2009-12-08

THE TUFTS DAILY

Sunny 41/31

Tufts ranks as one of Kiplinger’s ‘best values’ BY

TUFTSDAILY.COM

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2009

VOLUME LVIII, NUMBER 59

HARRISON JACOBS

Daily Editorial Board

Even as Tufts takes the top spot as the priciest college in Massachusetts, students may not be completely down for the count. Finance magazine Kiplinger ranked Tufts No. 22 on its list of best values in private universities.

The university took the third spot for overall college value in Massachusetts in the rankings, which the magazine released in early November.

Kiplinger rated the overall value of universities based on their quality and financial affordability, considering factors like the school’s overall

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Today’s special election not widely known, despite costs

cost and cost after need-based aid.

Jane Bennett Clark, senior associate editor at Kiplinger, explained that the magazine drew information from a number of areas, initially gathering information from Peterson’s, a company that specializes in test preparation and offers searchable databases on colleges and financial aid.

With this information, she told the Daily that the magazine sorted schools based on several “quality measures,” including admission rates, number of incoming freshmen, graduation rate and faculty-student ratio.

“Once we have culled rankings from see BEST VALUE, page 2

BY

MATT REPKA

Daily Editorial Board

Barring unforeseen circumstances, today’s special Democratic primary election will determine Massachusetts’ newest U.S. senator.

On a more local level, Somerville is facing unexpected costs for an election that has garnered little interest among Massachusetts residents.

Four Democratic challengers are seeking the seat vacated by the late Ted Kennedy: Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley; U.S. Rep. Mike Capuano; Alan Khazei, founder of the youth service organization City Year; and businessman and Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca.

Capuano represents Massachusetts’ 8th district, which includes Somerville and Cambridge.

Somerville will have to pay approximately $130,000 to facilitate the special primary and general elections, according to the Somerville Journal.

A Nov. 22 University of New Hampshire poll of 537 likely Democratic voters in Massachusetts showed Coakley leading the pack with 43 percent. Capuano, the next-closest challenger, was 21 points behind. Pagliuca commanded just 15 percent, and Khazei was in a distant fourth with six percent.

But Capuano recently received the Boston Herald’s endorsement, while the Boston see ELECTION, page 2

Harvard set to employ wind energy for campuses by 2010

BY SMRITI

CHOUDHURY

Daily Staff Writer

Wind blowing across Maine will soon power 10 percent of Harvard University’s campuses in Cambridge and Allston, if all goes according to the school’s plans.

Harvard on Nov. 2 made a 15-year agreement to purchase wind power from the Bostonbased company First Wind, continuing the college’s pursuit of eco-friendly energy solutions.

The deal will make Harvard the largest institutional buyer of wind power in New England.

Harvard’s new power source will come from First Wind’s planned facility, known as Stetson II, located near Danforth, Maine.

It is scheduled to begin operations by mid-2010 and will feature 17 General Electric turbines.

Construction began on the facility on Nov. 23.

Stetson II is an extension of the Stetson I facility, which was completed in January. When Stetson II is completed, the two power arrays will form the “largest operational utility-scale wind farm in see WIND, page 2

ASHLEY SEENAUTH/TUFTS DAILY

Tufts School of Medicine readjusted its curriculum to focus more on geriatric care in order to meet the needs of a growing elderly population.

Med school focusing more on elderly BY

MONICA MOWERY Daily Staff Writer

A growing elderly population has led to an increased need for doctors with adequate training in treating seniors, and a revamped curriculum at Tufts School of Medicine attempts to address this rise in demand.

First-year medical students this semester took a course that, for the first time, included a component on medical interviews in both hospital and residential settings. This is part of an increased focus on geriatric patients throughout the curriculum.

A medical-school course on patient care has been taught at the Tufts medical school for almost 15 years, but has focused on the doctor-patient relationship only in the hospital setting. This semester marked the first time students interviewed patients outside of the hospital, according to course director Wayne Altman, an associate professor of family medicine.

Part of an 11-week course called “Foundations of Patient Care,” the readjusted approach to medical interviewing came about in the context of a redesign of the School of Medicine’s four-year curriculum.

“In medicine, we get caught up in being disease-focused; we teach about the disease of cancer, of heart disease, and forget that the patient who has heart disease is of critical importance,” Altman said.

Incorporating interviewing early in medical students’ training could improve doctorpatient relationships in the future, Altman said.

Jody Schindelheim, a clinical professor of psychiatry who leads the medical-interviewing part of the course, said that it gives students an appreciation for the elderly and is part of an effort to train doctors for future trends in medicine. The need for doctors who are skilled at working with older patients is also widely recognized by those out-

side of the medical community.

“I hope that exposing [medical students] early will get more of them interested in geriatrics,” said Molly Cohen-Osher, site director at Brighton’s Jewish Community Housing for the Elderly (JCHE). Students conducted their “at home” interviews with JCHE residents. These accounted for half of the students’ interviews; the other half were conducted with hospitalized patients.

Interviewing patients in their homes builds strong relationships between students and the people they care for, Schindelheim said.

“Hearing the life stories of people who have had a lot of life experience proves to be very inspiring to the medical students, as is the opportunity for the elderly patients to tell their stories,” he said.

Faculty felt students needed to spend more time with patients

Inside this issue

ALEXANDRA LACAYO/TUFTS DAILY

see INTERVIEWING, page 2

Harvard plans to use wind power from Maine to meet 10 percent of the university’s electricity needs.

Today’s Sections

A Tufts alumna draws on her college experiences to challenge cultural stereotypes in her writing.

The men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams put on strong performances at an invitational over the weekend.

see ARTS, page 5

see SPORTS, page 9

News Features Arts & Living Editorial | Letters

1 3 5 6

Op-Ed Sports Classifieds Comics

7 9 10 11

THE TUFTS DAILY

2 Police Briefs

SKETCHIEST LIQUOR SALE EVER

IT’S MILLER TIME The Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) received a call at 5:18 a.m. on Nov. 25 from a female student in Miller Hall who reported that she woke up in her room to find a male she did not know standing there.

She yelled at him, he ran out of the room and she followed him. She saw him enter a room down the hallway, and responding officers entered that room.

Officers found three students in the room, and the female student identified one of them as the male who had entered her room.

The officers’ further investigation found that the male student had been drinking earlier that night at a fraternity, and then in a room on the fourth floor of Miller until around 3:30 a.m., when he went into a lounge on the first floor of the dormitory and fell asleep.

When he woke up, he was still intoxicated and went looking for a friend in the dorm. He said the female student’s door was cracked open, and he entered the room.

A report was sent to the dean’s office.

A TUPD officer noticed a student at Latin Way and Tilton Lane talking to someone in a vehicle at 12:06 a.m. on Dec. 4, and the officer thought that the pair might have exchanged an object. When the student saw the officer, he started walking away.

The officer stopped the student, who told him he thought the person in the vehicle was a friend of his, but realized it wasn’t. The student at first said he did not have identification on him, but eventually showed his Tufts ID. Responding officers approached the person in the vehicle, who turned out to be associated with Woody’s Liquors in Somerville.

The individual said the student had wanted to purchase a handle of Caldwell’s Vodka, but that he did not sell it to the student because the latter did not have an ID. The student turned out to be underage.

The receipt had a phone number on it.

“When the officer dialed it,” TUPD Sgt. Robert McCarthy said, the “student’s phone started ringing.”

A report was sent to the dean’s office, and TUPD contacted the Somerville Police Department about Woody’s Liquor selling to

NEWS

underage people and operating after the closing time mandated for liquor stores.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

An interactive map is available at tuftsdaily.com

I THINK I HAVE A SHOT AT HARVARD! TUPD received a report of an intoxicated male outside 40 Powder House Blvd. at 12:20 a.m. on Dec. 5. TUPD officers responded and found the male, a student, sitting on the sidewalk.

“He stated he had been drinking lots of shots at Harvard,” McCarthy said.

The male, who was underage, was transported to Somerville Hospital.

TRAVELING TREASURE TRUNK OF BADASS Officers responded to a report at 12:49 a.m. on Dec. 6 of a fight at the Theta Delta Chi fraternity house at 123 Packard Ave. Three underage individuals not affiliated with Tufts were “in there causing a problem,” McCarthy said. When they were asked to leave, a fight broke out.

One of the three said “they were going to get something from the trunk of a car to take care of them,” referring to fraternity brothers,

McCarthy said.

Officers who responded stopped the three individuals and searched their car after receiving consent; the officers did not find a weapon. The three received orders not to trespass on Tufts property in the future.

SLIGHT OBSTACLE TO STUDYING TUPD received four reports of laptops stolen at Tisch Library over the past week.

The first report came in at 4:51 p.m. on Dec. 2, and the second theft was reported at 5:36 p.m. on the same day. Both computers were stolen from the lower level of the library.

