2009-10-07

THE TUFTS DAILY

Rain 58/41

TUFTSDAILY.COM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2009

VOLUME LVIII, NUMBER 19

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Bubs await Tufts’ sign-off to appear on NBC’s ‘The Sing-Off ’

ARTS FEATURE

BY

BEN PHELPS

Daily Editorial Board

COURTESY CONOR FLYNN

The Beelzebubs are hoping to compete on an NBC reality television show.

The Beelzebubs have been chosen

by NBC to compete in a new reality competition, “The Sing-Off.” The program will feature eight a cappella groups from around the country, all vying for one grand prize: a Sony recording contract.

Beelzebubs President Eli Seidman, a junior, said the process began over the summer when the singers got a call from an executive in the show’s casting department asking them to audition. To be eligible to audition, a group had to be fewer than 10 people, and the Bubs (as they are called on campus) usu-

ally have 14 or 15. “We told her it would really affect our sound, that we don’t want to leave behind any guys, and just said no right there, that we couldn’t go down to that number,” said Seidman.

“We didn’t really give it any thought, so we just said no. The Bubs don’t usually like to compete.”

Evidently, NBC didn’t want to take no for an answer, because the casting director soon called the group back, which allowed Seidman to voice the group’s concerns about the size limit.

“She looked into it,” he said, “and, sure enough, they said we could audition with 14 guys.” see BUBS, page 6

Brandeis president to resign; After suspension, Alpha Phi says controversy is not reason enjoys high rush turnout BY

ADAM MANDELL

Contributing Writer

Brandeis University President Jehuda Reinharz announced on Sept. 25 that he will resign from his post after 16 years at the helm.

In recent months, he has come under criticism for deciding to close the university’s Rose Art Museum, but he said that that had no impact on his decision.

“I have reached the conclusion that now is the right time for me to focus on the next chapCOURTESY BRANDEIS UNIVERSITY ter of my career,” Reinharz said in an e-mail to the Brandeis community. “Following the completion of my term as President of Brandeis, I expect to be the president of a significant foun-

dation, where I can address issues facing the Jewish community at the national and international level.”

Reinharz will remain president until a successor is chosen, and at the latest until June 30, 2011, according to a Brandeis press release. He plans to serve as president emeritus at Brandeis.

Reinhartz told The Justice, a Brandeis student newspaper, that the resignation was prompted by “the realization that I’ve completed most of the things that I want to complete. I will never complete everything I wanted to do … I have an opportunity to do something different.

“I decided this was a good time,” he added.

Reinharz succeeded Samuel Thier as the seventh president of Brandeis in 1994.

Before that, he had served as provost for three years. He had considered resigning in 2006, but the Board of Trustees convinced him to stay on, The Justice reported.

The university most recently renewed

BY

ELLEN KAN

Daily Editorial Board

Alpha Phi is back, and the sorority says it’s committed to doing things differently.

After spending more than a year suspended for hazing and alcohol policy violations, Alpha Phi is having no trouble bouncing back — at least not if this fall’s recruitment results were any indication.

“We’re working on restructuring the way we operate as a house, question-

ing our values and the way we present ourselves to the administration and the community,” Alpha Phi President Liza Tarr said.

The sorority faced an unexpected surge in interest during its first recruitment run since the suspension.

Thirty-eight women expressed interest in joining Alpha Phi during last month’s rush activities, and two weeks ago the sorority gave out bids to 21 new members, bringing Alpha Phi to maxisee ALPHA PHI, page 2

see BRANDEIS, page 2

After Hours Conversation Series surges ahead with Dennett talk Philosophy Professor Daniel Dennett spoke in Brown and Brew last night as part of the After Hours Conversation Series, a new initiative started this semester by Tufts Community Union senators to promote informal dialogue between faculty members and students.

ALYZA DELPAN-MONLEY/TUFTS DAILY

Inside this issue

COURTESY JOANIE TOBIN, TUFTS PHOTOGRAPHY

Tufts researcher Jonathan Garlick and his team of scientists generated multi-dimensional tissue with human embryonic stem cells.

Tufts’ Garlick leads stem cell breakthrough BY

MONICA MOWERY

Contributing Writer

School of Dental Medicine Professor Jonathan Garlick succeeded earlier this year in growing three-dimensional tissues from human embryonic stem cells, making him and his team of scientists the first to achieve the pioneering research for the field.

Garlick’s success in growing the tissues moves the team one step closer to its ultimate goal of using stem cells in regenerative medicine to replace damaged tissues

in humans. The researchers also aim to use the tissue in drug testing, to expand the study of human diseases and to provide a viable alternative for test subjects in laboratories.

Garlick, who heads the division of cancer biology and tissue engineering at the Dental School, told the Daily that his research was “at the interface between stem cell technology and tissue engineering.”

The researchers have already started to see GARLICK, page 2

Today’s Sections

The Boston Tattoo Convention brought some unconventional figures to the Boston Center for the Arts.

Pitcher Scott Eyre of the Philadelphia Phillies offers his thoughts on the playoffs during an interview with the Daily.

see FEATURES, page 3

see SPORTS, page 14

News Features Arts & Living Editorial | Letters

1 3 5 8

Op-Ed Comics Sports

9 11 Back

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Wednesday, October 7, 2009

NEWS

Brandeis President Reinharz announces impending resignation BRANDEIS continued from page 1

Reinharz’s contract last year for an additional six-year term.

During Reinharz’ presidency, Brandeis’ endowment nearly tripled, bolstered by $843 million raised in the past seven years for academic needs and financial aid.

The university made a commitment to diversity, saw improvements made to campus facilities and developed new areas of study.

Jason Gray, a senior at Brandeis who last year served as president of the university’s undergraduate student body, praised Reinharz.

“I worked with President Reinharz through last year during the financial crisis,” Gray told the Daily. “From my experience with him, the more we worked together, the greater the respect I developed for him.”

Increasing the university’s accessibility by increasing financial aid was a key priority for Reinharz, according to Gray.

“Reinharz had a devout commitment to financial aid and in making Brandeis affordable to those who sought attendance,” Gray said. “He believes that Brandeis is meant to be a global institution, and the student body shares his vision.”

Reinharz earlier this year found himself and the university receiving widespread criticism for the

school’s decision to close its Rose Museum and sell some of its artwork. Controversy over the museum erupted in January, when university officials announced plans to shut the institution’s doors and auction parts of its $350 million collection in order to compensate for the university’s financial troubles brought on by the economic crisis.

Faced with a highly critical reaction from students, faculty and alumni, including a sit-in student protest, Reinharz backtracked on the decision in February, announcing that the museum would remain open and publicly apologizing for the mismanagement of the episode.

But Reinharz said in media interviews that the controversy and its aftermath played no part in his resignation. “The Rose [Art Museum controversy] obviously was not a pleasant experience, but it had no impact on my decision,” Reinharz told The Justice.

Brandeis Board of Trustees Chairman Malcolm Sherman thanked the outgoing president for his dedication and achievements in a letter to Reinharz dated Sept. 24. “[W]e would have greatly preferred that you complete your term,” he said in the letter, which was provided in a Brandeis press release.

Professor makes pioneering 3-D tissues from stem cells GARLICK continued from page 1

AALOK KANANI/TUFTS DAILY

Alpha Phi moves forward from past missteps with new recruits, reaches capacity during rush ALPHA PHI continued from page 1

mum capacity.

“It far surpassed our expectations,” Tarr, a senior, said of the rush turnout. “We were only expecting about 15 women, so it gave us a great pool to choose from.”

Alpha Phi sisters had initially worried that the group’s public history of hazing could deter interest.

“Recruitment was a real test to see if we could meet and surpass our goal, and to see if people still had enough faith to be interested in and part of our organization,” Tarr said.

In spring 2008, the Fraternity and Sorority Life Judiciary suspended the sorority from participating in the recruitment process after revelations surfaced regarding violations that had occurred during its new member process. Details of the offenses were never made public.

Alpha Phi abstained last semester from recruiting with Chi Omega and Alpha Omicron Pi, the other two sororities on campus, as part of its sentence from the judiciary.

Tarr said the relatively large demand pool allowed Alpha Phi to be more targeted in its selection.

“The new women embody our values in terms of what we are trying to move towards as a house, what we look for in women, what we pride ourselves in and what we hope to achieve in the future,” she said. “We have a terrific new class of people, which fills us with a lot of hope and excitement for the future.”

Tarr said that of the women who expressed interest in Alpha Phi, few said they were deterred by the sorority’s history. “The sophomores we met did not seem to be concerned,” Tarr said. “We did find concerns in the freshmen we ran into, but those were more about hazing in general.”

She attributed this to Alpha Phi’s efforts to rehabilitate its image since the suspension.

“We were confident going in because we had done a lot last semester to get our name out there and redeem ourselves,” Tarr said. “We did a lot of philanthropy, and stayed in touch with the surrounding community and potential new members.”

As part of ongoing efforts to restore its standing and affirm its commitment to tackling hazing, Alpha Phi approached the Panhellenic Council with the suggestion of observing National Hazing Prevention Week at Tufts, which the council did last week.

Senior Becca Weinstein, director of public relations for the Panhellenic Council, said the aim of the week’s programming was to draw attention to university-wide hazing practices.

“A lot of people assume that hazing is something that is traditionally associated with the Greek system, but it pervades other kinds of organizations,” said Weinstein, who is a member of Alpha Omicron Pi. Representatives from the three sororities tabled at the campus center last week to teach students ways to address

hazing issues. The Panhellenic Council will also be sponsoring a panel on Oct. 14 featuring representatives from different student groups like athletic teams and culture houses, who will discuss hazing experiences and demonstrate that it is a campus-wide phenomenon.

Senior Jillian Joseph, president of the Panhellenic Council, the governing board for all sororities on campus, hoped the week would also serve to debunk stereotypes concerning Greek life.

“Our vision is to use the opportunity to clear up facts concerning hazing and Greek life on campus,” she said.

“Fraternity and sorority life is such a great experience and we don’t want people to be deterred by myths or rumors.”

Alpha Phi sees its support for National Hazing Prevention Week and the successful completion of its recruitment exercise as important milestones in moving beyond events of the past.

“It is a great way for us to show our values are in the right place,” Tarr said.

Joseph saw Alpha Phi’s high turnout as an indicator of an overall surge in interest in the Greek community, consistent with the increase in registration in sororities last semester.

“You would expect people to have been put off [by the violations],” said Joseph, a member of Chi Omega. “Instead, I think if anything [the surge] represents a demand for sororities and the Greek system as a whole.”

test drugs with adult stem cellderived tissues, Garlick said, but the team has a long road ahead before the embryonic stem cells can be put to use.

“Tissues that we made need to be improved and optimized by making them even more like skin in humans,” Garlick said. His team plans to study patterns and properties of disease in the lab to further its efforts.

Garlick’s research has made significant contributions to the Dental School’s reputation and the academic profile of the university in general thanks to a number of research collaborations across Tufts’ schools, according to Gerard Kugel, associate dean of research at the School of Dental Medicine.

“It means helping put our research in the forefront [of ] pioneering work done at our university,” Kugel said. “It should translate into direct benefits for patients.”

The lab’s successful research will also open doors for scientists who work in the Dental School.

Garlick’s research “gives us some notoriety,” Kugel said.

Garlick faced several conceptual problems during his research that surfaced from difficulties in “trying to recreate the incredible complexity that we find in human tissues,” he said. In three-dimensional tissues, there are as many as 10 to 12 different kinds of cells that can interact with each other.

The scientists found it difficult to create an optimal cell environment so that each type of cell could thrive. “We outsmart the cells and try to allow them to develop in a microenvironment that we have to recreate using tissue engineering tools,” Garlick said.

