The Boston College
Chronicle
february 1, 2007-vol. 15 no. 10
Faculty, Student Surveys Show
Overall Satisfaction with BC
Administrators say
studies help focus on
areas of improvement
By Jack Dunn
Director of Public Affairs
Two major surveys that probed
the attitudes of Boston College’s
employees and students confirm
that, overall, members of the BC
community are very satisfied with
their experience, despite some specific areas they believe call for improvement.
Preliminary results of the surveys, which were distributed to all
(non-faculty) employees and undergraduate students in 2006, reveal that 81 percent of employee
respondents feel “successful or very
successful” at BC, and that 87 percent of student respondents view
their overall BC experience as posi-
AT A GLANCE
First quarter century for King
Scholarship (page 3)
tive.
The surveys reflect the opinions
of 1,131 employees, or 51 percent of those surveyed and 1,102
students, 23 percent of those surveyed.
Specifically, the Employee Survey gives the University high marks
on family/personal-related topics
with 87 percent of employees surveyed agreeing or strongly agreeing
that “BC is a family-friendly place
to work,” and 80 percent agreeing
that “BC supports my ability to
balance my job and my personal
life.” More than 50 percent of
employees, however, stated that additional kinds of childcare would
increase their job satisfaction.
On work-related topics, 87
percent of respondents agree or
strongly agree that they like working at BC because of its mission,
vision and core values, 79 percent
agree that “they feel like a valued
Warming to the Task
BC geologist Amy Frappier looks to the past
to find answers about climate’s future
– paleotempestology, the study of
ancient storms – who are seeking
clues about the history of Earth’s
When it comes to the weather, changing climate as found in cerAsst. Prof. Amy Frappier (Geology tain natural “archives” such as tree
and Geophysics) tends to have a rings, sea shells, polar ice cores and
different perspective.
other places.
While most people concern
Frappier is credited with develthemselves with what the weather is oping a method for decoding the
going to do on a daily basis, Frappi- record of hurricane rainfall preer, a paleoclimatologist, is far more served in tropical cave formations
interested in what the weather did such as stalagmites. The details of
– thousands of years ago.
Frappier’s methodology and its re“We have only
sults will apa relatively short repear in a
“The evidence is
corded history, but
paper pubwe can take a look
lished in this
overwhelming,”
back at old clues and
month’s issue
says Frappier.
try to use them to
of Geology.
see what’s coming,”
Frappier,
“There’s no question
said Frappier, who
who spent an
that the Earth is
joined the Boston
undergraduCollege faculty last
warming and we’re ate semester
semester after comwhile at the
having a role in it.” University of
pleting her doctorate
at the University of
Maine living
New Hampshire.
in Antarctica,
As a public desees undenibate about global warming con- able evidence of climate change
tinues and the chorus demanding both in her many research trips to
legislative, political and industrial the Caribbean – and also right here
changes reaches a crescendo, it at home in New England.
is researchers like Frappier who
“There’s no question that the
are working to provide empirical Earth is warming and we’re having
guidance about the planet’s always- a role in it,” says Frappier.
shifting climate.
An avid cross-country skier
“The evidence is overwhelm- — “I think this has been a tough
ing,” she said. “The globe is warm- year for all of us who enjoy winter
ing and we want to know what to sports,” she says — Frappier says
expect so we can be prepared.”
there is ample firsthand evidence
For her part, the Rhode Island that things aren’t what they used
native is one of a small but growing to be as far as the New England
contingent of scientists in her field
Continued on page 5
By Stephen Gawlik
Staff Writer
Stories of the world in
students’ photos (page 4)
McMullen Museum presents
“A New Key” (page 8)
COMING UP@BC
TONIGHT: Humanities Series presents Colm Tóibin,
7:30 p.m., Gasson 100
FRIDAY: Men’s Hockey vs.
UMass, 7 p.m., Conte Forum
SUNDAY: Triton Brass Quintet,
3 p.m., Gasson 100
See page 8 for more, or
go to events.bc.edu
member of the community,” and
70 percent agree that they “feel
free to speak up about issues that
are important to them.” However,
while 70 percent of those surveyed
said that there are “ample diversity programs and opportunities
on campus,” 33 percent responded
that the University could do more
“to make diversity a high priority.”
The survey, which also allowed
respondents to anonymously express their viewpoints, is seen by
administrators as a helpful instrument in gauging employee sentiments and in defining areas of
concern. Several respondents suggested that more should be done to
break down barriers between professional and support staff, while
others stated that the University
needed to provide more support
for employees of color. Employees
also suggested that BC continue to
Continued on page 3
Rev. Robert Drinan, SJ (File photo by Geoffrey Why)
Former Law School Dean
Fr. Drinan Dies at 86
By Greg Frost
Staff Writer
Robert F. Drinan, SJ, a former congressman and dean of the
Boston College Law School who
fought for human rights abroad
and promoted justice and civil
rights at home, died Sunday in
Washington, DC, at the age of
86.
At Boston College, Fr. Drinan is primarily remembered for
his robust leadership of the law
school from 1956 to 1970 – a
period in which he took what had
been a well-regarded local institute and transformed it into one
of the nation’s top law schools.
“Father Drinan was a vigorous and dynamic force at Boston
College,” said University Historian Thomas O’Connor. “He attracted the kind of scholars and
professors to the law school that
would eventually make it one
of the most significant in the
country.”
During Fr. Drinan’s stewardship, the school’s faculty nearly
doubled in size.
John Garvey, the law school’s
current dean, called Fr. Drinan
one of the most influential leaders
in the school’s history.
“He has been a personal hero
to me,” Garvey said of Fr. Drinan. “I am constantly hearing
stories from alumni who were
inspired by him, who thank him
for getting them into law school
and starting their careers.”
Fr. Drinan left Boston College
in 1970 to run for a seat in Congress, which he won. He served
five terms in the US House of
Representatives as a Democrat
from Massachusetts, and was the
first congressman to call for the
impeachment of President Richard Nixon during the Watergate
crisis. He also played a central
role in rewriting federal bank-
ruptcy rules.
In 1980, the Vatican ruled
that no priest could hold a legislative position, and Fr. Drinan
complied, leaving Congress in
1981.
Fr. Drinan went on to teach
at Georgetown University Law
Center, including courses in legal
ethics and international human
rights. He also wrote 11 books,
including Religious Freedom and
World War: Can God and Caesar
Coexist?
Last year, the Law School established the Robert F. Drinan,
SJ, Chair, through the efforts
of the Class of 1958. George
Brown, who has been on the Law
School faculty for 35 years, is the
chair’s inaugural holder.
Brown said what made the
former dean extraordinary was
his excellence in so many fields
of endeavor, from higher education administration to politics to
scholarly research on matters of
constitutional law and international human rights.
“He is really an inspiration
for people in legal education but
also for lawyers generally,” Brown
said.
Robert Trevisani JD’58, who
was instrumental in the fundraising effort for the Drinan Chair,
said during his class’s three years
at BC Law, Fr. Drinan “was
nothing less than an energetic,
dynamic leader, giving constant
support and encouragement to us
as we suffered the rigors of a stiff
curriculum. He made it a point
to know his students and it was
unusual for him not to attend our
social functions.”
During the 1960s, Fr. Drinan was Boston College’s leading
spokesman on civil rights matters.
He condemned what he called
the de facto segregation of Boston
Continued on page 5
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
february 1, 2007
AROUND
CAMPUS
Celebrating pioneers
Women and sport are in the
spotlight this winter at BC, thanks
to the Heights Awards, a collaboration between the University and
the Massachusetts Lottery honoring individuals who have made a
contribution to women’s athletics.
Heights Awards recipients are
selected by a panel of representatives from Boston College, the
Lottery and the Fenway Sports
Group and recognized during
each BC women’s basketball home
game throughout the 2006-7 season. Nominees must be residents
of Massachusetts and can be living
or deceased.
“This has been a wonderful
opportunity for me and others
here at BC to learn about all the
great work individuals have been
doing across the state to help girls
and women in sports,” said Senior
Associate Athletic Director Jody
Mooradian. “The really nice part
is that it is truly an award that
recognizes people at every level
and every part of the state.”
