By Caroline Merck -

Police uniforms were by far the most fear-inspiring costumes that graced the Mods last Friday night on Halloween Eve. Surprisingly, these were donned by members of the Boston College Police Department rather than Boston College students. While ghouls, goblins and Lady Gagas roamed campus in search of treats, and otherwise enjoying All Hallows’ Eve festivities, police officers appeared to be lurking around every corner. Our campus police were out in force this weekend and seemed intent on cracking down on Halloween fun. Bicycle patrols of BCPD officers cruised through the Mods around 1:30 a.m. breaking up large and small gathering alike. Even parties that had dwindled in number were disbanded, and partygoers were sent packing. Continue Reading

By Laurel Manlow and Caroline Merck -

Proponents of affirmative action tout racial preferences as a conciliatory gesture for past evils committed against minority groups as well as a progressive measure to hasten equality. Some find the idea of ending discrimination with discrimination in the form of affirmative action utterly counterintuitive. Clearly, the benefits diversity brings to higher education more than compensate for any unfair aspects of this necessary measure. Affirmative action is intended to account for the lack of cultural capital that serves as an obstacle especially for members of minority groups. Education is an investment that lies further out of reach for certain groups not only for historical reasons but because of very relevant contemporary social and economic inequalities.  Ideally, rather than race, socioeconomic class would be the deciding factor for inequities in intellectual and cultural resources that span across races. Continue Reading