The Boston College
Chronicle
march 29, 2007-vol. 15 no. 14
Study: US Unprepared for Aging Workers
BC researchers say few
businesses plan for
changing demographics
By Office of
Public Affairs Staff
More than a quarter of US
businesses have failed to plan for
the effects of the aging American
workforce, according to the results of a new national survey by
researchers at Boston College.
Despite reports that the US
faces a shortage of millions of
workers within the coming decade
as baby boomers retire — taking
with them years of experience,
talent and expertise and leaving
fewer new workers available to
take their place — many US businesses are unprepared for changing workforce demographics, according to The National Study of
Business Strategy and Workforce
Development conducted by the
Boston College Center on Aging
& Work.
Among other findings, the
study indicates that little more
than a third of employers encourage late career workers to stay
on past retirement — at a time
when management skills are becoming an increasingly precious
commodity in business.
“Even though organizations
know that the workforce is aging
and understand that their own
workers are looking at retirement,
many are not making plans for
how business will adjust to these
changes,” said center co-director
Assoc. Prof. Marcie Pitt-Catsouphes (GSSW).
Adds center co-director Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Dean Mick Smyer: “Companies
that do not plan for this aging
workforce may find themselves
suddenly faced with a loss of labor, experience and expertise that
will be difficult to offset, given
the relatively small pool of new
workers and the competition for
new talent likely to result from so
many companies facing the same
problem.”
The study results are based on
responses from 578 organizations
from across the United States.
Among the economic sectors represented were retail trade, manufacturing, healthcare and social
assistance.
Key findings include:
—Only 37 percent of employers had adopted strategies to
encourage late career workers to
stay past the traditional retirement age, despite the fact that
late career employees “have high
levels of skills and strong professional and client networks, a
strong work ethic, low turnover
and are loyal and reliable.”
—60 percent of the employers
indicated that recruiting competent job applicants is a significant
Continued on page 3
MARATHON MOTION—More than 200 students danced, frolicked and generally enjoyed themselves at the annual BC Dance Marathon on March 24 in
the Flynn Recreation Complex. The 12-hour event raised almost $54,000 to
benefit the Franciscan Hospital for Children. (Photo by Suzanne Camarata)
At BC, Charity and Service Initiatives Go a Long Way
Seniors set to launch
volunteer program
in Nicaragua
Lee Pellegrini
Law students’
non-profit to aid
village in Macedonia
By Greg Frost
Staff Writer
A unique mix of altruism, initiative, family connections and institutional nurturing has prompted
three Boston College Law School
students to set up a charity to
benefit a small village in the former
Yugoslavia.
Michelle Limaj, Heddy Bolster
and Gerry Cahill decided last year
to take advantage of their experience as third-year law students to
start a non-profit organization to
help educate disadvantaged young
women in the Macedonian village
of Morani.
AT A GLANCE
Bipartisanship forum
has DC touch (page 3)
Women’s hockey comes
of age; new UGBC leaders
speak (page 5)
Shrayer on Jewish-Russian
literature (page 6)
By Sean Smith
Chronicle Editor
(L-R) BC Law students Heddy Bolster, Michelle Limaj and Gerry Cahill created the
Rahman Limaj Scholarship Program to help educate women in the Macedonian village of Morani. The photo in foreground is of Limaj’s late father-in-law, a resident of
Morani and namesake of the program, and Limaj’s daughter Annika.
Over the last several months,
the trio drew up the incorporation
and tax exemption documents as
part of an independent study, while
researching the ideal project design
through a seminar offered by BC’s
Center for International Rights and
Human Justice.
The result is the Rahman Limaj
Scholarship Program, which aims
to raise enough money to send
four women in Morani to school
each year and pay for their education costs through graduation.
The charity has already raised more
than $1,000 since Limaj and her
colleagues officially launched it earlier this month.
Like a lot of things in life, the
program began as a family affair.
Limaj’s husband is from Morani, and for the past six years the
pair have paid to send his five sisters
to school.
While Macedonia has a public
education system, it is the extra
cost of transportation, books and
lunch – about $1,500 per student
per year – that makes attendance
prohibitively expensive for families
in Morani.
Even if they can afford the cost,
most families in the village choose
to educate their sons while daughters tend to remain at home.
Limaj said the education of
her husband’s sisters has literally
changed their lives by giving them
job opportunities, enhanced standing in the community and the personal development and sense of self
that only education can provide.
Not surprisingly, she says, the
other girls in the village long for the
same experience.
Continued on page 4
Many a college student might
cringe if their parents talked about
them to a total stranger, but Boston
College senior Laura Hopps isn’t
complaining.
A chance conversation last fall
between Hopps’ mother and social
activist and author Sister Helen
Prejean, CSJ, resulted in an opportunity for Hopps and three fellow
seniors to help start a new service
program that will focus on aiding poor Nicaraguan women and
children. Hopps, Allison Ramirez and
Christine Ruppert are coordinators
for the Batahola Volunteers, a two-
year volunteer program slated to
begin this fall through the Centro
Cultural Batahola, an educational
and cultural center in Managua.
Batahola participants will give
classes in English, creative writing
and healthy living, help to promote
cooperatives and work on microfinancing, and otherwise support
projects and activities that serve
community needs.
The three will pilot the first
two years of the program, while
the fourth coordinator, UGBC
President Santiago Bunce, plans to
serve as fundraising director before
starting his own two-year volunteer
stint in 2009, when the program
is slated to begin accepting applicants.
Launching such an initiative
of promise is an exhilarating if
challenging prospect, say the four
seniors, who credit the guidance
Continued on page 4
University Promotes 19 Faculty
University President William P. Leahy, SJ, has announced the
promotions of 19 faculty members. Promoted to full professor are:
Claude Cernuschi (Fine Arts), Alan Rogers (History), Hong Ding
(Physics), Diane Ring (Law), R. Michael Cassidy (Law) and Philip
Strahan (CSOM).
The following faculty members were promoted to associate
professor with tenure: Pamela Lanutti (Communication), Charles
Morris (Communication), Sergio Alvarez (Computer Science), Fabio Ghironi (Economics), Caroline Bicks (English), Paula Mathieu
(English), James Smith (English), Stephanie Leone (Fine Arts),
Franziska Seraphim (History), Jeffrey Geoghegan (Theology), Renee Jones (Law) and Susan Bruce (LSOE).
In addition, Barbara Wolfe (CSON) was given tenured status.
—Office of Public Affairs
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
march 29, 2007
AROUND
CAMPUS
Monster of a weekend
Elizabeth Stowe ’05 and her luncheon guest.
Guess who’s coming
to lunch?
Elizabeth Stowe ’05 has had a
rather eventful post-Boston College life, to put it mildly.
Following her graduation from
BC, she entered the Alliance for
Catholic Education, a combined
master’s degree and service program administered through the
University of Notre Dame. She
was assigned to teach second grade
in Pascagoula, Miss., at the St.
Peter the Apostle parochial school
— which, one month after her arrival, was destroyed by Hurricane
Katrina.
The school’s students and
staff were subsequently moved to
another Catholic school, where
Stowe is now teaching.
Last month, Stowe and several
other Gulf Coast ACE representatives had a chance to share their
post-Katrina experiences and observations at a two-hour luncheon
with a special guest: First Lady
A time for heroes
Boston College was the setting
earlier this month for an awards
ceremony recognizing Boston area
residents whose life and works
exemplify a dedication to human
welfare — two members of the
BC community among them.
On March 7 in Gasson Hall,
the Art of Living Foundation
Greater Boston Chapter presented six “Heroes for Humanity”
awards to individuals who have
demonstrated strong commitment
to improving the lives of others through their dedication and
service. The recipients included
Alumni Association Co-Director
of Service and Spirituality Daniel
Leahy and Prof. Emeritus Elaine
Pinderhughes (GSSW).
Leahy, who holds bachelor’s
and master’s degrees from BC,
has helped oversee international
immersion and service programs
since he came to Campus Ministry at BC almost 10 years ago
and formerly worked in the child
protective services profession.
Pinderhughes, who retired as a
Laura Bush.
While the prospect of dining
with a major national figure might
seem an occasion for more than a
little nervousness, Stowe says she
felt no anxiety whatsoever.
