2009-10-09

THE TUFTS DAILY

Rain 64/55

TUFTSDAILY.COM

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2009

VOLUME LVIII, NUMBER 21

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

WILLIAM YU/TUFTS DAILY

U.S. Senate candidate Alan Khazei spoke with Tufts students in Sophia Gordon Hall yesterday, urging them to help in his campaign to bring change to Washington.

In bid for Senate seat, Khazei calls on Tufts students Candidate eschews lobbyists, relies on grass-roots campaign to help make change BY

BRENT YARNELL

Contributing Writer

U.S. Senate hopeful Alan Khazei and Max Kennedy, the nephew of late Sen. Edward Kennedy, appealed to Tufts students yester-

day to help in the candidate’s eleventh-hour effort to win the special election in January.

“The last election was about: ‘We need change,’” Khazei told a packed room in Sophia Gordon Hall yesterday afternoon.

“This election is about: ‘How do we make

change happen?’”

Khazei, who announced his candidacy on Sept. 24 to fill the vacant Massachusetts U.S. Senate seat, said that the changes promised

by President Barack Obama remain stalled in Congress.

“The process is stacked by special interests and lobbyists in D.C,” Khazei said.

He called on the Tufts crowd and young people in general to help revolutionize see KHAZEI, page 3

Despite findings, LGBT students feel accepted BY

ERIN BRAU O’SHEA Contributing Writer

Be it the gay pride flag hanging from the Bolles House on College Avenue or the upcoming National Coming Out Day events, there is no question that the Tufts gay community plays a very visible and involved role on campus.

That is why some students were surprised when Tufts didn’t make the Princeton Review’s list of Top 20 Gay Accepting cam-

puses. However, Tom Bourdon, the director of the LGBT center, explained that these results haven’t discouraged the Tufts gay community.

“The methodology used is completely inconclusive when it comes to creating a top 20 list,” Bourdon said in an e-mail to the Daily.

The Princeton Review compiled their list based on answers to only one question from 122,000 see LGBT, page 3 DAILY FILE PHOTO

Studies link college Maine Track aims to alleviate education to tolerance state’s rural doctor shortage A new medical program is designed to bring more physicians to rural areas in Maine.

BY JON

CHENG

Contributing Writer

On Monday nights, senior Keith Hofmann attends enlightening lectures, studies the Quran and learns about Islamic tradition with the Muslim Students Association.

However, many are unaware that he came from a conser-

vative Catholic high school before he attended Tufts.

Hofmann attributes his change from Catholic to Muslim faith activities to his experience at Tufts, citing the student body as a strong influence.

“There is a more diverse see TOLERANCE, page 4

BY

MINYOUNG SONG

Contributing Writer

A new four-year program partnering the Tufts University School of Medicine and the Maine Medical Center (MMC) inducted its first class of recruits in August in the hopes of boosting the surprisingly low number of physicians in rural areas of Maine.

Inside this issue

The program, Maine Track, reserves 20 of its 36 openings every year for Maine residents and students attending colleges in Maine, adjacent New England states or in regions “deemed similar” to Maine, according to the program’s press release.

The collaboration, initiated by Tufts and MMC in February 2008, is a response to a consistent decrease

of first-year medical students in Maine since 1980.

Students will spend their first two years at Tufts and then move to MMC or other Maine hospitals for rotations in their third and fourth years.

Program recruits benefit from a significant cut in the high tuitions see MAINE, page 4

Today’s Sections

Food Feature takes on a sweet challenge, sampling the sugary wares of nearby cupcake bakeries.

Tufts volleyball decimated Bowdoin in straight sets in final home game of the regular season.

see ARTS, page 5

see SPORTS, back page

News | Features Arts & Living

1 5

Comics Sports

8 Back

THE TUFTS DAILY

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NEWS | FEATURES

Friday, October 9, 2009

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

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Michelle Hochberg Executive Op-Ed Editor Vittoria Elliott Editorialists Nina Grossman Opinion Editors Andrew Rohrberger Molly Rubin Erin Marshall Editorial Cartoonists Alex Miller

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Executive Business Director

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AALOK KANANI/TUFTS DAILY

Fifth-floor Hill Hall residents hope to create a mural to reflect a sense of community in a healthy living lifestyle.

Hill Hall mural seeks to show a fun side to dry living

BY SAUMYA VAISHAMPAYAN

Daily Editorial Board

“Welcome to Tufts University … your home away from home!”

This statement, found on the Office of Residential Life’s (ResLife) Web site, aims to display a hospitable mood in dormitories, but four freshmen finding this element lacking in Hill Hall are looking to embellish their walls with a bit of color to better reflect a sense of community.

Freshmen Ryan Kollar, Joshua Pearl, Theodore Lui and Justin LaTorraca are trying to create a mural on the fifth floor of freshmen-only Hill Hall, hoping to show a different side to the healthy living lifestyle designated as mandatory throughout the dorm.

“Our idea is to enforce healthy living in terms of community bonding,” Kollar said. “[The mural is] an open door … Now that you’ve come to Tufts, here is the invitation to explore your academic and creative potential.”

Their idea came to the attention of a Resident Assistant (RA) in Hill Hall who encouraged the students to explore the concept and begin paperwork for the proposal.

The freshmen have made some contact with ResLife regarding the idea but have not yet submitted a formal proposal.

Director of ResLife Yolanda King said that ResLife is still waiting for more specifics about the design before giving a response.

Students are allowed to decorate their respective rooms following a number of safety precautions out-

lined by ResLife, but standards for acceptable murals are less clear. King said that the office uses an internal document to approve mural proposals on a case-by-case basis.

Usually, King said, student murals tend to arise as a result of active community involvement and deliberation.

She encouraged the group to involve more of the Hill Hall community in discussion surrounding the mural, adding that it was unusual for such a small group of students to propose an idea of this sort, particularly in a location that likely only the five or so residents of the fifth floor will see.

Though murals do currently exist in many other dormitories, they are usually done in more communal areas like common rooms and stairwells.

“Typically it has been a more critical mass in the building, not a handful of students deciding to do a mural,” King said. “There needs to be a conversation with the residential staff to see the message they’re trying to create and the impact it will have on the community.”

The procedure for creating a mural includes submitting a request and proposal to ResLife, according to King. The proposal must include a sketch and color scheme of the mural, in addition to outlining the message that it will convey. ResLife will then review the proposal with Residential Facilities to work out the logistics and give final approval.

While the students have not finalized the design, they have a general sense of the mural’s main components.

Kollar said that the mural would actively demonstrate the idea behind a healthy living dorm. “Hopefully we can rouse support in the sense that there are a lot of other creative outlets other than situations with unhealthy choices,” he said.

LaTorraca said they hope to draw on Tufts’ roots to create the mural.

“The goal is to unite traditional Tufts values with more modern elements … and assimilate what the founders of the school had in mind into one image,” he said.

Last February, residents of Miller Hall came together to create a mural in the staircase of the main lobby after a drunken student defaced parts of the dorm with offensive vandalism.

Residents worked with members of the Bias Education and Awareness Team (BEATBias) to turn the vandalism into a positive representation of the students of Miller Hall.

Associate Director of ResLife Doreen Long said that community involvement was a key factor in the mural created in Miller Hall last year.

“The way they did it in Miller was to open [the mural] up to the whole building, through 10 or 11 little pictures within the elephant, each submitted by residents,” Long said.

Long said that this sort of collaboration might be helpful in setting the Hill Hall mural in motion and may offer the group a way to get funding.

“There might be another student group that they can work with or that will co-sponsor with them, like the [BEAT ]Bias team co-sponsored the mural in Miller,” Long said.

THE TUFTS DAILY

Friday, October 9, 2009

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NEWS | FEATURES

Khazei visits Tufts as part of grassroots campaign for vacant Senate seat KHAZEI continued from page 1

Washington.

“It has always been the young people who brought change to this country,” Khazei said, citing the civil rights movement, opposition to the war in Vietnam and the movement to make Earth Day a national holiday as examples.

“It’s you all who elected Barack Obama,” he told the students.

Khazei cofounded the service program City Year and served as its CEO until 2006.

He also founded and currently runs Be the Change, Inc., an organization dedicated to mobilizing citizens across the country to serve their communities.

