Be sure to come out to these great talks and events being put on by the Pro-Life Club for Respect Life Week.  Please note the schedule changes below in red…

Tuesday, April 16^th: Development Day 9-4 on the Campus Green. **POSTPONED to Thursday 4/18 in order that Tuesday might be spent acknowledging the sad loss of life and injury to persons as a result of the Marathon Bombings**

Wednesday, April 17^th: Professor Boyd Taylor Coolman of the Theology Department will be speaking on his personal experiences with adoption, exploring it as a positive alternative to abortion in Stokes N215 at 5:30pm.

Thursday, April 18^th: Fr. Andrea Vicini, S.J., Associate Professor of Moral Theology at the BC School of Theology and Ministry, will be speaking on Stem Cell Research: Scientific Developments and Ethical Challenges at 3:30pm in Stokes N401.  AND, Development Day 9-4 on the Campus Green.

Friday, April 19^th: Celebrate Life Day 10-4 in the Quad.  It is like a giant birthday party for everyone!

HOSTED BY ASIAN CAUCUS CABINET

Silver is the national color for mental health, and this week, we’re all about raising awareness!

Join the movement by participating in the #BeAFriend campaign, checking out events, and taking advantage of BC’s amazing health resources!

MONDAY (2/18)

FACEBOOK & ORGSYNC

“UCS PRESENTS: THE BREAKING SILENCES PROJECT”

Where: Walsh Function Room

Time: 6:20-8:30pm

*Eligible for “Health & Wellness” training credit

We’re collaborating with University Counseling Services (UCS) to host the Breaking Silences Project, a performance group that encourages Asian Americans to speak out about mental health. 

Free food, hot cocoa, and PRIZES! Water bottles, T-shirts, journals, stressballs, bookmarks, and more! (Courtesy of the Office of Health Promotions)

TUESDAY (2/19)

FACEBOOK & ORGSYNC

“BE A FRIEND”

Where: The Quad

Time: 10:30am-4:30pm

Stop by the Quad to write an encouraging note! We’ll hang them around campus to brighten everyone’s week!

You can also:

1. Change your FB profile pictures & cover photos to the “Be A Friend” icon (available on the FB event)

2. Compete in the #BeAFriend Contest to win a BC fleece blanket! 

Instagram, Facebook, or Tweet your best example of how you can be a friend. 

We’ll announce 3 winners during Thursday’s event!

WEDNESDAY (2/20)

FACEBOOK & ORGSYNC

“KSA DIET & EXERCISE WORKSHOP”

Where: O’Neill 255

Time: 7pm

*Eligible for “Health & Wellness” training credit

Exercise decreases depression, anxiety, and stress & increases confidence and feelings of independence! Learn about how you can live a healthy lifestyle by getting fit! 

THURSDAY (2/21)

FACEBOOK & ORGSYNC

“OPENING THE CABINET: REAL TALK ON MENTAL HEALTH“

Where: Cushing 001

Time: 7-8pm

*Eligible for “Health & Wellness” training credit

We all struggle! Come out and see the presidents of the AC culture clubs talk, act, dance, and rap about trust, disappointment, addiction, and more! We will also announce the 3 winners of the #BeAFriend Contest.

Free snacks & give aways (stressballs, earplugs, etc)

FRIDAY (2/22)

ORGSYNC

“VISIT UNIVERSITY COUNSELING SERVICES”

Where: Gasson 001

Time: 3-4pm

*Eligible for “Health & Wellness” training credit

ANY Friday 3-4pm, you and your friends can visit Dr. Julie AhnAllen, a staff psychologist for University Counseling Services (UCS). She can help you design personalized health plans and answer any of your questions. 

If you’re interested in group visits, please contact Matthew Alonsozana (malonsozana@gmail.com) or Jeena Hah (jeenah92@gmail.com).

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Thanks,

Your AC Cabinet

_____

AC Co-Presidents: Matthew Alonsozana (’14) & Jeena Hah (’14)

CSA Co-Presidents: Jeffrey Yang (’13) & Josh Li (’13)

JCBC Co-Presidents: Jacqueline Fung (’14) & Greg Yang (’14)

KSA President: Minje Shin (’13)

PSBC President: Marian Manapsal (’13)

SASA Co-Presidents: Chirag Zavari (’13) & Noel Simon (’13)

SEASA President: Nicholas Lee (’13)

TCO President: Mark Chou (’14)

VSA President: Kelly Le (’13)

–

Asian Caucus of Boston College

Email: asiancaucus@gmail.com

Website: http://www.bcasiancaucus.com/

Office: 21 Campanella Way, 2nd Floor

Sign up for our listserv here!

