The Boston College
Chronicle Published by the Boston College Office of News & Public Affairs september 15, 2016 VOL. 24 no. 2
Strategic Plan Initiative In Next Phase
INSIDE Career Center holds 2 •BC first Careerfest
By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
•ALC is game •C21 fall schedule Services happy 3 •Health in its new home •Reaccreditation process continues •CSON professor is a Sojourns Scholar
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•Schlozman honored by APSA •Photo: Archbishop Gomez at C21
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•ESPN’s Rinaldi pens book on Welles Crowther
•Park Street Series kicks off tonight •Photo: T-shirt for a special BC fan
7 •BC Law aids ABA
resolution on Turkey •Islam scholar to speak Sept. 21
8 •Lowell Humanities Series fall slate
•Photos: Student Involvement Fair
Last Thursday saw two of Boston College’s most high-profile annual community events: The Mass of the Holy Spirit, held at the Plaza at O’Neill Library (above), and the First Flight procession for freshmen (right), the prelude to the First Year Academic Convention. See below for a Q&A with this year’s convocation speaker, Steve Pemberton ’89, H’15.
Photos by Lee Pellegrini
Summit on Catholic Schools, Hispanic Families By Ed Hayward Staff Writer
The Lynch School of Education’s Roche Center for Catholic Education will host the first-ever “National Summit on Catholic Schools and Hispanic Families” next week, where Catholic school leaders, clergy, researchers, advocates and philanthropists
will engage in strategic conversations to examine opportunities for Catholic schools to adopt alternative practices in service to Hispanic families. The three-day summit, which starts Monday, will bring together approximately 200 thought leaders to examine the issues highlighted in the March report Catholic Schools in an In-
Q&A: STEVE PEMBERTON
creasingly Hispanic Church [http:// bit.ly/2c68CEf], co-authored by School of Theology of Ministry Assistant Professor of Theology and Religious Education Hosffman Ospino and Roche Center Executive Director Patricia Weitzel-O’Neill. “The report inspired the call to invite Catholic thought leadContinued on page 6
‘Believe It Is Possible to Create a New Beginning’ Steve Pemberton ’89, H’15, vice president of diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer for Walgreens Boots Alliance, spoke to the Class of 2020 last Thursday as part of the Boston College First Year Academic Convocation. Over the summer, members of the freshman class were given Pemberton’s memoir, A Chance in the World: An Orphan Boy, a Mysterious Past, and How He Found a Place Called Home, to read. The book recounts his struggle to overcome his childhood in the Massachusetts foster care system, where he was abused and neglected for years, and find success in business and family life. Prior to his talk, Pemberton spoke with the Chronicle’s Sean Hennessey; the interview has been edited for space and clarity; for a fuller version, go to http://bit.ly/2cR1VqM.
the freshman class. But to be the first alumnus, given the University’s long and storied history, is a very humbling thing. It’s also illustrative of how things come full circle. I arrived on this campus as a freshman still trying to figure out some things that most 18-year-olds had figured out: Where’s home, family, faith, identity? I came here still trying to figure out where I stood in the world. I remember how vivid those experiences were – and questions that were on my mind I suspect are also on the minds of the first-year students. Chronicle: What lessons did you Steve Pemberton at last Thursday’s learn at Boston College that you First Year Academic Convocation. still use today? The sense of a greater collective, Chronicle: What does it mean to that despite everything I had lost, I you to be the first alumnus to speak still had a responsibility and ability to to students at First Year Convocachange the arc of others’ lives. I was tion? never able to feel sorry for myself. What an honor just to address
Continued on page 4
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The University Strategic Planning Initiative (USPI) – Boston College’s comprehensive effort to craft a vision and set institutional priorities for the future – will advance its work this semester through a series of meetings, including a pair of town hall-style conversations on Oct. 5. The USPI, which began last December with the Steering Committee’s appointment, completed an intensive period of assessment during the spring semester. Between February and May, 24 teams around the University undertook the self-assessments, evaluating BC’s strengths and weaknesses, and discerning the challenges and opportunities it faces. These assessment teams included more than 200 members of the University community – faculty, staff, and students – and represented each of BC’s eight schools and other academic areas as well as most vice-presidential administrative divisions, including Student Affairs, Facilities Management, Finance, Human Resources, and Information Technology. Other self-assessment teams looked at initiatives or areas of focus – such as undergraduate liberal arts or international programs — involving multiple schools, departments, or divisions. The teams in turn sought additional insights by inviting comments and perspectives from elsewhere within the University community, among faculty, staff and students. “Since most teams had between eight and 15 members, and they consulted with many others in their particular area, this self-assessment phase involved literally hundreds of people from across BC,” said Executive Vice President Michael Lochhead, who is co-chairing the USPI Continued on page 5
“In a time of great division and loud discord in our country, where so much separates us, the bandanna exists, as does [Welles Crowther’s] life and its final hour, as symbols of what might bind us together — in our caring for one another.” –ESPN correspondent Tom Rinaldi, author of The Red Bandanna, page 5
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Chronicle september 15, 2016
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A ROUND
C AMPUS
PUTTING SOME FUN INTO CAREER EXPLORATION
More than 700 students turned out on Sept. 7 for the first-ever Careerfest, sponsored by the Boston College Career Center and held on the Plaza at O’Neill Library. Spearheaded by the Career Center Associate Director of Career Education Rachel Greenberg and Associate Director of Employer Engagement Lou Gaglini, Careerfest was all about interactivity. Upon entering the site, students picked up a checklist and were encouraged to collect five stamps: four from the Career Center stations devoted to “Reflect,” “Explore,” “Prepare,” and “Achieve”; the fifth from one of the 29 student organizations and partner departments’ tables. In addition to recreational activities like corn hole, a giant-size version of Connect Four, and a bungee challenge, attendees could play “Guess the Celebrity Major,” a game which showed students that college majors and careers do
not necessarily have to connect with one another: Author John Grisham, for example, was not an English major, as students guessed, but studied accounting. As Greenberg put it, “The skills they [BC students] are gaining through their majors are transferrable.” Though the different stations were designed to be collaborative and fun, each had a specific objective in mind, according to Associate Vice President for Student Affairs/Career Services Joseph DuPont. “Our career paradigm is built around helping students reflect, explore, prepare, and achieve their goals, so the games are a fun way to introduce that concept. Career exploration, by nature, requires introspection and can be a bit intimidating for some students. We at the Career Center want to demystify that process a bit and encourage students to seek us out. “By inviting others to join us
“Guess the Celebrity Major,” above, was one of the features at last week’s first Careerfest. Right, Lorena Curtis ’20 showed off a Career Center T-shirt at the event. (Photos by Siobhan Sullivan)
in events like Careerfest, we hope to continue to build a supportive, inclusive community to assist students.” Marisa Marshalka, a senior phi-
losophy major, thinks about her future career “all the time” and found the event a great way for the Career Center to call attention to the services they provide.
