2009-10-21

THE TUFTS DAILY

Sunny 62/48

TUFTSDAILY.COM

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2009

VOLUME LVIII, NUMBER 28

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

With broad definition, hazing more prevalent than perceived BY

ELLEN KAN

Daily Editorial Board

Even if someone doesn’t say no, they’re not necessarily saying yes.

Every Tufts student hears this during orientation programming — but not everyone realizes that the logic applies to hazing.

“Things might sound like they involve optional participation,” Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman said, “but social pressure to participate is substantial enough to [undermine] that word optional.”

And while hazing is often associated with Greek organizations, interviews with representatives from a variety of student organizations reveal that the problem is prevalent in many walks of campus life — especially given the university’s liberal definition.

“This is not specifically a Greek community issue; it’s something that many Tufts students encounter during their time at col-

TIEN TIEN/TUFTS DAILY

”Sexiling” is a more widespread problem than sex acts when roommates are present, at least according to one former RA.

Some laud new sex policy, but most do not feel its effects BY

AXEL TONCONOGY Daily Staff Writer

When the Office of Residential Life and Learning (ResLife) implemented its nowinfamous sex policy, it had people exactly like Arturo Gomez Toro in mind.

Gomez Toro, a sophomore, says he had a number of unfortunate experiences last year while living in Tilton Hall.

“I did not enjoy having to step out of the room simply because my roommate found it acceptable to have sex during broad daylight, several feet away from where I was standing,” he said. “I felt a mix of anger, embarrassment and disgust as I had to cover up the phone on a long distance call with my mother so she wouldn’t hear the noises coming from four feet away.”

ResLife’s new regulation prohibiting students from engaging in sexual activity

see HAZING, page 2

Quidditch team comes to Tufts BY

BRENT YARNELL

Contributing Writer

in dorm rooms while their roommates are present has garnered an array of student responses. Many have said the policy went a step too far by interfering in personal issues, but others consider it reasonable.

“I think it’s an intelligent way to enforce the overnight guest policy because, as nice as someone may be, nobody wants the [girlfriend, boyfriend] or hook-up buddy of their roommate treating [the] room like a honeymoon suite,” Gomez Toro said. He believes that problems arise often enough to warrant a policy clarification.

Additionally, he said, societal norms have shifted so that nowadays “there is no shame in having a third party in the room while engaging in what has traditionally been a private act.”

Gomez Toro’s freshman year roommate declined to comment for the record.

Tufts’ newest sports team is perhaps its most unorthodox.

Started this semester, Tufts’ Quidditch team adapts the magical sport depicted in author J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series into one playable by mere “muggles.”

The newly founded team held its second-ever practice on the Residential Quad last Saturday. It consisted of a series of intrasquad scrimmages between two sub-teams, the Chudley Cannons and Puddlemere United.

While the names of the sub-teams change weekly, they are always taken from the Potter series.

Unlike the wizards in Rowling’s novels, Tufts players do not have the luxury of flying broomsticks, nor do they use magic of any kind.

“It’s basically an adopted version of the game from the books,” said junior Molly Newman, headmaster of the team’s parent organization, the Harry Potter Society.

see SEX POLICY, page 3

see QUIDDITCH, page 2

Coming Out Day marked by increased involvement

BY SAUMYA VAISHAMPAYAN

Daily Editorial Board

Last Wednesday’s National Coming Out Day (NCOD) celebration, marked by particularly strong community involvement, capped what the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Center sees as an increasingly receptive environment at the university.

A crowd of Tufts students, faculty and staff packed the lower patio of the campus center for the annual NCOD rally, surprising organizers with a considerably larger turnout than former rallies.

Junior Simon Katz, treasurer of the Queer Straight Alliance, which organizes and runs the rally, was amazed by the turnout and enthusiasm of the crowd, noting improvements from prior years.

“We were very impressed with how [the rally] happened this year,”

lege,” said senior Becca Weinstein, director of public relations for the Panhellenic Council, which oversees Tufts’ sororities.

Massachusetts state law defines hazing as conduct that “willfully or recklessly endangers the physical or mental health of any student or other person.” But Tufts’ policy goes farther than that, labeling hazing as “any action taken or situation created, intentionally … to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment or ridicule.”

It proceeds to name activities that could fit the bill, listing some seemingly benign events, such as scavenger hunts and treasure quests, along with the more widely recognized forms of coercion like drinking games and forced consumption of substances.

A member of one artistic performance group on campus described an initiation

TIEN TIEN/TUFTS DAILY

A student on Tufts’ new Quidditch team catches the Quaffle during practice on the ResQuad.

Senate looks to put its stamp on events BY

EMMA GOLDSTEIN

Contributing Writer

COURTESY KATIE HEGARTY

The LGBT Center’s National Coming Out Day celebration last Wednesday brought a large crowd to the patio outside the campus center.

Katz said. “In previous years there [have] been periods of quiet time when people didn’t go up and talk … This year there was always somebody going up to the [microphone], and there was a huge crowd that

gathered.”

NCOD was nationally recognized on Oct. 11, but the LGBT Center celebrated the festivities

Inside this issue

see NCOD, page 2

The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate says students are not aware enough of its impact on campus life.

As part of a multi-pronged rebranding campaign launched this semester, senators are hoping to incorporate the word “Senate” into the title of major university events that the body sponsors exclusively, such as Fall Ball and the Nighttime Quad Reception — better known as Naked Quad Run. The Senate’s Student Outreach

Committee, which is spearheading the rebranding effort, is also working to design a new logo and to better inform freshmen of its role on campus.

“They’re superficial changes to reflect what’s actually going on,” said Senator Xavier Malina, a senior and member of the Student Outreach Committee.

Malina said students need to become more involved in the student government’s discussions, citing the Senate’s decision to spend $230,000 last year on construction of the Tufts Mountain Club’s Trips Cabin, a move that drew criticism from many students after the fact.

“The fundamental thing is we see SENATE, page 2

Today’s Sections

One time-honored Tufts tradition remains relatively unknown on campus: a WMFO show celebrating local musicians.

Battling bad weather and swine flu afflictions, the men’s crew team stayed above water at the Head of the Charles.

see ARTS, page 5

see SPORTS, back page

News Features Arts & Living Comics

1 3 5 7

Editorial | Letters Op-Ed Classifieds Sports

8 9 10 Back

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THE TUFTS DAILY

NEWS

Hazing can include activities to which participants consent HAZING continued from page 1

process that involved a staged kidnapping and alcohol consumption. While participants were drinking alcohol, newcomers who declined were made to consume an uncomfortable amount of a non-alcoholic beverage.

“Normally people don’t give me a hard time for not drinking, but that time I felt it was definitely pressuring me to drink, because obviously it would have been more comfortable not to have to drink all of that fluid,” the student said.

All students interviewed about their hazing experiences requested anonymity, citing the nature of the incidents and the students’ desires not to implicate organizations.

Members of a number of women’s and men’s athletic teams described initiations and bonding activities in which students were told to finish a prescribed amount of alcohol within a certain time period, or to participate in drinking games.

And most student athletes interviewed said that they either would not have classified what was taking place as hazing or they would have considered it relatively minor and harmless — in large part because those who did not want to drink were permitted not to do so.

Still, university policy dubs these alcoholrelated activities as definite forms of hazing, specifying that “consent of participants is not an available defense against any prosecution for hazing.”

“Willingness to participate in the event does not negate the accusation,” Reitman said. “It is still hazing by using peer pressure to get somebody to participate … Often you want to show how much you want to belong so you do this voluntarily. It’s somewhat insidious.”

Reitman said that Tufts’ broad policy is part

of a nationwide shift to a more encompassing definition of hazing. This newer definition includes activities that are less obviously harmful and coercive but can still cause physical and psychological damage.

“The old definition of hazing described things you were forced to do, that were obligatory,” Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman said. “The definition has changed … The blatant hazing stuff that was dramatic got to be taboo, and what replaced that was stuff that people saw as safer but is not necessarily so.”

Some students disagreed with the school’s definition.

“I think it’s too broad,” a member of another performing arts group said.

Highlighting one particular alcohol-related bonding activity, the student said, “[Alcohol] was a big part of the night … but no one was pressuring anyone. If anything it was pressure that someone was putting on himself to do what other people were doing, but that was no more prevalent than [it is from] just being on the Tufts campus.”

Others echoed Reitman, agreeing that under certain circumstances, members might feel coerced into participating in voluntary activities.

Another member of a men’s sports team said that team members were told they could leave before the drinking started but felt that no one would really choose to do so, as there was undue pressure to participate.

Reitman feels that such situations are common. He emphasized that activities like scavenger hunts, even when perceived as fun or harmless, can fall within the realm of hazing and could lead to university judiciary proceedings — criminal prosecution, even — if they came to light.

“What somebody sees as just fine, someone else is going to see as dangerous, embarrassing or demeaning,” Reitman said.

Director of the Office for Campus Life Joseph Golia, Director of Athletics Bill Gehling and Reitman all said that although there have been hazing incidents in the past, no complaints outside the Greek community have surfaced in recent years.

Reitman and Gehling acknowledged that this might not reflect what actually occurs on campus.

“I’m not sure how big a problem it is at Tufts except what is reported to our office,” Reitman said. “Most of the reports about hazing behavior come from parents.” He said the office had not received complaints recently, “either because things are more under control or less in view of families.”

Golia felt that the disconnect between what was reported and what he said was actually taking place could be attributed to the fact that students did not intuitively link certain abusive situations with hazing.

“Some of these things that would be in the category of hazing don’t register because it’s not some of the terrible things in the newspapers that lead to someone’s death,” Golia said.

But even these relatively “minor” incidents that often arise during initiations and bonding activities are unacceptable, Golia said.

“Everyone knows that forcing someone to drink is wrong,” he said. “It’s the little things like scavenger hunts and things you would never think of that people need to be informed about.”

The Panhellenic Council will sponsor a panel of representatives from various student organizations next Wednesday to raise awareness about lesser-known forms of hazing.

Student Outreach Community looks to rebrand Senate SENATE continued from page 1

want people to feel like they are part of the decision-making process,” Malina said. “We want the connection between the Senate and the student body to get stronger.”