Among those who have received a Heights Award are:
Mary Pratt, who played in the
All-American Girls’ Professional
Baseball League — depicted in the
popular film “A League of Their
Own” — and went on to teach
and coach at the high school level
for nearly five decades; Mary Lou
Thimas, who after starting the
first Quincy Public School girls’
Trek time
Twenty-four Boston College graduate business students toured
Silicon Valley and other West Coast locales last month — and got
an inside look at one of the biggest high-tech events around — as
part of the Carroll School of Management’s annual “TechTrek”
program.
The two-week field trip, organized by CSOM Assoc. Prof. John
Gallaugher, brings MBA students in personal contact with some of
the electronic and computer industries’ leading senior executives,
entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. This year’s TechTrek featured
a stop at the MacWorld Expo in San Francisco where the students
had VIP access to the event’s keynote speech by Apple CEO Steve
Jobs and a behind-the-scenes look at preparations for the firm’s annual technology showcase.
Other stops on the trip included Sun Microsystems, where
the students met with company co-founder and chairman Scott
McNealy, as well as Cingular Wireless, Microsoft Corp., eBay and
Google.
“This is a set of 25 ‘master classes’ taught by some of the leading
minds in technology,” says Gallaugher, who also has organized a
mid-semester “TechTrek” for qualified undergraduates.
Students who apply to participate in the trips must take a threecredit course on high-tech management that includes extensive
reading and case studies on the firms that will be visited. “Part of the
reason for that is that they have such high-level executive access that
we want to make sure that the students are prepared so that they can
get the most out of the experience,” Gallaugher says.
At the conclusion of the trip, students are required to write a
detailed analysis of their learning experience.
Gallaugher has enlisted the support of a number of Boston
College alumni who hold top-level positions in the high tech field.
“Our students are really inspired by seeing other ‘Eagles’ doing
some really great things,” Gallaugher says. “All of these folks can
offer an experience that we just cannot offer in the classroom.”
—RO
Lowell Lectures at 50 The Lowell Lectures Humanities
Series, celebrating its 50th season
this year, kicks off the spring 2007
slate at 7:30 p.m. tonight in Gasson
100 with a reading by prolific Irish
author Colm Tóibin.
Tóibin, whose appearance is cosponsored by the Irish Studies Program, has written five novels and
his most recent, The Master, is based
on the life of Henry James. [Note:
The date for this event had been erroneously given in earlier publicity
as Feb. 2].
Tony Judt presents “Disturbing
the Peace: Intellectuals and Universities in an Illiberal Age” on Feb.
6, at 7:30 p.m. in Devlin 101 (all
other lectures are in Gasson 100).
Judt, the Erich Maria Remarque
Professor of European Studies at
New York University, is a frequent
contributor to The New York Review of Books, the Times Literary
Supplement, The New Republic, and
The New York Times, and author of
Postwar: A History of Europe since
1945.
Pennsylvania State University
Distinguished Professor of Religious
Studies and History Philip Jenkins
presents the Candlemas Lecture
“Believing in the Global South” on
Feb. 22, co-sponsored by Church in
the 21st Century. He is the author
of 20 books including Mystics and
basketball team in 1968 served
as coach and athletic director at
the high school and collegiate levels, and later as Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference assistant
commissioner; Kevin Cummings
’83, who has been involved with
the Bay State Games since 1984
— the last seven as executive director — and worked to provide
athletic opportunities for tens of
thousands of female amateur athletes from Massachusetts in 25
different Olympic and Pan American sports.
For the complete list of Heights
Awards winners and more information on their achievements, see
bceagles.cstv.com/ot/bc-womenin-sports-winners.html.
—Office of Public Affairs
Music in a whole
“New Key”
The Feb. 13 public reception
celebrating the new McMullen
Museum exhibition “A New Key:
Modern Belgian Art from the Simon Collection” [see page 8] will
feature a musical event one of its
organizers describes as an “experiment.”
At the reception, Director of
Boston College Bands Sebastian
Bonaiuto will conduct a performance of music from the era depicted in “A New Key.” Bonaiuto
arranged the compositions for
modern instruments, using copies of sheet music illustrated by
renowned artist René Magritte
— whose works will be on display
in “A New Key” — that exhibition curator Prof. Jeffery Howe
(Fine Arts) obtained last summer
during a visit to Brussels.
As Bonaiuto explains, the music to be played at the concert
— more heavily influenced by
classical music than its American jazz counterpart — is a more
than appropriate complement to
the exhibition. “When artists like
René Magritte and others were
painting, the sounds of this popular music floated in the air. But
Messiahs: Cults and New Religions in
American History, The Next Christendom: The Rise of Global Christianity and Decade of Nightmares: The
End of the 1960s and the Making of
Eighties America.
On March 1 Poetry Days cosponsors an appearance by Sharon Olds, winner of the National
Book Critics Circle Award and the
Lamont Poetry Prize, who will read
from her work. Olds has published
eight volumes of poetry and is a
founding chair of the Writing Program at Goldwater Hospital for the
severely physically disabled.
Julia Glass, who appears on
March 14, is the author of the National Book Award-winning novel,
Senior Associate Athletic Director Jody Mooradian with Marcia Crooks, recipient
of a Heights Award honoring Massachusetts residents who have made contributions to women’s sports. Crooks helped start the state’s first high school girls’
basketball tournament and has competed in the USA Track and Field master’s program. (Photo courtesy of BC Athletic Association)
Magritte had a special connection to this music: His brother
Paul was a composer of popular
music during this time, and René
illustrated many editions of sheet
music.”
According to Howe, a leading historian of modern Belgian
art, over time much of this sheet
music was considered noteworthy solely because of the Magritte
connection, and the music itself
became secondary. So when discussions about the “New Key”
exhibition began, Howe had a
special project in mind.
“I had wanted to locate this
music and see if Seb could make
something of it. Last summer
when I was in Belgium, I was
lucky enough to work with a gallery which had the full set of these
sheets, and was willing to share
them.”
Howe and Bonaiuto note that
the pieces to be performed Feb. 13
also will released on a recording
— one that is likely to draw some
attention overseas.
“The scholars and curators I
spoke with in Belgium are keenly
interested to see how this experiment turns out, since no one
over there has ever heard any of
this,” Howe explains. “It is a real
Three Junes. Her second novel, The
Whole World Over, takes place in
New Mexico and New York City in
the time leading up to 9/11.
On March 20, Jonathan Lethem
— the sole novelist appearing in the
Newsweek “100 People for the New
Century” list — reads from his fiction. His novel Motherless Brooklyn
won a National Book Critics Circle
Award and he was a recipient of a
2005 MacArthur Fellowship.
The series is sponsored by the
University and the Lowell Institute.
All events are free and open to
the public. For more information,
call ext.2-3705 or visit www.bc.edu/
lowell.
—SG
recovery of music from that era.
The performance will add much
to our understanding of the period, and points out the crucial
academic importance of the performing arts.”
—SS
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
Lauren Piekarski
Kathleen Sullivan
Photographers
Gary Gilbert
Lee Pellegrini
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
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Electronic editions of the Boston
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www.bc.edu/chronicle.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
february 1, 2007
King Scholarship to Mark 25 Years
By Sean Smith
Chronicle Editor
This month, the Martin Luther
King Jr. Scholarship marks a quarter
century of honoring, and providing
financial assistance to, Boston College juniors whose lives and achievements reflect the spirit of the slain
civil rights leader.
The scholarship will be announced at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Awards Banquet on
Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 5:30 p.m. in
the Welch Dining Room of Lyons
Hall.
Five candidates [see sidebar for
biographies] are in line for the King
Scholarship, which grants 75 percent of senior year tuition.
Also highlighting the event,
which draws several hundred members and friends of the Boston College community, will be a talk by
Stephen J. Pemberton ’89, a former
senior assistant director of undergraduate admission at BC who is
chief diversity officer and vice-president of diversity and inclusion at
Monster.com, the leading global
online careers property.
