STAYING PUT
CHANGES EXPECTED
SPRING FASHION
SPORTS
METRO
SCENE
Gaudreau, Matheson among BC hockey’s returning underclassmen, A8
Proposals to change Cleveland Circle, including a new residential complex, may soon take effect, B10
The Scene ushers in the new season with a celebration of the best on-campus fashion, B1
www.bcheights.com
HEIGHTS
THE
The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College
established
1919
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Vol. XCIV, No. 19
Boston College students explore the power of
CONFESSION
ALEX GAYNOR / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Students used their handprints to sign a sheet pledging not to abuse or assault others.
Students ‘Take Back the Night’ in O’Neill Plaza BY TAYLOR CAVALLO Heights Senior Staff
The popular Facebook page Boston College Confessions not only reveals hidden sides of the University, but has also had an unexpected impact on the lives of those involved
BY DEVON SANFORD | ASSOC. NEWS EDITOR “I’m a high school dropout and I go to BC.” Posted late last night, this confession is one of thousands released on the Boston College Confessions Facebook page. The page, created on Feb. 20 by three Boston College undergraduates, has gained massive attention since its establishment, receiving over 6,000 anonymous confessions and more than 3,600 likes. At its peak, the page was receiving over 500 posts per day. BC students, prospective students, alumni, and a few curious readers have posted confessions and chimed into the conversations on the Facebook page. After nearly two months online, “Boston College Confessions” has been the host to jokes, romantic confessions, and declarations of depression and suicidal thoughts. The three students behind the page spoke with The Heights on the condition of anonymity. The founders felt that the integrity of the page would be compromised if their names were revealed. “The page started on one weeknight in February,” one of the founders said. “We were up late, browsing on Facebook, and we saw the Tufts confession page. We tried to find the BC Confession page and obviously, it wasn’t there. So we thought, why not start it?”
See BC Confessions, A4
Leahy issues annual letter to community BY ELEANOR HILDEBRANDT News Editor In an effort to summarize the past year’s events at Boston College, University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., sent out his annual letter to members of the BC community today. “This is a letter that is meant to be an update on important University events and issues for BC’s 162,000 alumni and parents who are not in as close contact with the University, as well as for members of the campus community,” said University Spokesman Jack Dunn. He also noted that this tradition began in 2009 after the U.S. economic crisis, as a way for Leahy to inform all concerned parties about the state BC was in. This year marks the 150th anniversary of
BC—the Commonwealth of Massachusetts officially approved the University’s charter in April of 1863, and in July of 1863 the property was transferred to founder Rev. John McElroy, S.J. Accordingly, the first section of Leahy’s letter noted the importance of the University’s sesquicentennial and the various events and symposia hosted at BC over the past two semesters in celebration. The opening of Stokes Hall this semester was touted as “a powerful affirmation of Boston College’s longstanding commitment to liberal arts education,” and the ongoing renovation of St. Mary’s Hall, slated to finish in December of 2014, was also included. In terms of personnel, Leahy mentioned the appointment of athletic director Brad Bates last fall. While BC has been without a Vice President for Student Affairs (VPSA)
since Patrick Rombalski left in November, Leahy said that the announcement of a new VPSA should be made before the end of the semester. In the section of his letter dealing with University finances, Leahy contrasted the 3.6 percent rise in tuition for the 2013-14 year with BC’s continued commitment to needbased financial aid, which has been raised by 7.9 percent for next year. While he also noted that the University has been able to save approximately $20 million through budget reductions and other savings, Leahy also pointed out that BC’s policy of need-blind admissions will require “a major increase in support for financial aid and endowment.” Also with respect to admissions, Leahy
See Leahy Letter, A4
Last night under cloudy skies, hundreds of Boston College students gathered on the O’Neill Plaza grass at 6 p.m. for the Concerned About Rape Education (C.A.R.E.) Week event “Take Back the Night,” sponsored by the Women’s Resource Center (WRC) and supported by numerous on-campus organizations. Natana Delong-Bas, a professor in the theology department, opened the event with an informational address, asking the audience to look at the BC community as well as the world outside campus. Her speech, which presented striking statistics about the prevalence of sexual assault both on college campuses, nationally and globally, even pointing to recent news stories such as