“I haven’t been to an event like this before, but the Career Center is the reason why I was able to do an internship that I really cared about this summer. So I’m really grateful to them.” Just beginning her journey at BC is freshman Lorena Curtis, who also ponders her future a lot. Curtis said she stopped by Careerfest because “it’s really helpful to see the different resources BC has to offer and everything you can take advantage of.” Given the success of this year’s first edition, the Career Center team hopes to make Careerfest an annual event. “The event was about connecting with students so that they saw the Career Center staff as approachable and welcoming,” said Greenberg, “and about showing students that we are here to support them, regardless of where they are in the process of exploring or pursuing their goals.” –Siobhan Sullivan
GAME OF THE NAME
Director of NEWS & Public Affairs Jack Dunn Deputy Director of NEWS & Public AFFAIRS Patricia Delaney Editor Sean Smith
Contributing Staff Melissa Beecher Ed Hayward Sean Hennessey Rosanne Pellegrini Kathleen Sullivan Siobhan Sullivan Photographers Gary Gilbert Lee Pellegrini
When a new academic year begins, student organizations face the task of attracting new members, and simply letting everyone know what they do. That’s not particularly easy when there are some 300 clubs at Boston College, and an organization’s title doesn’t necessarily provide much insight into its mission or activities (unlike, say, Boston College Irish Dance, Model United Nations, Baking Club, or Madrigal Singers). One example of promotional creativity came from the AHANA Leadership Council, which held the first-ever “ALC Games” at Stokes Common on Sept. 4. More than 200 students came to the event, which featured activities such as laser tag, spike ball, air hockey and foosball, as well as giant-sized versions of popular games like Operation, Connect Four and Tic-Tac-Toe. “Most of our programming is educational, but we wanted to create more visibility for the council and celebrate our advocacy and mission focuses of diversity and inclusion with fun and relaxation,”
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said Akosua Opokua-Achampong ’18, director of outreach for the ALC, which is in its 21st year. “Overall, we were very pleased with our turn-out. All that came and wanted to participate were able to, regardless of age and ability.” An unexpected bonus for the ALC Games, said OpokuaAchampong, was the presence of alumni who happened to be on campus that day and stopped by with their families to join in the
festivities. At the same time, she added, it was “eye-opening” to meet several non-freshmen students who didn’t know the significance of the word “AHANA” [African, Hispanic, Asian, Native American] and were unfamiliar with the ALC’s mission and objectives. “We look forward to continuing our 21st-year celebrations by facilitating dialogues on race, identity, and inclusion.” –Sean Smith
Yiting Chen
The fall calendar of events for the Church in the 21st Century Center features several programs that showcase the scholarship and expertise of the University’s faculty. On Oct. 11, Libby Professor of Theology and Law Cathleen Kaveny, Theology Professor Kristin Heyer, Romance Languages and Literatures Associate Professor Régine Jean-Charles and Lonergan Institute Associate Director Kerry Cronin will discuss “Women’s Voices: Forming Conscience, Raising Consciousness” in the Cadigan Center Atrium at 6 p.m. Theology Professor Kenneth Himes, OFM, will give a presentation on “The Catholic Voter and the Signs of Our Times” on Oct. 19 at 5:30 p.m. in the Heights Room of Corcoran Commons. On Oct. 24, School of Theology and Ministry Associate Professor Nancy Pineda-Madrid and Rebecca Berru-Davis of the Hispanic Theological Initiative will speak on “Picturing Paradise,” at 5 p.m. in the Theology and Ministry Library. On Dec. 12, Pineda-Madrid will give a luncheon presentation in Stokes Hall on “La Virgen de Guadalupe: Un Pentecostés Americano.” The legacy of Pope Francis will be the topic of a Nov. 10 lecture by Joseph Professor of Catholic Systematic Theology Richard Gaillardetz, “The Francis Pontificate: Historical Anomaly or the Beginning of a Postmodern Papacy?” in the Heights Room beginning at 5:30 p.m. The fall series of events kicked off earlier this month with a visit from Archbishop of Los Angeles José Gomez, who spoke on immigration, national identity and Catholic conscience [see photo on page 4]. Event co-sponsors include the School of Theology and Ministry, Boston College Libraries, Women’s Resource Center, STM Women’s Group, and the Council for Women at Boston College. A complete schedule of fall C21 events is at www.bc.edu/church21/programs/Current_Events.html. –Kathleen Sullivan
University President William P. Leahy, SJ, celebrating the Mass of the Holy Spirit in the Plaza at O’Neill Library on Sept. 8.
The Boston College Chronicle (USPS 009491), the internal newspaper for faculty and staff, is published biweekly from September to May by Boston College, with editorial offices at the Office of News & Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467 (617)552-3350. Distributed free to faculty and staff offices and other locations on campus. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, MA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to The Boston College Chronicle, Office of News & Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467.