The lab also ran into problems with cell culture contamination, according to Anna Maione, a graduate student who works in the lab.

During the summer, “things tend to grow in the incubators and hoods,” she said. “[We] had

to throw out all of [the] experiments.”

Garlick’s achievements can in part be attributed to efforts of the Obama administration.

The U.S. government in July lifted the Bush administration’s barriers to using embryonic stem cells, relaxing the guidelines on stem-cell use for the National Institute of Health (NIH) and creating potential for Garlick to make novel strides in his research.

“As an NIH-funded researcher, I was limited to using embryonic stem cells that were made before the year 2001, which meant that the Bush administration had imposed regulations that would forbid me from using embryonic stem cells that were made after that date,” Garlick said. Eightyear old technology was used to isolate stem cells grown before 2001, according to Garlick.

Meanwhile, he said, other institutions that were not federally funded, including the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, could use newer embryonic stem cells and advance faster in their research.

Few laboratories are working to generate three-dimensional tissues from stem cells because of the complexity of the research.

This may change now that the ban has been lifted, Garlick said.

The scientists received money to further their research as part of January’s stimulus package. The Obama administration gave the money to scientists involved in the research in a number of twoyear grants, so the lab will have to use it quickly, according to Kugel.

The grants represent a welcome shift from Bush administration policies, under which there were “a lot of cutbacks [and it was] hard to get funding,” Kugel said.

Garlick is teaching a university seminar this spring that will touch on the many sides of stem cell use, including ethics and moral issues.

“Embryonic stem cells cause a lot of public controversy,” Garlick said. “It’s an opportunity to understand what these conflicts are.”

Features

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tuftsdaily.com

ROMY OLTUSKI | WORD UP

Sticks and stones

I

AXEL TONCONOGY/TUFTS DAILY

As artist Canman completed his design, Jeff Gates described the sensation as “shards of glass being dragged across the surface of your skin.”

Think ink: Annual Boston Tattoo Convention draws crowds of artists and spectators BY

AXEL TONCONOGY

Contributing Writer

At the Boston Center for the Arts on Sunday, the buzz of intellectual and artistic exchange was matched only by the metallic buzz of tattoo machines injecting ink into skin.

The Boston Tattoo Convention (BTC) was in its third and final day, concluding a marathon of an event that has been held every year since 2002. In the large, sweeping space of the center on Tremont Street, a similar image is repeated in every booth — artists crouched over their subjects, who in turn endure the pain through gritted teeth and resolve.

Jeff Gates, who received his first tattoo on Sunday, described the sensation as “shards of glass being dragged across the surface of your skin.” His new tattoo was a large skull in the center of his back, flanked by two dragons

on either shoulder blade — all in black and white.

An artist who goes by the name of Canman was tattooing Gates.

Canman described the design as “a dark, nightmarish vision of sorts,” as he wiped away the excess ink with a wet cloth. While the skull is a symbol of Gates’ “dark past,” the dragons are the “protectors of right from wrong,” he said.

Canman said he usually advises his customers to “start out small.” But Gates said his first foray into the world of tattoos had resulted in a monumental design that he will “carry on my shoulders until I die.”

Canman began his tattooing career almost 15 years ago, starting with simple and straightforward designs, and eventually progressed into the extremely detailed and realistic designs that he now fashions. With years of experience under his belt,

Canman usually chooses large-scale projects and is selective about what he tattoos.

“I try to get a little personal, work with the customer’s ideas to come up with cool pieces,” Canman said. As it turned out, he was a perfect fit for Gates.

It took Gates two years of searching to find a tattoo artist who was willing to tackle the design that he had in mind. Canman’s availability during the BTC finally gave Gates a chance to fulfill his dream.

For the duration of the BTC’s threeday extravaganza, more than 100 body artists and vendors work to serve and entertain approximately 5,000 customers and spectators. Scattered throughout each day are a variety of burlesque, circus and daredevil performances — lively respites from the down-tempo see TATTOO, page 4

Students feel burdened by heavy cost of books BY

MARY BETH GRIGGS Contributing Writer

With the blow from the recession still lingering even after a year, some students at Tufts are watching as their families struggle to pay for the cost of a college education. On top of tuition, the beginning of each semester brings the added costs of buying books for classes.

For a full academic year, the cost of tuition alone equals $39,432. The total cost for an underclassman is $51,088 with all fees added in. For most students on campus, with or without financial aid, this is a significant sum.

When books and other fees or materials are required for a course, it ups the price considerably. These high textbook costs have persuaded both students and faculty to seek out a more budget-friendly option.

Director of Financial Aid Patricia Reilly explained why textbook costs are not included in tuition bills.

“Tuition is a standard amount which includes instructional costs,” she said. “Materials such as books are an extra expense, which can vary considerably by course. When you buy a book, you own it for the rest of your life and are free to highlight it and make notes in it.”

Many students, however, find themselves asking if they will use their books at all. Students often wonder why their books cost so much or if they will be using them significantly during the semester. Worries related to buying books run the gamut from anxiety about putting textbooks on credit cards to fearing that the books will be discontinued for the next semester, making them unable to be returned.

“You use them for a semester and then you sell them back to the bookstore, looking brand new, for just a fraction of the cost that you bought them for,” senior Prachi Godiwala said.

“Most times, I don’t even use the textbook. Classes with too many books

make me not want to take those classes. If it’s a class I really want to take, the cost of books shouldn’t be a factor in whether I take it or not.”

Reilly encouraged students worried about the cost of books to talk to a financial aid counselor and not let the issue dissuade them from taking a particular course.

“We encourage financial aid students who are having trouble paying for their books to come to our office and talk with their financial aid counselor,” she said. “We will work with the student to come up with a solution, such as buying or borrowing used books, taking out a student loan or receiving an extension so that the student can buy the books now and pay them off from their work study earnings.”

Even for students not on financial aid, the extra costs of college eat a hole in the average student budget — one see TEXTBOOKS, page 4

f you go to Tufts, then you probably have a mental list of words that you sometimes hear in your hometown or even, on occasion, at a family gathering, but would never, ever dream of uttering within 10 miles of campus. You wouldn’t go near the K-word or the D-word, let alone the C-word or the N-word.

In fact, there are so many __-words to remember that you probably shudder with fear after articulating completely innocuous ones like “black” or “homosexual” or “Canada,” waiting for someone to jump down your throat.

(If you don’t go to Tufts, then you’re most likely confused. This is the Daily. Sudoku is on page 11.)

For the most part, I get it. I was never a believer in the elementary school rhyme about sticks and stones and cried when people so much as mentioned my frizzy hair.

Words aren’t just words. Well, they are just words. But they pick up all kinds of meanings and connotations over the course of their various histories and often rehash bad memories that are more pleasant to just stow away.

Hence, political correctness.

But I don’t want to talk about those words.

I want to talk about why — for the very reasons that certain words are deemed un-PC in the first place — political correctness is basically futile.

Un-PC terms make it onto the blacklist because we know them to be painfully racist, sexist or discriminatory in some way. But what about the rest of the words that we use on a daily basis? Can we ensure that we’re not being accidentally offensive or constantly using racial slurs?

Absolutely not. Commonplace words have histories of their own, most of them so forgotten that we overlook the prejudices they unsuspectingly harbor. Let me explain what I mean.

There was a girl in my high school history class who refused to refer to the study as “history” and instead chose “herstory.” My teacher, infuriated, assured the girl that “history” is not sexist and does not relate to the gender-specific pronoun “his” but rather to the Greek word “historia,” meaning narrative.

She wouldn’t let up, so he scornfully told her to shut up.

He probably shouldn’t have done so, foremost because it was mean, but also because, in a way, she was right. No, the “his” in “history” does not imply that the narrative of history is the narrative of men. But the word “history” in “historia” does mean “wise man,” implying that the writers of history’s narrative are in fact men.

Not sold? Here’s another one: Killers, murderers, assassins — they’re all words used to judge criminals solely on the basis of their actions, right? Colloquially, yes. But the word “assassin,” according to a popular etymological theory, actually comes from the Arabic “hashishiyyin,” meaning hashish-user and referring to a sect of Muslims during the Crusades rumored to have gotten high off of hashish and then gone on murderous raids of their opponents under the influence. So when you accuse someone of being an assassin, you can’t do it without bringing up Muslims and drugs.

Similarly, the phrase “running amok” (which is kind of like going berserk) comes from the Malay word “amuk” and was used

by Westerners in reference to native South Asians, who, allegedly, were inclined to work up a frenzy, run into the streets and kill everyone in sight. No one calls that phrase the RA-word.

But perhaps the greatest irony lies in the term “political correctness” itself, which is said to have been coined by Mao’s “Little Red Book” to indicate that only opinions aligning with Maoism and Marxism were “politically correct.” That sucks, I know, but PC is a delicate game to play. And oftentimes, without even realizing it, you get gypped.

Romy Oltuski is a junior majoring in English. She can be reached at Romy.

Oltuski@tufts.edu.

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THE TUFTS DAILY

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

FEATURES

Tattoo convention celebrates different aspects of body art, unites vets and newbies TATTOO continued from page 3

AXEL TONCONOGY/TUFTS DAILY

The BTC gives tattoo artists the opportunity to compare designs and compete for awards.

art of tattooing.

One of the myriad customers was Mike, a blossoming tattoo artist himself. While many people get tattoos with deeply personal meanings, others do so simply out of appreciation for the art form. Mike considers himself to be in the second category.

With his arm twisted at an awkward angle by artist Evan Olin, who was the winner of the Best Tattoo of the Day award on Saturday, Mike described how he himself began tattooing only a couple of months ago.

He said his degree in fine arts and design “translated well into tattooing,” something that “was one of the few things that actually got me paid.”

Since few people are willing to be tattooed by an inexperienced artist, Mike began learning the trade by practicing on squashes and compiling an artistic portfolio.

Olin’s tattoo on Mike’s forearm was an intricate portrait of a Japanese geisha. “I’ve been tattooing for the past five years,” Olin said, “and now I concentrate mostly on portraits, realistic stuff.” Olin’s extensive experience with portraits seemed evident as he chose colors from a palette of thimble-sized ink containers and switched through varyingly shaped needles for specific features.

The differing philosophies of tattooing were also illustrated by William Silf, a 24-year-old tattoo artist with 70 percent of his body covered in ink.

“I don’t really care whether I get a sh---y tattoo, as long as it’s by a good friend or someone I trust. I’d rather have that than a good tattoo by someone I hated,” he said.

To elucidate his point, Silf showed his first tattoos — clearly amateur efforts by “friends who tattooed [him] on the couches of their houses.” But he refused to cover them up. “Every single tattoo that you can find has something wrong with it, and that’s what makes it special,” Silf said.

Currently, Silf works as both a tattoo artist and a traditional two-dimensional artist, always carrying around a sketchbook to portray his newest ideas.

And so the tattoo community finds itself stuck between self-expression and a commercialized art form. The existence of the BTC and its growth in numbers and representative talent over the past seven years speaks to the increased acceptance and respect tattooing is gaining as a modern-day art form.

For “Lil” Dave Williamson, tattooing is his universe — and he has tattooed the universe onto himself over a period of 25 years. The result is a colossal piece that covers almost all of his visible body. It begins with the Big Bang in the center of his chest, progressing into the birth of planets and earth’s many life forms.

“As long as there’s empty space on my body, [this project] will never be completed,” he said.

Lorrayne Shen contributed reporting to this article.

Gnomon Copy provides alternative to bookstore costs that some call too high TEXTBOOKS continued from page 3

that many believe to be unnecessary.

