Issuu

INSIDE

INDEX

THIS ISSUE

NEWS...........A2 ARTS...........A7 METRO........A4 OPINIONS.....A9 MAGAZINE....A6 SPORTS.........A10

www.bcheights.com

Monday, December 6, 2021

Chestnut Hill, Mass.

ARTS

OPINIONS

Student band Photo Negative played for a lively crowd at Paradise Rock Club on Saturday.

Columnist Sophie Carter argues that public transportation should be free.

Remembering WCAS Dean Rev. James A. Woods, S.J. By Megan Kelly News Editor

The decades-long tenure of Rev. James A. Woods, S.J., namesake of the Woods College of Advancing Studies, was marked by a forceful commitment to transforming the lives of the countless students who stepped into his office. Woods retired after 44 years at Boston College to the Campion Center in Weston, Mass., where he passed away on Nov. 20. As dean of the Woods College, Woods’ legacy is distinguished by the immense care and attention he paid to the individuals he knew and advised, according to Drew Havens, who arrived at Woods’ office in McGuinn Hall in 2007. Havens, BC ’11, said he faced health and academic problems at the University of Colorado, so his mother, a BC graduate herself, directed him to Woods College. In the dean’s office, Woods reviewed the course catalog with Havens and found classes he thought were a fit for him. “At the time, I didn’t have the perspective of really a strong mentor figure in academics,” Havens said. “I

really wanted to make him proud.” Havens made the dean’s list at Woods and transferred into the Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences, where he completed the rest of his degree in two years, he said. He graduated with honors from both BC and later, Georgetown University Law Center. Now, Havens serves as a public defender in Los Angeles. “I am grateful for the opportunity the Woods School gave me to commit to a life of service,” he said. “[Woods] was also very caring and loving and had a love for service and giving back to others. That’s the Jesuit way.” The priest’s dedication to his community had an immense impact on individuals within the BC community, University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., said in a release. Woods began his 44-year tenure as dean in 1968, making him the longest-serving dean in BC’s history. “Fr. Woods was such a force for good at Boston College from the time he arrived on campus, always positive, caring, and helpful to those around him,” Leahy wrote. “Many benefited from his encouragement,

Metro

Newton Bans Nips

By Connor Siemien For The Heights

The Newton Licensing Commission banned liquor stores and other retail businesses from selling “nips,” alcoholic beverages less than or equal to 100 milliliters, after June 30, 2022, Mayor Ruthanne Fuller announced in her update on Nov. 18. With the ban, the city looks to eliminate environmental waste created by the miniature bottles, according to Emily Norton, a Ward 2 councilor who advocated for the ban. “You can’t walk anywhere, really, without seeing, especially, nip bottles on the streets or in our parks or along the river,” Norton said. Newton is not the first Massachusetts city to adopt the ban. Chelsea,

especially to pursue education and earn degrees at BC. He enjoyed life, and I will always remember him as a faithful Jesuit and priest.” Woods, who was 90 years old at the time of his passing, displayed the utmost commitment to his students, according to Sarah Piepgrass, assistant director of academic services in

Woods College. He was the sole academic adviser at the college, she said, and stayed in his office until 10 p.m. each night so Woods College students—often working a day job or studying on a non-traditional schedule—could meet with him. “With the students, he was a

combination of, I would say, cheerleader and taskmaster, depending on what they needed,” Piepgrass said. This enthusiasm gave students the impetus to persevere in their education, Piepgrass said.

See Woods, A2

PHOTO COURTESY OF LEE PELLEGRINI

Sports

Wareham, and Mashpee have already banned the sale of nips or have a ban taking effect in the near future, according to a post by Green Newton, a local sustainability group. Norton said eliminating the bottles is an easy way to cut down on pollution in the city. There was no study measuring the environmental impact of a potential ban in the city prior to its passage, according to Norton. “I’ve been working on … reducing plastic pollution in general as a counselor and [in] my day job … so I really wanted to address that and when I heard that Chelsea had banned nips I thought ‘Well, why wouldn’t we be able to do that?’” Norton said.

Eagles Take ACC Opener

See Nips, A4

See Basketball, A10

ADITYA RAO / HEIGHTS STAFF