Answering questions at Boston College O’Neill Library
Affirmations are good wherever they come from. It’s powerful to create your own affirmations, but sometimes folks are so down that affirmations from outside help to jump-start the supply from within. And sometimes it’s just nice to know and hear that others think well of you.
It’s terrible that your fear in such situations is warranted. I’m sorry you’ve experienced that. I don’t know if it’s foolproof, but attending parties with friends who have your back, and with whom you’ve made plans beforehand to avoid dangerous situations, could reduce the risks. Arrive & depart with the group. When it’s clear you’re with a supportive group, danger is less likely.
If I ate, I think I’d be drawn to the fries and those chocolate chip cookies the size of your head in the dining halls, but there are healthier choices available, like the soups and salad bar at Lower. You might want to make an appointment with the Office of Health Promotion (bit.ly/BC-health-promo); they can set you up with an Individual Health Plan (iHP) to eat healthier.
Did you know O’Neill Library not only has walls on all sides, but a wall at the top?
I was built to be supportive and to invite people in, so I don’t think we’d have a lot in common philosophically. Also, I just don’t think barbed wire is a good look for walls.
You ask a question with many, many answers. C.S. Lewis wrote a book called The Four Loves (O’Neill Library BV4639 .L45 1988), drawing on the Greek notions of love in the Bible: Storge (empathy) Philia (friend) Eros (erotic) and Agape (unconditional “God” love). Here’s Shakespeare’s take on it in sonnet 116: bit.ly/shake-love. (Maybe that’s Eros.) One might also note familial love, unrequited love, the love of knowledge (philosophy)… it’s a long list. Which is “real”? I think all of them are. What do they share? The object of love is the focus of total trust & devotion.
Yes, there are! Faculty members in the Lynch School of Education, Patrick McQuillan, Ph.D., and Gabrielle Oliveira, Ph.D., have backgrounds in anthropology. And Theology Department faculty member Mary Ann Hinsdale, Ph.D., teaches Theological Anthropology (THEO 796801).
Good luck! I’ll let the other walls know to keep an eye out for you.
I’m so sorry for your loss. I will keep them and you in my thoughts, and it’s my fervent hope that anyone else who reads your request will as well.
Adulting involves some seriously hard stuff. But shying away from the adult role doesn’t lead to as fulfilling a life as tackling it and learning that you are strong enough to succeed (with failure/learning along the way.) It’s normal to be apprehensive, but I have faith that you can meet the challenge. Help from YouTube: bit.ly/AdultingHelp
It sounds like you’re frustrated with a long wait, and have heard from other students who are as well. It’s good of you to commiserate with them; everyone needs an understanding ear. My assistants have communicated your frustrations to Student Affairs; when they respond, I’ll post it here. I hope you get the help you seek in spite of a long wait.
Student Affairs responds:
While UCS is staffed at levels at least equal to most of our peer institutions, and is always available to students in crisis that day, there is still the reality that students seeking ongoing longer term therapy may have to wait up to a couple of weeks for an appointment. We are piloting a new initiative offering same day consultation appointments for students seeking to address an identified problem in a rapid access fashion. We hope that this will help more accurately and quickly meet student mental health needs. We are always interested in feedback of all sorts, and strive to improve our service to the BC community.
I understand your frustration! We are working on developing more effective ways of conveying and enforcing building policies. Very soon you will see new signage that will hopefully encourage users to comply with policies intended to maintain a comfortable and respectful library environment.
It’s magic! Well, maybe it just seems that way. It’s all done with templates (bit.ly/print-postit). First, my helpers print out copies that show the frames where the post-its go on the page. Then, every day they answer questions, they use a Word document of the template, cut and paste the answers into the post-it frames, and send the document to a printer. Remember those printed out copies? Now my helpers put actual post-its on them and put them in the manual feed tray. Print and voilà. It is magic!
I assume we’re not referring to the Bintec Router Redundancy Protocol or Bohemian Reformation and Religious Practice so pardon me! (or you?)
Thanks so much for thinking of us! The doggos (no kitties) that visit us are all certified therapy dogs, which means they’ve been through a vetting process that reduces the risk of biting or other injuries. The certifying organizations also provide training for the dogs’ human companions, and help with scheduling & arranging. I’m sad to say BC policies force us to pass, but I hope you work out a way to connect your canines & felines with humans in need!
This 2016 BC survey (bit.ly/BCSalaries) provides median salaries by school and by industry group (not major). Is it surprising the highest is CSOM? Nope, didn’t surprise me, either. Non-BC info on salary by major can be found in this report: bit.ly/Salarybymajor.
The timing on these things can be rough. Love often arrives when it’s inconvenient. Try making plans to do some stuff you’re really excited about, and then do them.
![Right here, bby ;) [response: ahahaha text me then LOL]](https://library.bc.edu/answerwall/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/aw011519-2.jpg)
First, find a friend. Second, see if the friendship develops into something more. Finding a boyfriend or girlfriend is basically the same process. If you are unsure where to find other gay/bi guys, you could start with BC resources: bit.ly/BCLGBTQ and even the Commonwealth has a website for LGBTQ youth: bit.ly/ma-lgbtq .
Hi! Good to see you!
Them is… wait. *They is… no, that’s not right, either. I’ve gotten my verbs all mixed up. Hang on a second while I reboot. … There! Now I feel more like myselves. *I* am talking about how I’d prefer to be talked about in the third person singular, since I’m gender fluid, and also happen to be kind of plural. You know how some deities are one being & many manifestations? (Like Shiva the destroyer, Shiva the creator, etc.) I’m the other way around. Many aspects, one manifestation. And please, please, distinguish me with the definite article “The.” As Bertrand Russell said, “Now ‘the,’ when it is strictly used, involves uniqueness.”
