Boston College magazine

2008·7 MB·English

by  Boston College. Office of Communications

SPRING 2008
MAGAZINE
Kakuma
In
REFUGEE
S
.*»
by Abebe Fe
with Rebecca Horn
PROLOGUE
EXSILIUM
LOVE AND DEATH MAY DRIVE MOST OF THE exiles that the empire's mandarins were stimulated to
importantstorieswetelleachother,butexileisn'tfar develop atypologyofexpulsionthatincludedthreegenuses:
behind as an engine ofsignificant human narrative. exsilium, relagatio, and deportatio. (The first distinguished
IntheBible, foroneimportantexample, exilemakesits dra- fromthe secondin thatitincludedtheloss ofcitizenship as
maticentranceinGenesis 3,justbehindAdam,Eve,andthe well as locale, and the last distinguished from the previous
serpent: "Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the two in that it included the use ofchains during transport.)
Garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was And exsilium and relagatio were themselves blessed with
taken. Sohedroveouttheman." subspecies. In the case ofthe former they were, in order of
A fewchapters later, it's Cain's turntobe renderedroot- awfulness, banishmentfrom a particular place, banishment
less, then Noah's to be sundered from the world he knows toaparticularplace, andbanishmenttoanisland (notCapri
and floated off with his menagerie and fractious sons to orSantaCatalina,presumably).
Mount Ararat. Then comes Abraham's eviction: "Get thee No era, however, could hope to compete with the cen-
out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy tury that just closed and its estimated 100 million-plus
father'shouse,untothelandthatIwillshowthee,"saysGod. "displaced persons," a phrase that had to be invented dur-
ThenHagar, Ishmael,Jacob (fleeingto avoidEsau's anger at ing those hundred years along with equivocations such as
Jacob's rendering him a displaced older son) are made "concentration camp," "ethnic cleansing" and "internal dis-
refugees inrapid succession. And afew chapters later, all of placement."
Israel'sfatepivotswhenJosephissoldintoEgypt,eventually
tobefollowedintothatexilebyhislargefamily,itsmembers AS IT HAPPENS MY FOUR GRANDPARENTS WERE
cast from their tents by famine, not to return until Moses among those 100million.Fleeingavarietyofpovertiesand
arrives on the scene to finally take the tribes home and, in tyrannies,theylandedintheUnitedStatesasyoungmenand
one ofthe more terrible expressions ofexile inthe Bible, to women, and never recovered from the displacement, never
diewhilegazingatthepromisedlandfromamountaintop. quite caught up with the punch lines, the utility ofavoca-
Meanwhile (so to speak), 750 miles to the northwest of does, the signals in the shadow of the catcher's mitt, but
—
Mount Nebo, the Greeks the other halfofthe querulous remained to their last days somewhat wistful onlookers at
but enduring mixed marriage that we refer to as Western the American fair, shy and lost in what Victor Hugo called
—
civilization were themselves awash in heart-wrenching "thelongdreamofhome."
stories of exile: Helen dragged off to Troy, and bringing CzeslawMilosz,whoasaconsequenceofhisantipathyto
down those towers; prideful Odysseus forced to spend a totalitarian regimes spent most of his adult life writing
decade tacking his yearningway home to Ithaka; the exiled poemsandessaysinPolishbesideSanFranciscoBay,under-
Oedipus simmering in Corinthuntilhe canreturn home to stoodthehavocwreakedbyexile, thewayittatters memory
kill his father and marry his mother; the exiled Orestes andlanguageandheart. Inasequence ofpoems called "The
simmering in Phocis until he can return home to kill his SeparateNotebooks,"hewrites
murderousmotherandherlover.
As exile is most often induced by privation, political I had a dream ofreturn. Multi-colored, joyous, I was able
tofly.
chaos, and cruelty, and as the post-Edenic world has never
And the treeswere even higher than in childhood, because
been short ofany ofthese flavorings, there's no historical
they had been growing during all the years since they had
periodthatlacksitsbanishedortheirpoignantstories: from
beencutdown.
Ovid, Cicero, and Boethius, to Muhammad, Dante, and
Petrarch (his familyexiledfromFlorencebythe same thugs TheachingpoetsofIsraeland Greecewouldhaveunder-
that had expelled Dante), to Rousseau, Byron, and stood.
—
Napoleon, to Mann, Freud, and Einstein, to in recent Ourcoverstory,writtenbyoneofthe33millionrefugees
—
years Khomeini, Brodsky, andElDuque. that our new century already harbors, and drawn from
Some eras, however, have been particularly flush. Rome a book produced and edited by Boston College's David
—
under its worst despots, for example, was so productive of Hollenbach, SJ, beginsonpage40. ben birnbaum
