HOSTED BY ASIAN CAUCUS CABINET

Silver is the national color for mental health, and this week, we’re all about raising awareness!

Join the movement by participating in the #BeAFriend campaign, checking out events, and taking advantage of BC’s amazing health resources!

MONDAY (2/18)

FACEBOOK & ORGSYNC

“UCS PRESENTS: THE BREAKING SILENCES PROJECT”

Where: Walsh Function Room

Time: 6:20-8:30pm

*Eligible for “Health & Wellness” training credit

We’re collaborating with University Counseling Services (UCS) to host the Breaking Silences Project, a performance group that encourages Asian Americans to speak out about mental health. 

Free food, hot cocoa, and PRIZES! Water bottles, T-shirts, journals, stressballs, bookmarks, and more! (Courtesy of the Office of Health Promotions)

TUESDAY (2/19)

FACEBOOK & ORGSYNC

“BE A FRIEND”

Where: The Quad

Time: 10:30am-4:30pm

Stop by the Quad to write an encouraging note! We’ll hang them around campus to brighten everyone’s week!

You can also:

1. Change your FB profile pictures & cover photos to the “Be A Friend” icon (available on the FB event)

2. Compete in the #BeAFriend Contest to win a BC fleece blanket! 

Instagram, Facebook, or Tweet your best example of how you can be a friend. 

We’ll announce 3 winners during Thursday’s event!

WEDNESDAY (2/20)

FACEBOOK & ORGSYNC

“KSA DIET & EXERCISE WORKSHOP”

Where: O’Neill 255

Time: 7pm

*Eligible for “Health & Wellness” training credit

Exercise decreases depression, anxiety, and stress & increases confidence and feelings of independence! Learn about how you can live a healthy lifestyle by getting fit! 

THURSDAY (2/21)

FACEBOOK & ORGSYNC

“OPENING THE CABINET: REAL TALK ON MENTAL HEALTH“

Where: Cushing 001

Time: 7-8pm

*Eligible for “Health & Wellness” training credit

We all struggle! Come out and see the presidents of the AC culture clubs talk, act, dance, and rap about trust, disappointment, addiction, and more! We will also announce the 3 winners of the #BeAFriend Contest.

Free snacks & give aways (stressballs, earplugs, etc)

FRIDAY (2/22)

ORGSYNC

“VISIT UNIVERSITY COUNSELING SERVICES”

Where: Gasson 001

Time: 3-4pm

*Eligible for “Health & Wellness” training credit

ANY Friday 3-4pm, you and your friends can visit Dr. Julie AhnAllen, a staff psychologist for University Counseling Services (UCS). She can help you design personalized health plans and answer any of your questions. 

If you’re interested in group visits, please contact Matthew Alonsozana (malonsozana@gmail.com) or Jeena Hah (jeenah92@gmail.com).

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

Thanks,

Your AC Cabinet

_____

AC Co-Presidents: Matthew Alonsozana (’14) & Jeena Hah (’14)

CSA Co-Presidents: Jeffrey Yang (’13) & Josh Li (’13)

JCBC Co-Presidents: Jacqueline Fung (’14) & Greg Yang (’14)

KSA President: Minje Shin (’13)

PSBC President: Marian Manapsal (’13)

SASA Co-Presidents: Chirag Zavari (’13) & Noel Simon (’13)

SEASA President: Nicholas Lee (’13)

TCO President: Mark Chou (’14)

VSA President: Kelly Le (’13)

–

Asian Caucus of Boston College

Email: asiancaucus@gmail.com

Website: http://www.bcasiancaucus.com/

Office: 21 Campanella Way, 2nd Floor

Sign up for our listserv here!

UGBC Senate, on behalf of the student body from which it is elected, commends the sustainability standards adopted by Boston College, UGBC, and various registered student organizations. Senate recognizes the efforts which the University has put forth to make our school environmentally friendly. Recycling programs, green campaigns, water conservation in the dormitories, composting in the dining halls, a garden on Brighton campus: all of these things contribute to sustainability on campus and make us proud to be part of a green campus.