For the last two weeks, the Policy Steering Committee (Policy Caucus, Chair M. Alonsozana, A&S ‘14) has made great progress on the issue of sustainability at Boston College. Representatives from UGBC Cabinet, UGBC Senate, ALC Policy, Asian Caucus Policy, EcoPledge, Real Foods, Quality of Student Life Committee, and Residence Hall Association came together first to discuss current sustainability issues and second to establish measures Boston College and its student organizations can take to improve campus sustainability.

UGBC Senate, on behalf of the student body from which it is elected, commends the sustainability standards adopted by Boston College, UGBC, and various registered student organizations. Senate recognizes the efforts which the University has put forth to make our school environmentally friendly. Recycling programs, green campaigns, water conservation in the dormitories, composting in the dining halls, a garden on Brighton campus: all of these things contribute to sustainability on campus and make us proud to be part of a green campus.

In recent years, Boston College has made much headway in increasing campus sustainability; however, there is more work to be done. Senate urges Boston College, student organizations, and each individual student to strive toward continuous improvement. Senate particularly lauds the new research initiatives taken by Policy Caucus and UGBC Cabinet’s University Affairs department which delve into the University’s sustainability measures. It furthermore encourages students to learn about how to live sustainably by reaching out to campus resources including the EcoReps program, Real Foods BC and EcoPledge.

As a part of the sustainability movement on campus, Senate encourages all students to engage in, continue, and promote sustainable practices. Students should consider supporting student organizations that focus on promoting sustainability and public health by attending those groups’ meetings and events, especially events hosted by Residence Hall Association, Real Foods BC, and EcoPledge.

To the registered student organizations of Boston College, Senate hopes that you will help UGBC lead the student sustainability movement by adopting and implementing University Affairs’ sustainable events checklist and certification process. Registered student organizations are the loci of social life on campus; it is from them that a precedent for sustainability on campus will be set.

Students of Boston College, let us move together toward sustainability.

UGBC Senate

October 23, 2012

As commencement approaches, I think most seniors, if they’re not too busy writing a thesis, wish to reflect upon their time here at Boston College.  With only a few weeks left in my academic career at BC, and the last issue of The Observer published and delivered, I want to share a few thoughts on my time writing for and working as Online Editor of The Observer at Boston College.

As a freshman I regularly read The Observer but never really thought about writing for it until the Editor-in-Chief, Michael Reer, a student I knew from Saint Thomas More Society and other groups, suggested I consider it.  I took him up on his offer, and began writing for The Observer, and (at the editors’ request) working on building a new website, the fall of my sophomore year.

Like many writers at campus newspapers, I began writing by covering events and speakers on campus.  Armed with a notebook and voice recorder, I took copious notes at lectures and mustered up the courage to cold-call faculty members, administrators, and students for quotations in each article.

As I became more serious as a journalist with The Observer I began to realize that there are certain people with whom you should speak at Boston College if you want to know the university’s position on a particular issue.  The most important of these is Jack Dunn, Director of the Boston College Office of News and Public Affairs.

I want to thank Jack Dunn for offering his valuable time to sit down with me and discuss the important issues facing the university.  He was never unwilling to talk about a particularly sensitive or controversial issue, and he was always available to offer a comment on a story.  I appreciated his candidness and honesty, and his true love for the Boston College community.

As a senior, I had the opportunity this year to write more controversial stories.  These included “BC Club Teaches Sex Ed in Boston Schools,” “Res Hall Features ‘Support Love’ Poster,” and “National Group Launches Protest Against BC Law.”  I know some students have disagreed with the perspectives offered in these stories, but please know that they have always been written with a great love for Boston College, its students, and its Jesuit Catholic mission.

Of course, in addition to writing for The Observer, I have greatly enjoyed my time as Online Editor building and managing our website.  The writers, editors, and section heads have really stepped up and joined in the effort to make our website the best news website on Boston College’s campus.  There is much more to do, and I am confident that Ethan Mack, who will be succeeding me in this position next year, will be able to continue to build up this invaluable part of our publication.

