As an alumnus, both of this university and this newspaper, and as a current Boston College grad student who is rather proud of my alma mater, I would like to respectfully and wholeheartedly express my disagreement with the entire premise and tenor of Nate Fisher’s April 28 column, “Every Man for Himself.”
Now, I must admit, I never tried to film a video or hang a banner on BC’s campus, so I cannot claim to understand the plights you speak of in your column. I did, however, participate in the Arts Fest while at BC, and when I wasn’t participating, I was an enthusiastic spectator. A tremendous amount of preparation-both by the student groups and by the organizers-goes into each year’s Arts Fest. For a school like BC that is not exactly renowned for its fine arts and performing arts, I am regularly blown away by the talent on display each spring.
I also happen to be an employee of BC Dining, which is responsible for feeding the thousands of students who come through the doors of Corcoran Commons and BC’s other dining halls each day. A note to all students reading this-please remember, next time you enter the dining hall, to thank the chefs, cashiers, and support staff who provide for you. They are there prepping for the day’s meals long before you wake up and remain there cleaning up long after you’ve started to enjoy your evenings. They are talented individuals-students and professionals-who are there to serve YOU. Please be grateful, because whether you realize it or not, BC’s dining options are far, far better than those at most other colleges.
As a member of The Heights, I also had many chances to speak with administrators across the University’s leadership structure and students representing their classmates in the UGBC, SPO, SOFC, and other organizations. Those “snide bureaucrats” who “are emotionally numb from years as cogs in a self-purposive machine” whom you reference? They are administrators working very, very hard to keep you safe, well-fed, and to provide you with an exemplary education, and they are also students who are sacrificing their scarce free time to make sure that students have a seat at the table, so to speak.
No system of student government is perfect, and the administration can never make everyone happy at all times, but there are more productive ways to voice your opinions and complaints than to blindly disparage the work of these individuals, as you did in your column. You do a disservice to the hardworking individuals who make BC the wonderful place that it is, and to those who enabled you to land a coveted spot at BC. Next time, before you write a spiteful column in a public forum such as this, consider looking inward to see what you can do to effect change in your campus community.
Patrick Gallagher
BC ’11, Law ’16
