By Tue Tran, Editor-in-Chief – (Photography: Christina Rogers)

Some Boston College students woke up this morning, wondering if they should follow singer Ke$ha’s lead and brush their teeth with a bottle of Jack. Others forgot and brushed with contaminated water. Continue Reading

Due to a water pipe break in Weston, Mass., the faucet water at Boston College is unsafe to drink without boiling for one minute, according to an email from the Office of the Dean of Student Development. It is, however, suitable for bathing, flushing, and fire protection, says the email. They are filtering the water at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir for use. Continue Reading

By Andrew Slade, For The Gavel -

Earlier this week, Boston College’s Political Science Association (PSA) hosted an event entitled “U.S. Power: Waxing or Waning?” The PSA assembled a panel of four professors from the political science department: David Deese, Timothy Crawford, Robert Ross and Mark Sheetz. Although their explanations and specific points varied, all four agreed that American power is waning.

Crawford, began by outlining a general definition of what exactly “power” means. He presented a trichotomy of three faces of power, which he suggested could be used to as a basis for determining the present state of the power of government. Included were the ability to directly cause people to do what you want, the ability to set an agenda and decide which issues are attended to and which are ignored and the ability to change the way others think about their own interests.

Crawford commented on the style in which these abilities have been exercised recently, and how the differences in execution between President George W. Bush and President Barack Obama could result in different policy and perception from foreign governments. On whether or not this changed image will become reality, Crawford pointed to Obama’s ability to negotiate international issues like nuclear proliferation, global warming and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For the most part, Crawford explained that Obama has been able to do little more than get people to talk about these matters thus far.

Deese focused on psychological aspects of power, such as the prestige associated with a country or person, and the ability to attract others to a cause based on the long-term legitimacy of a nation’s policies. He highlighted the fact that power is always contextual, and that there is presently disequilibrium between America’s power and its global military and economic commitments.

In his statement, Ross focused on the power of other nations in comparison to that of the U.S., expanding on Crawford’s assertion that power must be assessed in context. “In that respect, America’s power is not what it used to be,” Ross said.

For Ross, the two primary areas to look at when evaluating power are military and economic strength. While America has seen success in both areas and is continuing to make advancements, Ross explained that other countries like China are catching up, as their economy grows at ten percent annually, versus three-percent growth in the United States.

The fourth panelist, Sheetz, centered his argument on the fact that the bipolar and unipolar power the United States has experienced since World War II has been anomalous, noting that it has allowed America to grow an economy that accounts for one quarter of global industrial production, and a military more advanced than any other. Sheetz went on to echo the sentiment expressed by Ross, suggesting that the distribution of power in the world is shifting.

“The U.S. is declining in relative terms, largely because when you’re on top, the only place to go is down,” Sheetz said.

After each of the professors gave their prepared statements, the moderator opened the floor to questions from the audience. A student in attendance asked whether there is a solution that would allow America to maintain its place at the top, or whether there is nothing that can be done at this point. The panelists joked that the question was characteristically American before answering.

Ross suggested that the federal government take real steps to get the economy back on track and reduce deficits. These include cutting defense spending, ending our wars, increasing the retirement age, raising taxes (which he noted are presently lower than they were under President Ronald Reagan) and establishing a new energy policy. Crawford and Deese made some similar suggestions, but said that it might not be possible to remain the world’s only superpower, while Sheetz offered the simplest advice.

“The solution when you’re digging yourself a hole is to stop digging,” Sheetz said.

By Michelle Martinez, News Editor -

Boston College’s Genocide Awareness Group, a committee of Americans for Informed Democracy (AID), sponsored an event in which speakers shared the stories of survivors of genocide. Continue Reading

By Michelle Martinez, News Editor -

With the pivotal passage of the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act,” the United States saw the culmination of decades’ worth of debate on health care reform. Continue Reading

By Tue Tran, Editor-in-Chief -

Thursday, the 3rd recipient of the annual Father Robert Drian Award was Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray. The award was given by the College Democrats of Boston College (CDBC), and the event was held in Burns Library. Continue Reading

By Michelle Martinez, News Editor -

In an event sponsored by Boston College’s Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies Student Association, Michael Kerr, director for the Center of the Study of Divided Societies and professor from King’s College in London, addressed the power-sharing arrangements devised in Lebanon and Northern Ireland in the 20th century.

