To the Boston College Community,

On Tuesday, April 1, a number of fliers of unknown origin were found posted throughout campus. The fliers, which ranged from the silly to the racially offensive, all contained a counterfeit ODSD stamp of approval.

University staff and students quickly worked to remove all these fliers, and the Boston College Police Department investigated the matter. Through the diligent work of the Residential Life staff, a BC student was identified as a suspect. The student indicated that the fliers were produced as an April Fool's "joke" by him and five of his roommates, a racially diverse group of Boston College sophomores.

According to the student, the most offensive of the fliers was created as a social commentary on students who participate in international immersion trips. The student authors of these fliers indicated that their intent was not to offend, but to offer social commentary on April Fool's Day. Nonetheless, they clearly neglected to consider the possible effect that their flier could have on members of the community. As a result, these students will be held accountable for their actions and have submitted a letter of explanation and apology to The Heights.

Regardless of the students' misguided attempt at humor, members of this community may be offended by these inappropriate actions. Boston College condemns such thoughtlessness as it violates the very core of our spiritual, moral and political principles and beliefs.

Sincerely,

Sheilah Shaw Horton, Ph.D.
Interim Vice President for Student Affairs


Flier is not racist, must be considered for its message

Unfortunately, even when you're in the occupied territories, you just can't escape the Boston College bubble. I just received a copy of a flier which has been characterized as "discriminating" and "inhumane." For those not familiar with the flier (I still can't believe I am), it portrays a mock "Black Baby Petting Zoo" on BC's campus to take the place of service trips to Nicaragua, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic, among other places. The flier implores students to take advantage of this faux opportunity to take photos with disenfranchised youth and "cleanse one's whiteness," without having to go to a "primitive place" for thousands of dollars.

I heard there was an outcry from the AHANA community. I'm a little disappointed at the outcry, and I think there has become a stigma to decry anything that says the word "black" on it, without even trying to delve into the deeper meaning of the statement made. True, this is an abrasive and obnoxious flier done in a perhaps inappropriate manner, but it is eye-catching, and for those who wish to look past the tagline, there are elements that ring true to many familiar with the nature of service trips at BC.

It is my personal belief that this flier was made by an AHANA student, and I don't believe it is discriminating to any race, but rather a scathing indictment of the nature of service trips at BC. It sharply critiques the predominantly white, wealthy, and perhaps ignorant nature of these service trips that go to places to act as white saviors in a misguided effort to bring "hope" to indigenous people (as if their contribution is going to change the larger structural agreements already in place to keep their people down).
As a person who has been on two such trips, I have seen this sort of maverick attitude on display, in its most condescending and patronizing forms. Many of these service trips end in alcohol-filled sloshes and Facebook profile pictures galore, picturing a white student carrying a young black child bringing him "hope." It is a carryover of white privilege and unknowing arrogance that we see engaged in many of the facets of BC, from the Euro-centric core curriculum to a sports stadium where 95 percent white students cheer (or yell drunken obscenities at) 95 percent black students.

I think this person felt his or her anger boil over, and decided to handle it with satire, which may or may not have hit with the force of a train. Does it toe the line? Yes. Is it perhaps unacceptable? Maybe. Is it racist toward black people? No, and if you thought that then you didn't understand the flier.

Seif Ammus
BC '07
Former ALC Co-President


Apology for fliers
To the Boston College Community,

We sincerely apologize for any offense that we may have caused by the fliers that we posted on April 1. Our intent was not to cause any pain, and especially not to cause racial discomfort. We now understand how our attempt at humor could be construed as racist, but that was by no means our intention. Being a group that is comprised of, as well as accepting of, AHANA students, we are especially upset because the intent of our flier was not to anger AHANA students but to express social satire from our own standpoint. We hope that this does not cause any lasting tension or discomfort, and can rather be seen as an ill-advised attempt at social commentary.
Sincerely,

(The names have been removed to preserve the students' right to confidentiality)


BC ("Bring Cash") should help fans
As an avid Boston College hockey fan, I was disturbed to receive the e-mail from Athletics saying tickets for the NCAA Regional Finals would cost students $80, the price charged to the general public. As a senior who has little money (especially after doling out $150 for Senior Week) I resigned myself to watching it on TV. I couldn't watch the final game, however, because it was aired on ESPNU.

This would be a great time for BC to use a cable channel that goes unused or to broadcast it somewhere on campus, but I guess BC didn't consider it. Then, I received an e-mail on Monday saying that tickets for the Denver games were a whopping $164. Plus airfare and lodging. Does BC expect students to afford this?

Not everyone in this school is made of money. Athletics offered student tickets to the bowl game for FREE to get students in the stands. Does athletics treat the hockey team and its fans with less respect because it's not an ACC team and they're not trying to prove themselves as a school that travels well?

Students deserve better. Most of all, the hockey team deserves better. If there are few students in Denver to support the Eagles, I hope the team knows that there are some diehards back in Boston desperately searching for a TV to watch them continue to play some amazing hockey.

Amanda Fallon
A&S '08

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