TUPD received a third report at 5:05 p.m. on Dec. 5 of a laptop missing from the main floor of the library, and a fourth report of a stolen laptop came in at 6:56 p.m. on Dec. 6.

In all cases, someone was studying, left the area for a while and returned to find his or her laptop gone, according to McCarthy.

— compiled by Ben Gittleson

Low turnout expected for primaries

Students interview elderly patients

ELECTION

INTERVIEWING

continued from page 1

Globe endorsed Khazei.

The special primary will determine the Democratic Party’s nominee to fill the Senate seat held by Kennedy, who represented Massachusetts from 1962 until his death in August. Given Massachusetts’ strong Democratic leaning, the winner of the contest will enjoy strong odds in the general election on Jan. 19.

Despite the stakes of the special election, public awareness and interest statewide is remarkably low, a report found.

A 7 News/Suffolk University poll reported early last month that 93 percent of Democratic voters surveyed did not know the date of today’s primary. And 73 percent did not even know the month in which the election would occur.

Turnout for the election today has been projected to be low, in part due to the lack of awareness, but also because of the election’s unconventional scheduling and the cold weather forecast.

“I don’t know the date [of the election], though I know who’s running,” said Ankit Gupta, a freshman and Massachusetts resident. Gupta said he was unsure of his voter registration status, but will probably support Coakley if he does vote.

Somerville spokesman Tom Champion told the Daily that Somerville publicized the date through its Web site and through special messages that appear on local cable television subscribers’ menus.

But increasing turnout is mainly the candidates’ job, he said. “The candidates themselves are pushing very hard to publicize the date,” Champion said. “We probably couldn’t add much to the level of coverage.”

The candidates have made an effort over the past several days to garner the vote of undecided residents.

“The average person’s not going to vote.

I know that,’’ Capuano said, the Boston Globe reported yesterday. “It’s going to be

a handful of people, and the ones who do, they’ve paid more attention than people realize.”

Somerville is paying upwards of $100,000 to hold the special elections, but this is standard practice for local communities, which are often expected to fund special elections, according to Somerville Board of Aldermen President Walter Pero. “The city is responsible for funding special elections when they’re called,” Pero told the Daily. He said this has been done several times for special elections over the past few years.

City of Somerville Election Department Chair Nicholas Salerno confirmed the figure with the Daily. However, Salerno hopes that Somerville will only have to front the costs of the election for the time being.

“Until local Massachusetts communities are reimbursed, we on the local level are funding the special election,” Salerno followed up in a prepared statement. But “the state auditor has declared that … all costs should be paid by the state. Hopefully, the legislature will vote the money and local communities will be reimbursed.”

In Somerville, roughly $60,000 per day goes toward covering a wide array of costs associated with orchestrating a special election, Champion said.

“There’s a tremendous amount that’s specific to preparing for an election that doesn’t go on in the normal course of the year” for the elections department, Champion said.

“Those costs all add up pretty quickly.”

Champion said the money goes toward paying for staffers at polling locations throughout the city’s 21 precincts. The city must provide telephone systems for communication between polling places, police officers to staff every location and overtime payment for the elections department officials checking the voting machines and ensuring compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The special election is estimated to cost between $5 million and $10 million dollars overall.

Harvard invests in wind power project WIND continued from page 1

New England,” according to First Wind’s Web site.

The wind power agreement complements a long line of “green” efforts at Harvard. The university has 64 buildings and projects that are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified, denoting that they have passed several environmental standards.

Mary Smith, manager of energy supply and utility administration at Harvard, told the Daily that the purchase of wind power is “a nice opportunity to contribute to sustainability, as the wind project is reliable and provides Harvard with a

stable price over the years,” referring to the cost of powering the university.

Tufts has also made strides in establishing renewable resources on campus that thrive on wind power.

Sophia Gordon Hall, Tufts’ newest dormitory, was completed in 2006 and is the first building on campus to be built in line with LEED standards.

Tina Woolston, project coordinator for Tufts’ Office of Sustainability, said that the university has purchased wind renewable energy certificates for the past three to four years that offset the cost of the clean power usage in Sophia Gordon Hall.

The university is also investigating the feasibility of a wind turbine on the campus in Grafton, Mass., Woolston said.

continued from page 1

earlier in their education, Altman said.

“All the students get to interview elders who are not necessarily sick or having an acute concern,” he said. In this way, students become closer to people who they might otherwise have just seen in an outpatient practice, Schindelheim said.

Many JCHE residents, such as those from Russia or China, “have fascinating stories to share with students,” and the interviews benefited residents and medical students

alike, Altman said.

JCHE residents even gave the students cookies, Cohen-Osher said.

The residents benefited from the interviews, too, she added.

The interviews gave patients “a sense of purpose by sharing their stories with these young students and being involved in their education,” she said.

The course and the medical interviewing revealed “how many rich, hidden things that you could find out about people if you take the time to talk to them,” she added.

Overall value is hard to capture in ratings, according to Glaser BEST VALUE continued from page 1

that list, we add our own cost measures,” she said. “The combination is what we consider a value.”

Another popular source of college rankings, US News and World Report, ranked Tufts No. 26 on its 2010 list of best college values using similar guidelines.

Clark noted that Tufts’ ranking of 22nd had a lot to do with the amount of financial aid made available by the university, specifically cost after needbased aid.

For the 2009-10 academic year, close to half of the student body received need-based aid, according to Director of Financial Aid Patricia Reilly. Reilly said the average Tufts student who receives this financial support pays about $20,000 after financial aid is applied. Tufts’ total price tag weighs in at $51,088, which includes tuition, fees and the cost of room and board.

According to Reilly, the average cost of a Tufts education — taking into account students who receive financial aid and those who pay full freight — is approximately $35,000 a year.

Clark said the magazine values its combination of academic value and financial value. It came as no surprise to her that many schools highly ranked by the Kiplinger rankings also show up high on the US News list of rankings.

“Some of the top-ranked schools do tend to give incredible values,” she said. “You can go to some schools and pay less than out-of-state tuition at a public school. You can get some pretty strong financial aid. It is one of the factors. We do weigh quality more heavily than cost.”

That value is something that Dean of Undergraduate Education James Glaser feels sometimes gets lost in conventional rankings.

“None of the formulas are perfect,”

Glaser said. “It’s always one aspect more than others that gets brought out by the rankings. We’re not going to perform equally well on all of them but sure, we like to be ranked highly.”

Glaser’s definition of value goes beyond the academic and financial considerations mentioned by Clark.

“It is in the reputation of the school, the networks you join while you are here. That’s something most people know, but it is not something I think most people think about when they write their check,” Glaser said.

Executive Administrative Dean for the School of Arts and Sciences Leah McIntosh said that the university hopes to increase the amount of financial aid given out to students in the future through Tufts’ $1.2 billion Beyond Boundaries campaign.

“One of the key goals for the Tufts Beyond Boundaries campaign has been to increase the amount of funding available for financial aid,” McIntosh told the Daily in an e-mail. “It is certainly my hope that we will be able to continue to increase financial aid over the coming years.”

Aside from all the specifics over rankings like Kiplinger’s, Glaser noted that rankings are not the be-all end-all.

“I do feel like they do have some value for students, but you can overemphasize them because they are not the final word, and many places have strengths that are not captured by the rankings,” Glaser said.

Glaser said that the unique elements universities can offer students often lie outside the rankings.

“For individual students with particular interests and needs, some places might be better for them than others, but that might get lost in the rankings,” he added. “The best thing prospective students can do is to visit a school and find out what its strengths and weaknesses are.”

Correction Yesterday’s article “Tufts to replace Blackboard with online service Moodle by 2011” incorrectly stated that the university’s Information Technology (IT) Committee in November voted to approve a university-wide switch from Tufts’ online learning management system (LMS) Blackboard to Moodle. In fact, the IT Committee voted in 2007 to replace Blackboard.

Last month, Tufts’ LMS project group approved a motion to pursue a replacement system, which it has not yet decided upon.

Features

3

tuftsdaily.com

Copenhagen’s climate conundrum

EMILY MARETSKY | NICE SHOES, LET’S DATE

Binding climate agreement unlikely at environmental summit BY

MARY BETH GRIGGS Daily Staff Writer

The talks that began yesterday in Copenhagen have been heralded by many around the world as a defining moment in the huge debate over climate change.

These high expectations may soon be crushed as leaders at the conference are becoming increasingly pessimistic as to their ability to reach an agreement.

The evidence of climate change is everywhere, from rising sea levels to melting glaciers to increasing temperatures right here at Tufts. On Dec. 3 the people of Boston warmed themselves in record-high temperatures that reached 69 degrees. The warm spell was brief, followed within 48 hours by a winter storm that dumped between three and five inches of snow on the city. The timing of the weather swings provided the perfect backdrop for a conference on climate change.

