Students taking an Interest Towards Creative Heights

Why are you buying that?

Boston College Dining Services maintains a list on its website of its accomplishments in sustainability. One bullet point says: "Fall of 2008: installed new vending machines to sell bottled Dasani water. This allows us to offer water at a lesser price while being environmentally conscious as well."

Fair Share Alliance wants Boston College students

Tough economic times lead to innovation. Industries are forced to adapt or die off, and whether they do or not can mean the gain or loss of countless jobs. The burgeoning alternative energy field provides both the opportunity for increased employment and a cleaner America. 

The following letter is in response to “Removed from responsibility,” by Marye Moran

Effects of the Affordable Care Act

As University mourns, students struggle to come to terms

  "You have to live in the middle of this contradiction. You have to live in this zone where both [situations] can be true, and it's very, very, very difficult. "    Sam Richards, a sociology professor at Penn State University, recently imparted these words upon a class of confused and disconsolate students (Penn State journalist Lori Shontz was permitted to sit in on the lesson).

Long term solutions needed to curb population

In Response to "One World, Seven Billion Mouths to Feed," Gerard Ferara:

Unfortunately, the population problem will not be solved by education alone (although it can surely help in the short run). Differential birth rates and some degree of heritability of values will, in time, eliminate the progress an education program has made. Instead, hard-nosed population control (i.e. cap-and-trade, etc.) is required if humanity really wants to solve this and all of the other problems you listed. Hard-nosed policies are the only way we can control our numbers and then keep them controlled indefinitely. Education just won't do.

I question the wisdom of describing the problems you listed as "global" problems (except for climate change). True, these problems exist all over the world. But why call them global because of that? Treating these problems in this manner assumes scale effects do not exist. But they do. The more we broaden the scope of these problems, the more negatives we observe: misunderstandings increase, delegation increases, responsibility decreases, and wastage increases.

As you mentioned, population growth exacerbates the problems we currently have, such as global warming, poverty, resource depletion, etc. Ignoring it, then, would be foolish. So, thank you for bringing this important issue into focus. 

Tim Teresczuk

CSOM ‘13

What will become of Maloney Hall space

  I am writing in response to your recent coverage of space on the second floor of Maloney Hall. This space, formerly utilized by Registered Student Organizations in general and performing arts groups specifically, was rarely used by these groups except for storage space.

Loss of the Mods is loss of tradition

  I don't know what the Boston College Master Plan has in store for the Mods but I would hope the University plans on keeping at least half-a-dozen of the structures.  Please do not think that I am comparing the BC Mods with say, the Lawn at the University of Virginia, but they have been a large part of the contemporary BC student culture and should be remembered in a functioning, if not significant way.

Being socially adept requires an ounce of respect

  We get it: You want to have a place to party and you're sick of playing beerpong in your friend's natural triple or your eight-man's common room.  We aren't trying to be these evil, washed up "Mod monsters" (as I was called this weekend).

The plight of El Salvador

  The rain keeps falling.  The tears do, too.  For more than a week now, there hasn't been a dry moment.  The ones we have come to love after living with them for the past two months are telling us, "We are hungry, we are cold, we are wet, we are tired, we have run out of water and are boiling the rain to survive.

On the difference between ‘doctors’

  A recent opinion article titled, "Your nurse, the doctor", argues that nurses with higher degrees, including a doctorate, should not be called  "doctor". The article claims that nurses with higher education degrees are not fully equipped to "treat medical illnesses," and that when a nurse introduces herself as Dr.

The end of an era is now

  Props to Paul Sulzer on calling for a new football coach at Boston College. The Frank Spaziani era has been painful and, as a BC alum, I'm begging for it to end swiftly. Spaziani has been loyal to BC and the school has been loyal to him in return, but he is simply not made to coach at the major-conference level.

Nursing majors defend the profession and pursuit of facts: Meghan Wilda

     As a nursing student in CSON, I am offended by how Marye Moran describes the role of nurses in "Your nurse, the doctor." Nursing practice today includes SBAR, or "Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation."  We spend the most time of any healthcare professional with the patient and are the first to notice minute variations in the patient's baseline.

Nursing majors defend the profession and pursuit of facts: Siobhan Tellez

  It is important to remember that when opinions are publically expressed, one must assure the conclusions are based in legitimacy for such opinions to avoid rejection and, further, positively affect the community. The article included no true citations, providing no direction toward the resources from which opinions were drawn, thus leaving it unsupported.

