The Wall

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Do you miss the old Kanye?

Do you miss the old Kanye?
Do you miss the old Kanye?

As far as music goes, absolutely. “College Dropout”, “Late Registration”, “Graduation”, and “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” are great records in my opinion. “808s and Heartbreak” and his later works are pretty divisive for all sorts of reasons, but I can appreciate Kanye wanting to do something different with his music despite whatever criticisms there may be. He seems to mainly be getting attention now due to concerns about his mental health and his Adidas sneakers, but I’ll keep waiting to hear new music that I can appreciate on a similar level as his older stuff.

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I have always wanted to tour/see the inside of the Gasson Bell tower…

I have always wanted to tour/see the inside of the Gasson Bell tower. It's such an impressive structure. Answer Wall, you're amazing, so can you arrange this? :)
I have always wanted to tour/see the inside of the Gasson Bell tower. It’s such an impressive structure. Answer Wall, you’re amazing, so can you arrange this? 🙂

My cousin the bell tower, in spite of their frequent ringing, is mute on the subject of access. There’s a clue (bit.ly/bells-clue) but it predates renovation. Here’s a bit of a virtual tour: bit.ly/BCM-gasson, and another: bit.ly/burnsblog-gasson. I’ll see what else my assistants can find out & update you if there’s news.

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What’s a fun, random + cheap activity I can do with my friends on a weekday?

What's a fun, random + cheap activity I can do with my friends on a weekday?
What’s a fun, random + cheap activity I can do with my friends on a weekday?

It depends on your definition of “fun” and “cheap”! I can think of a few: visiting local museums, Seeing a movie on a Tuesday–many theatres offer tickets for $7 or less– paint nights–locations vary–and a fun event this month is a Glow Boston Fall Fest 09/26/19–low priced tickets can be found on groupon for this and paint nights.

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Why do we exist?

Why do we exist?
Why do we exist?

There are as many answers to this question as pages in this library, but they basically fall into two categories: teleological (related to purpose), or etiological (related to causes & origins). The first asks What is our purpose? and the second asks What caused us to be? Some might add a third category: phenomenological (related to experiences), which asks What is happening? You could do worse than to explore all three (teleology, etiology, and phenomenology) in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu. Me, I think we’re here to love.

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Where does our courage come from?

Where does our courage come from?
Where does our courage come from?

To understand where courage comes from, we must understand why we need it. In The Tragedy of Pudd’nHead Wilson… (PS1317 .A1 1996) Mark Twain wrote “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.” In his sci-fi epic Dune (PS3558.E63 D8) Frank Herbert wrote, “Fear is the mind-killer…”. Fear can paralyze us into inaction, which is, itself, an action. Doing nothing is a decision. Courage comes from an instinctual unwillingness to do nothing when something needs to be done. Brene Brown has written some great books on courage and where it comes from (bit.ly/BC-brene-brown).

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As a first generation immigrant who grew up in America, I feel and believe different things than my parents.

As a first generation immigrant who grew up in America, I feel and believe different things than my parents. Sometimes I feel as if I'm in the middle with each of my feet in two different worlds. How can I bridge this gap and ease the differences? P.S. Thanks for your time! :)
As a first generation immigrant who grew up in America, I feel and believe different things than my parents. Sometimes I feel as if I’m in the middle with each of my feet in two different worlds. How can I bridge this gap and ease the differences? P.S. Thanks for your time! 🙂

It must be hard to maintain balance with feet in two worlds! First- and second-generation kids often have that dilemma: how do you adapt to a new culture and simultaneously maintain a different one? I recommend connecting to other people with the same experience. If you don’t know anyone personally, reading books about similar experiences could help. Take a look at this selection from BC Libraries and see if any titles resonate: bit.ly/bc-immigrants-children

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-Who is god. -What is god. -Why is there something rather than nothing?

-Who is god. -What is god. -Why is there something rather than nothing?
-Who is god. -What is god. -Why is there something rather than nothing?