Contents
BOSTON COLLEGE MAGAZINE VOL.68 NO. 2 SPRING 2008
End
2 Letters
Notes
4 Linden What America owes the.
Lane Iraqis • With meaning •
Recentfaculty writings
Campus digest • Law
team takes its arguments 58 Glass
to the nationals •
Clickers in the classroom • Notes
Crafting asolution to
advising's persistent
From "Decimal points," pg. 26 troubles • Thirtyyears in
the life of adepartment • 96 Inquiring
Rats • A music master's
FEATURES Minds
parting notes
Watchingthe riverflow
48 G21
16 THE PEOPLE'S BUSINESS Notes 97 Works
Soon after World War I, America's &
lay Catholics claimed a new role for them- Five women theologians Days
on the women who
selves, in their Church and in their country
inspire them Science medalist
ByJames M. O'Toole Peter Dervan '67, H'97
26 DECIMAL POINTS
Temporary art
Photographs by Lee Pellegrini
32 BEHIND THE LINES
When Mauldin met Patton
By Todd DePastino '88
40 THE CAMP
A report from limbo
By Abebe Feyissa, with Rebecca Horn E GET THE FULL STORY, AT BCM ONLINE:
o
video: Highlights ofBoston College's routetothe
2008 NCAA hockey championship
—
slideshow: Three days in April scenesfrom the
u 10th annualArts Festival
_Q audio: Samplesfrom adjunctassociate professorand
conductorMichael Noone's latestCD, Cioseffo
Zarlino's Canticum CanticorumSalomonis (c. 1549)
reader's list: Books by alumni, faculty, and staff
headliners: Alumni in the news
Onthecover:Abebe Feyissa, residentofthe Kakuma
Refugee Camp. Photograph:J. Carrier
BOSTON COLLEGE LETTERS
MAGAZINE VOLUME 68 NUMBER2 SPRING 2008
EDITOR
BenBirnbaum
DEPUTYEDITOR
AnnaMarieMurphy SING, MUSE atSacredHeart,soFr. Gill'sthoughts
SENIORDESIGNER IenjoyedtheglossbyDavidGill,SJ,of weremosttimely,andthefacultymembers
KeithAke theIliadasapoemfortheages ("The werepleasedtohavehisperspective.
PHOTOGRAPHYEDITOR GreatPoem,"Winter2008).Itoostrug- DavidG.Rice'66
GaryWayneGilbert gledwiththepoemduringmyhighschool Fairfield,Connecticut
SENIORPHOTOGRAPHER years,LiddellandScott'sGreek-English
LeePellegrini lexiconinhand,rend(er)ingitintoamost Thewriterisassociatevicepresidentforaca-
SENIORWRITER unpoeticEnglish.RichmondLattimore's demicaffairsatSacredHeartUniversity.
CaraFeinberg translation(1951)helpedmeappreciate
TEDiImTOCRzIeALrwAiSeSnIsSTkAiNT theonomatopoeiathatmyhorrendous IwanttocongratulateDavidGill,SJ,on
pronunciationwouldnotallowmetocap- hisfinearticle.ReadingtheIliadinhisclass
BPaCuMlODNaLgInNeEllPoR,ONDoUaCEhRKSuhn ture.Butthewholeofthepoem,itspas- wasapleasure,andIknowthatmanypor-
sionanditshumanity,escapedmeuntilI tionsofthatgreatbookwillneverleaveme.
gotintoanthropology,longaftermy Nowalawyerinprivatepracticewitha
Readers,pleasesendaddresschangesto:
DevelopmentInformationServices undergraduateyearswereover. civillitigationfirm,IlovewhatIdo,andI
MoreHall220,140CommonwealthAve. Asayounggraduatestudent,Iwas haveneverregrettedmydegreeinhistory
ChestnutHill,MA02467 watchingDeadBirds,RobertGardner's andclassics—ithelpsmeeachday.Ihope
[phone],Fax:[phone] documentaryabouttheHarvard- thatstudentscontinuetofollowtheir
www.bc.edu/bcm/address/ PeabodyExpeditiontotheNewGuinea heartsandinterestsandstudytheliberal
Pleasesendeditorialcorrespondenceto: Highlands,when,insteadofDaniwarriors artsratherthansimplychooseabusiness
BostonCollegeMagazine linedupalongtheno-man'slandbetween degreesolelybecauseoftheperception(or
C1h4e0sCtnoumtmHoinllw,eMalAth02A4v6e.7 tHewcotofre,udAicnhgilvlielsl,agPeast,rIocslauws,MaenndelAaeunseaasn,d mmiasrpkeertcaebplteiionn)thtehamtoidtewrilnlwmoarkkefotrhcee.mmore
BostonCollegeMagazine theMyrmidonsandDardanians.Thepas- JohnMahon'01
ispublishedquarterly(Winter,Spring,Summer, sion,thelinesofglisteningwarriorstaunt- St.Louis,Missouri
Fall)byBostonCollege,witheditorialofficesatthe ingeachother, thesinglecombats,the
OfficeofMarketingCommunications, womenandchildrencheeringfromafar, BACKGROUNDER
[phone],Fax:[phone]
allbroughttheIliad,itscharactersandsit- Re"BadNewsBearers,"byDavidReich
ISSN0885-2049 uations,rushingbacktome. (Winter2008):Asareporter,Iamglad
PeriodicalspostagepaidatBoston,MA,and Mypresentappreciationofthepoem thattheintroductionofnewmediahas
additionalmailingoffices.
stemsfromthatepiphany(thoughI've shakenupthemonopolistictendenciesof
Postmaster:sendaddresschangesto
DevelopmentInformationServices sincelearnedthatGardner'sfilmtooklib- ourmajormediaoutlets.TheRollingStone
MoreHall220,140CommonwealthAve. ertieswiththeeventsitportrayed).Ihave reporterTimothyCrousediscoveredthat
ChestnutHill,MA02467 readthepoemdifferentlyeversince,my journalismrespondstochangeveryslowly:
understandingtemperedbytheknowledge Inhis 1973book,TheBoysontheBus,
Copyright2008TrusteesofBostonCollege.