I am forever grateful to so many men and women who made my time at Boston College, and at The Observer, so amazing.  I want to thank Michael Reer, one of the best Editors The Observer has ever had and one of my best friends, for challenging me as a freshman to become involved with the paper and for providing inspiration and support during my time here.  Thank you also to Jesse Naiman, Megan Rauch, and Allie Gallagher, the Editors-in-Chief who I served under over the last three years.  And best of luck to Morgan Chalfant as she takes over this exciting position for the coming year.

Finally, I want to thank all of those people who I couldn’t fit in this article who have been inspirations to me while at The Observer.  Editors, writers, administrators, students, alumni, friends, and family: your continued support and readership is greatly appreciated.

To our friends and donors: your continued support is what makes The Observer possible on campus.  I know my “Senior Gift” will be going to The Observer this year and for many years to come, and I hope our readers, both in the BC community and beyond, will remember the important role we continue to hold here at Boston College.

The Observer is in a unique position to hold Boston College’s administration, faculty, and students accountable to transparency, honesty, and the Jesuit Catholic tradition.

In 1984 it was The Observer that challenged the faculty for self-identifying as more pro-abortion than pro-life.  In 1989 it was The Observer that exposed abortion referrals at BC’s Health Services.  In 2009 The Observer highlighted professors’ anger when the university dared to place crucifixes in the classroom.  In spring 2010, UGBC and the ALC and GLC released line-item budgets only after pressure from The Observer.  In the fall of 2010 when BC Law defended a link to an abortion clinic on its website, it was the article in The Observer that prompted them to remove that page.

To love Boston College means to take it seriously and hold it accountable to its values.  I hope that The Observer continues to be a catalyst for positive change at Boston College as the university strives to be the best Catholic institution possible.

To conclude, and to offer some advice to current and future writers, I wish to quote one of the early mottos of this paper:

Neminem Recte Faciendo Timeas.

Sincerely,
Andrew Rota
Boston College A&S 2012

BY Peter Vadala

Carroll School Of Managment Sophomore Michael Gannon was found dead in his dorm on Saturday afternoon.

Boston College Public Affairs Director Jack Dunn said “The medical examiner has not found the cause of death.”  However, police do not suspect foul play.

Dunn said police have not reported anything about the condition of Gannon’s Walsh Hall dorm room, where he was found.  Dunn did rule out drinking as a factor.

Vice President of Student Affairs Patrick Rombalski asked the campus in an email to pray for Michael’s sister Michelle Gannon, a senior in the Carroll School, Michael’s many friends on campus, and Michael’s family in his hometown of Lake Forest, Illinois.

Gannon’s death comes in the wake of the mourning for Boston College student Franco Garcia, who disappeared in February and whose funeral was April 18th.

Rombalski encouraged the community to again band together in mutual support, and encouraged students to seek campus counseling and ministerial aid at 617-552-3144, available 24 hours.

When a journalist writes an article for publication, they have a responsibility to gather all the data available and write a balanced piece based on those facts.  This requires writers to seek interviews with people familiar with the issue at hand.

Those being interviewed, however, often worry that they will be misquoted or misrepresented.  This is understandable, since they often don’t know who else was interviewed, what other facts will be brought up, or what angle the article will be written from.

To mitigate the risk of being misquoted, reporters often request to audio-record an interview in order to be certain that all quotes are directly transcribed.  Some journalists even go so far as to send the source their quotations in writing before publication. When a source responds in writing, this risk easily eliminated.

But the source might still believe they could be “misrepresented,” or the article might not be written as they would like, so some sources request that the journalist send them the article before publication so they can look it over, presumably because they might be able to fact-check certain statements or suggest other revisions of content.

This is sometimes known as “pre-publication review,” that is, allowing a source to review an article before it is published.  Journalistic ethics, in general, discourages this practice for several reasons.

First, no matter how much you emphasize to a source that you are only sending them the article for preview purposes, you are implicitly allowing the source to give you some sort of approval for the article before it is published.  If the source has editorial control over the content of the article, it is no longer an objective piece of journalism – it is a press release.

Second, the source might leak the article prior to publication.  If they dislike the article, they can easily send it to a competing paper in hopes that they will write a rebuttal article or break any news before you do.