Pemberton worked for 10 years
Stephen J. Pemberton will speak at the
MLK Banquet Feb. 13.
in the Office of Undergraduate Admission, acting as the primary application evaluator for 11 territories
across the country. He also chaired
several admission committees, coordinated an extensive network of
student and alumni volunteers, and
designed admission publications for
the college.
At Monster.com, Pemberton has
full operational responsibility for
the Diversity and Inclusion busi-
ness unit, which focuses on helping
employers diversify their workforce.
As chief diversity officer, he leads
Monster’s internal commitment to
diversity in the areas of programs
and communication, culture of inclusion, fairness and equal opportunity, composition and retention of a
diverse workforce, and community
outreach.
Prior to assuming this position,
Pemberton was co-founder and
president of Road To College, a
Web-based national college admission consulting service, where he
was responsible for the daily operations of the company with a specific
concentration on product, sales and
marketing.
Earlier, Pemberton served as
campus vice president of strategy
and development for Monster.com
and provided strategic direction for
the MonsterCampus division.
A frequent presenter at conferences of the National Association
of College Admission Counselors
and The College Board, Pemberton
was a contributor to High School
Students’ Guide to Success (1995),
a publication he co-authored with
several colleagues.
Surveys Indicate Positive Outlook on BC
Continued from page 1
improve the climate for gay, lesbian
and bisexual employees with many
respondents urging the University
to change its policy of non-discrimination.
Overall, the survey indicated
that white professional females were
most likely to say that BC is welcoming and has a strong sense of
community, while AHANA professional females were most likely to
say that BC does not have a diverse
staff.
Prominent themes among the
responders included calls for enhanced communication, improved
training and promotion, and more
opportunities for advancement for
all deserving members of the BC
community.
“There were a number of favorable responses from the survey
indicating in the overall that our
employees have had a positive experience at Boston College,” said Vice
President for Human Resources Leo
Sullivan. “However, there are areas
where improvements are needed
that are not insurmountable, and
we will address them proactively.”
Sullivan acknowledged that the
Employee Survey was designed to
provide specific recommendations
for the University’s Diversity Steering Committee to help in developing a strategic plan for the Office
for Institutional Diversity under
the leadership of Executive Director Richard Jefferson. The Office
of Institutional Diversity and other
University departments, he said,
will now take a leadership role in
formulating recommendations for
improvements.
The Student Survey, which was
conducted in 2006 to assess undergraduates’ attitudes and opinions
regarding their experience at Boston
College, indicated that 87 percent
of BC students responding view
their experience positively, with 85
percent agreeing or strongly agreeing that students are valued at BC,
84 percent feeling that they “belong
to the campus community” and 81
percent saying they would again enroll at BC if given the opportunity
to make their college choice.
When considered with respect
to race/ethnicity, 78 percent of AHANA student respondents evaluated their BC experience as good
or excellent, with the number rising
to 91 percent for white students. In
addition, the survey noted, students’
rating of their overall BC experience
“A hallmark of a great
institution is its willingness
to monitor perception. BC
cares what its employees and
students think and welcomes
their constructive feedback.
Our challenge is to continue
our efforts to find avenues that
improve the BC experience for
all employees and students.”
—Patrick Keating
increased in relation to their family’s
income level.
From an academic standpoint,
the survey results suggest that while
90 percent of students indicated
having a relationship of at least
“some” quality with faculty members, nearly 33 percent of respondents reported spending no time
talking with faculty members outside of class. Similarly, while 72
percent spoke of having working
relationships with campus administrators, 28 percent of respondents
said they felt “little or no support”
from members of the administration.
Among the issues cited by students as areas of concern were alcohol use, poor or distorted body image, particularly of female students,
and lack of sensitivity for those from
different income backgrounds.
With regard to diversity, the survey results demonstrated that while
59 percent of students agree that
getting to know people from different backgrounds has been easy
at Boston College, fewer African
American students than non-African American students think that
BC welcomes discussions or programs that promote multicultural
understanding.
In terms of student engagement, the respondents stated that
they spend the greatest amount of
their time preparing for class. In
addition, a total of 78 percent of
students spend time participating
in student clubs and organizations,
54 percent of students participate
in volunteer activities, 48 percent
participate in activities that enhance
their spirituality, 46 percent attend
lectures outside of class, 33 percent
work for pay on campus and 30
percent participate in social justice
projects.
While there were few substantive differences in the survey results
based on race or gender, one notable difference was that 48 percent
of black/African American students
spend more than five hours per
week working for pay on campus,
A look at the 2007 Martin
Luther King Jr. Scholarship candidates:
Jacqueline Grant: A native of
Mill Valley, Calif., majoring in
biology with a minor in chemistry,
Grant is co-director of FACES,
which organizes campus activities
to promote discussion on the issues of race and systems of power
and privilege. A residential assistant, AHANA Scholar and a
member of the Student Judicial
Board, Grant volunteered as a
research assistant to be involved
in studies on campus that addressed gene-environmental interactions and cognitive affective
neuroscience. An avid fundraiser
for a Hurricane Katrina school
relief fund, she also is the campus
campaign manager of Teach for
America and recruits BC students
to help end educational inequality
in America.
Brittany Macklin: Macklin, a
political science major with a concentration in international studies,
has been active in advocating on
the behalf of AHANA women’s
interests, serving with the AHANA Leadership Council under the
Women of Color Caucus Department. She also is a member of the
BC cheerleading team. Originally
from Maryland, Macklin has been
heavily involved in the St. Paul
the Baptist Church, as a member
of the Young Adult Choir — of
which she is a former president
— the Adult Usher Board and
the HYPE ministry, which focuses
on spiritual, educational, physical
and social development of youth
in the Washington, DC, area.
Marvin Francois: A management major with a concentration
in finance at the Carroll School of
Management, this Miami native
also minors in music. Francois
is coordinator of the AHANA
Division of the Student Admission Program and a campus guide
conducting special group tours for
students of color. He is a composer and manager of a student
jazz, R&B, and classical band, a
member of the Music Guild and
while only 27 percent of non-black/
African American students replied
similarly.
BC students’ opinions of the
quality of academic advising declined as class years advanced, with
seniors being less satisfied with the
quality of academic advising overall
than underclassmen.
On the issue of experiential
learning, 86 percent of BC student
respondents reported that they have
done or plan to do a practicum,
internship, field experience, or clinical assignment, while a total of 89
percent state that they have done
or plan to do community service or
volunteer work.
Across all categories, but particularly among AHANA students, BC
students responded that additional
opportunities for activities outside
the classroom would increase the
quality of student life at Boston
College.
“This survey is helpful in enabling us to know from the voice of
students what their sentiments and
Irish Society and participated in
the Mustard Seed Service trip to
Jamaica to serve orphans, AIDS
victims, the handicapped and the
elderly. Francois is on the national and university Dean’s List,
an AHANA Scholar and recipient
of the Bill Davis Scholarship for
Academic Achievement.
Lauren Wheeler: From Shaker
Heights, Ohio, Wheeler majors in
political science and international
studies while exhibiting a strong
interest in public service and promoting education as means to
combat inequality. At BC, she has
been an active leader in the AHANA Leadership Academy and on
the Thea Bowman AHANA honor roll from 2004-2006. Wheeler
has worked with youth through
the Girl Scouts of America and
the Big Sister organization, and
as a tutor at the Suffolk County
House of Corrections. She has
served as an intern for US Sen.
John Kerry (D-Mass.) and US
Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (DOhio). Her post-graduation plans
are to study law and health policy
as a means of addressing the needs
of at risk youth.
Trevor Bass: A native of
Washington, DC, Bass credits his
attendance at a Quaker school for
14 years as having encouraged his
values of peace and compassion.
As a member of the Shaw Leadership program, he has taken part
in the Greater Boston Food Bank,
raising money for the Darfur region of Sudan and volunteering
for the Boston Marathon. He
also has been active in the Black
Student Forum and AHANA
Leadership Council, for which
he served as director of external
affairs. Bass was the programming
chair for the NAACP Boston
Chapter and tutored youth at St.