“I was not all that nervous to
meet Mrs. Bush. She is a person,
just like everyone else, and she
has daughters close to my age, so
I saw her maternal qualities. She
was very easy to talk to and genuinely interested in what concerns
people had. She was there to learn
about the condition of the people
and because these people mean so
much to me, they and their needs
were my priority.”
Stowe notes that, for her, there
was a little serendipity to the event.
“The luncheon took place in the
town of Ocean Springs, Miss., at
a restaurant called McElroy’s on
the Bayou. Seeing where I used to
eat at BC, I was excited to hear the
name of the place.”
—SS
full-time faculty member in 2000,
was cited by Art of Living for
her work “to empower people to
understand and to transform the
crippling dynamics of oppression
in their lives.”
Other honorees were: Mass
Housing Director of Public Safety
Thaddeus Miles; Bay Cove Human Services Inc. President and
CEO Stan Connors; Billy Starr,
founder and executive director of
Pan Mass Challenge; and FairFoods CEO and founder Nancy
Jamison.
In addition, BC Health Services Associate Director Nancy Baker
was among those receiving honorable mention for the awards.
The Art of Living Foundation,
which is celebrating its 25th anniversary year, is a United Nationsaccredited program in some 140
countries. It describes its mission
as working to “restore human values, eliminate stress, and encourage people from all religions and
cultural backgrounds to come together in celebration and service.”
—Office of Public Affairs
Boston College is the gathering
place this weekend for some 150
diverse college students from the
greater New England area who
will be learning and practicing
advanced principles of leadership
from representatives of some of
the region’s top companies, such
as Fidelity Investments and TJX,
at the first-ever Monster Leadership Weekend in Boston.
Hosting the Boston MLW are
the University offices of AHANA
Student Programs and AHANA
Career Services, in cooperation
with Monster Diversity Leadership Programs — affiliated with
Monster Worldwide, Inc., the online global career network. The
event is for sophomores, juniors
and seniors — nearly 60 of them
are BC students — who have declared or intend to declare majors
in business, liberal arts or communications.
Among other activities, participants take part in a series of workshops that showcase and build
leadership skills and qualities.
These sessions explore topics such
as the importance of humility and
service to others, how leaders can
create an environment that fosters development and the roles of
cultural competence and a global
view in leadership.
“This is a great event for BC,
and most of all, for our students,”
says AHANA Student Programs
Associate Director Andy Petigny,
Survey: BC a great value
Boston College has been recognized by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine as among the top 50 “best values”
in private universities.
BC placed 24th in the survey, which measured academic
quality and affordability among more than 1,000 private
institutions, using such criteria as admission and graduation
rates, SAT/ACT scores, student-faculty ratio, various kinds
of financial aid, average debt at graduation and total costs.
California Institute of Technology ranked first in the
report, followed by Yale, Harvard, Rice and Duke universities. Others in the top 50 included MIT (seventh), Dartmouth (11th), Georgetown (16th), Tufts (18th), Brandeis
(19th), Cornell (23rd), Providence (26th), Emerson (30th),
Marquette (38th), Fordham (43rd) and Boston University
(48th).
The survey can be viewed on-line at www.kiplinger.
com/tools/privatecolleges/.
—Office of Public Affairs
who originally floated the idea for
the event last year to Chuck Knippen, founder and director of the
Monster DLP, which was looking
to build on its leadership program
offerings. “Any opportunity that
helps develop or can enhance a
student’s skill set, particularly in
leadership, is a worthwhile one.
In addition, Monster.com has
held programs throughout the
country and has attracted thousands of students. Though they
are based in Massachusetts, this
is the first event of its kind to be
held in Boston, and so to have it
at BC is very exciting.”
More information on the Monster Leadership Weekend is available
at bostonmlw.com/start/default.asp.
—SS
Correction: Schrock photo
The photo of Richard R.
Schrock in the March 15 Chronicle should have been credited to
Donna Coveney of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Chronicle regrets the omission.
The Boston College
Chronicle
Director of Public Affairs
Jack Dunn
Deputy Director of
Public AFFAIRS
Patricia Delaney
Editor
Sean Smith
Contributing Staff
Greg Frost
Stephen Gawlik
Reid Oslin
Rosanne Pellegrini
Kathleen Sullivan
Eileen Woodward
Photographers
Gary Gilbert
Lee Pellegrini
Despite a strong late-winter snowstorm, the Flynn Recreation Complex celebrated
its 35th anniversary on March 16, distributing commemorative T-shirts to faculty,
staff and student exercisers — including participants in the yoga class pictured
above. “The Plex” opened on March 17, 1972, named in honor of the late William J.
Flynn ’39, former BC football captain and director of University Athletics from 195791. It draws an estimated 4,500 visitors every week. (Photo by Suzanne Camarata)
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 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 Public Affairs, 14 Mayflower
Road, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467.
Electronic editions of the Boston
College Chronicle are available via
the World Wide Web at http://
www.bc.edu/chronicle.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
march 29, 2007
Law Conference Looks at Bipartisan Politics
By Greg Frost
Staff Writer
US Sen. John Kerry JD ’76 (D-Mass.) visited with students before joining panelists at the forum
“Achieving Bipartisanship: The Challenge for Our National Leadership,” held March 19 at the
Boston College Law School. Kerry also gave the keynote address. (Photos by Judy Sanders)
’78 of New Hampshire. Former
Sen. Warren Rudman JD ’60 of
New Hampshire moderated the
forum, and US Sen. John Kerry
JD ’76 (D-Mass.) delivered the
keynote address.
Hodes, whose election to Congress last November helped Democrats retake the House of Representatives for the first time since
1994, said his party was trying to
“take the higher ground” on the
issue of restoring bipartisanship.
“We are not doing to the minority what they did during those
years, and we will turn this ship of
state around,” Hodes said to applause from the audience.
The event drew some 400
Law School alumni, faculty and
DeFilippo Gets Five-Year
Contract Extension
Boston College has extended the
contract of Director of Athletics
Gene DeFilippo an additional five
years, through 2012.
In making the announcement,
BC President Rev. William P. Leahy, SJ, praised DeFilippo for the
work he has done in helping to
make Boston College one of the nation’s most successful and respected
athletic programs.
“Gene DeFilippo continues to
make an immense contribution
to Boston College and its athletics
program,” said Fr. Leahy. “I am
delighted that he will be with us for
at least another five years.”
DeFilippo expressed gratitude to
Fr. Leahy for the extension.
“I am grateful to Fr. Leahy for
his support and confidence,” said
DeFilippo. “My wife (Anne) and I
have made Boston our home, and I
consider this the best job in college
athletics.”
During DeFilippo’s tenure, Boston College student-athletes have
consistently earned the nation’s
highest graduation rates among Division I programs, and BC has been
recognized by US News and World
Report as one of the top 20 athletics
departments in the country.
In addition, DeFilippo has
overseen major enhancements of
BC’s athletics facilities, including
the completion of the $27 million
Yawkey Athletic Center, a multimillion dollar renovation of Conte
Forum to benefit women’s and
non-revenue sports, new football
practice facilities, lighting, scoreboards and other improvements at
Shea Field and a new sound system, floor, video boards in Conte
Forum.
He is also credited with adding
two new soccer fields to the Newton Campus, new synthetic turf
on Alumni Stadium, and an air-inflated bubble to cover the stadium
turf to provide an indoor practice
facility for all sports during the winter months.
Gifts to the Athletics Association’s fund-raising arm, the William
Flynn Fund, have also risen consistently during his tenure. Alumni,
parents and friends of Boston College Athletics contributed a record
$15 million in 2006, highlighted
by 45 commitments of $100,000
or more, the most six-figure gifts
in the history of BC Athletics, representing an increase of more than
100 percent from just two years
before. Also in 2006, Anne and
Gene DeFilippo cemented their
students, as well as members of
the Massachusetts political scene.
The lineup left some audience
members, like second-year law
student Michael Steele, feeling
star-struck.
“That’s the closest I’ve ever
been to an ‘almost president,’”
Steele said of Kerry, the Democrats’ 2004 presidential nominee.
“The most impressive aspect of
the day wasn’t so much what the
panel discussed, but the sheer fact
that they were there; that people of
that caliber and importance think
so highly of their law school that
they would take so much time out
of the schedules,” he said. “Let’s
just say that I wore my BC Law
sweatshirt with a little more pride
the next day.”
