The Boston College
Chronicle
november 2, 2006-vol. 15 no. 5
BC Forum Tackles Refugee Issues
terrible refugee life can reduce
one to act in a way that is degrading to oneself,” he said. “One
can be selfish and irresponsible
towards oneself and other community members if one believes
that he/she has been left to die in
the camp. Someone who lost the
best years of their life in a refugee
camp does not care for anything,
does not think properly when
making decisions. My observations of Ethiopian refugees after
15 years of camp life have confirmed that beyond doubt.”
Feyissa’s presentation underscored the conference’s mission,
which was to address social and
ethical challenges raised in efforts to help victims of internal
or regional conflicts, from Bosnia
to Darfur.
Co-sponsored along with the
Catholic Relief Service and Jesuit Refugee Service, “Ethical
Responsibilities toward Forced
By Sean Smith
Chronicle Editor
Abebe Feyissa was born and
raised in Ethiopia, but for the
past 15 years he’s lived in a place
he’d leave in an instant — if only
he could: He is one of thousands
of Africans who, caught up in
recurring violence, came to be
resettled at a refugee camp in
Kenya.
But as Feyissa explained at
a conference held Oct. 12-15
in Nairobi and co-sponsored by
the Boston College Center for
Human Rights and International
Justice, “resettled” is a very relative term. He described the camp
as a netherworld of limited rights,
resources and mobility, where residents endure physical, emotional
and psychological problems that
threaten familial relationships
and everyday existence.
“I certainly believe that this
Political Capital
AT A GLANCE
GSSW aims to strengthen
teaching, research (page 3)
Personal wealth does
not guarantee campaign
success, says Steen
By Greg Frost
Staff Writer
Jesus said money won’t buy
access to Heaven and the Beatles
said it can’t buy love.
Turns out it’s not always great
at buying public office, either,
according to Asst. Prof. Jennifer
Steen (Political Science).
In her new book, Self-Financed
Candidates in Congressional Elections, Steen examines the spotty
record of wealthy politicians in
US House and Senate elections
between 1992 and 2000. The
good news for American democracy, she says, is that personal
BC filmmaker looks at
‘Cartoneros’ (above, page 4)
TODAY: “Academia’s Golden
Age Reconsidered: Reflections
on the Spellings Commission,”
4:30 p.m., Yawkey Center
wealth does not constitute an
overwhelming political advantage
and isn’t a good barometer for
predicting self-financed candidates’ success on Election Day.
Steen’s book uses statistical
analysis spliced with real-world
anecdotes to show that while selffinancing matters somewhat, in
the end it’s only as good as the
product being marketed.
“It depends on who is doing
the spending,” she says. “Spending is only helpful – and this is
true in the private sector as well
– if the product you are selling is
appealing.”
The analogy she likes to use
is New Coke, the Coca-Cola
Company’s ill-fated launch of a
replacement to its popular soft
drink in the mid-1980s. CocaContinued on page 5
Lee Pellegrini
The Sixties: Another
look (page 6)
COMING UP@BC
Migrants as a Framework for Advocacy: African Perspectives” featured presentations by Center for
Human Rights and International
Justice Founding Director Flatley
Professor of Catholic Theology
David Hollenbach, SJ, and Prof.
Stephen Pope (Theology), along
with other scholars and experts
in international law, economics,
poverty issues and disaster relief.
Participants at the conference
discussed the short and long-term
issues represented by the estimated 33 million forced migrants
— refugees and “IDPs,” or internally displaced persons (those
who have been forced to leave
home for another part of their
country).
Ensuring refugees and IDPs
have proper nutrition, health,
sanitation, educational and employment opportunities are often
Continued on page 4
FRIDAY: Boston Urban Ceilidh,
7:30 p.m., Gasson 100
SUNDAY: Alumni Memorial
Mass, 2 p.m., St. Ignatius
See page 8 for more, or go to
events.bc.edu
Asst. Prof. Jennifer Steen (Political Science): “Spending is only helpful – and this
is true in the private sector as well – if the product you are selling is appealing.”
Boston College students pitched in to help local residents clean up
around the Chestnut Hill Reservoir on Oct. 22. (L-R) Jeremy Schiel ‘08
and his twin brother, Ryan ‘08, gave Richard McFeters of Brighton a
hand with a landscaping project. (Photo by Frank Curran)
HR Streamlines Hiring,
Recruiting Procedures
Improvements also
seen as bolstering
diversity efforts
By Stephen Gawlik
Staff Writer
A series of recently implemented, technology-driven Human Resources initiatives has
streamlined the process of creating jobs at the University, hiring
new employees and getting them
started in their new roles.
In addition, these initiatives
help provide more information
on job applicants to BC hiring
managers, improve recruitment
efforts for AHANA employees
and simplify the hiring process
for student workers and post-doctoral researchers.
“We have improved these
work flow processes to reduce
the amount of time and effort
required to complete so many
necessary HR tasks,” said Associate Vice President for Human
Resources Robert Lewis.
“It is our hope that these projects will be an immediate benefit
to Boston College and those who
are seeking employment here.”
Lewis added that the new measures, developed through recommendations from the University’s
strategic planning initiative and
Human Resources’ self-review,
have been well received.
Discussing these changes,
Lewis cited the procedure for creating a new position in a department or office, a process that in
the past took up to two weeks to
complete. Using a form created
through the PeopleSoft system
— an integrated set of applications BC uses to manage human
resources, budgetary and administrative functions — hiring administrators can now complete
the process in as little as a day.
“This also affords the hiring
manager the ability to know exactly what the status of the request might be and where it is
in the process,” said Lewis. “It is
very helpful in ensuring that there
are no bottlenecks in the approval
process.”
Lewis said the changes would
also be a boon for hiring student workers and post-doctoral
researchers, cutting the process to
a single day.
Another new initiative expands
the opportunities for applicants to
provide valuable demographic information, which in tandem with
the reorganization of the BC’s
“eRecruit” process gives managers
more information about potential
employees.
Managers also now have a new
Continued on page 3
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
november 2, 2006
AROUND
AROUND
CAMPUS
Up to the challenge
When a national magazine earlier this fall named Boston College as
one of the top 25 “fittest colleges,”
it based its findings on student surveys. But BC employees appear to
take the idea of fitness pretty seriously, too.
Case in point: Last month
the Flynn Recreation Complex
launched the “Walk Across Campus Challenge,” in which participants keep track of the amount of
walking they do during an eightweek period.
Entrants use pedometers to record their daily number of steps,
but can also count other exercise
activities toward their overall total:
A conversion chart is provided to
help translate their workouts into an
equivalent number of steps. Walkers were able to register for the
program as individuals or together
as a department.
The response has been fantastic
to say the least, say organizers. “We
had 225 people sign up. We kept
having to order more pedometers,”
said Tom St. Laurent, assistant director of fitness and wellness at the
Plex.
Challenge participants include
representatives from Student Services, Human Resources, Development, the Graduate School of Social
Work, Institute of Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry, and the
offices of the Provost and Dean
of Faculties, Sponsored Programs,
and Procurement Services, among
others.
At the conclusion, prizes will be
awarded to the top individual and
departmental walkers.
“Our goal was to promote health
and wellness across campus in a way
that would include as many people
as possible regardless of whether or
not they had a Plex membership,”
said Assistant Athletic Director
John Pagliarulo.
