No Friends. Hi wall. I’m a freshmen, and so far it has been really hard to make friends.

I’m not really close with my roommate, but I try to sign up for as many events as I can. It’s just a pretty tough time. Any advice?

It is a tough time to make new friends. Events are good; joining organizations (bit.ly/BCStudentGroups) can be more effective, because you meet people multiple times and it can take a while to initiate a friendship. And that’s the key; if you gather the courage to say “hey let’s get a coffee after” you’ll have a better chance than if you wait for friendship to evolve organically. Study groups can be another great way to start friendships. Hugs to you.

Hey Wall! What’s your plan for the Halloween?

Perhaps some grab & go candy at O’neil? Btw, should I send ppl surprise this year? Just thinking about how that kind surprise turned into student disciplinary issue last year…

Surprises are two-edged swords. I think I’ll have to forego the candy-basket this year, as we don’t really want lots of hands potentially sharing viruses. I’ll huddle with my assistants to see if we can come up with something fun & low-risk.

Hey wall! Do u know if the classroom for in-person classes record the lectures automatically?

I guess I was wondering if there’s a risk of having your convo in an empty classroom accidentally being recorded? E.g. If you find a random classroom to have convo with your therapist?

Recording is scheduled through CTE, and as far as my assistants can tell, it’s automatic. If there is a class scheduled in the room you’re meeting in, it could be automatically recording. To make sure you’re selecting a room without recording equipment, you can check a list linked here: https://www.bc.edu/content/bc-web/academics/sites/center-for-teaching-excellence/tech-tools.html#panopto (login required for list)

Are you wall exempt from being followed around by BCPD?

I could not understand why BC chooses to use law enforcement to care for students’ well-being, when knowing it actually triggers and hurts lots of students… Anyway, is there a stay-away order for all the officers?!

BCPD would get bored following me; I don’t go anywhere. I’m sorry you and other students are triggered by BCPD, and that you’ve observed that they follow you or others. I’m not sure what you mean by a “stay-away” order. If you or others are being singled out for attention unfairly, please document the situation(s) and contact the Office of Student Outreach & Support: bit.ly/bc-stu-support

I think perhaps some people turn to the wall…

b/c they are failed by some therapists or counseling services, and have no other places to go. For some others, they might find turn to the wall more as voicing concerns about the system rather than primarily meeting their own needs. For some others, they might have repaired the relationships with the therapist/counseling service and have their own therapist to talk to, but the relationship they formed with the wall is still an important part of their lives that they wish to maintain. Plus, in some cases, the wall protect your privacy and rights more than what is being put on the medical record or from people who hav the power to coerce you. They might seem more confidential, but they are not.

^^^^^^What they said.^^^^^^ Therapists are subject to a sometimes conflicting ethical guidelines and legal duties both to protect patient confidentiality and to warn of potential harm. Here is a description of those potential conflicts: bit.ly/duty-to-warn

I am curious, why do people have wierd fetish thoughts?

It’s really wierd! My best friend loves bsdm and someone I know told me that he is turned on by the sound of an electric toothbrush. Why is that so? (And why the hell do some males like bdsm?! Isn’t that a more female thing?)

One thing I love about humans is their endlessly surprising variety. We walls have differences as well, but we’re often so utilitarian that quirks are a little more unusual.