Steele noted that he would have
liked to see more time devoted to
the break-out sessions with the
various lawmakers; as it was, he
was only able to attend Scott’s
session on crime.
Kerry offered audience members a free-wheeling keynote address in which he criticized White
House policies, discussed his own
legislative priorities and took questions from audience members.
Asked about his biggest political mistake, the former White
House candidate said he doesn’t
spend much time dwelling on his
errors. But he did mention his
handling of the “Swift Boat” attack ads that criticized his actions
during and shortly after his military service. Many pundits have
said Kerry’s failure to respond
quickly and aggressively to the ads
damaged his election prospects.
“I should have heeded my own
gut and not listened to [advisers]
and slammed those guys who were
lying like hell about my record,”
Kerry said.
“If I had done that, we would
be meeting in the East Room [of
the White House] today.”
Aging & Work Study
File photo
The final event in the BC Law
School’s 75th anniversary celebrations was billed as a plea for bipartisanship in national politics – but
then Massachusetts Congressman
Michael Capuano JD ’77 got his
chance to speak and turned the
discussion on its head.
Capuano was among seven current and former federal lawmakers, all of them BC Law alumni,
who gathered March 19 at the
Newton Campus to take part in
the panel discussion “Achieving
Bipartisanship: The Challenge for
Our National Leadership.”
The feisty Democrat made no
apologies for favoring the kind of
cut-throat partisanship that has
come to define Washington politics over the last 15 years.
“Anybody who takes namecalling personally should get into
another line of business,” said
Capuano, adding that bipartisanship was fine on a personal level
but wouldn’t result in any big
legislative accomplishments.
“Partisanship will be with us
as long as Americans are unclear
about what direction they want to
go in. If you want us to get along,
expect nothing great.”
Capuano’s remarks contrasted
both in tone and substance from
those of most of his fellow panelists: Massachusetts congressmen
Stephen Lynch JD ’91, and Edward J. Markey JD ’72; Rep.
Robert “Bobby” Scott JD ’73, of
Virginia; and Rep. Paul Hodes JD
Gene DeFilippo
commitment to BC by announcing
their pledge of $100,000 to endow
a scholarship that will be awarded
annually to a female student-athlete who demonstrates outstanding
academic achievement and financial
need.
“I cherish the fact that I am
able to lead a nationally competitive
athletics program at an institution
that upholds the highest academic
standards, as exemplified by our
outstanding graduation rates,” said
DeFilippo. “Fr. Leahy and the entire Boston College community are
committed to having an Athletics
program that will continue to be a
source of immense pride for Boston
College alumni and fans nationwide.”
—Office of Public Affairs
Continued from page 1
human resources challenge.
—40 percent indicated that
management skills are in short
supply in their organizations.
—Only 33 percent of employers reported that their organization had made projections about
retirement rates of their workers to
either a moderate (24.1 percent)
or great (9.7 percent) extent.
The researchers stress that flexibility resonates particularly with
older workers. “Most older workers who say that they want to
extend the number of years they
remain in the labor force also
say that the typical eight-hour
day/five-day week doesn’t work
for them,” said Pitt-Catsouphes.
“Employers who fail to consider flexible work options may be
missing important opportunities
to enhance both their business
performance and their employees’
engagement.”
The BC researchers recommend that employers and organizations that have not yet done
so begin asking themselves some
critical questions, such as:
•Does the organization have
enough information about the age
composition of specific departments and teams?
•Are some occupational groups
more susceptible to changes in the
distribution of age groups than
others?
•How might managers promote the sharing of knowledge
among employees at different career stages?
•Could the continued labor
force participation of older workers (and the postponement of fulltime retirement) help the organization to address some of its
human resources challenges?
•Has the organization developed a business case for flexible
work options?
•Do supervisors fully understand the importance of flexible
work options both to the business
itself and to employee engagement?
The full report and summary
can be found online at www.
bc.edu/agingandwork.
The Boston College Center on
Aging & Work/Workplace Flexibility, established in 2005 and
funded by the Alfred P. Sloan
Foundation, collaborates with decision-makers at the workplace to
design and implement rigorous
investigations that will help the
business community to prepare
for the opportunities and challenges associated with the aging
workforce.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
march 29, 2007
Undergraduates Ready Nicaragua Program
Jay Bavishi: “If there is a common language in the world, it is sports
and entertainment.” (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
Sophomore Has Different
Kind of Olympian Ideal
By Reid Oslin
Staff Writer
Boston College sophomore Jay
Bavishi is going for the gold at the
Beijing Olympic Games in 2008
– and he doesn’t even compete in
a sport.
Already the author of a book
chronicling the participation of Ivy
League athletes in Olympic competition and a student assistant in
BC’s Sports Media office, Bavishi
is looking to land a position with
the organizing committee for the
2008 Summer Games.
“The Olympic Games are a
combination of sports, business
and political science,” says Bavishi,
a political science major in the
College of Arts and Sciences. “The
Beijing Games are going to be
the most important sporting event
in modern history from an economic standpoint, from a political
standpoint and even from a sports
standpoint.”
Bavishi plans to travel to Beijing
this summer to involve himself
in the preparation for the 2008
Olympiad, the first to be held in
China. In addition to his political
science courses, he is now taking
his second semester of Chinese at
BC to ready himself for a possible
position with the event’s organizers.
Bavishi broke into sports administration as a high school student in his hometown of Princeton, NJ, where he served as an
unpaid intern in the Ivy League’s
conference headquarters there. As
one of his projects, he did research
for a Web site on Ivy school athletes who have competed in the
Olympic Games since the modern
competition began in 1896.
While working a spring internship with the league’s public relations office in 2005, he asked if
he could use his findings as the
basis for a book. “I took all of
that research, spruced it up and
then taught myself the publishing
process from A to Z,” he laughs.
“I sent a proposal out to about 50
publishers and got 47 rejection
letters.”
Several publishing houses did
show interest in Bavishi’s idea,
however, and he chose Princeton’s
Markus Weiner Publishers for the
project. His book Ivies in Athens
was published last December and
is currently on sale in Ivy League
bookstores, outlets in campus communities and on amazon.com.
Arriving at Boston College as a
freshman in 2005, Bavishi offered
his services to the Sports Media office and was quickly hired. “I knew
that this was the kind of career that
I wanted,” he says, “so going to a
school that played Division I sports
was important to me.”
His writing skills and sports
information experience also helped
him win a coveted summer internship at Octagon Corp., a global
sports marketing firm headquartered in Virginia.
Bavishi says his Indian heritage
affords him an active campus life
and perspective beyond athletics.
“My parents emigrated here 35
years ago and I am an active participant in the South Asian Students’
Association,” he notes.
“I didn’t grow up with many
Indian and South Asian friends
beyond my immediate family, but
for the first time in my life I am really embracing my culture beyond
the delicious food. It has been a refreshing and gratifying experience
to get to know fellow first generation Americans of South Asian
heritage from around the country
that face the same dilemmas of
growing up with two cultures as I
have my entire life. I really consider
these kids my ‘BC family.’
Embracing the culture, Bavishi
adds, has also sparked his interest
in Indian business, economy and
sports marketing, where he hopes
to make an impact in the future.
“The National Basketball Association is looking at India as its
next big frontier,” notes Bavishi.
“There are a billion Chinese basketball fans because of [Houston
Rockets player] Yao Ming. If you
can find the same thing, you will
have a billion basketball fans in India. It’s a pretty simple formula.
“If there is a common language
in the world, it is sports and entertainment.”
Continued from page 1
Volunteers came from a cellphone ling that problem of ‘changing the
and leadership of Centro Cultural conversation between Hopps and world,’ and the Batahola community center seems like it might help us
Batahola administrators and staff. Sister Prejean.
Hopps had attended Sister understand a little bit better about
The program’s goals, and its underlying values and ideals, they say, Prejean’s lecture at BC two years what it might mean to pursue an alhave equal significance for the par- ago and was so impressed that she ternative way of approaching social
ticipants as well as those whom the urged her mother, a professor at injustice and creating change,” says
The College of New Jersey, to seek Ramirez, a Midland, Mich., native
program will serve.
“In creating this volunteer pro- a speaking engagement for the nun majoring in international studies
gram, we are careful to avoid com- at her school. When last fall Sis- with a minor in Latin American
ing from the perspective of wanting ter Prejean was invited to speak at studies.