In recent years, Boston College has made much headway in increasing campus sustainability; however, there is more work to be done. Senate urges Boston College, student organizations, and each individual student to strive toward continuous improvement. Senate particularly lauds the new research initiatives taken by Policy Caucus and UGBC Cabinet’s University Affairs department which delve into the University’s sustainability measures. It furthermore encourages students to learn about how to live sustainably by reaching out to campus resources including the EcoReps program, Real Foods BC and EcoPledge.

As a part of the sustainability movement on campus, Senate encourages all students to engage in, continue, and promote sustainable practices. Students should consider supporting student organizations that focus on promoting sustainability and public health by attending those groups’ meetings and events, especially events hosted by Residence Hall Association, Real Foods BC, and EcoPledge.

To the registered student organizations of Boston College, Senate hopes that you will help UGBC lead the student sustainability movement by adopting and implementing University Affairs’ sustainable events checklist and certification process. Registered student organizations are the loci of social life on campus; it is from them that a precedent for sustainability on campus will be set.

Students of Boston College, let us move together toward sustainability.

UGBC Senate

October 23, 2012

Those being interviewed, however, often worry that they will be misquoted or misrepresented.  This is understandable, since they often don’t know who else was interviewed, what other facts will be brought up, or what angle the article will be written from.

To mitigate the risk of being misquoted, reporters often request to audio-record an interview in order to be certain that all quotes are directly transcribed.  Some journalists even go so far as to send the source their quotations in writing before publication. When a source responds in writing, this risk easily eliminated.

But the source might still believe they could be “misrepresented,” or the article might not be written as they would like, so some sources request that the journalist send them the article before publication so they can look it over, presumably because they might be able to fact-check certain statements or suggest other revisions of content.

This is sometimes known as “pre-publication review,” that is, allowing a source to review an article before it is published.  Journalistic ethics, in general, discourages this practice for several reasons.

First, no matter how much you emphasize to a source that you are only sending them the article for preview purposes, you are implicitly allowing the source to give you some sort of approval for the article before it is published.  If the source has editorial control over the content of the article, it is no longer an objective piece of journalism – it is a press release.

Second, the source might leak the article prior to publication.  If they dislike the article, they can easily send it to a competing paper in hopes that they will write a rebuttal article or break any news before you do.

Third, if the article is particularly unfavorable to the source, they might contact advertisers or donors and petition them to drop funding unless the article is pulled.

These are all ways in which sources might exert editorial pressure over a paper if they are given pre-publication review privileges of an article.

Fact-checking does not require pre-publication review.  Fact-checking requires a rigorous check of sources’ quotes against the transcript, sources’ quotes against other sources, and fact-claims against other reliable , objective sources.  Certainly you can follow up with your source if you need clarification on a particular fact, but showing them even a slightly controversial article before publication will rarely result in anything but editorial pressure.

Does pre-publication review happen in the journalism world?  Of course.  Is it ethical?  Generally not.

When writing a story for The Observer recently, I was told by multiple sources that unless I gave them pre-publication review for “fact-checking” and “quote-verification,” they would not “contribute to or condone” the article.

The source was offering quotes via written means, thus quote-verification was, for the most-part, unnecessary.  Fact-checking, as I mentioned before, rarely requires pre-publication review.  It was unfortunately obvious, as the source made clear, that they wished to “condone” the article, or approve it.

A source does not approve an article.  It is not a press release.  The Observer, and all news sources for that matter, would be incredibly boring, uninformative, and bias if we merely published press releases.

I remember as a freshman I attended a brief introduction meeting for The Heights, where I was informed that it was their policy not to allow any pre-publication review other than simple quote-verification if absolutely necessary.  Likewise, The Observer generally follows that policy as well.  Any responsible journalist, whether they are in college or in the professional world, should adopt a similar policy as part of their personal journalistic ethics.

Sources who refuse to comment on a story because they will not be granted pre-publication review do themselves and their organization a disservice.  They prove that they are not interested in transparency or honesty; they are interested in control.