Anthony’s School from 2004-6.
His academic honors and awards
include winning the Alpha Pi Chi
Scholarship regional and national
competition.
(Information provided by the
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial
Committee)
concerns are,” said Vice President
for Student Affairs Cheryl Presley.
“It tells us that while students are
satisfied with their BC experience,
more needs to be done to meet their
aspirations and to address their concerns, particularly among our lowincome and AHANA students.
Added Executive Vice President
Patrick Keating, who authorized the
study, “I want to thank Kelli Armstrong and her team in Institutional Research for conducting these
important surveys, and the Black
Faculty, Staff and Administrators
Association for agreeing to expand
the originally proposed Employee
Survey to include a broader spectrum of questions.
“A hallmark of a great institution
is its willingness to monitor perception. BC cares what its employees
and students think and welcomes
their constructive feedback. Our
challenge is to continue our efforts
to find avenues that improve the
BC experience for all employees and
students.”
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
february 1, 2007
Julie White is a first-year, parttime student in the Graduate School
of Social Work.
I’ve been very fortunate to have
several opportunities to travel abroad,
mainly through my church and also
through my undergraduate school,
Eastern Nazarene College. I love photography but only pretend to know
what I’m doing.
The earlier of the two photos was
taken in a village in Kosovo, where I
spent several weeks during the summer of 2004 as
part of a missions trip. It
was an amazing experience,
one that has
stayed with me.
I don’t think
a day goes by
when I don’t
wish I was
there.
When we
went to Kosovo, it was about
five years since
the war had
ended,
and
people were
still trying to
bring
some
kind of normalcy to their
lives. One of
the dangers was
the landmines
waiting to be unveiled; the first week
we were there one of our Kosovar
friends witnessed somebody step on
a mine. It was not uncommon to see
areas roped-off that had not yet been
cleared for mines. There were social remnants of the
conflict as well. We got to know quite
a few teenagers and young people
who were Christians, but they had to
disguise their religious beliefs because
they were fearful of retaliation from
friends and family. We were invited to a wedding,
which is traditionally a three-day affair, if not longer. The first night,
the bride — who, out of respect for
Andreina Zubizarreta, from Caracas, Venezuela, is a 2008 MBA
candidate at the Carroll School of
Management.
This was taken at Los Roques, one
of the most beautiful beaches in Venezuela, the week before I left for Boston. I went there with my boyfriend,
who was also leaving Venezuela to
study medicine at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Brighton. He’d never been to
this amazing Venezuelan beach so I
said, “You have to know this before
we leave.”
I had mixed feelings about leaving. I knew I needed a change, that
I wanted to go forward, or else if I
waited life would become more complicated. I looked at several schools in
Boston and was impressed with BC,
so I had a lot of expectations. Still,
it’s not easy to leave your family and
friends, and the places you’ve known
all your life.
This isn’t the first time I’ve been
away from Venezuela; when I was 17
I was an exchange student in Copenhagen, Denmark. But, of course, now
I’ll be gone for a much longer time.
I visited home recently, and it was
a strange experience. It’s weird to feel
like “a guest” in your own country,
yet not feel completely at home at the
place where you’re living now — although I do enjoy being in Boston a
lot, except for the weather!
So, I feel that taking this photo
was a way of saying “Goodbye,” both
to my country and to my old way
of life.
her family, is expected not to show
emotion during the procession or
following ceremonies — and groom
stay with their respective families and
Far Away So Close
Last fall, the Murray Graduate Student Center organized an exhibition of photographs taken
in various parts of the world by Boston College students. Some images chronicle a life-changing experience in a distant land; others, a fresh perspective on familiar surroundings. Chronicle
invited three students participating in the show to talk about the settings and significance
— personal, familial and otherwise — of the photos they submitted.
celebrate separately.
On the second day
the groom and his
family and friends
make a huge parade
to the bride’s home
to retrieve her.
That was the occasion when I took
this photo, which
shows members of
the groom’s family
and friends in traditional dress. I was
unsure if it would
be rude to take a
picture, so I arranged for another
member of the mission team to stand
nearby, giving the impression that I
was photographing her.
The second photo has a more
personal aspect to it. It was taken two
years ago during a three-week intensive visit to Mozambique, Swaziland
and South Africa. Before I left the
US, I spent some time with a couple
who had been missionaries in Africa,
including Swaziland. I also met their
son Neal, now my boyfriend, who
was born in Swaziland.
One day during our stay in Swaziland, we visited a hospital, which
happened to be the same one where
Neal had been born. When I compare that hospital to some of the
others I’d seen abroad — such as in
Kosovo, where surgery patients had
only a 30 percent chance of survival
— the facilities seemed decent; there
were several well-trained doctors and
nurses, both Swazi and foreign.
When I saw a nurse feeding a
Mathias Ssekanjako, a native of Uganda,
Africa, is studying for a master’s degree in
philosophy at Boston College.
The photo is of a primary school for
orphans from AIDS-affected families that I
helped start about 10 years ago. It was the
first program of Child Care Mission Omega
Foundation (CCM), a non-profit nationally
accredited organization that 10 of us established to improve the quality of life in our
community.
My region is one of the most severely affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. People
for years did not know what was happening,
except that many were dying, and there were
many orphans left who needed help — not
just for a day, or a week, or a month, but for
years. We talked about the problems facing
our community, how we needed to mobilize,
and it was from those discussions that CCM
was created.
We knew education was critical to the
children’s future, so we started a school, with
12 kids. We gave them some courses, but
premature baby I wanted to take a
picture, something to help me remember how tiny this child was. I
wasn’t expecting to get the shot I did.
What really hit me was that Neal
had been born here, that Africa will
always be home to him, even if he’s
not there now.
To me this photo symbolizes the
difference between the world I know
and the one that Neal was born into.
found we simply did not have the skills for
teaching, so we began to recruit teachers and
a staff.
Today, the school teaches about 250 children between the ages of five and 13 years
old, with nine qualified teachers. The kids we
started with are now completing the equivalent of high school.
The photo was taken last July, just before
I came to the US. I am very happy to see how
the school has grown, and it gives me great
pleasure that the children have a way to get
their education.
At the same time, though, the problems
from AIDS/HIV are still with us: Two teachers have died since the school opened.
Our goal now is to locate the school in a
new building, one that we will own instead of
having to rent.
(For more information on Child Care
Mission, and how to help, contact Mathias
Ssekanjako at ssekan@bc.edu or 617-8403057, or see www.ccmuganda.org)
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
february 1, 2007
Lee Pellegrini
Continued from page 1
weather patterns are concerned.
“Look at how many small ski
slopes have closed and look at how
much artificial snow the big ones
have to produce,” she said. “That
was unheard of 50 years ago.
“There are more heat waves
in summertime and we’re seeing a
change in the growing season, the
last frost comes earlier in spring, and
the first frost is later in the fall.”
Frappier’s research, however,
is focused on the tropics because
those regions are home to most
of the world’s population, and are
most likely to be sharply affected
by whatever climate changes are
happening.
“I am exploring new Caribbean
cave records of pre-historic hurricane activity to illuminate how
global climate change is likely to
affect hurricanes and vulnerable
coastal populations in the future,”
said Frappier. The more traditional
method of this research, she explains, involved digging sediment
cores from coastal lagoons and
marshes. Stalagmites, she said, offer
a different and more detailed “story
set in stone.”
Stalagmites are mineral formations that grow up from the floor
of caves as mineral-rich water drips
from the cave ceiling. All cave formations are created slowly over time, at
rates that vary from an inch in 1,000
years to as fast as an inch in 20 years.
A change in the isotopic character of
oxygen in rainfall from hurricanes
alters the chemical composition of
the water descending through the
rock into the cave, says Frappier.
These changes are recorded as variations in the oxygen isotope values in
the stalagmite’s calcium carbonate
composition. Stalagmites contain
visible growth bands that can be
counted like tree rings and, using a
computer-controlled dental drill to
collect samples, researchers can tell
when in the past the region experienced hurricane rains. .