PrintedinU.S.A.Allpublicationsrightsreserved. thatitwasoriginallysungandpsycho- Crousewritesaboutcoveringthepresi-
logicallywornbythepeoplewhoexperi- dentialcampaignof1972fromtheper-
BCMisdistributedfreeofchargetoalumni,faculty, encedit. spectiveofthejournalisticbubble.
staff,donors,andparentsofundergraduatestu- TomRiley '65 Foranenhancedunderstandingofwar
dents.Itisalsoavailablebypaidsubscriptionatthe
rateof$20foroneyear{fourissues).Pleasesend Fargo,NorthDakota reporting,IrecommendPhilipKnightley's
checkormoneyorder,payabletoBostonCollege TheFirstCasualty:TheWarCorrespondent
Magazine,to: Thewriterisdeanofthecollegeofarts, asHeroandMyth-MakerfromtheCrimeato
S1u4b0scCroimptmioonnsw,eBaolstthonAvCeo.l,leCgheesMtanguatziHinlel,MA02467 humanities,andsocialsciencesatNorth Iraq.Publishedin1975,withchapters
DakotaStateUniversity. addedinsubsequenteditions,Knightley's
PleasedirectClassNotesqueriesto booktracesthehistoryofwarreporting
ClassNoteseditor ItwasaspecialtreattoreadFr.Gill's fromWorldWarIthroughKorea,Vietnam,
AlumniAssociation articleontheIliad.Itookthelibertyof thePersianGulfWar,Yugoslaviain 1999,
825CentreStreet
NewtonCorner,MA02458 sharingitwithseveralmembersof andpost-9/11 AfghanistanandIraq.
e-mail:[email protected] ournewcorecurriculumfacultygroup. GeneRoman'82
phone:[phone] WereadHomerduringfreshmanyear NewYork,NewYork
2 BCM •!• SPRING 2008
—
A SUPERFANS NOTES withstudentsinHaleyHousetobetter mannerinwhichithasbeenhandledby
BenBirnbaum'sarticle"HardTraveling" understandhisundergraduates. Hetooka thebishopsisavisibleexampleofhowthe
(Winter2008),aboutthe2007BCfootball standnottocallinthepoliceasBCstu- Churchhaslostitsmoralcompass.To
season,wasanicewrap-uptoaverygood dentsjoinedtheirpeersat500schools transformtheChurch,thecultureofse-
season,andareminderthatBostonCollege acrossAmericainclosingtheircampus crecyandclericalismmustbeaddressed.As
hasestablishedahighlyrespectable down.Fr.Joycekeptwhatsomefeltwasan CardinalJohnHenryNewmansaid,"The
DivisionI-Afootballprogramwhilemain- unforgivablesocialcontractwiththose laityistheforcethathaskepttheChurch
taininganaveragegraduationrateamong studentswhoopposedthewarinVietnam. faithfultothetruth."Thisisourjob,andwe„
thenation'shighest.AsabigfanofBC Atthereunion,manyofmyUGBC mustnotfail,ifwearetohaveahealthy
sports(sometimestothechagrinofmy predecessorsandsuccessorsspokeofhow Churchtoleavetofuturegenerations.
wife,Becky),Ihadalotoffunwatching theirexperiencepositivelyinfluencedtheir MaryPatFox
theteamwinsomeprettybiggames careerchoices—yetnoneofuswentinto NewYork,NewYork
againstVirginiaTechandClemsonduring electoralpolitics.Throughthestoriesthey
theregularseason,forexample. told,itwasclearthattheyhadfeltblessed From2006toearly2008,thewriterwas
—
Successincollegefootballistheprod- bytheirfellowstudents withanopportu- VoiceoftheFaithful'spresident.
—
uctofthreesimpleingredients athletic nitytoputtheirprinciplestoworkand
ability,effort,andplaycalling.TheEagles' withauniquewindowintothebestand COT A MATCH?
11-3recordresultedfromacombination worstofhumannature. Asthecofounderofanewmatchmaking
ofallthree,buteachgamewasanunusual TimothyAnderson'73 group,CatholicMomsMatchmaking,I
mixoftheserequirements.Notelate- Hull,Massachusetts wasintriguedtoseethatanotherBCgrad-
seasonsetbacksatMarylandandathome uatehadstartedasuccessfulmatchmaking
againstaveryweakFloridaStateteam. ThewriterwasUGBCpresidentin1971-72. groupofhisown("Hello,Delhi,"Winter
Successnextyear,undersecond-year HeisthepresidentofWorldComputer 2008).HatsofftoAnupamMittalonhis
coachJeffJagodzinski,willbemeasured Exchange,whichreusesdonatedcomputersto greatsuccesswithShaadi.com.Idon't
bythecoachingstaffsabilitytoadjustplay connectThirdWorldschoolstotheInternet. knowthatournewgroupwillhittwomil-
callingtobeatstrongACCcompetition, lionactiveparticipants,asShaadihas,
athomeandontheroad.Itrustthey're WE, THE PEOPLE butafterarecentarticleaboutCMMon
workingonhowtoestablishareliable ReNancyT.Ammerman'sarticle"Whose CatholicExchange,wereceivedathousand
runninggame. Voice?SurveyingtheMembershipofVoice hitsinonedayandgainednearly80new
ArnoldSookram, '91 oftheFaithful":BeingCatholicmeans members.TheInternethasmadebeinga
—
Seattle,Washington thatwebelieve"wearetheChurch" each matchmakerawholeloteasier,notto
baptizedindividual.MembersofVOTF mentionalotoffun.