On Dec. 11, the challenge’s
last day, Athletics Director Gene
DeFilippo and Vice President and
Special Assistant to the President
William Neenan, SJ, will lead the
225 participants in a finale that organizers have dubbed “The Father
Neenan Walk.”
According to St. Laurent, the enthusiastic response has the Plex staff
planning another walk challenge for
January.
—KS
University President William P. Leahy, SJ, and Boston Archbishop Cardinal Sean O’Malley, OFM Cap., concelebrated a Mass of Celebration on Oct. 22 at St. Columbkille’s Parish in Brighton. The Mass commemorated the
recent partnership between Boston College, St. Columbkille’s School and the Archdiocese of Boston. (Photo
by Joan Seidel)
More than just a cup o’Joe
The Church in the 21st Century Center’s
recently launched “Agape Latte” discussion
series — an informal monthly gathering in
the Hillside Café at which students discuss
questions of faith and spirituality with BC
faculty and administrators — is already
percolating.
The series’ inaugural event on Oct. 3
drew about 150 students, who heard a
talk by Timothy Muldoon, director of the
Friends in blue
A new partnership between the
Office of Residential Life and the
Boston College Police Department
is enhancing the relationship between undergraduates and the BC
police officers who serve and protect
the campus.
The “Adopt-A-Cop” program
aims to create opportunities for
BCPD officers and ORL staff to
develop programs and educational
initiatives for students.
Through the program, 12
BCPD officers are attached to the
University’s 13 campus residential
communities. The officers, who
have volunteered for these roles,
attend events ranging from staff
meetings to barbecues to Resident
Assistant meetings. Along the way,
officers and students get acquainted
and, it is hoped, develop positive
relationships.
“As the residents meet their
‘Adopt-a-Cop’ they will get to know
them personally and a bond of
friendship and trust will develop,”
For art’s sake
Members of the Committee for Creative Enactments presented an “Octoberfest Improv” Oct. 27 in the Chocolate Bar at McElroy Commons, as part of the
Nights on the Heights series. (Photo by Kris Brewer)
If you’re a BC student, administrator, faculty or staff member
who can sing, dance, act, write
poems, wield a paintbrush or do
other artistic things, don’t hide
your talents, says the BC Arts Festival Committee.
The committee is once again
sounding its annual “Call for Artists” to participate in next spring’s
ninth BC Arts Festival, which will
take place April 26-28.
All requests for visual, performing or literary arts programs must
be submitted to Arts Festival Di-
Church in the 21st Century Center.
Next on the “Agape Latte” menu is Kerry
Cronin, director of the University’s Bernard
Lonergan Center and an administrative editorial assistant in the Philosophy Department,
on Nov. 7 at 8:30 p.m.
The program Web page [www.bc.edu/
church21/studentcorner/agapelatte/] includes
an illustration of a cup of coffee and the slogan “What Would Jesus Brew?”
—SS
said BCPD Chief Robert Morse.
“Students can go to these officers
with any question or concern they
may have anywhere on campus not
just in relation to their residential
location.
“With trust comes respect, understanding, compassion, and concern for the larger BC community.
This can only make our policing
responsibility easier.”
Assistant Director of Residential Life George Arey and BCPD
Lt. Frederick Winslow are credited
with the creation of Adopt-A-Cop,
which is based on a similar program
at the University of North Carolina,
where Arey once worked.
“The BC Police, by the nature
of our work, deal in negatives,” said
Morse. “We give out parking tickets, we address behavior issues and
we tow cars. This was a chance for
us to create a positive community
policing program that will bring,
students, Residential Life staff, and
the police together for mutual benefit.”
—SG
rector Cathi Ianno Fournier by
Friday, Nov. 10 at the end of the
day. Submissions can be sent via
e-mail to arts@bc.edu.
Visual and literary artists may
wait until spring semester to submit work for the festival, but organizers are looking for students
with an interest in fashion design, jewelry making and other
artistic crafts. Graduate students
with ideas for artistic participation
are also encouraged to contact
Fournier.
More information is available
via the Arts Festival Web site at
www.bc.edu/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
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
november 2, 2006
GSSW Initiative Seeks to Support Teaching, Research
By Sean Smith
Chronicle Editor
The Graduate School of Social
Work, having launched a strategic plan to enhance its research,
scholarship and teaching, has appointed two faculty members to
spearhead the school’s efforts in
those areas.
GSSW Dean Alberto Godenzi
said Prof. Thanh Van Tran and
Assoc. Prof. Kathleen McInnisDittrich, respectively, will support their colleagues’ research
and teaching endeavors. Fulfilling
these new responsibilities might
entail for Tran and McInnisDittrich such tasks as organizing
workshops, distributing teaching
or research-related information
or being available for one-on-one
discussions, Godenzi said.
“In the past, we have had annual meetings, where we review our
accomplishments in teaching and
research and encourage faculty to
build upon these achievements,”
he said. “But we felt it was important to have ‘go-to’ people who
can help faculty assess, monitor
and improve their teaching and
research on a constant basis.
“We are very fortunate to have
two people in Katie and Thanh
who embody excellence in those
areas: Katie’s distinguished accomplishments in the classroom
allow her to challenge all of us in
a constructive way to constantly
improve our teaching; in Thanh,
we have someone who, due to his
outstanding record as a scholar,
can truly be a mentor in terms of
publishing and conceiving grant
proposals.”
McInnis-Dittrich, who joined
GSSW in 1994 and won the University’s Distinguished Teaching
Award in 2004, said the charge
she has been given “sends a message to both our faculty and our
students that teaching is valued
here. And that’s important, because we owe our students good
teaching — and we owe it to
ourselves as professionals to be the
best teachers we can be.
“We’re seeing now a generation of students that is visually
oriented and used to relying on
the Internet and other technology. We’re not going to change
that, so we have to be able to
integrate these characteristics into
our teaching.”
While she hopes to aid all
GSSW faculty as needed, McInnis-Dittrich said she aims in
particular to provide support for
new and junior faculty. “I want
to be able to sit down with them
each semester, talk about their
challenges, observe and then discuss what they do. As a group, we
can look to hold workshops on
teaching challenges, whether it’s
classroom direction, grading or
concerns about diversity.
“The point is, people don’t become good teachers without some
help.”
Originally arriving at BC in
1988, Tran returned last year after
a four-year stint as director of the
California State University at Los
Angeles School of Social Work,
an experience he said “helped
“We felt it was
important to have
‘go-to’ people who
can help faculty
assess, monitor
and improve
their teaching
and research on a
constant basis.”
—Alberto Godenzi
Thanh Van Tran and Kathleen McInnis-Dittrich have taken on new roles in the
Graduate School of Social Work. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
make me a better faculty member,
because it helped me appreciate
the challenges an administrator
faces.”
Tran describes his task as creating “a culture of collaborations
among faculty. To do research
in the social sciences, you need
to engage each other, not only in
GSSW but throughout, and even
beyond, BC. It takes a team to
design a good project, and figure
out how to make use of statistics
and models.
“Collaboration requires participation and dialogue. Often in our
New Employee Shuttle Service Debuts
The University has initiated
a shuttle bus service to transport
Boston College employees between the Brighton and Chestnut
Hill campuses.