The Observer will continue to uphold its publication to high ethical and editorial standards in order to serve the Boston College community and all of our readers.

• September 20
• October 4
• October 18
• November 1
• November 15
• December 6

The Observer can be found in our marked news bins around the Chestnut Hill campus.  Subscriptions to The Observer are currently $25 per academic year.  Papers will be sent by first class mail.  Contact us to request a subscription.

The rest of my summer consisted of working as an intern for Bank of America in St. Louis, catching up with good friends from high school, taming a wild stallion, and spending a few afternoons floating on local Missouri Rivers. I enjoyed seeing my family and friends back home while forming new opinions to write about for The Observer this year. Although this summer was great I’m happy to be back in action at BC, and look forward to junior year.

On the weekends, Morgan worked as a costumed character promoting used cars for a local dealership. She portrayed many types of animals including a shark, a donkey, and a zebra. The job wasn’t always glamorous, especially since it was hot in the suit during the summer, but Morgan thinks it prepared her well for the rigors of the working life.

New Catholic Issues Editor Alex Deriso spent the summer learning that life after college won’t be as sweet.

This summer, I worked at a Hedge Fund in New York City. I was able to learn many of the ins-and-outs of the Wall Street game, which will help me in the future when I plan on embezzling from my company. The Wall Street life is a tough one, filled with 11 hour days, tons of reading, even more yelling, free lunch, crying, but especially, free lunch. We received lunch from many gourmet places, such as Carnegie Deli, Ray’s Pizza, and some organic place that only the chicks ordered from. My internship also helped me with my memory skills. This came in especially handy when I was ordered to go get the real employees breakfast and coffee. Never once did I have to write down an order, and thats something I proudly hang my hat on. Overall, it was a grueling summer, but hopefully, this will pay off in the future, when I get a job at Goldman Sachs, and am promptly fired after 2 weeks for incompetence.

Andy Rota

NOVA's office at the WGBH studios in Brighton

I continued my internship at WGBH with NOVA Online that I had begun last January.  I worked with some amazing people, including David Levin who produces many of the NOVA Podcasts and NOVA Minutes on the radio!  I was able to work on a variety of projects at NOVA with both technical and editorial aspects.  I was involved in research for the Inside NOVA blog, worked a little on the NOVA online feature, Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers, checked over transcripts of episodes for the website, wrote several PHP scripts to analyze and present data from Google Analytics, and wrote some code for a ‘coming soon’ interactive at the NOVA website.  Working at NOVA was an awesome experience and I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to be even a small part of the longest-running, highest-rated, and most-watched science television series of all time!

Also this summer, I began a new job working at Charles River Canoe and Kayak as a Skyline and Boston Harbor Kayak Tour Guide!  As some of you know, I absolutely love kayaking!  Working as a guide has been an opportunity to share that love with others.  And the community at Charles River Canoe and Kayak is awesome – I get to meet, learn from, and work with some of the world’s best paddlers.  And what better job than getting out to paddle on the beautiful Boston Harbor or enjoy a spectacular view of Boston’s skyline on the Charles River!

There’s been more too, including continuing research work with Dr. Jin in BC’s Department of Communication, several web development clients, consulting for a few start-up companies, and preparing to apply for grad school!  And, of course, I’ve been developing some soon-to-be-announced features for The Observer website!

Oh and if you’re an incoming freshman at BC and you’re wondering how you might find some pretty sweet internships (i.e., National Review, PBS, GOP, Dana Farber, and more), make great friends, get involved on campus, and contribute to an award winning college newspaper, consider joining The Observer at Boston College!

Dear Class of 2015,

Do you want to continue working on a newspaper like you did in high school?

Are you interested in pursuing journalism as a career?

Are you looking to try something new at Boston College and meet some great people in the process?

If the answer to any of these questions is “yes,” join The Observer at Boston College! We are an independent campus paper that is looking for incoming freshmen who are interested in journalism, writing, politics, photography, web design, layout, and film. This fall, we will have staff positions available in news, opinions, business, Catholic issues, sports, photography, layout, web development, and video!

