looking for a spark
charles race
Sports
metro
scene
After five straight losses, Spaziani shakes up the practice routine in hopes for success, A10
Universities across Boston race to the finish at annual event, B10
Two Hollywood tickets face off in a battle of the ages this week, B1
celebrity election
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Vol. XCIII, No. 39
UGBC encourages respectful Halloween costumes By Sam Costanzo Asst. News Editor
After much discussion about what some people considered offensive costumes seen on campus during Halloween last year, UGBC has created the Dress with Respect campaign for Halloween 2012. Dress with Respect is designed to encourage Boston College students to think
daniel lee / heights editor
Naif Al-Mutawa (above) is a famed comic book author, mainly using Islamic archetypes.
Al-Mutawa on art as a language
carefully before choosing a costume and make them aware of the potential repercussions of wearing certain costumes, not to tell them what they should and should not wear, said Natali Soto, co-director of the Dress with Respect committee and A&S ’14. “It’s not just about culture,” said Francesska Jean-Pierre, co-director of the Dress with Respect committee and A&S ’14. “There are a lot of questionable
religious and GLBTQ costumes.” In order to address this issue, the policy department of the AHANA Leadership Council (ALC) created a committee that included members of ALC, the GLBTQ Leadership Council (GLC), and the Cabinet in order to come up with a plan to be proactive this year. “It’s a respect thing,” Soto said. “We want students to respect their peers and to think about how a costume, which to
them might not have any importance, might be affecting their BC peers.” At tables stationed throughout campus this week, students can learn more about what their peers consider offensive. Each table will feature photos of costumes that members of the subcommittee were either personally offended by or thought that other people might find offensive, Soto
See Dress with Respect, A4
From White Castle to the Heights Kal Penn on the youth vote in the 2012 election By Brigid Wright Heights Staff
Kal Penn, Hollywood actor turned political activist best known for his performance as Kumar Patel in the comedy Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, came to Boston College last night to discuss a far more serious topic. The UGBC sponsored the lecture, title d “On Civic Engagement and the Youth Vote.” The event was also sponsored by Americans for Informed Democracy, the College Democrats, No Labels, Eagle Political Society, SOFC, and the South Asian American Student Association. John Laadt, finance director of the College Democrats of BC and A&S ’13, explained how Kal Penn was able to speak on campus. “Every year, we
By Kevin Cannon For The Heights
Most Boston College students would not know much about comic book superheroes based on Islamic archetypes—but last night’s lecture by Naif Al-Mutawa would not have been any less meaningful as a result. Al-Mutawa, founder and CEO of Teshkeel Media Group and creator of THE 99—the first group of comic superheroes born of an Islamic archetype—came to BC for a discussion of his career in art. THE 99 has received positive attention from the world’s media. Recently, Forbes named THE 99 as one of the top 20 trends sweeping the globe and even more recently, U.S. President Barack Obama praised Al-Mutawa and THE 99 as one of the most innovative of the thousands of new entrepreneurs viewed by his Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship. Al-Mutawa began his presentation outlining the evolution of art and its place
try and bring a well-known, politically engaging speaker to campus who will generate a lot of excitement among the student body,” Laadt said. “When we found out Kal Penn was available to speak, we immediately sought out support from other student organizations and UGBC to show the University how much interest this event could generate.” Laadt explained why so many BC organizations thought that Penn’s lecture would be beneficial to students, regardless of political party. “We believed the subject of his talk, civic engagement and the youth vote, and his years in the Office of Public Engagement at the White House are a great illustration of what it means to live in a participatory democracy.” Penn began his talk by explaining to the audience how he ascended to a pivotal role in the Obama administration.
Cartoonist, from A1
See Kal Penn, A4
daniel lee / heights editor
Mod Lot flooded after rain storm Roads closed, students parked on Lower Campus report damage to personal vehicles By Andrew Millette Assoc. News Editor
Last weekend, a fierce downpour covered Boston College’s campus with over half an inch of rain in a period of only a few hours between Friday night and Saturday morning. BC’s storm drain system was inundated by the sudden storm, causing flooding across a large portion of Lower Campus. Water levels in the Mod Lot reached a height that fully submerged the tires of some vehicles, and flooding in roads on Lower Campus rendered some impassable.
Water also entered into buildings. “Water infiltrated into some areas of Maloney Hall on the ground floor,” said John King, director of public safety. “Crews are making repairs.” Water levels on the ground floor of Maloney Hall were not high enough to damage the BC Bookstore, but high enough to require a team to come in to dry out the building. “We are cleaning up water [in Maloney Hall] and evaluating piping options to minimize disruptions in the future,” said Michael Jednak, director of facilities services. Flooding on Lower Campus is not
an uncommon problem. “This has happened before when a large amount of rain falls in a short period of time,” King said. The reason Lower Campus, and especially the Mod Lot, has such issues with water is logical. “The Mod Lot is the lowest point on our campus,” Jednak said. BCPD took action in response to the sudden flood. “BCPD blocked off roads that were flooded and contacted the State Police to inform them of similar conditions on St. Thomas More Drive,” King said. Cars that were parked in the flooded Mod Lot remained there for the entire storm. “Several automobiles were damaged from water,” King said. “No-
See Flooding, A4
kelly bruett / heights staff
The High-Intensity Activated CrossWalk (HAWK) (above) aims to increase pedestrian safety.
BC, Newton collaborate on high tech crosswalk signal By Brandon Stone Heights Staff
matt liber / heights staff
The Mod Lot, where many undergraduates park their cars, flooded after a few hours of rain Friday night, causing damage to cars and buildings.
Boston College students who have crossed Beacon Street at Lawrence Avenue this year may not have noticed that the journey has recently become less dangerous than in years past. Until now, pedestrians who wished to cross Beacon Street at Lawrence Avenue had to deal with a notoriously difficult and unregulated crosswalk. This year, however, the task has become significantly easier. BC, in conjunction with the City of Newton, agreed to fund the design and construction of a High-Intensity Activated CrossWalk (HAWK), a new pedestrian crossing signal that has been proven to increase safety for pedestrians. Officially known as the pedestrian
hybrid beacon, HAWK functions to facilitate safe pedestrian crossings, while stopping traffic only as needed. Plans to implement HAWK were first put in motion when BC was in discussions with the City of Newton on the Stokes Hall project in the fall of 2010. “The University heard concerns raised by a number of faculty, staff, and students regarding the difficulty in crossing Beacon Street,” said Jeanne Levesque, director of government relations at BC. There had been minor pedestrian accidents, near misses with motor vehicles, and a general tendency for cars not to stop despite the “yield to pedestrian” signs. “The need was recognized to im-
See Beacon Street, A4