PRESIDENTIAL MEMOIRS takethisresponsibilityseriouslyandare LeilaMiller'89
Re"ExecutivePrivilege"byTim workingtotransformtheCatholicChurch Phoenix,Arizona
Czerwienski(Winter2008):Whenthe intoahealthy,morallyaccountable,and
UGBCpresidentsandvicepresidentsof transparentchurch.Tobesuccessful Editor'sNote:BCMhasbeeninformedby
thepast40yearsgatheredonNovember wemustinspiremoreCatholicstoembrace thefamilyofThomasDevlinthathisname
30andDecember 1 fora"reunion,"Iwas thisbaptismalresponsibility. willbeaddedtotheNationalLawEnforce-
especiallyinterestedinhearingaboutthe TheCatholicChurchhasalwaysbeen mentOfficersMemorialinWashington,
timeswhenUGBCchosetobecome filledwithpeopleofeverysocioeconomic D.C,forpoliceofficerskilledinthelineof
involvedinthesocietalissuesoftheday. levelandviewpoint,allrootedinthelove duty.Apatrolofficerandemergencymed-
AndIwasamusedtolearnoftherepeated thatChristtaughtus.LeavingtheChurch icaltechnicianwiththeBostonCollege
problemposedforgenerationsofUGBC andforminganewchurch,asthepro- PoliceDepartmentfrom 1983to2004,
administrationsbythestudentfeeassessed gressiveBaptistsstudiedbyAmmerman Devlindiedlastyearattheageof51froma
insupportofPIRG,thepublicinterest did,isnotappealingtomostCatholics, lungailmentresultingfromexposuretomili-
researchgroupstartedbyRalphNader.I becausetoustheChurchisnotjustaset tary-gradeteargasreleasedbypersonor
decidednottomentionthatIwastheone ofrules,butratherthepeopleofGod. personsunknownintheventilationsystemof
whohadinvitedMr.Nadertocampusto VOTFhasconsciouslychosentowork Edmond'sHallin 1988. (See "ForBoston,"
—
sellthestudentsonthisfee whichhad withintheChurchforchangethatbrings by CaraFeinberg,Summer2007).Thecere-
seemedlikeagoodideaatthetime. usclosertofollowingJesus. monyisscheduledtotakeplaceduringa
MyownUGBCterm,whichfollowed SurveysindicatethatyoungCatholics candlelightvigilonMay 13.
mymembershiponthefive-studentstrike aredrawntothesocialjusticeaspectof
tacticscommitteeinthespringof1970, theChurch.Therewasatimewhenthe BCM welcomes lettersfrom readers. Letters may
wasenrichedbyproximitytoadultleaders CatholicChurchwasamoralbeaconand beeditedforlengthand clarity, and mustbe
ofconscience.UniversityPresidentW. ledtheworldinpursuitofjustcauses. signedto bepublished. Ourfax numberis(617)
SeaveyJoyce,SJ,forexample,chosetolive However,theclergysexabusecrisisandthe 552-2441; oure-mail address is [email protected].
SPRING 2008 •!• BCM 3
den
ane
CONTENTS
6 Hard case
Law team takes its
arguments to the nationals
8 Survey says
Clickers in the classroom
S/1
LU
o
10 Under construction Q CSOMDeanAndyBoyntonsentane-mail Themarchingbandmadeitsfirst-ever
tosome75alumniatBear Stearns,offer- appearance on iceatamen'shockey
Crafting a solution to
advising's persistenttroubles Q- ingnetworkingandcareerassistancefrom gameinJanuary.Noonefell. )!( Astudent
theAlumniAssociationandtheWallStreet accidentallytriggeredafloodoftensof
<
12 All the news u Council. ){( Bioinformaticsprofessor thousandsofendlessly rebounding
Thirty years in the life of a GaborMarshandhisresearchteamdevel- e-mailswhenshesentanelectronicquery
department opedsoftwarethatanalyzesgenomes ("Re:HousingnearBC")to 13listservs.