While the program will not have
to ‘help,’ as if we, as privileged TCNJ, Hopps’ mother picked her
US citizens, had all the answers to up at the airport and during the a formal connection with the Unithe problems of poverty,” explains ride to campus mentioned Laura’s versity, it could be a future service
Hopps, a Yardley, Pa., native ma- upcoming service trip to Nicaragua opportunity for BC students — in
joring in English with a minor in through the Pedro Arrupe Program. fact, Hopps notes, she’s already reinternational studies. “We are ap- Sister Prejean immediately got out ceived inquiries from undergraduproaching our time in the center her cellphone and placed a call to ates about possible openings. The
Batahola coordinators also see a
as learners rather than volunteers, Hopps.
engaging in what Paulo Freire
calls the ‘cycle of praxis,’ of experience that leads to reflection,
and that leads to action and new
experience.”
Adds Ruppert, a Lynch
School of Education student
from Kensington, Md., majoring in human development with
minors in Spanish and Latin
American studies: “We are not
moving to Nicaragua to be spectators, but rather to live with
and learn from the realities of
the people there. We want to
build a loving community that
is based on attentiveness, respect, enhancing our spiritual
lives, and putting faith into action.”
Ruppert and her colleagues Batahola Volunteers program coordinators (L-R) Santiago Bunce, Christine Ruppert,
laud the work of the Centro Allison Ramirez and and Laura Hopps. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
Cultural Batahola, which has
Sister Prejean explained to Hopps commonality in the Jesuit values
helped more than 2,000 women
that
she had become involved with and spirituality of BC with the phiand youths find and develop new
a
support
group for Centro Cul- losophy and mission of the Centro
sources of income, improve their
tural
Batahola,
Friends of Batahola, Cultural Batahola.
living standards and obtain adult
and
asked
Hopps
to take on the
“[The program] is an embrace of
education and vocational training.
leadership
of
a
new
organization the outcast and a concentrated effort
The center also offers arts and cultural programs, and has provided aimed at involving young people in to further justice in a community,”
scholarships and other support to the center’s work. She also invited says Bunce, a theology major from
help young people from poor fami- Hopps to assist her in interviewing Clearwater, Fla., who is taking milies continue their studies and pur- women at the center for a book she nors in international studies and the
had begun writing on social justice Faith, Peace and Justice Program.
sue professional careers.
“In speaking about the motto, ‘Ever
The coordinators are working themes.
Hopps was only too glad to to Excel,’ Batahola Volunteers will
with the center to develop the philosophy and structure of the Ba- oblige on both counts, and jour- take the current social, political and
tahola Volunteers, and during the neyed to Managua a few weeks economic situation of Batahola and
do its best to instill a sense of dignity
summer will participate in training later.
Once she decided to take up Sis- within the community which will
programs to prepare them for the
ter Prejean’s offer, Hopps recruited allow for great independence and
task ahead.
All four have extensive experi- Ramirez, Ruppert and Bunce, all joy.”
ence in Central America, having of whom she had met through BC
More information on the Centro
participated in service trips, studied service activities and studies in El
at the Casa de la Solidaridad pro- Salvador, to join her in starting Cultural Batahola is available at www.
gram in El Salavdor, and worked the program. They were similarly friendsofbatahola.org. For details on
the Batahola Volunteers, send e-mail to
with non-profit organizations in enthused.
“I think all of us would like more bataholavolunteers@gmail.com.
Central America and the US. But
the original impetus for Batahola insight into how to go about tack-
Law Students Reach Out to Macedonia
Continued from page 1
“Once we started paying for my
sisters-in-law, you could see how
much the other girls in the village
wanted that opportunity, too,” she
says.
Affirming the family connection,
the scholarship program is named
for Limaj’s late father-in-law.
Limaj says her involvement in
the project has taught her some important lessons about seizing the day
and turning dreams into reality.
“I would recommend that any
student who has something they
want to accomplish not wait until
after graduation: Use independent
study to do it now,” she says.
Even though Limaj, Bolster and
Cahill will graduate in May, the
charity they started will live on at
BC. Clinical Prof. Daniel Kanstroom (Law), an associate director of
the Center for Human Rights and
International Justice, has agreed to
let two students in his human rights
seminar work on the Morani project each year.
“It’s wonderful to see it flowering in the real world,” Kanstroom
says of the charity. “This is exactly
the sort of initiative we had hoped
the center would be able to nurture
and support.”
Limaj, Bolster and Cahill are giving a presentation about their project on April 24 to show the kinds
of things students can accomplish
in the context of an independent
study. For more information, contact limajm@bc.edu or visit www.
rlsp.org.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
march 29, 2007
‘Committed to Student Life’
A Q&A with the new UGBC leadership
A Break-Out Year for Women’s Hockey
Program enjoys most successful season, and looks ahead to more
dent-athletes whose interests went
beyond hockey. “[Our players]
picked BC for the right reasons
– and it wasn’t just because of
the hockey program. They picked
it for the academics, the setting,
the student atmosphere here, the
sports atmosphere here and the
people associated with Boston
College.
“With what BC has done academically, BC does not need
women’s ice hockey,” he states
emphatically. “Women’s ice hockey needs Boston College. Because
BC is such an unbelievable institution, it attracts unbelievable
athletes.”
ice and later, when we are giving
each other constructive criticism
as well.”
The Boston College women’s
This winter’s team earned a
hockey team has burst onto the
host of individual and team honnational sports scene in a big way
ors while en route to such a suc– and in the right way.
cessful season. Freshmen forwards
The Eagles, ranked sixth in the
Kelli Stack (Brooklyn Heights,
USA Today/USA Hockey MagOhio) and Allie Thunstrom (Maazine national poll, this month
plewood, Minn.) were unanimous
made their first appearance in the
selections for both the Hockey
“Frozen Four” semifinals of the
East All-Rookie Team and the first
NCAA hockey championship at
team league All-Star team. FreshLake Placid, NY. The team’s reman goaltender Molly Schaus of
cord-setting 24-10-2 season was
Natick was an All-Rookie pick
capped by the team’s inaugural
and made an NCAA record 73
invitation to the NCAA title party
saves in BC’s 4-3 triple overtime
and the program’s first NCAA
victory over Harvard
playoff victory, a 3-2
in the Beanpot Tourdouble overtime win
nament championship
over fifth-ranked Dartgame.
mouth in a first-round
Only two seniors –
contest.
The Boston College men’s hockey team will be on defenseman Jess Wilson
Another double- its way to St. Louis next week for another visit to the (Guilford, Conn.) and
overtime game – a 3-2 Frozen Four, and another shot at a national title. The forward Michelle Lomloss to University of Eagles earned a berth in college hockey’s champion- bardi of Milton – will
Minnesota-Duluth in ship round with a 4-0 victory over Miami (Ohio) graduate from the roster
the national semifinals Sunday at the NCAA Regional Final in Manchester, this spring.
– dashed the Eagles’ NH. BC will face North Dakota — whom the Eagles
When the Boston
dreams of even higher defeated in 2001 for their last hockey championship College team walked
achievements.
— on April 5 at 8 p.m. (ESPN2), with the winner into the “Frozen Four”
For this year at playing either Maine or Michigan State for the crown banquet the night before
least.
on April 7.
the semifinals, Mutch
The road to the
Check in at the BC Athletics Web site [bceagles. noted that sweaters
summit of women’s cstv.com/] for updates and coverage.
from all 33 institutions
college hockey was
that sponsor women’s
not an easy climb. A
varsity hockey teams
varsity sport at Boston
One of those highly skilled were hanging on the wall – with
College only since 1994, the team athletes is junior co-captain Deb the four finalists, Boston College,
often struggled on the ice; during Spillane, a forward from nearby Minnesota-Duluth, University of
head coach Tom Mutch’s first Franklin. Spillane was highly re- Wisconsin and St. Lawrence Uniseason three years ago, the Eagles cruited by a number of hockey- versity placed above the rest.
won only six of 31 games.
playing schools, having starred
“I can only imagine what the
But Mutch has applied a time- simultaneously for both the boys’ players thought when they saw
tested winning sports formula team at Franklin High School and that Boston College sweater up
– good recruiting and positive the long-successful girls’ Assabet there, knowing that’s the school
thinking – and the results have Valley club team.
they go to,” he recalled.
been meteoric.
