crutches on campus
ballet blooms ‘Wounded’ no more
features
ARTS & rEVIEW
sports
A look at the daily struggles that accompany temporary handicaps on campus, D1
The Boston Ballet’s fall production is, in a word, dazzling, C8
Last-minute touchdown drive ends Boston College’s 5-game skid, C1
Monday, October 29, 2012
Vol. XCIII, No. 40
BC prepares for the Frankenstorm, classes cancelled Monday By David Cote News Editor
Boston College has begun hunkering down along with the rest of the East Coast in anticipation of what could be the most damaging storm in 100 years if current forecasts are correct. Classes were cancelled today after an announcement last night via the University’s emergency notification system.
Over the last week, the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) has been preparing for the storm in collaboration with the National Weather Service and Eagle EMS, BC’s student-run volunteer emergency medical service. “We have been coordinating the University’s preparations through a variety of conference calls, meetings, and updates to discuss what actions are needed to be prepared for this event, and implement-
ing emergency checklists and procedures,” said John Tommaney, director of the OEM. “Examples of actions we have already undertaken include preparing all emergency equipment, such as pumps, generators, chainsaws, and other items, to be ready for use.” Preparation has not been limited to only equipment, however. The OEM has also prepared campus for the impending storm.
“Dining Services has inventoried food supplies and increased capacity in anticipation of the storm,” Tommaney said. “Facilities is keeping storm drains clear, securing outdoor areas, and lining up additional emergency service contractors to assist with items such as tree removal. We are prepared to implement additional steps as needed.” Last night, Governor Deval Patrick issued a statement closing non-emergency
state offices on Monday, and urging schools and private businesses to close as well. In anticipation of the storm, the University issued a parking advisory Friday afternoon, warning students with vehicles to avoid parking in flood prone areas, such as the Mod Lot and the parking lot in front of the Plex, as well as a review of BC’s emergency closing policy.
See Storm, A4
Boyle lectures on his time at Homeboy By Mary Rose Fissinger Heights Editor
While serving as pastor of Dolores Mission in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles in 1988, Rev. Greg Boyle, S.J. presided over the burial of a victim of gang violence for the first time. Today, Boyle has buried 188 individuals killed from gang violence. Boyle’s experiences as a pastor in the gang capital of America and as director of Homeboy Industries, a collection of nonprofit enterprises that provides jobs and services for gang members, lent several stories—from the hilarious to the heartbreaking—to his speech in a packed Robsham Theater Thursday night. The event drew people from not just the Boston College community, but also the greater Boston area. He brought his audience to laughter one moment and tears the next with anecdotes of his times with the “homies” and aphorisms
about the dangerous gap of understanding between the privileged and the gang member. “Stand in awe at what the poor have to carry rather than stand in judgment of how they carry it,” he said. The main message of his speech, and of Homeboy Industries as a whole, is the need for kinship as the path to justice. “There’s an idea that has taken root in the world—it’s at the root of all that’s wrong with it, and the idea would be this: that there just might be lives out there that matter less than other lives,” Boyle said. “How do we stand against that idea?” He began taking great strides to stand against that idea in 1992 when, in re-
sponse to the LA riots and the accompanying civil unrest, he created Homeboy Bakery to serve as a place where gang members seeking to escape their violent lifestyles could earn training and work experience. This bakery eventually evolved into the multi-faceted Homeboy Industries. This organization serves not only to teach former gang members valuable skills, but also to force them to
See Boyle, A4
daniel lee / heights editor
alex gaynor / heights staff
first acc win honors wounded warriors
BCSSH began gathering signatures on their petition for a sexual health resource center on Friday.
SSH begins year-long petition By David Cote News Editor
daniel lee / heights editor
The football team got their first ACC win against Maryland on Saturday while sporting uniforms for charity. See page C1 for the full story.
WZBC holds annual fundraiser, hosts fall concert By Devon Sanford Heights Editor
On Sunday, WZBC, Boston College’s student-run radio station, finished its 2012 Biennial Fundraiser. The event, which started Friday Oct. 17, ran for 10 days and raised over $26,000, surpassing WZBC’s initial goal of $25,000. Donations were made by an estimated 400 donors by phone and online. The fundraising will continue online until the end of the semester. Those who donated to the fundraiser will receive premiums, such as a WZBC mug, t-shirt, canvas tote,
duffle bag or grab bag, as a thank you for their contributions. The money raised by the Biennial Fundraiser will help fund WZBC for the coming two years. “Though we receive funding from the school, it’s really not enough for what we need,” said Samantha Tilney, general manager of WZBC and A&S ’13. “The budget we’re given is barely enough to get us through a year on a skeleton stage, and that doesn’t account for unexpected breakages in any of the equipment. We need to have money in the bank account
See WZBC, A4
On Friday, Boston College Students for Sexual Health (BCSSH) began a petition demanding a sexual health resource center at Boston College that they plan to present to the administration at the end of the academic year. So far, the petition has more than 300 signatures. The petition makes four main demands—availability of contraception on campus (including emergency contraception), free STI testing offered directly through health services, comprehensive information and sexual health resources, and positive sexual decision making programming. BCSSH have stated their hope that their demands be met in a transparent manner during the next academic year. “This petition is arranged by BCSSH, however it’s inclusive of all members of the Boston College community,” said Lizzie Jekanowski, chair of BCSSH and
A&S ’13. “We are demanding a sexual health resource center on campus, either through the Office of Health Promotion or through Health Services. [Sexual health] is a fundamental part of student health that has been ignored.” BCSSH, which is not a registered student organization, was created after a UGBC ballot referendum in 2009, and a subsequent UGBC Senate resolution in 2010 in support of BCSSH becoming a registered student organization. “What we want to do is provide a space where students can get the information they need, learn how to make their own decisions, and feel empowered in those decisions,” Jekanowski said. “We are not advocating for any kind of sexual activity. We simply want students to feel comfortable and have a safe and respectful place on campus where they can go to have these health needs met.”
See Petition, A4
Homecoming brings 1,000 into Boston By Qian Deng
For The Heights Prior to attending this year’s homecoming dance, freshmen had concerns, with rumors ranging from “it’s going to be all freshmen” to “it’s mostly an event for the upperclassmen.” Brandon
Marianacci, UGBC’s special events coordinator and A&S ’13, quelled their doubts. “Homecoming is a major bucket-list item for seniors,” Marianacci said, “but it’s open to everyone.” Just four years ago, however, the dance was a smaller affair held in the Mod parking lots and exclu-
sively for seniors. This year’s rendition of the annual tradition was hosted for the second consecutive year in the Republic Ballroom at the Sheraton Hotel in Boston. Over 1,000 students donned semiformal attire in
See Homecoming, A4
chrissy suchy / for the heights