“Copenhagen is upon us, or we are upon it,” said Professor William Moomaw, director of the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and the energy and climate director of the Tufts Institute of the Environment.

The inflated optimism surrounding the summit was due in large part to the election of President Obama. Countries around the world that had been disheartened by the United States’ refusal to accept the Kyoto Protocol’s carbon emissions guidelines hoped that Obama would change direction.

Though the world’s focus is on Obama’s policies, there has been a shift in how climate change is viewed in the United States. Moomaw noted that addressing the issue of climate change became a goal of all three frontrunners in the elections last year. Though Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.), Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Obama may not have agreed on the implementation of strategies regarding any sort of work on climate change, all three acknowledged it to be a problem.

“It’s a huge moment in the development of climate change [policy] both internationally and in the United States,” said Odette Mucha, a second-year student at the Fletcher School. “The Kyoto Protocol was the first international attempt to address climate change

W

MCT

Climate talks in Copenhagen are focusing attention on the world’s carbon emissions. around the world. [Copenhagen] is a really momentous occasion because it’s going to set the future for climate change around the world going forward, and it represents an opportunity for the United States to join the game again.”

Mucha is attending the Copenhagen conference with the group SustainUS, a youth organization supporting sustainable development.

“Because the U.S. didn’t sign Kyoto, it’s finally an opportunity for the U.S. to show its leadership and address climate change along with the rest of the world,” she said.

The likelihood that a binding treaty will emerge from the conference hinges on whether countries can overcome the tensions between rival factions.

Balancing the different emission levels, financial needs and policies of developed and developing nations are some of the debates at the top of the list.

This conflict, however, represents only a portion of the massive tug of war over how to implement a policy that many would agree to. Differences also exist among countries like Brazil, whose rainforests and indigenous peoples are at risk, and countries like Saudi Arabia that have an economic stake in oil production.

Such differences of opinion will likely be difficult to resolve in the 12 days

that have been allotted to the issue at Copenhagen.

“For every idea that is proposed there is going to be a countervailing force that says, ‘This is a bad idea; this will do harm to my people, my organization, my interest,’” Moomaw said.

With so much pessimism and a binding agreement nowhere to be seen, some activists have modified their hopes.

“The best outcome would be a binding agreement but it’s been made pretty clear that that is unlikely to happen. So the next best thing is that a deadline is set for a binding agreement and leaders leave inspired to take real action in their own countries,” senior Erin Taylor said.

Taylor is a member of the Leadership Campaign, which hosted the recent climate sleep-outs on the residential and academic quads.

“One thing that’s really critical coming out of Copenhagen is seeing the U.S. Senate also do something meaningful. In my mind, if Copenhagen does nothing else than get the Senate to pass climate legislation then it will have been a big success,” Mucha said.

“There are going to be a lot of disappointed people coming out of Copenhagen; a lot of disappointed governments that will be looking for good see COPENHAGEN, page 4

Shabbat a break for students of all religions BY

BRIAN WOLF

Contributing Writer

After a stressful week of cramming for exams and staying up late writing essays, celebrating Shabbat offers students an opportunity to relax and feel welcomed by members of a community.

The services give Tufts’ 1,200 students of the Jewish faith, roughly 25 percent of the student body, the ability to observe this weekly holiday. But Shabbat services and dinners at Tufts are open to more than just Jewish Jumbos. Students from all walks of life take advantage of this opportunity to meet new people.

Students are given two options to celebrate the weekly holiday as Shabbat is held at both Hillel and the Chabad House. Every Friday evening and Saturday morning, Hillel provides prayer services in addition to a meal after the services end.

“Honestly, I started going because [my friend] went all the time,” junior Chloe Dillaway said. “I enjoy the atmosphere and learning about the Jewish culture and the food is really great. It’s a very warm environment, especially on a Friday night before your busy weekend and it’s just a lot of fun.”

Each week, the Chabad House also hosts a Friday evening service with a home-cooked meal that follows and a Saturday lunch. Rabbi Tzvi Backman

Having a type

leads the services, which include various traditions from lighting candles to signal the start of Shabbat to singing prayers for the food presented after services.

“Candle lighting takes place at different time every week and usually takes place 18 minutes before sunset. Because of daylight savings time, candle lighting starts much earlier in the day and now occurs at around four,” Backman said.

When asked whether students usually attend this ritual, he said that “students have come by in lesser numbers” due to the increasingly early time.

While the candle lighting may not be a crowded event, many students arrive at 6:45 for the prayer service. Beginning the Friday night service, the prayer “Kabbalat Shabbat,” (meaning “the welcoming of Shabbat”) is chanted by the congregants. During the typical service, “an assortment of tunes are sung and there is a strong presence of joy and fun times in the air,” Backman said.

Food is another custom at Chabad, as each kosher meal is cooked by Rabbi Backman’s wife Chanie.

“She even asks students to cook with her, which adds to a sense of community that the Chabad exudes,” Backman said. “The two Jewish houses provide students with the opportunity to gather different types of people from around campus that you would otherwise not have the chance to meet.”

Backman’s main goal is to allow students to explore Judaism in a relaxed way and encourage Jews to be more actively involved in their religion.

“Creating an environment that is not pressured and judgmental and does not have any expectations allows for a rich experience. We have been quite successful in constructing a relaxing place. The consistence and growing attendance of the usual Friday night service is quite amazing,” he said.

On average, about 50-60 students come every week for Shabbat. Backman said that the students that come to services are not usually the same and not everybody does Shabbat every week, adding that this means students are “always meeting new people every week.” According to Backman, the number of students attending Shabbat has increased each year since he has been at Tufts.

“Over the past years there has absolutely been an increase in number of students that attend and will hopefully continue to grow,” Backman said.

Freshman Daniel Bleiberg said that he usually goes to Hillel to celebrate Shabbat, but also has visited Chabad.

“I like to switch it up. The Chabad had a warm and welcoming atmosphere; they accept all types of Judaism, whether see SHABBAT, page 4

ell, at least you know we’ll never fight over a guy,” one of my housemates always teases me. “I can appreciate that he’s attractive to you, but I’m just not into boyish, skinny guys like you are.”

My housemates and I frequently talk about guys and girls, yet are rarely ever interested in the same people because we’re all attracted to different traits. It’s pretty safe to say that most of my housemates and I have “a type” or just are frequently drawn to certain kinds of people.

Have you ever noticed patterns in the physical appearance and personality of the people you’ve been involved with or are interested in?

Always attracted to adventurous blondes who all happen to be in TMC or quiet engi-nerd guys with freckles and good taste in music?

Many of us seem to be interested in individual types of people, but does having “a type” limit our prospects? How far can we and should we venture beyond our normal comfort zone?

One friend of mine always goes for the big, strong, football player kind of guy who can scoop her up into his arms, but our sophomore year, she fell for one of the skinniest guys I know.

I always thought it was great that she could move beyond her normal physical type and be interested in someone a little different, but all throughout her relationship, she made offhand comments about how he probably weighed less than she did. Since breaking up, she’s returned to huskier guys and has never looked back.

Sometimes I wonder if she’ll ever be able to move beyond her type, or if she’ll always end up pursuing the same sort of guy. Is attraction to certain traits inevitable? I would like to think none of us are bounded by certain characteristics, but I’ve heard of many instances where one person dismisses another because they aren’t “what they normally go for.”

One of the first was when a friend’s mother said she didn’t take her boyfriend seriously because she didn’t think that he was her type.

The mother mentioned this to an acquaintance one morning and the woman shot back, “Good, because your type wasn’t working for you!”

I thought that line was hilarious a month ago, but I’ve been taking it more seriously lately after realizing that I keep getting involved with the same type of guys, only to see lackluster endings. Is my type not working for me?

I keep trying to convince myself to branch out a little more, to give someone I might not have considered a second look and to stop using John Mayer’s “I’m Gonna Find Another You” as a breakup anthem. However, if I know that I like lanky, kind of nerdy, goofy guys, should I date a hefty lacrosse player just to compare notes?

How much should we try something new when we think we know what we like already?

One guy I’ve known since freshman year has consistently been interested in the same type of girl, to the point where he could spell out “his type” when anyone tried to set him up. But his current long-term girlfriend? The antithesis to his type, something he frequently jokes about.

His advice is just to remain open about people and not dismiss them early on as part of a screening process. You can’t push yourself to like someone different, he says, but you should be open to taking a few steps outside of your comfort zone.

Many people can’t help being attracted to certain types of people off the bat and it’s fine to have a couple of qualities you look for in others. Just don’t convince yourself that you can only be interested a narrow spectrum of people, and give someone different a chance if you feel a little spark.

Emily Maretsky is a senior majoring in engineering psychology. She can be reached at Emily.Maretsky@tufts.edu.

