The fourth edition of BC Ignites will not take place this semester, straying from the initial plan set out by the event’s creator, Conor Sullivan, GLSOE ’14, who hoped to hold one forum each semester.
BC Ignites, which Sullivan started to spark awareness and discussion on campus of controversial issues that foster a diverse array of viewpoints, was held twice during the 2012-13 academic year, once in September and again in April. The first forum featured students speaking on the issue of race, while the second centered around GLBTQ issues.
In November, the third BC Ignites discussed body image and confidence issues in conjunction with Love Your Body Week.
According to a Facebook event created by the Undergraduate Government of Boston College (UGBC) on April 13, this semester’s forum was set to take place on April 23 at 7 p.m. in the amphitheater behind Stokes Hall. The topic of discussion to be featured was socioeconomic issues and how they affect students on campus. No students were invited to the event, and only 12 people RSVP’d that they would be attending.
The event did not take place as the Facebook page indicated. According to UGBC vice president of student initiatives Emily Kaiser, CSOM ’14, promotional materials were not supposed to have been released, as the event was still being developed.
“[I] was under the impression that the general student body was not aware of the event, therefore postponing wouldn’t be a problem as it was still in the planning stages,” Kaiser said in an email.
Kaiser confirmed that this iteration of BC Ignites is not cancelled permanently, and will be postponed until early September so that organizers have more time to collect testaments from students and work out logistics.
“The reason for postponing is that due to the time of the year and responses thus far, we had a great lack of student testament volunteers,” Kaiser said. Organizers felt that the circumstances surrounding the event would not allow it to live up to past BC Ignites forums. Kaiser said that organizers are extending the timeline to ensure that the diversity of the speakers and overall reach of the event are up to par.
“This event is not cancelled and we plan to qualitatively live out the legacy of what BC Ignites stands for,” she said.
Kaiser indicated that the BC Ignites event on socioeconomic diversity would be held in September behind Stokes Hall-similarly to the event that was supposed to have occurred last week-and would also include a talent showcase for added entertainment and audience draw. Both editions of BC Ignites that occurred in 2012-13 also featured performances from on-campus groups such as the Dance Organization of Boston College, Synergy Hip Hop Dance Company, and the Bostonians.