Students said they have spent as much as $800 on textbooks per semester. Taking into account such significant costs, many students are displeased by courses that require a large number of texts for the class regardless of how much the professor uses them.

Senior Alexandra Helling was one of the students dismayed by the price of textbooks. “To have to buy very expensive books every semester is just another example of college student exploitation,” she said. “The content updates, the Barnes and Noble mark-ups … It’s very unfair.”

Another recurring issue among students is the fast pace with which textbook companies offer new editions, making books of previous editions lose all resale value.

“Since [professors] change books so much, I end up with a library of books I’ll never use again, and I lose the money I would’ve gotten by selling them back,” said a Tufts junior who wished to remain anonymous.

This leads to suggestions like one from senior Jenny Karo, who suggested that extra material outside of the textbook be printed and distributed for the class.

“There is so much stuff that can be done in pamphlets. I don’t mind so much with my science classes, because the books last forever and we normally read all of it. But classes where you don’t actually get tested on the book material — it is called a supplement and should not have to be purchased,” she said.

Many departments on campus are trying to reduce the need for excessive student spending by making course readers available online. Some will print out copies of readings or the course readers themselves for students, but this is not always an option for larger booklets and manuals.

Some departments have made it standard practice to go to copy shops like Gnomon Copy in order to print larger readers — a middle-of-the-road approach that is still cheaper than the cost of a textbook but does not put the burden of printing on the professor.

“We just don’t have the means to print out the larger booklets for everyone,” English Department Administrator Wendy Medeiros said.

When it comes down to a choice between course readers and textbooks, the overwhelming majority of students

ALEX DENNETT/TUFTS DAILY

Rather than require that students buy textbooks, some professors have course packets made at copy shops.

seem to favor course readers — even if they require a walk to Boston Ave. The large difference in average prices between course readers and textbooks leaves many students understandably leaning towards course readers as a better way to go, even to the point of preferring them over the free online materials.

“I’d almost rather pay for a reader in some courses, because reading on Blackboard is annoying,” a Tufts senior who wished to remain anonymous said.

Helling drew on her experience as a study-abroad student last year to offer some alternatives to the dramatic costs associated with the American college experience.

“In other countries, they think it is ridiculous to require students, who are often not extravagantly wealthy at this point, to buy loads of books, and so [they] give [students] options: better libraries, different sources, electronic content, less required purchases,” she said.

GODDARD CHAPEL FORUM ON RELIGION & MEDIA Goddard Chapel October 7, 2009 6 PM

Rev. Robert P. Reed, Director CatholicTV® Pioneer in Religious Cable and Website Presence “Be Not Afraid...to Communicate."

Cosponsored by The Chaplain’s Office, the Fletcher School, and The International Center Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155 – (617) 627-3427 Website: www.tufts.edu/chaplaincy

Arts & Living

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tuftsdaily.com

MOVIE REVIEW

Owen boosts ‘Boys’ with brilliant performance BY

CARYN HOROWITZ | THE CULTURAL CULINARIAN

Bye Bye Brownies!

DAVID MERGENS

Contributing Writer

How can someone take complete care of someone else without knowing how to take care of himself? It’s easy

I

The Boys are Back Starring Clive Owen, Laura Fraser, Julia Blake Directed by Scott Hicks to assume that parents know exactly what they’re doing as soon as a child is born, but this is decidedly not the case.

“The Boys are Back” tries to address these issues and succeeds most of time, largely thanks to an incredible performance by Clive Owen.

This film is the latest by Scott Hicks and is based on the novel of the same name by Simon Carr. The plot revolves around Joe Warr (Owen), an accomplished sportswriter living in Australia.

He is usually away for weeks at a time covering sporting events, giving him little time to spend with his wife and son at home. Everyone seems to be satisfied with this family dynamic until Joe’s wife is unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer and dies shortly thereafter.

Joe is left without a wife, tasked with running a home he has never run and a son he hardly knows. After struggling to deal with his own grief and the grief of his son, Artie (Nicholas McAnulty), he develops a parenting philosophy: “Just say yes.” Joe lets Artie do whatever he wants,

ALBUM REVIEW

ROTTENTOMATOES.COM

The boys of “The Boys are Back” — from the front. as long as Joe deems it within reason, in order to be happy.

Pretty soon, the house is a mess and the adults around him are questioning his parenting techniques. The situation becomes more complex when Harry (George MacKay), Joe’s son from a previous marriage in England, decides to come and stay with him. Suddenly, Joe is facing the challenge of raising two sons in desperate need of a father figure, despite his relative cluelessness of what it means to be a good parent.

The first thing to say is that this is a heavily emotional film. Viewers feel the characters’ pain, particularly early on in the movie. It’s heartbreaking to watch as Joe tries to conceal his tears when he is talking to his son over the phone. But these deep feelings of loss and heartache, while giving the movie its emotional base, can wax too melodramatic at times.

That’s not to say the movie lacks any cheerful and heartwarming moments, see BOYS, page 6

MOVIE REVIEW

Colin Beavan becomes the ‘No Impact Man’ Yearlong blog and book project now an informative documentary on going green BY

MATT DIGIROLAMO Senior Staff Writer

Colin Beavan was a fairly ordinary man with a family and an apartment in New York City. That was until he MONSTERSOFFOLK.COM

This new album seamlessly blends four artists’ styles with dramatic effect.

Folk super group puts ‘Monster’ effort into album

BY JORDAN

ODIAKOSA

Contributing Writer

Super groups tend to build up absurd amounts of hype. Eager fans patiently await a masterpiece while the media tout the collection of several talented musicians.

Monsters of Folk Monsters of Folk Rough Trade Monsters of Folk is certainly no exception. The super group features a who’s who of new-age folk singer-songwriters: Yim Yames (formerly Jim James) of My Morning Jacket, Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes and M. Ward of She and Him fame. Together they work to create stirring, emotional and introspective American music that draws influences see MONSTERS, page 6

No Impact Man: The Documentary Directed by Lauren Gabbert and Justin Schein started an experiment called the “No Impact Project,” through which he changed into something more than a family man with a mild obsession for environmentalism. What started as a blog and turned into a book is now a feature-length documentary about the trials and tribulations of living almost completely green for a year.

Beavan, along with skeptical wife Michelle and adorable daughter Isabella, started the process for the book and made sure to follow what he set out for in his mind. Beavan began by trying to eliminate all trash waste, save for composting.

That meant that anything that came in a frivolous package was a no-go, including the Starbucks iced lattes that Michelle can’t seem to live without.

Throughout the film she is the buzzkill of the experiment, but Beavan nonetheless seems determined to do what he wants to make the whole scenario a success.

The rule concerning excess packaging becomes problematic when Beavan has to buy food, since most of the time it comes in cardboard boxes and other extraneous packaging.

His solution? A local farmers market

ROTTENTOMATOES.COM

“It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s NO IMPACT MAN!” where he is able to meet the farmers who grow his food, take advantage of multi-use packaging methods and promote his rule of not buying food outside of a 250-mile radius of his apartment (to cut down on fuel emissions for transporting the food).

For a while, Beavan seems to be doing some good and doesn’t cause too much of a stir. However, his next rule of no paper products (including toilet paper) brings out the media and the haters. Readers flock to his blog to comment on his decisions thus far, and Beavan gets calls from producers in many countries for interviews. Little see IMPACT, page 7

was sitting on my couch with a friend last week when I first heard that the New York City Department of Education (DOE) has effectively banned bake sales.

We both looked at each other after skimming the post on Epicurious.com we were reading, utterly bewildered, and proceeded to have two very different visceral reactions to the story.

Side note: Another piece of news that has me all verklempt this week is that Condé Nast is closing Gourmet magazine.

First, there goes my dream job of replacing Barry Estabrook as editor of Politics of the Plate, a blog that explores issues in food politics. Second (and obviously more important to people other than myself), why on earth would Condé Nast keep Bon Appetit open and close Gourmet, which has been printing since 1940 and has a steadily increasing circulation? But back to the brownie brouhaha.

My friend immediately broke into song, screaming “Bye Bye Birdie” at the top of her lungs, replacing “Birdie” with “brownies.”

While my immediate response was not so theatrical, the first thing that popped into my head was, “What kind of brownies were the Education Department eating when they passed this policy?” Then I went on a 30-minute tirade about the need for school lunch reform in America, with my friend interjecting a few lines of “Bye Bye Brownies” every so often to lighten the mood.

Alice Waters-esque rants aside, this new policy seems more like a political scheme than an effort to actually curb childhood obesity, which is at an astounding rate of 40 percent in the NYC Public Schools, according to the DOE. The ban is part of a series of Wellness Policies enacted by the DOE over the summer that try to cut the amount of sugar and fat consumed by children in the public-school system. The Wellness Policies limit foods sold in vending machines and reduce the amount of trans-fat in school lunches. School lunches have been a hot topic in NYC for years; isn’t it just a wonderful coincidence that these issues are finally being addressed during an election season, and that NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who just so happens to be up for re-election, has put his stamp of approval on the Wellness Policies?

The new ruling states, “Fundraising sales involving non-approved food items and/ or non-approved beverages are prohibited between the time school begins and 6:00 PM.” Non-approved food items include everything from cupcakes to zucchini bread. My question is: Why the time limitations? By 6 p.m., there are probably no kids left in school; it seems like the DOE’s attitude is that they don’t care what kids eat when they aren’t on DOE time. If they really want to combat obesity, why not ban bake sales all together? And does this mean that groups can sell approved foods? If an organization wanted to sell crudités to the kids, is that acceptable?

Things get even more interesting in the next paragraph of the ruling: “PA/PTA fundraising sales involving non-approved items are limited to once per month and only after the last lunch period.” This seems to have the same apathetic tone: If the kids eat something after we’ve already fed them, it’s not our problem.

I remember going to bake sales during recess with my friends and feeling pretty good about giving someone my dollar for their cause. Of course, we always tried to pick the biggest brownies, but still. The DOE’s actions might come from a good place, but ultimately, they seem misdirected. I think my friend expressed it best when she belted “Bye bye brownies/ I’m gonna miss you so/ Bye bye brownies/ Why’d you have to go?”

Caryn Horowitz is a senior majoring in history. She can be reached at Caryn.

Horowitz@tufts.edu.

THE TUFTS DAILY

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Wednesday, October 7, 2009

ARTS & LIVING

‘Monsters of Folk’ delivers frighteningly good collaboration MONSTERS continued from page 5 from folk and country music alike.

The artists share songwriting duties on their self-titled album and each adds a distinct style to the group, without one sound being overwhelming. Yim Yames’ ode to classic rock, Oberst’s Bob Dylan-influenced lyricism and M. Ward’s attention to classically composed American pieces all equally lend to the overall feel of the album.

Production on the album is impeccable.

The guitar playing is slick, the chord progressions are gentle and expected and the vocalizations are perfectly orchestrated. What else would you expect from a bunch of a singersongwriters? The slide guitar even makes several appearances.

The quartet manages to make fresh American music that gives credence to its predecessors. Songs on the album contain all the twang of your favorite country song and retain the simple three-cord structure that’s familiar within folk and country swing.

Among the myriad influences, classic rock plays a large role as well, specifically on the tracks bursting with electric guitar.

The group also finds room for subtle experimentation. The first song on the album, “Dear God (Sincerely M.O.F.),” a poignant open letter to God, is a perfect example. The song features several samples, including a drum loop that has also been used by rap artist Kid Cudi.

