Page 34 – The Answer Wall

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019

I thought the Answer Wall is here to provide “answer.”

I’m sorry the flawed health care system is troublesome, and I’m sorry my answer was unsatisfactory. You might be interested in the book Insane consequences: How the mental health industry fails the mentally ill, by D.J. Jaffe (Social Work Library RC455 .J28 2017). If I understand it correctly, a recent law (part of the 21st Century Cures act, signed in December 2016 – for a summary of relevant law, look here: (bit.ly/HR2646)) relaxed restrictions on HIPAA/FERPA to allow providers to share some information with caregivers (i.e. family), to avoid healthcare problems worsened by confidentiality. I’m always sorry to hear about solutions that also cause problems. The world is complicated that way. When things that impact my life are out of my control and answers are unsatisfactory, I turn to friends for support, and often also turn to Reinhold Niebuhr’s serenity prayer: “Give us courage to change what must be altered, serenity to accept what cannot be helped, and the insight to know the one from the other.”

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019

Can we get staplers in here that are stronger?

Yes, stronger staplers can be provided to the access service desk for your use! I’ll alert my assistants to look into this & see what we can do.

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019

Should I drop a class (withdrawal now) that I did really really poorly on?

Talk this one over with the professor and your advisor, to see how realistic it is to still succeed in this class, and the consequences of withdrawing at this stage. I’m sorry the semester’s started out this way for you.

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019

如何增发, 且不掉发?

You might have missed this answer from 9/26: Hair loss could have many underlying causes, many of them genetic and irreversible. (More info: bit.ly/mayo-baldness) Even treatment for reversible hair loss has only had moderate success. A particular type of hair loss (alopecia areata) occurs starting in childhood, and is the result of an otherwise benign autoimmune disorder. A recent review of the literature (bit.ly/bc-alopecia) found moderate success with some treatments for this condition. If it’s irreversible, at least know that I think bald humans look wise & sophisticated.

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019

Why is counseling so useless?

It’s not mean to say that you’re feeling that counseling is useless, as long as you know that that may not be true for everyone in counseling. If you don’t feel you’re getting much (or anything) from counseling, try addressing it directly and telling your counselor what you would like to gain from your sessions. This may mean adjusting your current counseling, or looking for someone new to talk to who is a better fit, but it’s worth it to feel like you’re making progress and getting what you need.

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019

How do I invite him to the club????

Straightforwardly? “Hi, would you like to go to the club?” Have some dates and times in mind, so you’re ready to answer that question. And tell a friend what you’re planning, so you have someone you can tell about The Ask whether it’s a success or not.

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019

每天得睡 13 个小时，我是不是在长身体?

Response to "Thoughts on BC as a racist school?" (Awaiting translation) — 每天得睡 13 个小时，我是不是在长身体? (I am sleeping 13 hours a day. Am I growing up?)

Humans between the ages of 13 and 25 often do need more sleep than other humans, but 13 hours daily does seem excessive. I recommend visiting a doctor to make sure there’s not a health problem of some kind.

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019

My high school crush, whom I was too nervous to ask out, got touchy-feely with me at a recent party and seemed really into me, though she has had a boyfriend for the past 2 years.

Be straightforward about this. Your reasons and language about it are good: “I really like you, but you have been with {boyfriend} for 2 years; I don’t want to invade your relationship. What are your thoughts?” Be prepared to find out she doesn’t think there is anything wrong with having a boyfriend and having some casual fun with you. In that case, you need to decide what your stance on that is.

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019

I thought they bring in dogs during test week.

I thought they bring in dogs durng test week. Where the dogs at — I thought they bring in dogs during test week. Where the dogs at

Yes! There are therapy dogs here at O’Neill during exams. But we recognize that’s not the only stressful time when humans can benefit from dog love. They’ll be here in O’Neill (in the 3rd floor Reading Room) this week. See signs in the lobby.

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019

What if we never find a purpose in life?

1) Trust that you will if you’re serious about finding it, 2) True beauty is simultaneously in the eye of the beholder and the heart of the beheld, even though that might cause contradictions, 3) We question the world because it’s full of contradictions and injustices.

October 4, 2019October 4, 2019

Why r my farts so smelly these days?