The number and intensity of
hurricanes in the region will tell researchers something about the links
between climate and storms, she
says.
Asst. Prof. Amy Frappier (Geology and Geophysics)
“Changes in the water that came
through the cave result in really
brief variations which we can mathematically distinguish from the rest
of the record,” Frappier says. “We
have cross-checked this with historical storms and the correspondence
is remarkable.”
Frappier began following this
line of inquiry while in graduate
school as she came upon a research
article that discussed the isotopic
differences in rains caused by hurricanes. At the same time, she met
another graduate student who was
studying caves in Belize to ascertain
what sort of climate the Mayan
people experienced at the height
and decline of their civilization.
Frappier put the two pieces together
and developed the methodology for
indicating exactly when and with
what intensity hurricanes appeared
since the last Ice Age.
“I figured either this was impossible, or someone was doing it
already,” she said, noting that others
had attempted this research many
years ago, but didn’t have the technology required to detect individual
storms. That all has now changed,
she said.
For Frappier, the interplay between humans and nature has been
a life-long interest. As an elementary school student in northwestern
Rhode Island, she witnessed a dispute between people who wanted
to preserve local wetlands and a city
that wanted to build a sewer in an
area behind her home.
“The whole idea of how people
live in the environment while protecting it became an interesting dynamic to me for a very long time,”
she said.
As the conservation-versus-development debate continues to take
center stage internationally, Frappier says it is more vital than ever
before to make sound environmental decisions.
“The choices we all make in the
next decade are going to be very important in determining the climate
our children inherit,” she said.
SINGING AMERICA—Hubert Walters, a part-time faculty member and director of the University’s Voices of Imani
gospel choir, accompanied soprano Suzanne Ehly during last Sunday’s concert “I Too Sing America” in Gasson
100. The event, which also featured pianist Noriko Yasuda, spotlighted art songs and spirituals by African American composers. (Photo by Frank Curran)
Garvey to Head American
Association of Law Schools
Boston College Law School
Dean John H. Garvey has been
named president-elect of the
American Association of Law
Schools (AALS), a non-profit association of 166 law schools that
is legal education’s principal representative to the federal government and other higher education
organizations.
Garvey will succeed current
AALS President Nancy Rogers
and assume his presidency at the
conclusion of the January 2008
AALS meeting in New York City.
He will be the 106th AALS president and second BC Law dean to
hold the organization’s top post
since Richard Huber served as
president in 1988.
As president, Garvey will be
responsible for upholding the
AALS’s dedication to “the improvement of the legal profession
through legal education.”
AALS Executive Director Carl
Monk expressed full confidence
in Garvey’s ability to serve as an
advocate for the group’s aims.
“John exemplifies the values to
which AALS is committed. He
is a renowned scholar who has
demonstrated his commitment to
high standards of teaching and
scholarship, as well as fostering
justice and public service in the
legal community.”
Monk also cited Garvey’s personal traits as elements that would
strengthen the AALS presidency.
“He is a thoughtful colleague on
the AALS Executive Committee
who always listens and respects
the views of others. He will be
an outstanding leader for the as-
Gary Gilbert
Past Offers Clues on Climate’s Future
John H. Garvey
sociation and we are pleased he
has agreed to serve the profession
through this position.”
Garvey expressed enthusiasm
and gratitude at the opportunity
to serve the association. “I have
attended AALS meetings since my
first year of law teaching, when I
was 28 years old,” he said. “I have
made many of my best friends in
the legal academy through the
Association. By participating in
section meetings I have learned a
great deal about the fields I teach
in. And as a dean I have benefited, and our Law School has
benefited, from the work of the
Association.
“I am delighted at this opportunity to give something back to
an organization that has meant so
much to me,” said Garvey, who
was appointed BC Law dean in
1999.
—Law School Communications
Manager Nathaniel Kenyon
Colleagues Extol Legacy of
Fr. Drinan to BC, Justice
Continued from page 1
public schools and openly challenged BC students to become
involved in civil rights issues.
Brown recalled that in at least
two recent speeches, Fr. Drinan
had stressed the importance of
including minority students at law
schools.
“He clearly remembered this as
one of his priorities, and I think
it’s one of the aspects of his life of
which he would be most proud,”
Brown said.
Fr. Drinan grew up in the
Readville section of Boston and
received a BA and an MA from
Boston College in 1942, joining
the Society of Jesuits the same
year. He was ordained in 1953.
He received law degrees from
Georgetown University in 1950,
and a doctorate in theology from
Gregorian University in Rome in
1954, in addition to receiving 21
honorary degrees throughout his
life.
James Woods, SJ, dean of the
Woods College of Advancing
Studies at BC, first met Fr. Drinan in the early 1950s when both
men were studying at the Weston
Jesuit School of Theology.
“His intense drive and boundless energy characterized Bob’s
daily fulfillment of his Jesuit vocation,” Fr. Woods said.
Fr. Drinan served on the board
of directors of the International
League for Human Rights, the
Lawyer’s Committee for International Human Rights, the Council for a Livable World Educational Fund, the International
Labor Rights Fund, Americans
for Democratic Action, and the
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
“In an amazing career that has
spanned more than half a century,
Fr. Drinan has never faltered in
his extraordinary humanitarian efforts and support for justice under
the law,” the American Bar Association said in 2004 when it
selected Fr. Drinan as the recipient of the ABA Medal, its highest
honor.
“He has demonstrated to lawyers what it means to be committed to public service and to countless law students what is embodied
in the highest dedication to ethical, moral legal practice.”
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
february 1, 2007
Postings
Triton Brass in concert Sunday
Boston College artists-in-residence
the Triton Brass Quintet will present a concert, “Things We Haven’t
Played Yet,” this Sunday at 3 p.m. in
Gasson 100.
The concert will feature beloved
and standard pieces for brass by Jan
Bach, David Sampson and Malcolm
Arnold.
For more information, call ext.26004 or e-mail concerts@bc.edu.
MIT researcher to speak on
“nuclear Iran”
The Middle Eastern and Islamic
Studies Program will sponsor the
lecture “A Nuclear Iran? Energy,
Weapons and the Future of the
Middle East” with James Walsh, a
research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Security
Studies Program, on Feb. 8 at 5 p.m.
in Devlin 008.
Walsh’s research and writings focus
on international security, weapons of
mass destruction, terrorism, the Middle East and East Asia. His current
projects include a series of dialogues
on nuclear issues with representatives from North Korea and Iran.
For more information, send e-mail to
baileyk@bc.edu.
Second “24 Hour Theater!”
benefit Feb. 10
Teams of Boston College students
will stage short plays to benefit a
local prep school when the second
“24 Hour Theater!” competition
takes place on Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in
Devlin 008.
The participants, which include theater majors and improv groups, will
be judged by a panel of area theater
experts. All plays must be written
within 24 hours of the event.
Proceeds from “24 Hour Theater!”
will benefit Nativity Prep Middle
School.
Admission is $5 at the Robsham
Theater Box Office. For more information, contact matthew.porter.2@
bc.edu.
Lecture to examine Islamic
fundamentalism
The Theology Department and
Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies
Program will present the lecture
“Making Sense of Islamic Fundamentalism,” by Jamal Malik, chair of
Islamic Studies at the University of
Erfurt, on Feb. 14 at 5 p.m. in a location to be announced.
A native of Pakistan, Malik pursues
research interests such as Muslim
minority communities in Europe,
Islamic mysticism, social history of
South Asia, colonialism, political
Islam, and sociology of religion. He is
the author of Colonialization of Islam:
Dissolution Of Traditional Institutions
in Pakistan.
For more information, contact baileyk@bc.edu.
“White Privilege” discussion
on Feb. 15
The Boston College Employee Development program will present a
discussion, “White Privilege: Really
a Privilege?” led by Learning to Learn
Program Director Dan Bunch and
learning skills specialist Dacia Gentilella, on Feb. 15 from 10 a.m.-noon
in the McElroy Conference Room.
This session will explore the concept of white privilege in American
culture, and its effect on personal
and professional relationships.
To register, contact Carole DiFabio
at ext.2-8532 or employee.development@bc.edu.