faster and more accuratelythanany FiveFacebookgroupssprangupinthe
13 Close-up previouslyreleasedproduct. >iK James aftermath,includingoneplaintivelycalled
Rats Niles-Joyal'08recitedfrom memorythe "GenevieveRuinedMyBlackberry." )K
first3,141 digitsofpiatHarvard'sPiDay Alsoonthe Facebook front,theaccount-
14 Fortissimo (3/14,naturally)competition.Ittookhim ingdepartmentusedthesocialnetworking
A music master's parting 50minutesand 10seconds.Hisclosest servicetolocateandimportunegraduates
notes competitormanaged461 numbers. )0( The whodidnotrespondtolastyear'sdepart-
CarrollSchool'sChiefExecutives'Club mentsurveyofseniors.SaidprofessorBilly
ofBostoncontinueditsdominanceof Soo,"Hopefullypeopledon'tstarttoblock
CEO-eventrankings,finishingfirstdomes- usout." )fc KatherineAdam'07andsoci-
ticallyandsecond in the worldbehind ologistCharlesDerberpublishedTheNew
theWorldEconomicForuminDavos, FeminizedMajority(Paradigm,2008),
Switzerland.Meanwhile,theUniversity whichbeganlifeasaseniorthesisfor
itselfwasrankedfirstinthestateinacor- whichDerberservedasadvisor. )K The
poratereputationsurveyof200Massa- Heights'April 1 issuerevealedthatthe
chusettsbusinessexecutives. >rV Azoning NewtonCampushadsecededandpenned
ordinancewasenactedbyBostonthat itsownfightsong,"ForNewton";thatdis-
makesitillegal for a landlordtorenta appointingstudentattendanceatbasketball
dwellingtomorethanfourunrelated gamesthisyearhadresultedinplansto
"undergraduatestudents."Landlordsare holdthe2009seasonintheHillsideCafe;
offeringalawsuit.BostonCollegeisoffer- andthatSteveMontgomery,theUniversity
ingcounseltoaffectedstudents. "\V The officialwhoputsthekiboshonoff-campus
Universitytestedoneofitsnewemer- parties,hadbrokenupalocalfamily's
gency notificationproceduresbysending PassoverSederafterpeeringthrougha
atextmessagetosome 14,000personal windowandseeingadultsandchildren
cellphonesthathadbeenregisteredbystu- singinganddrinkingwine. )K TheNewton
dents,faculty,andstaff. >fc Arecord nativeandheartthrobofTheOfficeJohn
30,800individualsappliedforadmission Krasinskirevealed to Parade magazine
tothe2,270-memberClassof2012. .* thathemighthavechosentoattend
4 BCM-I- SPRING 2008
—
champs The Boston College men's hockeyteam, led by CoachJerryYork, took homethe NCAA national championship on April 12, 2008, beating
the UniversityofNotre Dame4-1 in the Frozen Fourfinal in Denver.Thevictoryfollowed Beanpotand Hockey Easttournamenttitles. Previous
championshipswere won bythe Eagles in 2001 (underYork) and 1949. Above, Brock Bradford '09, nextyear'scaptain, hoiststhetrophy in frontof
teammates (foreground, from left) Nathan Cerbe '09, AndrewOrpik '09, and Tim Kunes '09.
"awesome"BostonCollege"butdidIreally successfulBostonConnectsprogramfrom CollegephilosopherMarinaMcCoy,who
wanttowalkhomeeveryafternoonafter nineto 14publicelementaryschoolsin spokeon"Caring,Vulnerability,and
class?"HeattendedBrown. ^ Jennifer Boston. >V. Nearly600studentsspent Community"intheinauguralFitzgibbons
Castillo '09,aninternationalstudiesmajor springbreakonservicetrips,andaHeights Lecture;apaneloffacultyfromBCand
andanimmigrantfromtheDominican editorialsecondedaUGBC proposalfor BUwhospokeon"Whatweowethe
Republic,wasawardedtheUniversity's anendowmentthatwouldfundthetrips Iraqis";KalPenn,ofHaroldandKumarGo
RomeroScholarshipfor2008-09. )K A andbringanendto"begging"tablesinthe toWhiteCastlefame,stumpingforBarack
manwearingaBostonCollegeknit hat dininghalls. ^ Ayoungmanwhowona Obama;Chelseastumpingforhermom;
robbedabankinSalem,NewHampshire. poker championshipforcollegestudents andCharlieWilson,aone-timewild-man
)^ PsychologistJosephTecce,oftencalled turnedoutnottobeaBCstudentashe'd Texascongressmanwhodevelopedcovert
upontoanalyzethecomfortofpolitical claimed,buta2006graduate."Thisisa anti-SovietoperationsinAfghanistanand
figuresspeakingunderstressfulcircum- shock,"thetournamentdirectortoldthe wasrecentlyplayedbyTomHanksinthe
stances,saidofRoger Clemens's per- BostonGlobe. Vi Undergraduate tuition filmCharlieWilson'sWar.TheHeights
formancebeforeaCongressionalpanel for2009wassetat$37,410,andtheoper- reportincludedtheobservationthatMr.
lookingintosteroiduseinbaseball,"It'san atingbudgetat$772million. \V Speakers Wilsonis,infact,tallerthanMr.Hanks.
earmarkoflyingwhenpeopledonot whodrewSRO crowdsofstudentsinclud- BenBirnbaum
answeraquestiondirectly." $. TheLynch edJonSobrino,SJ,aliberationtheologian
SchoolofEducationreceivedfoundation fromElSalvador;thedismantlerofSouth Formoreon thesestories, gototheonlinelinks
grantstotalling$9.2 milliontoexpandits AfricanapartheidF.W.deKlerk;Boston athttp://bcm.bc.edu/digest.
photograph: MarkPiscotty SPRING 2OO8 •:• BCM 5
7
Occasionally,duringsleeplessnights,
Fordesays,shemadehercasetothebath-
roommirror.