Occasional smelly farts are normal and usually caused by something you ate. If you introduced something new into your diet, that may be the culprit. If you have very foul smelling gas, it could be signs of a digestive track problem or allergy- a visit to the doctor may be in order if it persists.

October 4, 2019October 4, 2019

Got any books on forestry or tree farming?

We do have some and are collecting more titles in ag due to the growth of the Environmental Studies Program. I recommend searching our catalog (library.bc.edu). You can also browse the stacks in the SD section (3rd floor O’Neill, way over to the right), but many of the more current items are online. Connect with the Environmental Studies Librarian, Enid Karr (karre@bc.edu) for more ideas, like getting items from other libraries.

October 4, 2019October 4, 2019

Do my professors want me to succeed?

As a whole, yes. I can’t speak for all of them. Some may set up what seem like barriers to you, but are intended as challenges to deepen your knowledge of a subject. IOW, they want you to succeed, but they want you to succeed at a challenging level. I recommend a) meeting with the professor to clarify objectives and get help, b) seeing if there’s a tutor for your class at the CFLC (bit.ly/BC-connors), and c) organizing a supportive study group.

October 4, 2019October 4, 2019

Thoughts on BC being a racist school?

BC definitely has it’s own problems with race. And it has a culture of preferring not to talk about problems. But BC is probably equally racist as most other long-extant institutions in America, no more or less – it’s a fundamental part of the makeup of this country unfortunately. The school is doing work to improve itself. The Office of Student Affairs is acting on a recent student survey that showed differences in satisfaction with BC life between students that identified as black vs. other races. Many departments (including ITS, the Provost, the Libraries, Res Life, and others) are at different stages of undertaking a renewed focus on how to better serve AHANA and other minority populations. It’s hard work that takes a long time unfortunately. But we want to be better.

October 4, 2019October 4, 2019

How’ve you been doing?

Solid as a rock…er….a brick. The new semester has been a lot of work, but I’m powering through.

October 4, 2019October 4, 2019

Get MBB on campus.

I have passed your suggestion on to the employer recruiting people in the Career Center, and I hope that McKinsey, Bain, and/or Boston will come visit us someday. But be proactive, talk to the Career Center (bit.ly/BC-career) about ways you can approach potential employers who don’t drop by. Best of luck.

October 4, 2019October 4, 2019

Can God make a meal so big he cannot eat it?

That is a delightful variation on a classic logic problem which lots of thinkers have addressed. It’s called the omnipotence paradox, and there are a variety of responses to it. Actually entertaining Wikipedia article: http://bit.ly/bc-omni. More technical discussion: bit.ly/bc-omni2. Aquinas argues that logic still applies: Even an omnipotent being can’t do something impossible. Augustine argues that God must act according to his nature, which means he can’t create anything omnipotent. The Wall’s favorite modern response is that the question is just a pile of words: if God is omnipotent, “could not eat” doesn’t make sense.

October 3, 2019October 4, 2019

Why is the 2nd Floor womens bathroom always flooding?…

That’s a very busy bathroom; the more people use a space, the higher the probability that someone makes a mistake, such as flushing something down the toilet that doesn’t belong there – the usual source of bathroom flooding. But I’ll also alert folks, in case it’s the other common cause: a plumbing problem that can be fixed.

October 3, 2019October 4, 2019

Can you freestyle?

If you’re referring to freestyle rapping, I’m afraid not. There’s a growing consensus amongst hip-hop fans that the days of freestyling are coming to an end or have already ended. There are probably some artists who may have the ability to do so, but you may have to do a lot of digging to discover them. One of my library friends seems to think Black Thought of The Roots may be one example of an artist who engages in what can be considered freestyling. Here’s a link to one performance done on a radio show some time ago: bit.ly/radio-freestyle

October 3, 2019October 4, 2019

I just dropped gen chem…

My librarian friends who are blessed with lungs say take a deep breath — it’s OK to chill and regroup. I know you’ve heard it before, but life is a marathon, not a sprint. You may want try chemistry again next semester, or, perhaps, it’s time to redirect your academic focus. Consider checking in with your academic advisor. Take a look at the classic, What Color is your Parachute (O’Neill Library HF5383 .B56). Even though it’s for job hunting/career stuff, it may help you think about what gives you joy, your interests, and your strengths.