zone for more multifamily housing, compelling them to plan for enough apartments to help Massachusetts tackle its housing shortage. It’s been estimated that more than 100,000 new homes would be constructed in Eastern Massachusetts if these municipalities meet

housing. While many municipalities claim that the law constitutes “social engineering,” that term is a misnomer because it obscures the role law and policies must play in shaping more equitable, inclusive, accessible, and non-discriminatory markets, just as the law created unequal markets in the past. The attorney general also has a strong claim that cities that fail to comply with the law may violate the Fair Housing Act. The surge in new migrants has collided with the U.S. housing crisis and a simultaneous spike in homelessness

Boston College Professor of Law Lisa Alexander photo by caitlin cunningham

the requirements. But the law has met with opposition, pitting cities and towns against housing advocates. Is legislation such as this an effective way to address the housing problem?

Massachusetts’s legacy of exclusionary zoning and racial discrimination has made housing more expensive for everyone in the state by significantly reducing the housing supply. The MBTA Communities Law is an ambitious statewide effort to redress the acute housing affordability crisis that plagues most of Massachusetts by increasing the supply of affordable multifamily housing near transit stops. Exclusionary zoning measures enacted by municipalities, such as single-family zoning districts, large minimum housing lot sizes, density restrictions, and apartment bans, operate to elevate the cost of housing for all by restricting the number of units that can be built.

Boston has disproportionately carried the burden of creating affordable housing within the state; the MBTA Communities Law seeks to make the other 175 municipalities in the state to which the law applies equally bear their fair share of the responsibility for creating affordable multifamily

throughout the nation. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey estimated that the state is spending $45 million per month to shelter unhoused people and migrants. Efforts to increase housing, including zoning modifications to allow construction of low-cost suburban units, have failed in a number of major cities.

Is there a way out of this predicament?

The state has an emergency shelter crisis, which began before Governor Healey and the present political moment. A 1983 “Profile of the Homeless in Massachusetts” revealed that between 8,000-10,000 homeless people were either living in shelters or on the streets; at that time, approximately 25 percent of that population were families with children. Massachusetts created a 1983 right-to-shelter law for low-income Massachusetts residents who are pregnant or who have children under the age of 21 years, and can show they are homeless for reasons outside of their control. The current migrant crisis has strained the state’s capacity to implement this right.

Governor Healey announced that as of November 1, remaining unhoused families would be placed on a waiting list. The

state needs more housing supply for the most vulnerable families. However, the crisis should not cause Massachusetts to curtail or repeal rights consistent with its values just because the shelter supply is constrained.

I have argued that tiny homes—less than 400 square feet—can be an alternative form of rapid, cost-effective, low-barrier shelter for unhoused people. Tiny homes have a smaller environmental footprint, and cities can develop tiny-home villages more quickly and cheaply than many other supportive housing and shelter options; they can also provide residents opportunities for positive community building, comanagement, and self-determination that shelters often do not.

Tiny houses have been hailed as an affordable, eco-friendly solution for individuals experiencing a lack of shelter.

But what challenges and obstacles do cities face when implementing tiny homes villages, and what opportunities do the villages offer as a short- or long-term solution for homelessness?

In my article, “Community in Property: Lessons from Tiny Homes Villages [papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_ id=3483866],” I provided a typology and analysis of tiny homes villages throughout the U.S., including a 21-unit village in Worcester; Cottage Village in Jamaica Plain created 12 mini-cabin homes for people formerly sleeping on the streets or in tents at the “Mass and Cass” encampment at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and the City Council recently authorized clearing the tents for community safety.

Can the tiny homes village model be scaled up to safely and holistically serve people moving from Mass and Cass? It is easiest to implement the model on a smaller scale and then expand over time. Austin, Texas, has been very successful in scaling up the model to serve chronically homeless people, but the site is also located on a bus stop outside of the downtown; it serves large numbers of formerly homeless people with a spectrum of service needs from modest to intensive needs, and a successful faith-based non-profit supports the village.

The devil will be in the details of designing the model to fit the local context, facilitate positive internal community relations, and integrate with surrounding communities.

Tiny homes villages for unhoused people will only work for some former Mass and Cass residents; it is not a panacea. It should be one option among a panoply of housing and emergency shelter solutions tailored to the local context. I am developing a book concept on tiny homes to explore these issues further.

—Phil Gloudemans