The new initiative is in its planning stages this semester, and none of the strategies put forth so far have been finalized. The outreach committee hopes to have a series of goals fleshed out in time to begin the rebranding campaign next semester.

The idea for the campaign arose after senators agreed that students were largely unaware of the body’s role and influence at Tufts.

Each year, Tufts students pay a $278 activities fee that accounts for the TCU’s more than $1 million budget. The Senate allocates this money to student groups that solicit funding.

“Every student pays a student activities fee that really goes back to the community, but a lot of Tufts students don’t feel connected to the community,” said Student Outreach Committee Chair Edward Chao, a junior.

“Nobody knows what the Senate does and nobody knows where their money ends up,” Malina said. “Seniors and juniors often walk onto the body [after uncontested elections] because people don’t realize what it does anymore. Senate might vote on things students don’t want.”

Chao said that no signature emblem exists for the Senate that Jumbos can see and immediately associate with their student government.

“As far as overall brand is concerned, we don’t even have an official seal for the TCU and that’s a problem because, while we’re a part of Tufts University, we’re not supposed to use their seal, so to speak,” Chao said. “Right now, we are inappropriately using the athletic seal and the university seal.”

The TCU will be taking logo submissions from the entire student body. One idea within the committee is to require clubs that have received a certain amount of TCU funding to put the logo on advertisements so that students know more

about the impact of the TCU funds.

“Students don’t really know that we exist. If students don’t know that we exist, they won’t go to the Senate for help,” Chao said. “It’s a cyclical problem.”

The Student Outreach Committee plans to introduce freshmen to the Senate during orientation, a move it believes will encourage more freshmen to contend for a Senate spot.

“We want to do rebranding from the beginning to the end,” Malina said.

Senator Wyatt Cadley, a freshman, agreed on the need for more outreach to first-years.

“The big benefit of talking to freshmen right off the bat is you can educate freshmen [as] to what exactly the Senate does and, more importantly, where some of their tuition money is going,” he said.

Cadley said he knew that he would run for a Senate position even before enrolling at Tufts. He said that the Senate is visible to freshmen who make a considerable effort to participate in the body, but it slips under the radar for others who do not seek it out.

‘Out List’ created to help student members of LGBT community locate mentors and role models NCOD continued from page 1

last Wednesday.

For the first time ever, the campus bookstore sold rainbow shirts with the Tufts logo on them. The LGBT center gave these shirts to students at the 2008 NCOD, but their arrival as official Tufts merchandise in the campus bookstore signifies a great victory for the LGBT community.

University Chaplain David O’Leary has attended and spoken at many NCOD events at Tufts since his arrival in 1998. He said that the use of the official Tufts logo on the rainbow shirts is a big step for the administration.

“Tufts’ branding is very important, so [the fact] that it was allowed to be used for the rainbow shirt shows acceptance by [the] administration, marketing and any number of offices that safeguard and protect the Tufts logo,” O’Leary said.

According to O’Leary, the large turnout this year reflected a trend of increased participation over the past few Tufts’ NCOD celebrations.

“On the Tufts campus, these past years were the most momentous because of the number of people who shared and basically came out — not just students, but senior administration, faculty and employees as well,” O’Leary said.

Every year, the rally is composed of a few scheduled speakers followed by an open microphone session for informal student discussion and talks. Democratic State Rep. of Massachusetts Carl Sciortino (LA ’00), who continues to support the LGBT community at Tufts, headlined this year’s NCOD celebration.

Katz attributed the success of NCOD 2009 and other LGBT events this year to the involvement of the freshman class.

“This year, I think that the freshman class is a lot more involved in the community than previous classes,” he said. “A lot of our success this year, and the center itself, has been largely because of the freshman class … It’s refreshing.”

In conjunction with the LGBT Faculty/ Staff Caucus, the LGBT Center created an “Out List” that displayed the names of Tufts community members who identify with the queer community. An e-mail sent out by the two organizations invited faculty, students and staff to publically identify themselves as members of the queer community. Seventytwo individuals signed the list, which the Daily published last Tuesday.

Director of the LGBT Center Tom Bourdon emphasized that the list was not meant to apply pressure to those who have not yet come out but instead to act as a vehicle for queer students to show pride and find role models within the LGBT community.

Bourdon said that it is often difficult to distinguish between queer people and heterosexuals who simply support the LGBT community, known as “allies.”

“I wanted to have a visible outlet to show that many people queer-identify and have no problems saying it publically,” Bourdon said.

“I’ve encountered a phenomenon of students not knowing who is an ally and who is actually a member of the queer community. Students have told me that as a result, it is more difficult to have mentors, people to look up to.”

Bourdon added that a consequence of this lack of visible mentors was that it prevented students and members of the LGBT community from getting exposure to same-sex couples with children.

Co-Chair of the LGBT Faculty/Staff Caucus Cindy Stewart, who serves as the assistant director of the Experimental College, believed that the list was a valuable tool to start conversations about the balance of being “out,” working and raising a family.

“Tom [Bourdon] mentioned that a lot of students are looking for LGBT staff and faculty to be more of a presence on campus,” Stewart said. “He had the idea that as the caucus, we could do something to start the process of providing more of the feeling for students that there are gay, lesbian, transsexual and bisexual staff and they are comfortable enough to come out and make that statement.”

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Quidditch players demonstrate wizardry on field QUIDDITCH continued from page 1

Every position from wizard Quidditch is represented in its landbased, muggle counterpart.

Four Chasers per side must score the Quaffle, a volleyball, into a hoop, while the Keeper defends against them. Two Beaters per team throw Bludgers — dodge balls — at the Chasers. If hit, Chasers must drop the Quaffle and run back around their own goal before rejoining play.

The “Golden Snitch” — in Rowling’s books a tiny, winged, golden ball that darts about the field at high speed — actually takes human form in the muggle version.

A cross-country runner wearing all yellow plays the part. The Seeker can “catch” the Snitch and end the game for 50 points by grabbing a flag from the runner’s hip, as in flag football.

Wearing a whistle, a crimson robe and a tie sporting the colors of Harry Potter’s own Gryffindor House, team founder and captain Michael Walker refereed Saturday’s match.

Walker, a junior, said he is not taking the Quidditch concept too seriously — for the moment anyway.

“For now,” he says, “the idea is just to get our dedicated fan base.”

About twenty students attended each practice, many of whom belong to the Harry Potter Society.

This attitude is inspired not just by a spirit of inclusion, but also a need for extra players. A Quidditch team contains seven players but substitutes are a necessity, Walker said.

“It’s a lot more tiring than you’d expect,” he said. “You underestimate how tough it is.”

The combination of soccer, dodge ball and hide-and-seek — all while holding a broomstick between the legs — can be overwhelming to the novice. It is not uncommon to see substituted players lying on the ground, gasping for breath.

“Quidditch is a game of stamina,” Newman said.

But the team’s organizers invite students of all skill levels to rough it out on the ResQuad.

“They really want everyone who wants to be here to be able to come,” sophomore Quentin Lott said.

The team abides by the official rules issued by the Intercollegiate Quidditch Association (IQA). The IQA is headquartered at Middlebury College in Vermont, where students first created the terrestrial version of the sport in 2005. The college will also host the Third Annual Quidditch World Cup on Oct. 25, with 26 colleges and universities planning to attend.

Though Tufts’ team will not attend the competition, Walker hopes eventually to take the team to the World Cup when it has developed a sufficient following. “If we have a core that’s good and wants to go [to a World Cup], I want to go there,” Walker said.

Next semester, Walker said he hopes to scrimmage teams from other Boston-area schools. Harvard founded a Quidditch team this semester, and Boston College, Boston University and Emerson College also have teams.

The Tufts team is currently not funded by the university, as it needs to be officially recognized as a club sport in order to receive money. As a result, the team currently uses borrowed chairs in place of hoops, and any proposed travel would also come at a cost to team members.

Walker and Newman said the team will seek official recognition when their activities require travel.

At the moment, though, the muggles who make up Tufts’ Quidditch team are just focused on having fun.

“It’s great to be both nerdy and athletic,” freshman Jed Silver said.

Features

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tuftsdaily.com

ROMY OLTUSKI | WORD UP

99 problems

A

JAMES CHOCA/TUFTS DAILY

Despite less-than-reassuring calorie information displayed nearby, students have trouble resisting Dewick’s pizza.

1,200 calories a slice? In that case, make it two

BY SARAH

KORONES

Daily Editorial Board

It’s 12:05 p.m. on a Monday afternoon, and students from across campus pour through the doors of DewickMacPhie Dining Center ready to take advantage of the open block with a leisurely lunch. Bodies swarm the meal stations, loading up on everything from sweet potato fries to beef chili. And while some students seem to glance up at the white cards describing the nutritional value of each dish before making a decision, others prefer to scoop up their food without much thought or discrimination.

Public posting of calorie and nutritional information is just one of the

many efforts to curb America’s obesity epidemic and promote healthy eating habits. The practice received attention last July after a New York City law went into effect requiring all chain restaurants to post the calorie content of each food item in the same size and font as its price.

The law was intended to reduce obesity and diabetes, but after a study released in early October showed little change in the public’s eating patterns, the calorie counts were met with skepticism as an effective measure to curb the nation’s eating problem.

The study, which was released by professors at New York University and Yale, tracked customers at four fast food chains — McDonald’s, Wendy’s,

Burger King and Kentucky Fried Chicken — in poor neighborhoods of New York City that have high obesity rates. Examining customers’ receipts before and after the law went into effect, researchers found that customers actually ordered more food after the larger calorie counts had been posted.

But despite the results of the study, it still remains unclear whether calorie counts will ultimately be successful in promoting healthy eating habits or not. The city of New York plans to carry out its own analysis of the law by studying 12,000 restaurant receipts — a considerably larger amount than see CALORIES, page 4

Students say ‘sexiling’ a more pressing inter-roommate issue SEX POLICY continued from page 1

Many students do not see as much of a need for the new policy. Sophomore Sejal Soni called it “ridiculous” and “impossible to enforce.” Soni believes that it has received a disproportionately large amount of attention relative to its importance. She said it has brought the university unneeded negative publicity.