Administrators say the recent
move of the Information Technology department to St. Clement’s
Hall on the Brighton Campus
has created a need for the service,
which will enable employees to
travel between campuses for meetings and other functions without
use of personal vehicles.
A Boston Coach van or minibus will be in operation for the
shuttle service, which runs between 8:40 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
with stops at St. Clement’s and
the College Road area. Each shuttle loop will start from St. Clement’s at approximately 20 minutes
before each hour, returning at 30
minutes past the hour. Arrival
times may be affected by area traf-
BC a Top Fulbright Producer
Boston College is among the top national research universities in
producing student Fulbright Award winners, according to the annual
report published by the Chronicle of Higher Education.
The CHE survey listed 13 BC students as having earned Fulbrights
for the 2006-7 academic year — a 14th BC senior was awarded a
Fulbright during the summer — which equaled the totals for Ohio
University, Princeton University, Pennsylvania State University, the
University of California at Los Angeles and University of Texas at
Austin.
Yale University led all national research institutions with 31
Fulbright Award winners, followed by Harvard University (25) and
Brown University (24). Other top Fulbright producers were: Columbia University, University of California-Berkeley and University of
Michigan-Ann Arbor (21 each); University of Chicago and University
of Pennsylvania (18 each); Cornell University (15); Duke University,
Johns Hopkins University, Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin at Madison (14 each).
fic, especially during morning and
evening rush hours.
Due to safety regulations, the
shuttle driver can only pick up or
drop off passengers at designated
bus stops.
The service, which began Oct.
16, will be assessed and adjusted
as necessary, administrators said.
For more information, see
www.bc.edu/offices/transportation/bus/employee/ or e-mail
transportation@bc.edu.
Yale
Harvard
Brown
Columbia
UCal-Berkeley
Michigan-Ann Arbor
U Chicago
Penn
Cornell
Duke
Johns Hopkins
Northwestern
Wisconsin-Madison
Boston College
Ohio U
Princeton
Penn State
UCLA
Texas-Austin
isolation we are working on similar things. Getting to know one
another and our areas of interest
takes time, but it’s worthwhile.”
Among other planned researchoriented events and activities, the
school will hold a workshop next
Wednesday at which faculty can
present findings from their current
projects, Tran said. He also will
offer assistance to junior faculty
in developing research ideas and
grant proposals, and provide regular information and updates from
funding organizations such as the
National Institutes of Health.
Technology Aids HR
Continued from page 1
niture, a telephone – you might
utilization tool that provides sta- be surprised that there’s so much
tistics on various ethnic and racial that goes in to it,” said Lewis.
groups within the applicant pool, “This checklist will give the hiring
aiding the University’s goals for manager a to-do list and a contact
list.”
strengthening diversity.
Another HR project shortens
“Managers will know which
candidates are AHANA and will the time it takes for new employhave statistics that will show if ees to gain their personal identification numthose candidates
bers
(PINs)
are appropriateand passwords,
ly represented in
the workplace,” “This offers the ability for which are critical for network
said Lewis. “If
access and the
they are not, new hires to be ready to
then we will hit the ground running on BC e-mail system. Employhave to work
ees log into the
harder to attract their first day of work.”
more diverse ap—Robert Lewis Agora system,
access their eplicants.”
mail account
A new projand complete
ect called “The
the new hire
New Employee
paperwork prior
Checklist” is designed to make a candidate’s first to their first day of work.
“This offers the ability for
day on the job as positive and
productive as possible, Lewis says. new hires to be ready to hit the
The program uses the Human Re- ground running on their first day
sources Web site and PeopleSoft of work,” said Lewis.
Human Resources also is presystem to notify various departments of a new hire and specify paring to switch to an upgraded
the resources needed to get him version of PeopleSoft that will
offer even more capabilities in the
or her started.
“For example, you need to be future, Lewis said.
sure they have network access, fur-
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
november 2, 2006
Stories of the ‘Cartoneros’
For his first film, Romance Languages professor turns the lens on his
native country and finds a complex, and troubling, hidden economy
Five years ago, a severe financial crisis left Argentina reeling,
putting millions out of work and
into financial distress — today, in
fact, more than 30 percent of the
country lives below the poverty
line.
As Assoc. Prof. Ernesto LivonGrosman (Romance Languages)
followed these developments in
his native country, one particular trend borne of the economic
downturn fascinated him: the increasing number of cartoneros, the
poor residents of Buenos Aires
and vicinity who make their living
by collecting and selling recyclable
paper and other materials.
Between 25,000 and 30,000
people comb through the city’s
4,500 daily tons of garbage every night, Livon-Grosman found,
picking out paper, cardboard, metal, and glass in an effort to support
themselves and their families.
The scope and variety of cartoneros’ enterprises so intrigued
Livon-Grosman that he wound
up making a documentary about
it, in the process discovering the
complexity of recycling and its
social, political and cultural implications.
“Cartoneros,” Livon-Grosman’s first film, premiered Oct.
21 as part of the Boston International Latino Film Festival at Harvard University. Some 250 people
turned out for the opening, which
was shown in two screening rooms
simultaneously.
The word cartoneros loosely
translated from Spanish means
“scavenger,” but to Livon-Grosman and many in Argentina it has
come to mean something more.
“Since 2001 there has been
an explosion of this form of recycling, by the unemployed, displaced workers, many who are
middle class and highly qualified
in other professions, yet do it for
survival,” said Livon-Grosman,
who spent three years working on
the documentary, shuttling back
and forth between the US and
Argentina.
“Paper recycling is a multi-million dollar industry at one end
and scavengers at the other end.
My goal was to show the complexity of the business by following
the processes that connected both
ends of the process.”
As an example of the multi-faceted nature of the recycling business, Livon-Grosman noted that
some city trains were modified to
accommodate the cartoneros and
their carts, and carry them to the
wealthier parts of Buenos Aires.
“There are many different
ways that these groups of cartoneros are organized: some are
self-employed, some work as coops. While some of those co-ops
are more oriented toward production, others emphasized service
and there are also some downtown areas that are controlled by
organized crime.”
While “Cartoneros” focuses
on the plight of those who recycle for survival in Buenos Aires,
Livon-Grosman said the phenomenon is not confined to Argentina.
One goal of the film, therefore, is
to get people to think about the
economic implications of trash,
he said.
“This is happening in many
cities in Latin America — and in
fact, if you want to take a larger
view it’s happening in many cities
around the world,” he said. “You
can go back at least a couple of
centuries, and there were always
people in cities doing this. It’s not
a new phenomenon. What is new
is the social and environmental
impact of informal recycling in
the world today.”
Livon-Grosman’s research specialties include Latin American
poetics and travel literature, and
he is currently working on an anthology of Latin American poetry.
Among his projects is the digitalization of a journal on poetics and
visual arts published in Paris by
Uruguayan poet Carmelo Arden
Quin during the early 1960s.
So why take a leap into documentary filmmaking?
“I was always interested in
studying, watching and learning
about documentaries,” he said.
“Learning to make one was more
difficult. The learning curve was
incredible.”
Although “Cartoneros” wasn’t
even finished until a few weeks
ago, says Levon-Grosman, earlier
he was able to submit an uncompleted version to the Boston International Latino Film Festival because the organizers were willing
to consider works in progress.
The production of “Cartoneros” has a second tie to BC: editor
and co-producer Angelica Allende
Brisk, who is the daughter of Prof.