Reorganization Will Boost Campus Planning
A recent reorganization of offices implemented under Boston
College’s strategic plan is expected
to strengthen planning and decision-making across the University.
The division of Institutional
Research, Planning and Assessment (IRPA) combines the offices of Institutional Research and
Space Management with the newly created Office of Administrative
Program Review.
Administrators say the reorganization, initiated by Executive
Vice President Patrick Keating,
effectively blends the strengths of
several offices to better position
Boston College to use data and
information for planning in more
strategic ways.
All three areas within IRPA
use data for decision-making and
long-range planning. Institutional
Research collects and disseminates
institutional data to support managers in their decision-making.
Space Planning records and manages the use of all building space
on campus, including forecasts for
future use.
Administrative Program Review will work with administrative departments and units as they
prepare for and participate in the
APR process by providing the
members of the unit with orientation, training, facilitation and support. The office also is responsible
for the ongoing management and
enhancement of APR activities
across the University, providing
regular reports and feedback to
senior management and ensuring
that best practices are identified
and shared among work units.
The University also has announced a series of administrative
and personnel moves in concert
with the reorganization. Appointed were: Michael Pimental ’90,
MBA ’99, a former senior personnel officer in the Human Resources Department, as director
of program review; Marise Fallon,
as project planner in the Office
of Space Planning; and Daniel
Riehs ’06, as database and Web
developer.
The following promotions were
made: Jessica Greene, director of
institutional research; Meg Ryan,
associate director of planning and
assessment; Carol Pepin, associate
director of data management; and
Gina Harvey, lead manager for
space planning.
In addition, Christine Buscemi
will be project coordinator for the
new administrative program review process, Loretta Cedrone will
now serve as administrative assistant for the entire IRPA group
and Zigrida Kruckovs as space
planning support specialist.
An APR Planning Committee
has been formed with representation from many of the University’s administrative functions. This
team is presently creating an APR
strategy, operational model and
ongoing schedule. The team will
soon plan and implement APR
pilot programs. It will also provide
guidance and oversight once the
Administrative Program Review is
underway.
—Office of Public Affairs
Darwish to Speak on
Moderates in Middle East
LEADERSHIP—Long-time local politician, activist and educator Melvin H. King — a former
candidate for mayor of Boston — was the featured speaker at “The Importance of Community
in 21st Century Leadership,” a celebration of the life of Martin Luther King Jr. held Jan. 21 in
Corcoran Commons. The event was co-sponsored by several graduate student organizations.
(Photo by Joan Seidel)
WELCOME ADDITIONS
•Asst. Prof. Stephanie Berzin
(GSSW)
PhD, University of CaliforniaBerkeley
Research interests: Vulnerable adolescents, emerging adults, foster
care systems, innovative programming in child welfare, child/adolescent mental health, residential
treatment, human behavior in the
social environment, life course
perspectives, research methods,
school-to-work transition. Courses: Research Methods, Policy
Issues in Family and Children’s
Services, Social Work Practice in
Child Welfare.
Prior to BC, Berzin was a research associate and graduate student instructor at the University
of California-Berkeley, a period
during which she also worked at
Oakland area family and youth
programs. She has published or
co-authored articles for Children
and Youth Services Review, Protecting Children and Child Welfare, among others, and her recent
writings have examined issues
concerning foster youth and their
transition to adulthood.
•Asst. Prof. Patrick Proctor
(LSOE)
Research interests: Bilingualism,
literacy development, reading comprehension, special education and
English learners, literacy and technology, immigration, autism and
developmental delays.
Courses: Bilingualism, Second
Language, and Literacy Development, Teaching Language Arts.
Proctor, who holds a doctorate
in education from Harvard University, is working on a three-year
Institute for Education Sciencefunded project that uses a digital reading environment to assist
word-building and reading comprehension strategies for area students from native and non-native
English backgrounds. His publications include the co-authored
articles “Native Spanish-Speaking
Children Reading in English: Toward a Model of Comprehension” and “The Intriguing Role of
Spanish Vocabulary Knowledge in
Predicting English Reading Comprehension,” which both appeared
in the Journal of Educational Psychology.
Nonie Darwish, an Egyptian-born writer and public
speaker who has become a leading advocate for Arab acceptance of Israel, will present the talk “Empowering Moderates in the Middle East” this Monday, Feb. 5, at 7:30 p.m.
in Devlin 008.
In the 1950s, Darwish’s father was appointed commander of Egyptian Army Intelligence in Gaza and founded the
Palestinian fedayeen that launched raids killing some 400
Israelis. He was subsequently assassinated by Israeli Defense
Forces and became a shahid or martyr for forces opposing
Israel. Darwish has said that, as a child, she was taught to
hate Israelis and Jews.
After working as an editor and translator for the Middle
East News Agency, Darwish emigrated in 1978 to the
United States with her husband and eventually converted
from Islam to Christianity. She is the author of Now They
Call Me Infidel: Why I Renounced Jihad for America, Israel
and the War on Terror and a founder of Arabs for Israel.
Her talk is presented by the Boston College Coalition
for Israel along with several co-sponsors, including the
Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Program, BC Women’s
Studies, the Center for Christian-Jewish Learning and the
Political Science and Theology departments. For more information, e-mail bc-israel@bc.edu.
—Office of Public Affairs
•Asst. Prof. Elizabeth Kensinger
(Psychology)
PhD, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
Research Interests: The cognitive
and neural mechanisms through
which emotion influences memory,
and how these influences change
across the adult lifespan.
Course: Human Memory.
Among other projects, Kensinger, who has taught at Harvard
and MIT, conducted a study of
fans who had attended a Red
Sox-Yankees 2004 playoff game
to gauge how emotion can influence or distort personal memories
of an event. Her achievements
include an Outstanding Thesis
Award from the MIT Department
of Brain and Cognitive Sciences,
the Hoopes Prize from Harvard
for “outstanding scholarly work or
research” and an Alzheimer’s Disease World Congress Fellowship.
•Asst. Prof. Cyril Opeil, SJ (Physics)
PhD, Boston College
Research interests: Magnetoelectrics, thermoelastics, resonant ultrasound and Barkhausen noise in
shape memory alloys.
In 2004, Fr. Opeil became
the first Jesuit physicist to work
at Los Alamos National Laboratory, when he began a two-year
post-doctoral appointment at the
famed New Mexico atomic lab.
He came to BC in 1996, after serving as assistant director of
novices in Syracuse, NY, following his 1994 ordination in the Roman Catholic Church. Fr. Opeil’s
recent research has focused on
the electron structure of the valence electrons in single crystal
uranium, and his BC laboratory
work deals in low-temperature resistance, dilatometry and resonant
ultrasound measurements under
magnetic fields. —Sean Smith
“Welcome Additions,” an occasional
feature, profiles new faculty members at
Boston College.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
february 1, 2007
Newsmakers
•Walsh Professor of Bioethics
Rev. John Paris, SJ, and Connell
School of Nursing Associate Dean
Cathy Read were quoted by the
Boston Herald regarding nurses and
public trust.
•Boisi Center for Religion and
American Public Life Director
Prof. Alan Wolfe (Political Science) was quoted by the Christian
Science Monitor on atheists challenging the Religious Right and
by the Los Angeles Times regarding
same-sex marriage.
•Center on Wealth and Philanthropy Director Prof. Paul Schervish (Sociology) offered remarks
to Forbes magazine for a story on
“performance philanthropy” and
was interviewed by the Richmond
Times-Dispatch on charitable giving.
•Adj. Assoc. Prof. Michael Keith
(Communication) was quoted by
the Boston Herald for a story on
radio talk hosts who have controversial pasts.
PEOPLE
•Drucker Professor of Management Sciences Alicia Munnell, director of the Center for Retirement
Research, was quoted by the Los
Angeles Times regarding the challenges facing women in retirement.
The story also was distributed by
the United Press International
and was picked up by the Chicago
Tribune, among other outlets.
Prof. Emeritus Rebecca Valette
(Romance Languages) and her husband Jean-Paul, and their dedication to teaching French.