THE TUFTS DAILY

4

For many Jumbos, Shabbat is more about friends and food than faith

on 6 ry Sessi a u Jan e Info t ua d a Gr

SHABBAT continued from page 3

Join us at our next Graduate Studies information session on Wednesday, January 6, 6 p.m.

At the WPI Campus Center

At the NEW Gateway Park

*OTUJUVUF 3E t Worcester, MA

1SFTDPUU 4U t Worcester, MA

t $IFNJDBM &OHJOFFSJOH

t #JPMPHZ #JPUFDIOPMPHZ t #JPNFEJDBM &OHJOFFSJOH

t $JWJM &OWJSPONFOUBM &OHJOFFSJOH t $PNQVUFS 4DJFODF t &MFDUSJDBM $PNQVUFS &OHJOFFSJOH t 'JSF 1SPUFDUJPO &OHJOFFSJOH t .BOBHFNFOU t .BOVGBDUVSJOH &OHJOFFSJOH t .BUFSJBMT 1SPDFTT &OHJOFFSJOH t .BUFSJBMT 4DJFODF &OHJOFFSJOH t .BUIFNBUJDBM 4DJFODFT t .FDIBOJDBM &OHJOFFSJOH t 1IZTJDT t 3PCPUJDT t 4PDJBM 4DJFODF 1PMJDZ 4UVEJFT

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

FEATURES

t $IFNJTUSZ #JPDIFNJTUSZ

Register NOW to attend!

you are reform or conservative,” he said.

Jewish Jumbos note that the welcoming atmosphere at Shabbat is extended to students of all faiths.

“I feel like there are a lot of non-Jews who go [to Hillel] every week and the rabbi is really welcoming of everyone,” Dillaway, who is not Jewish, said. “I’m not really sure about people who sit at other tables, but my friends go that aren’t Jewish and maybe 20 percent of my table is always non-Jewish. if not more.”

This past September, freshman Ard Ardalan accompanied Bleiberg for Sushi Night at the Chabad House. Ardalan described himself as a Shiite Muslim by birth who has identified as an atheist his whole life.

His experience at the Chabad was different from Shabbat dinners he has had in the past, but that didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy it.

“I must admit that it was a pretty remarkable time. The host family was very nice and hospi-

508-831-5301 grad@wpi.edu

table and seemed to be pretty close to many of the students present,” Ardalan said. “I didn’t quite know what to expect from a religious group offering free food, but I soon realized that Shabbat was about much more than that. The food was there to complement family-style guidance and celebration that students of faith find useful.”

Although Chabad attracts a

mainly Jewish following, Rabbi Backman said that the house has opened its doors to people of all faiths.

“The students that are not Jewish who come are curious and want to know what Shabbat is like. The Chabad presents a comforting environment that is also welcoming to all who want to join in our festivities,” he said.

Results of climate summit could disappoint COPENHAGEN continued from page 3

www.grad.wpi.edu

DAILY FILE PHOTO

Goyim and shiksas are just as welcome as Jews at Shabbat services.

ideas” Moomaw said.

One of the fresh ideas that might come out of the summit is a paradigm shift in the way the public views the climate change issue as a whole. In a recent lecture Moomaw noted that focusing on alternate issues, such as fixing the hole in the ozone layer, has actually done more to curb

emissions than any effort that has focused solely on climate change.

In addition, he mentioned that many developing countries were clinging to an outdated notion that linked emissions directly with development. Moomaw suggested that one way to move away from this outlook would be to focus on providing “energy services,” or what people actually need energy for, to people

The Idea of Justice An Open Forum and Discussion with

Amartya Sen The Nobel Laureate and author will discuss his newest book, The Idea of Justice, and The Argumentative Indian: Writings on Indian History, Culture and Identity.

Professor Sen was the inaugural EPIIC Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award Winner.

An Open Class of EPIIC South Asia: Conflict, Culture, Complexity, and Change December 8, 4:00 – 5:30pm, Barnum 008 For more information call (617) 627-3314 Or go to www.tuftsgloballeadership.org.

in the developing world rather than only focusing on providing energy itself.

“Fear doesn’t work, and guilt doesn’t work, but hope might work,” Moomaw said.

Making a visible dent in emissions by utilizing alternate methods and mindsets might inspire people to do something more for the climate than fear or guilt have in the past.

Arts & Living

5

tuftsdaily.com

ALUMNA PROFILE

DEREK SCHLOM | I BLAME POP CULTURE

Author breaks cultural barriers with words BY

A different kind of list

CHARISSA NG

Daily Editorial Board

Considering the unusual — and at times bizarre — questions prospective students are expected to answer when applying to Tufts (a short story about “toast,” class of 2012?), it’s no wonder that Tufts students pride themselves on being a creative bunch. Tufts alumna Cathy Bao Bean (J ’64) is no exception.

Many of Bean’s experiences at Tufts were a springboard for her career in the arts and media. Bean currently works as a successful author, educator and public speaker on cultural diversity.

At Tufts, Bean’s outspoken independence lent itself to her attempts to break cultural barriers and work against stereotypes of Asian American women. Bean jokes in a short bio from the Indiana University School of Journalism that she majored in “History, Government and screaming.”

From trying out for the role of Anne Frank to becoming the first AsianAmerican cheerleader at Tufts with her sister Betty Bao Lord ( J ’59), Bean worked to push beyond the confines of the Tufts bubble.

“My first year cheerleading, I ended up in a picture,” Bean said. “The wonderful thing about that picture was that in 1962 when they were only allowing 165 Chinese [to immigrate to the United States] per year, I end up in Sports Illustrated — fully clothed, mind you.”

Bean explained how many of her negative experiences as a young AsianAmerican female at Tufts helped fuel the work she does today as both an author and public speaker advocating for diversity and multicultural awareness. She cited how she was denied the part of Anne Frank in the Tufts production of “The Diary of Anne Frank” as one example of an experience that

I

DUALLANGUAGESSYMPOSIUM.COM

Alumna and author Cathy Bao Bean was one of the first Asian-American cheerleaders at Tufts, along with her sister. made her feel limited.

“It never occurred to me until I hit these walls [at Tufts] that I couldn’t do everything that I wanted to do,” said Bean. “It was a wonderful time and a fabulous education. And then it was also a big eye-opener, an education in terms of diversity.”

In 2002, Bean published “The Chopsticks-Fork Principle: A Memoir and Manual,” a book about her experiences as a Chinese-American caught between two cultures.

“Those of us who live on the hyphen — African-Americans, ChineseAmerican, or whatever — we have several selves,” said Bean. “What is not diverse is this really fundamental idea that you have to be only one — when there’s one culture or one kind of person — and that’s a lot of hooey.”

Bean also referred to “The Chopsticks-Fork Principle” as a manual that describes how she and her husband raised their half-Chinese, halfwhite son to be bicultural and satisfy disparate cultural norms.

“It’s trying to teach people how to deal with what I call the ‘chopsticksfork’ principle,” Bean said. “Look at very ordinary events — your first day at school, dining etiquette, birthday parties — and understand what is cultural in those steps.”

Bean described how “The Chopsticks-Fork Principle” sheds light on the importance of stepping outside of comfort zones to benefit from greater awareness of diversity — within and around oneself. see BEAN, page 8

MOVIE REVIEW

VIDEO GAME REVIEW

‘Me and Orson Welles’ drops Efron in ’30s BY

KEITH HINTON

Daily Staff Writer

What can be said about “Me and Orson Welles” has already been said about every movie Zac Efron

Me and Orson Welles Starring Zac Efron, Christian McKay, Claire Danes Directed by Richard Linklater DJHERO.COM

World” was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987. In the ’90s, games like “PaRappa the Rapper” (1997) picked up the mantle alongside the smashhit “Dance Dance Revolution” series (1998), and in the current decade, “Guitar Hero” was the one game to rule them all. Now at the end of the decade, Activision, the company behind “Guitar Hero,” is looking to revitalize the rhythm genre again with the release of “DJ Hero.”

The basic concept behind “DJ Hero” is the same as that of most games: Everybody

has ever been in. The movie won’t change viewers’ lives or their attitudes toward cinema, but it’s certainly not without its charm.

“Me and Orson Welles” is a story about a 17-year-old aspiring actor named Richard Samuels (Zac Efron) who is offered the opportunity of a lifetime: to play Lucius in a reimagining of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” set in fascist Italy and directed by the already famous radio actor Orson Welles (Christian McKay). As opening night approaches, Richard falls for older woman Sonja (Claire Danes), and this infatuation threatens to mix his personal and professional lives. The plot is simple and charming enough, but this is really all the positives that can be said about this film.

see DJ HERO, page 8

see ORSON, page 8

You could be having as much fun as this guy if you played “DJ Hero.”