Refugee Issues
Discussed
Continued from page 1
difficult propositions in and of
themselves, noted conference organizers. But many questions also
center on the eventual return of
migrants, the possible reconciliation between combatants and redressing injustices to refugees and
IDPs in a fair, ethical manner.
Fr. Hollenbach, reflecting recently on the event, said personal
perspectives like those of Feyissa
helped to provide a very meaningful backdrop and context for the
conference.
“The title of his talk was ‘There
Is More Than One Way of Dying,’ and if you’re in his situation
it’s absolutely true,” said Fr. Hollenbach, who along with Pope
visited refugee camps in Tanzania
during their stay in Africa.
“You’re in a place that is supposed to be ‘temporary,’ but in
actuality the time will stretch to
months and years, even decades.
A camp is not a humane place
to live: You get enough to eat,
maybe, there’s seldom running
water or electricity, and little or no
education for children.
Assoc. Prof. Ernesto Livon-Grosman (Romance Languages). “The learning curve
was incredible,” he says of making “Cartoneros,” above.
Lee Pellegrini
By Stephen Gawlik
Staff Writer
Maria Brisk (LSOE).
“We met through common friends, almost by chance,”
laughed Livon-Grosman, who
plans to host a campus screen-
ing of “Cartoneros” next semester.
“I told her I was from Boston
College and she said her mother
taught here.”
Learn more about “Cartoneros”
at www.cartonerosdoc.com/.
(Left) Flatley Professor David Hollenbach,
SJ, during a recent visit to a refugee camp
in Kibondo, Tanzania. While such desperate situations spur a desire to help, Fr. Hollenbach says “it’s important to help in a way
that will be meaningful...for years to come.”
“If the camp is in a country
that is not yours, you’re restricted
in how far you can go, because
the host government doesn’t want
you there in the first place.”
Given the compelling, desperate situation in Darfur, Tanzania,
Kenya and other areas, Fr. Hollenbach said, a conference that
tackles ethical and legal facets of
refugee crises may seem overly
academic and removed from the
human aspect.
“When you see a Darfur, you
of course want to help as much as
possible. But it’s also important to
help in a way that will be meaningful, not just for tomorrow, or
next week, but for years to come
— and in a way that might be replicated in other parts of the world
where people are fleeing conflict.
“You have to ask, what kind
of framework can be devised that
will enable others to advocate for
refugees and IDPs? What is the
responsibility of governments —
especially those of wealthier coun-
tries — to intervene, and how
should they? How about church
groups, relief organizations and
others?”
The moral obligation to aid
others in need is enough impetus
for the United States and other
countries to help in refugee crises,
said Fr. Hollenbach, but there are
other considerations that redound
to US interests.
“It’s been said by more than
one person that the best place to
grow a terrorist is a refugee camp.
Becoming a suicide bomber when
you have nothing to lose is easy.”
The papers presented at the
Nairobi conference will be the basis for a book to be published next
year, and a second conference is
planned at BC for next fall.
Fr. Hollenbach and Center for
Human Rights and International Justice Administrator Elizabeth Ludwin
King will present a colloquium on the
conference on Nov. 29 at the Boisi
Center for Religion and American
Public Life [www.bc.edu/boisi].
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
november 2, 2006
Good Teachers: Present and Future
CSOM’s Barry earns
honor from national
business magazine
Senior rediscovers an
appreciation for math,
sets new career path
By Reid Oslin
Staff Writer
By Greg Frost
Staff Writer
His students say he gives tough
exams and tells some pretty corny
jokes.
But Adj. Asst. Prof. Michael
Barry (CSOM) has been selected by
his Boston College finance students
to receive one of Business Week magazine’s “Favorite Professors” awards
– one of only 22 management faculty members in the nation to earn
his students’ “A+” endorsement.
Barry, who holds an MBA and
doctorate from BC, teaches Basic Finance, a requirement for all
CSOM students, most of whom
take the course in their sophomore
year. “In Basic Finance you give
them just enough to be dangerous,”
he says. “You know, a little knowledge is a dangerous thing? What
they do is to see that there are a lot
of personal aspects to the subject. It
just isn’t ‘OK, here’s the problem
and there’s just one formula to get
an answer.’
“So when they come out of the
intro to finance class, they tend to
think ‘Oh, there is really a lot of
analytical work involved, there are
a lot of judgments.’ Then all of a
sudden, it gets to be a little more
interesting.”
So interesting that, more often
than not, his students return for
his advanced level offerings, such as
corporate finance or investments.
CSOM senior Allison Pistone
changed her major to finance after
taking Barry’s introductory course
and is now enrolled in his advanced
investments group. “He has a genuine desire to see his students excel
and goes beyond the call of duty to
develop a personal relationship with
each and every one of us,” she says.
“Before the first class even begins, he
knows your name; by the end of the
semester he has taught you a great
deal; and by the time you graduate
he will have provided you with the
intellectual and career insights and
guidance necessary to succeed.
“Hands down, he is the best
professor I have been taught and
When Boston College senior
Elizabeth Rini became one of only
seven students nationwide to receive
a special math scholarship, it was
— fittingly enough for a discipline
that makes good use of variables
— the element of chance which
played a key role in landing her the
award.
The American Mathematical
Society’s Waldemar J. Trjitzinsky
Memorial Award is a $3,000 scholarship presented each year to a number of randomly selected schools in
the United States. The gift is named
after a Russian emigrant who taught
at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Michael Barry with seniors Luiz Menezes, Arnold Hur and Joseph Walsh.
“The best part of teaching,” he says,
“is dealing with the students.”
Photos by Lee Pellegrini
mentored by at Boston College,”
she says.
Teaching was a natural calling
for Barry, whose grandfather and
uncle both taught at the college
level, while a number of other family members are employed in the
education profession. “It’s sort of in
the bloodlines,” he quips.
“The best part of teaching,” he
says, “is dealing with the students.
The classroom work is part of it,
but my hope is that my students get
only a quarter of their education in
the classroom.
“A lot of it is right here in the
office,” he says, “where part of it is
about the course, part of it is about
the BC hockey team [he is a diehard
season ticket holder] and part of it
is just getting to know them, maybe
talking about a ‘day-in-the life’ of
this or that particular job.
“There are days when I am here
for 13 or 14 hours,” he notes. “Basically, if I am in and you knock
on the door, it’s an office hour. In
some ways, that’s the best part of
the job, because you really get to
see the impact that you have on the
students.”
Barry maintains contact with
scores of his former students, and
often calls upon them for networking connections when his current
students are preparing to launch
their own professional careers.
“It’s obvious that Professor Barry
loves what he does,” adds Kristen
De Leo ’07, who is also taking her
third class with him. “Outside of
the classroom, he is a fantastic resource for students, especially those
engaged in the internship and job
search, as his knowledge on these
subjects spans from finding a job
that is the right fit for you to helping individual students prepare for
their interviews.”
“The students are so enthusiastic,” Barry says. “Many times, they
will look back and say ‘Those were
some of my hardest teachers, but I
learned the most.’ They will tell you
that they are here for an education.
“One of the best comments I ever
got on an evaluation was ‘Learned a
lot – even about finance.’
“I really felt good about that
one,” he laughs. “I had reached that
person.”
Steen Sees Spotty Track Record for
Those Who Finance Own Campaigns
Continued from page 1
Cola spent millions of dollars on
promoting the new soft drink,
only to be forced to pull it because
of a poor reception by consumers.
