Today was supposed to be the big day. I was so excited to host the Boston College swim team and then go watch Iz swim against GW. We fixed up the house. We ordered tables and chairs. We ordered soooo much food. Honestly, when they were originally suspended for hazing allegations, I didn’t cancel anything. I had faith that BC would realize they were mistaken and reverse the suspension.
How could BC opt to suspend an entire team on the premise of guilt by association, based on allegations overheard and reported by a professor? It seemed preposterous.
There was no smoking gun. In fact, the freshman class sent a signed statement acknowledging none of them had ever been hazed. There had been no formal hearings. No investigation to justify the suspension.
Over the past few weeks, our attorneys have sent multiple letters. The parents requested (via our legal team) that the team be allowed to at least practice while a proper investigation took place. BC refused to respond to the parents, and said the students were welcome to contact the Dean of Students. (So note to all you parents, signing a gigantic tuition check grants you ZERO right to communicate with the administration at Boston College.) BC finally began a formal investigation this week. Izzy’s hearing was on Tuesday and Lance flew to Boston to sit with her for the hour-long meeting. He was not allowed to speak, but he could at least offer support as a lawyer interrogated her. Despite being 100% innocent, and not even in attendance at any of the events in question, she couldn’t eat for days. She was a nervous wreck.
To make a long story short, the investigation will likely take months. We honestly don’t know what to expect. But as of now, Izzy is a NARP. (Non-athlete Regular Person. Didn’t know that term. You learn something new every day!!)
I am trying to focus on the positives. Izzy can now come home to visit more often. We made some updates to the house that we had been meaning to do. But there is a lot of sadness that she won’t get her senior season. And there is even more sadness that this has tainted her entire college experience. I was such a proud BC mom. For 3 years, I have taken any opportunity to display my BC pride. Our family has just about every piece of BC swag. Stickers on the cars. A flag out front. I am still a proud swim team mom. But I am not proud of Boston College. The way BC has handled the situation feels really unfair. I am sure the investigation will find that some kids made some stupid decisions, not uncommon on a college campus. And I do think they should be held accountable. But what about all of the innocent kids who have been training for the past 12 years, and chose BC for the opportunity to swim while pursuing their education, yet were left on dryland with a gaping hole in their lives? The team is their family.
Izzy had to prepare a statement for her hearing. In her closing paragraph she wrote;
“This team is my family. They are my best friends and my support system on campus. We have so much respect for each other and have the privilege of being able to not only help and support each other in reaching our goals in the water, but also in life. We see each other at our best, and at our worst and that is something that can be said about so few relationships in my life, I am so thankful to be a part of the swim team.”
So while Izzy is missing the time with her college family, I am grateful to have my girl home for Fall Break for the first time in 4 years! And Lil flies in tonight. So you can bet my heart will be very happy! And if you have read this far, I will share why it’s actually good that the team is not coming to our house. Boomer (our Bernese Mountain Dog) ate a pair of Boeden’s tall socks earlier this week. How do I know? He got violently sick on our white rug….and returned the socks!! The rug is now out in the trash. And our family room looks naked! Never a dull moment around here!
Xo,
Heather
PS- Picture of my updated stairway. I travel these stairs hundreds of times on bakery days….so I spiced it up with some molding!
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