Our time at Boston College is defined by construction projects-Stokes Hall, St. Mary's, Shea Field, and many others. This column is about design, in particular why the current designs of O'Neill Plaza and the Quad demand more scrutiny than they've had up to this point.

Boston College is a school that likes reflection and talking about reflection. Lately, our campus-wide reflection has been focused on authenticity.

It's too easy to forget to drink water during busy days, but staying hydrated is more important than you think.

Authenticity isn't about how well you break the BC stereotype, and it isn't about how well you fit it, either. Authenticity is the understanding that you need no apology or explanation of how you fit into an image of what we're supposed to be.

I have a policy about spiders. Some might disagree with me. PETA would probably be outraged-guessing by their reaction to the president killing a fly some time ago. Others, though, might concur. My policy runs thus: All spiders, by virtue of their being, ought not to be. 

Classes are in full swing with another semester's worth of readings, exams, and papers. Clubs have started to pick up again, with the Spring Involvement Fair reminding you of all the opportunities you should be taking advantage of, making you question how you're spending your time at Boston College. How can we begin to confront the "big" issues in the world when we can't even confront the pressures of our own life on the Heights?

Chestnut Hill, Mass. is 195 miles away from the Bronx, N.Y., but every time I return home for a break, the two locations seem to get farther apart from one another.

Engaging reality seems like an abstract term, but what it breaks down to are the simple notions of being present, attentive, observant, and open.

 As students who spend four years engrossed in subjects that might seem "impractical," we should be reluctant to see the book phased out for its digital counterpart or the careful, intellectual process of writing deemed too time consuming.