Though one wouldn’t be quick to compare Lebanon and Northern Ireland as sharing several similarities, Kerr pointed out that both these states share similar histories of sectarian violence, of power-sharing structures that initially failed, and of imposed power-sharing arrangements on behalf of external actors.

“In divided societies like Northern Ireland and Lebanon, that are divided by socio-ethnic, linguistic cleavages, outside states have been critical and central to implementation and negotiation of power-sharing accords,” Kerr said. “External forces have been the deciding element in the power-sharing accords in the 20th century, and this remains the case today.”

Kerr emphasized how when he began his research on the subject of power-sharing agreements, he wondered how and why elites in conflict for contested spaces would ever agree to share ownership of those lands that were ideologically god-given in their national narratives. At the beginning of this research endeavor, reformulated power agreements were in place in both of the states he studied: the 1998 Belfast Agreement in Northern Ireland, and the Taef Agreements that ended the Lebanese Civil War.

Both of these power-sharing agreements were in some way condoned or pursued mostly by external powers, especially those who had some sort of interest and possible gain from this return to power-sharing.

“Power-sharing is the most realistic means to regulate violence in societies and avoid civil war. In Northern Ireland’s case, British and Irish governments began to work with a unity of purpose to promote that idea. In Lebanon, stability is fluctuated depending on the input from the United States, the Soviet Union at the time, among others,” Kerr said.

Not just the establishment, but also the longevity of these agreements greatly depend on the external powers’ long-standing interest in bringing that into being. In the example of Northern Ireland, for interest, positive external values in ensuring the strength and endurance of the agreement include President Bill Clinton’s influence and support, as well as the British government’s vast interest in regulating Irish violence.

With the conclusion of the Lebanese Civil War with the Taef Agreements in 1976, the United States set out to accept a ‘Syrian Solution.’ “The United States accepted a Syrian regulation of Lebanon’s political violence, accept a special relationship between the two, and thus bring Syria into the US’ sphere of influence,” Kerr said. Because of these, the post-war reality of Lebanese politics is now determined by its relationship with Syria, and is now a government subservient to that of an external power.

“The Lebanese didn’t protest too much, having experienced a civil war. An imposed undemocratic government was grudgingly accepted,” Kerr said.

Kerr noted how these fragmented societies and the conflicts that arise out of them is currently exemplified by the cases of Afghanistan and Iraq, which President Barack Obama is thus far succeeding in containing. “External variables still remain essential to political processes in Lebanon and Northern Ireland, as well as in the future in societies that are similar,” Kerr said.

“In an ideal world, external actors would have a stake in ensuring these things are accomplished, such as a power-sharing agreement in Afghanistan. This, however, is not as easy as regulating political violence in Northern Ireland and Lebanon,” Kerr said.

By Andrew Slade, General Manager -

Last night, the College Democrats of Boston College brought to campus Mike Bonanno, one of the two leading members of the Yes Men, a group of generally anti-corporate international activists. In 2009, Bonanno directed and starred in The Yes Men Fix the World, a documentary highlighting the progressive efforts of the Yes Men, which manifest themselves almost exclusively in the form of elaborate pranks, executed by impersonating representatives of such entities as the ExxonMobil, Dow Chemical and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Bonanno began his lecture by explaining how he and his partner in crime, Andy Bichlbaum, got their start. In 1999, the two founding members of the Yes Men set up a Web site designed to look like that of the World Trade Organization. Soon after, they began receiving e-mails from individuals and organizations who had visited the site and believed that they did, in fact, represent the WTO. Agreeing that the WTO was not doing a great job of representing itself to the public, Bonanno and Bichlbaum took it upon themselves to attend a global conference, posing as WTO employees. After making a number of outrageous, satirical statements to their highly educated audience, the Yes Men, who expected to be taken off stage and thrown out, were disappointed to find that there was virtually no reaction.

“We were embraced by the audience of trade lawyers,” Bonanno said. “We were surprised to find we weren’t arrested for what we did.”