Carrie Ales-Rich, ResLife’s assistant director for community and judicial affairs, said that the Daily’s coverage of the policy brought it into the spotlight and sparked reporting by national and international news sources, but that the roommates problem is no more prevalent at Tufts than it is at other schools.

“We do believe that the reaction from the media was perhaps a little exaggerated. We don’t necessarily think that this is more of an issue at Tufts — it is happening in other schools at well,” Ales-Rich said.

Ales-Rich said the policy is not meant to be actively enforced, but to spur more open discussion and communication between roommates.

“We hope that if a resident finds him/ herself involved in this kind of situation, that resident will feel empowered to have an effective conversation with their roommate in order to resolve the conflict,” she said.

Jeff Prunier, a junior who transferred this year from George Washington University, said the new policy “absolutely changed” his perception of Tufts

in his first few weeks on the Hill.

“Coming from another school, we didn’t have any policies remotely like this one at all, so it was definitely a shocker,” Prunier said. But eventually he realized that only a small percentage of students engaged in sexual activity with a roommate present, and he said he was reverting to his “original opinion of the kids here.” Comparing Tufts to GWU, Prunier noted that there were not profound differences between the two student bodies.

“We don’t necessarily think that this is more of an issue at Tufts — it is happening in other schools at well.”

Carrie Ales-Rich Assistant Director, ResLife

“There wasn’t anything here that would make me think this school needed this policy more than others,” he said. But he said that the rule’s media repercussions were exaggerated, noting that even a Belgian news source had published a story on it.

Meanwhile, Kenneth Burris, a junior who served as an RA in Bush Hall last year, believes that a more pressing inter-roommate problem lies in the issue of “sexiling,” which the new rule does not confront directly. Burris said that as an RA, he did not hear from

students about inappropriate conduct while roommates were present, but he did receive a number of complaints about students who were continually being forced to leave the room so their peers could have sex.

Part of the ResLife policy does state that sexual activity should not deprive a roommate of “privacy, study or sleep time.”

Burris said that instead of expressly prohibiting sex while roommates are present, ResLife should take more direct steps to “promote conversation” — a tactic Burris considers more effective.

“It’s up to the roommates to come up with a solution as to when and where they can have sex,” he said.

“I don’t think that policy was necessary at all — Tufts now has an image of oversexed students that don’t care about their roommates enough to set up a time for sex.”

The overall feeling on campus seems to be that the media outburst was unexpected and an ultimately invalid reflection of the students at Tufts. In fact, many felt that the massive popularity of this news item revealed more about the entire country than about students at this university.

“I think it’s natural that any policy having to do with sex at a prominent university would receive media coverage, especially in a sex-obsessed society like the one in which we live,” Gomez Toro said.

Giovanni Russonello reporting to this article.

contributed

s someone who is fine with letters but less than ecstatic about numbers, I was always on board with the replacement of numbers with letters in math class. I took to algebra pretty quickly and was thrilled about ninth-grade logic with its p’s and q’s, three dots and long, wordy proofs.

The opposite, though, did not please me as much, which was unfortunate since the Jewish Day School I attended K through 12 was pretty keen on the Talmudic and Kabbalistic numerical system that they called “gematria” and I called a huge stretch. Gematria, a form of Hebrew numerology, assigns numerical values to each Hebrew letter and is used to do all sorts of cool things like add up lettervalues of words, find correlations between words with equal letter-values and, in some cases, even predict the future.

Thus, I found myself in gematria hell. The base-10 system was no longer good enough; we had to do everything in multiples of 18, the letter value for the Hebrew word “chai,” meaning life. And every time I was assigned a Talmudic reading, I found myself doing math on the side.

Naturally, when I got to college, where gematria was a far and distant land, I was eager to shed my number-heavy past. But the numbers seemed to follow me everywhere.

My engineer friends attend classes with numbers instead of titles, and parties are always at 12 or 45, street names not included.

It finally dawned on me that the numbers weren’t going away when a friend of mine asked me to “86 that.” To my surprise, it was not a class or a building number or even a Talmudic reference, and it wouldn’t disappear post-graduation. So after nodding, smiling and failing to comply with her wishes, I decided to give up and hop on the bandwagon, starting with 86.

As it turns out, 86 was first used among soda jerks to indicate when a product had run out or been omitted from an order, as in “86 today’s special” or “one steak, 86 the fries.” It later evolved into code for refusing to serve drunken customers alcohol and for getting rid of customers (or just about anything) altogether. Unlike myself, soda jerks in the 1920’s were fond of replacing common restaurant talk with numbers in order to communicate without having customers understand them. Ninety-nine meant “manager approaching;” 23 meant “out of my way;” and 87 and a half, my personal favorite, meant something like “stop what you’re doing and check out the hottie out front.”

(I wonder whether any of them went to Jewish Day School.)

As for the specific origin of 86, there is no clear consensus. The most accepted theory is that 86 was rhyming slang for “nix,” meaning “nothing” (from the German “nichts”).

The problem is that, while rhyming slang was purportedly all the rage in cockney and Australian English, the fad never quite made it to America.

The next most popular theories both have to do with individual New York hangout spots. The first, Chumley’s, is a pub and former speakeasy whose back door — used to escape from police raids — was located at 86 Bedford Street. The second spot, 21, was a popular restaurant with 85 tables, meaning that on any given night, the 86th party to arrive would find themselves 86’d. The Chumley’s tale is more widespread but is thought to be just as coincidental as 21’s, and the speakeasy was actually founded in 1926, several years after the slang term first picked up.

Other suggested origins include a relation to the last stop on a Chicago train line or a Californian law, among others, but most of these are guesses at best, and, before I get caught up, 87 and a half.

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

Oltuski@tufts.edu

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THE TUFTS DAILY

FEATURES

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

New study tests effectiveness of New York City obesity initiative CALORIES continued from page 3

the 1,100 receipts examined in the NYU analysis.

According to Sara Folta, assistant professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, it may still be too early to cast off New York City’s calorie-labeling methods as fruitless. Pointing to the small sample size and select population of the NYU study, Folta argues that more analysis of the law is needed before judgments can be made.

“I don’t think it’s fair to say, at this point, that the calorie labeling in New York City has been unsuccessful,” she said in an e-mail. “No single study is able to perfectly answer a question like this. For example, the study looked at the effects of labeling on low-income and racially diverse people only. Although this is an important population to study, the results cannot be generalized to other populations.”

Others, such as Sai Krupa Das, also an assistant professor at the Friedman School, believe that the relatively new method of posting calorie information shows promise but that the positive effects may not be seen for some time.

“Behavior change, especially food behavior change, takes a lot of effort and a long time — especially when consumers have to process information and act on their own to make better choices,” she said in an e-mail. “Slowly but surely, there will be a noticeable change. We will need to get used to the idea of facing these calorie counts and putting them into practice.”

On campus, calorie count and nutritional information cards in the dining halls help some students make informed decisions about their meals, but others find that it is easier to ignore them. Associate Director of Dining Services Ralph Perrotto acknowledges that although the nutrition cards are intended to help students make

healthy eating decisions, the stomach often overrules the brain.

“Good decisions are based on good information, and so Dining tries to provide students with reliable and accurate information,” he said in an e-mail. “However, as the New York City experiment seems to be demonstrating, more goes into choosing foods than just data. Everyone wants to be healthy to some degree, but eating is an emotional and sensory experience, and ‘feeling good’ often trumps logic for many people.”

Junior Sarah Tavares gives little notice to the nutrition cards, choosing instead to put together meals that are generally well-rounded. “I actually don’t even notice [the nutrition cards] in the dining halls,” she said. “I try to have a well-balanced meal … but the calorie count doesn’t really come into effect.”

Other students find that the nutrition cards provide valuable information. Junior Matt Keefer takes the facts on the cards into account before he makes a selection, noting that the only time he doesn’t look at the cards is when he indulges in dessert.

“I’m more concerned with protein and carbs than calories because I work out a lot,” he said. “I don’t count calories, but I take note of it if something is off the charts.”

Making the right decisions about food is challenging in any situation, but calorie counts are one method that may actually be successful in combating America’s love affair with french fries and nachos.

“I think it will ultimately take multiple efforts at all levels of society to address these problems,” Folta said.

“Ideally, all adults would live in communities that supported health and wellness. Right now, that is not true.

It’s going to take efforts at the personal, community and policy levels to address this problem.”

The Division of Student Affairs Social Justice Initiative presents Challenge the Process. Leaders look for ways to radically alter the status quo and for ways to create something totally new. Through an interactive activity, come challenge your status quo and how you view your world.

Challenge The process Thursday, October 22 5:30 – 7:00 pm Rabb Room, Lincoln Filene Hall Open to all students interested in developing their leadership skills.

RSVP is required to ocl@tufts.edu.

Pizza will be served.

Upcoming Leaders for Change workshops: Recruit and Manage Volunteers, November 17 Grant Writing, February 11 Developing Leaders Conference, TBD Ethics of Speech in Community, March 9 Sustain your Work/Officer Transition, April 17

For more information visit activecitizen.tufts.edu or ocl.tufts.edu/leadersforchange In collaboration with: CEEO | Institute for Global Leadership | Jumpstart | Leonard Carmichael Society | Peace and Justice Studies | Student Affairs Social Justice Initiative | Tufts Hillel

Attention Clubs and Organizations…

Don’t Forget to get Your Group’s Picture in the 2010 Tufts Jumbo Yearbook!

Let us take it for you…

Student Organization Group Photo Shoots…

November 2, 2009 (11 am – 2 pm) November 3, 2009 (5 pm – 9 pm) November 4, 2009 (11 am – 2 pm) Large Conference Room – Mayer Campus Center TO REGISTER FOR YOUR GROUP go to www.ouryear.com (enter Code 9267) (ignore information about senior portraits)

Remember to enter all Contact Information.

If your group has more than 50 members please schedule two consecutive times.

Arts & Living

5

tuftsdaily.com

GALLERY REVIEW

CARYN HOROWITZ | THE CULTURAL CULINARIAN

‘Secrets’ of Middle Kingdom Egypt uncovered at the MFA

Caffeine Clean

I

COURTESY MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON

Conservators worked painstakingly to restore many of the tomb’s objects that are now on view in the exhibition.