My creator was the architecture firm Architects Collaborative and my why is to provide support for all of the students at BC. As for humans (or the universe more generally), I may have to direct you to Campus Ministry (bit.ly/BC-ministry) to start you on your path to finding answers to these questions. Emphasis here on the word start since you’ll probably spend quite a bit of time trying to find an answer – if you ever do. Oh. Also. 42.

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Does S.L.A.M. (poetry/spoken word) still exist?

Does S.L.A.M. (poetry/spoken word) still exist? If so when do they meet?
Does S.L.A.M. (poetry/spoken word) still exist? If so when do they meet?

No fear – Soul, Love, and Meaning still exist at BC. I reached out to the lovely folks at the Arts Counsel and they said the next event is an open mic called Sunset SLAM!, Sept. 18, 7:30pm, McGuinn 121. You can contact the organizers at bostoncollegeslam@gmail.com

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Best Kennedy? Jack, Bobby, Ted

Best Kennedy? Jack, Bobby, Ted
Best Kennedy? Jack, Bobby, Ted

The Wall is having trouble with the word “best” in this context. All three had very influential public careers and some measure of scandal attached to them. Teddy had much more time to do public service and pass laws to serve the Commonwealth and the country, but that’s the tragedy of the family as well.

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If someone tried to kiss you but you didn’t say no, does that count as harassment?

If someone tried to kiss you but you didn't say no, does that count as harassment?
If someone tried to kiss you but you didn’t say no, does that count as harassment?

Ugh! Sorry that happened. You can see how BC defines sexual harassment and consent in the Student Sexual Misconduct Policy here: bit.ly/BC-sexual-misconduct. If you think you may have been harassed, you are welcome and encouraged to reach out to resources on or off campus that can help. BC’s You Are Not Alone Guide (bit.ly/BC-you-are-not-alone) includes lots of helpful information, including multiple places on campus where you can get information, assistance with reporting, and direct support. If you have any questions about BC policy, talk to Corey Kelly in Student Conduct at 617-552-3470 or corey.kelly@bc.edu or Melinda Stoops, Student Affairs Title IX Coordinator at 617-552-3482 or melinda.stoops@bc.edu

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Can whoever stole my blue bike kindly return it to 2k?

Can whoever stole my blue bike kindly return it to 2k? I need it to ride back to my dorm after studying at Gasson, around 2-3 AM in the morning....., feel bad for calling Eagle Escort. Short story... First day, I saw someone riding on my bike across campus, so got it back, The next day, it's stolen forever!!! No, I didn't lock it (my fault) but I trusted BC community safety, lol.
Can whoever stole my blue bike kindly return it to 2k? I need it to ride back to my dorm after studying at Gasson, around 2-3 AM in the morning….., feel bad for calling Eagle Escort. Short story… First day, I saw someone riding on my bike across campus, so got it back, The next day, it’s stolen forever!!! No, I didn’t lock it (my fault) but I trusted BC community safety, lol.

Oh, that’s very sad. I do hope someone gives your bike back! For now, did you know BC has a Bike Share program? Email bikebcinfo@bc.edu for more info – you’ll need to take a safety training before you can borrow one. Also, never feel bad about calling Eagle Escort – that’s what they’re for.

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Can you provide some resources to learn more about the history of the movement calling on BC to divest from fossil fuels?

Can you provide some resources to learn more about the history of the movement calling on BC to divest from fossil fuels?
Can you provide some resources to learn more about the history of the movement calling on BC to divest from fossil fuels?

Climate Justice at Boston College (https://orgsync.com/123146/chapter) is the organization you’re looking for. Here is their history: climatejusticebc.com/who-we-are/cjbc-history. Bill McKibben talked here in April 2016 (bit.ly/heights-mckibben), but the BC divestment movement started before then as “BC Fossil Free” (bit.ly/heights-2013-fossil-free). I recommend heavy use of BC Heights (bcheights.com) and newspapers.bc.edu – search “divest”. Also try The Gavel (bcgavel.com).