As time went on, the Yes Men got more extreme and more ridiculous as they became more involved in producing documentaries based on their exploits. Realizing that large groups of people would accept almost anything as fact if it came from someone introduced as an authority, the pranksters decided to be more direct (and more extreme) so that nobody could ignore the real message they were trying to convey. Additionally, they decided after a number of pranks that underscored everything that is wrong with the large corporations and agencies they target, that it they would rather live the “dream” than the “nightmare,” changing their strategy to being representing what they believe to be the ideal.

Exemplifying this new mentality, Bonanno discussed what is perhaps the Yes Men’s most impactful, well known prank to date. In 2004, Bichlbaum posed as a spokesman for Dow Chemical, which had recently acquired Union Carbide, the company whose factory in Bhopal, India released a toxic gas which killed thousands in the most devastating industrial disaster in history. In a television news interview with BBC, Bichlbaum explained that Dow would, for the first time, be paying reparations to the people of Bhopal. This “news” shocked viewers and investors, leading to a $2 billion hit on Dow stock’s market capitalization. When asked whether the Yes Men faced backlash from the citizens of Bhopal for giving them false hope, Bonanno explained that he and Bichlbaum visited Bhopal where they were lauded for bringing international attention to their ongoing struggle.

Nevertheless, there are many who believe that the work of the Yes Men is immoral, as they blatantly lie to and deceive their audiences, often defaming the reputations of those they impersonate. Moreover, there are some who believe that their pranks legally constitute fraud. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who the Yes Men “represented” at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., has a law suit pending against those involved in a press conference at which Bichlbaum told reporters that the Chamber would be reversing its position on climate change legislation.

Pointing out that legally, they can only be held responsible if their intent is to achieve material gain through their impersonations, Bonanno defended their tactics by reminding those in attendance that their goal is to draw attention, not money, and that they will most likely end up losing money on the distribution of their documentaries.

“We do it to make a statement. We do it to make a political statement…until there’s a ruling on it, it’s legal,” Bonanno explained.

As for the moral aspect of their actions, there does not seem to be a consensus one way or another. While Bonanno acknowledged that lying is not generally the best way to deal with something, he maintains that history has shown us how it is sometimes a necessary means to an end.

“Good lies? Bad lies? You guys be the judge.”

Update: The event organizers are working on finding a new location for the conference.

The Boston College administration has cancelled the plans to host the Boston Intersessional Exercise on the Arms Trade Treaty, which was scheduled to be on campus from June 1 to 3. The conference was to be an informal intergovernmental meeting, and many diplomats were scheduled to attend. It was co-sponsored by the governments of United States, Luxembourg, Austria, and Australia.

Over Easter break, the State Department and United Nations officials wrote to BC, urging the administration not to cancel the event.

By Andrew Schofield, Features Editor -

Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo confirmed today that current Cornell Head Coach Steve Donahue will take the vacant coaching position at Boston College. Donahue, who has spent the last ten years building Cornell into a powerful mid-major, will replace Al Skinner, the most successful basketball coach in school history in terms of wins.

After being an assistant at the University of Pennsylvania, Donahue accepted the head coaching position at Cornell in 1990. And after six straight losing seasons to begin his tenure at Cornell, Donahue has turned Cornell into an Ivy League powerhouse. Donahue has led Cornell to Ivy League Championships and NCAA Tournament berths the last three years, carrying a 38-4 conference record. His best season came this year as he led the Big Red to a #12 seed in the NCAA Tournament followed by back-to-back upsets over Temple and Wisconsin en route to a Sweet Sixteen appearance. And during the regular season, his Cornell team nearly upset the #1-ranked Kansas in Lawrence as they led the Jayhawks until the last minute of the game. In recognition of his success, Donahue was awarded the Clair Bee Coach of the Year Award this past season.

Donahue is known for his potent offensive attack that he demonstrated this year with his Cornell squad, which ranked sixteenth in offensive efficiency in the nation according to the Ken Pomeroy rankings, which adjusts for strength of schedule. His motion-based offense contrasts with the Flex offense ran by former coach Al Skinner. While the complex Flex offense relies on cuts and down screens, the motion offense utilizes player movement to exploit the quickness of the offense and neutralize the size of the defense – an offense that could reap rewards with a current BC team that relies on guards Reggie Jackson and Rakim Sanders.

Donahue will be introduced as the head coach tomorrow by DeFilippo at 3:00 PM in the Yawkey Atheltic Center followed by a 5:00 PM Meet and Greet with students in the Dustbowl outside McElroy.