OSCAR preview
FLAT OFFENSE
the SCENE
Sports
Established 1919 Vol. XCII, No. 11
marketplace
Will Best Picture go to The King’s Speech or The Social Network? See The Scene’s predictions, B1
Tournament hopes in jeopardy after embarrassing home loss to Miami, A10
The Independent Student Newspaper of Boston College
strikes in wisconsin Controversial budget proposal brings state workers to the capital in droves, B10
The Heights Thursday, February 24, 2011
www.bcheights.com
UGBC ELECTION 2011
Joyce-Portes, KitlasLong still in the race By Taylour Kumpf News Editor
The candidate teams of Mike Joyce and Justin Portes, both A&S ’12, and Mike Kitlas and Jill Long, both A&S ’12, will be advancing to the final round of the UGBC presidential and vice presidential election. The Joyce-Portes team came out on top, receiving 48.6 percent of the total vote in Monday and Tuesday’s primary election, while Kitlas and Long received 27.3 percent of the final vote. Nick Domino, A&S ’12, and Katrina Lutfy, CSON ’12, came out with 15.7 percent of the total vote, while David Lalonde, A&S ’12 and Ryan Tierney, CSOM ’12, received 8.4 percent. The Domino-Lutfy and Lalonde-Tierney
teams will not be advancing to the final round. A record-setting 3,284 votes were cast in the primary election – a 70 percent increase from last year’s 1,924 votes. “The elections committee is very excited about the 70 percent increase in primary votes since last year, and we are hopeful that this trend will continue into the final elections,” said Mike O’Hara, co-chair of the elections committee, and A&S ’11, in an e-mail. Voting for the final election will take place next Monday and Tuesday. “This encouraging increase in voter turnout can be attributed to many factors, including the tireless hard work,
See Elections, A4
sang lee / heights staff
Roberson Pierre, A&S ’13, recited a poem, which spoke of the struggle and resilience of African Americans, at the BHM closing ceremony.
Alex Manta / heights editor
The Joyce-Portes and Kitlas-Long UGBC teams will be advancing to the final round of elections.
BCSSH applies for official recognition By Taylour Kumpf News Editor
Last Friday, Boston College Students for Sexual Health (BCSSH) applied for recognition as a student organization with the Student Programs Office (SPO). “After over two years of organizing events and initiatives on campus and working with the administration, student groups, and others in the BC community to improve the sexual health education and resources provided to
students, BC Students for Sexual Health has applied for official recognition,” said Alicia Johnson, chair of BCSSH and A&S ’11, in an e-mail. If the group is recognized by SPO, organizers said they plan to maintain their condom distribution. “We would work more closely with SPO, but we will stand behind our position that condoms and other sexual health resources will be available to students,” Johnson said. “Recognition as an RSO [Registered
See BCSSH, A4
Ceremony ends BHM
Black History Month Committee concludes month-long culture celebration By Rebecca Kailus Heights Staff
Bringing its month-long celebration to a close, the Black History Month Committee presented its closing ceremony Wednesday night in Robsham Theater. The celebration of Black History Month kicked off with an opening ceremony dinner in the Yawkey Center on Jan. 31. Over the past month, the Committee put on various programs to celebrate the culture and history of black members of the Boston College community. These events showcased the culture, history, and pride of the black community at BC. Events included a Black History Month Panel Series featuring discussions titled “Get Ur Freak On” and “Every Trif lin’ Black Man and Bitter Black Woman for Themselves,” along with the Multicultural Christian Fellowship (MCF) Gospel Showcase of “Not Forgotten,” and a Career Center Panel titled “I am History: I am TODAY!”