If you are interested, fill out the form below!

* (denotes required field)

Name:*

E-Mail Address:*

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Class*

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CAPTCHA Code:*

I appreciate greatly the time that your staff took to cover the events of CARE week, including the Nurture through Nature art exhibit and lecture.

However, I did want to point out an important mistake in the reporting on my lecture that week. The author of the article states, “She (McCoy) talked of recent trips to India and Nicaragua where she studied the natural environment and worked with native women to teach them how to sustain the land.”

In fact, the Intersections program to Nicaragua is primarily an experience in which BC faculty and staff go in order to learn from the people whom we meet in Nicaragua. In my own experience, the encounter with the women of FEM taught me a great deal about the empowerment of women, especially with respect to their own connections between sustainability and femininity. My lecture was intended to communicate some ideas I had learned from them, not anything I taught to them.

I point it out especially because there is still a cultural tendency of North Americans to privilege their knowledge over that of Central and South Americans. With respect to the topic of my lecture, the opposite is true: we as Northerners learned much more from them than I imagine that they learned from us. I am grateful to FEM for their hospitality and wisdom.

Warm best,
Prof Marina McCoy
Associate Professor of Philosophy
Boston College
mccoyma@bc.edu

The Observer appreciates letters to the editor.  They can be sent to bcobserver@gmail.com.

This is could not be further from the truth. Indeed, Drinan is notoriously remembered for publically supporting abortion legislation not only during his tenure in Congress but also in his writings published while he taught at Georgetown University Law Center from 1981 to 2007. Drinan’s politics never failed to support the legality of abortion, and he published extensively on the subject.

In The Catholic Review, Cardinal John O’Connor wrote to Drinan, “You could have raised your voice for life; you raised it for death. Hardly the role of a lawyer. Surely not the role of a priest.”

The Observer and Catholics around the world could not agree more with this statement. As a politician and a public figure, Drinan had the opportunity to set a moral example regarding the controversy of abortion. What is the Catholic Church if not a beacon of morality? What are its clergy if not the embodiment of the values of the Church?

Therefore, I, Megan K. Rauch, editor-in-chief of The Observer at Boston College, will not apologize for or retract the headline and article calling Father Drinan out on his pro-abortion stance and specifically labeling him as such.

2010: Observer Photos

Happy New Year! 2010 was an exciting year for The Observer (CN Paper of the Year) and we’re even more excited about 2011!

Below are the dates for the six new issues we will be publishing during the Spring 2011 semester!

• January 25^th,
• February 8^th,
• February 22^nd,
• March 22^nd,
• April 5^th,
• April 20^th

The Observer

Our first meeting will be Monday 9/13/2010 at 8:00pm in Carney (we’ll email you the details!).  If you didn’t sign up for our email  list, send us a message here: Sign Up Now!

This summer I had the opportunity to work at The National Review in New York City as the NRO Development Intern.  The internship was a great experience because it gave me the opportunity to not only improve my web development skills but also to meet and get to know the amazing writers and staff at The National Review.

The internship consisted of coding new components for the NR website with PHP, jQuery, and Ajax on a Drupal framework.  The internship challenged me to learn new web development techniques and apply them in a real-world environment.

I’ve never spent an extended period of time in NYC, so being there for the summer was exciting.  I lived near Union Square and spent most of my weekends kayaking on the rivers and harbor around Manhattan.

I am very grateful to have been able to work at NR and meet the great editors, writers, and staff of the nation’s top conservative magazine.  It is an experience that has played an important role in my college education and is one that I will never forget.

To justify its actions, ASU cites the “American Counseling Association Code of Ethics,” which prohibits counselors from discriminating against clients based on their sexual orientation. At issue here is not the code itself, but rather that ASU is applying it in a grossly unconstitutional manner. Keeton did not discriminate against a client. All Keaton did was express her religious beliefs regarding homosexuality, an act entirely protected by the first amendment.