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‘Happy in Our New Space’ University Health Services pleased with its relocation to 2150 Comm. Ave. vices’ previous home in Cushing Hall, noted Senior Construction Project Manager Edward Stokes, but “it’s a much more efficient layout.” It is also more environmentally friendly, with a dedicated HVAC system and lighting and faucets with motion sensors. The technology associated with UHS has greatly improved, according to Dr. Nary. Students can
signs measurement panels and improved diagnostic tool stations. Dr. Nary said the storage space Though the start of flu season and addition of meeting rooms is weeks away, the waiting room also represent significant improvein University Health Services was ments. sprinkled with students seeking Boston College is one of only medical care on a recent weekday a handful of colleges and universiafternoon – among some of the ties in the country to maintain an first undergraduates and graduin-patient health care unit. There ate students to visit the relocated are 10 beds at UHS for students UHS, up and running who need a place to better than ever at recuperate. 2150 Commonwealth Having such faAve. cilities is a consider“We’re very happy able advantage, said in our new space,” Dr. Nary. For examUHS Director Thomple, he cited its use as Nary, MD, who by students recoverhas been on the UHS ing from mononustaff for some 18 years. cleosis who manage “Now we look like to still attend classes what a well-run clinic and then return to should look like and rest in the infirmary. are in line with our Last year’s norovirus peer institutions. We outbreak would have have state-of-the-art “Now we look like what a well-run clinic should look like and gone on longer and equipment and fa- are in line with our peer institutions,” says UHS Director Thomas affected more peocilities that allow us Nary, MD (second from right). With Dr. Nary are UHS staff (L-R) ple, he said, if the to operate using best Maureen Mullowney, Caroline Faherty, Madelyn Rivera, Theresa connection to ChiBarba, Angie Paulino, Yojaira Gonzalez, Amy Costa, MD, Conpractices.” potle restaurant had stance O’Connor and Cathy McCassie. (Photo by Gary Gilbert) University Health not been so readily Services, which officially opened now make appointments online. discovered via the cluster of pain its new location on June 27, When entering the facility, stu- tients in the BC infirmary. can be accessed via a separate en- dents with an appointment can “The value of the in-patient trance on St. Thomas More Road self-check-in at one of the com- unit cannot be measured,” said to the right of the main entrance puter stations. Dr. Nary. of the new Thomas More ApartThe exam and treatment ments. rooms feature advancements such Contact Kathleen Sullivan at The 12,000 square-foot facility as movable tables with adjustkathleen.sullivan@bc.edu is not a lot bigger than Health Ser- able lighting, new electronic vital By Kathleen Sullivan Staff Writer
CSON’s DeSanto-Madeya Named a Sojourns Scholar Connell School of Nursing Clinical Associate Professor Susan DeSanto-Madeya has been named a 2016 Sojourns Scholar by Cambia Health Foundation as part of its initiative to advance palliative care in the US. DeSanto-Madeya is one of 10 physicians and nurses selected from around the country for Cambia Health Foundation’s Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program. Each scholar receives a two-year, $180,000 grant to fund research, clinical, educational or policy projects to advance palliative care. A national palliative care leader serves as a mentor to each scholar, further broadening his or her learning and leadership development opportunities. DeSanto-Madeya, a PhD-prepared, advanced practice nurse, will lead the creation and implementation of an Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Certificate Program at
Boston College, which aims to provide graduate students from nursing, social work, and theology and ministry with increased knowledge of the core principles of palliative care across disciplines; an appreciation and respect for the unique and complementary contributions of each discipline in collaborative care; and a comprehension of the interdisciplinary processes needed to care for persons living with serious illness and their J.D. Levine families throughout the illness trajectory and across care settings. “As an academic who is passionate about palliative care and improving the quality of life for persons living with serious illness and their families, I aspire to become a national palliative care nurse leader,” said DeSanto-Madeya. “I am committed to being an integral member of a national palliative care network that responds to the
dramatic changes in our healthcare system and prepares the next generation of healthcare professionals. “I envision a truly collaborative health care system with formally educated interdisciplinary palliative care providers who can deliver highquality, person-centered, familyoriented care to improve persons’ and family members’ quality of life through serious illness, end-of-life, and beyond. I believe that the Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program will provide the support and mentorship to help me attain this goal.” According to Cambia Health Foundation, millions of Americans are diagnosed with serious and chronic illness. Nearly two-thirds of Americans have had a personal or family experience with palliative care, end-of-life care, or hospice care; however, only half of those respondents say they were prepared for the experience. There is currently one palliative care medical professional per 1,200 people facing serious illness in the US, creating tremendous gaps in care. –Kathleen Sullivan
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BC Reaccreditation Continues in a ‘Different Environment’ By Sean Smith Chronicle Editor
Boston College is at the approximate halfway point of its reaccreditation effort, finishing up a self-study report in preparation for an upcoming visit by a delegation of educators to complete the process. The reaccreditation is conducted every 10 years by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges’ Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE), which will send a committee of educators to BC in March of next year. The CIHE delegation – chaired by former University of Miami President Donna Shalala – will review BC’s self-study and spend three days on campus interviewing members of the BC community and examining supporting documents. The BC self-study will address key issues and topics in academics, student life, organizational effectiveness and other areas, and also describe four areas of particular interest to Boston College: student formation, the renewal of the core curriculum, integrated science, and strategic planning. Both the self-study and visiting committee report will be integral to the CIHE decision on BC’s accreditation status. Good standing in a regional accreditation association is a requirement for participation in federal programs that support higher education. While BC is in good shape to renew its accreditation, administrators overseeing the self-study note a significant change in the process, with a focus less on the resources a college or university devotes to its programs, and more on the outcomes that result. These new standards for assessment and reporting reflect a trend toward increased scrutiny and accountability in higher education, administrators say, driven by such issues as the rising cost of college and the growth of for-profit education. “It’s a very different environment for reaccreditation,” said Special Assistant to the President Robert Newton, co-chair, with Seth Meehan, associate director of the Institute for Advanced Jesuit Studies, of the University committee producing the selfstudy. “In the past, the CIHE committee would see if you had the necessary support and resources to accomplish what you laid out in the self-study,” explained Newton, who chaired BC’s previous three self-studies. “But now it’s not enough to describe what