’DJ Hero’ a surefire hit among genre enthusiasts BY

MITCHELL GELLER

Daily Editorial Board

Though often overlooked prior to the release of “Guitar Hero” (2005), rhythm gaming has been a popular genre since “Athletic

DJ Hero Developer: FreeStyleGames

Platforms: PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox 360

question the benefits and drawbacks of “best of” lists every time December rolls around and various media outlets begin to release their picks for the top films, albums, books, bundt cake recipes, etc. of the year (and, as 2010 approaches, the decade). I’m kind of indifferent when it comes to lists like these. I understand the importance of placing something in context and noting its historical significance, but I kind of feel like rankings reduce works of art that mean something different to every person — works that provoke, engage and entice — to mere numbers. (I have the same issue with awards shows for turning culture into a blood sport, but that’s a whole different column.)

Not to bite the proverbial hand that feeds me, but I wasn’t thrilled with the Daily Arts editors’ picks for their “Best of the Decade” list from Thursday’s Weekender. Some of the choices were on-point, but a decent share were cringeinducing (The Killers? Seriously?). That’s the danger — and kind of the whole point — of releasing an entirely subjective list of one’s personal preferences as the “best” of anything: Someone will undoubtedly disagree with the selections and the rankings (what makes the 7th best better than the 8th?). I admire the editors for putting their picks into the public domain for scrutiny, but I just don’t have the balls. Instead, I’ve composed a non-ranked list of my favorite artistic experiences from the past decade. Here are the noteworthy personal moments that stick out.

My first concert: The Shins and Belle & Sebastian co-headlining at the Hollywood Bowl. I was barely 13 and carrying a bit more baby fat than I was willing to admit.

I begged my dad to let me go, and he caved. The stuff I’m ashamed to have once loved: I used to play John Mayer’s “Room for Squares” (2001) in a constant loop on my Walkman. “Lizzie McGuire” was another obsession; I totally related to Gordo, the nebbish Jew. My first R-rated movie: My best friend and I snuck into “Closer” (2004) at the Sherman Oaks Galleria. Julia Roberts mentioned blowjobs, and I had no clue what she was talking about. I remember feeling wildly uncomfortable, but very intrigued.

The moment I realized that music could actually, like, mean something: Radiohead’s “Kid A” (2000), with headphones, eyes closed, lying on my bed.

That’s what dreams are made of.

The television show that made me want to be funny (though God knows I never will be): I caught up on “Arrested Development” on DVD a while back and couldn’t stop shouting “Ann-yong!” at random intervals for a significant period of time. Maeby? Shirley!

The movies that gave me nightmares: I remember the lights coming up in the theater after “No Country for Old Men” (2007) and noticing that my nails had punctured my skin from how tightly I had clenched my fist out of utter horror.

Same thing happened during “The Dark Knight” (2008) — all three times I saw it.

I also couldn’t sleep for a few nights after “Zodiac” (2007), a shockingly underrated masterpiece.

Why I’m looking forward to 2010: I just want to see how some of the great artistic achievements of the aughts are followed up. How can Paul Thomas Anderson top “There Will Be Blood” (2007)? What’s next from The xx, the spanking-new band that, to extraordinary effect, combines influences like The Cure and Aaliyah?

And who or what else is out there, ready to entertain and enthrall? Bring on the new decade.

Derek Schlom is a freshman who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at Derek.Schlom@tufts.edu.

THE TUFTS DAILY

6

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 Crystal Bui Editorialists Vittoria Elliott Rebekah Liebermann Victoria Stevenson Marian Swain Nina Grossman Opinion Editors Laura Moreno Andrew Rohrberger Molly Rubin Devon Colmer Editorial Cartoonists Erin Marshall Alex Miller Louie Zong

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

EDITORIAL | LETTERS

EDITORIAL

Major election deserved more publicity Unbeknownst to many Tufts students, primary elections will be held today in the race for the U.S. Senate seat vacated after the death of Sen. Edward Kennedy.

Although publicity for the election has been sparse, its results could hardly be of greater import. Aside from assuming all the responsibilities characteristic of a U.S. senator, Massachusetts’ new representative will enter Congress in the midst of the most important debate over health care reform in decades. Every Tufts student registered to vote in Massachusetts is urged to head to the polls today and again on Jan. 19 for the general election.

It is standard procedure for the Daily to encourage students to vote on election day. But this particular circumstance requires an especially emphatic call to action, as voter turnout is expected to be unusually low. Some reports attribute this to unfriendly weather and timing. But in last month’s 7 News/Suffolk University poll, 93 percent of registered Democratic voters reported not even knowing the date of the primary. This lack of awareness highlights a greater problem with thespecial election: It has been severely underpublicized.

While candidates have attempted to encourage voter awareness, they can hardly be expected to shoulder the entire burden of informing the public about when the election is to be held. The special primary and general elections will cost the city of Somerville approximately $130,000.

The statewide costs of administering this election are estimated at approximately $7.2 million, according to a report from State Auditor Joseph DeNucci. This money will essentially be wasted if over 90 percent of registered voters don’t turn out for the primary.

It is the responsibility of citizens to stay informed regarding political happenings, but it is the responsibility of their government to ensure that taxpayers’ money is not being wasted on an election of which no one is aware. Both state and local governments should have put more effort into ensuring that every voter knew the date and importance of this election.

Although most still might not know much about them, the candidates in today’s elections come from starkly different backgrounds and hold varying views on the issues.

Martha Coakley, the state’s attorney general, is the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, according to recent polls.

The only woman in the race, Coakley recently received an endorsement from former President Clinton.

U.S. Rep. Mike Capuano, a six-term congressman, is the candidate closest to Coakley in the polls. His campaign has emphasized his Washington insider status and his ability to get things done.

The other Democratic candidates are Alan Khazei and Steve Pagliuca. Khazei’s campaign has emphasized community service, and he asserts that as a political

outsider he will challenge the status quo.

Paglucia, a co-owner of the Boston Celtics, is a wealthy investor who claims that his financial prowess will give him an edge in dealing with the state’s economic problems.

Health care reform has been one of the greatest points of debate among the four Democratic candidates. Coakley and Capuano have recently announced that they would not have voted in support of the House of Representatives’ recently passed health care bill because it includes the Stupak-Pitts amendment, which bars government funding for certain abortion payments. Khazei and Pagliuca have criticized this position and said they would have voted in support of the bill despite the Stupak-Pitts amendment.

The Republican Party’s frontrunner is State Sen. Scott Brown (A ’81). Unlike his Democratic opponents, Brown does not support a so-called public health insurance option, like the one passed by the House last month. He says that he would instead support expanding health care coverage by strengthening the current private market system.

Some hold the opinion that there is little need to vote in Massachusetts, since the state has such a strong tendency to elect liberal Democrats. But especially given the important bills currently being debated in the Senate, the special election for the commonwealth’s new senator deserves voters’ attention — and action.

DEVON COLMER

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 Mick Krever Xander Zebrose

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

EDITORIAL

Simplistic rankings do little justice to colleges Kiplinger, a personal finance advice magazine, recently rated Tufts as the 22nd most valuable college in the nation, and once again high school students and their families are left wondering how accurate — or useful — these ratings actually are. Walk into the home of a high school senior and one is likely to find an array of college guidebooks, brochures and various charts printed from the Internet. US News and World Report’s annual college ranking often sits at the top of this pile.

In 2007, an anti-college ranking movement began working to make many families aware that the success of a college’s students during and after college cannot be determined by any rating system. There is simply too much that needs to be considered, and college experiences do not fit into the formula that these publications and companies use.

The resistance movement coincided with many colleges’ advertising that they would be putting significantly less emphasis on SAT and ACT scores when making admissions decisions, some even going so far as to make the submission of SAT and ACT scores optional.

Sarah Lawrence College led this charge with a loud statement, completely removing standardized test scores from its undergraduate application. The movement reflects a shift in

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.

the American college-student demographic.

As the population of students attending college expands and crosses financial borders (in 2006 the number of college students was more than 60 percent higher than that of 1960), American families are also looking at a broader range of schools. Top universities and other schools are no longer inhabited as overwhelmingly by upper-middle-class whites.

Tufts itself boasts a 25 percent ethnic minority population. Small schools like Colorado College and Hampshire College now offer alternative study models that attract students who might qualify for Ivy League schools but seek something more innovative. People are beginning to understand that a right fit for US News and Kiplinger isn’t necessarily the right fit for them.

The point is that while the numbers offered by these companies are meant to facilitate the college selection process, they are too simple. This in itself is hardly news; but the magazines that tote college rankings still fly off the shelves, and the mystique of attending a so-called top-tier university remains potent.

In 2007, Lloyd Thacker, the executive director of the Education Conservancy, circulated a letter to presidents of liberal arts colleges. In it, Thacker urged them not to submit statistics to the US News college survey. Such a boycott

is one way to undermine the role these rankings play in the college selection process, but most colleges will not withhold the statistics if it means receiving a bad ranking.