Kennedy formally endorsed Khazei yesterday, beginning a four-day joint effort with the candidate to garner support across the state.

Kennedy echoed Khazei’s calls for continued efforts to overhaul the Democratic Party, citing a deadlock in Congress even after the 2008 elections stacked the advantage in the Democrats’ favor.

“We have sixty Democratic senators, and we still can’t pass health care,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy managed his late uncle’s 2000 re-

election campaign.

Khazei organized his visit to Tufts little more than two days ago. Freshman Eric Peckham, who runs the group Tufts for Khazei, said students rushed to publicize the event through their Facebook.com pages and by other means, with some members skipping class this morning to hand out fliers. This last-minute scheduling is consistent with Khazei’s larger campaign, as the candidate announced his candidacy considerably later than his competitors did. He hopes to sweep the Jan. 19 special election with a unique grass-roots effort.

As Khazei describes it, he has no money, no political name and no large organization backing him. He has sixty days to do what Barack Obama did in a year.

“I started with zero,” he said.

Khazei has refused to accept campaign donations from political action committees or lobbyists.

“I’m not taking a dime,” he said. “I don’t want to be beholden to anybody except you, the citizens and voters of Massachusetts.”

Khazei’s first step is to secure himself a place on the ballot, an effort that will kick off with a petition drive at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Khazei called on Tufts students to help in his last-ditch efforts.

“I’m going to ask you to dig deep, look at your schedules, put off your other extra-curricular activities and — don’t tell your professors — maybe skip a class or two,” he said.

“An hour is like a day, a day is like two weeks,” Khazei continued. “The pundits and the experts all say this can’t be done in sixty days. We need to show them it can be done.”

Khezei stressed the need for a “transformational approach” to multiple crises, citing the economy as the most immediate one.

In addition to stressing the need for green jobs and universal health care, Khazei supports charter schools and repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell military policy on homosexuality.

Khazei also told the Daily in an interview after his speech that he opposes a troop increase in Afghanistan unless Obama sets specific objectives for U.S. efforts. He also said Obama must set an appropriate timetable for American involvement in the country.

Khazei hopes to draw on his role in the Senate and his experience in service organizations to build coalitions of experts and

launch mass movements.

“I understand that you have to build movements for change,” Khazei said.

He applauded Tufts’ effort to promote active citizenship, such as the university’s LRAP loan forgiveness program for nonprofit service and the efforts of the Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service.

Khazai stressed that citizens of all ages and from all sectors must mobilize to bring about grassroots change.

He also emphasized his efforts working with the U.S. Congress over the past 22 years to pass legislation, most recently the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, which expanded funding and volunteers for AmeriCorps and similar organizations.

Regardless of whom they support, Khazei stressed that students should be involved in current politics. “The best way to honor Senator Kennedy is to have a gigantic turnout in this election,” Khazei said.

Khazei’s wife Vanessa Kirsch (LA ’87), who sits on the board of Tisch College, also spoke at the event. Earlier in the day, Khazei addressed students at Harvard University, his alma mater, where he enjoyed another big turnout.

JAMES CHOCA/TUFTS DAILY

The LGBT Center is one resource available to the queer community on campus, and hopes to reach out to the wider student body through interactive events.

Expansion of queer studies department in the works LGBT continued from page 1

students at 371 colleges. Students were asked to respond “yes” or “no” to the statement “Students, faculty and administrators treat all persons equally regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity/ expression.”

Bourdon’s main concern about the results of the survey lies in how prospective students will interpret them.

“Teenagers typically don’t stop to ask what measures were used, and who had the opportunity to actually respond to the questionnaire,” he said.

Nevertheless, Bourdon noted that potential students have many other resources at their disposal when trying to determine if a campus is accommodating to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. One such resource is Campusclimateindex. org, which uses more than 50 measures, and gives Tufts 4.5 out of 5 stars. Another is The Advocate’s “Guide for LGBT Students,” in

which Tufts ranks among the Top 20 “Gay Point Average” scores.

“I don’t think it’ll knock us down, but to have other reports that put Tufts on top is good for us,” Alex, a senior involved with the LGBT community and activities, said.

Alex did not give her last name because she wanted her sexuality to remain private.

More important than lists, however, are actual Tufts students’ experiences.

“I feel both safe and accepted here at Tufts,” Kim, a senior, said about her experience on campus.

Kim asked to be quoted anonymously out of concern for the privacy of her sexual identity. “I personally have never come across anyone who has an issue with my sexuality or who I am dating here at Tufts and I have also found that professors and staff on the whole are also very accepting.”

Alex added that despite a few discrimination incidents off campus, her experience has been positive.

Bourdon reported an increase in students visiting the Tufts LGBT

Center “just to hang out,” noting that it has always been one of his main goals “for the Center to feel like a space that students consider their second home.”

While the LGBT Center is a useful resource for many students, Kim feels many students do not feel the need to take advantage of it.

“A lot of gay people on campus do not even feel the need to go to these resources because they are so well accepted by their Tufts community as a whole,” she said.

While Tufts has achieved much in the way of creating a welcoming environment for LGBT students, Alex feels there is still work to be done.

“There’s a need for people to be more active in the community and not to be complacent,” she said, adding that studying in a liberal state like Massachusetts may lead to false assumptions that all states are equally as accepting. “[If more people] were more active and continued to fight it may improve things even further,” she said.

Bourdon expressed similar opinions, and he noted that one of the LGBT Center’s main goals is to encourage all people, not just gay students, to get involved in order to achieve a more universal understanding of LGBT issues.

Events such as “Guess the Straight Person”and LGBT training with different departments are ways in which Bourdon hopes to bring community members together.

Cindy Stewart, co-chair of the LGBT Faculty/Staff Caucus, explained that the Center is also working on an initiative to bridge the gap between LGBT students and faculty. This program focuses on “providing support and social networking for LGBT staff and faculty as well as creating an awareness that there are gay faculty members,” Stewart said.

Alex expressed excitement about the program. “Having faculty members who identify themselves as queer individuals will be really beneficial, because they’re an additional resource,” she said.

Another way in which the LGBT

community is expanding its audience is by offering more courses like Intro to Queer Studies. After an immensely successful spring semester, Professor Jennifer Burtner was asked to offer the course again in the fall due to the high student demand. Whereas the first semester attracted students who were already active in the LGBT and Women’s Centers and had wanted to take the course for a while, this semester has drawn students who are not necessarily familiar with queer theory.

Burtner, along with other faculty members, is currently in the beginning stages of expanding Tufts’ queer studies department and course offerings in order to meet the needs and requests of students.

Burtner explained that interest in LGBT issues is no longer limited to queer individuals. “[It is] not just about an identity; it’s a way of looking at the world, human rights and public service, understanding who you are and how you relate to people in larger society,” she said.

THE TUFTS DAILY

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NEWS | FEATURES

Maine Track program aims to educate students about practicing rural medicine MAINE continued from page 1

of out-of-state medical schools.

Students in the program are considered for scholarships in their first year that cut Tufts’ tuition in half, making it similar to what students would normally pay for in-state tuition at a regional medical school at a public university.

Maine Track is currently working towards continuing the scholarship throughout students’ following three years.

Both MMC and Tufts’ medical school are involved in the program’s admissions process and creating a curriculum which focuses on service in rural areas.

Graduates will receive a combined diploma from the Tufts School of Medicine and MMC. Robert Bruce, a student participating in the program and a Maine resident, said Maine Track appealed to him because he grew up in the rural town of Caratunk, Maine. Residents in his hometown, which had a population of 108 people according to the 2000

census, often had difficulty getting health care because hospitals were inaccessible.

“Where I grew up, the nearest hospital was 45 minutes away when the roads were good,” Bruce said. “It was difficult because, particularly for a lot of older people, that’s not feasible.”

The practical training in Maine will expose students participating in the program to an environment that will equip them with the skills necessary to practice rural health care. Beginning their medical studies in Boston, though, allows the new recruits to experience how health care functions in an urban setting.

“Being in Boston, just right in the center of a strong medical community, I’m looking forward to [visiting] a lot of these hospitals and getting the experiences,” said Jasmine Chiang, a student from Connecticut also participating in the program.