Amonthearlier,inFebruary,atthe
northeastregionalroundofthecompeti-
tion,inNewark,NewJersey,Fordeand
Wonghadcompetedagainst38teams,
finallybestingColumbiaUniversity'scon-
tingenthead-to-headtobecomethefirst
BostonCollegeteaminmorethantwo
decadestotakehomethetournament's
first-placetrophy.(In2006,aBCteamhad
placedthird.)NowFordeandWongwere
preparingforthenationals.Intwodays,
theywouldboardaplanetoDetroit,
where,forthreedays,fourtosixhours
daily,theywouldvieforthetitleagainst 1
teamsfromacrossthecountry.
Third-years BrianWongand BiancaFordepracticebeforeWilliam "Mo" Cowan EACH YEAR, ABOUT IOO SECOND-YEAR
BostonCollegelawstudentscompete
inaninternaltournamentfor30coveted
third-yearspotsontheUniversity's 10
intercollegiatemootcourtteams.Tolaw
firmsscanningresumes,participationin
Hard
case mootcourtcompetitioncanbeasimpor-
tantaslawjournalexperience,saysassis-
by CavaFeinberg tantprofessoroflawMaritzaKarmely'93,
whoco-coachedtheDouglassteams
Law team takes its arguments withassociatedeanforacademicaffairs
MichaelCassidy.Unlikemocktrialcom-
to the nationals
petitions,inwhichparticipantspresent
evidencetoajury,mootcourtcompeti-
tionssimulatetheappellatecourtexperi-
ence: Contestantsresearchandwritea
On
aMarchafternoon,ina43rd-floor minutes,asFordeandherco-counsel, 30-pagebriefaccordingtoU.S.Supreme
officewithabankofwindowsover- third-yearlawstudentBrianWong,argued Courtrules,andthenargueorallybefore
lookingBoston'sfinancialdistrict,Bianca afictionalfederalcase,thegray-walled panelsofjudgesdrawnfromthebench
Forde,athird-yearBostonCollegeLaw conferenceroomatMintz,Levinbecame andthebarwhopepperthecontestants
studentinagraytweeddress,stoodatthe thechamberoftheU.S.SupremeCourt. withquestions.
headofacherry-woodconferencetable ForFordeandWong,thiswasthe BiancaForde,afast-talkingNew
andfacedamaninabusinesssuitsittingin penultimatestoponajourneythatbeganin Yorker,andBrianWong,astoical
aleatherchair. Novemberandwouldsoontakethemtothe Californian,hadneverworkedtogether
"YourHonor,mayIbegin?"sheasked. nationalroundsoftheFrederickDouglass whentheylandedtwoofthefourBoston
Themannoddedsolemnly,takinga MootCourtCompetition,anannualinter- CollegespotsintheDouglasscompeti-
swigofwaterfromaplasticbottlebefore collegiateSupremeCourtsimulationspon- tion.Bothhadperformedwellassecond-
twicestrikingitagainstthetable,as soredbytheNationalBlackLawStudents yearsintheLawSchool'sinternalcompe-
thoughitwereagavel.Afewminutesear- Association(NBLSA).Nearlyeveryweek tition,andhadrankedDouglassastheir
lier,thetwohadgreetedeachotherwith fortheprevioussixmonths,thepairhad numberonepick.Opentoallmembersof
hugsandwisecracks;theman,William heldsimilarpracticesessionsinlaw-firm NBLSA,the33-year-oldcompetitionheld
"Mo" Cowan,alitigationpartnerat conferencerooms,vacantclassrooms,and particularappealforthetwostudents,
Mintz,Levin, Cohn,Ferris, Glovskyand afewtimeswhilestuckintraffic,inWong's whowere,atthetime,vicepresidents,
Popeo,hasbeenForde'sfriendandmentor HondaCivic.Theirbenchwasarotating respectively,oftheBostonCollegechap-
throughoutheryearsinlawschool.But rosteroffaculty,lawyers,lawschooldeans, tersofNBLSAandtheNationalAsian
now,shewasbeforehimintheroleof alumni,andsittingjusticeswhohadvolun- PacificAmericanLawStudentAssocia-
lawyer,hewasajudge,andforthenext40 teeredtocritiquethestudents'arguments. tion.BothWongandFordehadhopesof
6 BCM •:• SPRING 2008 PHOTOGRAPH: FrankCurran
pursuingcareersinlitigation:Thisfall, Amendmentissue,Wongwouldaddress that'sshortonfunds?"Cowaninterrupted.
