In July, Boston College opened its newest satellite campus and undergraduate school in Brookline, Messina College. Hopes were high for Messina, but it quickly became evident that the University rushed the opening of Messina College, jeopardizing students, their safety, and the community it seeks to foster. Since July, Students have been experiencing the highs and lows of what was promised to be a smooth and thoughtful opening. Messina has dealt with sweltering heat, a lack of filtered drinking water, and worn-down housing. Regardless, students have worked to find joy and community on Brookline, as well as a connection with the greater BC campus community.
Messina students moved in mid-July in flurries of excitement and hope. However, it quickly became obvious that the dorm buildings were not ready to be lived in. Their heat was inescapable, and the air was heavy with moisture. Students reported feeling dampness in every inch of the buildings. Warmth carried throughout the night, and students couldn’t sleep as a result. Often, it was cooler outside than in the dorms.
Although almost all BC freshmen can relate to the experience of living in painfully hot dorms in the early fall semester, this heat was different from what other freshmen experienced. Messina students had to move in during July, the hottest month in Massachusetts, with nights reaching averages of 70 degrees and days keeping steady around the mid-80s. Freshmen on the Upper and Newton campuses experience nights averaging in the 60s and days in the mid-to-high 70s. Secondly, Messina’s residential halls are smaller than the ones on Newton or Chestnut Hill, and they lack proper ventilation, meaning they get hotter – a lot hotter. Messina students had to live through this for almost two months. Temperatures have begun to cool as of late September, and as one student told me, “at the moment, things have been okay.” But next year, when the inaugural class enters its second year, and a new class is welcomed, will they still be subjected to unbearable heat? This isn’t a part of the ‘college experience;’ it isn’t just a few hot weeks in Fenwick or Keyes.
One student also noted that he’s worried about what the winter will be like. He’s nervous that the heating will be turned up either too high and the dorms will once again be unbearably warm, or that the heating won’t be hot enough to withstand the harsh winter.
The heat was made worse by the severe lack of drinking water. The dorms on Brookline do not have filtered water taps for drinking. There are a couple of drinking fountains on the campus that are available to students, but those aren’t accessible throughout the night. Students have been forced to rely on expensive solutions, like bottled water and Brita filters, or worse, deal with dehydration. The water in the dorm bathrooms isn’t designed for drinking; students have described it as having a “metallic” taste and being murky and cloudy at times. This is in stark contrast to almost all of the freshman dorms on Newton and Chestnut Hill, as they have designated water fountains in the bathrooms, which are filtered and designed for drinking. Drinking water is an absolute bare minimum that students in Messina have been deprived of.
Issues with the dorms don’t end there. When students moved in, some buildings had water-damaged floors, visible mold and fungus, and a lack of fire safety precautions, like not having smoke detectors. A student shared that in one of the buildings, there’s a spot on the tile that squishes when you step on it, signaling water damage underneath the carpet, causing it to rot.
Students have also been lacking resources promised to them by BC on the Brookline campus, including a lack of support for affinity groups and infrequent and inconsistent transportation. Messina students were promised access to all the resources Chestnut Hill has to offer, but at the moment, this promise is not the reality for many students.
In July and August the buses “were really, really bad,” as a student shared, and they ran almost an hour apart and ended early in the evening, around 8 p.m. As of right now, Brookline buses operate every 45 minutes, as opposed to the Newton and Commonwealth buses, which operate every 10-20 minutes. The Brookline buses run only until midnight, while other bus lines operate until 2 a.m. Since the summer, these buses have been inconvenient—often impossible—to use.
For example, when students went to the club activity fair, they were able to take the shuttle to Chestnut Hill, but making their way back was extremely challenging. A student shared that after the fair they weren’t able to see where the shuttle was on Transloc, the app used to locate BC shuttles. When they called Eagle Escort, a service offered to BC students for medical emergencies and necessary transports, they were told that they had made a “personal decision,” and that they were responsible for making sure they made it back in time for classes. Students were encouraged to attend the fair, but when they did, they were left stranded and missed the start of their afternoon classes.