We applaud the ADF for taking on this case. ASU, as a government agency, cannot possibly justify using the Code of Ethics to deny someone’s right to free speech. Considering no act of discrimination has taken place, the only reason ASU punished Keaton is because she expressed beliefs that officials found politically incorrect.

If ASU challenges the ADF’s lawsuit in court, we expect them to lose handily. ASU would be well-advised to follow the University of Illinois and immediately reverse its unconstitutional punishment. Any other action or inaction is detrimental to constitutional democracy and religious liberty.

This case, which has been rightfully taken up by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, the Alliance Defense Fund, and others, is clear-cut. A public university cannot fire a professor for exercising his rights to academic freedom and free speech. Dr. Howell, as a professor, should be free to choose examples to explain tenets of Catholicism to his class. While Illinois could use the quality of Dr. Howell’s teaching as grounds to fire him, an adjunct professor, the school did not address this issue in his firing. Such an argument would be especially dubious because Dr. Howell has won four teaching awards during his tenure at Illinois. Illinois obviously chose to fire him for expressing politically incorrect beliefs.

Even if Dr. Howell’s email was not related to his class, Illinois still could not fire him. As a public university, Illinois is bound by the first amendment and thus cannot fire a professor for expressing his religious beliefs. The first amendment confers Dr. Howell with the rights to freedom of speech and freedom of religion. These rights entitle Dr. Howell to email his class and express his views. Even though critics have come up with fancy “arguments” claiming that Dr. Howell’s “preaching” is not protected, even “preaching” is a legitimate exercise of one’s first amendment rights.

As if the case against Illinois could not be any worse, Dr. Howell was fired without formal accusations being brought against him nor any hearing in which he could defend himself. Such an action violates Dr. Howell’s due process rights under the fifth and fourteenth amendments.

The University of Illinois would be wise to spare itself further humiliation in the court of public opinion and the court of law. It should therefore reinstate Dr. Howell immediately with back pay, a full apology, and a stated commitment to academic freedom, the first amendment, and due process.

Elise adds the following comment:

“The program has been a great experience so far and every Wednesday we have a guest speaker come talk to us and answer any questions we may have; speakers have included Senator Jon Kyl of Arizona and Representative Aaron Schock of Illinois. Hearing their stories and learning from their experiences in Washington and elsewhere have been incredibly unique to the ways I have spent my past summers, so I am trying to make the most of the remaining time I have in the program. I am loving my time in DC, but I am eager to get back to Boston and start working on The Observer!”

The article goes on:

When Virginia’s fiscal year ends on Wednesday, the state’s budget will be in the black, says Republican governor Bob McDonnell: “We turned a $4.2 billion deficit into a surplus, demonstrating good fiscal management on our part.” Elsewhere, the budgets of state and local governments are in such bad shape that President Obama has proposed spending $50 billion to bail them out.

How did Virginia succeed where so many others have failed? And are its gains authentic, or merely the result of budget gimmickry, as certain critics allege?

Shortly after McDonnell’s election last fall, outgoing Virginia governor Tim Kaine — the current chairman of the Democratic National Committee — announced a budget shortfall and proposed to close it with $2 billion in spending cuts and another $2 billion in tax increases.

Because of the timing of his election and Virginia’s legislative session, McDonnell had to work with the budget Kaine had prepared — but he also promised to alter it fundamentally. “I made clear that I would not accept tax increases,” he says.

McDonnell’s opposition to tax increases wound up enjoying broad bipartisan support. When Democratic state delegate Robert Brink introduced a bill to implement Kaine’s proposed tax increase, the chamber voted against it by a margin of 97 to 0, with Brink abstaining. “The Democrats did work well with us,” says William Howell, speaker of the Virginia house of delegates.

Democrats were also pleased with the results. Charles Colgan, president pro tempore of the Virginia senate, praised the efficiency with which the legislature passed the budget: “I thought it would be six months at first, but it only took one extra day.”