Wongwillstartasafirst-yearassociatein thedamages. Cowan,acareerlitigatorwhoseemedto
employmentlitigationatBakerand Asthepetitioners'lawyer,Fordepre- enjoyhistemporaryseatonthebench,was
McKenzieinPaloAlto;Fordewilljointhe sentedathree-prongedargument: First, noeasieronWong.Wong'sargumentwas
litigationdepartmentofDeweyand herclient'sspeechcouldnotbecensored moretechnicalthanhisco-counsel's.He
LeBoeufinNewYorkCity. bytheschoolbecausetheincidenttook wouldhavetoshowthattheschoolhad
Overtheyears,Douglasscaseshave placeinapublicforum;second,thespeech deprivedhisclientofhiseducational right,
dealtoftenwithminorityissues,from wasnotdisruptiveanddidnotviolate andthatthelawsinvokedallowedbothfor
— .
reparationclaimsforAfrican-Americans others'rights twostandardsofreview compensationandpunitivedamages.
toFirstAmendmentprotectionforhate forFirstAmendmentcasesdictatedbya "YourHonor,myclientdidnotreceive
speech.Thisyear'scasewasamockcivil 1969U.S. SupremeCourtdecision; appropriatehelpforhisdisability,and
suitagainstafictionalpublicschoolsys- andthird,theteacher'sdecisionconsti- ultimatelylosttwoyearsofeducationas
tem,broughtbytheparentsofahigh tutedviewpointdiscrimination,"themost aresultofhissuspensionfollowingthis
schoolstudentdiagnosedwithAsperger egregiousform,"saidForde,ofFirst incident,"Wongbegan.
syndrome. Atissueweretwoquestions: Amendmentviolation. "Soyoursolutionistopunishthe
1)whethertheschoolhadviolatedthe Nosoonerhadshelaidoutherargu- districtbytakingmoneythatwouldother-
student'sFirstAmendmentrighttofree mentsthenCowaninterruptedher."This wisebeusedfortherestofitsstudents?"
speechbypermanentlysuspendinghim wasnotaschool-sponsoredtrip?"he Cowanretorted.
forrefusingtocoverupanoffensive askedskeptically. "Wasthereanyoneon LikeFordebeforehim,Wongframed
T-shirtheworeonaSaturdayfieldtrip, thetripnotfromtheschool?" hisargumentwithpreviousSupreme
and2)whethertheparents'claims Fordefiredoffafusilladeofresponses: Courtcases,includingMorsev.Frederick
forcompensatoryandpunitivedamages Attendancewasnotmandatory;thetrip (2007),inwhichtheCourtupheldan
underthe CivilRightsActcouldbe wasirrelevanttothecurriculum;in 10 Alaskahighschoolprincipal'srightto
broughtinconjunctionwithaclaimof years,theschoolhadneveroncefunded suspendastudentfordisplayingabanner
violationsoftheIndividualswith theSaturdaytrips. reading"BONGHiTS4JESUS"across
DisabilitiesEducationAct. "Sowe'regoingtopunishaschool thestreetfromtheschool.Whenthey
Mootcasesaredesignedtoaffordequal
credencetobothsidesoftheargument,
andintheDouglasscompetition,the
teamsmustbepreparedtoargueeither
way(acointossbeforeeachroundgives Student affairs VP announced
competitorsthechancetochoose).Butat
theregionals,saysWong,mostofthe Patrick H. Rombalski has been named vice president ofstu-
losingteamsturnedouttohavearguedthe dent affairs at Boston College. Since 2002, he has served as
—
sameposition thepetitioners'.Andso vice president of student affairs at John Carroll University,
heandFordemadeapact:Iftheymadeit near Cleveland, Ohio. He will take up his position at Boston
totheregionalfinalsandweregiventhe College on June 1, 2008, succeeding Cheryl Presley, who
opportunitytochoose,theywouldselect stepped down atthe end ofthe 2006-07 academicyearafter
thepetitioners'side.Thedecisionlefttheir sixyears in the post.
final-roundopponentsfromColumbia The former assistant and associate director of residen-
wide-eyedwithastonishment.Butwhen tial life at Fairfield University (1990-93) and director of
WongandFordewalkedawaywiththe residential life at the University of Scranton (1993-97),
first-placetrophy,theyhadnoregrets."We Rombalski served as John Carroll's dean ofstudents for five years before becoming
didn'twanttowinbecauseourcasewas vice president. For the past six years, he has supervised 14 departments at the
easier,"Fordesays,smiling."Wewantedto 3,800-student (undergraduate and graduate) university. He has created offices of
winbecausewewon." judicial affairs and orientation, set up a coordinator for commuter and off-campus
affairs, and professionalized the residence life staff, moving away from a reliance on
IN THE MINTZ, LEVIN CONFERENCE graduatestudents as hall directorstoward coordinatorstrained atthe master's level.
roomoverlookingBoston,Fordegripped Programming on alcohol, sexual assault, gender, diversity, and relationships has
thesidesofthetabletoppodiumandbegan received greater focus and coordination during his tenure; and Greek life has come
herlastrun-through.Accordingtothe under increased oversight.
contestrules,teamsmaydividetheir40 Rombalski also chairs John Carroll's mission coordinating committee, whose
minutesofspeakingtimeasymmetrically. purpose is to sustain ongoing campus discussions ofthe university's Jesuit Catholic
FordeandWongsplittheirtimeevenly. traditions and commitment to academic freedom. He earned a bachelor's degree in
Forboththepetitioners'andrespondents' religious studies from Marquette University and a doctorate in education from the
side,FordewouldarguetheFirst University of Pennsylvania. Cara Feinberg
SPRING 200 BCM
-I-
playedtheroleofpetitioners,Wongand everythingyoudo,"hejoked).ToWong, O'Connorcancheckwhichstudents
FordearguedthattheMorsedecisiondid hesuggestedshowing"abitofindignity." answeredspecificquestions,andwhether
—
notapplyintheircase,astheirclient'sT- Hesaid,"Don'tbeafraidtotellthecourt, ornottheyansweredcorrectly forthis
shirtdidnotadvocateillegalbehavior,nor withyourvoice,withyourexpressions, class,orforanyoftheotherprevious
diditrepresenttheschool.Asdefendants, whichpointstheyshouldpayattentionto." meetingsduringthesemester.