“That’s a big problem that a
lot of these self-financers have
— their product is not very appealing, which is to say they’re not
very appealing,” says Steen, a former California political campaign
manager now in her seventh year
on the faculty at Boston College.
Although the book is an academic work, it has policy impli-
cations and has been consulted
by policy makers. Steen recently
served as an expert witness for
the defense in the case of a selffinanced congressional candidate
from upstate New York who sued
the Federal Election Commission
over a provision in the 2002 McCain-Feingold Act.
In addition to looking at conditions that help spawn self-financed candidacies, Steen’s book
shows how millionaire candidates
willing to draw down their own
cash reserves can scare other candidates out of the field.
“Self-financed candidates have
horrible track records in both primaries and in general elections,
but their track records in primaries would be even worse if they
didn’t have this chilling effect on
competition,” she says.
Steen cites the example of New
Jersey Democratic Congressman
Frank Pallone, who made a brief
run for the US Senate in 2000
but decided to pull out in the face
of former Goldman Sachs CEO
Jon Corzine’s vast wealth. Corzine went on to win the Senate
seat and now serves as governor of
dated” by the program and chose to
pursue a degree in communication
during her freshman year.
“Once I went a year without
taking a math class, I really missed
it. That absence made me realize I
wanted to have a career in math,”
she said.
Having decided to double-major
in math and secondary education,
Rini spent the summer after her
sophomore year taking extra math
classes to catch up with her peers.
Over the past year Rini has
worked with other students to revive the BC Mathematics Society,
which had been dormant for several
years. She now serves as the group’s
president.
Keough said Rini’s commitment
to math was a key factor in the
decision to give her the Trjitzinsky
award.
“For her to go out and get all that
extra work in the summer speaks to
her dedication. We were really very
Elizabeth Rini working with Norwood High School students Charles Stellburger,
left, and John Rasla. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
This year, Boston College was
among seven schools selected to
receive the honor, the first time BC
had been chosen.
Mathematics Department chairman Assoc. Prof. Jerry Keough and
other department faculty considered
student candidates for the award,
eventually choosing Rini based on
several considerations, including her
dedication to the program, GPA
and financial need.
Rini said math was always her
favorite subject in high school but
when she got to BC she felt “intimi-
impressed with her,” Keough said.
“She’s worked extremely hard to be
able to finish a demanding, major
program in only a few semesters.”
Rini plans to teach math at a
public high school near her home
on Long Island after she graduates
next spring.
“I feel like high school students
are at a vulnerable age and I think
that I can do a lot with students
that age, both inside and outside
the classroom,” she said, adding
that she hopes to serve as a soccer or
cheerleading coach as well.
New Jersey.
“Pallone thought he could win
the Democratic nomination but
decided he had better things to do
with his time than take on somebody capable of spending upwards
of $60 million on his own candidacy,” she says.
Steen also argues in the book
that when it comes to deciding
election outcomes, fundraising is
much more productive than selffinancing.
“Part of it has to do with the
fact that fundraising is political
activity...The fact that you can
go out and get people to support
you shows that you have some
political skill and is an indicator of
fundamental appeal,” she says.
“It also adds value to your
campaign. Consider the difference
between writing yourself a check
for $1,000,000 and getting 1,000
people to write you a check for
$1,000 each.”
Steen is reluctant to make predictions about the overall outcome of this Tuesday’s mid-term
elections but thinks 2006 will be a
fairly typical year for self-financed
candidates, including the five bigspenders running for the Senate
from Florida, Vermont, Washington, Nebraska and Arizona.
“They’re not going to do well
as a group on Election Day,”
Steen says of the five. “Maybe one
can pull it off but I’ll be surprised
if two of those people win.”
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
november 2, 2006
Postings
James Carroll lecture tonight
Author and Boston Globe columnist
James Carroll will present a lecture,
“Toward a Democratic Catholic
Church,” tonight at 7 p.m. in Gasson
100.
A former priest who served as
Catholic chaplain at Boston University,
Carroll has written a weekly op-ed
column for the Globe since 1992.
The author of such novels as Secret
Father and Mortal Friends, he also has
published non-fiction works including
Toward A New Catholic Church: The
Promise of Reform and House of War:
The Pentagon and the Disastrous Rise
of American Power.
Carroll’s appearance is sponsored by
the Institute of Religious Education
and Pastoral Ministry and The Church
in the 21st Century Center. For more
information call ext.2-8057.
Alumni Memorial Mass
is Sunday
The Alumni Association will sponsor
the annual University Memorial Mass
for Alumni this Sunday, Nov. 5, at 2
p.m. in St. Ignatius Church.
University President William P. Leahy,
SJ, will celebrate the Mass and
Alumni Association Chaplain William
McInnes, SJ, will offer the homily. A
reception will follow in the Heights
Room of Corcoran Commons.
Those planning to attend should contact the Alumni Association at ext.24700 or alumni.comments@bc.edu.
Chambers Series presents
former astronaut Collins
Retired Colonel Eileen Collins, the
first woman to pilot and command an
American spacecraft, will give a talk,
“Leadership Lessons from Apollo to
Discovery,” on Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. in
the Heights Room of Corcoran Commons.
Collins commanded Space Shuttle
Discovery’s historic “Return to Flight”
mission, NASA’s first manned flight
following the February 2003 loss of
the Shuttle Columbia.
Her appearance is presented as part
of the Winston Center for Leadership
and Ethics’ Chamber Lecture Series,
which brings high-profile speakers to
discuss the leadership challenges and
opportunities they have experienced
in their lives and careers.
This event requires registration. For
information, call ext. 2-9296, e-mail
Winston.center@bc.edu or see www.
bc.edu/schools/csom/leadership/
events/collins/.
Health Fair Nov. 9
The Faculty and Staff Fall Health Fair
will take place on Thursday, Nov. 9
from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Murray
Room of the Yawkey Athletic Center.
The Human Resources Web site,
www.bc.edu/hr, offers a list of services that will be available at the fair.
Philosophy Colloquium on
Plato, Heidegger
The Boston Area Colloquium in
Ancient Philosophy at Boston College will sponsor a public lecture and
seminar on Nov. 9 in the Walsh Hall
Function Room by Skidmore College
Professor Francisco Gonzales. The
seminar, featuring a discussion of
“The Sun Analogy in Plato’s Republic,”
will be held at 3 p.m.; the lecture will
begin at 7:30, and is titled “Plato’s
Question of Truth vis-à-vis Heidegger’s
Doctrine.”
For further information contact John
Cleary (cleary@bc.edu) or Gary Gurtler, SJ, (gurtlerg@bc.edu).
Taking a Leftward Look at the 1960s Legacy
By Sean Smith
Chronicle Editor
So, is there anything left to say
about the Sixties? Plenty, according to Assoc. Prof. Cynthia Young
(English).
While the decade’s social, political and cultural activism would
appear to have been covered exhaustively by historians, novelists,
filmmakers and TV shows — to
say nothing of music albums —
Young says the story has only been
partly told, and not necessarily correctly.
“In recent years, the 1960s have
been demonized by conservatives,”
says Young, who is director of
the African and African Diaspora
Studies Program. “But in general
there has been a huge gap in the
historiography of the 1960s: It’s
been told in terms of the white,
middle-class experience and their
participation in Students for a
Democratic Society, or other antiwar groups; even the depiction of
the modern civil rights movement
is cast in binaries - Martin Luther
King Jr. versus Malcolm X.”