The song is a masterpiece, combining elements of hip-hop samples and bluesy folk singing. This is the only track on the album that features pre-recorded snippets, and it is unprecedented ground for folk music. It lays out a perfect template for clean, constructive use of samples in folk music.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the album, though, is how each singer’s unique tone and timbre mesh perfectly together. The vocal harmonies accentuate the contemplative and melancholy lyrics, and they add to the air of disillusion that permeates the CD. Oberst’s gravely and surprisingly aged voice complements Yames’ optimistic baritone, especially on songs like “Temezcal,” in which the singers wail “Searching west and east/ All points in between/ Underneath the lines thought/ you’re there and then you’re not.”

MONSTERSOFFOLK.COM

Four folk artists worked well together to create their first album as a group.

Lyrics tend to focus on angst and confusion, but they manage to be extremely relatable. On “Losin ya Head,” Yames croons “Sometimes I get bored/ Even though I know I’m blessed,” a lyric that most Americans can certainly relate to.

The only knock on the album is its sheer length. A lot of the songs are so similar in feel and sound that they could have easily been

left on the cutting room floor. But each song on the album is a beautifully constructed masterpiece in its own right.

Most super groups fall apart because the artists’ egos cannot co-exist. But the music that Monsters of Folk create is so laid back and groovy that it is impossible to even imagine anyone’s feathers being ruffled during the recording process.

Blake, Booth impressive in supporting roles BOYS continued from page 5 but the characters revert from laughing back to brooding far too quickly.

The film sometimes focuses too much on its characters’ problems and not enough on fixing them. When it comes, the final resolution is far too sudden to do justice to the characters’ journey — in part because the audience is told how things resolve, rather than shown.

All that said, Owen is phenomenal in this film; his performance alone is worth the price of admission. His character displays an incredible emotional depth Owen has never mastered before. One of the most memorable scenes is his meeting with his son’s new teacher; he begins to ramble about life at home and his own personal grieving, only to learn that the woman he revealed his deepest thoughts and concerns to was not actually his son’s teacher. He shows a fear and vulnerability we saw briefly in “Children of Men” (2006), but it is taken to another level here in a performance that constitutes a highlight of his career thus far.

No one else’s performance is as engrossing as Owen’s, but there are some solid supporting actresses and actors. Julia Blake is terrific as Joe’s mother-in-law, a woman who is heartbroken by her daughter’s death and is now skeptical of Joe’s ability to raise her grandsons by himself.

Emma Booth is also impressive as Joe’s friend and eventual love interest. She is sweet and caring, and clearly frustrated by Joe’s laissez-faire attitude and lack of confidence.

These two individuals provide a nice counterbalance to

It could be said that this band is not a super group at all, but rather a bunch of friends who decided to make music together. Unlike most super groups — which are often composed of randomly assembled talent from diverse backgrounds — the foursome that makes up “Monsters” have been together on tour for over five years, resulting in a truly genuine and fresh product.

Bubs’ participation in national television show still uncertain BUBS continued from page 1

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Clive Owen is one of the only ones laughing at his laissez-faire parenting style in “The Boys are Back.”

Joe’s personality, and challenge him in a way that only other adults can. The work behind the camera is also admirable, as Hicks combines closeups and beautiful shots of the Australian landscape with tremendous emotional power.

Overall, “The Boys are Back” is a competent movie elevated

to a memorable one by Owen’s Oscar-worthy performance.

This film shows that not only do children learn from their parents, but parents are constantly learning from their children.

Like its main character, the film has several flaws — but it does enough things right to merit attention and praise.

The Bubs traveled to New York City to audition a few weeks ago with no expectations and “just had a really fun time,” said Seidman. “We were just having fun with it, which may have been what made us stand out over other groups and let who we really are shine through.”

The big news came last Tuesday when the casting director called to tell the group they had made the cut and had been chosen as one of the eight groups to compete on the program — and the only collegiate group. “We were thrilled but had to be tight-lipped about it,” said Seidman, since the news was still confidential last week.

Now that the news is out, the real work begins. The program is set to tape in Los Angeles starting Nov. 28, and a live finale will air Dec. 21, meaning the Bubs would have to miss at least a few days of school.

“If we don’t win, it’s possible we’d be there for three days and then come home,” said Seidman. If they do win, it would mean missing the last two weeks of classes and the final examination period, which is the sticking point with the Tufts administration.

Seidman said all members of the Bubs are committed to working hard and doing all their schoolwork, and that they don’t want or expect a “free pass.” “We’re asking [the administration] permission to work our butts off and do all the work beforehand so we can get a chance to perform on the show and promote Tufts,” he said.

NBC has also offered to pay for a Tufts proctor to fly out and stay in Los Angeles to administer exams, as well as for a tutor if need be, according to Seidman.

Due to Internet issues, Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman had just heard of the news Tuesday morning. He congratulated the Bubs on their achievement but said they will “have to figure out how to not waste the semester.”

Dean of Undergraduate Education James Glaser was out of his office for the week and could not be reached for comment.

Tufts Community Union President Brandon Rattiner addressed the concerns of both parties. Rattiner said that the Bubs need to show a commitment to their academics, “that they can do the work, do the reading, take the tests,” but also that the university “needs to show a commitment back to them, show that they support them in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Rattiner said that he is very proud of the Bubs and that it speaks to their talent that they would be able to get onto the show and be the only collegiate group. He also sees it as a good opportunity for Tufts to gain some positive publicity, especially in light of the recent national media storm about the new ResLife sex policy. “The show would be a great opportunity to profile Tufts on a national level for the quality university that it is,” said Rattiner.

Kimberly Thurler, director of public relations for the Medford/ Somerville campus, cautioned that a lot of this discussion is premature, since it is not entirely clear whether the Bubs will participate in “The Sing-Off” or not. While she had no concerns about a university group appearing on national television, she stressed that no decisions have been made.

So, in Thurler’s words, “let’s see what happens.”

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

THE TUFTS DAILY

ARTS & LIVING

Tufts University Counseling and Mental Health Service Free and Confidential Groups Fall 2009 Groups Begin in October Questioning and/ or Coming Out? (co-led with Tufts LGBT Center director) Thoughts and feelings about sexuality and the possibility of coming out can feel challenging, confusing, and possibly even exhilarating. This support group offers an opportunity to talk with a small group of your peers about sexuality and the coming out journey in a confidential setting.

For more information, email or call Tom at tom.bourdon@tufts.edu / 617-627-5770 or email or call Allyson at allyson.livingstone@tufts.edu / 617-627-3360

______________________________________________________________ TIME.COM

“To answer your question, yes, I do in fact have carbon off-sets for this sanctimonious smile.�

Beavan’s environmentalist story may in fact have an impact on viewers IMPACT continued from page 5 Isabella is forced to wear natural diapers (she doesn’t really seem to mind), and the massive television and TiVo is removed in order to reduce consumption.

Although the feat that Beavan and his family accomplish is rather impressive, the film itself is nothing too spectacular. Scenes of “reality� dialogue are long and played-out, even though they might contribute to the feel and drama of the story. Additionally, the differing attitudes toward the project as a whole often make the atmosphere uncomfortable. Colin can be seen as too easy-going, and Michelle is often naggy and annoying to listen to. When discussion of another baby between the two is put into play, the documentary suddenly turns into a dramatic reality TV series.

Still, while this tension is a major sticking point of the film, the scenes of joy and happiness between the two and their daughter tie things together nicely.

Moments like washing clothes in the bathtub with their feet and planting seeds in the garden are turned into adventures for

the young girl, and the rest of the family lives through her. Without little Isabella, Colin and Michelle’s journey could have taken a very different turn.

The documentary surely doesn’t have the same pull or pizazz that a Morgan Spurlock (“Super Size Me,� 2004) or Michael Moore (“Bowling for Columbine,�

2002) film brings to the table, but it has its own charm — one that will impress and possibly inspire viewers to get involved. If not for the drama or the cute little girl curious about how seeds become plants, stick around for the commentary on capitalist culture from a hippie friend of Beavan who lends him a spot in a public garden.

And if that isn’t enticing enough, there are plenty of tips that average people could use to improve their part of the world and help encourage others to do the same.

Ultimately, there is much to take away from the film, but simply listening to Colin Beavan’s words can often be the source of the most meaning. If there is ever any doubt of the power of community as a whole, just remember that “without community, nobody feels accountable for anyone else.�

Relationship Dynamics This is a confidential group in which students will discuss relationships with family, friends, significant others, and the Tufts community. The group will help students build stronger, healthier relationships and increase their understanding of themselves in relationship to others. Students will work towards feeling more empowered in relationships and realizing their social potential.

For more information email or call Elizabeth at elizabeth.varney@tufts.edu / 617-627-3360

______________________________________________________________ Mindfulness and Meditation for Stress Reduction Meditation and mindfulness have been practiced for millennia to train and calm the mind, body and spirit. More recently, research has proven the efficacy of these practices for mental health and physical health, as well as boosting academic and athletic performance. Learn a range of techniques to help your concentration, creativity, and manage your stress.

For more information send an email to mindfulness@tufts.edu / 617-627-3360

______________________________________________________________ Healing from Loss This is a confidential support group for students who have experienced the death of an important person in their life. This group offers the space to talk with others in a safe, supportive environment.

For more information email or call Deborah at deborah.forman@tufts.edu / 617-627-3360

______________________________________________________________ For general group information, send an email to groups-cmhs@tufts.edu .

For information about other Counseling and Mental Health Service offerings including individual counseling, couples counseling, psychiatric services, emergency coverage, stress management, and consultation, please visit our website http://ase.tufts.edu/counseling or call 617-627-3360.

ATTn: class of 2010!

Attn: all classes!

Go to ase.tufts.edu/ecom and follow the link.

7

THE TUFTS DAILY

8

THE TUFTS DAILY GIOVANNI J.B. RUSSONELLO Editor-in-Chief

EDITORIAL Naomi Bryant Managing Editors David Heck Alexandra Bogus Executive News Editor Nina Ford News Editors Tessa Gellerson Ben Gittleson Christy McCuaig Matt Repka Ellen Kan Assistant News Editors Harrison Jacobs Katherine Sawyer Saumya Vaishampayan

Robin Carol Executive Features Editor Marissa Carberry Features Editors Meredith Hassett Alison Lisnow Emily Maretsky Kerianne Okie Romy Oltuski Christina Pappas Charlotte Steinway Julia Zinberg Sarah Korones Assistant Features Editors Carter Rogers

Jessica Bal Executive Arts Editor Emma Bushnell Arts Editors Mitchell Geller Adam Kulewicz Catherine Scott Josh Zeidel Charissa Ng Assistant Arts Editors Benjamin Phelps

Michelle Hochberg Executive Op-Ed Editor

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

EDITORIAL | LETTERS

EDITORIAL

Recognizing society’s forgotten contributors Following the examples of 10 other states, North Carolina’s State Board of Community Colleges voted last week to allow undocumented immigrants to attend all 58 of the state’s community colleges. Such prospective students must prove that they graduated from a U.S. high school, and they must pay the $7,700 out-of-state tuition. They will also receive no financial aid. North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue opposed the decision, saying she found it hard to understand why the state should educate these people “when they can’t work legally in the state after they’re educated.”

Undocumented immigrants make up 3.8 percent of the North Carolina’s population and 5.8 percent of the state’s work force. The group is integral to the state’s economic system. It is unfair to say that providing these people with higher education will only be a drain on the system. And the more education they have — particularly education that comes from United States schools — the more likely these workers will be to seek higher paying jobs in the country, to stay here and to become naturalized. That means more highly educated Americans working well paid jobs and contributing to our economy.

After the North Carolina board cast its vote, protestors collected to demonstrate

against it. One protester stated, “Basically, it’s our schools, our colleges. People that pay taxes should be attending these schools.”

