The Heights, February 24, 2020

Page 1

www.bcheights.com

Monday, February 24, 2020

Inyoung You Plans to Move for Dismissal Next Week Lawyer contests Suffolk District Attorney’s portrayal of You. By Jack Miller Heights Senior Staff

MOLLY BANKERT / HEIGHTS STAFF

Ruff Life

The Huskies fell to the Eagles, who defied Beanpot results and strung together a season-high 10 goals in the second game of a weekend series.

Lawyers representing Inyoung You, who was charged with involuntary manslaughter after the suicide of her boyfriend Alexander Urtula, BC ’19, will move to dismiss the indictment next week. They announced the plan in a hearing Thursday. You, who was originally in Boston College’s Class of 2020, has taken a leave of absence from the University for this academic year, according to Steven Kim, one of the lawyers representing You. Associate Vice President for University Communications Jack Dunn said that while federal student privacy laws prevent him from discussing the specifics of student cases, You is not currently enrolled in classes

at the University. You faces the same charges as Michelle Carter, who was convicted in 2017 of involuntary manslaughter for encouraging Conrad Roy III to kill himself through phone calls and text messages. Last year, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) upheld her 15-month conviction— from which Carter was released early for good behavior—and the Supreme Court recently denied her appeal, which argued that the sentencing violated her First Amendment right to free speech. The prosecution’s comparisons between You and Michelle Carter ignore the actions You took upon learning of Urtula’s intent to harm himself on May 20, Kim said in an email to The Heights. “We intend on filing a motion to dismiss the indictment shortly, because the entire indictment is legally

See You, A2

BC Restates Opposition to Number of AHANA+ Students Increases Fossil Fuel Divestment BC Admissions cited both national trends and University efforts.

AHANA+ ENROLLMENT 2019-20

On Feb. 12, Climate Justice at BC urged the University to divest.

By Nadine Akkawi

By Alexandra Levine

Editorial Assistant

For The Heights The AHANA+ population at Boston College has increased for the third consecutive year, this year by 122 students, according to the 2019-2020 BC Fact Book. Director of Undergraduate Admission Grant Gosselin attributed the rise in AHANA+ applications, and the resulting enrollments, to a combination of national trends and BC’s focused efforts to attract applications from AHANA+ students. “We have seen both here at BC and across the country growth in diverse populations, so I think that’s not something that’s unique to Boston College, but is a national trend as the country is becoming more and more diverse,” said Gosselin. Gosselin said that due to the relative lack of diversity in Boston and its surrounding

MEEGAN MINIHAN / VISUAL DIRECTOR

areas, however, BC cannot rely solely on national trends to increase the amount of applications from AHANA+ students it receives. “We’re located in a part of the country that is less diverse than others, so our work is more difficult,” said Gosselin. “If we simply allowed national trends to play out, it wouldn’t necessarily play out the same in our applicant pool because most

students don’t travel more than 500 miles to go to college.” As a result, BC Admissions has been monitoring national trends in AHANA+ demographic growth, targeting areas in the south and west of the country with more diverse populations. But the challenges of attracting AHANA+ students do not stop

See AHANA, A3

Boston College doubled down on its opposition to divestment on Wednesday in a statement after members of Climate Justice at BC again called for the University to divest at the Fossil Fuel Divestment Day (F2D2) protest on Feb 12. After a protest across from St. Ignatius Church, the group delivered a comprehensive list of demands to administrators calling on BC to take various actions in the face of climate change. In response, Associate Vice President for University Communications Jack Dunn issued a statement to The Heights saying that the University remains opposed to divestment. Students at 57 other universities, including seven Jesuit institutions, also took part in the F2D2 campaign focused on “breaking up

with fossil fuels” the day before Valentine’s Day. The protest took place a week after Georgetown University announced its plans to divest from fossil fuels. In addition to the creation of a committee to evaluate BC’s investments in the context of Jesuit values, CJBC’s list of demands called for BC to create a formal climate action plan, reject all funding from the Koch Foundation, and commit to not pursuing litigation concerning Webster Woods. The petition also urged the University to release a public statement acknowledging “human-caused climate change as a major social justice and pro-life issue” that would be signed by University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. At the protest, a CJBC member said that the event was intended to bring attention to fossil fuel investment at BC and call for the University to divest. After delivering short speeches about Fossil Fuel Divestment Day and BC’s role in climate justice, the CJBC

See Divestment, A3

School Menstrual Product Bill Awaits Vote in Mass. Public schools would be required to supply the products in bathrooms. By Lauren Wittenmyer Copy Editor A bill that would make free disposable menstrual products available in all elementary and secondary public schools serving students grades six to 12 in Massachusetts recently passed through the Education Committee and is awaiting a vote by the House or Senate. The bill received a favorable report from the Massachusetts Education Committee, bill co-sponsor Representative Jeffrey Roy, BC Law ’86, said, but

has not yet been presented to the Massachusetts House or Senate. If passed, the bill will take effect on Aug. 1, 2020, according to the official Massachusetts Government website. House Bill 4293 is sponsored by the Joint Committee on Education, which includes representatives Roy, Maria Duaime Robinson, Dylan Fernandes, Ruth Balser, Kevin Honan, Mindy Domb, and Susannah Whipps, as well as senators James Eldridge and Rebecca Rausch. The bill came to be after a Medway High School student approached Roy at a forum he had been speaking at and shared her research paper on the issue of menstrual product availability

Boston Rally and March for Bernie Held in Advance of Primary

See Menstrual Products, A5

The Massachusetts Democratic Primary is scheduled for March 3.

GRACE YANG / FOR THE HEIGHTS

EYE OF THE TIGER

INTO THE ARCHIVES

Men’s basketball struggled to capitalize on offensive chances as the Eagles failed to control Clemson in an 18-point loss.

The Black Student Forum has been on campus for just over 50 years and has advocated for a more inclusive BC.

MAGAZINE

SPORTS

A4

A11

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

NEWS: Title IX Lawsuit

Student-athlete’s Title IX lawsuit is entering into the discovery process...........A3

ARTS: Sing it to the Heights

As the competition approaches, contestants share their journeys to the stage.....................A10

INDEX

NEWS.........................A2 OPINIONS............... A6

Vol. CI, No. 6 MAGAZINE..................A4 ARTS....................... A10 © 2020, The Heights, Inc. METRO....................... A5 SPORTS................... A12 www.bcheights.com


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.