you’re doing; you have to offer evidence to show how effective it is, and how it helps BC to fulfill its mission and meet its goals.” For example, he said, in previous reaccreditation self-studies, a college or university would describe its undergraduate economics program by listing the courses in the major and the number of faculty teaching the major, among other quantitative details. “Now, CIHE wants you to address questions like, ‘What will an economics major know or be able to do when he or she graduates? How does the college or university make sure the student meets the requirements for the major? Where does economics fit in with the institutional mission?’ That information is then supposed to be reflected in your planning and allocation of resources.” BC began the reaccreditation process during the spring semester, with the appointment of a steering committee to direct the self-study, and the formation of nine working groups to draft different parts of the report. The steering committee is currently reviewing and editing these components towards a final draft. This reaccreditation process also reflects the rapid growth of electronic media in academia during the past decade, Newton said. With the new emphasis on outcomes necessitating more documentation, the self-study will be presented in digital form, with links to supporting information and details. “Obviously, this has entailed a change in the way we conceived and organized the self-study,” said Newton. Although the self-study requires considerable coordination, Newton said the University has always viewed the reaccreditation process as an opportunity to receive collegial advice from a group of outside experts on its practices and performances in key areas. This one is no exception, he said. “The University launched its Strategic Planning Initiative at around the same time we began the self-study, so these past several months have been a period in which the BC community has been taking a close look at itself – and there are clearly some common threads between the USPI and the self-study. It is certainly possible for one process to inform the other.” Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu
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The American Political Science Association selected J. Joseph Moakley Professor of Political Science Kay L. Schlozman for its Samuel J. Eldersveld Career Achievement Lifetime Award, which recognizes a scholar whose lifetime professional work has made an outstanding contribution to the field. It’s the latest honor Scholzman has received from APSA, the leading professional organization for the study of political science, with more than 13,000 members in more than 80 countries. She also is a previous winner of APSA’s Philip E. Converse Book Award, Rowman and Littlefield Award for innovative teaching in political science, and Frank J. Goodnow Award for distinguished service to the political science profession and APSA – Schlozman is a former secretary of APSA and chaired its organized section on elections, public opinion and voting behavior. “I was humbled, gratified and extremely surprised to learn that I had received this recognition,” said Schlozman, a faculty member at Boston College since 1974. “To be honored by my colleagues in this way means a great deal to me.” Schlozman – appointed as the University’s inaugural Moakley Professor in 2002 – is an acknowledged expert on citizen participation in American politics. She also researches broad
Lee Pellegrini
Lifetime Achievement Honors for Political Scientist Schlozman
Kay L. Schlozman
areas of American political life, parties and elections, interest groups, voting and public opinion, political movements, money in politics, and the gender gap in citizen political activity. She is the co-author of five books, including The Unheavenly Chorus: Unequal Political Voice and The Broken Promise of American Democracy. She is also the editor of Elections in America. Schlozman is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and in 2012 received a PROSE Award from the American Association of Publishers. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and earned her master’s and doctoral degrees in political science from the University of Chicago. –Office of News & Public Affairs
“When we think about our broken immigration system, there is plenty of blame to go around. But we aren’t punishing ourselves, or the businesses who hired undocumented workers, or the government officials who looked the other way. Instead we are punishing the voiceless and most vulnerable — ordinary parents who came here seeking a better life for their children. We are making them the scapegoats for our failures as a society. That’s not right.” Archbishop of Los Angeles Jose Gomez, speaking on Sept. 8 at the Church in the 21st Century Center event “Immigration, National Identity, and Catholic Conscience.” (Photo courtesy of the Church in the 21st Century Center)
Pemberton: ‘Be the Hero of Your Own Story’ Continued from page 1 Chronicle: Never? things I took great power from. If you’ve said your most important Never. I was working one sum- I stole food from my foster family’s title is being a father, and that by mer with the custodial crew and kitchen, that was an enormous vic- being a father, your three children had a discussion with some of the tory, not just because I was going to have given you a childhood. guys one day. They asked me about be able to eat that day but because I Every day in some way, shape, family background and I said, “I had beaten them. or form I have my interactions with don’t have any family.” They said, Chronicle: You’re a voice of them. I brought my son to basket“We understand that, but you are hope for the disadvantaged and ball practice at 5 a.m. yesterday. We still here and you’ve got it all, despite marginalized children. When you didn’t talk much – he doesn’t talk what you’ve lost. You’ve got an op- meet with them, what do you say that much in the morning – but I’m portunity to correct all of this.” It to boost their morale? there. I read to my daughter at night, was like they were talking to a much There’s something in particular help my youngest son with homeyounger version of themselves as they that I say that’s really important. My work, coach my other son’s football were talking to me. They told me, first message to them is, “I am you. team. It was never hard for me to “You’re really fortunate, despite it all, Just a little bit older and not nearly as be a father. I never once wondered, to be here.” beautiful. Don’t look at me as some- “Would I be any good at this?” Chronicle: What message you one exceptional or extraordinary, or because you hear so often of people do hope students come away with born with some gift or talent that who are not. I always thought about being a from reading A Chance in the you don’t have. If you walk away thinking that, then you’ve missed the dad because I know what it’s like not World? I wrote the book for several rea- point of the story entirely.” It’s not to have one. So all I’m doing on a sons. Most of them are not evident false humility on my part because daily basis is I’m simply being what at first glance. I did not write it as a I know they have that whispering never was. I think you can be that because of the void that’s in you. cathartic exercise to heal from Lee Pellegrini I walk through this world and all things that had been lost I still don’t know what it’s because there’s a hard truth like to have a mother and when you lose that much that father. That’s not part of my early. There is no way to reexperience. I can’t describe it, place that. At that age, it’s a I don’t know what that feels cavernous void in you. Nor like, and I couldn’t tell you. was it really an exercise of me But my kids do. And that in a saying, “Let me show you way was healing for me. how lucky you are.” I wasn’t Chronicle: In May of even thinking that way. I was 2015, you received an hontrying to tell a more universal orary degree from Boston story about family, that it’s College. What was that like? much broader and wider than When I graduated from you imagine. About faith, forBoston College in 1989, I titude, and forgiveness. The remember walking across the ability to build a new beginstage and there was nobody ning, to be the hero of your there. No mother, father, no own story. And most imporsemblance of family whatsotantly, for future generations of my own family, to realize “You make the leap, even when you’re not sure. ever. In fact, as I was walking that there’s a lot that’s been That’s the victory...And so what if it doesn’t quite around campus, people kept asking me to take pictures invested in you for my children, and their children, and land the way that you want it to? It’s a lot more of their family. I remember thinking back to my gradutheir children. There was this important to have taken the leap and tried.” ation day over the years and man once who decided he could right the wrongs that he inher- in their soul that says a new begin- saying, “It’s too bad that things united and that those very experiences ning is possible and they ought to folded like that because that never actually gave him the power and the sail towards that. And believe that happens again.” Well, I got that ability to do that. That is a very dif- it is actually possible to create a new wrong, because in May of 2015 there beginning. I was, graduating from the University