Boston College has more than 30 dormitories, and as is the case at any college, some dorms are much more luxurious than others.
As reported by Stacey Small ’08:
“At BC, the dormitories are split into three separate locations: Upper Campus, Lower Campus, and the Newton Campus. Students are divided by class year. Newton Campus is located just a short bus ride away from Main Campus, offering six residence halls, a dining hall, chapel, workout facility, library, post office, and varsity soccer field. Newton Campus is a residential area for freshmen only (the only classes on Newton are for Boston College Law School). This campus is known for the strong sense of community fostered among its residents, who amount to 40% of the freshman class (around 800 students). Many incoming freshmen find it easier to meet new people on Newton. Freshman dorms on Newton Campus are slightly larger than those found on Upper, the other residential area for freshmen.
The other 60% of freshmen at BC live on Upper Campus. With nearly twice as many students as Newton, Upper Campus is often preferred by freshmen because the location is generally more convenient – students don’t need to take a bus to class, so they have more freedom to go back to their dorms in between classes. Upper Campus is also home to housing for the Shaw Leadership Program and some Honors students. Rising sophomores who receive a low pick in the lottery may find themselves living on Upper Campus.
Students who survive their first year at BC are usually rewarded with a much nicer living arrangement. Lower Campus is home to sophomores, juniors and seniors. Typically, sophomores live in Walsh Hall in eight-person suites. Edmonds houses sophomores, juniors, and seniors, typically in four-person suites. Gabelli and Voute are usually reserved for seniors, and offer both Romance language floors and quieter arrangements in suites of four. Rubenstein and Ignacio also hold seniors in suites of six. ‘The Gate’ is one of BC’s newest residence halls, housing both juniors and seniors in extremely clean, almost lavish accommodations. Most seniors, though, go for the ‘Mods,’ seventies-style modular apartments that were built to be temporary structures over thirty years ago. The Mods are their own little gated community at the heart of Lower Campus, and each apartment has a downstairs living area, dining room, and kitchen, with three double bedrooms up top. During football season, students are usually found tailgating on the lawns, which have barbeques and ample room for tossing around a ball.”
William P. Leahy, SJ, Boston College’s 25th president, has held his position since 1996. The following excerpt is part of message from Leahy that can be found on the school’s Web site:
Leahy entered the Society of Jesus in 1967, and was ordained as a priest in 1978. He also holds degrees from St. Louis University, the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, and a doctorate in United States history from Stanford University.
BC has flourished under Leahy. The school has expanded extensively and has more than doubled its endowment since he assumed the presidency.
Aside from fulfilling his duties as president, Leahy has also authored Adapting to America: Catholics, Jesuits and Higher Education in the Twentieth Century, and started the Church in the 21st Century Initiative, aimed at examining and strengthening the Catholic Church in the aftermath of the widely-reported sexual abuse scandal.
-With special reporting by Stacey Small ’08
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