Nursing majors defend the profession and pursuit of facts: Hilary Von Glahn

  As a frequent reader of The HeightsI have always thought the articles published were well informed. I'm not sure of what person allowed this article, "Your nurses, the doctor," to go through because this article is not only offensive, has no basis of truth, and is in fact a negative opinion, but it also discriminates against an ENTIRE school in Boston College.

Pro-Life Club mission overlooks the needs of women

  The "Pro Life" Club (I put Pro Life in quotes, because "Anti Choice" is a far more accurate name) is currently holding its annual "Respect Life" (read: "Trample on Reproductive Rights") week. Among others, past "Respect Life" events have included lectures, pamphlet distributions, and mock gravesites meant to represent the number of pregnancies terminated each year. 1 comment

The Irony of Finding Joy in Violence

  When I heard joyful shouts and patriotic music echoing from outside my window shortly after Osama Bin Laden's death was announced, I felt sad. I was reminded of a short story called "The Snake" by Ervin Krause that I had read in high school. A farmer out plowing his field nearly crushes a snake under his tire; he stops just in time.

Striking a Balance

  I commemorate the demise of Osama bin Laden as a moment for reflection, remembrance, and prayer. I take pause when witnessing his death as an occasion for festivity, particularly on college campuses.

Memorial Always Remembers

  The story (Heights 5-2-11) of the students celebrating the news of the death of Osama Bin Laden did not mention the Sept. 11 memorial on campus. Plaques near the commemorative labyrinth, on the lawn outside the Burns Library, list the 22 graduates of Boston College who were killed in the attacks on 9/11.

No Rules, Just Death

  I write as someone who was in New York City on Sept. 11, 2001, and who watched the Twin Towers burn. I was deeply moved by the report of a "mob" of jubilant students rampaging through campus and invading the library with chants of, "U!S!A!" and "America can't be stopped.

Show Respect, Root for the Home Team

Even though I have been a sophomore for an entire weekend, I do not think of myself as that different from the freshman.  I know that there was a time when I carried a tray at Mac or climbed on a bus that was headed to Cleveland Circle not Newton.  However, on Sept. 5, I saw something I have never seen before, a Notre Dame T-shirt being worn proudly inside Mac.  Even worse, it was a Notre Dame football shirt and it was green and it was hideous. 

Factors in Selecting a Smartphone

I recently decided to make the long overdue decision to upgrade from a regular cell phone to a smartphone. As a Verizon subscriber, I had the choice between a wide variety of phones. After some initial research, I narrowed it down to three choices: the iPhone 4 by Apple, the Droid 2 Global by Motorola, and the Droid Charge by Samsung.

An Open Letter to the White Community

  This letter was written in regards to a previous letter called "An Open Letter to the AHANA Community." The piece calls for greater openness within the AHANA community and encourages reaching out to the White community, and vice versa.  As White members of FACES, the only antiracist organization at Boston College, we want to elaborate on the ways the White community can address issues of race on campus. 2 comments

Setting the Dividing Line Straight

    I am writing to correct the inaccuracies and blatant lies written in Mr. Halpern's article, "Israeli student group hopes for healthy dialogue on current conflict." First of all, contrary to the claim made in Mr. Halpern's article, the mock wall displayed in the Dustbowl in 2009, which I helped build to represent Israel's illegal wall in Palestine, was approved by both the Student Programs Office (SPO) and Facilities; BCPD was aware of the wall, but it was not their responsibility to authorize it. 1 comment

Faculty Representation at a Catholic Institution

    In the past a group of faculty sought to form a faculty senate but were blocked by the administration. The Vice Provost said there was no ‘blockage.' The issue had to be put before the Board of Trustees. Now as a union chapter [the AAUP] but of fledgling size and age they [the faculty] seek same. 2 comments

The Meaning of a BC Diploma

  In a little over a month, approximately 3,000 soon-to-be graduates will sit on the grassy turf of Alumni Stadium eagerly awaiting their hard earned diplomas, the symbol of years of effort and accomplishment.  But unlike some of their peers at sister Jesuit institutions, BC students may be in for a shocking surprise: their diplomas are unreadable, because they are in Latin. 3 comments

An Open Letter to James Franco

  Hey James, what's up? It's Bri. Um, Bri LeRose. From BC's sketch comedy group Hello…Shovelhead! As you are probably extremely aware of by this point, we are in the midst of a SUPER VIRAL campaign to convince you to show up at our spring sketch comedy show, entitled "Marital Bunkbeds.