BY

KATHERINE DEANE Daily Staff Writer

The mysteries of ancient Egypt have fascinated international audiences for thousands of years, and the trend continues at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA).

The Secrets of Tomb 10A: Egypt 2000 BC At the Gund Gallery, through May 16, 2010 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 465 Huntington Ave 617-267-9300 The museum has always been renowned for its diverse array of ancient Egyptian objects, but a special exhibition titled “The Secrets of Tomb 10A: Egypt 2000 BC,” which

opened this week, offers new insight into the history and rituals of Egypt’s Middle Kingdom (2040-1640 BC).

A team of archaeologists from Harvard University and the MFA discovered the tomb of local governor and priest Djehutynakht and his wife, Lady Djehutynakht, in 1915 in Deir el-Bersha, a central Egyptian city on the east bank of the Nile River. For the first time since they were uncovered almost a century ago, the entire contents of the tomb are on display together for the public.

All the funerary objects in the exhibition belong to the MFA, but many had been so badly damaged by grave robbers that they were unfit for display. Thanks to countless hours of hard work by MFA conservators, the tomb has been comprehensively and artfully reconstructed in a way that makes for an easily navigable and exceptionally educational experience.

“The artistic and historical treasures

found in Tomb 10A bring to life the world of 2000 BC — a time of glorious artistic achievements,” Malcolm Rogers, the MFA’s director, told the Daily. This is exactly what the MFA accomplishes in its display of the over 250 objects that were excavated from the tomb: a vivid experience that transports viewers into a remote culture from 4000 years ago.

Unfortunately, since robbers looted the tomb thousands of years ago, the most precious materials were stolen. What remains is a plethora of objects that are less-materially valuable but that nevertheless tell a fascinating story.

Upon entering the exhibition, the viewer is immediately confronted by a life-size sculpture of Osiris, the Egyptian god of the underworld, who seems to welcome guests into a tour of the afterlife. Surrounding the see TOMB, page 6

MOVIE REVIEW

DJ PROFILE

‘An Education’ tells story of growing up BY

CHARISSA NG

Daily Editorial Board

Given a choice between a lavish lifestyle of fun and games or sitting in a high school classroom studying

An Education Starring Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard Directed by Lone Scherfig KRISTEN COLLINS/TUFTS DAILY

This year marks the 20th anniversary of one of WMFO’s longest-running shows, “On the Town with Mikey Dee.” McDonald, 36, of Salem is just one of a collection of rotating hosts who have filled the space left by the show’s founder: Mikey Dee himself.

Mikey Dee Linick established the show in 1989, dedicating the time slot to breaking local bands and exposing

literature, hardly any adolescent girl would find the latter more appealing. Based on a memoir by Lynn Barber and adapted into a screenplay by popular British author Nick Hornby, “An Education” smartly and convincingly portrays a young woman who finds her life turned upside down when she begins an impromptu romance with a suave man nearly twice her age.

“An Education” tells the tale of Jenny (Carey Mulligan), a young student living in London, England circa 1961. Jenny appears mature beyond her 16 years of age, as she listens to orchestral music and Juliette Greco, finds adolescent

see WMFO, page 6

see EDUCATION, page 6

Pop rock group The Fatal Flaw plays live for “On the Town” on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

Boston rock makes airwaves with ‘On the Town’

BY JESSICA

BAL

Daily Editorial Board

“Less talk, more rock!” says radio host Shilo McDonald as he dials up the volume in the studio. The sound of Boston pop rock band The Fatal Flaw leaks through the speakers while it performs live a few rooms over. The band is playing a spin on a famous Journey song — an energetic track off their album called “Don’t Start Believing.”

haven’t gotten more than four hours of sleep a night in the past four days, and it’s really got me thinking about my life choices — particularly those choices that involve me taking classes that require writing 25-page papers.

Another decision of mine that has affected my sleep habits through the years is the choice I made four years ago to become caffeine-free. I had a full-blown caffeine addiction by the time I got to high school, which started at the gloriously early time of 7:20 a.m. (If you’ve never taken a math class before the sun has even started to rise, I would not recommend it.) There also conveniently happened to be two Dunkin’ Donuts located between my house and my high school; if I overslept and didn’t have enough time to put up a pot, I could grab an extra large French vanilla with two creams before I had to be at my desk plotting cosine curves.

But then there were the dreaded days that I forgot my coffee. The headaches were unbearable — but probably not as much as I was when I whined about my lack of caffeine. I was a 15-year-old kid who sounded like a 35-year-old adult complaining of exhaustion and caffeine withdrawal. I decided I needed to get myself together, and I cold-turkey decaffeinated myself. I was the last person in my family to give up caffeine.

My grandmother suffers from glaucoma, and several studies have shown that caffeine raises intraocular pressure. As a preventative measure, my mom became caffeine-clean 10 years ago.

My decision to decaffeinate came under intense scrutiny my freshman year at Tufts.

I heard the same questions to no end: How can you stay up to study if you don’t have caffeine? Wasn’t it hard to get work done when you stopped drinking coffee? Don’t you miss the taste of those extra large French vanillas?

My responses are always “I just do,” “nope,” and “hell yes.” No matter how many times I answered the same questions, nobody understood my decision.

After spending four years off caffeine compared to the four years that I spent on it, I really don’t see a difference in my everyday activities, except for the absence of those pesky caffeine headaches. A study recently accepted to the Annals of Emergency Medicine supports my theory that caffeine has a negligible effect on performance. It also happens to be written by a 12-year-old boy from Michigan named Brendan O’Neil. Hey, if a kid can understand my claim, why couldn’t the people on my floor freshman year?

O’Neil drank Monster energy drinks before football games because he thought they would give him a caffeine boost and enhance his performance. He started to realize that on the days he didn’t drink Monster he felt he still played at the same level. O’Neil tested his theory that caffeine does not affect performance by comparing his vital statistics from the days he drank Monster to the days that he drank caffeine-free Sprite.

There was no discernible difference in his heart rate or blood pressure after playing football and drinking a caffeinated beverage versus a decaffeinated one. Using what I’m sure will become standard medical techniques, O’Neil decided to test his reflexes after drinking caffeine by playing video games and comparing his caffeinated and decaffeinated scores. Again, there was no difference in his performance.

But back to my lack of sleep. Because I’ve been off caffeine for so long, I become completely wired if I have anything caffeinated to the point that I cannot focus or sleep. I think O’Neil needs to do a study on the adverse affect of caffeine on people who have given it up. He can decaffeinate and play video games for days — it’s research!

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

Horowitz@tufts.edu.

THE TUFTS DAILY

6

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

ARTS & LIVING

Presence of deceased local music enthusiast still felt at WMFO WMFO

COURTESY MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON

The MFA’s new exhibition displays works never before shown in public.

After a century of restoration, tomb’s treasures on display at MFA TOMB continued from page 5

statue are a number of large-scale black and white photographs taken in 1915 during the original excavation of the tomb.

These incredibly detailed images, as well as the dim, cavernous lighting, set the tone for the rest of the exhibition.

The subsequent room is much more crowded with objects, including the large flotilla of wooden boats that were found broken and scattered in the tomb. Gwynne Ryan, assistant conservator at the MFA, explained that reassembling the boats was like putting together “a 26,000-piece puzzle,” because no adhesive was used in restoring their hand-carved pieces.

There are several other models representing aspects of the Middle Kingdom on topics from brick builders to beer makers.

These objects appear to be crudely made by unskilled hands, and it isn’t until the next room that the truly exquisite artistic masterpieces appear.

This room houses the objects that the MFA is most proud of: a “procession of offering bearers,” Bersha coffin and a mysterious mummified head. The procession bears a striking contrast to the other carved wooden models because of its intricate detailing and carefully applied layers of paint. Its figures offer things the Djehutynakhts might need in the afterlife, including ceremonial incense, jugs of beer and cosmetic necessities to remain beautiful in death.

Next to this object is the deconstructed Bersha coffin that was built to house and transport Djehutynakht on his journey into the underworld. It is covered with incredibly detailed paintings of the things an important figure like the governor would need to be comfortable in his life after death, along with line after line of hieroglyphics offering funerary prayers to help protect him.

Directly behind the thick coffin panels is a small chamber built to exactly replicate the size of the inner chamber of the tomb.

This dark room now holds the mummified head of either Djehutynakht or his wife; it remains to be determined to whom the head belonged.

This mystery is currently being explored by the MFA and Massachusetts General Hospital, and they have displayed ultra-high resolution screens showing CT scans of the head itself. This bridging of art, history and science is remarkable to see in person.

The museum offers two audio guides, one for adults and one specially designed for children, who always enter the museum for free. “The Secrets of Tomb 10A” deserves noteworthy attention for its innovative curatorial style and its precious contents, and for its family-friendly format. The price of the special exhibition is included in MFA entry cost, so Tufts students — who are admitted to the MFA for free with student identification — can see the show free of charge.

continued from page 5 listeners to Boston rock. Frequently spotted at local concerts, Linick immersed himself in music, tenaciously promoting bands he discovered and networking within the Boston rock community.

Linick suffered a stroke after a routine heart surgery in 2000, and a series of benefit shows raised approximately $100,000 for his treatment. Though Linick passed away at the age of 40 in 2003, “On the Town” continues in his name.

Linick’s presence can still be felt in the station for those who know where to look. Studio Dee, playing ground to The Fatal Flaw and countless others, is named for the DJ, and old photos slipped among stacks of vinyls capture his time in the station.

Joel Simches, a 44-year-old Peabody resident, occupies the cramped room between McDonald and the members of The Fatal Flaw and has his eyes on a matrix of controls. Simches is the producer, engineer and booking agent for the show (along with Laura Slapikof and Anngelle Wood) and has worked as a live sound engineer for the Dresden Dolls, Regina Spektor and others. He’s also one of the only “On the Town” members left who knew Mikey Dee closely as a friend and colleague.

“Mikey was a champion of the local music scene,” said Simches. “We were keeping the seat warm for him [before 2003] with guest DJs, hoping he’d be back in six months. I’d like to think we’re still keeping the seat warm for him here.”

In addition to McDonald, DJs JoEllen Yannis, Steve Harnish, Brian Young and sometimes Simches himself lend their voices and music selections to the show. According to Simches, this variety of hosts infuses “On the Town” with a critical energy and strives to embody the myriad aspects of Linick’s personality.

