LTE: I Am Graduating

I am graduating. Luckily, and with some sweat, blood, and tears, I am graduating. Timid, happy, anxious, sober, drunk, I am graduating. Parents’ hotel booked, reservations made for the lunch after, I am graduating. I will walk across the stage, take my diploma in my hand, and I will have graduated.

LTE: BC Fossil Free's Message Allegedly Stifled By Dean Of Conduct

I recently found myself recalling high school English class and Big Brother’s all-pervading control of expression in George Orwell’s 1984 dystopia after receiving a series of emails from Christine Davis, the Dean of Conduct, banning my efforts to creatively educate BC students about the imminence of the climate crisis.

LTE: There Are No Democrats Or Republicans: There Are Only Earthlings

I did not watch Obama’s speech in the Rose Garden after the gun control bill did not pass, so I am in no place to judge whether or not the president was “petulantly whining” or whether or not the speech was a “perverse outburst” as Ryan Giannotto claims in his piece in [Monday’s] Heights entitled “I’m sorry, Mr. President.” However, I am in a place to address Giannotto’s woefully ignorant claims regarding climate change.

LTE: Olcott Raises Important Question To Easily Ignored Issue

As an Opinions columnist for The Heights myself, I always take a keen interest to see what the other columnists decide to write about. And I think “Hubris and crisis” was one of the most thoughtful and engaging columns of the year. Benjamin Olcott’s meditation on the constitutional implications of the actions by law enforcement officials during and after the manhunt raised issues that people ought to have considered earlier. 

LTE: Truly Proud To Be An American

With respect to the author for an interesting and cleverly written column, I feel the need to address certain points in last week’s opinion piece “Redefining ‘American.’” The topic of the article, which focused on the celebratory response to the capture of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, is worthy of continued dialogue.

LTE: The Right Way to React?

As a junior I’ve been on campus at Boston College for both the capture and killing of Osama bin Laden and the recent Boston Marathon bombing events. The two were of course immeasurably different, but both caused seemingly similar reactions on campus: hundreds of students celebrating in the mods, American flags, “U.S.A” chants, and the release of a lot of intense energy and emotion. Freshman year, I learned that Osama was dead, brushed my teeth, and went to bed. My Perspectives class talked the next day about why people did or didn’t celebrate, how celebrations took different forms such a phone call to family or a feeling of closure, and most importantly if there was a right or wrong way to react.

LTE: HIV Does Not Make You A Victim

I was thrilled to see your coverage of Boston University’s Condom Couture fashion show yesterday. The event, hosted by BU’s FACE AIDS chapter, raised $2,315 to train 60 community health workers for Partners in Health Rwanda. PIH’s community health worker programs help patients overcome obstacles to health care by providing a preferential option for the poor. These BU students turned a professed commitment to social justice into action by fundraising to support these vital programs.

LTE: It’s Time For BC To Go 100 Percent Cage-Free

As a Boston College graduate student in environmental sociology, I’ve been impressed by BC’s commitment and dedication to environmental justice and social change. Working with student groups such as Real Food and EcoPledge, Dining Services has made many important strides toward a more sustainable BC, from the locally sourced Addie’s Loft, to a 50 percent reduction in water usage, to the switch to fair trade coffee. But there is one important issue where our school now lags behind its peers: the majority of eggs purchased by BC come from battery-caged hens. More than 350 colleges nationwide, including BU, Harvard, MIT, and Northeastern, have moved away from battery cage eggs. BC is now the only school in the greater Boston area that has not gone 100 percent cage-free.

LTE: 'Gunning For Control' Badly Misfires

The following letter is in response to “Gunning for control” by Ryan Giannotto, originally published on 4/11/13.

LTE: An Open Reflection On The Boston Marathon Attacks

On Apr. 15, 2013 two terrorists planted and detonated two bombs near the finish line of the Boston Marathon—killing three and injuring hundreds. During the subsequent manhunt, the perpetrators killed an MIT police officer and sprung fear and panic throughout the city. Yesterday, justice prevailed when one of the assailants was killed and the other was captured.

LTE: Dean Of Students Thanks BC Student Body

In light of the tragic happenings of the past week, I felt compelled to offer my heartfelt thanks to the student body of Boston College for their response to the events of this past week.  The cooperation, mutual support, care, and patience exhibited by all of our students were exemplary.  It was a true manifestation of what it means to be a BC student. 

LTE: A Letter From University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J.

Dear Members of the BC Community: 

LTE: Hope Is My Home

Sometimes I feel as if I’m on an endless quest to find maybe the one thing in our life that we feel is a constant—home. To me, home means the one place you can return to that wants you there just as much as you want to be there. Home is familiarity, it is unconditional love—home is the warmest embrace on the coldest day that you seem to melt in to, with your head nuzzled so delicately within it, never wanting to let go.