Students cannot access the resources and community on Chestnut Hill if they cannot make it there and back. Students also noted that Transloc has been incorrect and unhelpful, “it shows the Messina buses waiting at Newton,” and at times “it doesn’t even show the Messina bus.” One student shared that they bike from Brookline to Chestnut Hill and that biking has allowed them to feel more connected with the BC community. The student also shared that a bike loan system for Messina students might be an easy solution for some. However, other students have wondered why BC Transport doesn’t just run more buses.
Some resources have made their way to the Brookline campus; for example, the women’s center has supplied the public restrooms in Messina with menstrual products, Montserrat, BC’s organization committed to supporting students with high financial need, has sent a representative to be on campus, and recently UGBC held a “meet Messina” event. However, other campus organizations have been lacking in their engagement with Messina and its students. For example, the Bowman AHANA+ Intercultural Center (BAIC) has had no meaningful events or programming with the campus, so much so that when asked about BAIC resources, one Messina student responded, “What is the BAIC?” Countless other resources from Chestnut Hill have been inaccessible to Messina students due to distance and transportation or a lack of engagement from the offices that house their respective resources.
When asked for a comment Fr. Erick Berrelleza, Messina’s Founding Dean, reiterated that Messina students are “BC students and have full access to the University’s facilities, clubs, program, and health and wellness offerings.” He also noted that this is the inaugural class of Messina, that this is their first year being open as a school and campus, and that being new, they rely heavily on student input to make improvements. “In many ways, Messina is a start-up, and as such, our students have been partners in shaping the program with us. We rely on them and we are making adjustments as needed, but it’s consoling to see the careful planning over the years pay off. I’m grateful for the close partnerships across the University that have helped us welcome our inaugural class of talented first-generation students to Messina College.” Lastly, Fr. Erick invites students on Chestnut Hill to head to Brookline and experience Messina, “It’s beautiful here and the Brookline Campus is your campus too.”
When asked for comment, Chris Phillips, Assistant Director of Residential Life at Brookline, politely declined to provide a comment.
BC is Chestnut Hill-centric, which is a given due to the layout of the college. Newton, Upper, and Lower campuses are for non-academic life, and the Middle or Main campus is their unifying academic factor. However, Messina students do not have that relation. Messina is both academic and residential, but these students still hold claim to the resources, events, and organizations Middle campus houses. So, why aren’t they being exposed to them through satellite programs and on-campus representatives, or ideally, transportation would be able to bridge Brookline and Chestnut Hill in a meaningful way?
Finally, although some students have been struggling academically and some feel that classes are “boring and not challenging,” many are thriving. As one student put it, “The classes are almost perfect.” The professors of Messina “care,” and welcome their students into their offices constantly and consistently. A student shared that the summer classes made for a smooth transition into college-level coursework, and it allowed him to “understand what college would be like.” In addition to academics, Messina’s social life has been an important aspect.
A community has emerged and continues to form in Brookline. Students shared with me that their favorite thing about Messina is their fellow students. One student told me that during move-in, another student, who he had never met before, shared pizza with him. The kindness of that gesture was only a hint of what was to come. Friendships quickly flourished, and solidarity among students occurred quickly. From summer activities run by administrators to cohort-style classes, Messina was designed and has succeeded in creating a community among its students. Nonetheless, it cannot be understated that the living conditions have been excruciating and draining for many students, and the lack of resources and connections with Chestnut Hill is a failing among BC’s organizations.
Community, friendships, love, and humanity are seen all around Messina. When students finish classes, they fill the lawns and gather in Ashby in groups. One student shared with me that they would describe Messina students as “real people,” that they are “interesting, kind, charming, and funny,” that they have “great fashion sense,” and most importantly, that they welcome friendship.
As a new school and campus, it can be expected that there will be growing pains and challenges, as well as things that were not planned for or expected. However, Messina students deserve better, and the many aspects of what they have experienced could’ve been avoided. They are eager and motivated and should be supported in all possible ways to achieve their academic and social goals. This means better living conditions and a greater connection between Brookline and Chestnut Hill.
For the University to achieve its Jesuit missions of social justice and cura personalis, caring for the whole person, things must get better at Messina.
Transformative education and applied psychology major… interested in all things, but especially trees.
