Posters criticizing University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J., appeared at various locations around Boston College Monday morning, days after Leahy was heavily criticized for not commenting publicly on last week’s racist incidents on campus.
“Have you seen this man?” the posters, which have since been taken down, said, with a picture of Leahy. Underneath the pictures, the poster read: “Wanted for ignoring code of conduct violations. Often goes missing when students are in need. Loses voice during times of importance. Last seen mourning over old grass.” On the outside of McGuinn Hall, the poster was paired with a “Black Lives Matter” sign, possibly a reference to the vandalism last week of multiple “Black Lives Matter” signs in residence halls.
In addition to last week’s racist incidents, the posters are also likely referencing Leahy’s silence last year when a sign in the Mod Lot was vandalized to read a homophobic slur. At the “Silence is Still Violence” march on Friday, some students chanted “Where’s Leahy?” In interviews Thursday night, several student leaders said they were disappointed Leahy did not personally respond.
University Spokesman Jack Dunn told The Heights he was in California at a Santa Clara University board of trustees meeting, which had been planned for months.
“Fr. Leahy and all of us within the BC administration were deeply disturbed by the events of last week, which are unreflective of Boston College and its values as a university community,” Dunn said in an email. “Fr. Leahy has commitments that require him to travel extensively on behalf of the University. Last week, while attending a Board meeting at Santa Clara University, he authorized David Quigley, as Provost and Barb Jones as Vice President for Student Affairs, to write to faculty and students respectively to condemn the events on behalf of the BC administration.”
Dunn said the following regarding Leahy’s stance on speaking publicly on such matters:
“Fr. Leahy believes that within a university community, it is not our role to tell students what to think, but to teach them how to think for themselves,” Dunn said in an email.
An earlier version of this article said that University Spokesman Jack Dunn told The Heights in “Walk the Line” that University President Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. believes the University’s role is to tell students what to think, not how. Leahy believes BC’s role is not to tel students what to think but how to think for themselves. The article has been amended to reflect this fact.
Featured Image by Madeleine D’Angelo / Heights Editor
Wow, good for him. “Leahy strongly believes it is the University’s role to tell students how to think, not what. “
Perhaps, “mourning over old grass” is more relevant than paying attention to pampered students who are obsessed with righting imaginary wrongs.