“I remember when I was with my first band, trying to get people to play my stuff,” said Simches. “You get so giddy hearing your music for the first time on the radio. If I can make other people feel that, I think we’ve got a good show here.”

“We get the chance to play music that no one else would hear, and we get to do it without consequence,” said McDonald. “At a commercial station, you have to play what sponsors will pay for and what the director wants on the playlist. But this is the epitome of freeform.”

Most of the members have regular 9-to-5 jobs in addition to volunteering their time at the station. McDonald manages the IT department for a marketing agency and participated in college radio while he was a student. “After a few years I decided to dust the dust off and take it up again,” said McDonald.

“This is a jam session for me. I’m having a lot of fun. I’m rockin’ out in here, dancing around the studio.”

McDonald listed some of his favorite bands, local groups with powerful, driving songs: Orbit, The Sheila Divine, Dear Leader and Helicopter Helicopter. All are New England-based artists who McDonald said he may not have been introduced to if not for “On the Town.”

“Music sticks with you; certain music just sticks,” McDonald said. “The hardest part is listening to something that you haven’t heard. I’ve been lucky with the show because I’m getting new music stuck to me all the time.”

Simches said that this year thus far has proven strong — and varied — for the local scene. As someone who has been involved since 1983 in the Boston music realm, one bolstered by a plethora of college radio stations bringing new bands to the airwaves, Simches seems to know what he’s talking about. In the past, Boston has birthed now well-known bands such as Letters to Cleo, Guster and The Lemonheads.

“We just want people to dig the stuff we’re digging,” said Simches. “We listen to everything. We spin it all at least once.”

Catch “On the Town with Mikey Dee” every Wednesday on WMFO 91.5 FM from 9 p.m. until midnight. Bands interested in participating can submit materials to On The Town, WMFO, PO Box 65, Medford, MA 02155 or email ott@sonicenhancement.com.

KRISTEN COLLINS/TUFTS DAILY

Shilo McDonald hosts “On the Town” from Studio A on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

Mulligan gives Oscar-worthy performance in ‘An Education’ EDUCATION continued from page 5

boys insipid and is infatuated by the air of maturity in French culture. The pressures of her traditional parents and a dream

to study literature at Oxford University force Jenny to suppress her desires to experience the excitement and unpredictability of the world beyond her structured, suburban bubble.

ROTTENTOMATOES.COM

Carey Mulligan grows up as Jenny in “An Education.”

Nonetheless, Jenny soon becomes fed up with practicing the cello and writing compositions for school, and everything changes when she meets David (Peter Sarsgaard), a successful, smooth-talking Jewish businessman in his early thirties.

David sweeps Jenny off her feet, promising a life of fun and sophistication with late-night music concerts, exclusive art auctions and glamorous trips to Paris. Jenny quickly ditches her road to Oxford, choosing to sip champagne and smoke Russian cigarettes at swanky clubs with David and his stylish friends instead. Though Jenny loves the freedom of her new life with David, she eventually finds that growing up too quickly may not have been all that she had hoped for.

“An Education” is a strong film in part because of the playfulness of the dialogue and interactions between the characters.

Hornby’s thoughtful adaptation

of Barber’s book truly shines in the juxtaposition of two meetthe-parents scenes. Graham (Matthew Beard) is a gangly teenage boy whose desire to impress Jenny’s parents leaves him fumbling over his words as he fidgets in his seat at the dinner table. David’s success and charming wit make for the perfect foil to Graham’s boyish ways, as he charms Jenny’s mother with compliments and jokes with her father as if they’ve been friends for years.

“An Education” also succeeds in making the relationship between 16-year-old Jenny and 30-year-old David believable.

Although romances between older men and younger women are hardly uncommon in films, chemistry is sometimes forced and awkward across the age gap, leaving audiences feeling uneasy.

Mulligan and Sarsgaard are refreshingly convincing in their portrayal of Jenny and David, and their budding romance

appears organic and real.

Sarsgaard has an undeniable charisma and nonchalance that make it easy for audiences to see why Jenny is so quick to fall in love with David. But while Sarsgaard does a noble job of holding his own in the film, he is still no match for Mulligan, whose understated beauty is captivating to watch on screen. She is poised and clever, effortlessly embodying a young girl with a thirst for independence and adventure.

Throughout the film, Mulligan brilliantly captures both the naïve confidence and hidden insecurities of Jenny’s character as she struggles to find her place in the world.

“An Education” is an enchanting, real-life coming of age story bound to move audiences. With Hornby’s thoughtful screenplay and Mulligan’s outstanding, feisty performance, “An Education” is a film worthy of its Oscar buzz.

THE TUFTS DAILY

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

DOONESBURY

BY

NON SEQUITUR

GARRY TRUDEAU

BY

7

COMICS CROSSWORD

WILEY

SOLUTIONS TO TUESDAY’S PUZZLE

MARRIED TO THE SEA

www.marriedtothesea.com

SUDOKU Level: Thinking you’ve caught swine flu

LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Solution to Tuesday's puzzle

Annie: “I am the slideshow master!”

Please recycle this Daily

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 21, 2009

EDITORIAL | LETTERS

EDITORIAL

Senate should keep its brands to itself TD Garden. Gillette Stadium. Citi Field.

The Izod Center.

They are all victims of a phenomenon that draws groans from sports fans the country over: corporate branding. Now the Tufts Community Union Senate sees a pragmatic opportunity to do some branding of its own.

Members of the Senate’s Student Outreach Committee say they are not content with the amount of attention students pay to the body’s work, complaining that Senate decisions often go unnoticed and elections go uncontested due to lack of student interest in the positions.

So they are proposing to attach the Senate’s name to events like Fall Ball and the Nighttime Quad Reception, also known as Naked Quad Run. This raises a very simple question: Is it really acceptable to re-appropriate our campus traditions for the purpose of advertising our student government?

What’s more, the Senate proposes to create an emblem that it can add to student organizations’ materials, in order to drive home the fact that the body gives those organizations financial support. So is it worthwhile for the Senate to enforce such a homogenization of clubs’ identities in the name of its own self-promotion?

The Outreach Committee says that

students are largely unaware of how the Senate spends its $1 million student activities budget, which is funded by undergraduates’ tuition money. But it seems intuitive that students would assume that their student activities fees go toward funding student activities — just as they assume their payments for room and board go toward maintaining Tufts’ dormitories and the money they spend on meal plans goes to Tufts Dining Services. If they care to find out exactly how money much each club receives, they can easily find that information on the Senate’s Web site.

Some argue that aggressive branding efforts will help to educate freshmen about the Senate’s impact on campus. First of all, freshmen are less apathetic toward our student government than older students are, as evidenced by the disproportionately high number of first-years who run for Senate seats. And while the Daily agrees on the importance of informing freshmen about the Senate’s role on campus during orientation, we do not feel that sticking a Senate label on events or other organizations will give first-years meaningful insight into why they should join Senate.

Senators say they would like to avoid situations like the one that arose last year, when

students who had not originally made their thoughts known came out heavily against the body’s decision to allocate $230,000 for construction of the Tufts Mountain Club’s Trips Cabin. But labeling Tufts Mountain Club ads with a Senate logo would not have prevented the Trips Cabin debacle.

The major reason for students’ surprise at the outcome of the funding decision lies in the fact that they were not accustomed to seeing the Senate handle such issues — and, more importantly, the Senate was not accustomed to handling them, or to advertising appropriately for them. Furthermore, similar situations are highly unlikely to arise in the foreseeable future. The Senate had hundreds of thousands of extra dollars to give away only because it had recently been reimbursed for losses in an extraordinary embezzlement scandal.

Before the recovered money was allocated, few were demanding that the Senate highlight its own involvement in all the things it funds. And without similar opportunities to mishandle hundreds of thousands of dollars in the future, the Senate does not need to foist its “brand” on the titles of storied campus traditions or the materials of unique student organizations. Senate Fall Ball? Senate Spring Fling? To us, that sounds a whole lot like Microsoft Fenway Park.

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

Production Director 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

Michael Vastola Executive Technical Manager Muhammad Qadri Technical Manager

BUSINESS Kahran Singh

Executive Business Director

Benjamin Hubbell-Engler Brenna Duncan Dwijo Goswami Ally Gimbel

Advertising Director Online Advertising Manager Billing Manager Outreach Director

The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free to the Tufts community.

P.O. Box 53018, Medford, MA 02155 617 627 3090 FAX 617 627 3910 daily@tuftsdaily.com

OFF THE HILL | HARVARD UNIVERSITY

The hidden risks of IVF BY

EDITORIAL BOARD

The Harvard Crimson

Over the past few decades, medical improvements have made parenthood possible for millions of couples suffering from infertility. One of the main technological breakthroughs is in-vitro fertilization [IVF], which unites the sperm and egg in a test tube before implanting the embryo in the mother’s womb. The technology, however, comes at a high price. The procedure itself is expensive, but, more importantly, it can greatly increase the chance of seeing birth complications.

These complications are mainly caused by the implantation of multiple embryos at once, a technique used to increase the rate of success of the procedure — but one that also increases the chance of twins, triplets or even octuplets. This in turn leads to premature births that need intensive neonatal medical attention. Given this, we believe that fertility clinics and physicians have

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.

a moral obligation to avoid implanting multiple embryos.

Caring for the premature births of IVF newborns is also estimated to cost the U.S. health care system $1 billion each year. Additionally, premature babies are put at a higher risk of suffering from developmental problems such as mental illnesses, learning disabilities and hearing impairments. These children often require increased health care for the rest of their lives.

Both fertility clinics and government health officials are aware of the dangers of multiple-embryo implantations.

The risks, however, are lost on parents who are desperate to start a family and ignored by physicians who want to keep their success rates high. Parents tend to want to implant multiple embryos in order to increase the chance of pregnancy and avoid paying a second time for the procedure.

Given these perverse incentives, it is extremely important that parents are made aware of the risks they may

be running and the possible dangers they are exposing their future child to.

Doctors have a responsibility to discuss and explain these issues while recommending that parents seriously consider alternative solutions that do not involve implanting multiple embryos.