however,FordeandWongcounteredthat Cowanpaused,andthenadded,"Still,you AlthoughrelativelynewtoBoston
Morsedidapply,notingthattheCourthad werehardtopushoffyourgame." College,clickersystemsbegantoappearin
allowedtheprincipaltoregulatestudent "We'vebeenhammeredbyjudgeson universityclassroomsaboutfouryears
speechthattookplaceoffschoolgrounds. bothsides,"Wongreplied. ago,saysElizabethClark,thedirectorof
Fornearlytwohours,FordeandWong Cowannoddedandlaughed."Welcome," instructionaldesignande-teachingser-
arguedthecase,firstonthepetitioners' hesaid,"tomyworld." vicesatBostonCollege.Now,Clarksays,
side,thenonthedefendants'.When theyareubiquitousatlargeruniversities.
Cowan,whohadreturnedthatmorning Postscript: OnMarch26-30,2008,Forde Lastyear,attheurgingofseveralprofes-
at6a.m.fromaSanFranciscobusiness andWongparticipatedinthenationals sorsinthephysicsandbiologydepart-
trip,finallygavea"time-up"handsignal, inDetroitandprogressedtothequarterfinal ments,Clarkbeganavoluntarypilotpro-
helookedfresherthanthetwolawschool round.Thetournamenttitlewenttoateam gramatBostonCollege,mostlywithinthe
students. fromGeorgetownLawSchool.Forde,how- departmentsofmathematicsandthesci-
"Youclearlyhaveagreatcommandof ever,washonoredwithoneoffourindividual ences.Severalsystemsweretested,includ-
thelaw,"hesaid."Butdon'tbeafraidto awards,earning "BestOralAdvocate,"a ingoneinwhichclickerscameequipped
speakjustasforcefullywithyour [physi- distinctionbestowedonthecompetitorwith withLCDscreensandfullalphabetcapa-
cal] presentation."ToForde,hisadvice thehighestaverageoralscoresforthethree bility.Simplerprovedmoreeffective,how-
wastoslowdown("Iknowyoutalkfastin preliminaryrounds. ever,withthemajorityofprofessorsfavor-
ingthemodelusedinO'Connor'sclass,
manufacturedbythecompanyI-Clicker.
STUDENTS BUY THEIR PERSONAL
I-Clickerunitsataone-timecostof
$35.00($26.50ifused)andregisterthem
withtheirprofessoronlineatthebegin-
ningofeachsemester.Thesoftwareworks
Survey says withPowerPointandBlackboardVista,
anonlinesystemthatBostonCollege
by Cara Feinberg instructorsusetostorecoursematerials,
issueandcollectassignments,andcommu-
nicatewithstudents.Forevery 100
Clickers in the classroom
clickerspurchased,theUniversitygetsa
freereceiver. Classroomsarebeingoutfit-
tedwiththetechnologybasedonrequests
fromprofessors,accordingtoClark.
Threeminutesintoherbiologyclass dence,butnooneraisesahand.Instead, ForBostonCollegestudentsinlarge
fornon-majors,"TheGenetic thestudentseachpickuptheirnewest mathandscienceclasses,clickersareno
—
Century,"ProfessorClareO'Connorfires classroomgadget ahandheldelectronic longeranovelty:"Forus,it'swhatyou
—
offherfirstquestion: remotecontrol-likedevice andpunch bringtoclass:paper,pencil,andclicker,"
"Howmanygenesareidenticalin oneofsixgraybuttonsattheirfingertips. saysErikSardina'09,ahistoryandtheolo-
fraternaltwins? O'Connor'sclassroom,Higgins300,is gystudentinthepre-medprogram.A
A) 100percent oneof25atBostonCollegeoutfittedwith studentinAndrzejHerczynski's 110-
B)2/3 "clicker"technology,electronicvotingsys- student"IntroductiontoPhysics"class,a
C) 50percent temsthatuseindividualhandhelddevices calculus-basedsciencerequirementfor
D)l/3 totransmitstudentresponsesviaradio pre-medstudents,Sardinahascometo
E) Numberishighlyvariable." wavestoahubconnectedtotheprofes- appreciatethesixorsevenclickerques-
Studentscranetheirneckstoreadthetext sor'scomputer.Theprofessorcansetthe tionsHerczynskiintegratesintoeachses-
onthescreenbehindher,bobbingback countdownforanyamountoftime,but sion."Notonlydoesithelpyoustay
andforthamongtheirneighborstoconfer whentimerunsout,thestudents'answers focused,"hesays,"it'sawaytoslowdown
beforethe30-secondclockatthetopof aretalliedimmediatelyfortheclasstosee andmakesureyouunderstandthings."
thescreenrunsout. Someshrugandshake asabargraph.Thesystemsavesthedata Forsmaller,moreintimateclasses,or
theirheads,otherslightupwithconfi- ontheprofessor'scomputer;afterclass, forcoursesinthehumanities,clickers
8 BCM -!• SPRING ZOO)