Checking in with friends from high school is always a little bit like conducting a social experiment. You ask them what their classes are like, what clubs they’re involved in, and just generally what they’ve been up to, and in the back of your mind, you make comparisons about your life at Boston College and…
Pain and the Point of Senior Year
It was mid-November and I was at the end of my rope. Cards on the table: I’d had a bad six months. I ended the spring with MonoStrep (a simultaneous bout of mononucleosis and strep throat) and started the fall with a cold-turned-lung infection-turned-perforated eardrum. Sexy, I know. Not everything was going wrong—I have a…
Is The Virtue of Toleration Hypocritical?
In an age where Western society holds liberal values and democracy to be the absolute truth and way of life, I think it is important to raise a specific question: are liberal values hypocritical? Philosophers like John Locke created the blueprint for the world that we, Western society, live in today, one in which we…
It’s Trashy Not To Compost
Out of sight out of mind—a proverb that certainly rings true regarding our trash. Can you recall everything you have thrown out this week? I struggle to remember where my ever-essential student ID is, so there’s no chance I could recall everything I have thrown out this week, or even everything I’ve thrown out today. …
The Myth of Productivity
Stop trying to be so productive. No, really. Focusing on productivity isn’t improving your life, it’s probably making it worse. Let me explain. Growing up, we are told by parents and teachers not to “waste time.” We’re told to stop watching TV and “do something productive,” chastised for sleeping in, and constantly reminded that there…
The Disorganization of Organizations at Boston College
Other schools need Greek life to keep campus social life alive and fun at their universities, but at Boston College, all that’s needed to keep spirits high is student organizations. Being part of one of the many amazing student organizations at BC is one of the best ways to make new friends on campus, and…
The Pandemic is Helping Workers Recognize Their Power
Across the United States, workers have been exercising their power and calling for strikes over wages and working conditions. So far in 2021, 176 strikes have been called, and October in particular has seen a flurry of labor activism, causing #Striketober to trend for weeks. More than 25,000 workers went on strike in October alone,…
In the Boston Mayor’s Race, Wu is the Clear Choice
On Tuesday, Boston voters face a choice on who to elect as the next mayor of the city. The departure of Mayor Marty Walsh, former two-term mayor of Boston and BC ’09, to serve as President Joseph R. Biden’s secretary of labor left the race wide open with no incumbent. Following the crowded Sept. 14…
It’s Not A Race, It’s a Marathon: Expectations Vs. Reality of Marathon Monday
Marathon Monday is a Boston College tradition like no other. To be brief, it’s a day that captures the “highlight reel” of all the other BC traditions: think the chaos of a tailgate combined with the school spirit of the Red Bandana Game. Except, is a tradition really a tradition if three quarters of the…
The Resurrection of the Bibliophile
“Are you a bibliophile?” She asked the question like it was an insult. I was sitting on the chipping blue bench—tucking my obligatory Catholic school plaid skirt under my legs to avoid splinters—with my copy of Harry Potter nestled securely under my arm. After letting me sit in awkward silence for a moment too long,…