“I came for a visit and knew
“I said to the team before the
“When I took the job here, right away that this is where I game, ‘Thank you for the ride and
some people said to me, “We’re wanted to go,” says the sociology for letting me hang on your coatnot sure you’re going to have major.
tails.’ I told them to really enjoy
enough scholarships and what
Spillane, who scored BC’s first it, because it’s all about them and
not,’” he says. “I said, ‘We’ll win goal in the national semifinal, feels what they have done with this
here.’ We’re always going to be that Mutch has been able to bring program. That’s truly the way I
fighting the ‘big dogs’ for players a special type of person to the feel.”
and a lot of other things, but I ice hockey program. “We are a
For more on BC women’s ice
truly believe that we have won be- good team on and off the ice,” hockey team, visit their Web page
cause we have good kids who have she says. “We are all really good at bceagles.cstv.com/sports/w-hockey/
bought into the program.”
friends. That helps a lot in com- bc-w-hockey-body.html.
Mutch says he looked for stu- municating while we are on the
By Reid Oslin
Staff Writer
Men’s Title Hopes Alive
that we felt we could accomplish by
the end of our term and that would
provide a concrete difference on student life.
We ran on the slogan “Committed to Your Student Life.” I believe
this will not let us to forget our purpose and will keep us focus throughout our term.
What will be your first act of
business upon taking office?
DS: We are planning to meet with
as many student leaders and administrators as possible to reinforce our
sense of the campus’ pulse. It will be
our business to know what students
are interested in pursuing and helping
them do so, so the best way to start is
to make sure we have an idea of what
students want. After all, the student
activity fee that funds the UGBC is
their money, not just ours.
Lee Pellegrini
The Eagles celebrate a goal against University of Minnesota-Duluth in the NCAA “Frozen Four”
semifinal game, which they lost in double-overtime. (Photo by Todd Bissonette)
Juniors Jennifer Castillo and Daniel Sievers were elected Undergraduate
Government of Boston College president and vice president, respectively, last
month, defeating the team of fellow juniors Jamie Lepri and Sean Scanlon by
1,535 to 912 votes. Chronicle recently
interviewed the pair, who will assume
office on April 30.
Why did you want this job?
DS: We see some concrete changes
that can be made to improve student
life for every one of us, and this job
is the best medium by which we can
effect those changes.
JC: When I was discerning on
whether I was going to run or not
— and I am not exaggerating by the
“discerning” part; it’s a big decision
— my friend who ran last year said
I had to be crazy to do it. All factors
pointed to the fact that I shouldn’t do
it for personal reasons, for my sanity
and my grades. But after all I guess
I am crazy because I wanted to do
it more than anything. UGBC has
been a big part of my life at BC since
freshmen year. I feel like I’ve seen it
at its best and at its worst, and I have
a vision of how I think it can work
efficiently affecting more students at
BC. I could not deny myself the opportunity to make a difference.
Generally speaking, BC students
seem to be really busy, working hard
in the classroom, being active in
campus organizations or volunteering. What role should student government play in all this? In what
ways do you think UGBC can be
made relevant for more students?
DS: That’s exactly why we have
said all along: The UGBC needs to
get back into the business of making
student life a little less stressful, a little
bit more productive and a little bit
more fun for students on this campus. BC students have a lot on their
plate, and it will be our job to do
whatever we can to make things easier
to manage and more fun. Regularity of events is one way to make sure
UGBC is relevant and recognized;
communication is another. This is
the main issue and one that we will
brainstorm and work on all year.
JC: I think UGBC should play a
major role in the daily life of all BC
students. The problem I have seen in
the past is that UGBC administrations have dedicated their time to
primarily targeting long-term goals.
While many have continued traditions, they don’t always accomplish
new things. It’s difficult to balance
between those bigger issues that we
know will be affecting BC for the next
10 years and the less seemingly important goals that could actually have a
great impact on student life.
Dan and I have been part of the
Student Life department within
UGBC, which specifically deals with
these type of every day issues, concerning transportation, residential life,
dining services, clubs, sports, and activities, among others. When we were
forming our vision for UGBC and
BC, we realized we wanted to keep
in mind those bigger issues that will
never get resolved unless UGBC and
other student leaders pursue them,
but we also wanted to work on issues
JC: As we set our priorities we will
probably target long term goals first
to get work on those started before
the fall. These include the space reservation system, a flat panel screen
advertising system and the funding of
service trips, among others. The first
one I can’t wait to target is definitely
the space reservation system because
this is an issue Dan and I spearheaded
last year, and have been working on
since.
What are some of your other
goals as an administration?
DS: We would like to make the
UGBC more visible and more efficient. We hope to leave a campus next
fall that is a little easier to get around, a
little better at communicating events,
and a little better at managing its
space, in addition to providing solid
entertainment and acclaimed speakers
throughout the year.
What is going to be the best part
about leading UGBC?
JC: The best part will be two very
different days. The first night of our
UGBC retreat in the fall when we all
come together as a cabinet, and I can
breathe calmly, knowing that I have
the most enthusiastic and qualified
group of student leaders before me,
and the day in late spring when we
all come together for the last time to
share as a group everything we have
accomplished, which I hope will be
a lot.
DS: The best part will be getting
to know many great student leaders,
learning more about everything that
is BC, and checking off our platform
goals.
–Stephen Gawlik
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
march 29, 2007
Police auction is Saturday
The Boston College Police Department annual benefit auction of
abandoned property will be held this
Saturday, March 31, at 9 a.m. in the
Walsh Hall function room. A preview
of the items will begin at 8:30 a.m.
All sales are cash only. Proceeds
from the auction will be donated to
cystic fibrosis research.
Approved holidays list for 2007-08
Vice President for Human Resources
Leo Sullivan recently announced the
schedule of approved holidays for
Boston College for fiscal year 200708.
The schedule is: Fourth of July, Labor Day (Sept. 3), Columbus Day (Oct.
8), Thanksgiving (Nov. 22-23), Martin
Luther King Day (Jan. 21), Good Friday (March 21), Patriots’ Day (April
21) and Memorial Day (May 26).
The University will be closed for
Christmas break Dec. 24-26 and New
Year’s Dec. 31 and Jan. 1. Employees also may take two “personal
holidays,” with supervisory approval,
during the period of Jan. 2-31.
April 11 lecture focuses on
Christian-Buddhist dialogue
Ruben L.F. Habito, professor of
world religions and spirituality at the
Southern Methodist University Perkins School of Theology, will present
the talk “Contemplation and Social
Engagement: Christians and Buddhists in Dialogue” on April 11 at 7
p.m. in McGuinn 121.
Habito serves as zen teacher (roshi)
at Maria Kannon Zen Center in Dallas and is author of such books as
Healing Breath: Zen for Christians
and Buddhists in a Wounded World
and Experiencing Buddhism: Ways of
Wisdom and Compassion.
For more information, call ext.23882 or send e-mail to
rufogl@bc.edu.
Journalist to speak on
Russian rock music
The Slavic and Eastern Languages
Department will sponsor a lecture, “Let’s
Twist Again: The Traumatic Saga of Russian Rock Music,” by Artemy Troitsky,
a legendary Russian journalist, music
expert, historian, and public figure, on
April 12 at 4 p.m. in Fulton 511.
Troitsky teaches at Moscow State University and the Russian State University
of Management and hosts a weekly
radio show on the most high-profile Russian radio network, Echo of Moscow.
For more information, call ext.2-3910 or
send e-mail to shrayerm@bc.edu.
Joyce Award nominees sought
Nominations are now being accepted for the W. Seavey Joyce, SJ,
Community Service Award, which
honors Boston College juniors who
show leadership in community service, advocacy, political, or other
work to improve the City of Boston
or the plight of its more underserved
citizens. Established in 1988, the
award is named for the former Boston College president and School of
Management dean.
Candidates for the award must submit a letter of self-nomination along
with letters from a BC staff member
and a representative of a Boston
organization. Letters of nomination,
which are due by the end of April,
should briefly describe the nominee’s
motivation and leadership as well as
his or her project and its impacts.
Letters should be submitted by the
end of April to: JoyceAward@WorldComputerExchange.org.