Another major misperception
about Sixties activism, adds Young,
is that it was primarily a domestic
phenomenon. In fact, she says,
many African Americans, Asian
Americans and Latinos found inspiration in ideas and strategies
coming from writers and activists
who were anticolonialists in the
“Third World.” This cross-pollination led to the formation of what
Young refers to as the “US Third
World Left.”
These narratives form the basis
of Young’s new book, Soul Power:
Culture, Radicalism, and the Making of a US Third World Left.
“In general, there has
been a huge gap in
the historiography of
the 1960s,” according to Cynthia Young,
who will appear at
the Nov. 15 “Writers
Among Us” event.
Young will discuss Soul Power on
Wednesday, Nov. 15, at 7:30 p.m.
in Devlin 101 as part of the “Writers Among Us” series celebrating
BC faculty authors.
In one chapter, Young recounts
a 1960 trip to Cuba by author-activists LeRoi Jones, Harold Cruse
and Robert F. Williams as a means
of exploring the Cuban revolution’s impact on the development
of the US Third World Left. Another chapter examines the work
of legendary and controversial activist-philosopher Angela Y. Davis,
especially in regard to the impact
of anticolonialism and Western
Marxism on her approach to political analysis and activism.
Young also explores the evolution of the Health Care Workers
Union 1199 in regards to the role
that cultural production played in
consolidating a racially and eth-
Former Football Coach
Jim Miller Dies; Helped
Build Program’s Profile
James H. “Jim” Miller, head football coach at Boston College from
1962-68, died at his home in Palm Harbor, Fla. on Oct. 16. He was
85.
Mr. Miller, who came to Boston College from the University of Detroit, is credited with helping to build a foundation for the University’s
now nationally recognized intercollegiate football program.
Mr. Miller’s record at Boston College was 34 wins and 24 losses, and
he developed a number of players who went on to professional football
careers, including All-America lineman Bob Hyland, who was the firstround draft selection of the then-world champion Green Bay Packers.
A native of Massillon, Ohio, Mr. Miller played high school football
for future Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown, who became a mentor to
Mr. Miller throughout his coaching career.
Mr. Miller was a graduate of Purdue University and later coached at
his alma mater, where he began a lifelong friendship with another young
member of the Boilermakers’ coaching staff, George Steinbrenner.
After finishing his coaching career at BC, Mr. Miller joined
Steinbrenner’s staff at the American Shipbuilding Co. and later, the
New York Yankees, both of which were owned by Mr. Miller’s former
coaching associate. He later became Steinbrenner’s personal business
assistant.
At Mr. Miller’s request, his body was returned to Massillon, where
he was buried next to his wife of 52 years, Victoria. He is survived by
three sons.
-Reid Oslin
nically diverse workforce. Other
chapters of Soul Power describe
the influence of radical film movements on the era.
“When you look beyond the
familiar stories of the 1960s, there
are so many unknown actors, like
the middle-aged women who were
active in union-related causes,”
says Young, “or young filmmakers
who led community workshops
and chronicled the local stories of
oppression and exploitation that
everyday people were facing.”
For Young, the 1960s are something more than a nostalgic or academic indulgence. She was born to
an interracial couple — her mother
the daughter of an Irish coal miner,
her father the son of a black electrician — who, she says, “understood
themselves to be living Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream.”
As a youngster in 1970s subur-
ban Cleveland, where interracial
unions were still rare, Young became aware of the scrutiny given
her family. The experience shaped
her keen interest in the many facets of identity, whether personal,
racial, social or political, themes
about which 1960s writers, artists
and activists had lots to say.
Young believes there may be a
new reassessment of the 1960s in
the offing, one that will view the
period in greater detail and with
more historical detachment.
“There’s an extremely vibrant
conversation that is ongoing with
a host of recent conferences, edited
volumes and now monographs that
complicate our view of the 1960s. Many of the first histories of the
Sixties in the US were written by
people ‘who were there’ — activists
who saw themselves as on the front
lines of Sixties activism.” “Consequently, their take was
profoundly distorted by their personal experiences and the backlash
that followed the Sixties, which
made it difficult to decenter themselves and sideline the backlash
long enough to tell many other important stories from the period.” C21 Series on Women and
the Church to Continue
A continuing series of discussions on the role of women in the
Catholic Church sponsored by the
Church in the 21st Century Center of Boston College will resume
Nov. 13 with “How Women Live
Out Being Catholic: Sharing Our
Stories.”
The panel for the event, which
begins at 5:45 p.m. (registration
at 5:30 p.m.), is Vice Provost Pat
DeLeeuw; Patricia Casey ’75, of
Maguire Associates; Women’s
Resource Center Director Sheila
McMahon; and BC senior Kara
Cherniga.
The series debuted in 2004 with
“Envisioning the Church Women
Want” and also included “Why
Women Choose to Stay” and last
year’s “Prophetic Witness: Catholic
Women’s Strategies for Reform.”
Two more discussions are
planned for the 2007 spring semester: “Called to Be Catholic:
Religious Practices that Nourish
Women’s Spirituality” and “Speaking as a Woman: Reflections on
Contemporary Catholicism.”
For more information, see www.
bc.edu/church21/programs/seriesonwomen/ or call ext.2-0470.
Joseph Chair Lecture on Africa
Theologian and author JeanMarc Ela will present “Thinking
about God and Living the Christian Faith in Our Global Village:
Questions and Challenges from
Africa” on Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m.
in Gasson 305.
Ela, a Cameroon native who
teaches at the University of Mon-
treal, is the author of African Cry
and has written frequently about
Africa, its economic and social
struggles and relationship to the
West.
The event is sponsored as part
of the Joseph Chair Lecture series.
For information, call ext.2-3882
or e-mail rufogl@bc.edu.
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
november 2, 2006
Newsmakers
•Prof. Stephen Pope (Theology)
was a guest on the National Public
Radio program “On Point” to
discuss the evolutionary origins of
religion.
•University Provost and Dean of
Faculties Cutberto Garza, MD
was quoted by the Los Angeles Times
for a story on growth trends in
infants. The piece also ran in numerous outlets across the country
and in the Pakistan Press.
PEOPLE
News regarding the controversy
surrounding a visit to Harvard by
Iran’s president.
• Monan Professor of Education
Philip Altbach’s perspective piece,
which noted that corruption in
academe becomes commonplace
when staff are not paid a living
wage, was published by the British
Times Higher Education Supplement.
•Irish Institute Director Mary
O’Herlihy was interviewed on
•An op-ed by Prof. Peter Skerry
BBC Radio Ulster , comparing phi- (Political Science) about illegal imlanthropy in the UK to the US.
migrants and driver’s licenses ran in
the Los Angeles Times. He also was
•Center for Work and Family Exinterviewed on the National Public
ecutive Director Brad Harrington Radio program “Morning Edition”
was quoted by the Boston Globe
regarding efforts to track illegal
regarding the need for prospective
immigrant labor and was quoted
job candidates to be honest about
by the Boston Globe regarding the
flexibilty needs during the employ- younger generation of American
ment search process.