This statement reflects a common misconception. Undocumented immigrants do pay taxes in high numbers: In the 10 years between 1996 and 2006, approximately 11 million Individual Tax Identification Numbers were distributed to foreigners without Social Security numbers. Since so-called illegal aliens cannot reap the benefits of many public services, they contribute in numerous ways to a system that they can never take part in. The New York Times reported in 2005 that undocumented workers contributed $7 billion a year to the national Social Security system — yet they are not eligible for any social security benefits.

As for states’ coffers, undocumented immigrants again often give more than they take. According to a report from the Texas Office of the Comptroller, undocumented workers produced more in state revenues than they cost in state services during fiscal year 2005, resulting in a $424.7 million net gain for the state.

It is shortsighted to assume that undocumented immigrants looking to receive higher education will only burden a state fiscally.

Not only do the North Carolina board’s new

regulations dictate that they have to pay full tuition to the state’s community college system, but a better education will also help them attain higher-paying jobs and therefore pay the state more in taxes.

The depressed urban neighborhoods that many undocumented immigrants inhabit will also benefit. Dealing with the conditions in such neighborhoods causes a drain on public funds, and denying residents affordable education leads to criminality, among other negative side effects.

A proportion of people who grow up in these neighborhoods and receive an affordable, quality education can be expected to come back and work in their original communities — and such an influx of newly successful, familiar faces is the best way to both model and facilitate development in such needy neighborhoods.

As companies outsource more and more jobs, the United States should be concerned with keeping intelligent, educated youth in the country. Providing higher education to undocumented immigrants who have graduated from U.S. high schools and are fully capable of contributing to society will only further encourage them to stay in the country, support its economy and hopefully gain U.S. citizenship.

ALEX MILLER

Vittoria Elliott Editorialists Nina Grossman Opinion Editors Andrew Rohrberger Molly Rubin Erin Marshall Editorial Cartoonists Alex Miller

Ethan Landy Executive Sports Editor Sapna Bansil Sports Editors Evan Cooper Philip Dear Jeremy Greenhouse Alex Prewitt Michael Spera Alex Lach Assistant Sports Editors Daniel Rathman

Annie Wermiel Executive Photo Editor James Choca Photo Editors Aalok Kanani Danai Macridi Andrew Morgenthaler Josh Berlinger Assistant Photo Editors Kristen Collins Alex Dennett Emily Eisenberg Rebekah Sokol Tien Tien

Arlin Ladue Executive New Media Editor Jessica Bidgood New Media Editors Kyle Chayka

PRODUCTION Karen Blevins

OFF THE HILL | UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS

Production Director

Katrina victims still need help

Steven Smith Executive Layout Editor Dana Berube Layout Editors Caryn Horowitz Andrew Petrone Amani Smathers Menglu Wang Adam Gardner Assistant Layout Editors Brian Lim

Grace Lamb-Atkinson Executive Copy Editor Rachel Oldfield Copy Editors Ben Smith Elisha Sum Ricky Zimmerman Sam Connell Assistant Copy Editors Sara Eisemann Katherine Evering-Rowe Ammar Khaku Niki Krieg Luke Morris Lucy Nunn Regina Smedinghoff

Ben Schwalb Executive Online Editor Christine Jang Online Editor

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BUSINESS Kahran Singh

Executive Business Director

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Advertising Director Online Advertising Manager Billing Manager Outreach Director

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BY KATE LARABEE The University Daily Kansan

More than four years have passed since disastrous Hurricane Katrina ripped through New Orleans, and the images of demolished buildings and homeless families have faded from our memories. But the nightmares are still a reality for the more than 14,000 families in New Orleans still living off Disaster Housing Assistance Program (DHAP) vouchers and the countless internally displaced persons.

Unfortunately for those 14,000 families, the DHAP vouchers expire this month.

According to Amnesty International, the government estimates that about half of those families could be eligible for Housing Choice Vouchers, allowing them to live in Section 8 Housing. But what options remain for the families who do not qualify for Section 8 Housing?

“Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and

necessary social services,” according to Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

If more than 7,000 families lose their homes, the United States would be failing to uphold this clause.

Now is not the time to place disaster relief in New Orleans on the back burner, but it seems that many Americans have pushed it to the back of their minds and consider it old news.

“I think it’s definitely not on everyone’s minds anymore just because the shock value is gone now,” Hannah Nusz, co-director of the Alternative Breaks program, said.

The program directors have decided to send a group of students to help clean up and build housing in New Orleans this winter break.

Alternative Breaks has gone to New Orleans in the past but had no programs there last year. This year, Nusz said the program felt as if something was missing.

“When you’re rebuilding communities, rebuilding homes and peoples’

lives, that takes time,” Nusz said. “It’s definitely not something that just happens in a few months.”

Nusz is completely right. The current quagmire that will leave many Katrina victims without housing is proof that reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in New Orleans are not yet finished.

If only there were other forms of assistance that victims could turn to when federal aid runs out. Groups such as the American Red Cross, Oxfam America, Louisiana Disaster Recovery and the NAACP Disaster Fund have helped since the hurricane hit. At least one of these organizations, Louisiana Disaster Recovery, is still offering support, but the thousands of families who risk losing their homes at the end of this month need a larger relief effort.

Alternative Breaks does more than assist Katrina victims; it also provides a new perspective for the students involved.

If more organizations still showed the interest Alternative Breaks is investing in the problem, New Orleans could make great strides forward.

Correction Monday’s “Visiting the Hill this week” incorrectly stated that Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus H.E. Andreas Kakouris yesterday gave the Constantine Karamanlis Chair Lecture. Though the lecture series sponsored Kakouris’ speech, Professor George Th. Mavrodogatos, who currently holds the chair, will deliver the annual Constantine Karamanlis Chair lecture on Oct. 22.

EDITORIAL POLICY Editorials that appear on this page are written by the Editorial Page editors, and individual editors are not necessarily responsible for, or in agreement with, the policies and editorials of the Tufts Daily. The content of letters, advertisements, signed columns, cartoons and graphics does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Tufts Daily editorial board.

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Wednesday, October 7, 2009

9

OP-ED TEDDY MINCH | OFF MIC

Breaking the stigma BY

Renewed U.S.-Iran dialogue

REBECCA AUTENRIED

My name is Becky Autenried. I am a senior majoring in architectural studies.

My hometown is Wallisellen, Switzerland. I am a Swiss-Canadian citizen and permanent resident of the United States. I speak five languages, have lived in three countries and have traveled to eight. I graduated at the top of my Connecticut public school class and was captain of our track team. Academic and athletic successes allowed me to feel equal to my peers even though I was always of a lower class.

At Tufts I rowed, ballroom-danced, worked as a resident assistant and now hike as a part of the Tufts Mountain Club. I have worked in the Department of Biology, in the chemistry labs and as a security guard in Cousens Gym. I have even been employed as the Jumbo mascot. I’m a natural red head. I shaved my head three months ago as a social experiment and then dyed it blonde to give my best friend the confidence she needed to dye hers. I am white, heterosexual, multicultural, non-religious and open-minded.

I have come here to tell you my secret, with hope that it will give you something to think about.

I have been depressed for 19 years.

I was born into a household where I felt responsible for other people’s unhappiness. It was only until later that I found out that my mom was sexually abused by her grandfather and that my dad became orphaned at a young age.

My brother was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes when he was only six years old, and any extended family that I had was always several countries away. From a very early age, I was expected to be the strong and reliable one. There are numerous other events and circumstances which led to my depression, but today I will focus on my story as it relates to Tufts.

Coming to Tufts was both terrifying and exciting because it gave me the opportunity to find out about myself.

Before I could experience the greatness that Tufts had to offer, I needed to face the demons that I had brought with me. During my first two years here, the depression that I was hiding became harder and harder to conceal.

Eventually, I could no longer get out of bed. I wasn’t eating, wasn’t showering, wasn’t working. I thought that I had no friends — no one to talk to. All I could do was cry. I cried in the hallways, in class, walking down the street. But still, no one noticed.

I got so deep into feeling sad, hopeless, unloved and alone that I started to have thoughts of suicide. I know that this is a lot to hear, but it’s also a lot to share, so please bear with me. I would start to make plans. I remember very clearly one night sitting in the corner of my room by the door; I was looking at my pale wrists thinking to myself, “Wow, these would really look much better with blood on them.” I was thinking of the patterns I could cut.

I remember then, a red flag popping up in my brain. I needed to get help. I could no longer be silent about my suffering and reached out to professionals.

To my surprise, they didn’t know what to do with me. All I wanted was for

DAILY FILE PHOTO

someone to take care of me. But when my parents brought me home, I realized that even they couldn’t help. I was so frustrated because I had spent so much time worrying about and taking care of my parents and my friends and my boyfriends and my peers, but this one time that I leapt out for someone to catch me, I was dropped.

I told my dad to take me to the emergency room as a last resort. The psychiatrist who treated me that night was the first person in my entire life who understood what I was going through. This complete stranger. I felt enormous relief.

I was admitted to the psych ward and stayed there for several days. This was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. I went from an environment where everyone looked to me as an authority to a place where I was looked at as a patient — as a crazy person.

There were college kids that came in to play ping-pong with me as community service. It’s really phenomenal how quickly the tables can turn in your life.

I had always been the responsible one taking care of the ill, but it didn’t take much to find myself on the receiving end of strangers’ volunteer hours.

Eventually I got back to Tufts and finished my academic and employment responsibilities. I then had to take the summer to recover from all of the physical illnesses that accompanied the mental breakdown. I came out on the other side of this experience a much stronger and happier person.

We can learn from this experience how seemingly healthy people can have difficulties with depression. What’s important is that we normalize talking about mental health issues in order to educate each other.

Being at Tufts has allowed me to find the good in myself. I am proud of having fought depression; it has shaped much of who I am. So far, I have lived one year in genuine happiness. It’s hard to put into words what it means to me; I can describe it as nothing short of flying.

That being said, welcome to Tufts.

It’s a great place, and you can be happy here.

Rebecca Autenried is a senior majoring in architectural studies. She is the co-founder of Active Minds at Tufts.

LET THE CAMPUS KNOW WHAT MATTERS TO YOU. The Op-Ed section of the Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. Submissions are welcome from all members of the Tufts community. We accept opinion articles on any aspect of campus life, as well as articles on national or international news. Opinion pieces should be between 600 and 1,200 words. Please send submissions, with a contact number, to oped@tuftsdaily.com. Feel free to e-mail us with any questions.

The last time one-on-one talks of major import between the United States and Iran occurred, baseball legend Willie Stargell led the Pittsburgh Pirates to a World Series championship. In short, U.S. policy towards Iran hasn’t changed dramatically since Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi was run out of Tehran in the late 1970s — until last week. In Geneva, senior U.S. and Iranian diplomats met during lunch for the highest-level diplomatic exchange in 30 years between the estranged nations, spurred by recent revelations on Iran’s advanced nuclear capabilities. President Barack Obama cheered the developments as his national security adviser, James Jones, indicated that “things are moving in the right direction.”

But are they really? If Obama’s aim is to simply open a line of dialogue with Iran, then he has certainly succeeded. But if his goal is to make America safer, diplomatic talks with Iran are not really addressing the key issues that put America and its allies at risk. Ultimately, knowledge of Iran’s nuclear capabilities should not be a surprise or a new revelation worthy of spurring talks. Furthermore, focusing exclusively on Iran’s uranium enrichment program — and whether or not it is yet weapons-grade — ignores a much more immediate threat.