But such a decision can come at a price.

According to Michele Tolela Myers, the former president of Sarah Lawrence, a US News researcher told her that when a college withholds information on its students’ average SAT scores, the magazine assigns the college an arbitrary average score of about 200 points below its peer institutions’ average.

If colleges around the country were to come together and take the large step of boycotting college-ranking lists, it would require prospective students and their families to look beyond such misleading numeric constructs. This is not to suggest that all of the information contained in college rankings should be disregarded; in fact, most of the objective details compiled by these surveys — like ethnic makeup and student-to-faculty ratio — are very useful. But families must keep in mind that college selection is a subjective process, one that requires a human being with her own values and ambitions to weigh all the components of a school, rather than relying on a formulaic chart. If Tufts and other major institutions took collective action, the entire admissions process could benefit.

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.

THE TUFTS DAILY

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

7

OP-ED

Fighting a war without sharing the sacrifice BY

MICHAEL KREMER

In what was arguably the most important speech of his young presidency, President Obama took the stand at West Point last Tuesday to announce his plan to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. Attempting to rally public support for the cause, the President reiterated his belief that the enemy we fight in Afghanistan poses “no idle danger, no hypothetical threat” and that the “security of the United States and the safety of the American people [are] at stake in Afghanistan.”

There has been enough back and forth this past week about the wisdom of Obama’s strategy, the 2011 deadline that he set and the level of international commitment to the cause. I do not want to further that debate here.

Rather, here are the questions that he did not raise in his speech: Whose war is this? Are the burdens of this national effort being shared appropriately? The president called on the United States to rediscover the unity that it had after 9/11 and in the beginning of the war, but should he have asked the American people for more? Why didn’t he explicitly state the sacrifices he was asking of us?

To be sure, thousands of Americans have made tremendous sacrifices over the course of this war. Members of the military, their families and their friends have gone above and beyond the call of duty, and we must never take their service for granted.

The reality of those sacrifices hits close to home when word came earlier this semester that Army Capt. and Tufts alumnus Ben Sklaver (LA ’99) had been killed in Afghanistan.

The Tufts ROTC members are another example of a group of people on campus agreeing to take on their share of the burdens of this war.

But do most students at Tufts and other schools nationwide feel the burden of this sacrifice? How are our daily lives

MCT

affected? In light of the fact that our country is at war, what is being asked of us?

For most college students — myself included — these past seven years of war have been fairly normal. Never have I been asked to make any conscious sacrifices for the benefit of the troops, and there has never been the slightest chance that I might have to go fight in either Iraq or Afghanistan myself.

Whereas nearly everyone felt the effects of the economic boom and bust, asking someone if they had endured similar hardship as a result of the war would draw some puzzled looks and negative responses.

The reality is that the war in Afghanistan is just a blip on

most people’s radar — something that they read about in the paper, watch on the news and have the luxury of ignoring for the rest of their day.

This reality suggests that Americans don’t necessarily understand (or believe) that our safety and security are at stake in Afghanistan.

In a war where public opinion is split down the middle, you would expect that the level of visible protests and opposition would be high. But ambivalence has been much more common than action.

The real problem is that, though our safety and security might actually be at stake, Americans do not feel that we have a stake in the war. With our all-volunteer army, there is

no risk of conscription through the draft. And despite the billions of dollars we have spent over the course of the war, neither the Democrats nor the Republicans have had the courage to push through a politically unsavory tax increase or a proportional decrease in spending to pay the bills.

To seize upon an elementary economics analogy, we are operating under the assumption that the tradeoff between guns and butter doesn’t exist.

Two questions arise: First, is this attitude a problem? And second, if it is, how do the consequences manifest themselves?

In my opinion, our current situation certainly presents a moral problem. I can’t believe

any argument that says we are truly committed to this war when we have repeatedly failed to muster ourselves to sacrifice anything for it.

The blame for this lack of sacrifice is spread around; our leaders are at fault just as much as we are. They are the ones who can demand real sacrifices from us. But though former President George W. Bush and President Obama have never had difficulty telling us that we need to continue our effort in Afghanistan, they have both been unwilling to explicitly call for specific sacrifices from the American people. Say what you will about the differences between the two, but they have both shown an equal reticence on this front.

In terms of the consequences, a war in which there is no shared sacrifice is a war that is vulnerable to the whims of the people and the politicians alike. If we felt a direct link between our tax dollars and the dollars used to pay for the war, people would certainly be more attuned to its progress and prospects for success.

And if we could see the consequences of what we would have otherwise done with our tax dollars were they not going to fund the war — in other words, what butter we were losing — we would undoubtedly press our leaders harder to explain the true costs and benefits of the war.

So in closing, to the Tufts community and our country as a whole I will say this: It is time to pull our heads out of the sand. If our leaders won’t compel us to share in the sacrifice, we must take the initiative into our own hands. At the very least, force yourselves to remain informed by reading at least one news item each day about the war. And in honor of Capt. Sklaver and his counterparts, think about what sacrifices you can make to begin to thank them for theirs.

Michael Kremer is a junior majoring in international relations.

Composting at Tufts made easy BY

LUCY MCKEON

With knowledge of the huge benefits of composting under your belt, do you find yourself wishing every day that you, a Tufts student, had an easy and convenient way to compost your own organic waste?

Or maybe you’ve heard about composting, but have never given it much thought? In either case, proceed on, dear reader, because I have news for you.

Due to high demand, you can now easily drop off your compost at an on-campus location at your convenience! Whether you are an off-campus upperclassman with an environmental conscience or a dorm-entrapped culinary artist firmly set in your ideals, you too can participate in composting.

Thanks to Tufts Grounds Manager John Vik, who offered to arrange regular service pick up of the compost bin, Tufts students can ensure a better future for their natural waste. All you have to do is separate your organic materials (no animal products!) from the rest of your garbage and bring them to the bin, located at the rear of Miller Hall to the left of Tufts Institute of the Environment ( TIE), any time during business hours Monday through Friday.

You will find a key to the bin on a hook just inside the entrance to TIE (it must stay locked to avoid contamination). Unlock the bin, put your organic waste in, relock it and return the key as you found it. The materials you bring will be mixed in with grass clippings and brought to a composting facility by Jayco Landscape Supply of Waltham. It’s that simple. And easy!

But before you run off to start waste-separating, overtaken and inspired by your excitement, let’s

take a step back. Why compost in the first place?

In the current climate of environmental consciousness, you’re probably already aware that waste in general is a problem. Composting is an easy way to cut back on the amount of waste that’s disposed of because it allows organic materials to be reused.

With the aid of oxygen and moisture, bacteria, fungi, molds, earthworms and other soil, organisms eat and convert organic materials into nutrients that plants can utilize. This natural process, which I’m sure you’re familiar with, is called biodegradation.

Composting is just purposeful biodegradation that creates a natural fertilizer which improves soil and therefore plant growth, an accessible application of the favorite “R” (reuse!) in an attempt to further the reduction of waste. Organic waste’s unique potential to be reintegrated into the natural world and aid the environment should be too enticing to pass up. In a time of such awareness about diminishing resources, why wouldn’t we convert our organic wastes into resources?

Tufts students’ strong interest in composting was actualized last April by a collaboration between Tufts Dining Services, Tufts Recycles! and the Office of Sustainability. (As you may know, Tufts Dining already composts leftovers, but a public bin open to students had not yet been introduced). A threeweek test bin, set up in the Mayer Campus Center, is open for drop-off from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. The test bin was created to gauge whether students would use the program and to see if it could be used correctly, since any contamination would cause processors to reject the compost.

Needless to say, students could not only handle the

responsibility, but were enthusiastic about extending the program to dorms and other Tufts residences. In order to include all students interested in a simple set-up, the bin behind Miller was conceived, created and now stands eager to take organic waste off your hands. And with such student enthusiasm, rumor has it another bin could open at Tisch Library in the future.

Tufts also has a history of composting at major events, such as matriculation, upon request. The use of biodegradable plates and napkins has made this more efficient and less wasteful in the recent past (although biodegradable utensils are not compostable, which can become confusing). However, such tasks can be difficult, again due to the necessity of informed composters in order to eliminate contamination.

For this reason, Tufts Recycles! is always looking for people who would be interested in working on-site composting gigs, willing to valiantly stand between composters and the bin to prevent contamination. Such a person is integral to any major eventcomposting program. Another endeavor of Tufts Recycles! is to explore the option of placing more bins around campus. All departments interested in hosting bins would be very welcome. Please contact Dawn.Quirk@tufts.edu if you have interest in any of these areas, or want to get involved in composting at Tufts in any other way. And don’t forget about the back-of-Miller compost drop-off site!

Lucy McKeon is a senior majoring in English. She is an employee of Tufts Recycles!