The budget, which covers fiscal years 2010 and 2011, trimmed 11.5 percent from spending on K–12 education and cut health-care funding in part by reducing Medicaid eligibility and cutting Medicaid-provider-reimbursement rates. These moves are expected to save almost $311 million over two years. McDonnell also took a 5 percent pay cut, and members of his cabinet took pay cuts and reduced the size of their staffs.

The Virginia Education Association (VEA) opposed the education cuts, preferring a tax increase. “Our income taxes in Virginia rank 41st out of 50 states. Can you rank this low and still have good schools, good universities, good roads, and good public safety? Probably not,” says Robley Jones, the VEA’s chief lobbyist.

Tucker Martin, the governor’s communications director, counters that spending on K–12 education has grown by 55 percent over the past decade while student enrollment has risen by only 7.6 percent. Moreover, he says, “education spending accounts for 39 percent of all general-fund budget growth over the past decade.”

On June 14, McDonnell said that Virginia’s tax collections have been stronger than expected — enough to give the state a surplus of about $138 million when it closes the books on its current fiscal year this week. Yet some critics have said this is an illusion, made possible only because the state deferred payments of $720 million to the Virginia Retirement System (VRS), the institution that administers state employees’ pension plans.

Frank Keegan, a national editor at the Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, questions Virginia’s promise to repay the $720 million to the VRS with the promised 7.5 percent interest. “If they don’t have the money this year, how will they have the money plus the 7.5 percent interest to pay it back later?” he asks.

Deferred payments may compound the problem of underfunded pension plans. “Anyone who says they are fully funded is probably lying or doesn’t know what he is doing,” says Edwin Burtin, an economics professor at the University of Virginia and a member of the Investment Advisory Committee of the VRS for 16 years. “This is a bipartisan sham. Both Republicans and Democrats are responsible. No one wants to confront the real situation. The situation is truly that bad.”

McDonnell’s team insists on the soundness of its approach. “We turned a $4.2 billion deficit into a surplus, which is a noteworthy achievement,” says Martin.

Virginia officials also claim that pension reforms will save money over time. These reforms include a requirement that new state employees must contribute to their pensions, and instituting a so-called “rule of 90,” meaning that an employee is eligible for retirement when age added to years of service equals 90. The previous rule stated that an employee must be at least 50 and have served for at least 30 years.

Keegan called these reforms a “step in the right direction,” but he said they do not address the fact that the budget is still not balanced.

McDonnell plans to use the surplus to award Virginia state employees a one-time 3 percent salary bonus, because they have not received a pay increase since 2006. This bonus is expected to cost $83 million.

Steve Slivinski, former director of budget studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, believes McDonnell should reconsider. “I would advise the governor not to spend the surplus,” Slivinski says. “He should keep spending under control and allow spending increases of no greater than population growth plus the inflation rate. He might also want to cut taxes, and even give the surplus back to the taxpayers.”

We believe that we both contribute to and benefit from this diversity. As Boston College’s newspaper dedicated to upholding traditional and religious values at BC and beyond, we contribute to the campus’s diversity with our unique viewpoints. We also benefit from engaging with those who do not share our values. This engagement allows for both parties to benefit from one another and even permits our audience to hear multiple sides of an issue and decide with whom they agree.

This is precisely how we view our ongoing debates with the ALC and others regarding race issues on campus. We offer our view that affirmative action is counterproductive, unnecessary, and discriminatory. However, our critics on these issues do not see us as offering a distinct viewpoint, but rather one that must be corrected. For example, some argue that criticizing affirmative action is ignorant because it shows a lack of education on race issues.

Calling someone’s political opinion “ignorant” and one that “must be corrected” because you disagree with it conflicts with our vision of diversity. This is a problem we anticipate with the proposed freshman diversity seminar. We fear that if improperly implemented, it will teach one set of views on race, class, gender, and sexuality issues as “correct” and others as “incorrect.” This class may increase the number of AHANA  and GLBTQ students at BC through its potential as a public relations tool, but it has the potential to drive a stake through the heart of developing true diversity at BC.

We hope the students working on this proposal take our concern to heart and consider what we believe to be the true meaning of diversity.