ferent narrative than “Woe is me.” “A chance in the world” – that again. This time my family was there, Chronicle: Your book details the horrors of your childhood: search- was not said of me in a positive way. the one that I had created. ing for food in garbage, emotional It was, “Not a shot. He didn’t have Chronicle: When you look at and physical abuse, neglect. How a chance.” But a lot of us say that where you are now, what goes was it that you didn’t become an- of another. We say that to ourselves through your mind? How do you gry or withdrawn? What was the sometimes. You know, a class we conceptualize it all? fire that kept burning to succeed want to take, an internship we want Well, man had his plan and God and overcome, despite all those to pursue. And we think, “No, not a had his, and God’s plan won. There’s chance. No.” But what if you invert- really no other explanation for that. I obstacles? It was two things. One was a love ed that and said, “What if all I really was just a boy. I wasn’t any wiser in of reading. Reading gave me a little need is a chance?” It’s a very different the ways of the world than any child bit more than just the technical abili- way of looking at things. is, and things continually broke the Now, it doesn’t mean that that right way at the right time. That to ties that come with reading as much as I did. It actually follows that you chance is going to come to fruition; me is evidence of a higher hand. You write, speak, express and articulate that’s not the point. The point is to can call that hand whatever you want yourself with some semblance of suc- make the leap. You make the leap, to. I don’t subscribe to this idea that cess. Reading gave me something even when you’re not sure. That’s I’m exceptional or that I did somehigher and more important – the the victory. Some of these first-year thing that only a few people can do. I vision and values of a life beyond the students may be thinking about a hear from too many people who get one that I was in. So that was really, company they want to create, a cam- from where they are with whatever paign they want to run – something they have. They do the best they can really important to me. Also, I loved the fight. I loved that at first glance, society tells them, with whatever they have. I wouldn’t the idea that it was me against them. “You’re not ready for that yet.” So consider that exceptional but perhaps And I – armed just with my vision leap. And so what if it doesn’t quite to some it absolutely is. for a different life and a box of books land the way that you want it to? It’s given to me by a neighbor – and my a lot more important to have taken Contact Sean Hennessey at weapons were going to defeat them the leap and tried. sean.hennessey@bc.edu and their weapons. There were small Chronicle: Despite your success,
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Chronicle september 15, 2016
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USPI Discussions to Focus on Key Themes of Assessment
Continued from page 1 with Provost and Dean of Faculties David Quigley. “It was very impressive to see the thoughtful conversations that took place, and the obvious care and interest within the University community for BC’s future direction.” Over the summer, the Steering Committee sifted through the teams’ findings and identified key themes around which the University will gear its attention and resources in the decade ahead. These priorities will form the basis of a draft strategic plan for the Board of Trustees to review beginning in March. This semester, said USPI leaders, the Steering Committee will seek comments and questions about the initiative from across the University community, through a number of events as well as via electronic communication and conversations with alumni leadership groups. Lochhead and Quigley will be present at the two town hall meetings, along with members of the USPI Steering Committee, to discuss the progress of the initiative to date and engage in a Q&A with the audience. “As part of the USPI process, it is important that faculty, staff and students have an opportunity to offer their perspectives on Boston
College at this important moment in time as we plan for our next decade,” said Quigley. “We know there is great support throughout the campus community for BC’s mission as a world-class university
“Mission – imaginatively conceived, and powerfully articulated – must be a critical dimension as we evaluate and invest in new initiatives.” -David Quigley
Photos by Gary Gilbert
shaped by its Jesuit, Catholic commitments. It is our sincere hope that this strategic planning effort, informed by input and ideas from important stakeholders from across the community, will bear fruit in the form of a plan that enables BC to advance its distinctive mission for the coming decade.” Quigley and Lochhead said the themes that have emerged thus far in various USPI discussions and meetings attest to the enduring core values expressed in major University documents and initiatives, notably the 2006 Strategic Plan. These include a commitment to undergraduate education and the liberal arts, student formation, integrated research and scholarship, among others, as well as a vision of BC as an intellectual crossroads for faith and culture. One major outcome of the USPI, according to Quigley and Lochhead, has been to reaffirm these institutional tenets while considering the impact of emerging trends, issues and directions in academia and greater society. “Mission – imaginatively conceived, and powerfully articulated – must be a critical dimension as we evaluate and invest in new initiatives,” said Quigley. “For example, BC has long valued research and scholarship. But it’s clear that inte-
“It was very impressive to see the thoughtful conversations that took place, and the obvious care and interest within the University community for BC’s future direction.” –Michael Lochhead
gration and collaboration are growing ever more important across fields and across schools; we see this at BC in the proposed Institute for Integrated Science and Society and the pilot courses for the renewed undergraduate core curriculum. It’s exciting to see new ideas emerg-
ing that further strengthen work that brings faculty and students together.” Lochhead pointed to international initiatives as another emerging theme. “In the past few decades, BC has become far more globally focused, whether through studyabroad, faculty exchanges or other programs. In the USPI discussions, we’ve explored how the University can approach its international initiatives with better coordination and intentionality.” Lochhead and Quigley said they expect these and other themes to become better articulated and defined during the fall, as the Steering Committee continues toward completing its draft strategic plan. “We look forward to hearing from the University community, whether at the town hall meetings or through other avenues,” said Quigley, “and to working together to make these themes into concrete initiatives that will enable us to serve our students and society ever more powerfully in the future.” The Oct. 5 town hall events, which are open to all faculty and staff, will take place from 9-10:30 a.m. and 4-5:30 p.m. in Gasson 100. Contact Sean Smith at sean.smith@bc.edu
BC 9/11 Hero’s Story Is Told in a Newly Published Book By Ed Hayward Staff Writer
The inspirational story of Welles Remy Crowther ’99, who died on 9/11 after courageously leading strangers to safety in the minutes prior to the collapse of the World Trade Center’s South Tower, is the subject of a new book, The Red Bandanna, by award-winning ESPN correspondent Tom Rinaldi. Taking its name from the trademark handkerchief Crowther always carried, the book looks at the 24-year-old’s selfless acts on that tragic day 15 years ago, as well as the upbringing that shaped the young man, who worked as an equities trader for Sandler O’Neill and Partners but still harbored the childhood dream of becoming a firefighter. Rinaldi’s interest in the story grew out of his work writing and reporting a 2011 ESPN documentary called “Man in the Red Bandanna.” He thought there was a larger story to be told. “The feature, which first aired in 2011, was more than 13 minutes in length,” Rinaldi says in a
Welles Remy Crowther ’99
Q&A with the publisher, Penguin Books. “That’s a long time on television, but there was so much more to tell about Welles — before the day his life ended, and in the aftermath of his death. “To build a fuller portrait of who he was, where he came from, the family who raised him and the experiences that shaped him, to build a context around the choice he made in the final hour of his life, that required a fuller telling. A book was the right venue to do that.”