Book Explores Diversity of Jewish-Russian Literature
A distinctive Jewish-Russian
culture has been part of the ferment and flourishing of world
culture for more than 200 years.
Now Prof. Maxim D. Shrayer
(Slavic and Eastern Languages),
founding co-director of the Jewish
Studies Program at Boston College and a leading authority on
Jewish-Russian literature, introduces readers for the first time to
the full range of the Jewish-Russian literary canon.
An Anthology of Jewish-Russian
Literature: Two Centuries of Dual
Identity in Prose and Poetry gathers stories, excerpts from novels,
essays, memoirs, and poems by
more than 130 Jewish writers
from 1801 to 2001 of the past
two centuries who worked in the
Russian language. This definitive
two-volume anthology features
writers — some of world renown,
others less widely known — of
the tsarist, Soviet and post-Soviet periods, both in Russia and in
the great emigrations, representing styles and artistic movements
from Romantic to Postmodern.
Most of the works appear here
for the first time in English or in
new translations. Shrayer wrote
a book-length introduction, as
well as all the individual introductory essays and commentary to
all the texts. He translated and
co-translated about one third of
the materials in his anthology, and
also worked with a stellar team of
some 40 literary translators from
the US and Great Britain.
The selections were chosen by
Shrayer both for their literary quality and because they illuminate
Gary Gilbert
Postings
Maxim D. Shrayer
questions of Jewish history, status,
and identity. The anthologized
authors include such famous Jewish-Russian writers as Isaac Babel,
Ilya Ehrenburg, Vassily Grossman
and Osip Mandelstam, but also
many great writers who have yet
to be discovered in English translation.
Each author is profiled in an
essay describing the personal,
cultural and historical context
in which he or she worked, and
individual works and groups of
works are head-noted to provide
further context. Furnished with a
comprehensive general introduction, An Anthology of Jewish-Russian Literature not only showcases
a wide range of individual works
but also offers an encyclopedic
survey of Jewish-Russian culture.
Shrayer experienced the suppression of this dual cultural
Medical Plan Hike Modest,
DeltaPremier to Rise 10 Percent
Boston College employees enrolled in the Harvard Pilgrim
Health Plan will see only slight increases in their premiums for
the next year, the Benefits Office announced.
This week the office sent out notices about the 2007-08
medical and dental plan rates as part of the University’s annual
open enrollment period, during which employees can sign up
for a health plan for the first time or switch coverage. The
enrollment period ends on Tuesday, April 24.
Harvard Pilgrim rates will rise by 2.1 percent both for the
PPO and HMO rates. The contribution schedule, whereby the
University currently contributes 80 percent to the PPO premium and 85 percent to the HMO premium, is not changing. Although premiums for DeltaCare, the University’s managed-care dental plan option, will not change, the rates for
BC’s primary dental plan, DeltaPremier, will increase by 10
percent. The dental increases amount to $1.16 per month for
employees with individual coverage and $3.96 per month for
those with family coverage. The new rates will be effective May 1.
The open enrollment period for supplemental and dependent life insurance is April 2 through April 20. During this
period employees have the opportunity to increase their coverage under either plan if they are already participating. The
rates for both supplemental and dependent life insurance will
remain the same as last year.
Benefits administrators urge employees who have children
on their medical or dental plan who are in their teens or 20s
to read the mailed notice regarding changes in eligibility as a
result of the Massachusetts Health Care Reform Act.
For more information, visit the Benefits Office in More
Hall 325 or call ext.2-3329.
—Stephen Gawlik
identity while growing up
a refusenik in the Soviet
Union in the 1970s and
1980s, where his parents’
outspoken celebration of
their Jewish heritage cost
them their careers and
brought them to the attention of the KGB. After moving to the United
States in 1987, Shrayer
made it his mission to promote Jewish-Russian writers as a way of preserving
their contributions to Jewish culture, honoring their
place in Russian and world
literature, and appreciating their exploration and
expression of the dilemma
of dual identity.
According to Shrayer,
the anthology is so extensive and
wide-ranging that it doubles as
a history of Jewish-Russian literature and an encyclopedia of
Jewish culture in the Russian language and in the Russian lands.
“From the beginning, I knew
I wanted this anthology to be
broad in scope and broad-minded
in its selection criteria, inclusive,
comprehensive and historically
complete — which means from
the partitions of Poland to end
of the 20th century [1801-2001]
— and also to cover both writing
in Russia/USSR and in emigration, including North America
and Israel,” explains Shrayer. “By
the end of my period of research
and selection I must have read and
considered works by 300 authors,
from some very famous to some
very unknown or forgotten.
“This anthology is both a labor
of love and a fruit of many years
of research. Its publication — after eight years of writing, editing,
and translating — marks the most
important moment in my career.
I hope very much that my anthology will introduce readers the
world over to the treasures of Jewish-Russian literary culture.”
Cultural and literary historian
Sander L. Gilman of Emory University deems Shrayer’s book “a
must for every school or Temple,
academic or major public library”
“Every major writer known or
considered, condemned or praised
as Jewish is included,” said Gilman, adding that the translations
“are more than readable: they are
literary in the best sense as they
present a portrait of the cultural
legacy and conflicted identity of
the Jews of Russia, who...are remaking the culture and literature
of the next wave of the Jewish
Diaspora.”
—Office of Public Affairs
WELCOME ADDITIONS
•Asst. Prof. Katherine Gregory
(CSON)
PhD, Boston College
Research Interests: Development of
preterm infants
Courses: Advanced Theory I and
II: Human Response Patterns of
Women, Children, Adolescents, and
their Families
Gregory’s clinical background is
as a neonatal intensive care nurse,
and she became interested in preterm infant nutrition and feeding
as she saw more babies survive beyond what would have been expected only a few years earlier. In
addition to her clinical experience,
Gregory has worked in health care
administration and management. In these roles she collaborated with
the executive and clinical leadership
of multiple academic medical centers and led multidisciplinary teams
on projects focused on improving
health care operations and clinical outcomes for patients and their
families.
•Adj. Asst. Prof. Meghan Sweeney
(Theology)
PhD, Emory University
Research Interests: Theological anthropology
Courses: Person and Social Responsibility
While in her doctoral program,
Sweeney taught religion and philosophy courses at both Emory and
the University of West Georgia.
Sweeney, who has ministerial training and experience, chose to teach
in the PULSE program at BC be-
cause of its action-reflection model
of social justice service-learning for
theological and philosophical education. Her current publishing
projects include contributions to
Liturgical Press’s An Introductory
Dictionary of Theology and Religious
Studies and preparing her dissertation, “A Performance of Being and
the Enacting Texts of Edith Stein,”
for publication.
•Asst. Prof. Shannon Seitz (Economics)
PhD, The University of Western
Ontario
Research Interests: Labor economics
and empirical microeconomics
Courses: Introductory Econometrics;
Graduate
Labor
Economics
Before coming to Boston College, Seitz served on the faculty at
Queen’s University in Canada for
six years. She is currently at work
on several research projects, including a look at consumption inequality and intra-household allocations.
She serves as a co-editor of the journal Labour. Noteworthy publications include “Domestic Violence,
Employment, and Divorce,” which
Seitz co-authored with Audra Bowlus and which appeared in the November 2006 issue of International
Economic Review.
—Greg Frost
“Welcome Additions,” an occasional feature, profiles new faculty
members at Boston College. This is
the final installment for the 200607 academic year.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
march 29, 2007
PEOPLE
Newsmakers
•Asst. Prof. Jonathan Laurence
(Political Science) was interviewed
by the Deutsche Welle News Service
about the report he wrote for the International Crisis Group on “Islam
and Identity in Germany.”
•Center on Wealth and Philanthropy Director Prof. Paul Schervish
(Sociology) was quoted by the Financial Times regarding the center’s
US state-by-state giving index.
• Boisi Center for Religion and
American Public Life Director
Prof. Alan Wolfe (Political Science)
was quoted by the Boston Globe
for a story on scaled-back plans by
Congressional Democrats to force
a pull-out of Iraq. He was a guest
on New Hampshire Public Radio’s
“Front Porch,” discussing the intersection of religion and politics in a
presidential election period.
•University Professor of History
Thomas Hachey, executive director
of the Center for Irish Program, was
quoted in USA Today on the prospect of a lasting peace agreement in
Northern Ireland.