Kait has this to say about her work:

“I wanted my summer internship to integrate my two passions: sports and childhood cancer. As the editorial and creative services intern in the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) communication department, I found the perfect fit for me. The Jimmy Fund Clinic of DFCI, deals strictly with pediatric patients. My little sister has received treatment there for 10 years, and I am eternally grateful to their dedication to cancer research. When I was given the opportunity to work for this organization, I was elated that I could in some way contribute.

“My main job is to be a writer for one of DFCI’s publications, called ‘Inside the Institute.’ It is published every two weeks like The Observer. It is distributed in all DFCI buildings, as well as all satellite campuses in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. I attend news meetings, generate ideas, interview doctors, patients, staff, families, and partners of DFCI. I write several articles for each issue and assist in editing. The articles are about groundbreaking research in cancer, fundraising events, patients’ stories, profiles of doctors, nurses, researchers, and other integral employees, and other cancer related issues.

“The Jimmy Fund is the official charity of the Red Sox and as an intern, I’ll be able to work on events such as the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-telethon, a two day event at Fenway Park, and Fenway Fantasy Day, where people can support the Jimmy Fund by paying to play at Fenway.

“I’m excited to learn more this summer about editing and writing, skills which will be valuable in my last year as sports editor of The Observer. Part of the interview for my internship involved sending them several pieces of writing from The Observer and they were impressed with the writing. The Observer is a wonderful paper and has been a great experience for me these past two years. I’m excited to be writing for another great publication now, and I look forward to returning to The Observer in the fall when football season kicks off with the return of Mark Herzlich who is a cancer survivor.

“I also will be participating in the Jimmy Fund Walk in September, which is a 26.2 mile walk along the Boston marathon route. My team is in honor of my sister, Maddy, and in memory of my cousin, Drew. I started fundraising last month. You can visit my personal page here. I want to raise as much money as possible for DFCI in their search for a cure to all cancers.

“Although unaffiliated with Dana Farber, I participate in Relay for Life every year. The team is again in honor of my sister, Maddy, and in memory of my cousin, Drew. We consistently raise a lot of money for cancer research and have received the top team award before. Each walk is a rewarding experience because every little bit of money helps move one step closer to finding a cure.”

Kait is yet another Observer editor who successfully put the skills she learned from the publication to good use for a good cause this summer. Her dedication to bettering the lives of others is a testament to the compassion of Observer editors, a trait that many of our editors show through their passions.

The profile details both Jesse’s work and more importantly that of The Observer.

It goes on:

“One in particular, Jesse Naiman, is a rising senior at Boston College and is the current editor-in-chief of the campus conservative newspaper, The Observer. This summer, Jesse is interning at the acclaimed conservative news source, National Review, through the Collegiate Network’s Internship Program. (You can see some of Jesse’s stories here and here.)

“Jesse’s newspaper is affiliated with CampusReform.org’s Campus Leadership Program, and he had good things to say about the experience. ‘CampusReform.org is a great resource for conservatives that feel marginalized, and [they help you] know that you’re not the only one out there. It’s important to speak out for conservative ideals and for fundamental values that make our country great,’ he explained.

“With Jesse as editor, The Observer devoted its time to promoting conservative ideals and doing hard-hitting investigative work. In the 2009-2010 school year alone, The Observer revealed how a politically-connected union enlisted ALC support in violation of its already generous contract; called for the release of the student activity budget; and opposed a request to have a mandatory class for all incoming freshman concerning race, gender, and sexuality.

“The Institute on Political Journalism also took notice Jesse’s investigative journalism and named him the Runner-Up for the 2010 Robert Novak Collegiate Journalism Award.

“Jesse got involved with The Observer in his freshman year when a friend sent him a Facebook message to invite him to join. Eager for an outlet for his opinions on campus issues, Jesse joined The Observer as junior staffer. He continued writing for the paper and was eventually named editor-in-chief.

“Numerous opportunities have come Jesse’s way because he joined a newspaper his freshman year, stayed dedicated, and sharpened his skills.”