Muslims. He was a guest on Minnesota Public Radio where he dis•Center for Christian-Jewish
cussed the Secure Fence Act aimed
Learning Executive Director Philip at tightening border security.
Cunningham was quoted by the
Associated Press regarding interna- • Center on Wealth and Phitional interfaith relations. Also, his lanthropy Director Prof. Paul
essay on Catholic-Jewish relations
Schervish (Sociology) was interfour decades after the Vatican docu- viewed by USA Today regarding
ment Nostra Aetate was published Americans’ fascination with the
by Commonweal magazine.
magic figure “$1 million”; he also
discussed the subject on Wisconsin
•Center for Christian-Jewish Learn- Public Radio.
ing Associate Director Assoc. Prof.
Rabbi Ruth Langer (Theology),
•Assoc. Prof. Joseph Tecce
was quoted by the New York Times
(Psychology)was interviewed by
on the death of Israeli scholar and
CNN and the Associated Press for
poet Ezra Fleischer.
stories on school shootings.
• A plan by Prof. Charles Hoffman (Biology) and Research
Associate F. Douglas Ivey to spin
a method of drug discovery out
of the university lab and into the
market was reported by Mass High
Tech.
• Prof. Paul Lewis (English) was
quoted by the Philadelphia Inquirer
about the use of humor in the nation following Sept. 11.
• Prof. Ali Banuazizi (Psychology),
co-director of BC’s Middle Eastern
and Islamic Studies program, was
interviewed by New England Cable
• Prof. Robert Ross (Political Science) was interviewed by Voice of
America regarding China’s reaction
to North Korea’s planned nuclear
test.
• Drucker Professor of Management Sciences Alicia Munnell,
director of BC’s Center for
Retirement Research, discussed
the Center’s report on employers’
perceptions of older workers with
Dow Jones Business News. She also
discussed a new pension bill before
the U.S. Senate with the Wall Street
Journal and spoke with both the
Wall Street Journal and Baltimore
Nota Bene
The Connell School of Nursing Nurse Anesthesia Program — under
the leadership of director Susan Emery, assistant director Denise Testa
and Assoc. Prof. Nancy Fairchild — was recently granted a 10-year
accreditation by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia
Educational Programs. The council, in addition to granting the maximum period of accreditation, ruled that the program would not need
to provide a progress report — both rare achievements, according to the
accreditation report.
Michelle Crowther ’10, a student in the College of Arts and Sciences was one of 10 high school seniors to be selected this year as an
Apple Scholar by Apple Computer Inc. Apple Scholars are honored for
their innovative use of technology in academics, and receive a MacBook
Pro, an iPod nano and a cash award. Crowther was active in her high
school’s video lab, and worked on post-production projects ranging
from school assemblies to statewide competitions.
Asst. Prof. Mary-Rose Papandrea (Law), at right, speaks during a panel discussion held as part of the conference “The Least
Dangerous Branch? Liberty, Justice and the US Supreme Court” which took place Oct. 21 in Robsham Theater. With Papandrea were (L-R) moderator Lincoln Caplan, former editor and president of Legal Affairs; Marci Hamilton, Verkuil Chair at the
Cardozo School of Law; and Yale Law School Soutmayd Professor Akhil Reed Amar. (Photo by Justin Knight)
Sun about a new report on working longer before retirement. The
study also was covered by U.S.
News & World Report.
• Prof. George Brown (Law) was
quoted by the Minneapolis Star-Tribune regarding public corruption
investigation.
• Boston public school students
and teachers on campus studying
urban forestry and bird bioacoustics at BC’s annual Urban Ecology
Summer Institute were featured in
the Daily News Tribune and AllstonBrighton TAB.
Honors/Appointments
• Assoc. Prof. Paul Arnstein,
(CSON) was selected to receive the
Mayday Pain and Society Fellowship. Of the six fellows chosen,
Prof. Arnstein was the only nurse.
Established in 2003, the Fellowship provides leaders in the pain
management field with tools and
skills to advocate on behalf of
better treatment for pain. Fellows
learn how to better communicate
to media and policymakers and
raise visibility for their issues.
Publications
• Asst. Prof. James Olufowote
(Communication) published
“Rousing and Redirecting a Sleeping Giant: Symbolic Convergence
Theory and Complexities in the
Communicative Constitution of
Collective Action” in Management
Communication Quarterly.
• A new book co-authored by Asst.
Prof. Jonathan Laurence (Political
Science), Integrating Islam: Political
and Religious Challenges in Contemporary France, was launched at an
event at the Brookings Institution.
• Adj. Assoc. Prof. Richard
Spinello (CSOM) published The
Genius of John Paul II: The Great
Pope’s Moral Wisdom.
Grants
•Vanderslice Millennium Professor
of Chemistry Prof. Amir Hoveyda:
$296,028, National Institutes of
Health, “Catalytic and Stereoselective C-C Bond Forming Reactions.”
•Assoc. Prof. Marcie Pitt-Catsou-
Veterans’ Day Event Nov. 11
The sixth annual Veterans’
Day Remembrance Mass and
Ceremony will be held on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 10 a.m. in
Gasson 100.
Rev. William C. McInnes,
SJ, Alumni Association chaplain
and World War II Army Air
Corps veteran, will celebrate the
Mass. A remembrance ceremony, honoring all Boston College alumni who died in military
service to the nation, will fol-
low, with a keynote address by
Retired Army Lt. Col. Thomas
Coll, the brother of Army Lt.
John Coll ‘66, who was killed in
Vietnam.
All members of the University
community are invited to attend
the event, which is sponsored
by the Alumni Association, BC
Army ROTC program, Office
of Human Resources and Office
of the Dean of Student Development.
phes (GSSW): $259,939, Alfred P.
Sloan Foundation, Sloan WorkFamily Network.
•Lynch School of Education faculty members Prof. Ina Mullis and
Research Prof. Michael Martin:
$200,000, International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement, “Design,
Manage and Implement PIRLS
2006;” $150,000, International
Association for the Evaluation of
Educational Achievement, TIMSS
Advanced (2008).
•Kearns Professor of Education
Mary Walsh: $185,062, Herman
& Freida Miller Foundation, “Boston Connects in Mission Hill.”
•Prof. Michael Clarke (Chemistry): $166,860, National Science
Foundation, “Intergovernmental
Personnel Act Agreement.”
Jobs
•Cashier, Dining Services •Research Nurse, School Of
Nursing (2 positions)
•Associate Director, External Relations, Social Welfare Research
Institute •Systems Manager, Information
Systems, Student Services
•Senior Associate Director,
Classes, Alumni
•Supervisor, Cashier, Dining
Services
•Administrative Coordinator, T
I M S S (Trends in Mathematics
& Science Study) •Director, Administrative Services, Information Technology
•Program Coordinator/Counselor, AHANA Student Programs
For more information on employment at Boston College see
www.bc.edu/bcjobs
T he B oston C ollege
Chronicle
november 2, 2006
LOOKING AHEAD
Nov. 2
•Annual Monan Lecture on Higher Education: “Academia’s Golden
Age Reconsidered: Reflections
on the Spellings Commission,”
presented by Richard Freeland,
President Emeritus, Northeastern
University, 4:30 p.m., Murray
Function Room, Yawkey Center,
call ext.2-1061, email: kopellsa@
bc.edu
•“Recent Developments in Roman Catholic Relations with
Anglicans and Methodists” with
Canon Donald Bolen, The Pontifical Council for Christian Unity,
Vatican City, a panel discussion
will follow, 4:30 p.m., Gasson 305, call ext.2-3882, email:
rufogl@bc.edu
Nov. 6
• “A History of Racial Injustices
Against Women” with Loretta
Ross 7:00 p.m., Gasson 305,
email: fierroc@bc.edu
Nov. 7
• “Jesuits and Friends: Looking to
the Future” with John Padberg,
S.J.,7 p.m., The Heights Room,
Corcoran Commons, email: blazuk@bc.edu.