Iran has had, since the mid-1980s, “an organized structure dedicated to acquiring and developing nuclear weapons,” according to former Secretary of State Warren Christopher. Furthermore, 30-year Jane’s International Defense Review veteran Al J. Venter argues that cooperation between Iran, Russia and China in the 1980s led to construction of several sub-critical Iranian reactors. Additionally, the Chinese engineered heavy-water facilities, while also providing large quantities of enrichment-expedient uranium hexafluoride to Iran. These resources have allowed for the construction of facilities at Natanz, Arak, Ardekan, Bushehr and elsewhere over the past 25 years. In short, Iranian nuclear pursuits didn’t start in 2003.

Tehran, however, doesn’t need to pursue the costly, lengthy and risky development of a conventional nuclear weapons program to have an immediate, massive impact on regional and international politics – especially when considering the current global supply of easily available, cheap fissile material. The Institute for Science and International Security has concluded that Russia cannot account for the security of its radioactive material stockpiles, particularly within the former USSR satellites in the Caucasus. These stockpiles are not sufficiently secured, making it easy for those in the market like Iran to gain cheap, consistent access to radioactive material.

Furthermore, only a very small amount of radioactive material is required to adequately arm a radiological dispersal device (RDD), or dirty bomb. RDDs should be the pre-eminent concern for the United States, particularly when considering Iran’s influence over Hezbollah and Hezbollah’s global reach — in 2007 Hezbollah was caught trafficking narcotics in Los Angeles, only one of its many U.S. operations in the very recent past. Iran could easily obtain a small quantity of radioactive material from a poorly-guarded stockpile, smuggle it abroad via Hezbollah and activate the cell — detonating the RDD with minimal effort, overhead cost or risk of detection.

The threat of nuclear smuggling is very real; International Atomic Energy Agency-reported smuggling incidents, a very small percentage of all global cases, tally into three figures.

The United States, through diplomacy, is seeking a conventional solution to a very unconventional security threat. Diplomacy is an honorable aspiration, and certainly one of the values upon which U.S. foreign policy was built. The United States should not necessarily discontinue its efforts in engaging Tehran, or in furthering the dialogue that began last week. However, lunch between diplomats in Switzerland will not curb the smuggling of fissile material. Talks with Iran address issues — very large issues, in fact — but not the right ones.

Teddy Minch is a senior majoring in political science. He hosts “The Rundown,” a show that airs from 3 to 5 p.m. every Friday on WMFO. He can be reached at Theodore.Minch@tufts.edu.

OP-ED POLICY The Op-Ed section of the Tufts Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. Op-Ed welcomes submissions from all members of the Tufts community. Opinion articles on campus, national and international issues should be 600 to 1,200 words in length. All material is subject to editorial discretion, and is not guaranteed to appear in The Tufts Daily. All material should be submitted by no later than 1 p.m. on the day prior to the desired day of publication. Material must be submitted via e-mail (oped@tuftsdaily.com) attached in .doc or .docx format. Questions and concerns should be directed to the Op-Ed editors. The opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Tufts Daily itself.

THE TUFTS DAILY

10

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Wednesday, October 7, 2009

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BY

GARRY TRUDEAU

NON SEQUITUR

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Wednesday, October 7, 2009

SPORTS

Cano, Jeter bounce back

Criezis looks to earn second trip to nationals

INSIDE AL

SAILING

continued from page 15

hitter, made most of the starts behind the plate.

Up the middle, second baseman Robinson Cano posted a dismal .305 on-base percentage that reminded no one of his pint-sized counterpart from the Boston Red Sox, MVP Dustin Pedroia, while Jeter managed just 88 runs scored, his fewest since a 2003 campaign in which he played only 119 games. In addition, Melky Cabrera was so ineffective that the Yankees got some of the worst center field offensive production in the American League.

So, if there was ever such a thing as the law of averages, the Yankees were due for rebound seasons from at least four positions, which is precisely what happened.

With Posada back in the fold, the Yankees went from getting eight home runs from the catcher position in 2008 to 22 in 2009.

Cano rebounded to hit .320 this year — or 15 points higher than his putrid 2008 OBP — and Jeter remained in the MVP discussion throughout the season by putting together a remarkable .334/.406/.465 this year. In centerfield, meanwhile, Cabrera and speedster Brett Gardner combined for 16 home runs, 91 RBIs and 36 stolen bases.

The results: an offense that was held under three runs 50 times a year ago transformed into arguably the best in baseball, leading the major leagues in runs scored, home runs, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. There’s no doubt that the offseason acquisitions of Mark Teixeira and Nick Swisher aided the

offense’s cause, but the rejuvenation of those around them gave the Yankees a legitimate hitting threat at each spot in their everyday lineup.

3. Luck. The Yankees performed atypically well in the latter innings this season, with as many walk-off wins — 15 — as they had amassed the two previous years combined.

Some of the game-winning hits came from the unlikeliest of sources; Cabrera had three by the end of May, while late-season call-ups Francisco Cervelli and Juan Miranda followed with their own in September. Other Yankees walk-off wins came courtesy of a dropped Luis Castillo popup on June 12 and a meatball to Alex Rodriguez from Junichi Tazawa, who was asked to make his major league debut in the pressure cooker of a scoreless, 15-inning YankeesRed Sox duel.

There is much debate about whether hitting in crucial moments is a skill, but regardless, it’s safe to say that a whole lot more went right for the Yankees late in games this season than for other teams. New York led the majors with 51 come-from-behind victories and played to a .650 winning percentage in games decided by two runs or less. As a result, the Yankees performed eight games better than what was projected by Bill James’ Pythagorean win-loss formula.

But in order to continue this success throughout the playoffs, New York will have to continue receiving production from unlikely sources, both on the mound and at the plate — in addition to getting a little more luck on their side.

continued from page 16

ing and, as a result, it was not the best indication of skill,” Criezis said. “A lot of good sailors were all over the place, but I still should have been more consistent. I had a hard time with sailing in light air and lots of current. I have very little experience in that condition.

“I was definitely frustrated that I couldn’t put a good set together and was really bummed the last couple races of the day where I could not read the current because it was going across the course in some places and then upwind in other places,” he added.

Tufts’ B division boat accumulated 178 points over 15 races, which was good enough for 16th out of the 20 teams in the division. The rough conditions were also coupled with a switch of boat types after the first day of sailing.

On Saturday, the A division sailed 420s and the B division sailed FJs, but they switched on the ensuing day. Though the boats are comparable in size, speed and handling, there are undoubtedly differences that could throw off a skipper.

“It was light air, raining, with current lines throughout the course,” Criezis said. “It was definitely questionable racing that other fleets would not have raced in. I am more confident in an FJ than a 420 and my results showed that.”

There was, in fact, a noticeable difference, as Criezis and Watkins averaged a finish of 10.6 in their first 10 races on Saturday in the FJ, whereas in their final five races in the 420

they averaged a 14.4.

Yet, despite these troubles in the B division, Tufts was able to finish a decent 10th-place due to the efforts of the A division boat, skippered by senior Tomas Hornos and crewed by a combination of senior Rachael Brill and freshman Max Bulger.

The Jumbos accumulated 125 points over their 15 races, which placed them in fifth overall in their division — one of the bright spots of the week-

“The conditions were very challenging and as a result, it was not the best indicator of skill. A lot of good sailors were all over the place ... It was definitely questionable racing that other fleets would not have raced in.”

Andrew Criezis senior tri-captain

end for the Jumbos.

“Rachael and I bonecrushed at the beginning of the event but then started getting worse results and moved back to fifth,” Hornos said. “In the end, I am happy with our [finish] considering the tricky conditions and competition.”

Hornos and Brill started off Saturday with a fifth-, thirdand second-place finish, finishing the day with two more top-fives and ultimately placing in the top 10 in seven of

the 10 races. However, the team’s overall finish is the most important statistic to Hornos.

“The 10th-place finish was not what we were hoping for,” Hornos said. “We know we’re capable of much better. Andrew and I just need to both be sailing our best to do well at a major regatta like this [past] weekend.”

The change of boats on Sunday did not seem to present as much a problem to Hornos and Brill as it did Criezis and Watkins. The A division boat racked up three top-10 finishes in the final five races on Sunday in the new boats.

“Rachael and I had really consistent starts and our downwind boat speed was great,” Hornos said. “But I’m most happy with our ability to jump into boats we hadn’t sailed in with each other and be up to speed with the rest of the fleet. We need to work on minor boat-handling issues that are easy to fix.”

Hornos will likely be taking next weekend off to accompany Criezis to the New England Men’s Singlehanded Championships at Roger Williams, where Criezis will be looking to qualify for a spot to nationals like he did in his sophomore year.

“This will be one of the most competitive qualifiers that I have been to,” Criezis said. “I am confident in my abilities and have proven that over the past two years in a Laser. There will be nine or 10 contenders out of maybe 20 people racing for four spots at nationals, so it’s going to be really intense.”

Cards hinge hopes on deep pitching staff INSIDE NL continued from page 14

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820 runs and 224 homers and ranked just behind their divisional series opponent — the Colorado Rockies — with a .781 team OPS. The Phillies have a fine shot at taking home the pennant thanks to two dominant left-handed starters and the deepest lineup in the NL. But they could falter with a shaky bullpen, anchored by closer and X-factor Brad Lidge. If Lidge can somehow snap out of a disastrous funk that saw him go 0-8 with a 7.21 ERA and 11 blown saves during the regular season, then Citizens Bank Park is likely to host yet another Fall Classic.

“Our chances are as good as anybody’s, and everyone on this team has confidence in everyone else — including Lidge,” Eyre said.

But the Rockies — a phenomenal 72-40 since trailing the NL West on June 1st — will be a formidable opponent in the first round, as they boast a dynamic lineup that led the NL with a .784 OPS. Manager Jim Tracy also has the benefit of a burgeoning young ace in Ubaldo Jimenez, who has the type of power arsenal that historically breeds dominance in October, and a deep bullpen, with closer Huston Street (35 of 37 in save opportunities) and trade-deadline acquisition Joe Beimel (a lefty against whom Philadelphia’s Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are a combined 5-for-22) leading the way.

However, a lack of depth could be Colorado’s undoing, as its playoff chances hinge on the performance of the starting pitchers behind Jimenez.

Jason Marquis has playoff experience but has tailed off badly after an All-Star first half. Aaron Cook is coming off an injury and had a mediocre campaign by his standards. Jorge de la Rosa is trying to overcome a groin strain and is subject to fluctuations in performance that can make him phenomenal one night and putrid the next.

The other NLDS pits the St. Louis

Cardinals against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In that matchup, St. Louis enjoys an advantage, even though the men in blue had the best regular-season record in the NL. “[Manager Tony] La Russa gets the best out of the Cardinals; they really play to their max for him,” Eyre said.

“But the Dodgers are a really strong, balanced team too.”

La Russa’s squad is powered by a pair of one-two punches: the duo of MVP-candidates Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday in the lineup and the tandem of Cy Young hopefuls Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter in the rotation.

The Cardinals can win because they have the best and deepest pitching staff of any NL team, with sinkerball whiz Joel Piñeiro behind the two aces.

The trouble spot for St. Louis, however, is the recent downfall of closer Ryan Franklin, who has seen his luck run out and his 0.79 first-half WHIP balloon to 1.70 since the All-Star break.

Though the Dodgers don’t have the frontline starting pitching that the Cardinals bring, they have a deeper lineup, including Matt Kemp, one of the most underrated players in the league.

Outfielders Kemp, Andre Ethier and Manny Ramirez combined to slug 76 home runs this season, and there is speed and power up and down manager Joe Torre’s batting order. The pitching staff hinges on veteran Randy Wolf and phenom Clayton Kershaw.

If those two lefties can hold at bay the Cardinals’ sluggers, who, despite ravaging right-handed pitching, were held to a lowly .233 batting average by enemy southpaws, the Dodgers can send the Cardinals home.