Jesse and the rest of The Observer staff will continue to work vigorously to defend traditional political and religious values at Boston College and beyond.

Former news editor Megan Rauch will be the executive editor in the spring semester when she returns from Germany. Megan is working for the Boston affiliate of PBS this summer. Meg’s work highlights her passion for helping her community as well as The Observer staff’s commitment to fostering diversity.

When asked to describe her job and her summer plans, she offered the following commentary:

“Because I was concerned about missing BC too much while I’m studying abroad at Heidelberg in Germany in the fall, I decided to live near campus.  I am interning at WGBH, the Boston affiliate for PBS.  I work for two of the shows: Basic Black and One on One with Maria Hinojosa.

“The former is a live weekly show during which four prominent African Americans from the greater Boston area participate in a round table discussion about issues pertaining to the black community. For this show, I compile packets of information for the guests about the issues we’ll be discussing on the show.  I’ve researched a broad range of topics so far, including the black family, the Moynihan Report, black fathers, poverty, birth control, and education. During the tapings, I participate in the live online chats with viewers and share some of the information I’ve learned about the different topics.

“One on One is an interview show that focuses on the Hispanic community and minorities.  Maria Hinojosa interviews everyone from politicians to celebrities to authors.  As an intern, I also do research  about upcoming guests for the show.  Most recently, I prepared a 40 plus page packet for Maria and the production staff about Francisco Goldman, a Guatemalan-Jewish author, whose latest book, Who Killed the Bishop: The Art of Political Murder, about the torture and killing of a Guatemalan bishop, generated a lot of controversy in Latin America.  I compiled another packet about Soshana Johnson, the first black female soldier taken as a prisoner of war.

“In my free time, I have begun training for the Frankfurt, Germany marathon, which takes place at the end of October.  I am also enjoying making use of my new library card for the Newton Free Library.”

We wish Meg the best of luck this summer. We will miss her dearly in the fall, but we are looking forward to her safe return in January!

Selected second out of over 225 entires, the three stories Jesse submitted were three of the most significant investigative reporting stories we published this year:

Tallying a BC-employed lobbyist’s donations to Democratic candidates;

Revealing how a politically-connected union enlisted ALC support in violation of its already generous contract;

Exposing ALC-backed efforts to mandate a “Diversity Seminar” in response to newspaper articles it did not like (such as this one here);

The Observer has become known, on the BC campus and beyond, as the only source of investigative reporting on campus. This award is a testament to our renowned reputation.

Investigative reporting is the most powerful weapon a college newspaper yields. Justice Louis Brandeis said that “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.” Brandeis meant that when an unjust force is at work, the best way to defeat it is to bring it to the public’s attention.

We have always dedicated ourselves to fighting injustice and to upholding the fundamental principles that make our campus and our nation great. With your continued readership and support, we will do all in our power to be a force for positive change on campus!

-We are planning to publish twelve issues next year, a feat that has not been met since the 1990s. We published just eight issues as recently as two years ago. This increase will allow the Boston College community to find us to be an increasingly-reliable source of news now that we can publish more often.

-Jesse Naiman had his first article published on National Review Online. Jesse is the Collegiate Network intern at National Review this summer. This piece is the first of hopefully several that he will have published (a blog post on the same topic is listed here).

-Michael Reer, who will be attending BC Law School in the fall, has written an article explaining his critical views of relativism’s role in Catholicism. Michael has worked hard to fight against relativism in Catholicism at BC, and he hopes this article further clarifies his objections  to the former doctrine.

-Former Massachusetts state senator Dianne Wilkerson (D), famous for stuffing a cash bribe in her bra on camera, pleaded guilty to eight counts of attempted extortion. We featured Wilkerson’s misdeeds in a September article when we revealed that lobbying firm The Brennan Group donated $400 to the then-senator.

By the way, it is never to early to donate to The Observer. Our expansion plans would be impossible without support from loyal readers like you, no matter the size of your donation.  Just click “Donate” to the top-right of your screen!