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The senior Eagles prepare to play their last game in Alumni Stadium, B1
Claims of anti-semitism are brought against a Newton High School, B10
The Scene analyzes five sure-to-be timeless videos, A10
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Vol. XCIII, No. 44
Love Your Body Week promotes healthy living, self-confidence By Brigid Wright Heights Staff
This week, the Women’s Resource Center (WRC) is sponsoring the annual Love Your Body Week. The week consists of a variety of events, including lectures on body image, weight loss, and healthy eating, as well as dance workshops and even a theatrical performance. The WRC partnered with Boston College Recreation, the UGBC, University Counseling Services, faculty, and many more organizations to provide thoughtful and compelling events to inspire positive body image on the BC campus.
Nicole Laniado, Love Your Body Week Coordinator and CSOM ’13, explained that the goal of the events featured during this week is to motivate students to develop strategies for healthier living and to evaluate which aspects of daily life may act as obstacles. “Love Your Body Week’s mission is to have students be able to recognize what characterizes healthy and unhealthy relationships with one’s body,” Laniado said. “These goals align with our center’s mission to support, educate, and empower students to take action and make BC a better community for each other.” Laniado offered insight on body image
at BC and commented on the realities of the unhealthy habits many students find themselves struggling to escape. “We see this issue in a myriad of ways: our exercising culture … the pressure to embody the often stereotyped cookie-cutter image of a BC male or female, which at times leads to socioeconomic pressures to dress with particular brands,” Laniado said. “We also see it within our nightlife and the insecurities and dangers of binge drinking and overeating on the weekends. This week is truly a wakeup call for all of us to realize that beauty is within us all and that it is more than just having the perfect body.”
Monday featured two events. In the late afternoon, Hilary De Vries, assistant director of fitness and wellness, gave a lecture titled “Exercise Caution (Overexercising: How to Help a Friend),” and discussed signs and symptoms of overexercising and how to intervene with a friend who is suffering from this condition. On Monday night, Christina Kwan, a life solutions coach, educated students on where society’s perceptions of beauty come from and how to channel inner confidence in her talk “Thinking Ourselves Thin: The Power of Our Inner Voice.” Tuesday and Wednesday offered a variety of events as well, from Bonnie
Rudner of the English department offering her opinions on how Disney princesses have altered body image in young girls, to dance workshops offered at the Plex by different dances groups on campus. Juliana Shulman of Corporate Accountability International and Michael Cermak, GSAS ’13, founder of Real Food BC, also offered a talk on the food environment and how our society views food and different eating habits. Today, the Office of Health Promotion and the Connell School of Nursing will partner with the WRC to present a
See Love Your Body, A4
BC expands veterans honored on burns lawn Community reacts to letter sexual assault Harrington calls for better support of returning troops on Question 2 resources By Mary Rose Fissinger
By Qian Deng
For The Heights
Heights Editor
“The statistics on sexual violence are both deeply troubling and a call to action for the nation,” reads the Dear Colleague letter issued on April 4, 2011, by the United States Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights regarding the application of Title IX laws to issues of sexual assault. This letter set in motion a widespread examination on the part of colleges of their current procedures for dealing with sexual assault. At the time, Boston College was already in the midst of reviewing its protocols, policies, and resources regarding sexual violence. “In fact, we were in very good shape, with respect to [the Dear Colleague letter],” said Dean of Students Paul Chebator “We had to make very minimal changes. Some schools had to make major changes in their system, in terms of how they both supported and then followed through on allegations of sexual assault.” A committee, co-chaired by Director of the Women’s Resource Center (WRC) Katie Dalton and Angela Amar, former faculty member in the Connell School of Nursing, considered several recommendations for how BC could improve upon the current state of their resources. “One of the recommendations was, we need to do a better job of communicating to students about resources, important
A crowd of nearly 200 men and women, many in military attire, gathered on the Burns Library lawn the morning of Monday, Nov. 12 for the 12th annual Veteran’s Day Ceremony. Veterans of various wars as well as students in the Army ROTC program gathered near the University’s veteran’s memorial to honor the nation’s fallen.