But regardless of who emerges out of the other divisional series, Eyre remains confident in Philadelphia’s chances to repeat as World Series champions.

“If we get to the World Series, [the Phillies] will be primed to take on whoever awaits,” Eyre said.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

THE TUFTS DAILY

SPORTS

Vitality Presents The author of

“The Guide To Getting It On”

Dr. Paul Joannides, PSY. D. Wednesday, OCT. 7 8 PM Pearson 104

13

THE TUFTS DAILY

14

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

SPORTS

Bantams remain in first place at 2-0

INSIDE THE NL

INSIDE NESCAC continued from page 16

“Fortunately our kicker kicked a nice kick,” Devanney added. “The ball squirted free in the pile, and we landed on it.”

Trinity took over on its own 40-yard line with 1:41 left on the clock. The momentum had shifted, and the offense hit its stride.

Drusbosky engineered a lengthy drive deep into Williams territory, completing six of nine passes including a seven-yard strike to junior tight end Chris Hunt on fourth-and-one.

“We were kind of in that situation where we had no time outs. We were in the hurry-up offense,” Devanney said.

“We ended up in the fourth quarter having to throw the ball a lot.”

With less than 30 seconds on the clock and the ball on the 11-yard line, Trinity could have kicked a field goal for the win.

Instead, Devanney put the game in the hands of his offense.

“We didn’t have any timeouts left and we were in field goal range,” Devanney said. “We made the decision to just take one more shot. We told our quarterback ‘Just take the snap, take the step and throw the ball. Don’t take the sack. Don’t throw an interception.’”

Drusbosky calmly dropped back and delivered his second touchdown pass in less than two minutes to Galligan.

“Galligan made a nice move and got inside the corner,” Devanney said. “The corner really did a good job reacting but [Drusbosky] just threw a good ball where only our guy could get it. [Galligan] had been doing that for us for two years now.

He makes big catches.”

Williams was allotted only nine seconds for its own attempt at a comeback, which ended abruptly when Melendez recorded his second interception of the day. He ran the ball out of bounds as time expired, giving Trinity the victory.

For 58 minutes on Saturday, Trinity did not play up to the potential of a squad with an aggregate 29-3 record in the last four years. Yet, with flawless execution and certainly a little bit of luck on the onside kick, the Bantams ended up clawing out a win, pushing their record to 2-0 in the process.

Down the stretch, Devanney insisted that confidence was the determining factor in the win.

“Our players play with a lot of confidence,” he said. “Even when we didn’t make the two point conversion, there were so many guys on the sideline that were like, ‘We’re going to win this game.’ They have a confidence that comes from the hard work. They know that they prepare themselves right. They know they work hard. They are confident in each other.”

MCT

In their quest for back-to-back World Series rings, reliever Scott Eyre and the Phillies hope to be smiling at the end of October.

Phillies primed for second straight pennant run BY

DANIEL RATHMAN

Daily Editorial Board

When it comes to Major League Baseball’s postseason, several crucial factors that differ from the regular season can make or break a team’s World Series hopes.

The series are short, sample sizes are small and there is little margin for error across the board, especially by the pitching staff. One bad start from a staff ace and a team can find itself in an insurmountable hole. One blown save by a closer in a tight game and the momentum can swing entirely into the other team’s dugout. Hence, having a strong front-end of the rotation and two dominant relievers — preferably with postseason experience — is a pivotal advantage.

Pitching is especially crucial, given that offensive production in October can be a crapshoot.

“One or two guys swinging hot bats can win the series for you,” Philadelphia Phillies reliever Scott Eyre told the Daily. “It’s hard to talk about consistency when you have such a short span of games.”

Eyre has been here before, captur-

EDITORS’ CHALLENGE: 2009 MLB Playoffs Edition WINNER

ing a Series ring with the Phillies last season, and he believes the squad has what it takes to become the first to win consecutive titles since the New York Yankees celebrated three in a row from 1998-2000.

“We have basically our entire roster back from last season, and you can’t discount what the experience of having been there means,” Eyre said. “We lost Pat Burrell, but Raul Ibanez has replaced him real well, and we now have Cliff Lee in our rotation, which is a huge boost.”

The Phillies also have 2008 World Series and NLCS MVP Cole Hamels, who pitched as though he had ice water in his veins throughout last year’s championship run. The 25-year-old southpaw may have had a rocky 2009 campaign, but it’s hard to discount a guy who went a combined 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five postseason starts last year.

“When Cole and Cliff are going good, they can beat anyone in baseball,” Eyre said.

And that’s not to mention the Phillies’ prolific offense, which led the NL with see INSIDE NL, page 12

RUNNER UP GAMES

MVP

Alex L.

6

Mark Teixeira

Alex P.

6

Robinson Cano

Daniel R.

5

Derek Jeter

Dave H.

6

Alex Rodriguez

Ethan L.

6

Jason Kubel

Evan C.

6

Albert Pujols

Jeremy G.

4

Alex Rodriguez

Michael S.

5

Alex Rodriguez

Phil D.

5

Mark Teixeira

Sapna B.

6

Chris Carpenter

Steve S.

6

Mark Teixeira

STATISTICS | STANDINGS Field Hockey

Women's Soccer

Men's Soccer

Volleyball

Football

NCAA Div. III Field Hockey

(8-0, 4-0 NESCAC)

(4-3-0, 2-2-0 NESCAC)

(1-4-2, 0-3-1 NESCAC)

(16-1, 2-0 NESCAC)

(1-1, 1-1 NESCAC)

(Sept. 29, 2009)

NESCAC

W 4 Trinity 4 Tufts 4 Williams Middlebury 3 2 Bowdoin Conn. Coll. 2 2 Amherst 1 Colby 0 Bates Wesleyan 0

T. Brown A. Russo M. Kelly M. Burke T. Guttadauro J. Perkins M. Scholtes L. Griffith A. Roberts

OVERALL

L W 0 7 0 8 0 4 2 5 2 6 2 3 3 5 3 4 5 1 5 2 G 7 5 2 1 2 1 1 1 1

Goalkeeping GA M. Zak 3 K. Hyder 1

L 0 0 3 2 2 4 3 3 6 5 A 4 2 1 3 0 2 1 1 0

T 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pts 18 12 5 5 4 4 3 3 2

S S% 12 .800 3 .750

NESCAC OVERALL

W Middlebury 5 4 Williams 3 Amherst 2 Bowdoin 2 Tufts Wesleyan 2 1 Trinity 1 Bates 0 Colby Conn. Coll. 0

A. Michael W. Hardy A. Maxwell C. Cadigan S. Nolet J. Love-Nichols F. Gamal L. O’Connor J. Jamison

L 0 0 1 2 2 3 2 3 3 4 G 3 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 0

T 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0

W 7 8 5 4 4 5 2 2 2 3

L 0 0 2 3 3 3 2 4 4 5

T 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 0

A 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0

Pts 6 4 4 3 3 1 0 0 0

Goalkeeping GA S S% K. Minnehan 4 27 .871

NESCAC

W Wesleyan 3 Williams 3 Conn. Coll. 3 Trinity 2 Bowdoin 3 Amherst 2 Middlebury 1 Bates 0 Tufts 0 Colby 0

L 0 0 1 1 2 2 1 3 3 4

D. Schoening S. Saropoulos Blumenthal A. Lach R. Coleman M. Fitzgerald B. Green P. Tonelli N. Muakkassa

G 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0

T 1 1 0 1 0 0 2 1 1 1

OVERALL

W 5 6 5 5 5 4 4 2 1 1 A 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 1 0

L 0 0 1 1 2 2 2 4 4 5 Pts 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1 0

Goalkeeping GA S S% P. Tonelli 12 23 .657

T 2 1 0 1 0 0 2 1 2 2

NESCAC OVERALL

W 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0

L W L 0 8 2 0 6 3 0 12 1 0 9 4 1 7 5 1 10 3 0 8 2 1 3 15 2 8 2 2 4 9 2 4 8

Offensive C. Updike Joyce-Mendive B. Helgeson L. Nicholas E. Lokken K. Ellefsen B. Neff

Kills SA 190 59 160 48 140 54 74 46 69 48 30 12 26 26

Amherst Trinity Tufts Williams Bowdoin Conn. Coll.

Middlebury Hamilton Bates Colby Wesleyan

Defensive A. Kuan D. Feiger B. Helgeson C. Updike N. Shrodes K. Engelking

B 0 6 2 1 1 0

Digs 253 116 113 113 97 70

Amherst Trinity Bowdoin Hamilton Middlebury Tufts Wesleyan Williams Bates Colby

W 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 0

L 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2

PF 34 61 62 38 80 18 21 44 21 19

Points (First-place votes) 1. Messiah, 1085 (44) 2. Salisbury, 1025 (2) 3. Tufts, 975 (6) 4. Ursinus, 906 5. SUNY Cortland, 848 6. Trinity College, 761 7. Lebanon Valley, 708 8. TCNJ, 606 9. Johns Hopkins, 604 10. Skidmore, 527

PA 24 35 48 35 50 14 29 45 50 68

Rushing Att. Yds. Avg. P. Bailey 28 92 3.3 D. Ferguson 25 55 2.2 M. Howell 4 48 12.0

TD 0 0 0

Passing Pct. Yds. TD INT McManama 42.2 245 2 1 Receiving P. Bailey M. Howell

No. Yds. Avg. TD 10 141 70.5 1 2 22 11 0

Defense M. Murray T. Tassinari F. Albitar

Tack INT Sack 1 14.0 0 0 14.0 0 1 10.0 0

N.E. Div. III Women's Soccer (Sept. 29, 2009) 1. Williams 2. Amherst 3. Middlebury 4. Springfield 5. Wheaton 6. Babson 7. Brandeis 8. Tufts 9. Keene State 10. Husson 10. Westfield State

THE TUFTS DAILY

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

15

SPORTS

INSIDE THE AL

How the Yankees turned it around in 2009

BY SAPNA

BANSIL

Daily Editorial Board

This time last year, the New York Yankees were missing out on October baseball for the first time since Derek Jeter was a teenager. But it sure didn’t take Joe Girardi’s squad too long to turn things around.

In the span of a season, the Yankees went from barely holding off the Toronto Blue Jays for third place in the AL East to running away with one of the most competitive divisions in baseball. They crossed the 100-win mark for the first time since 2004, posted the best regular-season record in MLB and, heading into tonight’s divisional round opener against the Minnesota Twins, are the clear-cut favorite to represent the American League in the World Series.

So how did the Yankees go from being left out of the playoffs to a serious World Series contender in the span of one season? A look at three factors responsible for the Bronx Bombers’ turnaround: 1. Chien-Ming who? A year ago, right-hander Chien-Ming Wang’s season-ending injury dealt a debilitating blow to the Yankees’ starting rotation.

A team whose Opening Day starting rotation featured two rookies (Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy) and two veterans on the wrong side of 35 (Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina) was counting on its two-time 19-game winner to anchor its pitching staff.

But when Wang hurt his right foot running the bases in an interleague game against the Houston Astros in 2008, the Yankees’ starting staff, already forced to overcome injuries to Hughes and Kennedy, crumbled for good. Woeful reinforcements like Darrell Rasner and Sidney Ponson

MCT

Second baseman Robinson Cano has rebounded from an off year to hit .320 at the back of the loaded New York Yankees lineup. wound up pitching nearly 200 combined innings for the Bombers.

