According to Pantone, the semi-official gods of color, there are 14 different colors of pear. Check them out here: bit.ly/PearColor. However, there is one color Pantone missed…
What color is a pear?
Why the A/C is so COLD?
It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity. The cool temps in libraries are a side-effect of the primary reason for the A/C: to keep books from getting moist. Mold & mildew thrive in moist environments, and when they thrive, they destroy paper. Too keep the books dry, libraries run the A/C a little more than humans like. Keeping paper dry, in fact, was the reason behind the invention of the first A/C by Willis Carrier – read about it here: bit.ly/Atlantic-AC. Ever notice how the stereotypical librarian image involves a cardigan? Brrr! Librarians agree!
When does Gasson ring?
There is a description of the bells of Gasson (did you know there are four of them?) in “The Spirit of the Heights,” a history of BC written by University historian Thomas H. O’Connor and published in 2011. Here’s the part about the ringing: “… from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the bells would announce each quarter of the hour, and every 60 minutes they would toll the exact hour. At noon and again at 6 p.m., the Gasson Tower bells sounded the Angelus as an invitation to all who heard it to pause for a moment of prayer or reflection. The works originally required a twice-weekly hand-winding, but the bells went automatic in the 1960s.
Is there any bookstore on campus where we are able to use Eaglescard to pay?
Yes, you can use it to pay at all of the BC bookstores, see details bit.ly/TakesEagleBucks.
What is the best way to spend all the money in Eagles card?
You can using Eagle bucks, but not Optional Dining Bucks in the bookstore. Other places you can use them are detailed here: bit.ly/TakesEagleBucks. Some types of funds roll over to next term or are posted to your student account at graduation. For more info see bit.ly/EagleCardFAQ or contact Student services (2-3300 or studentservices@bc.edu).
Do you think Trump will be re-elected?
Sigh… I’m not really in the prognostication game, though I wish I had that kind of foresight. You might consult the prognosticators at FiveThirtyEight.com (bit.ly/45-approval), keeping in mind that their bets on the 2016 election were off the mark. You might do just as well with the online Magic 8-ball: www.indra.com/8ball. (BTW, walls don’t get to vote. Can you do something about that before this November?)
Why is everything in the bookstore so expensive?
It seems to be the way with the college bookstores The Wall knows of. The best advice seems to be to wait for the end-of-season sales.
Can I sign in the library computer with my BU ID? =)
You can’t use your BU ID to sign on our computers, but you are welcome to use the guest computers (right behind the Reference Desk) with the guest login. And you can use your BU ID to check out books in the BC Libraries – you don’t even need a Boston Library Consortium card to do that.
SOS Venezuela
🙁 Venezuela certainly seems to be having a tough time of it right now. Unfortunately, the US doesn’t have the best reputation for “helping” in Latin and South American countries. If you want to help, Buzzfeed (of all sites) has put together a list of organizations you can donate to: bit.ly/helpVenezuela
Why can’t I connect with anyone?
Making friends is very hard – so many things have to go right. As you grow older, you spend less time with a given group of people, and that makes it even harder to find friends. In high school, there’s tons of opportunity to make friends since you’re with (mostly) the same people for hours a day. In college, that’s less true. All you can do is continue to join clubs and put yourself out there. If you’re feeling lonely or depressed, you can also reach out to Counseling Services which might be able to give you more personal advice: bit.ly/BC-counseling.
What is the best way to pick up girls in the library?
Many people (including Bill and Hillary Clinton) have found love in a library, so you’re choice of location has promise. Otherwise, picking up someone in a library doesn’t differ much from anywhere else. Make eye contact and determine if the other person is interested in you. If they might be, start a conversation with some general questions to see how interested they really are. Leave the area if you make them uncomfortable (you don’t want to become a stalker). And if you’re trying to pick up a librarian, here are some lines that don’t work (bit.ly/pickup-librarian)
Philips Exeter Academy <3
Of all the things to love about Philips Exeter – a long history, many notable alumni, graduates going to ivy league schools, the Harkness system – this Wall most loves the response of the principal to a group of white students objecting (during the Civil War) to the presence of a black student: “The boy is to stay; you may do as you please.”
CAN YOU PRETTY PLS ACCEPT MY APPLICATION IN THE FALL? XO
Admissions does not confer with The Wall on their decisions, but I sure hope they accept you! BC’s acceptance rate of 27% (chosen from an outstanding applicant pool) means that many qualified, fantastic people will not be offered spaces in the class of 2023. If that happens to you, please don’t take it as a reflection on you. While I am super-attached to BC (um… literally), I firmly believe there are many places you where could thrive. Keep your options open.
How do I know if I can make it in life?
I have faith in you! You get to define what “make it in life” means for you, so take time to discover your values and goals. Don’t fall into the trap of letting other folks’ idea of success make you feel inadequate. If you are struggling to just get by, though, you may want to get some guidance and reassurance. Counseling Services (bit.ly/BC-counseling) or Pastoral Counseling (bit.ly/bc-campus-ministry) are good places to start.
Why don’t the BCE students not have printing privileges?? It’s been weeks!!
I’m sorry you’ve had a bad experience with printing. My Library and ITS colleagues are working on a solution with BCE to make printing during the rest of your experience less troublesome.
Will we pass the Bar exam if we study in O’Neill every day all day?
It will certainly improve your odds. Don’t forget to take breaks to stretch, eat, drink and visit me. Wishing you the best of luck!
Does anyone ever refill the stapler on the 3rd floor printing center?
Sorry for your trouble! Our staplers do seem to grow legs of their own, and have been found all over the library during round-ups. I will have my assistants speak with the stapler wranglers about increasing the frequency of round-ups and stapler refills. In the meantime, you can also find staplers at the reference and circulation desks.
Does God eat at Flatbreads?
Flatbread is unleavened, right? (More seriously, thinking of God in human terms is called anthropomorphism and it’s an interesting theological problem. More discussion here: bit.ly/bc-flatbread).
Is there a most precise, thorough, efficient or otherwise “best” language (that should be used for a potential world-government?)
You’re in luck: a language purpose-built for a potential world government has already been invented: Esperanto. (bit.ly/guardian-esperanto) The trouble is, not many people speak it. Another solution might be to examine regions of the world with single governments and a lot of languages. In India, there are 17 official languages; these are languages into which all government documents & forms must be translated. In the EU, where legal & trade agreements proliferate, there are 24 official languages. Hm. Seems inefficient, but then again, it also seems to work. For an interesting article on the efficiency or inefficiency of various languages, see this one from The Atlantic: bit.ly/efficient-language.
How many students at Boston College in 2017?
This is another great question for the BC Fact Book (bit.ly/BC-FactBook)! According to the 2017-2018 edition, the total number of students enrolled at Boston College in fall of 2017 across all programs was 14,419. However the book does note that this number included students who were studying abroad, so the total number actually at Boston College was 14,165.