LTE: Marathon Runners Deserve To Feel Proud

For some, the pain that was felt [on Monday] by those in Boston is all too familiar. I have never known anyone personally that has been affected by a tragedy of this kind. Today, I, along with the thousands of others that are part of the Boston College family, now know what it is like to be thrown into the middle of terrifying chaos, hoping and praying that everyone’s loved one’s are accounted for and... safe.

LTE: Her Campus BC Disrespects Monday's Events

Like every other member of the Boston College community, I have been overwhelmed by the love, support, and respect I have witnessed in the last 24 hours as a result of the Marathon bombings. Whether on Facebook posts, news articles, or blogs, it has been amazing how many people are sending out positive messages after such a devastating event.

LTE: Students' Cheers Made A Difference For A Runner

There will be much focus on the tragic events of Monday afternoon, but I write to say thank you to Boston College students for their terrific support during the marathon. I wanted you to know that although the Wellesley women get a lot of props for their vocal support of the marathoners passing by their campus, BC really rocked it on Monday.

LTE: Administration Deliberately Prohibits Faculty Input

When Vice Provost [Pat] DeLeeuw made the late-night call to pull the university faculty senate (ufs) election in 2006, which would have established an independent faculty voice, the Office of the Provost also usurped the prerogative of the Trustees to approve a University faculty senate for Boston College. The Bylaws of the Trustees of BC (II.12.g) empower the Trustees (not the Provost) to approve an existing faculty body as the official University Faculty Senate (UFS). The Provost obstructed the formation of this body.

LTE: Proud To Be An Eagle, Proud To Be A Bostonian

LTE: BC Should Respond To Attacks With 'Renewed Community Spirit'

We still do not know who carried out the cowardly bombings at the Boston Marathon today. As a professor who studies the impact of terrorism, I don’t have any inside information about who the attackers are. But I can say with confidence that they made a huge mistake.

LTE: Error In Editorial Entitled 'BC Hockey Program Set To Reload In 2013-14'

LTE: This University Belongs To Each Member Of The BC Community

Congratulations to Kristy Barnes for expressing her honest opinions and beliefs in her most recent opinions column “Show Some Respect,” but as a Boston College student I was personally taken aback by the tone and implications of her message. 

LTE: Administration Is Open To Prospect Of Faculty Senate

I’m writing to address two errors in Dr. Susan Michalczyk’s letter to The Heights that appeared in the April 8 issue.

LTE: BC's Stance On Sexual Health Promotes True Freedom

I was forwarded the New York Times article regarding BC Students for Sexual Health and condom distribution. As an alum who cares for my alma mater, I wanted to briefly comment on two remarks made by Ms. Jekanowski.

LTE: BC Should Not Reprimand Students For Standing Up For Their Beliefs

I take issue with Ms. Barnes' latest accusation that BC Students for Sexual Health is not being "respectful" in its pursuit of healthcare access for students.  Since BCSSH's founding, the organization has been in constant contact with administrators, including those that most recently reprimanded it, about steps forward to achieve BCSSH's goals, events, and administration policies. In recent days, BCSSH has simply sought to raise awareness regarding a swift and drastic change in the relationship between the organization and the administration. The idea that students are disrespectful for advocating for what they believe in or discussing the qualms that they have with BC is reprehensible.

LTE: What Is The Point Of Being A Catholic University?

In writing this, I hope to add something to what has become our nationalized dispute between Boston College Students for Sexual Health (BCSSH) and the BC administration. I feel that the lack of productive dialogue is not conducive to our Jesuit commitment to continuously reflect on our values and the reasons for why we hold them. I would like to make three points as concisely as possible. First, as a Catholic student I am frustrated that so much time, thought, and prayers have been focused on the distribution of condoms while many other Catholic beliefs are neglected at BC. Second, I would like to reflect on the basis of why the Church is against the use of contraception. Finally, I would like to celebrate BC for when it upholds its Jesuit identity in being a leader in higher education, especially in light of CARE week.

LTE: Lack of Endorsement Is A Cop-Out

I am disappointed that The Heights did not endorse a UGBC candidate team.  Last issue’s editorial did an exemplary job comparing the two teams’ platforms.  I learned more about the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate from the editorial than I had during the entire campaign season.  However, the refusal to endorse a team completely undermined the credibility of this otherwise excellent analysis.

LTE: Professors Support BCSSH

We are very concerned that Boston College is considering disciplinary action against students who distribute contraceptives on campus. Whether one approves of this or not, university students have sex.

LTE: The Search For Faculty Governance Continues...

Boston College, founded in 1863 by the Jesuits to serve Catholic immigrants, adopted a typically Catholic hierarchical structure and has never had a University faculty senate, let alone true faculty governance. A model that works for clergy or the Vatican may not be best suited for proper expression of academic freedom and transparent decision-making with faculty participation.

LTE: BCSSH Disrespects The University, Risks Cultivating Student Dependence

Over the past several days I have been reading about the “condom clash” at Boston College. A group of students who call themselves BC Students for Sexual Health has been threatened with disciplinary action for distributing condoms on campus. Lizzie Jekanowski, the student group’s leader, says, “We’re not letting this threat compromise our mission to provide students with vital sexual health resources.”