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

THE TUFTS DAILY

8

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

ARTS & LIVING

Christian McKay steals the show as Orson Welles, outshines Efron

DJ Hero may not be worth price tag

ORSON

wants to be a “blank.� In the case of “Madden NFL 2010,� the blank is filled in with “football player.� For “Guitar Hero,� the blank is replaced with “guitarist.� For “DJ Hero,� it’s ... well, you get the point.

While gamers will be sorely disappointed if they think that purchasing “DJ Hero� will make them into real-life DJs, it comes closer than, say, “GoldenEye 007�

(1997) comes to making players into James Bond.

The game comes with its own unique controller: a small plastic turntable with a fader, various knobs and a record with three buttons on it. As far as controllers go, it’s pretty cute. In a day and age when each new game requires some special hardware — a guitar for “Guitar Hero;� a skateboard for a Tony Hawk game; a forty-button, three-pedal, two-joystick behemoth for a robot fighting game — it’s completely unsurprising for a game based on deejaying to need a controller like this.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as the dedicated controller makes the game feel more substantial and the experience more real. Plus, it’s just fun to furiously spin the record, jab the buttons, hit the cross-fader and “wikkity-wik� when the game says to.

Buying “DJ Hero� isn’t simply buying a game — it’s getting a full-on experience.

This experience, however, comes at a high price. The suggested retail price is $119.99 for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii. Even $99.99 for the PlayStation 2 version is pretty steep, so casual players will probably want to think about the purchase before jumping in with both feet — or

continued from page 5

Viewers going to see Efron paraded about adorably in 1930s New York City apparel won’t be disappointed. The star of the “High School Musical� movies (2006, 2007, 2008) looks every bit as good as he did in that prom tuxedo or basketball jersey.

For those viewers going to see if Efron can actually act: Beware. In his first foray into drama, Efron barely gets his feet wet.

It is not entirely his fault: The film spends so much time being cute and nostalgic that it forgets to be dramatic, and Danes is not a believable partner for Efron, in looks or in performance.

Ironically, the movie’s greatest strength is also the biggest obstacle facing Efron’s attempted acting. The spot-on, powerful portrayal of Welles by British newcomer McKay (thankfully) overshadows Efron at every turn. Never has a movie been more appropriately titled, despite its grammatical curiosity. This movie is about some guy and Welles; it belongs to McKay, not Efron.

McKay’s performance as the headstrong genius whose career has not yet caught up to his ego approaches absolute perfection. Audience members hate Welles, but can’t take their eyes off of him. He dominates every scene, not only because of his position of authority in the plot, but also because when McKay belts out his lines, he commands the audience’s attention in a way that Efron simply cannot match. As the film progresses, the audi-

ence can almost see Efron’s acknowledgment of McKay’s dominance forcing him to retreat to the background, which only serves to make Efron’s bland performance even more insipid.

Director Richard Linklater gives Efron plenty of opportunities to shine with overused facial close-ups at key emotional points for his character, but to no avail.

Even Efron’s most climactic scene falls remarkably flat. In fact, the only times Efron seems comfortable in a scene are when he is wooing someone — either the underwhelming Danes as Sanja, or the positively delightful Zoe Kazan’s character, a love interest closer to Efron’s character’s age. “Me and Orson Welles� is an adequate film with a good heart. It fails as a period piece or a drama, but Linklater’s feel for 1930s New York yields some creative scenery and costumes. And, in a way similar to that of Efron’s earlier film “Seventeen Again� (2009), “Me and Orson Welles� does have just enough Efron-inspired charm to get by.

Most importantly, the film reveals a star on the rise in McKay, who conveys a pitchperfect Welles, similar to Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote in “Capote�

(2005). It’s a shame that McKay’s talents have not yet been put to better use, but he steals the show and does the absolute best with what this film has to offer. While “Me and Orson Welles� is not a total loss, audience members expecting to see Efron’s successful jump into dramatic features will leave disappointed.

DJ HERO continued from page 5

record-spinning hands — to become a virtual DJ. And if that seems inexpensive, a special edition, “DJ Hero Renegade Edition Featuring Jay-Z and Eminem,� is available for $200. It features a handful of extra songs, a snazzier looking turntable and a little stand for the turntable controller to sit on.

The game works in much the same way as any and every rhythm game. An on-screen track features symbols that roll by, and when they fall below a cursor the player hits a button to activate them.

In “Guitar Hero� the symbols represent notes; here they represent samples and various tracks. Each level consists of a set list made up of three or four mixes. Each mix is a combination of two songs that go together to form a fun mash-up, and it’s the player’s job to bring this mash-up to life.

With 94 mixes featuring over 100 songs from artists like Jay-Z, Grandmaster Flash, Justice, Rihanna, Third Eye Blind and Daft Punk, “DJ Hero� has something for everyone.

In less than one decade, music video games have gone through the evolution that music took many decades to complete: from bands with instruments to DJs with turntables. It seems odd that it took so long for a high-profile game about deejaying to be released. That isn’t to say that “DJ Hero� is the first game about dejaying, but it is the most successful by far.

The game is a lot of fun, but it is awfully similar to other “Hero� games.

For serious vinyl fetishists and DJ aficionados, buying “DJ Hero� is probably a no-brainer. For everyone else: Wait for the price to drop a bit.

Alumna pens bilingual books focusing on dierent cultures, shared experiences BEAN continued from page 5

As a charismatic speaker, Bean also travels throughout the country, candidly sharing her stories. “I look back at Tufts and the stuff that I remember that was influential — like when I tried to get a visa at the immi-

gration department in Boston,�

Bean said. “I didn’t have a passport, and the guy threatened to deport me. At the time, I just blew it off. But, in retrospect, that was an extremely good story that I tell now. And that makes it important.�

Bean co-authored anoth-

er book in 2008. Titled “Chopsticks-Fork Principle X 2,� the work is a compilation of her stories written in both English and Chinese and meant to simultaneously teach and immerse readers in the culture of both their native and second languages.

With a third book for young readers already in the works, Bean continues to share her stories with all who will listen — from children and college students to prisoners and parents. “It just so happens that the examples I use are primarily

from the Asian [culture]. But no matter where I speak, the response is the same because it’s the same, fundamental experience,� Bean said. “These are cultural journeys. From grandma’s house to the bowling alley, from China to America.

That’s a cultural journey.�

4QJSJUVBMJUZ .FFUT 4FYVBMJUZ Movie Screenings.

Panel.

The Answers You Need.

SFMJHJPO say about IPNPTFYVBMJUZ

What does your

5 ) & 1" / & -

8FEOFTEBZ %FDFNCFS UI ! QN JO UIF

*OUFSGBJUI $FOUFS

What do :06 think?

6OJWFSTJUZ $IBQMBJO 'BUIFS %BWJE 0 -FBSZ +FXJTI 3BCCJ %BOZB 3VUUFOCFSH .VTMJN $IBQMBJO /BJMB #BMPDI 1SPUFTUBOU $IBQMBJO ,FSSJF )BSUIBN BOE #VEEIJTU 4BOHIB "EWJTPS %BWJE "SPVOE XJMM EJTDVTT UIF JOUFSTFDUJPO PG SFMJHJPO BOE TFYVBMJUZ

Brought to you by the Tufts LGBT Center. Co-sponsored by AS&E Diversity Fund, The Chaplaincy Office and Hillel.

Sports

9

tuftsdaily.com

MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING

WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING

Tufts dominates conference foes over weekend Jumbos’ depth prevails with thirdplace finish at MIT BY

BEN KOCHMAN

Senior Staff Writer

The men’s swimming and diving team had another impressive performance last weekend at the MIT MEN’S SWIMMING (3-0) at MIT Invitational, Cambridge, Mass., Friday-Saturday

BY

At a jam-packed and gorgeous MIT pool, the women’s swimming and diving team showed exceptional depth in its last meet

2nd of 7 teams 1. MIT 2. Tufts 3. NYU 4. Brandeis 5. Bowdoin 6. Colby 7. Wheaton

ALEX PREWITT

Daily Editorial Board

WOMEN’S SWIMMING (2-2) at MIT Invitational, Cambridge, Mass., Friday-Saturday

1197.5 750.5 696 397 304 206 187

3rd of 7 teams

Invitational, where the Jumbos finished second out of seven teams.

Despite not touching the wall first in any individual swimming event, the Jumbos’ depth allowed them to score a total of 750.5 points in the meet, good enough to best NESCAC foes Colby and Bowdoin as well as nonconference competitor NYU for the runner-up spot.

The result in last weekend’s meet was for the most part expected, as MIT has consistently been one of the top swimming programs in the nation.

But while the team is content with the amount of points that it scored, the general consensus among the captains is that the most important aspect of the MIT meet was gaining valuable experience swimming in a big tournament format, regardless of the final score.

