Issuu

INSIDE

INDEX

THIS ISSUE

NEWS...........A2 OPINIONS....A6 M E T R O. . . . . . .A4 ARTS...........A7 MAGAZINE..A5 S P O R T S . . . . .A8

www.bcheights.com

Monday, December 5, 2022

Chestnut Hill, Mass.

BC Launches STM Financial Aid Fund By Will Martino For The Heights Claire Foley For The Heights

The University created a new financial aid fund to enable students to attend the School of Theology and Ministry (STM) and preserve former STM Dean Rev. Thomas D. Stegman’s, S.J., legacy, according to Ken Mostello. “Long after he’s gone, and after we’re gone, future STM students will be able to attend Boston College with this endowment and will want to know who Fr. Thomas Stegman, S.J. was and why his legacy endures,” Mostello, BC ’79, said in an email to The Heights. Rev. Michael McCarthy, S.J.

McCarthy replaced Stegman—who served as the STM Dean from 2016 until 2022—after Stegman announced he would step down from his position due to health issues. “A few years ago, he was diagnosed as having a fairly aggressive brain cancer, and he beat a lot of odds as he continued as dean but finally had to step down last summer,” McCarthy said in an email to The Heights. “I am privileged to be his successor.” McCarthy said everyone at the school loves and admires Stegman. “In the face of significant health issues, [Stegman] has shown courage, patience, and trust in God,” McCarthy said.

See Fund, A3

Eagles Break Record With Three-Set Win By Luke Evans For The Heights

Until Saturday, Boston College volleyball had never recorded a 21win season. But in their matchup against St. John’s in the second round of the 2022 National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC), the Eagles prevented history from repeating itself. BC (21–13, 7–11 Atlantic Coast) swept St. John’s (20–14, 10–8 Big East) by scores of 25–18, 25–22, and 25–20 to advance to the tour-

nament’s third round. “Since I got here as a freshman, chasing 21 has been a goal consistently every single season,” BC libero Anna Murphy said. “So, to actually achieve it this year is special, and then to achieve it with this group of girls is even more special.” Earlier this season, the Eagles fell to St. John’s in five sets during the Red Storm Invitational. Things couldn’t have gone more differently on Saturday, as BC coasted to victory in three sets.

See Volleyball, A8

PHOTO COURTESY OF PAULO HENRIQUE ALVES-BACK

Car Crashes at Newtonville Intersection Spark Concern By Olivia Joung Copy Editor Ella Song For The Heights

Paulo Henrique Alves-Back was in his home office on Nov. 14 when he saw a car suddenly crash through his front yard’s fence after colliding with another vehicle. Just over 24 hours later, Newton police were dispatched to the very same corner of Watertown Street, Eddy Street, and Eliot Avenue after another two-car crash. Then, as soon as a tow service removed one of those vehicles, yet another collision occurred, according to a police report. “Accidents—I’ve been here 26 years— they’re too numerous,” Joe Killilea, a resident near the intersection, said. “My son has gone out, pulled a woman out of a car. I’ve gone out and, you know, talked to people and stuff like that. … Thank God nobody ever gets killed.” Within two days after the accidents, signs reading “DON’T STAND HERE! DEATH TRAP! THREE CRASHES IN 36 HOURS” were placed by the intersection. Vehicle-related incidents have occurred at this intersection for years. Since 2018, it has seen a total of 15 reported crashes, averaging three per year, according to an email from the Newton

police chief. “You’re coming from a highway, and you’re kind of conditioned to drive one way, and then you go into a cut street that is not supposed to be a high-speed intersection,” Alves-Back said. “That’s what happens.” Ward 3 Councilor Julia Malakie also cited speeding and the intersection’s location as factors in the crashes. “Eliot to Eddy Street or vice versa is the most direct route from Walton Street to Watertown Street or Washington Street, which is part of the problem,” Malakie said. “So that seems to be why the accidents are happening in the daytime. … People are in a hurry, they get careless.” The Eliot Avenue and Eddy Street route is a convenient alternative to avoid West Newton Square, a village center known for higher volumes of traffic at the intersection, according to Malakie. “It’s kind of a confluence of a very busy road—Watertown Street—[and] a very convenient cut-through, which is Eddy/ Eliot, for people trying to avoid West Newton Square, which has always been congested,” Malakie said. Similarly, Ward 5 Councilor-at-Large Andreae Downs said that GPS has contributed to a higher potential for crashes by directing drivers toward residential

roads such as Watertown Street, Eddy Street, and Eliot Avenue to avoid traffic. She explained that adjusting speed limits in residential areas could address this issue, forcing navigation apps to direct drivers away from them. “When we put in a new speed limit, [navigation apps] have to take it into account as if you’re obeying the speed limit,” Downs said. Responding to the recent crashes, the Newton Department of Public Works Transportation put up flex posts—plastic posts used to guide traffic and alert drivers to possible hazards—along the shoulder of Watertown Street to calm traffic and raise awareness when turning. The city also installed a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) traffic light this fall to help pedestrians cross Watertown Street more safely, according to Newton Director of Transportation Operations Jason Sobel. Additionally, the city recently began collecting traffic data to better determine how road safety can be improved, Sobel said. Alves-Back, however, said the city has acted slowly in solving problems at the intersection. In addition, the city recently began

See Crashes, A4

BC Adds Public Health Major By Lucy Freeman For The Heights

CHRIS TICAS / HEIGHTS STAFF

Boston College will offer a new major in global public health and the common good administered by the Schiller Institute for Integrated Science and Society and the Connell School of Nursing, according to a University release. “The excitement level is off the charts,” said Phillip Landrigan, the director of BC’s global public health

program. “As far as I’m concerned, this is a dream come true.” One hundred students currently participate in BC’s global public health program, which offers both a minor and an independent minor. According to the release, students will have to apply to the new major, and the University will enroll approximately 45 applicants. The release states that the major’s curriculum will include 12 courses for 36 credits. Classes will cover topics

such as epidemiology, biostatistics, ethics, law, data analysis, and health inequities, and seniors will either complete a thesis or a service project as part of their capstone project. “Like every other good public health program, we work very hard to teach our students the technical aspects of public health: epidemiology, biostatistics, and similar courses,” Landrigan said.

See Major, A2