the highly publicized gang rape crime in India, expressed the urgency behind sexual assault and stated that all cases are issues that must be taken seriously. She reminded the audience that while women are victims, boys and men in our country and around the world are as well—there is a victim of sexual assault every two minutes. Delong-Bas, a specialist in Islamic culture, urged the audience to listen, reach out, and join together as a community to stand against sexual assaults. Both men and women of the BC community attended the event, and the number of men present was made clear during the Men’s Pledge, led by the two BCPD Officers associated with the WRC. All the men in attendance stood
See Take Back The Night, A4
Phyre, other startups place in yearly BCVC competition BY GIANNI MATERA Heights Staff Yesterday the Boston College Venture Competition (BCVC) announced this year’s winners at their seventh annual event. BCVC is a yearly business plan competition founded to promote and support entrepreneurship on campus. Many successful BC-founded firms, including WePay, Wymsee, LocalOn, NBD Nano and, most recently, Jebbit, got their start competing in BCVC. Phyre, a company that is trying to improve how people connect their personal devices to large screens, won 1st place and $20,000 in this year’s competition. Fetch Rewards, a company creating a mobile application that aims to revolutionize grocery shopping, won 2nd place and $10,000. Knowledge Arena, a website that allows users to win money by doing well on user-generated tests, won 3rd place and $2,500. “One of the questions we got [from the VCs] was that our product was priced too low,” said Patrick Allen, A&S ’13, of Phyre. “It was the best thing that could have possibly happened. The questions for us were mostly compliments. We really felt like that was our ‘A-game,’ we put everything we had out there.”
The other two finalists that participated in the event consisted of Campus Calories, a college-specific nutritional mobile application, and Streak Media, a collegiate email newsletter. Prominent venture capitalists such as Dan Nova, BC ’83, from Highland Capital Partners; Peter Osbourne from WilmerHale, Greg Dracon from .406 Ventures, and Hugh Crean, BC ’93, and Bilal Zuberi, both from General Catalyst Partners, were judges for
See BCVC, A4
ALEX GAYNOR / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Students, professors, and alumni discussed entrepreneurship at the BCVC award dinner.
UGBC, RHA hold town hall for students BY GABBY TARINI Heights Staff
GRAHAM BECK / HEIGHTS EDITOR
Staff from the Dean of Students Office and ResLife answered students’ questions last night.
Last night offered a rare opportunity for students to get their questions about Boston College policies answered directly by administrators in a public forum. Undergraduates crowded into McGuinn 121 to take part in the “Student Rights Town Hall,” sponsored by UGBC and RHA. Students had the chance to ask a panel of three student conduct administrators questions about issues regarding housing, write-ups, the consequences of alcohol use, and life in the residence halls. The members of the panel included Chris Darcy, associate director of Residen-
tial Ministry, Christine Reed Davis, assistant dean for student conduct, and Monica St. Louis, assistant director of community standards. The town hall was led by Brooks Borden, A&S ’15, and Lauren Bobersky, LSOE ’13, the two Student Rights Coordinators in the Student Life Department of UGBC. The pair kicked off the meeting with several prepared questions. The first question addressed the possible disciplinary point system and the student conduct administration program review. “We have brought in three external reviewers from universities around the country and are looking at the conduct system in general,” Davis said. “We are open to conversations about change but there is
nothing that is promised or can be promised at this point.” All administrators noted that they were not ready to divulge what change, if any, will occur, and that any changes will happen slowly, likely over a period of three to five years. The next concern that was raised was about mental health and safety on campus. Some students expressed concerns that the University pays more attention to issues such as drinking and substance use, and are less concerned about other important issues such as mental health and safety. The administrators seemed to believe that the University does a lot of work with
See Town Hall, A4