Take Care While Covering Campus Events

  Throughout the year, this newspaper has continuously misquoted and misrepresented various campus organizations, events, and individuals, a trend that was further highlighted with the unauthorized and premature announcement of the annual Spring Concert.

The positive side to “Meatless Mondays”

In response to your article "Dining Hosts Meatless Mondays" (21 Mar. 2011), I would like to compliment Jacob Bajada for discussing the exciting campaign that is introducing thousands of students to vegetarian cuisine. Demand for meatless options on college campuses is growing every day, and students across the country are adopting Meatless Mondays as a result.

Israel Under Attack at Boston College ... Again

  Once again this year, in what is quickly becoming an ugly tradition, Boston College is being besieged by anti-Israel propaganda.  Maybe most alarmingly, placards decrying Israel litter our campus, as in previous years.  This bespeaks a problem not only at BC, of course, but throughout the West.

Practice Makes Perfect...And Isn't Always Easy

  How do you get to Carnegie Hall?  Practice, practice, practice. How do you get to the Final Four at the NCAA? Practice, practice, practice. And how you do learn a language? You guessed it. A ball player cannot learn to play by reading the playbook and then play in a game.

Letting the Love Light Shine

  The Messina Ignatian Leadership Society is hosting a "Love in Action" campaign with the hopes of igniting a spark within the Boston College community to recognize the love that exists in the everyday actions that are all around us. Throughout the week of April 4-8th there will be a series of events that illustrate how love "shows itself more in deeds than in words," according to Saint Ignatius of Loyola.

Criticism of Romance Language Department Unsubstantiated

  As the Chair of Romance Languages & Literatures, I am writing in reference to your March 28 editorial titled, "Higher standards should apply not only to students," which contains the following subtitle: "Misuse of Quia is a small issue in the context of the larger problems facing the romance languages department.

The Problem with “BCgirlproblems”

  How perfect that on the last day of Women's History Month I stumbled across the B-Line post celebrating a new Twitter creation: BCgirlproblems. The creator of this misbegotten project likens it to the other popular Twitter craze of adding #_____girlproblems to the end of trivial tweets. 1 comment

Connecting with BC’s Democratic Public Servants

  Many Boston College students are unaware that half of Massachusetts's current Congressional delegation went to BC or BC Law - and that all but one of them are Democrats.  Even fewer know that some of our nation's most prominent Democrats - both in the past and present - also went to BC.

For Men’s Needs, a Resource Center is Unnecessary

A recent letter to the editor proposed the establishment of a "Men's Resource Center" to complement the Women's Resource Center at Boston College. We, the undergraduate student staff in the Women's Resource Center (WRC), would like to respond with our thoughts regarding reasons why a Men's Resource Center would not be a necessary establishment at Boston College. 1 comment

An Open Letter to the AHANA Community

It was very much a culture shock for me when I came to Boston College. The daughter of Cambodian immigrants, I grew up in urban Lowell, Mass.  Like many freshmen, much of my first year was spent in confusion, trying to figure out who exactly I wanted to be.

Service Trips Serving Someone

  I am a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences and more importantly, a returning member of Appalachia volunteers. I just read your article in the Feb. 24 issue of The Heightsand wanted to commend you for keeping an open mind on your Appalachia service trip.

Years later, Bush’s dreams become reality

  In a 2003 speech at London's Banqueting House, President George W. Bush stated that "by advancing freedom in the greater Middle East, we help end a cycle of dictatorship and radicalism that brings millions of people to misery and brings danger to our own people.

In response to “A call for elections regulation” (Feb. 21), by The Heights Editorial Board:

   In response to Monday's editorial, ‘A call for elections regulation,' the elections committee would first like to echo The Heights'call to the Boston College student community to be aware of elections regulations and to report any suspected violations via the complaint form on the elections committee's website.

In response to “Revolutionary Government of Boston College Manifesto” (Feb. 21), by The RGBC:

  The call to revolution in Monday's letter to the editor titled, "Revolutionary Government of Boston College Manifesto," provided a commendable example of student passion and enthusiasm. Albeit a far cry from the democratic revolution in Egypt, student concern over which doors open on campus should be heard and addressed by both the UGBC and BC administrations.

In response to “Tuition increases remain modest” (Feb. 14), by Molly LaPoint:

  Your article "Tuition Increases Remain Modest"  seems narrow in scope and I would like to expand on it to give readers a better understanding. Pro:  Boston College 2010-11 tuition increased 3.2 percent from the previous year compared to other private universities who saw an average increase of 4.