Chiang said her experience working at a farm exposed her to the numerous problems resi-

dents living in rural areas face.

Maine Track sparked her passion for practicing medicine in a rural community.

“More farmers are uninsured because they can’t afford health insurance,” she said. “They have a lot of injuries, ligaments torn and a lot of chronic repetitive injuries, [so] I wanted a chance to give back to the community.”

Janessa Nason, a student from Millinocket, Maine, is looking forward to bringing what she learns back home.

“I’m just looking forward to using the knowledge I gained from Tufts ... in help[ing] people in my home state,” Nason said.

Chiang said that she hopes to gain a “different perspective on medicine” while studying at Tufts. She believe that practicing medicine in a smaller community means more than just being a health care provider.

“When you’re a doctor in a rural community, [you’re also] a community leader, a friend and a family member,” she said.

based on a true story... unfortunately

I HOPE THEY SERVE BEER IN HELL

from the best-selling book by tucker max

IN THEATERS NOW!

Friday, October 9, 2009

CORRECTION The photo accompanying the article, “Alumni, others to ‘stampede’ in 5K” that ran in the paper on Oct. 8 incorrectly credited Joanie Tobin as the photographer. In fact, the photo was taken by Tufts Daily photographer Josh Berlinger.

Tufts students become more tolerant through social interaction, diverse education TOLERANCE continued from page 1

population at Tufts,” Hofmann said. “When you’re exposed, you inevitably become more tolerant.”

Hofmann represents the view of many other students — from not just Tufts, but other colleges around the United States.

A recent study conducted

by Professor Seth Ovadia of Bowdoin College and Professor Laura Moore of Hood College found that people with college degrees and those living in college communities tend to be more tolerant towards political views and diversity in areas of race, religion and sexual identity.

They also discovered that most evangelical Protestants who are tolerant towards atheists and homosexuals have college degrees.

Other published research has also yielded similar results.

James Q. Wilson, in his textbook “American Government,” concluded that attending college has a “big impact on [people’s] political attitudes” and that it proved especially true for students “who attended the most prestigious colleges.”

Similarly, many Tufts students, particularly upperclassmen, exhibit the same trend — attributing much of their changing mindset to exposure to different groups.

“I have absolutely become more tolerant in every way, [and] everyone I know has become more tolerant too,” senior Nick Lamm said. “[College] forces you to confront other social groups that you haven’t confronted before.”

International students, however, may express different viewpoints on Tufts’ level of exposure to diversity. Freshman Charmaine Poh came to Tufts after previously living in Singapore.

Having experienced exposure to other cultures before, she found that coming to Tufts was less of a leap.

“I’m already a [minority], being international — and it’s not really a problem,” Poh said. “But Tufts is doing [a] solid job in making people more tolerant.”

The already-open mindset of Tufts students may also help to make incoming international freshmen more comfortable in their new environment. Junior Ashley Asiedu-Frimpong, who is from Ghana, recalled that she was one of them.

“People were tolerant of my views when I arrived,” AsieduFrimpong said. “They were more excited about my differences than taken aback by it.”

Dr. Margery Davies, director of the Office of Diversity Education and Development, believes that the admissions process is the key aspect that creates the diverse atmosphere of students from radically different backgrounds.

“By having such a diverse student body, Tufts is then able to provide an extremely rich social and educational

setting for people to learn about their fellow and sister students’ diverse experiences, beliefs and approaches to life,” Davies said. “And it is this rich setting that makes such an excellent foundation for the development of critical thinking and the ability to understand diverse points of view, which can be such a hallmark of an excellent higher education.”

The office, created in 1998, collaborates with students and faculty to establish and develop activities, workshops, projects and consultations related to diversity issues.

According to Davies, the goal of these endeavors is to foster critical thinking among students. “[It] encourages them to think about many parts of their lives — not just the academic parts — from different points of view and encourages them to learn from others as a way of understanding a wide variety of approaches and beliefs,” Davies said.

“By having such a diverse student body, Tufts is then able to provide an extremely rich social and educational setting for people to learn about their fellow and sister students’ diverse experiences, beliefs, and approaches to life.”

Margery Davies director, Office of Diversity Education and Development Asiedu-Frimpong noticed differences between those who were college-educated and those who were not in her home town.

She said that her collegeeducated parents are less likely to be afraid of radical views, whereas those who are less educated may be wary of diversity and change.

In contrast, freshman Long Pan, whose parents did not attend college, feels that they are more conservative as a result.

“They [want] me to stick to Chinese people when I’m in college,” Pan said.

Although the education from both the Tufts curriculum and the Office of Diversity may play large roles in shaping students’ mindsets, many students still believe that their social networks have affected them the most.

Asiedu-Frimpong said that her classes had nothing to do with making her, or others, more tolerant to diversity or race. “It’s more the social scene,” she said.

Hofmann echoed a similar sentiment. “I don’t think education has much to do with it,” he said.

Arts & Living

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tuftsdaily.com

GALLERY REVIEW

Knep’s ‘Exempla’ uses interactive digital media to explore serious questions BY

REBECCA GOLDBERG | ABROADAWAY

Lifestyles of the rich & famous

ANNA MAJESKI

Daily Staff Writer

Boston-area artist Brian Knep reinterprets the drives that motivate humanity in his exhibit, “Exempla,”

I

Brian Knep: Exempla At the Koppelman Gallery, through Nov. 15 Tufts University Art Gallery Aidekman Arts Center 617-627-3158 now at the Koppelman Gallery in the Tufts University Art Gallery. Heavy topic though this may be, Knep makes the refreshing choice to breach the serious subject with a sense of humor.

Using an interactive digital medium and whimsically drawn creatures, in his six pieces Knep examines the impetus behind our choices as human beings.

The pieces, with titles such as “Escape” (2008), “Excel” (2009) and “Embark” (2009), are all projected onto the darkened gallery walls. The digital images begin with thousands of small stick-figure characters in a certain formation. The characters themselves resemble line drawings of eggs with crude faces, legs and arms. They are very expressive, evoking something between human and animal.

One piece starts with a projected grid with one animated character inside each square. The viewer can then manipulate this initial formation with the aid of a button, by turning a knob or by starting a timer. Each of the six pieces has a different tool with which the viewer can change the figures on the screen, and all produce COURTESY BRIAN KNEP FOR THE TUFTS UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY

see KNEP, page 6

Brian Knep’s show at the Tufts University Art Gallery intimately involves the visitor.

MOVIE REVIEW

FOOD FEATURE

Audiences soak in ‘Beaches’ BY

MONICA MOWERY

Contributing Writer

Enchanting trapeze artists on the beach, a crazy cartoon cat with a robotic voice, the protago-

The Beaches of Agnès nist dressed up as a talking potato

Starring Agnès Varda, Jacques Demy Directed by Agnès Varda YASEMINE DIKER/TUFTS DAILY

Petsi Pies (285 Beacon Street. in Somerville, accessible by the 96 bus from Davis Square) A small pie shop off the beaten path, Petsi Pies is tucked into a tiny nook of a building in Somerville. As the name implies, the bakery specializes in pies, not cupcakes. But have no fear — Petsi’s cupcakes are some of the best in town.

While there aren’t many choices, Petsi’s cupcakes are definitely worth the trip.

The whoopie cupcake, an all-chocolate cupcake with a whipped cream filling,

— all whimsical moments which make up the patchwork account of Agnès Varda’s life.

Surreal events, such as a complete office staff relocated to work on a sandy beach, mix with old footage and jolt viewers out of their comfort zones. Varda lets her imagination and playfulness shine through in every scene, creating a visual biography that accurately reflects her nature.

“The Beaches of Agnès” is not a strictly chronological story. More than a simple autobiographical documentary, it is a montage of memories and images, both historical and personal. A boat on a river from a bird’s-eye view, firstperson perspectives and shots from the ground looking up are

see CUPCAKES, page 7

see BEACHES, page 6

Tufts students don’t have to journey far to satisfy sugar-cravings.