Each year, the University remembers Crowther at the “Red Bandanna” football game and hosts the Welles Remy Crowther Red Bandanna 5K to benefit the Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust. This year, the game takes place Oct. 7 and the run on Oct. 15. In addition, Crowther’s name — along with the names of the 21 other alumni who lost their lives on 9/11 — is inscribed on the Boston College Memorial Labyrinth. After the towers fell, Crowther’s parents Jefferson and Alison came to accept his death, but the mystery of his final hours painfully lingered. Months after the attacks, Alison Crowther read a news account from several 9/11 survivors who said they and others had been led to safety by a stranger, carrying a woman on his back, down nearly 20 flights of stairs then returning back up to search for others. The survivors never got his name, but one remembered a single detail clearly: the man was wearing a red bandanna. Rinaldi says he first learned of Crowther’s story in 2010 from ESPN producer Drew Gallagher, a
Crowther friend and fellow member of the Class of 1999. “Welles’s choice, and his valor, struck me as both specific and symbolic — as one of many outside of uniform who acted selflessly, and died tragically, amidst the unspeakable horror of that day,” says Rinaldi, the recipient of 15 Sports Emmy awards and six Edward R. Murrow awards. “He passed through the same doors, breathed the same air, took the same elevators, as my brother did, who worked for more than 15 years on the 81st floor of the south tower.” Rinaldi says the book offers a view into a single life among the 2,977 people who died on 9/11. Central to Crowther’s life was a family tradition of volunteer firefighting and Crowther volunteered with his father at Empire Hook & Ladder Company No. 1, near their Nyack, NY, home. “That ethos — of answering the call, of rushing toward chaos, of helping others who face danger — took root deep inside him, and never left,” Rinaldi says. “A month before he died, he called his father and told him he wanted to leave his job in finance to become a
member of the FDNY. After his death, cleaning out his apartment, his father found his application, filled out.” The veteran reporter says no story he’s reported during his career has touched him more deeply than that of Crowther and his parents. In addition to the connections they have maintained with BC, the Crowther family has established a scholarship fund in their son’s honor and Welles Crowther’s story is a central feature of a characterbased school curriculum. Rinaldi says he often carries a red bandanna in his back pocket. “In a time of great division and loud discord in our country, where so much separates us, the bandanna exists, as does Welles’s life and its final hour, as symbols of what might bind us together — in our caring for one another,” he says. “I hope the red bandanna might exist as a red badge of courage for our time, as a reminder of the common fabric in our humanity.” Contact Ed Hayward at ed.hayward@bc.edu
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Park St. Series Begins Fall Season BC to Host National Summit Next Week from page 1 Tonight with Kristof, WuDunn Continued ers to address the challenges and World-renowned human rights advocates and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn launch the Park Street Series tonight at 7 p.m., in the Murray Function Room of Yawkey Athletic Center, with their talk “Reporting on Gender Inequities and Global Health.” The husband-and-wife duo combine journalism and activism, with a brand of reporting centered on human rights abuses and advocacy. The first married couple to win a Pulitzer Prize in journalism for their coverage of China’s Tiananmen Square democracy movement, they cowrote China Wakes: The Struggle for the Soul of a Rising Power and the best-selling Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. Kristof writes New York Times op-ed columns and has traveled extensively in his reporting. WuDunn, an established author and speaker, is senior managing director at Mid-Market Securities, a firm that raises capital for growth businesses, including those in emerging markets. Their appearance is co-sponsored by the Winston Center for Leadership and Ethics. Directed by Professor of English Amy Boesky and Jesuit Institute Director and Canisius Professor James Keenan, SJ, the Park Street Series – which seeks to engage students in exploring values and ethics related to health
and healthcare practices – continues its academic year theme of “Health, Humanity and Ethics: Histories and Futures,” with a Nov. 3 appearance by Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, who researches and writes on disability studies, American literature and culture, bioethics, and women’s studies. On Nov. 17, the series will host Susan Reverby, a Wellesley College historian who has researched the infamous 40-year “Tuskegee” syphilis clinical study and edited a prize-winning book on the subject. Her talk will address the lessons of Tuskegee and similarly controversial research studies in Guatemala. On Dec. 1, Ashish K. Jha, MD, MPH, who directs the Harvard Global Health Institute, will present “Preventing the Next Global Pandemic: Lessons from Ebola and Zika.” A nationally and internationally recognized expert in assessing and improving healthcare delivery systems whose research focuses on the quality and costs of healthcare, Dr. Jha co-chaired the Harvard-LSHTM independent panel on the global response to Ebola, and over the past five years has served as an advisor to ministries of health and large NGOs on the design and evaluation of policy. All Park Street Series events take place at 7 p.m. in the Murray Room. For more on the series, see www.bc.edu/offices/ park-street-series. –Office of News & Public Affairs
Brooke Dunkley, a 2012 alumna, presented Pope Francis with a Boston College T-shirt during her recent trip to Rome.
recommendations highlighted in the report,” says Weitzel-O’Neill. “Prior to the release of the report, the reality that 60 percent of school-age Catholics in the US identify as Hispanic and nationally only 2.3 percent are enrolled in our Catholic schools was not well-known or understood. “Recognizing the need to create a robust response to this demographic wave and understanding that Catholic schools and the Church are at a crossroads regarding the future of Catholic schools, it was apparent that now is the time for the summit.” The summit is about bringing together Catholic education stakeholders who share the same objective, but tend to work separately, said Ospino. “The challenge is that we don’t work with each other to achieve this common goal,” says Ospino, who in 2014 conducted a groundbreaking study of Catholic parishes serving Hispanic Catholics. “A pervasive silo mentality reigns in our Catholic ecclesial and educational structures that must be broken to better advance our mission. The goal of this summit in many ways is to denounce that reality and its consequences while modeling a way forward that builds on dialogue, mutual listening, and a commitment to collaboration.” While there are eight million school-age Hispanic Catholics in the US, just 307,654 of them attend Catholic schools, which enroll 1.9 million students overall. While cost is often cited as a barrier to enrollment, Ospino and Weitzel-O’Neill’s first-of-itskind survey of 656 Hispanicserving Catholic schools identified factors that stifle school vitality and the ability of many schools to engage with Hispanic families. The study, the broadest research-based analysis of the subject to date, found many schools struggle to meet the needs of Hispanic families, which seek schools that offer educational excellence, affirm the language that most speak at home and honor their culture. The summit will convene a diverse group of participants, including representatives from diocesan offices, the National Catholic Educational Association and the US Council of Catholic Bishops. School leaders, teachers, parents and students, as well as representatives from philanthropic and advocacy organizations will attend. In addition to Ospino and
“Recognizing the need to create a robust response to this demographic wave and understanding that Catholic schools and the Church are at a crossroads regarding the future of Catholic schools, it was apparent that now is the time for the summit.” –Patricia Weitzel-O’Neill Lee Pellegrini
“A pervasive silo mentality reigns in our Catholic ecclesial and educational structures that must be broken to better advance our mission.” –Hoffsman Ospino
Weitzel-O’Neill, experts from Loyola Marymount University and the University of San Francisco are among the scheduled speakers. The summit will break into working groups to consider critical questions regarding topics of school environment and culture, systemic changes in Catholic education and leadership for Hispanic-serving Catholic schools. Meeting the needs of Hispanic families – whose children make up more than half of all Catholics under the age of 18 in the US – is a crucial step for schools and parishes in order to enhance the vitality of Catholic education and engage with a young generation expected to define and ensure the future of Catholicism in the U.S. “My sincerest desire is that all summit participants renew our commitment to Catholic education in the United States aware of today’s socio-cultural realities and mindful that the future of this important task depends significantly on how much we invest in Hispanic families and their children now,” says Ospino. “This requires that we work together with a renewed sense of mission. “There is much at stake. Not one person, office, or organiza-
tion will secure the future of Catholic educational institutions. It is imperative that as many voices as possible come to the table to imagine a fruitful tomorrow.” The summit represents the Roche Center’s leadership in scholarship and research on Catholic education, as well as its commitment to strengthening educational practice through its work with schools, principals, diocesan offices and Church officials. “It is my hope that after returning to their dioceses and places of work, participants will refocus their engagement to be more collaborative across all sectors of Catholic education and create alternative models for effective and robust Catholic schools, which intentionally welcome and serve more Hispanic families,” says Weitzel-O’Neill. “More importantly those who study and serve Catholic schools with financial support, products, press, training and counsel will find new ways to collaborate and work in solidarity with the schools.” To view the summit’s full agenda, see www.bccatholicedsummit.org. Contact Ed Hayward at ed.hayward@bc.edu
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BOSTON COLLEGE IN THE MEDIA Asst. Prof. David Hopkins (Political Science) offered his views for a piece on CNN.com about a new report suggesting the trend toward growing polarization among Americans is guided by increasingly conservative millennials.