LTE: BC's Stance On Condom Districution Is Not Truly Catholic

As a 1972 alumnus, I was heartened to walk the campus yesterday and view the splendid addition of Stokes Hall, the underway renovation of St. Mary's Hall. Despite the rough winter, the campus looks terrific. I was disheartened, however, by the Heights article detailing the conflict between Boston College Students for Sexual Health and the BC administration.

LTE: Administrations' Actions Restrict Individual Development

It was with great disappointment that I read the recent press about our institution regarding the actions being taken against the organization Boston College Students for Sexual Health. I am writing because this news makes me deeply concerned for the future direction of my university.

LTE: BCSSH Is Working To Make BC A Better Place

Bravo to Lizzie Jekanowski and the rest of Boston College Students for Sexual Health for standing up for themselves and their peers! I am a 2008 BC grad and former member of the BC Women's Health Initiative, an earlier incarnation of a sexual health and wellness group that also went unrecognized on campus, and I am glad to know that current students continue to fight for their rights to live as the authentic, complete human beings that "cura personalis" teaches us to be.

LTE: Administration's Actions Are Damaging The Community

Once again, the Boston College administration has disappointed its students by jeopardizing their health. An underhanded threat of disciplinary action to students that are trying to promote a safe and healthy environment is not only devastatingly disappointing, but it also represents the intolerance of the BC administration. Part of the BC mission states that “the University regards the contribution of different religious traditions and value systems as essential to the fullness of its intellectual life” (http://www.bc.edu/offices/bylaws/mission.html). Yet, the University constantly denies the voices and actions of students who do not agree with certain Catholic teachings (particularly those related to sex and sexual orientation) and seems to deny those voices that do not match corporate interests. In this denial, the University limits the growth of an intellectual environment and disregards its mission’s commitment to tolerance of non-Catholic traditions. 

LTE: An Open Letter To The Boston College Administration

First of all, I want to applaud you on your moral fortitude for standing up to the BCSSH and their so-called “Safe Sites” by prohibiting members from distributing condoms (or as I call them, “sin receptacles”) from the privacy of their own dorm rooms. This was certainly a big statement in terms of upholding the traditional Jesuit Catholic values of Boston College, and I thank you for it. 

LTE: BC Has An Obligation To The Roman Catholic Church

As an alumnus and current student, I can safely say that the recent news emanating from Main Campus both surprises and confuses me. I have read, through a number of sources, that the Boston College Students for Sexual Health (BCSSH) have been threatened with discipline for the illicit distribution of condoms within BC dormitories. My indignation does not, however, arise on the side of BCSSH, quite the contrary. 

LTE: Planned Parenthood Stands With BCSSH

As a recent Boston College alumna (class of 2011), a staff member at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, and a founder of BC Students for Sexual Health, I am proud to stand with the student group and their supporters. The decision of BC administrators to shut down the Safe Sites program is disappointing and short-sighted.

LTE: Administration Out Of Touch With Catholic Americans

As a recent Boston College alumna (class of 2011), a staff member at Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, and a founder of BC Students for Sexual Health, I am proud to stand with the student group and their supporters. The decision of Boston College administrators to shut down the Safe Sites program is disappointing and short-sighted.

Catholic Identity Requires BC's Divestment From Fossil Fuels

On March 13, 2013, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergolio, S.J., became the first Jesuit to be elected as head of the Roman Catholic Church. While Boston College has rightly celebrated this joyful event, the University is now faced with the challenge of substantively acting on the ecological message of the new pontiff and the Catholic Church’s authentic teachings on climate change.

Refusal To Divest Will Harm Future Students

The crisis of planetary climate change is the most significant problem that humans have ever encountered. And we don’t have much time to turn things around. BC students and their children and grandchildren will live in a very different world if we fail.  If we continue in a “business as usual” mode, climate scientists predict more extreme weather resulting in floods, droughts, failed crops, more disease, climate refugees, and more disputes (aka: wars) over land and water. Millions of people living in poverty and adding the least to climate changing pollution will bear the brunt of the effects of our excess—an injustice we are called to address.  The urgency of the issue requires immediate action.  However, because as Americans we are embedded in a culture that touts materialism and independence, and because we are governed to an unsettling degree by elected officials with a goal of being re-elected (funded by corporate lobbyists) rather than promoting the common good, we have done very little to address the major cause of our climate predicament—the extraction, processing, and burning of fossil fuels.   

Current Alcohol Matrix Does Nothing To Change Behavior

Point System Proposal Meant To Be A 'Conversation Starter'

Core Should Incorporate Business Classes

In regard to Samantha Costanzo’s Mar. 14 article, “Plan for core renewal expected by the end of April,” it seems timely and appropriate for the administration to be reviewing its core course offerings and requirements.