•Clough Professor of History
James O’Toole was interviewed by
Religion News Service for a story on
American Catholics and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
•An op-ed by Assoc. Prof. Beth
Kowaleski Wallace on Britain’s
bicentenary of the abolition of the
slave trade was published by the
Christian Science Monitor.
•Research on DNA by Asst. Prof.
Torsten Fiebig (Chemistry) and
associates was reported in Chemical
& Engineering News.
•Center for Retirement Research
Associate Director of External
Relations Andrew Eschtruth was
quoted by the Wall Street Journal
regarding the value of 401(k) plans
to employees.
•Gasson Professor of Theology Keith Pecklers, SJ, Monan
Professor of Theology Lisa Sowle
Cahill and Prof. Harvey Egan, SJ
(Theology), made comments to the
Associated Press and Boston Herald
on a recent document by Pope
Benedict XVI exhorting adherence
to Church teaching.
•Center for Retirement Research
Associate Director for Research
Steven Sass was quoted by Detroit
Free Press columnist Susan Tompor
regarding the importance of not
tapping into retirement assests
prematurely.
•Prof. Dale Herbeck (Communication) spoke with the Nashville
Tennessean about Web-based libel
cases and with the Boston Herald
on efforts to place more parental
controls on MySpace.com.
•Kiplinger’s Personal Finance cited a
comparison by Asst. Prof. Richard
Evans (CSOM) of mutual funds
with small and large asset bases and
their impact on stock prices when
traded.
•Adj. Assoc. Prof. Michael Keith
(Communication) was quoted by
the Boston Herald regarding the
broadcast journalism job market.
•Center for Human Rights and
International Justice Supervising
Long-Serving BC Employee
“Jack” Foley Dead at 78
University President William P. Leahy, SJ, chats with head football coach Jeff Jagodzinski at the Alumni Association’s annual Laetare Sunday Lenten Celebration,
which was held March 18 in Conte Forum. Jagodzinski was guest speaker at the
brunch that followed the Mass celebrated by Fr. Leahy. (Photo by Rose Lincoln)
Nota Bene
Prof. Kevin Mahoney (GSSW), director of the Graduate School of
Social Work Center for the Study of Home and Community Life, is
the winner of the 2007 Flynn Prize for Social Work Research, an internationally competitive award that recognizes a scholar whose interdisciplinary studies have significantly shaped modern social policy.
Prof. Christopher Wilson (English) has won the 2007 Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools Geoffrey A. Marshall Mentoring
Award.
Boston College ROTC cadets recently earned prestigious educational and training opportunities: Joshua O’Dor ’07 has been selected
to attend the George C. Marshall National Security Seminar, at which
participants learn about national security affairs from experts in military, security and related fields; juniors Anthony Tolisano and Charles
Riley were chosen for a three-week medical internship at Tripler Army
Medical Center in Hawaii; William Shirer ’08 has been selected to
attend a three-week language and cultural immersion program this
summer in Brazil; and juniors Jeremy Schiel, Maura Leo and Kathleen
DeTeso will attend the Nurse Summer Training Program, where they
will work one on one with an army nurse.
A funeral Mass was celebrated
March 22 in St. Ignatius Church
for John L. “Jack” Foley, who
worked at Boston College for 58
years before his retirement last
fall.
Mr. Foley died March 18 in
Milton Hospital. He was 78.
One of Boston College’s longest serving employees, Mr. Foley
was hired on June 6, 1948, to
work in the receiving department of the University Bookstore.
Shortly thereafter, he transferred
to the staff of the Weston Observatory and then spent 40 years as a
coordinator and office manager in
the Audio Visual Department. He
became a coordinator in the Facilities Management Department
in 1994, a position he held until
his retirement last September.
“He loved Boston College immensely,” said his long-time friend
Paul Dicicco.
“He did everything at BC except say Mass,” laughed Dicicco.
“He drove trucks, he dumped
rubbish — every day he would
tell me another story about BC,
and over the last 17 years or so he
told me quite a few.”
While working at Boston College, Mr. Foley earned a bachelor’s in business administration in
1956 and a master’s in education
in 1962. “He always told everyone
that John F. Kennedy was a classmate of his,” said Paula Forget,
assistant director of administrative
services in Facilities Management.
“The year Jack graduated was the
same year that BC gave an honorary degree to [then US Senator]
Jack Kennedy.”
For years, Mr. Foley was one of
only a few employees in the Audio
Visual Department. During that
time, he provided electronic support at hundreds of lectures, film
screenings, receptions and other
University events, often working
seven days a week during busy
periods.
In 1956, Mr. Foley helped
produce a 28-minute film about
BC, “Towers on the Heights,”
that was aimed primarily at prospective students and prospective
alumni donors. After many years,
a copy of the film was discovered
in the Audio Visual Department
and subsequently transferred to
video, then later digitized for
viewing on the World Wide Web
[http://at.bc.edu/distantspires/].
Mr. Foley also operated the
scoreboard in Alumni Stadium
from the time the facility was
opened in 1957 until the mid1990s when he stepped down
from the assignment. Mr. Foley
often joked that he “scored more
points at Alumni Stadium than
anyone else.”
Although stricken with polio
as a child, Mr. Foley did not allow
his lack of mobility to interfere
with his work. He never missed
a day of work or a BC football
game until his retirement. He
was confined to a wheelchair in
recent years.
“He was an extremely kind
man,” recalled Forget. “He always cared about other peoples’
lives.”
For years, Mr. Foley hosted
parties and dinners at the former 99 Restaurant near his home
in Chestnut Hill, often inviting
Boston College employees to
join him to celebrate special occasions.
Mr. Foley is survived by several nieces and nephews.
Burial took place in Evergreen
Cemetery, adjacent to the Boston
College campus.
—Reid Oslin
Attorney Rachel Rosenbloom
published an op-ed on the need
for immigration law reform in the
Washtington Post.
•The Boston Herald interviewed
Aibhistin O’Coimin, one of the
first four Fulbright-sponsored Irish
language teaching assistants in the
US, who is instructing BC undergraduates in modern Irish this
semester.
Honors/Appointments
• The University Council for
Educational Administration has
awarded Prof. Robert Starratt
(LSOE) the Roald F. Campbell
Lifetime Achievement Award.
•Cawthorne Professor of Education
Marilyn Cochran-Smith has
been named the 2007 recipient of
the American Educational Research
Association’s Research to Practice
Award for Interpretive Scholarship.
Publications
• Neenan Professor of Economics James Anderson co-published
“Welfare vs. Market Access: Implications of Tariff Structure for Trade
Reform” in the Journal of International Economics.
Time and a Half
•Roche Professor of Economics Arthur Lewbel chaired a session and
also presented “Simple Estimators
for Hard Problems: Endogeneity
in Discrete Choice and Selection
Models” at the New York Camp
Econometrics II Program, Saratoga
Springs, NY.
•Prof. Maxim D. Shrayer (Slavic
and Eastern Languages) delivered
“Pasternak’s Response to the Shoah”
at the Southern Conference for
Slavic Studies in Montgomery, Ala.
• Prof. Juliet Schor (Sociology)
presented The Friedson Lecture,
“Sociology and Consumption,” at
New York University.
Jobs
-ALEPH Systems Librarian,
O’Neill Library -Help Desk Specialists, Information Technology Services -Graduate Programs Assistant, History Department -Technology Consultant, Information Systems -PT Asst. Coach Women’s Rowing,
Athletic Association -Director, XRay Crystallography,
Chemistry Department -Receptionist/Staff Assistant, Athletic Association -Supervisor, Parking Office, BCPD
For more information on employment
at Boston College, see www.bc.edu/bcjobs
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
march 29, 2007
LOOKING AHEAD
READINGS • LECTURES •
DISCUSSION
March 29
•“Missing the Forest for the Trees?
The Centrality of the Paschal
Mystery and the ‘Liturgy Wars,’”
presented by Visiting Fellow Martin Stuflesser, assistant professor of
liturgy, Ruhr University, Bochum
Germany, 4:30 p.m., Fulton 511,
call ext.2-8290, email: lucasl@
bc.edu.
•“Cassandra’s Curse, Pandora’s
Box: The Lessons and Legacy of
Iraq” with Ambassador Barbara
Bodine, the Robert Wilhelm Fellow at the Center for International
Studies’ Persian Gulf Initiative
at MIT, 4:30 p.m., Devlin 008,
email: baileyk@bc.edu.
