When I learned Boston College had made the decision to return for the fall semester in person, while the College of the Holy Cross—where my little sister, Lizzie, is a freshman—decided to go virtual, I felt two emotions. The first was gratitude that I could return to Boston to spend my last two semesters in…
Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down: Week Of April 26
Thumbs Up: Earth Day Thursday was the 51st annual Earth Day since 1970. President Joe Biden hosted the Leaders Summit on Climate on Thursday and Friday in order to discuss the urgency and benefits of strong climate action. We only have one Earth—there is no planet B—so taking action and taking care are huge thumbs…
Editorial: Boston College Should Expand Core Renewal Courses To All Students
Boston College should expand access to interdisciplinary Core Renewal courses beyond first-year students in order to keep upperclassmen engaged in the core curriculum. BC’s process of revamping its core curriculum began in 2012 and was most notably marked by the creation of the Core Renewal Enduring Questions and Complex Problems classes for first-year students. These…
A Green New Deal Makes Economic And Environmental Sense
Last Tuesday, U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Massachusetts’ own U.S. Senator Ed Markey took the ambitious steps to formally reintroduce their signature bill, the Green New Deal. With new Democratic control of both houses of Congress and the White House, it appears as though the most sweeping piece of climate legislation in…
The Power Of Meditation
When someone says the word “meditation,” what immediately comes to mind? Do you picture a Buddhist monk sitting cross-legged in a robe? Or maybe you’ve had the unfortunate experience of being bombarded with incessant Headspace ads on YouTube. You might even be drawn back to a memory of that person you met one time who…
Editorial: Boston College Should Allocate More Funds To Campus Ministry To Employ Non-Catholic Chaplains
Boston College should allocate more funding to Campus Ministry so that it can expand its staff by hiring chaplains of other faiths. Campus Ministry is an integral part of many students’ experiences at BC, regardless of their religious affiliation. It sponsors several retreats and service immersion programs that it stresses are “open to students of…
Breathe Easy And Get A Houseplant
Earlier this semester, my roommates and I had to endure an unfortunate reality that has been all too familiar to Boston College students this year: quarantine. Per Massachusetts regulations, BC requires students who test positive for COVID-19 to isolate for a minimum of 10 days and those who come into close contact with someone who…
Thumbs Up, Thumbs Down: Week Of April 19
Thumbs Up: Erasable Highlighters Pilot makes erasable writing tools, including the god-tier of erasable highlighters. They don’t smudge, they don’t bleed through textbook pages, and they’re completely erasable. Covid-19 Vaccines April 19 is finally here, which means that Covid-19 vaccinations are available for everyone 16 and older in Massachusetts. Pre-register for an appointment at mass.gov…
Transgressing Mental Health Stigma
Spring has always carried a sense of new beginnings for me, so I always look forward to it. My fondest memories of spring are not necessarily the big moments, though. It is the small changes that do not significantly alter my schedule or my habits that impact me most. The birds in the morning that…
The Break That Saved Us All
“I’m just so done, I want this semester to be over,” is a phrase that has been echoing across campus since March. It’s like it became the slogan of the first half of 2021 at Boston College—the constant cry for help that we are all “so done.” I think it’s safe to say that while…