Local shops take the cake for creative, decadent cupcakes BY

CATHERINE SCOTT

Daily Editorial Board

Ever want to escape the Tufts campus rut and explore the surrounding areas? Checking out the various bakery joints around campus in search of cupcakes is a fun and tasty way to explore new places. A day-long search for sugar revealed a few bakeries nearby that are bound to satisfy any cupcake-lover’s sweet tooth. Fortunately for Tufts students, three of the following bakeries are located conveniently in Somerville, with another shop in the center of Harvard Square for those who are willing to travel a bit further.

hadn’t been on the ground for an hour on my first day before I saw Tom Arnold in a restaurant. It wasn’t the most glamorous celebrity sighting, but I suppose it was a fitting introduction to the vernacular of L.A. Now I have an anecdote: You guys, I saw Tom Arnold in a restaurant. I already have more of these kinds of stories than the average bear (did you know I saw Bill O’Reilly in a unisex bathroom backstage at Radio City Music Hall?), but on the east coast, they don’t come up in conversation very often. Here, celebrity stories are a necessary part of speech, and people everywhere are dying to share theirs with you.

My roommate McKenzie, ever since she arrived, has picked up the habit of scanning every face she sees, trying to decide if she’s seen it before. And, as I’m finding out at every turn, her chances are surprisingly good. As an enthusiast of pop culture of all stripes, I suppose that my mental font of celebrities is larger than many, but it still seems like there is an excess supply of people in this town who, to a given person, can be considered “celebrities.”

Last week, I was in an all-night restaurant in Hollywood and saw two out of the three Hanson brothers, but I was the only person in my group who recognized them (yeah, I still listen to Hanson, what of it?). I was excited to see musicians I admire (stop judging me!), but McKenzie was just happy to see anybody.

The producer of “Attack of the Show!” who interviewed me for a potential internship asked, “How are you at dealing with talent?” It seems ridiculous that “talent” lives in a kind of rarefied air in L.A. — the air quality here is terrible anyway. But I can’t stop these ridiculous anecdotes from coming out of my mouth, even though I learned years ago that celebrities are just human beings too. All this obsession just seems like a waste of time.

Last night, I went to dinner in the Valley with Janet, the family friend who got me my “HIMYM” gig, and her husband Michael, who’s worked for years as a character actor in order to support his comedy writing. I catch him on TV all the time — an episode of “Seinfeld” here, a recurring role on “Hannah Montana” there. I suppose for many, he has one of those faces that is familiar but hard to place. He told me, “Since I did ‘Hannah Montana,’ I can’t walk into a Chuck E. Cheese without the place going apes--t.” I wasn’t sure if he was kidding.

He also relishes his celebrity stories more than anyone else I’ve talked to.

He eagerly shared his experiences with Miley, Courteney Cox, the Brady Bunch and Michael Jackson. He refers to them by their first names.

Watching E! with Janet and Michael was exhausting. “So-and-so actress is such a nice girl.” “What’s-his-name is really a messed-up guy.” Maybe I’m in the minority, but I don’t particularly want to hear it. I guess I read my fair share of celebrity Twitters, but there are far more people whom I don’t care about than those I do.

In a time when so many famous people have done nothing to earn their fame, there is an oversaturation of people in L.A. whom we’re all supposed to slobber after. And maybe this means that I’ll never fit in entirely in this town, but I don’t really have the energy to play along.

Rebecca Goldberg is a junior majoring in American studies. She can be reached at Rebecca.Goldberg@tufts.edu

THE TUFTS DAILY

6

Friday, October 9, 2009

ARTS & LIVING

‘Erect’ and ‘Embark’ prove to be thought-provoking works KNEP continued from page 5

different results.

The piece “Erect” (2009) starts with thousands of animated figures forming a massive, precariously wobbling, tower-like pile, which is projected into a simple, round area of light. Underneath the projection is a small metal knob which, when turned, causes the tower made out of the figures to collapse. The figures then turn around like socks in a dryer as the knob is continually turned by the viewer.

This collapse of the tower formation is not just caused by the viewer’s turning of the knob. After watching the projection for a while, it becomes clear that the wobbling tower formation made by the figures continuously collapses after a period of time. Despite the repeated collapses, the figures ceaselessly reform the same wobbling tower shape — only to fall once again.

This cycle is thus affected by two factors: the interference of an external stimulus (turning the knob) and the small figures’ own ceaseless efforts and failures. Knep makes a strong statement about the things humans strive to build and create, but which inevitably are destroyed by an outside force or simply fall to the

passage of time. Perhaps more disturbing is the implication that man will be the cause of the destruction of his own creations.

‘Exempla’ is a disarmingly entertaining exhibit that forces us to examine our own carless habits, the patterns we repeat without thought every day.

Another piece, entitled “Embark,” depicts a similarly fruitless scenario. This time, the projection of light is set up in two parallel, vertical test tube shapes. One of the test tubes is crowded with tiny drawn figures, all struggling and bumping around the shape of the projected light, while the other is more sparsely populated but with the same attempts at escape by the figures inside it. By holding down one of two blue buttons next to each projection, a bubble of light is formed, and a number of the small figures flock into it. This bubble then travels across the dark space in between the two

projections, melds with the other projection and releases the animated figures into the other test tube.

Pressing either button results in an ongoing migration of animated forms from one test tube to the next. But once an animated figure has reached the other side, its struggle to escape does not stop. Like the animated figures in “Erect,” the figures seem to be motivated by a ceaseless, irrational force that makes them set on one goal only — movement — with no regard for the result. “Embark” questions the purpose of the human desire for movement: Is it just a longing for change?

Are there any plans for our movements? Or are they just a way to leave behind a situation we have created for ourselves and will create again in a new location? Again, Knep brings up heavy questions in a whimsical manner.

“Exempla” is a disarmingly entertaining exhibit that forces us to examine our own ceaseless habits, the patterns we repeat without thought every day. What are the forces that drive us? Do we even think about what is behind our actions, or do we, like the animations in “Erect” and “Embark,” merely respond to stimuli?

COURTESY BRIAN KNEP FOR THE TUFTS UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY

Brian Knep presents unique and interactive works of art in his new exhibition.

Unconventional ‘Beaches of Agnès’ still manages to captivate viewers emotional at the end, when Varda talks about the sickness and death of her husband, Jacques Demy, who died of AIDS at age 59. She films roses and begonias lolling on the floor in memory of her husband.

Even though this film takes more effort to follow and enjoy than a predictable romantic comedy, it is worth it.

ROTTENTOMATOES.COM

Agnes: the black sheep of the family.

BEACHES continued from page 5 just some of the complexities used in the movie that make it stunning and unpredictable.

Agnès Varda is a renowned director who was part of the French New Wave, a movement that favored personal expression through film and long takes instead of many quick cuts. Her first film was “La Pointe-Courte” (1954), which she followed with what many call her most important film, “Cléo from 5 to 7” (1962). “The Gleaners and I” (2000) is a more recent film — a documentary about foraging, whether at flea markets, in fields or in trash bins.

Varda’s latest film begins with a windy day on a beach, as tilted mirrors reflect the waves and sand. Agnès plays herself, walking barefoot in the sand while directing the crew to set up the camera facing the ocean. Her fuchsia scarf blows in the wind, whipping across her face. The wavering mirrors are indicators of the feeling of the movie — a slightly disorienting view of reality.

“Beaches of Agnès” incorporates history as well as personal details of Varda’s life, giving every personal moment a historical context. Each decade has a different defining character for Varda — women’s liberation, hippies and peace ral-

lies, for example, characterize the sixties in America.

The movie is in French with English subtitles. The few words in English are jarring, breaking up the flowing French. In one scene, a couple has a nasty fight all in English, with the language making the cutting words seem even harsher.

The beautiful shots of the North Sea and later, the river beneath the Victoire and Tivoli Bridges, are continuous reminders of the importance of water and place.

Varda says that she calls any man who looks out on the sea Ulysses, because he does not want to return home. Her

enigmatic comments reveal a depth beyond her jokes and humor. The vivid, saturated colors highlight the environment in which Varda lives. The background bursts out of the screen, and the film keeps the viewer’s attention, waiting to see where Varda will go next.

This movie cannot be watched in the same way as a regular American action movie or chick flick. The viewer has to take each scene independently, as most of them are connected by nothing but Varda herself.

Even though this film takes more effort to follow and enjoy than a predictable romantic comedy, it is worth it.