A child’s right to be born healthy should trump a parent’s desire to ensure that a child is born. Parents and doctors need to acknowledge this right, especially when different solutions, such as adoption, may be reached.

In the end, however, this debate brings up complicated questions concerning the ownership of one’s body that are difficult to address. For this reason, we believe that parents should be legally allowed to pursue multiple-embryo IVF, but that doctors should strongly advise against it. We encourage thoughtful consideration of these questions given the complexities of the issue. For now, we hope that fertility clinics will work more concertedly to decrease the number of multiple-embryo implantations.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters must be submitted by 4 p.m. and should be handed into the Daily office or sent to letters@tuftsdaily.com. All letters must be word processed and include the writer’s name and telephone number. There is a 350-word limit and letters must be verified. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, space and length.

ADVERTISING POLICY All advertising copy is subject to the approval of the Editor-in-Chief, Executive Board and Executive Business Director. A publication schedule and rate card are available upon request.

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

THE TUFTS DAILY

9

OP-ED TEDDY MINCH | OFF MIC

A call to cook in college BY

Kabul mayor’s curtain call?

MANUEL GUZMAN

I cannot count the number of times students have come up to me asking me where they can cook. It is true that some dorms have better kitchens than others; South and Metcalf Halls seem to be the favorites among student chefs, while the kitchen in Lewis Hall is at the bottom of the cuisine food chain. Seniors living off campus do not have to ask their friends to fob them into other dorms’ kitchens, but freshmen and sophomores are often deterred from developing their cooking skills due to mediocre facilities.

I strongly believe that learning how to cook is as important as learning how to swim. Many schools such as Columbia University, Williams College and MIT have integrated mandatory swimming classes or tests before graduation into their curriculum.

Although I would not advocate for a mandatory cooking test before graduation, Tufts should send a message to Jumbos everywhere that cooking is a necessary life skill by renovating kitchens across campus to be more conducive to cooking.

A few weeks ago, I cooked dinner for a few of my close friends, and I realized that out of the six people around the table, only two people knew how to cook. I paused for a second. Why does Tufts not offer a Cooking 101 class? Culinary schools exist, but we cannot expect everyone to be able to attend. They are often very formal, and such lessons would be complete overkill for the student who just wants to learn how to prepare and cook a simple chicken. The basics of cooking are very important and should be taught in college.

Becoming the next Iron Chef is a feat that is simply out of reach for most college students, but being able to cook for oneself or even one’s friends is a completely achievable goal. Why not impress your girlfriend or boyfriend with a dorm-cooked meal instead of going out to dinner?

The effort is what counts, even if the meal is not the best. Some people may argue that my views on cooking are out of touch with those of most college students, but in the midst of this recession, I think that going back to the basics should be a priority.

Last year I co-founded the Tufts

T

MCT

Culinary Society with my close friend, current-junior Alix Boulud, in order to advance food knowledge and impart cooking skills to students. As a new club, it got off to a slow start, but we had a vision and a desire to change mentalities around food and cooking.

This year, our membership increased dramatically and left us completely unprepared. I can confidently say that a sizeable amount of the student body is interested in this subject but that most are hesitant to go into their kitchens and cook themselves a meal.

Why are students so hesitant to cook? Maybe their parents do not cook, they do not have access to a kitchen or they tried in their childhood and almost started a fire. Maybe they do not have time or simply do not like being in the kitchen. These are reasons for them to rationalize the fact that they either cannot or do not want to cook. Making excuses in this day and age about not knowing how to cook is not an option. Anyone can cook, but it is something you have to

work at.

If you do not learn how to cook, what will you do when you leave Tufts? If you keep the culinary habits of your college days — based on dining halls and Pizza Days — you will be stuck eating prepackaged meals and ordering delivery for the rest of your life. Not only is that expensive, but it will get really boring really fast. So put on your chef ’s hat and get into the kitchen! (Or if your kitchen is really gross, go to a friend’s dorm.) Making mistakes is part of the learning process; do not get discouraged because your cake or omelet turns out weird.

That’s part of cooking! Things can get really ugly in the beginning, but, with practice, in no time you will have become the most popular person on your floor. Bon appétit!

Manuel Guzman is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. He is the president and co-founder of the Tufts Culinary Society.

Be in fewer clubs BY

ALEX BASKIN

I recently attended a student-run program here at Tufts. I expected to be edified about a topic, but I left incredibly disappointed. The entire thing was sloppy, disorganized and amateurish.

Do not bother guessing what the event was because it is irrelevant.

Unfortunately, there are tons of events on campus that are run in equally disorderly fashion.

So I ask myself: What gives? I go to an exceptional school, and the people here are genuinely intelligent and motivated. How could it be that students could so epically drop the ball?

Why was the time and effort not put in to make this event (and the many others like it) a success?

I think the answer is so obvious that no one notices it. Those who were running the program simply had too much to do. They had too much on their plates. How could you be expected not only to run a program, but also run it well, when you have so many other extracurricular responsibilities to worry about? There are only so many hours in the day, right?

I know that I am just a lowly freshman and that it might seem really presumptuous of me to be writing a piece like this. I know that I will come to learn that there are so many great student groups here, and everyone

wants to be a part of everything. I understand that it is difficult to resist your urge to do all those great things.

Nevertheless, I think that an outsider perspective is allowing me to give a more objective analysis than those mired in the conflict. Here is my advice to the Tufts community: Do less stuff. Be in fewer clubs.

It needs to be understood that you are doing no one any favors by biting off more than you can chew. By trying to do more, you are doing less. Instead of committing to so many things and then doing them all half-assed, why not pick one or two things and then do them amazingly? Why not become the expert on one topic? Wouldn’t our community be served better if we all were individually awesome at something instead of being individually pretty good at a million things?

Every time I hear someone rattle off a laundry list of their extracurricular activities, all I can think is, “Wow, you dedicate a half-hour of your week to a lot of different things.” What if there was one thing that you put as much time into as all of those combined?

You would obviously be way better at it. You would be the king or queen of that thing.

There are nearly 5,000 undergraduates at Tufts. We could literally take over the world if everyone here chose one thing on which to become the authority. Think about it this way if

you’re still unconvinced: I understand that you may really be passionate about eight different causes, but you are not helping those causes by trying to campaign on behalf of all of them. In fact, you are hurting your many causes because you are not doing them justice. You could impact the world more if you focused all your energy on the genocide in Darfur instead of spending a little time on cancer research, putting in some effort to improve local schools, occasionally rallying against economic inequity in South America and then dedicating a few minutes to the genocide in Darfur.

Basically, there is a threshold that you have to cross if you want me to care about what you are talking about.

You have to prove to me that I should donate to your cause. When you try to do too many things, you will not cross my threshold for caring on any of them. All your programs will come off as sloppy, disorganized and amateurish, just like the one I described at the beginning of this piece.

But if you were putting the real time and effort into one or two things, then you fly right by the finish line for my attention. I would be all ears and emptying out my pockets.

So remember kids, less is more.

Alex Baskin is a freshman who has not yet declared a major.

he leader of Afghanistan since his appointment as chairman of the transitional administration in December 2001, Hamid Karzai is the face of the American democracy-building experiment in the middle eastern nation. Over the course of the past eight years, he has served as the constant presence American policymakers have needed to ensure some sort of stability for rebuilding and security efforts.

But Monday’s revelations by United Nationsbacked investigations into major fraud in August’s presidential election, and the subsequent nullification of nearly one million votes (almost one-third of Karzai’s total), have cast Karzai’s ever-tenuous popular support into even more doubt. Karzai now faces a runoff election against his chief opponent, former Afghan Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah, after the vote invalidations lowered his total vote percentage to 48.3 — below the 50-percent threshold required to avoid a runoff in Afghanistan.

Karzai’s popularity has been declining steadily since he was installed by the United States as Interim President of Afghanistan in 2002, although that could be an unfair statement to make, given the immense challenges with which he was presented very early in his tenure. Karzai was handed the reins to a nation completely fragmented along deeply engrained ethnic lines, one in which allegiances to individual provinces historically took political precedence over any macro-loyalty to a centralized power in Kabul. Karzai’s reach never extended beyond the capital’s city limits.

His effectiveness hasn’t increased enough over the last eight years to allow him to adequately address the fundamental issues of government incompetence that hamper both institutional reconstruction and national progress in Afghanistan. Part of the blame can be passed on to coalition forces, particularly American, whose military resources and focus were largely rerouted to Iraq, severely crippling efforts to improve the security situation in Afghanistan and making it harder for the fledgling Karzai administration to function. However, a large part of the blame also falls on Karzai. Throughout the course of his tenure, the Afghan government has been tied to warlords, a flourishing narcotics trade, endemic government corruption and an utterly ineffective, inept bureaucracy.

Karzai has received the ire of many of his fellow countrymen as well as of his American backers, who have become frustrated with his lack of political accountability amid a situation that desperately requires it. The United States has stated that it will withhold additional troop deployments until the election mess is settled, and recent meetings have made it clear that the United States will not stand for continued incompetence from Kabul if Karzai wins the election. That said, Karzai’s opponent Abdullah offers no guarantees of improvement either.

A trained ophthalmologist and acclaimed intellectual, Abdullah would give a new face to Afghan politics but, according to former United States Envoy to Afghanistan James Dobbins, Abdullah is “less of a natural politician” than Karzai. Given Karzai’s rather dubious political track record as a “natural politician,” Abdullah’s outsider status may be a positive force in Afghan politics.

Either way, Karzai and the Independent Election Commission must make good on their word and stick to the slated Nov. 7 runoff date, even as winter snows capable of blocking off half of the country loom. Any sort of power-sharing agreement between Karzai and Abdullah in place of a second vote will only further slow up the already-bumbling Afghan political machine, and this will neither increase political or institutional efficiency nor promote the principles of a liberal democracy.

A central government seen as a sham in the eyes of the people is exactly what the United States wants to avoid as it seeks to quell rapidly growing instability in Afghanistan.

If Afghan snow falls before a second vote, the situation will be ripe for political chaos — but the mayor of Kabul, Karzai, must let democracy run its due course.

Teddy Minch is a senior majoring in political science. He hosts “The Rundown,” a talk show 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.