Choristers and Blacksmiths of MS
Arundel 292” in Studies in Philology.
•Adj. Assoc. Prof. Richard
McGowan, SJ (CSOM), was
quoted by the Philadelphia Inquirer
regarding new gaming initiatives in
Philadelphia.
Grants
•Prof. Kevin Mahoney (GSSW):
$1,236,476, Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation, “Technical
Assistance: Direction – Cash and
Counseling.”
•Assoc. Professor Robert Murphy
(Economics) spoke with the Boston
Herald regarding Massachusetts
census data.
•Assoc. Prof. Franco Mormando
(Romance Languages) was interviewed by the Boston Globe regarding interpretations of Leonardo
DaVinci’s works.
•Burns Library Visiting Scholar
in Irish Studies Tom Garvin, a
professor of politics at University College Dublin, reviewed the
book Irish Freedom: The History of
Nationalism in Ireland for the Irish
Times.
•Boisi Center for Religion and
American Public Life Assistant Director Adj. Asst. Prof. Erik Owens
(Theology) discussed disputes over
holiday trimmings in an interview
with the Baltimore Sun.
•Center for Work and Family Executive Director Brad Harrington
was interviewed by the Fresno
Bee for a story on family-friendly
policies.
•University Historian Thomas
O’Connor was quoted by USA
Today regarding the controversial
proposal to relocate Boston City
Hall.
•The Boston Sunday Globe profiled
Boisi Center Hosts Forum on
Law and Religious Freedom
A panel discussion to be sponsored Feb. 7 by the Boisi Center
for Religion and American Public Life will look at the uneasy relationship between law and religious freedom, as illustrated by recent
controversies in the United States and Europe.
“Headscarves and Holy Days: Should the Law Make Exceptions?” will take place at 4:30 p.m. in Fulton 110.
The event will examine issues raised by the regulation of headscarves and other religious dress in public schools, the use of illegal
drugs for religious rituals and exemptions from tax, labor and
workplace safety laws granted to religious leaders and religious
organizations.
Panelists are: Leah Farish, a civil rights attorney who has represented Muslims in connection with First Amendment issues,
including a girl who wanted to wear her headscarf in her public
school; Yeshiva University Professor Marci Hamilton, an internationally recognized constitutional law scholar specializing in
church-state relations, federalism, and representation; and Brandeis
University Professor Jytte Klausen, whose expertise includes the
European welfare state and social cohesion, author of a forthcoming book on the controversy over publication of Danish cartoons
satirizing the Prophet Mohammed.
Boisi Center Assistant Director Erik Owens will moderate the
discussion.
For more information, call ext.2-1860, e-mail publife@bc.edu or
see www.bc.edu/boisicenter.
—Sean Smith
Nota Bene
Institute for Scientific Research Co-director Patricia Doherty traveled to Trieste, Italy, in December to co-lead an 11-day workshop designed to introduce scientists from developing countries to the art and
science of the Global Positioning System (GPS) for commercial aviation applications. Such applications — known collectively as Satellite
Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) — are already in operation in the
United States and will debut shortly in Europe and Japan. SBAS have
been touted for providing increased safety, an important consideration
for developing countries where many air facilities are located in remote
or environmentally challenging regions.
Doherty has collaborated on ionospheric research that has supported
the development of SBAS systems in the US and Europe, funded in part
by the Federal Aviation Administration.
Also speaking at the workshop were ISR researchers Cesar Valladares and Susan Delay.
Honors/Appointments
• The Institute of Contempory Art
selected Asst. Prof. Sheila Gallagher (Fine Arts) as one of four
finalists for The James and Audrey
Foster Prize.
Publications
• Prof. Richard Schrader (English)
published “The Inharmonious
•Adj. Assoc. Prof. Philip DiMattia
(LSOE): $330,522, local towns,
“FY ’07 Campus School Operational Budget.”
•Prof. Michael Graf (Physics):
$60,118, Howard University,
“Study of Fermi Surface of Biemuth Nanowires.”
•Vanderslice Millennium Professor
of Chemistry Amir Hoveyda and
graduate student Kevin Brown:
$35,000, Bristol-Meyers Squibb
Company, “BMS Fellowship.”
•Lynch School of Education faculty members Prof. Ina Mullis and
Research Prof. Michael Martin:
$300,000, International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, “Design,
Manage and Implement TIMSS
2007”; $200,000, International
Association for the Evaluation of
Educational Achievement, “Design
Manage and Implement PIRLS
2006.”
•Assoc. Prof. Joseph Pedulla
(LSOE): $26,290, University of
Kansas Center for Research Inc.,
“Learning Resources for Analyzing
and Integrating Achievement Assessment in Teacher Education.”
•Asst. Prof. Elizabeth Kensinger
(Psychology): $187,309, National
Science Foundation, “Emotion’s
Modulation of Attention and
Memory: Effects of Aging.”
•Prof. Ali Banuazizi (Psychology): $15,500, National Science
Foundation, “Graduate Research
Fellowship.”
•Prof. Mary Roberts (Chemistry): $130,000, US Department
of Energy, “Osmoregulation in
Methanogens.”
•Prof. Zhifeng Ren (Physics):
$88,333, University of Delaware,
Mary Donohue Dies; Was
Development Secretary
Mary C. Donohue, whose
smiling face and effervescent personality was a signature of the
University Development Office
for 36 years, died on Jan. 14 at the
Meadow Green Nursing Facility
in Waltham. She was 91.
Mrs. Donohue, who had lived
in Watertown for most of her life,
joined the Boston College Development Office – then located
in the old Roberts Center – in
November of 1962 as a secretary
and receptionist. For the next 36
years she was one of the department’s most popular employees,
always greeting colleagues, benefactors, friends and students with
her cheerful smile and optimistic
outlook.
“For many, many years, Mary
was the face of the Development
Office,” recalled University Vice
President Mary Lou Delong. “She
was the first person you saw when
you walked through the door. She
had a great smile, an infectious
sense of humor.
“In offices, there are certain
people who are the ‘glue’,” said
Delong. “Mary was that.”
In addition to her clerical du-
“NIRT: Synthesis, Characterization
and Modeling of Aligned Nanotube Arrays for Nanoscale Devices
and Composites.”
ties, Mrs. Donohue collected a
dollar each week from fellow employees as a “Sunshine Fund.”
“Then,” said Delong, “Mary
and a couple of her close friends,
notably Janet Kelly, would plan
little parties. On a really snowy
day she might send out for pizza
or she might have a Valentine’s
Day party. Just little things that
would lift people’s spirits.
“She was a life-of-the-party
kind of person.”
Mrs. Donohue retired from the
University on Oct. 2, 1999.
The wife of the late Joseph A.
Donohue, Mrs. Donohue is survived by three daughters, Marie
Pabisz of Byfield, JoAnne Donnellan of Watertown and Geraldine Woods of Lisbon Falls,
Maine, and four grandchildren.
A funeral Mass was celebrated
on Jan. 17 at the Church of St.
Patrick in Watertown. Burial was
in Ridgelawn Cemetery, Watertown.
Donations in Mrs. Donohue’s
memory may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, 311 Arsenal
St., Watertown, Mass. 02472.
—Reid Oslin
•Research Prof. Emanuel Bombolakis (Geology and Geophysics):
$25,000, New England Research
Inc., “Extension of the Caucasus
Study to Central Asia.”
•Graduate School of Social Work
Dean Alberto Godenzi: $1,560,
US Department of Labor, “Women’s Bureau.”
Time and a Half
• Asst. Prof. Matteo Iacoviello
(Economics) presented “The Role
of Housing Collateral in an Estimated Two-Sector Model of the
U.S. Economy” at the MacroDynamics Workshop in Rome.
• Economics Prof. Peter Gottschalk presented “Trends in
Earnings Volatility in the U.S.” and
Asst. Prof. Fabio Ghironi presented “Trade Flow Dynamics with
Heterogeneous Firms” at the Allied
Social Science Associations annual
meetings in Chicago.