Although the day was sunny, the atmosphere at the event was grim as attendees maintained upright postures and spoke in generally hushed tones. As the bells tolled for 11 a.m., the gravity of the ceremony was highlighted by a designated moment of silence in honor of all those who served their country. After an opening by Cadet Kathryne Bauchspies, A&S ’13, the featured speaker, Lieutenant Colonel
See Veterans’ Day, A4
Alex gaynor / heights staff
See Sexual Assaults, A4
By David Cote News Editor
On Nov. 1, five days before Election Day, University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. sent an email to Boston College alumni in Massachusetts concerning Question 2, a ballot measure that would have permitted physician-assisted suicide. The letter enclosed in the email, co-written by various educators in Catholic institutions of higher education throughout Massachusetts, posed arguments against Question 2. “On November 6, Massachusetts voters will decide Ballot Question 2, which would allow physicians to prescribe a lethal drug enabling individuals to commit suicide,” the letter read. “We write as educators in Catholic institutions of higher education in the Commonwealth to express strong objections to this measure.” The letter went on to claim that legalizing physician-assisted suicide “would cast aside moral and ethical principles long held in our society and in the medical profession about the sanctity of life and of physicians not doing harm.” After listing several arguments against Question 2, including perceived inadequate restrictions on its application and potential abuse, the letter concluded with a statement against the ballot measure. “Life is so central and precious to us as human beings, and any legislation that would allow physicians to prescribe lethal drugs for the purpose of suicide calls
See Leahy Letter, A4
CIA agent debates legitimacy of the ‘Global War on Terror’ By Andrew Skaras Heights Staff
joseph castlen / heights graphic
Med school officials support MCAT changes By Gabby Tarini For The Heights
Last year, 145 Boston College students applied to medical school. Few universities in the country produce more medical school applicants than BC. Significant changes to the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), however, may affect the course plan of many aspiring doctors at the University. The current form of the MCAT has been in place since the 1990s, but changes in the fields of science
and medicine have led the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) to completely revamp the exam. While the MCAT has in the past required a strong background in the natural sciences, the new exam will be broader in scope and place a greater emphasis on psychology, sociology, and biology. Starting in 2015, the MCAT will include several new sections in these areas. It will also feature two natural science sections and will eliminate the writing section. Owen Farcy, Kaplan Test Prep’s direc-
tor of pre-health programs, says that the addition of psychology and sociology reflects the changing role of the modern American doctor. “Doctors need to relate to their patients better. They need to understand what is causing the patient to do what they do,” Farcy said. “For instance, if a patient gets a triple bypass surgery, and then goes and eats three double cheeseburgers from McDonald’s, doctors need to be able to
See MCAT, A4
“What are the threats to the Homeland?” Glenn Carle asked. “What is the nature of al-Qaeda? What are the capabilities of al-Qaeda? Why did al-Qaeda exist?” These are the questions that Carle sought to answer Wednesday evening at the “Update on the ‘War on Terror,’” sponsored by the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life. Having served 23 years in the Clandestine Services of the CIA, Carle worked in many different posts over four continents. Since the 1980s, he has worked especially in the Balkans, Central America, and Europe, focusing on terrorism as well as political and economic concerns. He last served on the National Intelligence Council, working on Transnational Threats. In this position, he was responsible for analyzing terrorism, international organized crime, and narcotics. He also authored the book The Interrogator, which tells the story of his undercover work and interrogation of a high-profile al-Qaeda detainee. When looking at the events and actions of the United States in the years since Sept. 11, Carle described the stances of the U.S. government and the “Global War on Terror” as a collective delusion.
While recognizing that there was a threat to the U.S., he claimed that it was not, as it was often described, an existential problem for American society. “Al-Qaeda was thought to be present and active in 80 countries,” Carle said. “The real figure is six countries. At its
See War on Terror, A4
graham beck / heights editor
As a member of the CIA, Glenn Carle (above) served on the National Intelligence Council.