Week’s focus is on unity
Harvard University, Lee has helped guide BET’s reinvigorated approach, which is to build on supporting families, embracing and encouraging their dreams, focusing on the issues that are important to them, and presenting the freshest talent and entertainment. Lee began her speech by praising BC and its diversity. “I have a special place in my heart for BC,” Lee said. “My son Quinn is a senior here. I remember when we dropped Quinn off, I was so impressed by everyone. I was impressed and felt comfortable leaving Quinn in your hands.” Growing up in segregated Greensborough, Lee’s father sued the school system for integration. Lee said that she and her fellow students used to protest this, naively believing that, with the right resources, they would be able to grow despite segregation. “We used to have ‘Save the Black
See Ceremony, A4
Frustrated seniors form ‘revolution’ By Daniel Tonkovich Heights Editor
And Joseph Pasquinelli
UGBC’s Student Formation Week seeks to build community
Heights Staff
By Ji Hae Lee For The Heights
On Tuesday, Kerry Cronin, a professor in the philosophy department, gave a talk titled “10 Reasons Why You’re Not Dating and What to Do About It,” one of a series of events that comprise Student Formation Week. The week, a spin-off of last year’s Jesuit Heritage Week, was hosted by the UGBC. Other events included BC Date Night and 10:02, which were designed to foster familiarity with the campus community and foster connections between students, and Dine and Discover, which allowed a small group of students to tour St. Mary’s Hall and talk with a Jesuit. According to the Student Formation Week
This year’s closing ceremony featured song, dance, and poetic interpretation that centered on this year’s theme of “I am History.” The event began with a dance by Presenting Africa To ‘U’ (PATU) that combined elements of traditional African and modern dance. An interpretative poem, “Ten Things I Want to Say to a Black Woman,” was performed by Shari Campbell, LSOE ’13. In addition, Voices of Imani performed two songs, followed by a poem by Robertson Pierre, A&S ’13. Pierre’s speech, “I am History,” spoke of the struggle and resilience of the African American people. “I, us, we are history. And yes we can! We are such a beautiful people. We are history,” Pierre said. The keynote speaker for the evening was Debra Lee, chairman and chief executive officer of Black Entertainment Television (BET) Networks. A political science major from with a jurist doctorate and master’s degree in public policy from
sara davey / heights staff
Students take part in BC Date Night, part of the community building Student Formation Week. website, the week is designed to allow students to focus on aspects of student life other than academics. “We are encouraged to use our education in combination with the rest of our experiences to enrich our personal development,” the website reads. “We graduate as people, not as students.” “Student formation has always been an integral aspect of BC because it is taken from the Jesuit value of education for a person, not simply for a student,” said Joana Bueno, A&S ’13. “We don’t go
through our four years at BC with only an academic mindset.” Cronin said that student formation is divided into social, intellectual, and spiritual dimensions. Her talk focused on the social aspect of campus life and encouraged students to think about their situations and be courageous. “We asked Professor Cronin to give a talk about dating because she seems to combine the different dimensions in a college-friendly
See Formation, A4
For three seniors embittered with the status quo at Boston College, their frustration has evolved into a grassroots movement: the Revolutionary Government of Boston College (RGBC). Eric Neumann, John Pizutti, and Andrew Bartholomew, all A&S ’11, described RGBC as being founded on the dissatisfaction they and others had been feeling regarding several campus issues. They intend for it to turn into a student movement of taking initative to resolve university issues. “I’m one of the biggest complainers around,” Nuemann said. “My roommates said [to] do something about it, so I wrote up a rant and passed it out.” Neumann’s rant turned into a manifesto, which was circulated via a Facebook group of over 200 students who support the movement. Pizzuti said the goal of the movement is to start a dialogue among the student
body and empower student to change the University. “This is a forum to get people involved,” Pizzuti said. “We’re not trying to stick it to the administration.” RGBC is not a registered student program with the Student Program’s Office. Members, however, do not take issue with the lack of formal University recognition. “It’s easier to get a conversation started from the outside, but it’s easier to make change once inside the system,” Pizutti said. The conversation that the members are attempting to ignite would cover a variety topics ranging from dining services to the UGBC. According to the RGBC’s manifesto, the practices of dining services incite frustration in students who take issue with prices and policies. “We understand they have to pay people who serve and prepare the food,” Pizzuti said. “We’re worried about the cost of the prepackaged food. It’s twice
See RGBC, A4