The movie becomes more

The most powerful shots in the movie are the close-ups of her dying husband. Varda explains that she deals with his illness by filming. At first it is hard to tell that the snowy hair and sallow skin belong to Demy. In 1989, AIDS was shameful; he never talked about his illness to his family or friends.

The fragmentation of the documentary corresponds with Varda’s memory. She explains that her memory does not organize events by chronology; there is objective time, but also subjective time. Varda compares memory to “confused flies,” which appear in a grotesque scene showing flies buzzing and crawling all over a nude woman.

Reality is played with and distorted in this film. There are scenes in which four separate narratives happen in four squares on the screen; mirrors reflect the cameramen and sound equipment; and Varda’s face is superimposed over a shot of a desolate beach.

“If we opened me up, we’d find beaches,” Varda says in the film.

“Beaches” stretches out Varda’s vibrant experiences and visions in a luscious montage of comic, tragic and surreal moments. All the tiny grains of sand — in this case, the moments making up one woman’s life — grip the viewer from start to finish.

THE TUFTS DAILY

Friday, October 9, 2009

7

ARTS & LIVING

Local cupcake joints offer inexpensive, close-to-home sugar fix CUPCAKES continued from page 5

took the prize for best chocolate-onchocolate cupcake of the day. The coconut cupcake is generously topped with a mound of coconut shavings but should be saved for only the most dedicated of coconut fanatics.

Because Petsi’s is a small, self-owned business, customers might even get the chance to meet Renee McLeod, a.k.a. Petsi Petsi, a sweet Southern lady who started her bakery business in 2003. She still uses her grandmother’s pecan pie recipe.

Kickass Cupcakes (378 Highland Avenue in Davis Square) Most Tufts students are already familiar with this specialty cupcake bakery. What’s great about Kickass Cupcakes is its selection. On any given day, there are about 20 different flavors to choose from, including a few specialty flavors that change daily.

From Caramel Macchiato and Strawberry Shortcake to The Mojito and S’mores, this shop has something strange, unusual and delicious to suit every taste.

All of the specialty cupcakes are worth trying, especially the Strawberry Shortcake, which is probably the best strawberry cupcake of the Kickass bunch. The only downside to Kickass Cupcakes’ creations is that they are expensive for their size. Even though Kickass Cupcakes is the smallest of the four bakeries featured, regular cupcakes go for a pricey $2.75 each.

Kickass Cupcakes owner Sara Ross decided to open her shop after she moved from the West Coast to Boston and found no cupcake bakeries nearby. “We wanted to be near Tufts, as well as Harvard and other colleges, but Somerville also has an interesting mix of people,” said Ross.

Lyndell’s Bakery (720 Broadway, Somerville) Lyndell’s doesn’t specialize in cupcakes, but has a store conveniently located in Ball Square and has just opened a branch in the North End. This bakery has tons of

baked goods, but its cupcakes are definitely a favorite among students.

The cheapest of the four stores at $1.25 for a regular cupcake, there aren’t as many flavors as Kickass or Sweet, but Lyndell’s basics are some of the best out there. These are also some of the largest cupcakes, so Lyndell’s turn out to be the best bargain. The strawberry and orange cupcakes, which are simple and delicious, are some of the best flavored.

Lyndell’s also has some specialty flavors like Oreo and peanut butter, and if buying for a party, this bakery is the place to go. The only downside is that Lyndell’s is a traditional bakery, so there’s no place to sit down and eat cupcakes for those who need a sugar fix right away.

Sweet (Zero Brattle Street in Harvard Square) This is the second shop opened by Sweet owners, created to keep up with the ongoing demand for their treats after the success of their first store in Back Bay. Sweet’s popularity is evident, as people in Harvard Square are constantly coming in and out. With the start of school, Sweet seems to be the new hotspot for students.

Of the stores featured here, Sweet has the best decor and ambiance. It features a pink and brown scheme, retro movies and music and old-fashioned glass cases.

Courtney Forrester, the owner of Sweet, wanted her cupcake store to have a fun atmosphere. “We really wanted a whimsical location. We were really lucky to find some fun wallpaper with lots of space and natural light where everyone can see the community around them,” said Forrester.

Sweet also offers a great variety of cupcake selections, with about two dozen flavors offered every day. The shop has a bunch of new flavors to celebrate fall like Chocolate Orange, Salted Chocolate and Caramel Apple. The cupcakes are quite expensive here, but after one bite, ultimate deliciousness seems worth any price.

Tufts Programs Abroad Upcoming InformationAL Pizza Parties

Tufts in Chile: Wednesday, 10/14 at 6:00 pm Dowling Hall 745B

Tufts in Ghana: Monday, 10/19 at 6:00 pm Dowling Hall 745B

Tufts in Hong Kong: Wednesday, 10/21 at 6:00 pm Dowling Hall 745B

Come learn more about our programs! http://uss.tufts.edu/studyabroad

The Leonard Carmichael Society

Still looking for a chance to get involved in community service?

Opportunities are still available!

Food Rescue: Join food Rescue and get to know The Medford/Cambridge area as you deliver food to Casper’s Homeless Shelter, pick up leftover food from local restaurants and drop it off at the shelter in Cambridge. Commitment is roughly 1.5 hours per shift, for one of seven shifts per week.

Drivers and non-drivers needed.

Contact: LcsFoodRescue@gmail.com

Big Brothers Big Sisters: Become a mentor for a youth within the Medford/Somerville area. Big Brothers Big Sisters is the oldest and largest youth mentoring organization in the country, and studies show that after one year of mentoring a “littles” are more likely to graduate high school, attend college, avoid alcohol, drugs, and violence. Commitment is 45 minutes a week at Peabody Elementary school, a 5 minute walk from Davis Square.

Contact : TuftsBBBS@gmail.com

Best Buddies: The Tufts chapter pairs college students with adults who have mild to moderate intellectual disabilities to form meaningful friendships. Buddy pairs meet weekly at a local organization where the buddies are employed (less than a 5 minute walk from campus) and attend periodic chapter-wide events together. This is an opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life who may have otherwise never had the experience!

Contact: Lcs.BestBuddies@gmail.com

Special Olympics: Help coach any one of a number of sports including soccer, swimming, flag football, basketball, and much more! Or just volunteer anytime and enjoy a rewarding experience. No athletic ability required. Also, help us organize or volunteer at a Special Olympics fundraising event including the Jolly Jaunt, the Toga Run, or Polar Plunge!

Contact: Lcs.Special.Olympics@gmail.com

Sex Talk: This group’s mission is to promote accurate and frank discussion about sex and sexuality. Join today and help endorse open discussion about sex.

Contact : LcsXTalk@gmail.com

THE TUFTS DAILY

8 CROSSWORD

COMICS

DOONESBURY

Friday, October 9, 2009 BY

GARRY TRUDEAU

NON SEQUITUR

BY

SOLUTIONS TO THURSDAY’S PUZZLE

MARRIED TO THE SEA

www.marriedtothesea.com

SUDOKU Level: Finding a doctor in rural Maine

LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Solution to Thursday's puzzle

Alex: Do you guys think I’d fit in an adult-medium bunny suit?

Please recycle this Daily

WILEY

THE TUFTS DAILY

Friday, October 9, 2009

9

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THE TUFTS DAILY

10 “

Canadiens look to new signings for results

★★★ A SCREAM!

INSIDE NHL

ANARCHY RULES!”

continued from page 11

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is known for his emphasis on defensive play. With that in mind, it was inevitable that Gainey would have to bring on some tough blue-liners to appease his new skipper.

To fit the bill, Gainey acquired Hal Gill, Jaroslav Spacek and Paul Mara. Gill brings 11 years of NHL experience with him to Montreal, not to mention a very respectable plus-minus of +11 as a member of the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins last year.

Martin clearly already sees Gill’s importance to the team and has named him one of the assistant captains to start the season.

The performance of these three newcomers is going to be even more crucial since the Habs’ best defenseman, Andrei Markov, suffered a freak injury in the season opener against Toronto that will sideline him for at least four months. The pressure should be eased slightly, though, by Gainey’s most recent move: inking Marc-Andre

Bergeron to a one-year deal on Tuesday. With 14 goals last season, seven of them on the power play, Bergeron could be a big boost on special teams as well.