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the freshmen eight last year.”

Though the team’s placement earned an automatic qualifier in next year’s Head of the Charles, the other two boats did not fare as well, affected by the adverse weather conditions in the afternoon.

“I think Sunday was probably the worst weather in the history of the Head of the Charles,” Woodard said.

“God, it was awful. I raced on Saturday, which was lucky. It was freezing but not raining or sleeting or snowing. It was raining the beginning of the day on Sunday, and then it started snowing out of nowhere.”

In the Collegiate Fours, the Jumbos crossed the finish line in 22:00.81 for 29th place. In Sunday’s Collegiate Eights race, Tufts was 34th overall, finishing in 21:43.05.

“The goal for those two boats was to place in the top half of the competitors, and unfortunately this didn’t happen,” Woodard said.

With a cold weekend at the Head of the Charles behind them, the Jumbos can only look towards the future.

Although the fall is coming to an end, the season is not over for Tufts. The team insists it must stay conditioned over the winter in preparation for the spring season.

“It takes a lot of dedication,” Woodard said. “We have practice at 6:15 [a.m.] every day when we are in

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Tufts working to integrate novice rowers with veterans WOMEN’S CREW

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

SPORTS

season. You really need to learn the sport, and I think we have a group of girls who have made the commitment and show up every day ready to go.

“Our focus this fall has been improving our techniques so we can better apply our strength,” she continued.

“We have been working in the weight room a lot with our trainer. I think over the winter what we need to focus on is cardiovascular fitness.”

This season, the women’s rowing team has made a strong investment in the future. Normally, experienced freshmen rowers go to varsity and new rowers remain on the “novice” squad.

This season, however, the novices are integrated with the more experienced rowers in this freshmen class.

“Peer teaching works really well,” Dawe said. “The people who are not experienced learn much more quickly. The experienced people get the chance to learn by teaching. It works really well to integrate all of your novices into your program from an early point.”

“We also see a big benefit in class bonding,” Woodard added.

The team will be racing at the Head of the Fish regatta in Saratoga, N.Y. this weekend. They will be “sculling,” rowing with two ores instead of just one.

“We are really just going to have fun,” Woodard said. “Many of us have never sculled before, so it should be interesting and exciting.”

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Jumbos pick up valuable experience against top teams

Phillies just one win away from returning to Series

SAILING

INSIDE MLB

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ished in the 230s. Nichols showed poise down the stretch, picking up a second place and two fifth places on Sunday.

“Going into the second day, we knew where we stood in the regatta,” Nichols said. “We knew we could only improve from there. We just went into each race looking to do better than the last one.”

The race was a great opportunity for underclassmen like Nichols and fellow freshman William Hutchings, who sailed in the C division and finished in 13th place. They found themselves in the middle of a regatta with many of the country’s best teams, picking up valuable experience.

“It was a great opportunity for us to sail with some of the best,” Nichols said.

Tufts also competed in two other regattas this weekend and posted similarly up-and-down results. At the Great Herring Pond Open at the Mass.

Maritime Academy, Tufts finished seventh in a field of 18. The effort was led by impressive performances from junior Sally Levinson and senior Peggy Tautz, who is solidifying herself as one of Tufts’ top skippers. The two combined for third place in the A division, only accumulating 40 points in eight races.

Finally, at the Captain Hurst Bowl at Dartmouth College, weather took its toll on both the event and the Jumbos.

Due to a lack of wind both days, only four races per division were able to be run. The Jumbos struggled, posting only two top-10 finishes and ending up 18th out of 20 teams overall.

“Overall, we were a little disappointed,” Brill said. “As long as we are more consistent next time, staying in single digits, we can place much higher. It was a learning experience. By the end, we all clearly learned a little bit.”

piling up 114 strikeouts in 76 innings of work — to make or break the series for the Dodgers.

After retiring Raul Ibanez on a groundout to start the inning, the 6-foot-4, nearly 300-pound behemoth Broxton iced up like a deer in headlights. He walked pinch-hitter Matt Stairs and then plunked Carlos Ruiz with a first-pitch fastball. Broxton was lucky to have Greg Dobbs’ liner land safely in third-baseman Casey Blake’s glove for the second out of the inning, bringing Jimmy Rollins to the plate with the game on the line.

Broxton fired three consecutive fastballs, all of them clocking 98 or 99 miles per hour. Rollins fouled off the first for strike one and took the second to even the count at 1-1. Then, the veteran shortstop erased all the pain of his frustrating 2009 season with one swing of the bat, sending the third straight heater into the right-centerfield gap. Pinch-runner Eric Bruntlett scored easily and Ruiz came around to the plate well ahead of the throw, as the Phillies celebrated a 5-4 walkoff victory in front of a revitalized crowd.

Broxton, meanwhile, slowly receded into the visitor’s dugout with a look of sheer embarrassment on his face.

The sinking closer of the Phillies had righted his ship and the surging closer of the Dodgers had struck a damaging iceberg and put his team on the brink of elimination. Now leading the series three games to one, the Phillies have sapped the Dodgers of their primary edge in the matchup and are a win away from becoming the first National League squad since the 1995-96 Atlanta Braves to advance to the World Series in consecutive years.

New boat configurations adapt quickly MEN’S CREW continued from page 12

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the other race on Saturday, the Club Fours. Because the race was not exclusive to college teams, the Jumbos got a chance to compete against some of the better club teams and top alumni in the country. The makeshift quartet, which had never raced together prior to Saturday, was content with its performance despite the results of a 43rd-place finish out of 55 boats in 19:41.705.

“Most other boats from other schools had rowed together for at least a week, but because so many people were sick, we had to put together a boat last second,” said junior Ryan Flood, who was a member of the Club Fours boat. “We were able to have a pretty well-set boat and finish the race. We did a good job of putting forth our best effort, and when we got off the water we felt really good about it.”

Britt lauded the performances of some of the members of that boat, which featured members from all four classes.

“The whole team took a step forward because I had guys — like Ryan Flood, Kyle’s older brother — [who] went from port to starboard, which is not an easy thing to do,” Britt said. “Thursday he was rowing port, and in the race on Saturday he is rowing starboard.

Everybody did what they needed to do in order to try to make the boat go as fast as they could.”

On Sunday, in the cold and constant precipitation, the team also raced in the Collegiate Eights, finishing in 37th

place in a time of 19:13.510. Due to the rash of illnesses, this crew was largely comprised of novice members.

“We had to fill the boat out with the novice squad in order to fulfill our requirement in that event,” Britt said.

“The silver lining is that the novices got a real treat in rowing in the Head of the Charles, something that a lot of novices don’t get to do.”

Overall, the team was excited about its effort and about the opportunity to compete on the sport’s biggest stage.

“Head of the Charles is always a lot of fun because it is such a huge event and it draws such a crowd,” Juergensen said.

“You really don’t have a choice but to be excited when you are racing.”

And after facing some of the best college and club crews, Tufts gained a better idea of where it stands heading into the rest of the fall and the spring season.

“It definitely raises you to a different level knowing you are against such competition,” Juergensen said. “In our events we were up against some really great crews, and we should be pretty happy with how we raced against them.”

“It is kind of looking into the looking glass to see how fast we are,” Britt added. “Sometimes we think we are going pretty fast on the Malden River and all of the sudden we put ourselves in amongst the world’s best and we can say we are going pretty fast or we have a little work to do. It is a good barometer to throw ourselves in against some of the world’s best and say, ‘This is where we are at and this is what we need to do.’”

THE TUFTS DAILY

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

11

SPORTS

INSIDE MLB

ETHAN LANDY | CALL ME JUNIOR

Blowing the whistle

S

MCT

Jonathan Broxton has been as dominant as any closer in baseball this season, but on Monday night, he gave up the tying and winning runs on one pitch to Jimmy Rollins.

Dodgers’ bullpen collapse puts Phillies on the verge of another pennant BY

DANIEL RATHMAN

Daily Editorial Board

Heading into their National League Championship series with the Philadelphia Phillies, the Los Angeles Dodgers were believed to hold an advantage because of their superior bullpen.

But in Monday night’s crucial Game Four, it was Joe Torre’s relief corps that faltered in the end.

Rewind back to Friday, when Pedro Martinez and Vicente Padilla treated fans at Chavez Ravine to an epic duel. The Phillies’ Martinez looked like his vintage self, allowing just two hits in seven scoreless innings. Padilla, meanwhile, surrendered only a fourth-inning home run by Philadelphia first baseman Ryan Howard in a gem of his own. Down 1-0 in the series and feeling as though they had to win to avoid heading to Philly in a 2-0 hole, the men in blue mounted an eighth-inning rally against relievers Chan Ho Park, Scott Eyre, Ryan Madson and J.A. Happ to recover and earn a 2-1 victory. The go-ahead run scored on a bases-loaded walk that Happ issued to Andre Ethier — the very definition of a bullpen meltdown.

But Sunday’s Game Three quickly

returned the momentum to Charlie Manuel’s dugout, as the Phillies jumped on L.A.’s starter Hiroki Kuroda for six early runs, while their ace, Cliff Lee, delivered yet another stellar performance. Lee blanked the Dodgers for eight innings and struck out 10 batters without issuing a walk, and the Phils regained the series lead with a convincing 11-0 rout.

Joe Blanton then took the mound for the Phillies to start Game 4, hoping to build on a streak of 15 consecutive scoreless frames hurled by Philadelphia starters. The portly right-hander was handed a 2-0 lead after the first inning via a two-run homer by Howard, and he kept the Dodgers off the board until the fourth. Run-scoring singles by James Loney and Russell Martin finally got L.A. out of its funk, and the raucous crowd at Citizens Bank Park was suddenly quieted with the home team trailing midway through the contest.

Down 4-2, the Phillies countered when Chase Utley drove in Shane Victorino after the Flyin’ Hawaiian had tripled with one out in the bottom of the sixth. But they were still behind 4-3 with just nine outs to work with in their bid to prevent L.A. from tying the

NLCS at two games apiece.

Lefties Hong-Chih Kuo and George Sherrill combined to take care of the seventh inning. In the eighth, Sherrill was relieved by closer Jonathan Broxton, who stranded Victorino at second to post yet another goose egg on the board.