Slowed by shoulder fatigue, Wang gave the Yankees even less in 2009: one win, just 42 innings and a careerworst 9.64 ERA. This time, however, losing the 2006 Cy Young runner-up was far less catastrophic for the Yankees. By inking big-ticket free agents CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett for a total $243.5 million in the offseason, General Manager Brian Cashman had already upgraded the depth of his club’s starting staff.

When the Yankees got a major bounce-back season from Pettitte, the sting of losing Wang faded away. Even

THU

FRI

SAT

without its Taiwanese star, New York had three formidable starting pitchers — all of whom stayed healthy enough to make at least 32 starts — to carry it through the season. As a result, Wang’s injury became a mere afterthought, far from the backbreaker it was a year ago.

2. Law of averages. Thanks to some key injuries and a great deal of ineffectiveness, the Yankees received belowaverage production at several positions in 2008. With five-time All-Star Jorge Posada limited to just 51 games last season with shoulder problems, automaticout Jose Molina, a career .235/.277/.322 see INSIDE AL, page 12

SUN

Football

vs. Bowdoin 1:00 p.m.

Field Hockey

vs. Colby 1:00 p.m.

at Plymouth St. 6:00 p.m.

vs. Colby 1:30 p.m.

Women’s Soccer

vs. Brandeis 4:00 p.m.

vs. Colby 3:30 p.m.

Volleyball

vs. Bowdoin 7:30 p.m.

Men’s Soccer

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TUE

at Babson 3:00 pm

Men’s Tennis

vs. Bates at Bowdoin 8:00 p.m.

vs. UMass Dartmouth 7:00 p.m.

vs. Colby at Bowdoin 1:30 p.m.

Women’s Tennis

JumboCast

I’m a Believer

F

SCHEDULE | Oct. 7 - Oct. 13 WED

ETHAN LANDY | CALL ME JUNIOR

Football

WEEKLY MUMBO JUMBO “Revenge is sweet. Beating Union was so awesome. A lot of us were still feeling we had to beat them after last year’s loss.”

”

— Senior setter and co-captain Dena Feiger Oct. 4, 2009 Feiger did her part in helping the Jumbos’ volleyball team avenge its loss to Union in 2008, posting 32 assists and 10 digs against the Dutchwomen in the straight-set victory on Friday. She was also named the NESCAC Player of the Week for her efforts at the Tufts Invitational, which the Jumbos won after rolling through four weekend matches, only dropping one total game.

or nearly 150 days — almost five months — the Detroit Tigers held first place in the American League Central.

But each time it looked like the Tigers would pull away, those pesky Minnesota Twins would not let them. And so, we have another year that ended with a one-game playoff for Minnesota. It is a bad habit that these Twins have developed, adding a little drama to everything. And despite having had the odds heavily stacked against them, the Twins are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2006 after their 6-5, 12 inning victory last night.

But let me be a realist for a second, because in all honesty, Minnesota had no business being here.

The Twins were three games behind the Tigers with just four games left, seven games back with a month to play and six games under .500 in mid-August. And yet they still finished by winning 17 of their last 21 games despite the loss of former MVP Justin Morneau for most of the final month.

So I’m just wondering: How did the Twins even force a one-game playoff?

Again. Despite everyone writing their 2009 obituary at least three times.

After all, this is essentially the same team as last year, because Minnesota neglected to address any of its problems in the offseason. For goodness sake, its marquee acquisition was Joe Crede, and he unsurprisingly went down with an injury at the same time as Morneau.

And that was okay, because Ron Gardenhire could count on a deep rotation to bring his team to the playoffs, right? Wrong. Francisco Liriano never found the magic that has eluded him since his dreaded Tommy John surgery. Kevin Slowey? He had wrist surgery in July. Glen Perkins? Shoulder trouble.

The Twins had to throw rookies like Anthony Swarzak and Jeff Manship to the wolves just to have someone on the mound. Minnesota traded FOR Carl Pavano (who is basically only good against Detroit, so it may have worked out) to solve their pitching woes. I don’t have to tell anyone, especially Yankees fans, why that is ridiculous.

And yet, that move worked out. So too did management’s decision to wait until August to address the team’s bullpen woes with trades for Ron Mahay and Jon Rauch. It was like a lightbulb went on and reminded the Twins that Joe Nathan can’t be one of the best closers in the game if he never pitches.

And that doesn’t end the list of unlikely sources of success. Forget Mauer, Kubel, Cuddyer and Span — those guys have carried this team all season. Instead, look at what some of the worst hitters in baseball did down the stretch.

Twins fans have had to deal with a steady dose of Delmon Young in left field. Before the stretch run, Young was better known for being the most disappointing No. 1 draft pick in sports this side of Michael Olowokandi. All of a sudden, however, Young became the new Mr. Clutch, delivering multihomer games after spending most of the year as an automatic strikeout.

And how about the former proverbial pu-pu platter of offensive inefficiency that was Matt Tolbert, Nick Punto, Alexi Casilla and Orlando Cabrera? Last night’s hero, Casilla, was so dreadful that he had not even played in 15 of the last 21 games. Tolbert has hit over .300 since taking over for Crede at third, while Cabrera had hit .433 in his last 15 games going into last night, when he launched a huge two-run homer — all after a slow start to his career in Minnesota. And Punto … is still Punto.

Hey, you can’t win them all.

It is because of these players that Minnesota will be in New York tonight playing the Yankees. The Twins seem to play their best when they have nothing to lose and are counted out. So go ahead and predict a Yankees sweep.

It wouldn’t be the first time the Twins have had to prove everyone wrong.

Ethan Landy is a senior majoring in English.

He can be reached at Ethan.Landy@tufts. edu

Sports

16

INSIDE Inside the AL 15 Call Me Junior 15 Inside the NL 14

tuftsdaily.com

SAILING

INSIDE THE NESCAC

Onside kick propels firstplace Trinity over Williams

BY SAM O’REILLY Contributing Writer

According to Trinity football coach Jeff Devanney, “an onside kick is a little bit of execution and a little bit of luck.”

On Saturday afternoon, Trinity certainly had some luck on its side as it recovered an onside kick to help hand Williams a painful 26-21 defeat. Trinity junior quarterback Craig Drusbosky threw two touchdown passes in the last 1:48 of regulation in what has become the latest chapter of a storied rivalry.

“Trinity and Williams has traditionally been a great rivalry,” said Devanney, who spent his playing days at Trinity. “When I played here, every game was decided in the last 19 seconds.”

Last year, Trinity edged out Williams for the conference championship thanks to a come-from-behind 20-17 Week Two victory. Since 2001, both the Bantams and the Ephs have garnered no worse than a third-place finish in the NESCAC. “Every year, that game [against Williams] is an important one,” Trinity defensive coordinator and special teams coach Lewis Acquarulo said.

The latest installment had perhaps the most fantastic finish yet. Down 21-13 with three minutes to go, the Bantams forced a punt and took over possession at the Williams 46-yard line. Trinity’s offense had been stagnant all day, with the Bantams’ only touchdown coming on a 47-yard interception runback by junior Harry Melendez. The offense had previously taken two trips to the red zone but was forced to settle for field goals both times.

“They really had the momentum for most of the game, and even though it was a fairly close game, it felt like it was one-

COURTESY KEN LEGLER

Tufts sailed to a 10th place finish out of 20 teams at the Danmark Trophy over the weekend.

Even keel: Jumbos finish in middle of pack at Danmark BY

PHILIP DEAR

Daily Editorial Board

Although a 10th-place finish out of 20 teams at the Danmark Trophy this past weekend wasn’t what the Jumbos sailing team was hoping for, things weren’t entirely bad.

Most of the trouble Tufts encountered, as always, stemmed from a lack of comfort with the environment in which it was sailing. The regatta at the Coast Guard Academy saw some extremely

tough conditions, including light and shifty breezes, which, when combined with a strong and shifting current, create an ever-changing puzzle that can be nearly impossible to solve.

Senior tri-captain Andrew Criezis, who skippered the B division with classmate and fellow tri-captain Jennifer Watkins, was particularly frustrated with how the conditions affected his results.

“The conditions were very challengsee SAILING, page 12

sided,” Devanney said. “They were getting some pressure on us, and there were some times where our quarterback was feeling pressure when there wasn’t any.”

But staring defeat in the face, the Trinity offense clicked. Drusbosky hit senior tri-captain Oliver Starnes for a 24-yard completion of the first play of the drive. A subsequent six-yard rush and two incomplete passes had Trinity facing fourth down on the Williams 16-yard line, setting up the Bantams’ heroics. “[Drusbosky] felt a little pressure and left the pocket,” said Devanney, breaking down the play. “[Junior wide receiver Michael Galligan] actually broke off his route and [Drusbosky] kind of found him.

It was actually a nice throw. [Drusbosky] was moving to his left and threw off his back foot. [Galligan] made a sliding catch in the end zone.”

Still, Trinity trailed 21-19, meaning that the Bantams were forced to go for the twopoint conversion. Drusbosky tried to rush it in himself but was stopped short. With 1:48 left on the clock and no timeouts, Trinity was forced to attempt an onside kick.

“We practice the onside kick every Thursday,” Acquarulo said. “The thing about our [sophomore] kicker Tim Costello is that he does a really good job getting the ball to bounce. He’ll kick the ball into the ground and it will usually take a pretty good hop. The funny thing is that we practiced it around fifteen times and only recovered it around twice.

“To be honest, [in the game] it was just very well executed,” he continued. “A lot of the guys weren’t really looking for the ball. They were going down trying to collide with someone to force a fumble.” see INSIDE NESCAC, page 14

Field hockey extends two-year regular season run WRITTEN BY SAPNA BANSIL, PHOTOS COURTESY BOB KELLY, DESIGN BY ANNIE WERMIEL

Yesterday, the field hockey team marked the two-year anniversary of its last regular-season loss in perhaps the only fitting way: a 9-0 thrashing of non-conference rival Wellesley. With the resounding victory, the nationally ranked No. 3 Jumbos improved to 8-0 on the season and upped their regular season winning streak to 28 games.

The Daily looks back at two full calendar years of regular season dominance: Oct. 6, 2007 Bowdoin 2, Tufts 1 Despite outshooting the national No. 1 Polar Bears, the Jumbos dropped a narrow one-goal decision, their last regular-season setback.

Oct. 11, 2008 Tufts 3, Middlebury 2 (OT) Brown’s overtime tally lifts No. 7 Tufts past No. 3 Middlebury, a traditional NESCAC heavyweight and 2007 national finalist.

Oct. 31, 2008 Tufts 4, Bowdoin 3 The Jumbos complete a 14-0 regular season and win their first NESCAC regular season crown by knocking off the defending national champs.

Oct. 27, 2007 Tufts 5, Conn. College 1 A runway win over the Camels wraps up a stellar 11-3 regular season and gives Tufts the No. 2 seed in the NESCAC Tournament.

Oct. 6, 2009 Tufts 9, Wellesley 0 Exactly two years to the day after Tufts’ last regular season loss, eight different players score in a thorough whitewashing of the Wellesley Blue.

Oct. 25, 2008 Tufts 2, Trinity 1 (OT) With two goals, including the game-winner 2:22 into overtime, Brown gives Tufts another dramatic win over a top-10 team.

Oct. 20, 2007 Tufts 3, Williams 1 The 17th-ranked Jumbos win in Williamstown for the first time since 1999, knocking off No. 15 Williams behind two second-half goals.

Sept. 6, 2008 Tufts 10, Wesleyan 1 A new season begins with the Jumbos setting a new program single-game scoring mark.

Tamara Brown and Michelle Kelly each notch hat tricks.

Sept. 12, 2009 Tufts 3, Middlebury 1 The national No. 2 Jumbos open their 2009 campaign by outshooting the No. 7 Panthers 17-6 en route to a statement victory.