Despite Gainey’s clear willingness to explore all options to improve his team, he chose to maintain the status quo at what might be the most crucial position on the ice. Carey Price, a 22-year-old, will be between the pipes at the Bell Centre this year.

In just his third season, Price looks to be one of the NHL’s most promising young goaltending prospects and, when he is on, the Canadiens will have absolutely no excuse to lose.

In his rookie year, Price notched 24 wins in 42 games and posted a 2.56 GAA and .920 SV%. He led all rookie netminders that year in both wins and save percentage, as well as shutouts (three). Though he struggled a bit through his sophomore year and his postseason performance was abysmal, Price looks to have righted the ship, stopping 77 of the first 81 shots he faced in Montreal’s first

★★★★★” Jumbos aim to host NESCAC

A.O. SCOTT,

“

Tournament in November VOLLEYBALL continued from page 12

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outs of the season, with approximately 150 fans in attendance cheering on Helgeson and Feiger in their final regular-season game in Medford. Among these fans was University President Lawrence Bacow, who said that he was enjoying his first time watching sports in the new Cousens Gym, which opened this fall.

“This is actually the first time that there’s been a home game when I haven’t had a function,” said President Bacow, who was in Detroit the day before and said that as soon as the game ended he had to head back home to pack for a trip to Chicago. “It’s fun to be here, and this gym looks fabulous — I can’t wait to see what it looks like with fans on all four sides!”

The Jumbos finished with a perfect 10-0 record at home,and, after its latest victory over Bowdoin, the team improved its NESCAC record to 3-0.

The next stage of the season, however, looks to be

more challenging. The Jumbos will spend the rest of the year — the bulk of their NESCAC schedule — on the road, facing such stiff competition as Colby and Williams.

“It’s fun to have home games, but I think that now we’ve found our confidence [and] learned how to play with each other,” Joyce-Mendive said. “It’s good to take it on the road. We always want to win in our house, but now we can try to win in their house.”

Due to the competitiveness of the conference, Tufts will most likely need to run the gauntlet and go undefeated in the NESCAC in order to earn the right to host the postseason tournament at Cousens Gym in November. While the seniors were happy with their send-off Wednesday night, they plan to ensure that Wednesday’s win will not be the last home victory of their Tufts careers.

“We’re so ready for NESCAC games to be coming up,” Feiger said. “We’ll be back.

We’re confident in that. This is not my last home game.”

two games of the year. He clearly struggled Wednesday, however, in a lopsided 7-1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks. Montreal will have to hope that was just a small hiccup.

The high turnover during the offseason makes Montreal one of the most open-ended teams this year. Of the team’s top-five point scorers from last year, only two remain. And with Markov, second on the team with 64 points, out for the better part of the year, there are definitely some holes to fill.

In order to compete this season, Montreal is going to have to up its offensive production in a big way. The Habs finished just thirteenth in the league in scoring last year, while Stanley Cup contestants the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins were first and sixth, respectively. But even more crucial to the Canadiens will be the speed with which their new members gel on the ice and adjust to life under the hockey microscope that is Montreal.

Tufts begins key stretch on Saturday WOMEN’S SOCCER continued from page 12

helped orchestrate a run through the Tufts defense and found junior Sofia Vallone, whose shot from the 18-yard mark found the lower left corner of the Tufts net, pushing the final margin to 2-0.

The loss dropped the Jumbos back to .500 ahead of what very well could be the biggest stretch of the squad’s season.

Tufts will play three NESCAC games in a span of seven days beginning with tomorrow’s homecoming clash against Colby. With all three contests at home, the Jumbos know that this is the time to solidify a spot in the top of the NESCAC standings, in which they currently rank fourth.

“Basically at practice [yesterday] no one was thinking about [ Wednesday’s game],” Siegner said. “Everyone was looking to Saturday ... This is our chance to make a statement and win three games in a row — which we have not done this season — and solidify our place in the NESCAC.”

Editors' Challenge | Week 5 Famed fashion model Derek Zoolander once philosophically asked, “Have you ever wondered if there was more to life other than being really, really, ridiculously goodlooking?” Some might find the sports editors asking the same question, but, instead of pondering what lies beyond ravishing appearances, the Daily staff could ask if there’s anything else other than being ridiculously good at picking football games.

Much like the New Orleans Saints or the New York Giants, the sports section continued to roll through the NFL, as all editors picked at least nine games correctly last week.

This came after a Week Three in which they all correctly identified at least 11 winners.

But with the season progressing, the contenders are beginning to separate themselves from the ridiculously tall and the oddly short. Atop the standings for the second week in a row is “The Best” Steve Smith, who remains one game ahead of Phil OVERALL RECORD LAST WEEK

Steve 48-14 11-3

Cleveland at Buffalo Dallas at Kansas City Minnesota at St. Louis Oakland at NY Giants Tampa Bay at Philadelphia Pittsburgh at Detroit Washington at Carolina Cincinnati at Baltimore Atlanta at San Francisco Jacksonville at Seattle Houston at Arizona New England at Denver Indianapolis at Tennessee NY Jets at Miami

Buffalo Dallas Minnesota NY Giants Philadelphia Pittsburgh Carolina Baltimore San Francisco Jacksonville Arizona New England Indianapolis NY Jets

Phil 47-15 11-3

Sapna 46-16 10-4

Buffalo Cleveland Dallas Dallas Minnesota Minnesota NY Giants NY Giants Philadelphia Philadelphia Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Carolina Carolina Cincinnati Baltimore San Francisco San Francisco Jacksonville Seattle Arizona Arizona New England New England Indianapolis Indianapolis NY Jets NY Jets

“Bleep Button My Effin A” Dear after both went 11-3 last week.

Currently lodged in a three-way tie for second place are Sapna “Traitor” Bansil, Evan “Mojo” Cooper and Jeremy “El Presidente” Greenhouse, all of whom sit at 46-16. Greenhouse had the best week out of all editors at 12-2, while Cooper went 11-3 and Bansil 10-4.

Two games behind the trio are Dave “The Champ” Heck and Alex “Sundown” Prewitt, comfortably at 44-18 apiece. Further down the ladder is Ethan “Twin-kie” Landy, who went 10-4 last week to fall down to 42-20, and Mike “Fezzik” Spera, eight games back of first-place at 40-22.

Taking time off from his busy schedule of photographing stand-still objects on his dorm room desk to make some editorial picks is James “Sideways Polka” Choca.

Evan 46-16 11-3

Jeremy 46-16 12-2

Dave 44-18 10-4

Alex 44-18 11-3

Ethan 42-20 10-4

MIke 40-22 9-5

GUEST James Choca

Buffalo Dallas Minnesota NY Giants Philadelphia Pittsburgh Washington Baltimore Atlanta Jacksonville Arizona New England Indianapolis NY Jets

Buffalo Dallas Minnesota NY Giants Philadelphia Pittsburgh Carolina Baltimore San Francisco Jacksonville Houston New England Indianapolis NY Jets

Buffalo Dallas Minnesota NY Giants Philadelphia Pittsburgh Carolina Baltimore San Francisco Seattle Houston New England Indianapolis Miami

Buffalo Dallas Minnesota NY Giants Philadelphia Pittsburgh Carolina Baltimore Atlanta Jacksonville Arizona New England Indianapolis NY Jets

Buffalo Dallas Minnesota NY Giants Philadelphia Pittsburgh Carolina Baltimore Atlanta Seattle Arizona New England Indianapolis Miami

Buffalo Dallas Minnesota NY Giants Philadelphia Pittsburgh Carolina Baltimore Atlanta Jacksonville Arizona New England Indianapolis NY Jets

Cleveland Dallas Minnesota NY Giants Philadelphia Pittsburgh Carolina Baltimore San Francisco Seattle Arizona New England Indianapolis NY Jets

THE TUFTS DAILY

Friday, October 9, 2009

11

SPORTS

INSIDE THE NHL

It’s game time for hockey fans in Montreal BY

EVAN COOPER

Daily Editorial Board

In the NHL, there is nothing quite like playing for the Montreal Canadiens. In a city situated right in the heartland of hockey country, without another professional sports team other than the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL — if they really count — it would be a significant understatement to say that the Montreal natives are hockey-crazed.