So far, so good for the vaunted tandem anchoring Torre’s dynamic relief staff — and when Brad Lidge, who was 0-8 with a 7.21 ERA in the regular season entered after a one-out single by Rafael Furcal, the Dodgers felt confident that they would win the battle of the bullpens.

Lidge promptly allowed a stolen base and uncorked a wild pitch, further straining the nerves of the Philly faithful as Furcal advanced to third. But Lidge channeled his dominant prowess of years past, unleashing a devastating backdoor slider with the count at 2-2 that left the powerful Ethier staring and shaking his head.

The Phillies’ ninth-inning man, who elicited concern and criticism from pundits nationwide, had done his job, setting the stage for Broxton — who was as dominant as any closer during the regular season, allowing just 44 hits and see INSIDE MLB, page 10

WEEKLY MUMBO JUMBO “It’s definitely a different feeling than some of us have ever felt in a while. It’s been over two years since we lost a regular-season game, so half the team has never experienced this.”

— Senior co-captain Margi Scholtes October 19th, 2009 For the first time since 2007, the Tufts field hockey team was on the losing side of a regular-season contest. The streak, which spanned 30 games and dated back to a 2-1 loss to Bowdoin on Oct. 6, 2007, was snapped when Trinity’s Christy Bradley scored the game-winning goal in overtime on Saturday, giving the Bantams a 2-1 victory and sole possession of first place in the NESCAC.

orry, David Stern.

I am apologizing in advance for what I am about to say, because as much as you would like the fans to pay no attention, we are going to be faced with the unprecedented reality of replacement referees when the Boston Celtics hit the floor to face the Cavs in Cleveland and open the NBA season next Tuesday.

I can understand how you and the other league execs might view this. It is the same way I did when I first read the story — why should we be rewarding people who are so awful at their job?

I’ll even admit that the prospect seemed tantalizing at first, particularly when I first read the story that broke news of the ref lockout. This included the nugget that the Officials Union executive board, featuring the likes of Steve Javie, Bennett Salvatore and Joey Crawford, had voted against the latest offer presented by the league to bring them back into the fold.

Javie, Salvatore and Crawford? This is like a murderer’s row of suckiness.

The NBA refs are notoriously known as the worst in sports. For instance, Crawford is the same guy who was suspended in 2007 for allegedly challenging San Antonio Spurs star Tim Duncan to a fight on the court. And let’s not forget to bring up Tim Donaghy, who bet on games in which he officiated. The NBA is probably the only professional league where you can you have refs making more headlines than players.

As someone who has an unabashed love affair with your league, Mr. Stern, I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt. I figured, hey, these guys can’t be any worse than what we have been watching.

I was wrong. They can be a lot worse. I already saw 100 free throws attempted in a preseason game. Earlier this week, the new refs couldn’t even enforce the most obvious of rules — the two-technical ejection.

In a game that featured Euro League team Maccabi Tel Aviv and the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden, Tel Aviv coach Pini Gershon refused to leave the floor after his second T. If the league has to have a rabbi at every game to help the refs out, there’s a problem.

You can’t expect that there will not to be a backlash. I am as critical of NBA referees as anyone I know. I can name almost every ref, and I have learned defining characteristics of a handful. For instance, I know that when Violet Palmer is on the floor the Celtics are going to lose. But even I realize that once your replacement refs are thrust into the spotlight and make calls that costs one team a game, the uproar will reverberate all the way to your cozy offices over on Fifth Avenue.

I saw how the league protected the officials last year, particularly in the playoffs.

The NBA handed out so many fines for criticizing officiating that it could have paid off the entire New York Knicks’ luxury tax.

If the league was so careful to protect the integrity of officials that were deemed so easily expendable, can you imagine what is going to happen with these replacements?

Three coaches — Orlando’s Stan Van Gundy, Charlotte’s Larry Brown and Memphis’ Lionel Hollins — have already been fined in the preseason for comments that were critical of the replacement refs’ performance. Brown was also fined for “verbally abusing the officials.” Verbal abuse? Really?

So, Mr. Stern, all I’m asking is that you heed my warning. The season hasn’t started yet, but it is only a matter of time until everyone starts to blame the refs as opposed to Vince Carter for the sudden collapse of the Magic. Just as an example.

Bring back the old refs we know and love. At least that way I know what to expect when I watch the games. And I will make a deal with you. I promise not to criticize them when they are back in the fold.

Well, I promise to try. Old habits die hard, you know.

Ethan Landy is a senior majoring in English.

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

Sports

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INSIDE Inside MLB 11 Call Me Junior 11 Mumbo Jumbo 11

tuftsdaily.com

MEN’S CREW

Jumbos piece together solid effort at Head of the Charles BY

ETHAN LANDY

Daily Editorial Board

Dealing with issues from chilling weather to bouts with swine flu, the Tufts men’s crew team was nonetheless

Slideshow @ tuftsdaily.com The men’s and women’s crew teams competed this past weekend at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta, and the Daily was there to capture it.

Log on to tuftsdaily.com to see a slideshow from this weekend’s races. able to pull together at the fall season’s premiere event and emerge from the weekend with positive results.

After an outbreak of the H1N1 illness that sidelined many of the team’s rowers, coach Jay Britt had to rush to fill his boats for three races, two on Saturday and one on Sunday at the Head of the Charles Regatta. But even with the problems created by rower absences, the Jumbos were pleased with their efforts.

“I think we were very happy with how the race went considering the ups and downs we had over the past week,” senior co-captain Stephan Juergensen said. “A lot of the guys over the past week were sick. We had a few cases of the flu, one person had pneumonia and the lineups were constantly changing.”

“Our biggest obstacle was the health of the squad,” Britt added. “We had some guys quarantined that missed the race, so we kind of had to scramble to fill the boats.”

KRISTEN COLLINS/TUFTS DAILY

Though they were missing many top rowers due to sickness, the Jumbos’ Collegiate Fours boat came away from the Head of the Charles with a 19th-place finish.

These issues affected every boat, including the team’s top boat, which competed in the Collegiate Fours race on Saturday. With Juergensen and two freshmen — Kyle Flood and Will Hickey — filling in the missing links, the foursome was not any worse for the wear, finishing in 18:12.845.

“The Collegiate Four did very well,” Britt said. “We had one guy that was quarantined, so we moved Stephan into that spot, and it may have made

the boat a little bit faster. The fact that they came in 19th when it was their first or second row together, I think they did very well.”

Britt noted the efforts of Flood and Hickey, who stepped into Tufts’ top boat in their first Head of the Charles.

Hickey had actually missed a few days of practice out of caution for H1N1, but when the results proved negative, he was able to race.

Juergensen claimed that the weather

conditions on Saturday, which were cold but not nearly as abysmal as Sunday’s snowstorm, were a key factor in his boat’s performance.

“We actually had a little bit of an advantage in that we had a tailwind … and that gave us a little more speed and we were able to work more effectively at higher rates,” he said.

The shuffling was also apparent in see MEN’S CREW, page 10

SAILING

WOMEN’S CREW

Tufts sails to 12th place in adverse conditions

Jumbos brave the cold at Head of the Charles

BY

ETHAN STURM

Contributing Writer

A combination of poor conditions and a top-heavy field led to a rocky weekend for the nationally ranked No. 10 Tufts sailing team at the Navy Fall Invitational in Annapolis, Md. The Jumbos faced a cold and rainy Saturday and a 20-team field that included nine of the top-10 ranked teams in the nation, with only No. 1 Yale absent.

However, Tufts was resilient, earning a respectable 12th-place finish.

The first two races on Saturday set the tone for the day. In the first, Tufts did not place higher than 10th in any of the four divisions, while in the second, the Jumbos rebounded to place no lower than eighth. Throughout the day’s 12 races, they continued their inconsistency. Every division earned multiple top-10 showings, but the end result was a 13th-place performance heading into Sunday.

Senior Rachael Brill, who sailed in the A division with classmate Tomas Hornos, felt that the weather was unquestionably a factor on Saturday.

“The weather definitely started to affect us by the end of the day,” Brill said. “The wind was pretty shifty, and Tomas and I were definitely cold.”

However, the Jumbos were not ready to give in, and they got off to a strong start Sunday with second-place performances in both the B and D divisions in the very first race.

“In the first race, the current was pushing everyone behind the line. I was able to realize that and was out in front the whole race,” said freshman Albert Nichols, who sailed in the D division.

From there, Tufts turned in a solid day all around, led by strong perfor-

BY SAM

O’REILLY

Contributing Writer

before the race starts]. The second day, we really picked it up. We were off the line with the other boats. We had clear air. We played the shifts really well.”

Overall, Tufts got its strongest performance from the D division, which accounted for only 204 points, compared to the other three teams which all fin-

Though miserably cold conditions blanketed the Head of the Charles Regatta this weekend, the women’s crew team came out of its three races content with its performance, particularly after finishing in the top half in one of them.

Tufts raced three boats over the weekend: one in Lightweight Fours — for girls under 133 pounds -- as well as ones in Collegiate Fours and Collegiate Eights, both of which are open weight.

The lightweight team placed an impressive sixth out of thirteen on Sunday, the top finish for the Jumbos. The group was comprised of junior Kaylee Maykranz along with sophomores Jennifer Dann-Fenwick, Kathleen Holec and Miriam Gutman.

“They work very well together,” coach Brian Dawe said. “They all have pretty good racing backgrounds.

I was very impressed. The lightweight category is an open category, so it is not limited to colleges. You get some very competitive post-collegiate people in there as well.”

“They are all experienced rowers and strong girls,” senior captain Kate Woodard added. “Two of the girls in the lightweight four were in the varsity eight this last spring, and the other two … were big contributors in

see SAILING, page 10

see WOMEN’S CREW, page 10

COURTESY KEN LEGLER

The Tufts sailing team battled through shifting winds and cold weather to finish in the middle of the pack at the highly competitive Navy Fall Invitational over the weekend. mances in the A division by Hornos and Brill and in the D division by Nichols; Hornos and Brill picked up only 84 points in eight races while Nichols had 75. The Jumbos managed to jump past the University of Miami in the final race to take 12th.

“Everyone in each division stepped it up a little,” Brill said. “Saturday we had an OCS [crossing the starting line