Jobs
-Staff Psychologist, University
Counseling Services
-Student Services Associate, Student Services -Custodian III temp, Temp Pool Facilities Management (2 positions)
-Patrol Officer, BCPD
-Admissions Assistant, Admissions
-Security Attendant, BCPD
-Circulation/Stack Assistant,
University Libraries
For more information on employment at Boston College, see www.
bc.edu/bcjobs
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
february 1, 2007
LOOKING AHEAD
READINGS• LECTURES•
DISCUSSION
Feb. 1
•Lowell Lectures Humanities Series: “The Reverse of the Picture:
Finding Fiction in Fact,” presented
by Colm Toibín, 7:30 p.m., Gasson 100, email: paul.doherty.1@
bc.edu.
By Rosanne Pellegrini
Staff Writer
Feb. 5
•“Empowering Moderates in
the Middle East” with Nonie
Darwish, 7:30 p.m., Devlin 008,
email: ruth.langer@bc.edu.
Feb. 6
•“Overview of the University’s Performance Management Program”
with Compensation Director
Halley McLain and Employee
Development Director Bernard R.
O’Kane, 10 a.m., McGuinn Hall
fifth Floor Lounge, program repeats on Feb. 14, call ext.2-8532,
email: employee.development@
bc.edu.
•Lowell Lectures Humanities
Series: ”Disturbing the Peace:
Intellectuals and Universities in an
Illiberal Age” with Tony Judt, 7:30
p.m., Devlin 101, call ext.2-3705,
email: paul.doherty.1@bc.edu.
•“Agape Latte” with Vice President
and Special Assistant to the President William B. Neenan, SJ, 8:30
p.m., Hillside Cafe, call ext.20470, email: church21@bc.edu.
McMullen to Showcase
Modern Belgian Art
“Daisies” by Emile Claus will be among the works on display at the McMullen
Museum exhibition opening this month.
•Workshop: “Supporting Parents
of Gays and Lesbians” 5:30 p.m.
IREPM Office, 25 Lawrence Ave.,
email: lambmb@bc.edu.
Feb. 8
•“A Nuclear Iran? Energy,
Weapons and the Future of the
Middle East” with James Walsh,
MIT Security Studies Program, 5
p.m., Devlin 008, email: baileyk@
bc.edu.
Feb. 4
•“Things We haven’t Played Yet,”
Triton Brass Quintet, 3 p.m.,
Gasson 100, call ext.2-6004,
email: concerts@bc.edu.
Feb. 1
•Women’s Basketball vs. North
Carolina, 7 p.m., Conte Forum.
Feb. 2
Men’s Hockey vs. Massachusetts,
7 p.m., Conte Forum.
Feb. 6
Women’s Hockey vs. Harvard, 8
p.m., Conte Forum.
WEEKLY MASSES
Feb. 7
•Panel: “Headscarves and Holy
Days: Should the Law Make Exceptions?” 4:30 p.m., Fulton 110,
call ext.2-1860, email: richarsh@
bc.edu.
Feb. 6
•Irish music concert with Jimmy
Noonan (whistle), Dan Gurney
(accordian) and Ted Davis (guitar), 7 p.m., Connolly House, call
ext.2-3938, email: irish@bc.edu.
•“Racial Paranoia, or What Dave
Chapelle Can Teach Michael
Richards About American History” with John Jackson, University of Pennsylvania, 4:30 p.m.,
Devlin 101, call ext.2-3238, email:
mcateerm@bc.edu.
ONGOING EXHIBITIONS
TAKING THE RIGHT (OR IS IT LEFT?) STEP
ATHLETICS
Feb. 3
Men’s Basketball vs. Virginia Tech,
1 p.m., Conte Forum.
MUSIC•ART•PERFORMANCE
•“We Are Still Here” O’Neill
Library Lobby, through Feb. 16.
•“My Monster is in Safe Keeping:
The Samuel Beckett Collection at
Boston College” Burns Library.
• 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.
BC SCENES
A new exhibition opening this month at the McMullen Museum of
Art spotlights the dynamic modernist art tradition of Belgium, which
spawned such important painters as René Magritte, James Ensor and
Gustave de Smet.
“A New Key: Modern Belgian Art from the Simon Collection,”
which runs from Feb. 10-July 22, comprises 53 works of art from the
Simon Collection, the finest collection of modern Belgian art outside
Belgium. Few of these works have ever appeared in North America,
and it is also the first time this selection has been displayed together as
a group.
The exhibition features works by Magritte, Ensor, de Smet, Frits van
den Berghe, Paul Delvaux, Theo van Rysselberghe, Emile Claus, Leon
Spilliaert and Constant Permeke, among others.
A public celebration of the exhibition opening will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. The free event will feature music arranged by
Director of Bands Sebastian Bonauito in collaboration with exhibition
curator Prof. Jeffery Howe (Fine Arts) [see “Around Campus” on page
2 for more on this project]. To arrange attendance, call ext.2-8587 or
e-mail artmusm@bc.edu.
According to organizers, modernist scholarship has focused on Paris,
Berlin, Moscow and New York as the centers of modern art. But to do
so, they say, ignores the contributions of local traditions that produced
significant works of art, deeply rooted in their cultural context. This
exhibition challenges the canon by examining Belgium, and reveals
how the history of modern art looks different when viewed from the
vantage point of this “marginal” center — hence the exhibition title,
“A New Key.”
“This exhibition provides the exceptional opportunity to present a
most well-chosen and well-considered collection of modern Belgian art
for investigation by the leading scholars of the field in North America
today,” said McMullen Museum Director Prof. Nancy Netzer (Fine
Arts). “The results are groundbreaking, providing a new key to expanding our concept of modernisms at the end of the 19th and beginning
of the 20th century.”
Adds Howe, a leading American historian of modern Belgian art:
“These works are not only extraordinarily beautiful, but they offer a fascinating window into the development of modern art. Belgium is clearly
revealed as an indispensable font of Expressionism and Surrealism.”
“A New Key” provides a choice and rich sampling that epitomizes
the extraordinary accomplishments of Belgian artists during a period,
which defined modernism, when their country was transformed by
artistic breakthroughs and cataclysmic political and social upheavals.
Arranged in six themes — including “Work and Labor,” “The Impact
of the First World War” and “The Fantastic and Carnivalesque” — the
exhibition explores questions of meaning and identity that haunted
Belgian artists.
Given Belgium’s unusually complicated history, say exhibition organizers, separating historical facts from ideology and national myths
can be difficult, but “works of art may provide an ideal model for the
nature of historical interpretation, because of the importance of subjective factors.”
“A New Key” has been organized by the McMullen Museum and
underwritten by Boston College with major support from SV Life Sciences and the Patrons of the McMullen Museum. This exhibition is
also supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts
and the Humanities.
Tours are available Sundays at 12:30 p.m, and audio tours also are
available. For more information, see www.bc.edu/artmuseum.
BC’s Noonan and Friends
Perform Irish Music Feb. 6
Irish Studies Program faculty member Meghan Allen offers a helping hand as she walks couples through a dance during the
Irish ceilidh held Jan. 17 in Gasson 100. Members and friends of the University community attended the event, sponsored as
part of the Gaelic Roots Music, Song, Dance, Workshop and Lecture Series. (Photo by Justin Knight)
Irish Studies Program faculty member Jimmy Noonan, a two-time
champion flute and tin whistle player, will be joined by fellow local musicians Dan Gurney and Ted Davis to present a concert of traditional
Irish music on Tuesday, Feb. 6, at 7 p.m. in Connolly House.
Noonan and Davis — a highly regarded guitarist who also excels on
flute and tenor banjo — appeared with other Boston area musicians
on the CD “The Maple Leaf.” Gurney, an accordianist from upstate
New York and winner of several prestigious Irish music competitions,
has quickly become a mainstay of the local Irish music scene since his
arrival in 2005.
The concert, which is free and open to the public, is presented as part
of the Gaelic Roots Music, Song, Dance, Workshop and Lecture Series.
For more information, see www.bc.edu/centers/irish/gaelicroots/, or email irish@bc.edu.
—Sean Smith