To an extent, the Canadiens are like the New York Yankees of hockey. With 24 Stanley Cup titles, they are the most successful hockey franchise in history. They play in a city where every player, from the All-Star veteran to the unproven rookie, is under the constant scrutiny of their fans.

And just like their Bronx brethren, the Habs have had some playoff struggles of late. Since winning their last Cup in 1993, the Canadiens have not advanced past the second round of the postseason.

The Canadiens spent this past offseason loading up on payroll in true Yankee fashion, striving to make a run at a 25th championship and a return to their former glory.

In an effort to reinvent the team, which suffered a first-round playoff loss last year at the hands of the archrival Boston Bruins, General Manager Bob Gainey virtually put together an entirely new squad.

One of Gainey’s most highly touted moves was the signing of Scott Gomez from the New York Rangers. Though Gomez, totaling 58 points last year, is coming off his least productive season since 2002-03, the Canadiens are hopeful that they will be getting the Scott Gomez of old for this year.

Over the course of seven seasons with the New Jersey Devils, a span that included two Stanley Cup victories, Gomez averaged 64 points per season. Additionally, Gomez has had only one season with fewer than 40 assists since breaking into the NHL in 1999. With a keen sense of the ice and an uncanny instinct for finding his teammates through the heaviest of traffic, Gomez has the potential to be an offensive sparkplug for the Canadiens.

As fate would have it, Gainey also brought in Gomez’s former New Jersey linemate Brian Gionta. In the post-lockout season in 2005-06, both Gomez and

MCT

Former New Jersey Devil Brian Gionta is expected to play a key role on the new-look Canadiens.

Gionta posted career-high marks with 84 points (33 G, 51 A) and 89 points (48, 41), respectively. The two have already shown signs of the chemistry they once had, as Gomez assisted Gionta’s overtime gamewinner against the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday.

Coming off a career-best 82 points last season, Mike Cammalleri should be the final component of this line. Last season, the 27-year-old led the Calgary Flames with 39 goals — six of them gamewinners — and ranked second on the team in points. Cammalleri could also provide a major boost to the Canadiens’ lackluster power play, which last year finished with a lowly 19.3 percent success rate. Cammalleri lit the lamp 19 times last season with the man advantage, tying the

Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin for second in the league.

Through four games, in which the Canadiens are 2-2, this potent trio has already contributed seven combined points, one fourth of the team’s total output. Not coincidentally, they accounted for five points in the Habs’ first two contests of the season — both overtime wins — but were held to just two over the next pair of games, both of which Montreal lost.

Behind the bench, Gainey also made a major coaching change, hiring 15-year coaching veteran Jacques Martin. Martin, who ranks 10th all-time in wins and has guided eight squads to the playoffs, see INSIDE NHL, page 10

Tufts surrenders early lead to Plymouth St. BY

CLAIRE KEMP

Sometimes a game can turn on a dime.

In the Tufts men’s soccer team’s Wednesday match against the non-conference Plymouth St. Panthers, reversal took only fifteen minutes.

MEN’S SOCCER (1-5-2, 0-3-1 NESCAC) at Plymouth, N.H., Wednesday Plymouth St. Tufts

0 1

2 0

2 1

Though the 1-5-2 Jumbos held a first-half lead, their one-goal edge quickly dissolved in the final fifteen minutes of second-half play and the Jumbos fell 2-1. With the loss to the 7-4-0 Panthers, the Tufts squad moves to 1-2-1 against non-conference opponents.

A combination of Panthers penalty shot opportunities and a breakdown on defense spelled disaster for the Jumbos’ halftime lead. With 12:24 to play, Panther senior forward Semir Mehmedovic found the back of the net to tie the game 1-1 on the first in a set of two penalty kicks. The kicks were awarded after a Tufts defender was called for pulling Mehmedovic down during his offensive drive.

With just over 3 minutes remaining, a rare slip-up by Tufts’ defense set up the second penalty kick, which Mehmedovic capitalized on once again. Mehmedovic is three-for-three on penalty kicks this season and leads the Little East Conference in scoring with eleven goals.

“It was one of our best-played games,” senior tri-captain Bear Duker said. “Our defense played very well all game and our one breakdown unfortunately led to a pen-

Brett Favre craps flowers

I

MEN’S SOCCER

Contributing Writer

ETHAN FRIGON | THE BEARD ABIDES

alty kick. We’ve been unlucky; one or two mistakes and we get punished.”

It was an unfortunate end to a game that Tufts controlled throughout much of the first half, maintaining almost exclusive possession of the ball through the first twenty minutes of play. At 26:39 the Jumbos’ offensive pressure proved successful as Duker headed the ball into the right side of the net off a feed by sophomore defenseman Rafael Ramos-Meyer 40 yards outside the box. This goal marked the end of scoring chances for either team in the opening 45 minutes.

In the second half, the Panthers picked up their play to match the momentum of the Jumbos. With 25:00 to go, Mehmedovic was denied his first scoring opportunity of the game when Tufts’ senior goalkeeper Pat Tonelli made a diving save to deflect a free kick shot over the cross bar.

Six minutes later, the Jumbos almost extended their lead as senior forward Dan Schoening took the ball down the left, eluding the Panther defense only to hit the goal post on a crossing shot. The drive displayed both the Jumbos’ offensive talent and unfortunate luck.

“So far in the season, the ball just hasn’t bounced our way,” sophomore midfielder Matt Blumenthal said. “Reffing decisions haven’t gone our way and with shots hitting the crossbar and posts we haven’t been able to find the back of the net as much as we should have. I think with a little luck we could go on a roll because we definitely have the talent.”

Even with the game tied and time running out, Tufts’ offense went on the attack again. Junior forward Alex Lach got a head on the team’s fifth and final corner kick with just over seven minutes left. Panthers freshman goalkeeper Bjorn Ohlsson made

a diving save to deny the last significant opportunity for Tufts in the game. In all, Ohlsson was forced to make four saves in the match and saw shots on goal from five different Tufts players, a testament to the Jumbos’ offensive potential.

Overall, the Jumbos finished with two more corner kicks than the Panthers but were out-shot 15 to 11. Tonelli had five saves on the day.

“If we buried one or two of our multiple chances they wouldn’t have had a chance,” said Duker, referring to the team’s offensive frustrations. “We’ve had trouble scoring, but with one little spark that will change.”

In what could be the light at the end of the tunnel for the struggling Tufts squad, this Saturday’s Homecoming match pits the Jumbos against the lowly 0-4-1 Colby Mules, a NESCAC squad that sits at the bottom of the conference standings. If that’s not enough, the possibility of a NESCAC postseason is dependent on a decisive win.

With the top eight teams qualifying and Tufts locked in eighth with Bates, which the team tied this past Saturday, the Jumbos must prove their strength over the ninthplace Mules.

However, the match is not a sure win.

Colby ranks above Tufts in conference standings on overall goals and goals per game, and sits second only to Williams in shots for the season — a stat in which Tufts ranks lowest in the NESCAC. In order to win, Tufts will have to avoide slip-ups like off-sides and yellow cards, two categories in which they lead the conference.

Still, the Jumbos are confident about tomorrow’s showdown.

“We have the skills,” Blumenthal says.

“And it being our Homecoming in front of our fans, us wanting it more and knowing how big a game it is will give us the edge.”

sincerely hope every one of you watched Monday Night Football this week. If not, you missed the pinnacle of the greatest event in sports, ESPN and probably sports journalism in its entirety: Brett Favre’s first game against his former team, the Green Bay Packers — admittedly a particularly surreal sight that could’ve only been made weirder had it been played at Lambeau.

Still, the Worldwide Leader rose to near-insane levels of hyperbole, unabashedly calling the game the “biggest regular season game in years.”

Inevitably, the most gushing praise was reserved for the Ole Gunslinger himself. No fewer than three ESPN talking heads referred to him as “magical” on various editions of SportsCenter throughout the day.

The game played out exactly as the network hoped, with Number 4 (apparently) looking like the “vintage Favre of 1997.” Granted, Favre did look pretty impressive, making a handful of throws that only three or four other current quarterbacks would’ve been capable of.