• Agape Latte Series for Undergraduates, 8:30 p.m., Hillside
Cafe, call ext.2-0470, email:
church21@bc.edu
Nov. 8
•“Telling HERstory: The Rev.
Judith Stuart, ‘My Life as An Episcopal Priest at Boston College’”
noon, The Women’s Resource
Center (141 McElroy), email:
donovatu@bc.edu
•“Reshaping the Canon: The
Norton Anthology of English
Literature & the Emotion of
Multitude” with Stephen Greenblatt, Harvard University, 7:30
p.m., Gasson 100, call ext.2-3705,
email: paul.doherty.1@bc.edu.
ONLY A TEST
“Cosmphilia” continues at the McMullen Museum of Art. In photo: Mihrab tile, ca.
1300, Kashan, Iran.
Nov. 9
• Faculty and Staff Health Fair,
10 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Murray
Function Room, Yawkey Center,
email: bakerna@bc.edu
• Panel Discussion: Religion and
the 2006 Mid-Term Elections, 6
p.m., Gasson 305, call ext.2-1860,
email: richarsh@bc.edu
• The Chambers Lecture for
Undergraduates: with former
astronaut Eileen Collins, 7:30
p.m., Heights Room, Corcoran
Commons, call ext.2-9296, email:
winston.center@bc.edu
MUSIC, ART, PERFORMANCE
Nov. 2
•“The Rocky Horror Show”
by Rebecca Cousineau ’07, 8
p.m. runs through Nov. 4, Bonn
Studio, Robsham Theater Arts
Center, call ext.2-4002, email:
marion.doyle.1@bc.edu
Nov. 3
•The Boston Urban Ceilidh, 7:30
p.m., Gasson 100. www.myspace.
com/bostonurbanceilidh
•University Chorale of Boston
College presents Mozart’s “Requiem.” 8 p.m., Trinity Chapel,
Newton Campus, call ext.2-2306,
email: chorale@bc.edu
Nov. 7
• The Symphonic Band of Boston
College, 8 p.m., Gasson 100, call
ext.2-3018, email: bands@bc.edu.
ONGOING EXHIBITIONS
•“We Are Still Here” O’Neill
Library Lobby, through Feb. 16.
• “Cosmophilia: Islamic Art from
the David Collection, Copenhagen,” through Dec. 31, McMullen
Museum.
• “Francis Xavier: Jesuit Missions in the Far East” in the Burns
Library, through Dec. 3.
• “My Monster is in Safe Keeping: The Samuel Beckett Collection at Boston College” Burns
Library.
BC SCENES
The Newton Fire Department conducted a “live dorm room burn” in the Campus Green parking lot last month as part of a
campus fire safety awareness campaign. A mock up of a typical BC residence hall room was constructed, containing many
items that are banned for fire safety reasons. The “dorm room” was then set ablaze to demonstrate how rapidly a fire can
spread if such items are present. (Photo by Lee Pellegrini)
A Not-So-Distant Future
It’s seven more years until Boston College celebrates its 150th anniversary, and 100 years at its Chestnut Hill location. So what will BC look
like then? What new programs might the University and offer — and
how might its old ones change?
On Nov. 9, Prof. James O’Toole (History) will present a potential
preview of BC in 2013 as part of the University’s Employee Development
Program. O’Toole served as executive director of the recent strategic planning process, which culminated in the development of a blueprint for the
University’s academic, faith and student formation missions.
Highlighted by seven strategic directions, the broad-based plan —
now undergoing final revisions — will serve as the means to guide BC’s
progress toward its twin milestones seven years hence.
O’Toole says there may be a tendency in the BC community to
confuse the strategic plan with the University Master Plan, also in formation, which deals with the University’s possible future use of its land and
facilities.
“To a certain extent, the strategic planning process has been overtaken
by other events, namely BC’s addition of the Brighton Campus,” says
O’Toole. “This has led to a lot of speculation about what’s going to be
built and where, and how a particular space on campus might be used.
“Whatever decisions are made about space, though, we still have to
have a plan for what’s going to happen, academically and programmatically, in the space. Hopefully, this presentation will help to inspire further
conversation about the strategic plan and what it will mean for BC.”
O’Toole’s talk will take place from 9-10:30 a.m. in the McElroy
Conference Room. Registration is required for the event; for more information, see www.bc.edu/offices/employeedev/programs/workenv or call
ext. 2-8532.
ATHLETICS
Nov. 4
•Men’s Hockey vs. Vermont, 7
p.m., Conte Forum.
Nov. 10
•Men’s Basketball vs. New Hampshire, 7 p.m., Conte Forum.
MASS
Nov. 5
•University Memorial Mass,
2 p.m. St. Ignatius Church, a
reception immediately following
in the Heights Room, Corcoran
Commons. RSVP: ext.2-4700, or
alumni.coments@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.
Ceilidh the Night Away
Gasson 100 will be the site tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. for a
unique dance party: the Boston Urban Ceilidh, a regularly occurring
area event that combines the high-energy social dance traditions of
Ireland, Scotland and Cape Breton (Canada) with a modern, often
rock-n-roll beat.
“Ceilidh” (pronounced “kay-lee”) is an old Gaelic word that
refers to a user-friendly social dance party, and the “BUC,” which
features some of Boston’s premier Celtic musicians, is built on audience participation. Newcomers get plenty of opportunity to find
their feet: Everyone is given a chance to learn and walk through the
dances beforehand.
This edition of the Boston Urban Ceilidh, “BUC@BC,” is
sponsored through the Boston College Center for Irish Programs
and Irish Studies Program’s Gaelic Roots Music, Song, Dance
Workshop and Lecture Series, and will have a definite BC flavor:
The Irish segment of the ceilidh will be led by Irish Studies faculty
member Meghan Allen, and features a band headed by James Hamilton, an outstanding flute player who earlier this year earned his
master’s degree from BC; there are also rumors of an appearance by
BC’s own Irish step-dance troupe.
The Scottish part of the ceilidh will be led by Laura Cortese, an
outstanding fiddler, vocalist and stepdancer.
“BUC@BC” is presented as part of the Boston Celtic Music
Fest’s outreach to the Greater Boston community. BCMFest is a
non-profit grassroots, locally organized showcase of the area’s finest performers in the Irish, Scottish, Cape Breton and other Celtic
traditions. In addition to the festival – which will take place for the
fourth time Jan. 12 and 13, 2007 – BCMFest holds events throughout the year to spark awareness of, and participation in, Boston’s
vibrant Celtic music and dance scene.
To get a flavor of the Boston Urban Ceilidh, visit the BUC
Myspace page, www.myspace.com/bostonurbanceilidh, which includes a video clip. For information about the Boston Celtic Music
Fest, visit www.bcmfest.com.
—Sean Smith