The McMullen Museum of Art held special events on Sept. 10 and 11 to celebrate the opening of its new venue at 2101 Commonwealth Avenue, and a new exhibition, “Beyond Words: Illuminated Manuscripts in Boston Collections.” (Photo by Gary Gilbert)
ABA Resolution on Turkish Crackdown Has BC Law Influence A report written by two Boston College Law School faculty members and a BC Law alumna was instrumental to an American Bar Association resolution decrying the recent detainment of lawyers and judges in Turkey. In response to an attempted coup by military officers in July, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared a state of emergency, precipitating a crackdown on suspected opponents of the government. Among the thousands detained or jailed were more than 3,000 judges and lawyers. Last month, the ABA formally adopted a resolution calling for the release of any detained judge, lawyer or other individual held without evidence of criminal activity, and urged Turkey to hold fair hearings for any judge or lawyer who may be dismissed or suspended from their positions. The resolution drew upon material submitted by BC Law part-time faculty member Kevin J. Curtin JD’88, who chairs the ABA Committee on Appellate and Habeas Practice for the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section; Susan Simone Kang, director of the school’s Graduate Legal Education and International Programs and organizer of the report writing team; and Kathleen Hamill JD’97, who teaches human rights and international law at the Fletcher School at Tufts University and is a fellow at Harvard University’s FXB Center for Health and Human Rights.
“There is no question,” states the report, “that the suspensions of the judges, which occurred within hours of the failed coup, were ordered without an opportunity for a hearing, for reasons unrelated to the individual judges’ capacity and without any showing that any judge was involved with the attempted coup.” “This is a powerful statement, given by the largest association of lawyers in the world, that we hope will be heard around the world,” said Curtin. “The resolution calls for nothing more than is required under well-established international law. We hope that the Turkish government will honor its commitment to the rule of law and constitutional democracy. But even if this call for action goes unheeded by the Turkish government, it will be heard by others around the world, and especially the families of those who have been improperly detained and possibly even the detainees themselves. That is reason enough for the ABA to speak out.” As the BC Law trio noted, human rights organizations have reported that detainees have been subjected to torture, held incommunicado and without access to counsel or legal advice, and denied rights to a fair trial and adequate medical care – all of which are guaranteed under international obligations, even in a state of emergency. –Sean Hennessey Read more at http://bit.ly/2crazu0.
Engaging Islam Series Hosts Yale’s Bowering Sept. 21 The Gasson Lecture Series: Engaging Islam will present Finding Roots in Scripture and Tradition, with Yale University Professor of Islamic Studies Gerhard Bowering, on Sept. 21 at 4:30 p.m. in Stokes S195. Bowering, editor-in-chief of The Princeton Encyclopedia of Islamic Thought, has been the recipient of fellowships from the Mellon and Guggenheim Foundations, as well as the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton, and has been a member of the American Philosophical Society since 1994.
Prof. Daniel Kanstroom (Law), founder of the Law School Immigration and Asylum Clinic and the Post-Deportation Human Rights Project, advocated for a commutation program for the wrongly and unfairly deported, in an op-ed for the New York Times “Room for Debate.” Lack of retirement savings may be
prompting more seniors to consider renting out extra rooms, Center for Retirement Research Director Alicia Munnell told the Wall Street Journal. In the wake of an investigation showing many refurbished memory cards still contain personal information of previous owners, Assoc. Prof. Samuel Ransbotham (CSOM) suggested some safeguards in an interview on New England Cable News. How would Mexico be affected by Donald Trump’s “wall”? Assoc. Prof. of the Practice Westy Egmont (BCSSW) discussed the presidential
QUOTE/UNQUOTE “Often, Ryan makes her way through the campus to a laby-
rinth inscribed with her mom’s name and those of 21 fellow BC graduates killed in 9/11. It’s a place she feels close to her mother, whose remains were never identified and buried. ‘I can just sit there and reflect,’ she says. ‘I don’t have that anywhere else.’”
–Carroll School of Management junior Ryan McGowan, interviewed along with her sister Casey – a sophomore in the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences – by The New York Times on the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, during which their mother Stacey Sennas McGowan ’85 was killed.
candidate’s visit to Mexico on New England Cable News’ “The Take.” ABCNews.com quoted Asst. Prof. Kari Hong (Law) in two stories on immigration policy. In the wake of the president’s latest visit to Beijing, Prof. Robert Ross (Political Science) commented to The New York Times on the Obama Administration’s approach toward relations with China. Assoc. Clinical Prof. Sharon Beckman (Law) offered her views to the Boston Globe on the call for improvements in the operation of medical examiners. Mother Teresa was a woman of extraordinary witness to Christian faith, especially to care for the poor, the abandoned, and the downtrodden, Church in the 21st Century Center Director Thomas Groome told the Boston Herald in advance of her canonization. Murray and Monti Professor of Economics Peter Ireland spoke about the Chicago school of economics, Federal Reserve policy targets, and other topics in a Macro Musings podcast. Forbes quoted Assoc. Prof. Daniel Lyons (Law) on a challenge to a proposed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau arbitration rule.