However, anyone who wasn’t blinded by the Metrodome glare off of Favre’s halo could’ve seen that Green Bay’s secondary played as weak a game as any unit in the NFL has this season. And their front seven didn’t look much better. On one play, Favre had a full 8-Mississippi to find a receiver. Even JaMarcus Russell could’ve located an open wideout with that kind of time.

With any other quarterback, this shoddy coverage would’ve been made clear by midway through the first quarter, but with Favre it was barely noted at all. Apparently some of Brett’s magic wore off on the announcers, with Mike Tirico declaring with a full quarter left to play that, “Number 4 has done it one more time,” and Ron Jaworski going so far as to exclaim, “no 40-year old [quarterback] has ever won a playoff game; I think he’ll get that one too.” It’s the first week in October!

Never before has a network lavished this level of love on a single player. What makes its warm and tingly feelings even weirder is the disconnect that exists between ESPN and its viewing public, the overwhelming majority of whom abjectly hate Favre. I don’t know anyone besides my idiot brother who doesn’t think that Brett Favre is an ass. Hell, I want to punch myself in the face just for writing a column about the self-centered turd.

On the other hand, ESPN’s blatant over-promotion serves a distinct purpose. Love him or hate him, ESPN has pretty much forced the diehard sports fan to have a completely polarized opinion of the man. And polarized opinions mean a public that’s compelled to watch a game that it otherwise would have little to no interest in.

To this end, every word every SportsCenter anchor and analyst uttered about him in the past week paid off. The game drew 21.84 million viewers, which was not only the largest audience in ESPN and Monday Night Football history, but also in the history of cable television. The Worldwide Leader got that way by knowing what it’s doing, and the Favre saga is simply the latest example.

So expect more of Stuart Scott asking questions like (to Bernard Berrian), “What was the funniest thing Brett said on the sidelines?”

At least one man, Jon Gruden, understood how comical the situation was and responded by delving into over-thetop satire. Gruden openly declared that leading a second-quarter scoring drive, “cements [Favre] as a living legend.”

He then opined, over practice footage from 1994 — when Gruden was Favre’s QB coach — of Favre hitting wide open receivers, that “I love being associated with this guy,” and in a heartrending show of emotion said, “I miss him.”

Wait. He was serious? Jesus.

Ethan Frigon is a junior majoring in economics and international relations. He can be reached at Ethan.Frigon@tufts.edu.

Sports

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INSIDE Inside the NHL 11 The Beard Abides 11 Men’s Soccer 11

tuftsdaily.com

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Jumbos send seniors off in style with resounding win BY

BEN KOCHMAN

Contributing Writer

The final regular-season home game for senior co-captains Brogie Helgeson and Dena Feiger was business as usual VOLLEYBALL Cousens Gym, Wednesday Bowdoin Tufts

SCOTT TINGLEY/TUFTS DAILY

Senior co-captain Brogie Helgeson helped Tufts wrap up its regular-season home schedule Wednesday night with a victory over Bowdoin.

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for the women’s volleyball team, which improved to 17-1 with a dominant threeset victory over NESCAC rival Bowdoin on Senior Day. Since Feiger and Helgeson came to Tufts as freshmen, the Jumbos have posted an impressive record of 88-26.

And in the last two years, when the dynamic duo has been more prominently featured in the lineup, the team’s record has been an even more impressive 43-5.

“The team did a really great job of making Senior Night special for us,” said Feiger, who last week became the second Tufts senior in a row to be named NESCAC Player of the Week. “After four years on the team, it was a great night … we got to play a NESCAC team in our house and beat them in three [sets] in our last regular-season match here at home.”

Bowdoin came into Wednesday’s matchup riding a five-game winning streak, but the Polar Bears’ defense struggled to contain the Jumbos’ junior outside hitters Caitlin Updike and Dawson Joyce-Mendive, as they compiled 15 and 13 kills, respectively.

Updike, who came into the match aver-

aging just over three kills per set, averaged five kills per set in Wednesday’s match. The Polar Bears, on the other hand, did not have one player who totaled more than six kills in the entire contest.

Tufts’ outside hitters did a solid job of getting around a stout Bowdoin front line, which features two players over six feet tall (the Jumbos, by comparison, have one). In Tufts’ first matchup with Bowdoin in September, the Polar Bears had 9.5 team blocks. On Wednesday, that number was only four. The Tufts offensive attack stressed quickness and accomplished its goal with great efficiency, seemingly scoring at will all night.

“When you have a big block, it is important for your offense to run quickly,” coach Cora Thompson said. “If the set is high, the two blockers are going to be there waiting. You can’t hit through [the Bowdoin block defense], they’re a very strong team. For us the importance is to be quick with our ball control and make sure that we beat the block, and that’s what Dawson and Updike were doing tonight.”

Wednesday’s straight-set victory was the seventeenth consecutive win for the Jumbos following a season-opening loss to UMass Boston — the program’s longest string of consecutive victories this decade. With the win, this year’s Tufts squad surpassed the previous record of 16 straight victories which it had jointly held with the 2004 team that finished with a 28-6 record and made it to the finals of the NESCAC Tournament.

Senior Night at Cousens Gymnasium featured one of the largest fan turnsee VOLLEYBALL, page 10

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Offense goes cold, Jumbos fall to Brandeis BY

ETHAN LANDY

Daily Editorial Board

Coming off of its best offensive performance of the season, the Tufts women’s soccer team WOMEN’S SOCCER (4-4, 2-2 NESCAC) Kraft Field, Wednesday Brandeis Tufts

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seemed primed to start off a four-game home stand with a victory over a reeling Brandeis team. But instead, the Jumbos walked off Kraft field yesterday with a frustrating 2-0 loss.

Brandeis came in on the heels of two straight one-goal losses, and had not beaten Tufts since 2004. The team’s recent ineptitude dropped the Judges from No. 7 in the New England Regional Rankings to No. 9, allowing Tufts to assume its old spot at seventh. But the Jumbos, who split their two previous non-conference matchups this season, were unable to justify the rankings.

“We all came out of the game feeling like we could have, should have won,” sophomore Laney Siegner said. “But sometimes it doesn’t work out. We just need to reevaluate.”

Though the Jumbos’ offense looked lively early on, Brandeis struck the first blow in the 25th

minute. Junior forward Tiffany Pacheco and sophomore midfielder Mimi Theodore, the Judges’ two leading scorers, combined to push through what would stand as the winning goal. Pacheco sent a long shot from the right side that Tufts senior goalkeeper Kate Minnehan batted away directly to the waiting feet of Theodore, who rocketed it into the back of the net.

Tufts had its fair share of opportunities to equalize the game in both halves. With just over six minutes remaining in the first half, sophomore Alix Michael dribbled through the Brandeis defense and found classmate Jamie Love-Nichols, whose shot hit the left post.

It was not the only chance at the end of the half for Tufts, as Brandeis’ senior goalkeeper Hilary Rosenzweig made a stop on junior Bailey Morgan’s low shot in the final minute.

“Hitting the post is a frustrating part of the game,” Michael said. “Instead of getting down, we just tried to keep pushing through. That is an aspect of the game you just have to learn to deal with.”

The Jumbos threatened to knot the game once more in the 57th minute when junior defender Sarah Nolet drilled a shot from outside the box at the Judges’ net. But the pipes denied Tufts once again as the

JOSH BERLINGER/TUFTS DAILY

Sophomore forward Jamie Love-Nichols nearly scored what would have been the equalizing goal in the first half of the game against Brandeis, but her shot hit the left post. blast ricocheted off the crossbar In all, Tufts managed just four second-half shots in its bid to tie the game.

“I don’t think the shots were a very good indication of the flow of the game,” Michael said. “We definitely had more opportunities than

the shots would indicate. Their defense hunkered down and we couldn’t get it in the back of the net. Sometimes it just doesn’t happen.”

“Obviously we got a little unlucky hitting the post and the crossbar, but that’s soccer. Sometimes the best team

doesn’t always win, and that has been happening to us lately,” Siegner added.

Brandeis put the game away with five minutes remaining, again in large part thanks to Theodore. The second-year see WOMEN’S SOCCER, page 10