•“Red and Blue Nation? Political
Polarization in America,” a panel
discussion with William Galston,
University of Maryland School
of Public Policy; Hahrie Han,
Wellesley College; Prof. Marc
Landy (Political Science) and Boisi
Center for Religion and American
Public Life at Boston College Director Prof. Alan Wolfe (Political
Science), 4:45 p.m., Gasson 305,
call ext.2-1860, email: richarsh@
bc.edu.
•“Postcards, Contagion, Citizenship: Stories Behind the American
Occupation of the Dominican
Republic 1916-24” with Donette
Francis, Binghamton University, 7 p.m., Gasson 305, email:
frederir@bc.edu
•“Frank Kelly: Back from the
Dead,” 7 p.m., Devlin 008, email:
leenma@bc.edu
•Marya Hornbacher, author of
Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and
Bulimia, 7:30 p.m., Higgins 300,
ext.2-4198, nawche@bc.edu.
March 30
•“Marion’s Line: Overcoming
Phenomenology’s Neoplatonic
Captivity,” presented by John
D. Caputo, Thomas J. Watson
Professor of Religion and Humanities, Syracuse University,
4:30 p.m., Higgins 300, email:
kellynm@bc.edu.
•“Translation Beyond Words”
with Phoebe Eng, 5 p.m., Gasson 100, call ext.2-4803, email:
donna.lee.2@bc.edu.
April 3
•“Agape Latte” with Asst. Prof.
Marina McCoy (Philosophy),
8:30 p.m., Hillside Cafe, call
ext.2-0470, email: church21@
bc.edu.
April 11
•The Clough Colloquium with
Under Secretary of State R. Nicholas Burns ’78, 4 p.m., Robsham
Theater, call ext.2-9296, email:
winston.center@bc.edu.
•“Road Salt Contamination of
Drinking Water Supplies And
Stream Habitats In Eastern Massachusetts” with Assoc. Prof. Rudolph Hon (Geology and Geophysics), call ext.2-8300, 7 p.m.,
Weston Observatory, 381 Concord Road, Weston, call ext.28300, email: weston.observatory@
bc.edu.
•Comparative Theology Series:
“Contemplation and Social Engagement: Christians and Buddhists in Dialogue” with Ruben
L.F. Habito, Southern Methodist University, 7 p.m., McGuinn
121, call ext.2-3882, email: rufogl@bc.edu.
MUSIC • ART • PERFORMANCE
March 29
•“After the End,” presented by
the Contemporary Theater and
directed by Daniel DeStefano ’07,
8 p.m., Bonn Studio, Robsham
Theater Arts Center, call ext.24002, email: marion.doyle.1@
bc.edu. Runs through March 31.
March 30
•2007 Baldwin Student Film
Awards, 7:30 p.m., Heights
Room, Corcoran Commons, call
ext.2-4820, email: thebaldwins@
bc.edu.
•Siesta Fashion Show, 7:30 p.m.,
O’Connell House, email: wrc@
bc.edu.
March 31
•Third annual “BC Idol” contest,
7:30 p.m., Gasson 100, bcidol@
gmail.com.
April 1
•Boston College Flute Choir with
Judy Grant, Director, 3 p.m., Gasson 100, call ext.2-6004, email:
concerts@bc.edu.
April 3
•BC Symphonic Band Concert, 8
p.m., Gasson 100, call ext.2-3018,
email: bands@bc.edu.
ONGOING EXHIBITIONS
•“A New Key: Modern Belgian
Art From the Simon Collection”
McMullen Museum, through
July 20, hours: Monday-Friday
11 a.m.-4 p.m., weekend hours:
noon to 5 p.m., for more information call ext.2-8587 or email
artmusm@bc.edu.
WEEKLY MASSES
• St. Joseph Chapel (Gonzaga Hall
– Upper Campus) 5 p.m. and 9
p.m.; Trinity Chapel (Newton
Campus) 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., St.
Ignatius Church, Lannon Chapel
- Lower Church, 9 p.m., Heights
Room, 10:15 p.m., St. Mary’s
Chapel (Spanish Mass) 7:30 p.m.
For more on BC campus events,
see events.bc.edu or check BCInfo
[www.bc.edu/bcinfo] for updates.
A FASHION FOR NURSING
(L-R) Connell School of Nursing alumni Ellen Hanley Fraumeni ‘67, Maureen Foley ‘71, Janice Corry Luongo ‘77 and Asst. Prof.
Jennifer Dacey Allen ‘86 and CSON senior Kerry Quealy pose with nursing attire of their respective eras during the Connell
School 60th anniversary celebration. See story at right. (Photo by Suzanne Camarata)
Clough Colloquium to
Host Diplomat Burns
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns
’78 — whose experience in international diplomacy has included an
extensive role in the war on terrorism — will be the featured speaker
at the April 11 Clough Colloquium, sponsored by the Winston
Lee Pellegrini
Center for Leadership and Ethics.
The event will take place from 45:30 p.m. in Robsham Theater and
is free and open to the public.
Burns was sworn in as the Department of State’s third-ranking
official two years ago, after having
served as the US permanent representative to the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization. As under secretary, he oversees US policy in each
region of the world and serves in the
senior career Foreign Service position at the department.
While ambassador to NATO, he
headed the combined State-Defense R. Nicholas Burns ’78
Department US Mission at a time
when the alliance committed to new missions in Iraq, Afghanistan and the global war against terrorism, and accepted seven new
members.
From 1997-2001, Burns was US Ambassador to Greece. His efforts to take action against the Greek terrorist group November 17
earned him a place on the organization’s “hit list” of Americans.
Burns was the featured speaker at the 2002 University Commencement, where he received an honorary doctor of laws degree.
During his speech, he touched on Boston College’s commitment to
“the Jesuit tradition of faith and service to others — to our families
and friends, our communities, our country, the world. This is BC’s
distinguishing feature. It is the core belief that how we lead our
lives should not be just about and for ourselves but about what we
all can do, in the poet Tennyson’s words, to ‘seek a newer world’
here on earth.”
“Under Secretary Burns has a wealth of experience as a top US
diplomat who has both practiced and observed leadership at the
highest levels,” says Carroll School of Management Associate Dean
Richard Keeley, director of programs for the Winston Center. “His
perspective on the challenges of ethical leadership in a very complicated foreign policy landscape where there are often no easy answers
should be very instructive for the BC community.” For more information on the Clough Colloquium, call ext.29296 or send e-mail to winston.center@bc.edu.
—Office of Public Affairs
REMINDER: Boston College will not hold classes on Holy
Thursday, April 5, or until after 4 p.m. on Easter Monday,
April 9. All University offices will be closed on Friday, April 6,
in observance of Good Friday.
BC SCENES
Some 300 guests attended a March 24 cocktail reception marking
the 60th anniversary of the William F. Connell School of Nursing.
CSON alumni, current and retired faculty and staff, and CSON
partners from clinical and community settings convened in Corcoran
Commons to peruse multimedia exhibits that highlighted the school’s
past, present and future.
“We are extremely grateful for all the support our alumnae and
alumni have given us and are happy to take the opportunity of our
60th anniversary to thank them, to reflect on our past, present our
current efforts, and envision the future of this wonderful school of
nursing,” said CSON Dean Barbara Hazard.
Among the exhibits were a screening of “Women’s Voices, Women’s
Lives,” a film created by CSON faculty and staff about African-American women living with HIV, and a photographic presentation from the
participants in CSON’s Global Health Initiative’s recent service learning trip to Nicaragua. Nursing students also demonstrated MicroSim,
a learning tool that simulates an emergency room setting.
CSON was the first full-time undergraduate program at Boston
College to accept women and its nursing doctoral program the first to
be offered at a Jesuit university. Today, the school’s graduate program
ranks among the nation’s top 20, according to US News & World
Report.
In recent years, the Connell School has added significantly to its academic offerings, including the Master’s Entry Program for non-nurse
college graduates, the Nurse Anesthesia Program, and the Palliative
Care Specialty. “Our faculty members are continually re-evaluating
and re-designing curricula to meet current demands,” said Hazard,
who adds that, despite CSON’s growth and changes, “our goal remains
to prepare our students to excel in service to others.”
—Kathleen Sullivan