JOBS The following are among the most recent positions posted by the Department of Human Resources. For more information on employment opportunities at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/offices/hr: Academic Operations Administrator, Academic Affairs/Provost The Aer Lingus Classic College Football Classic on Sept. 3 in Dublin had a disappointing result for Boston College fans – the Eagles lost in the final minutes to Georgia Tech – but the days leading up to the game were full of special events, including a pep rally (above) and the BC football team’s visit to Trinity College’s Long Room (below). Other events included a talk by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, a Mass concelebrated by University President William P. Leahy, SJ, and a Joint Faculty Symposium. (Photos by John Quackenbos)
Administrative Assistant, Alumni Relations, Advancement Senior Human Resources Officer, Human Resources Director of Faith Formation, St. Ignatius Parish, Academic Affairs/Provost Executive Director, Lynch Leadership Academy, Academic Affairs/Provost Personal Trainer, Athletics Resident Director, Student Affairs/Residential Life Assistant Dean, Academic & Student Services, Law School Assistant Director, Grant Administration (subawards), Academic Affairs/Provost Web Interface Designer, Information Technology Program & Events Administrator, Academic Affairs/Provost
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TOMORROW:
A CAPELLA FEST
7 p.m., Robsham Theater An evening with BC’s a cappella groups to benefit the Morgan Center, a charity supporting children with cancer. Tickets at www.bc.edu/robsham/tickets
BC SCENES
funded digital humanities project, “Mapping the Republic of Letters,” to analyze and present networks of knowledge and information in early modern Europe, its overseas colonies, and its global mercantile and religious communities. She currently is working on a project of Galileo’s correspondence. •Oct. 19, Marc Bamuthi Joseph: An arts activist and literary performer, chief of program and pedagogy at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco – one of the country’s pre-eminent homes for multi-disciplinary contemporary art – Jo- Roz Chast seph is an inaugural recipient of the United States Artists Rockefeller Fellowship, which annually recognizes 50 of the country’s “greatest living artists” and was one of 21 artists named to the inaugural class of Doris Duke Artists. He is a co-founder of “Life is Living,” a national series of one-day festivals designed to activate underresourced parks and affirm peaceful urban life through hip hop arts and environmental action. •Nov. 10, Krzysztof Wodiczko: An artist renowned for his large-scale slide and video projections on architectural facades and monuments, Wodiczko has made more than 80 international presentations. Since the late 1980s, his projec- Eula Biss tions have involved the participation of marginalized and estranged city residents, and he was awardBill Franzen
An appearance next week by readers into the poorest neighborNew York Times bestselling author hoods of Milwaukee and tells the Matthew Desmond – whose work story of eight families on the edge focuses on urban sociology, pov- of poverty and eviction. He also erty, race and ethnicity – ushers authored the award-winning On the Fireline, coauthored two books in the fall semester of the Lowell on race, and edited a collection Humanities Series, which will see of studies on severe deprivation in the distinguished guest speaker America. A recipient of a 2015 Maprogram go beyond its cArthur “genius” grant, traditional format. he is John L. Loeb asThe fall lineup sociate professor of the social sciences at Har“includes prominent vard University and cospeakers — scholars, directs the Justice and artists, writers, and Poverty Project. performers — with a •Oct. 5, Major Jackdistinguished track son: Poetry Days will record of producing present Jackson, author award-winning, inno- Major Jackson of four collections of vative and important work,” said poetry including Holding Company series director Associate Profes- and Hoops – both finalists for an sor of English James Smith, but NAACP Image Award for Outalso will feature “new territory for standing Literary Work in Poetry the Lowell – including perfor- – and Leaving Saturn, which won mance art, installation art, as well the Cave Canem Poetry Prize and as Lowell favorites including soci- was a National Book Critics Circle ology, poetry, history, and creative Award finalist. The poetry editor of the Harvard Review, Jackson non-fiction.” has been the recipient of a WhitDesmond, along with poet ing Writers’ Award, a Guggenheim Major Jackson and spoken-word Fellowship, and a Pushcart Prize, performer Marc Baand has been honored muthi Joseph, “each by the Pew Fellowship working in their own in the Arts and the Namedium, extend the tional Endowment for the Arts. important conversation •Oct. 12, Paula about race and social Findlen: An awardjustice foregrounded by winning historian at a number of speakers Stanford University, last year,” said Smith. Findlen focuses on sci•Sept. 21, Matthew ence and culture in the Paula Findlen Desmond: Desmond’s book - Evicted: Poverty and Profit in age of Galileo, the history of musethe American City, which draws on ums, collecting and material culture, years of embedded fieldwork, takes and gender and knowledge. She developed a collaborative, NEH-
ed the Hiroshima Prize in 1998 for his contribution as an artist to world peace. The recipient of many other awards, he is a professor-inresidence at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. His presentation is scheduled to coincide with the University’s marking of Veterans Day. •Nov. 16, Roz Chast: A prominent cartoonist who joined The New Yorker in 1978, Chast has established herself as one of our greatest artistic chroniclers of the anxieties, superstitions, furies, insecurities and surreal imaginings of modern life. She will discuss her graphic memoir, Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, which tells the story of losing her elderly parents in middle age – a New York Times bestseller, the book won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography, the inaugural Kirkus Prize for nonfiction, and was a finalist for the National Book Award in nonfiction. •Nov. 30, Eula Biss: Biss’s most recent book, On Immunity: An Inoculation, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for nonfiction. It addresses a chronic condition of fear: of the government, the medical establishment, what is in your child’s air, food, mattress, medicine and vaccines – to investigate the metaphors and myths surrounding our conception of immunity and its implications for the individual and
the social body. Her other works are Notes from No Man’s Land: American Essays, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award in criticism, and a collection of poetry, The Balloonists. All Lowell Humanities Series events begin at 7 p.m. and take place in Gasson 100, with the exception of Major Jackson on Oct. 5 (Devlin 101) Marc Bamuthi Joseph on Oct. 19 (Robsham Theater) and Krzysztof Wodiczko on Nov. 10 (Devlin 101).
This semester, the series launches “Resources for Teachers and Students” page on its website [www.bc.edu/lowellhs], to encourage teachers and students to enhance their engagement with the series, Smith notes. Available links allow students to watch a YouTube video, read a short essay, interview or review, before or after events. The resources can also be used in conjunction with “evening reflection activities, written assignments, and/or reports during or outside class-time,” Smith added. Smith invites continued collaboration with faculty members from all disciplines and welcomes proposals for future speakers. He can be reached at james.smith.2@ bc.edu. Lowell Humanities Series events are free and open to the public. The series is sponsored by the Lowell Institute, BC’s Institute for the Liberal Arts and the Provost’s Office. –Office of News & Public Affairs
FAIR STATEMENT The University held its annual Student Involvement Fair on Stokes Common on Sept. 2, giving Boston College student clubs and organizations the opportunity to tell passersby – sometimes in very creative and expressive ways –who they are and what they do.
Photos by Lee Pellegrini