Third, if the article is particularly unfavorable to the source, they might contact advertisers or donors and petition them to drop funding unless the article is pulled.

These are all ways in which sources might exert editorial pressure over a paper if they are given pre-publication review privileges of an article.

Fact-checking does not require pre-publication review.  Fact-checking requires a rigorous check of sources’ quotes against the transcript, sources’ quotes against other sources, and fact-claims against other reliable , objective sources.  Certainly you can follow up with your source if you need clarification on a particular fact, but showing them even a slightly controversial article before publication will rarely result in anything but editorial pressure.

Does pre-publication review happen in the journalism world?  Of course.  Is it ethical?  Generally not.

When writing a story for The Observer recently, I was told by multiple sources that unless I gave them pre-publication review for “fact-checking” and “quote-verification,” they would not “contribute to or condone” the article.

The source was offering quotes via written means, thus quote-verification was, for the most-part, unnecessary.  Fact-checking, as I mentioned before, rarely requires pre-publication review.  It was unfortunately obvious, as the source made clear, that they wished to “condone” the article, or approve it.

A source does not approve an article.  It is not a press release.  The Observer, and all news sources for that matter, would be incredibly boring, uninformative, and bias if we merely published press releases.

I remember as a freshman I attended a brief introduction meeting for The Heights, where I was informed that it was their policy not to allow any pre-publication review other than simple quote-verification if absolutely necessary.  Likewise, The Observer generally follows that policy as well.  Any responsible journalist, whether they are in college or in the professional world, should adopt a similar policy as part of their personal journalistic ethics.

Sources who refuse to comment on a story because they will not be granted pre-publication review do themselves and their organization a disservice.  They prove that they are not interested in transparency or honesty; they are interested in control.

The Observer will continue to uphold its publication to high ethical and editorial standards in order to serve the Boston College community and all of our readers.

We are excited to announce that today we are publishing our first issue of the semester! Pick up a copy at one of our many news stands around campus, or read it online!

Mark you calendars!  The Observer at Boston College has released its publishing dates for the Fall 2011 Semester:

• September 20
• October 4
• October 18
• November 1
• November 15
• December 6

The Observer can be found in our marked news bins around the Chestnut Hill campus.  Subscriptions to The Observer are currently $25 per academic year.  Papers will be sent by first class mail.  Contact us to request a subscription.

I started off this past summer with a few celebratory fist-bumps after finishing the last Spanish class of my life. The next few weeks I spent working in Brussels as an intern for a member of the European Parliament, specifically representing the southeast part of England. I lived with two different host families during this time and learned a lot about the history and culture of Belgium. This was my first time in Europe, and I spent most of my non-working hours on an unofficial diplomatic mission, promoting American values and superiority in various Belgium bars and pubs. Needless to say, by the time I left continental Europe they had all come around to the idea of a two-party political system, and had agreed that ‘football’ was played with shoulder pads and helmets, not with shin guards.

The rest of my summer consisted of working as an intern for Bank of America in St. Louis, catching up with good friends from high school, taming a wild stallion, and spending a few afternoons floating on local Missouri Rivers. I enjoyed seeing my family and friends back home while forming new opinions to write about for The Observer this year. Although this summer was great I’m happy to be back in action at BC, and look forward to junior year.

Morgan Chalfant spent her summer in her hometown, Longmeadow, MA, tutoring elementary, middle, and high school students in Math and English. Particularly, she helped an 8th grade math student tackle the final exam of her accelerated Algebra course and advance to Geometry. She also advised an upcoming high school senior about the process of developing and writing the college essay. When working with a few elementary students in both Math and English, Morgan helped the students practice complicated addition and subtraction while additionally providing them with topics about which to write weekly journal entries. As she is a double major in Mathematics and English at Boston College, Morgan put her skills to great use during the summer months and thoroughly enjoyed helping younger students to perfect their problem solving and writing abilities. Though she plans to stay in Boston next summer and take on an internship in journalism, Morgan will undoubtedly try to continue corresponding with the students that she tutored in order to provide them with additional help.

On the weekends, Morgan worked as a costumed character promoting used cars for a local dealership. She portrayed many types of animals including a shark, a donkey, and a zebra. The job wasn’t always glamorous, especially since it was hot in the suit during the summer, but Morgan thinks it prepared her well for the rigors of the working life.