“We don’t look at the scores as

ANDREW MORGENTHALER/TUFTS DAILY

Junior Andrew Altman and the Jumbos’ 200-yard freestyle relay team finished second at the MIT Invitational with a time of 1:25.83, earning 34 points for Tufts. much, or at trying to get high in the standings, in a huge competition like this,” senior quad-captain Matt Salzberg said. “We were just happy to have the opportunity to race against all of these great teams and to get some good performances in.”

While no Jumbo finished in the top two in any individual swimming event, two of Tufts’ relay teams finished in second. In the 200-yard freestyle relay, the team of juniors David Meyer, Gordon Jenkins and Andrew Altman with sophomore Owen Rood finished in 1:25.83 seconds, three seconds off the pace of the first-place MIT team. And in the 200-yard medley relay, the Tufts foursome of senior quad-captain Lawrence Chan, class-

1. NYU 2. MIT 3. Tufts 4. Wheaton 5. Colby 6. Bowdoin 7. Brandeis

1045 863.5 472.5 403 343 318 308

mate Patrick Kinsella and sophomores E.J. Testa and Rood also finished in second behind the rival Engineers main quartet.

The meet allowed the team to show off its trademark depth — while the Jumbos had few standout performances, the multitude of points earned over the course of the meet’s 21 events was emblematic of a very solid performance.

“One of the things that we always pride ourselves on is being a complete team from top to bottom,” senior quad-captain Rob Delean said. “We may not have as much star power as some other teams in the conference,

of the calendar year, coming away with a third-place finish at this weekend’s MIT Invitational.

In the seven-team meet versus some of the top Div. III schools in the New England region, Tufts ended the competition comfortably behind first-place New York University (NYU) and runner-up MIT. The Jumbos ended the two-day event with 472.5 points, despite having only two finishes of third or better in the numerous swimming events.

“I think we had a really strong performance,” senior tri-captain Lyndsey York said.

“It was a really long meet; we raced on Friday

see MEN’S SWIMMING, page 10

see WOMEN’S SWIMMING, page 10

INSIDE NCAA BASKETBALL

Badgers, Orange stake claim to top 25 rankings BY

BEN WALDRON

Senior Staff Writer

As preseason-ranking hoopla has given way to a slew of solid non-conference matchups, a few teams appear to be better than advertised. In Madison, Wis., it’s clear that Bo still knows best, regardless of what the pundits may say. And at Syracuse, Jim Boeheim’s club has looked unbeatable after a shaky start in the preseason.

Coach Bo Ryan already has his Badgers playing at a much higher level than expected. With wins over Arizona, Maryland and Duke, Wisconsin has shown that it is better than the team most predicted to finish toward the bottom of a very deep Big 10 conference.

Led by senior guards Trevon Hughes and Justin Bohannon, the Badgers have played a style that, while certainly not flashy, contrasts with their typical image as a slow, grindit-out type of team. So far, they’ve only finished under the 60-point mark once, and that was a 58-42 win over Summit League-favorite Oakland.

Wisconsin’s impressive backcourt is joined down in the post by junior forwards Jon Leuer and Keaton Nankivil, who are averaging 13.9 and 8.1 points per game, respectively.

Leuer, for one, came up huge in the home win against Duke on Dec. 2 in the Big 10/ACC

Challenge, finishing with 17 points and seven rebounds.

As for this year, the Badgers must compete in a Big 10 conference that is as stacked as it has been in recent memory.

Purdue and last year’s national runner-up Michigan State should lead the way, while Illinois will be tough as always and Minnesota is primed to make some real progress in coach Tubby Smith’s third year.

Wisconsin fans, however, should put their trust in Ryan, who has never had a Badger team finish outside of the conference’s top four and has never missed an NCAA Tournament while in Madison.

If their early non-conference wins are any indication, the Badgers should be ready to make an impact in March.

In a Nov. 24 win over Arizona, Hughes took over by scoring 24 points to go along with seven rebounds and five steals, while in a 78-69 victory over thenNo. 22 Maryland, Bohannon and Leuer combined for 36 points as Wisconsin showed it could contend with the conference’s elite team. The 73-69 win over the Blue Devils was just the icing on what has already been a stellar 2009 for the 6-1 Badgers.

Another big name left out of the AP preseason top 25 was Syracuse. Before the regular season even got started, the Orange looked like it may

be in for a tough year, losing a home exhibition matchup against Div. II Le Moyne.

Since then, however, coach Jim Boeheim’s squad has yet to lose, climbing into the top 10 of the national rankings in the process. Syracuse made a couple of huge statements in Madison Square Garden at the 2K Sports Classic in November, with blowout victories over California and North Carolina.

With the departure of quicksilver point guard Jonny Flynn, the Orange has gone through an identity change.

The majority of its scoring has come from the frontcourt, with junior forward Wesley Johnson leading the way with 17 points and a little over seven boards per game. Johnson went off for 25 points against the Tar Heels’ impressive front line, leading Syracuse to a blowout 87-71 win over the then-No. 4 team in the nation.

Senior Andy Rautins has stepped up at the point guard position, dishing out 5.5 assists per game this year to go along with almost 10 points and a notable 3.8 steals per contest.

He is joined by freshman shooting guard Brandon Triche, who had a coming-out party with 21 points against Cornell on Nov. 24. With a number of solid performances already, Triche should get plenty of minutes as see NCAA BASKETBALL, page 10

Faller adds another milestone to record-breaking career

LAURA SCHULTZ/TUFTS DAILY

The men’s track and field team needed only one representative at the Carisella Invitational at Northeastern to set a school record on Saturday. Senior Jesse Faller — who placed fourth in the race — broke the Tufts 5,000-meter record, formerly held by Nate Brigham (LA ’05).

Faller finished the course in just 14:30.47, three seconds better than Brigham’s pace. The women’s track and field team sent three throwers to the meet — senior Julia Feltus, sophomore Ronke Oyekunle and first-year Kelly Allen. Allen finished seventh out of 42 participants in the shotput, while Feltus took 13th and Oyekunle was 15th.

THE TUFTS DAILY

10

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

SPORTS

Housing Two three brds, Two four brds Available Available for next years school year. June 2010 to May 2011. Shop now and get what you want. Very convenient to school. Call for appt now 617-448-6233

ALEX PREWITT | LIVE FROM MUDVILLE CLASSIFIEDS POLICY All Tufts students must submit classifieds in person, prepaid with check, money order, or exact cash only. All classifieds submitted by mail must be accompanied by a check. Classifieds are $10 per week with Tufts ID or $20 per week without. The Tufts Daily is not liable for any damages due to typographical errors or misprintings except the cost of the insertion, which is fully refundable. We reserve the right to refuse to print any classifieds which contain obscenity, are of an overly sexual nature, or are used expressly to denigrate a person or group. Questions? Email business@tuftsdaily.com.

Save the date

I

SCOTT TINGLEY/TUFTS DAILY

First-year Christine Garvey finished fourth in the 200-yard butterfly at the MIT Invitational with a time of 2:18.00. Tufts finished third out of seven teams at the meet.

Tufts will be back in pool on Jan. 16 after training trip WOMEN’S SWIMMING continued from page 9

evening and then most of the day Saturday.

We all did a good job in our last meet of the semester, so it was really important to give it all they got and get in some times before the new year.”

The highlight of the meet for the Jumbos, though, was their exceptional diving, headed by senior Lindsay Gardel. Gardel, who finished fifth at the 1-meter competition in last year’s NCAA Championships to earn AllAmerican status, continued her early dominance at MIT. While she finished second in the 1-meter, just under six points behind NYU sophomore Kelly Dietz, Gardel exacted revenge in the three-meter, triumphing over her Violets counterpart by 2.3 points.

Gardel’s victory in the three-meter marked the fourth straight meet in which the senior has posted at least one win in a diving event.

She has not finished lower than second in any of the eight diving events she has participated in thus far. Competing at the MIT pool, where the Tufts divers practice on a daily basis, provided familiar scenery for Gardel.

“It’s where we practice every day, so it’s like a home meet for divers,” Gardel said.

“Diving here doesn’t make a huge difference overall, but every diving board is different, but it’s our home board so we’re familiar with the pool and everything.”

Freshman Noa Palmon took third in the

three-meter competition, finishing with 220.35 points, exactly 16 back of Gardel.

Palmon, senior Kelsey Bell and sophomore Rachel Lew placed fourth through sixth, respectively, in the one-meter as well.

“We had a very strong showing on the diving end,” Gardel said. “Rachel had one of her best meets ever. The divers always place well, but we only compete in two events, so it’s good that we place high because we can only contribute to the team’s score so much.”

On the swimming end, the lone topthree finish for the Jumbos came in the 800yard freestyle relay. Freshman Lizz Grainger and sophomores Courtney Adams, Valerie Eacret and anchor Paulina Ziolek clocked in at 8:08.39, eight seconds behind NYU’s runner-up squad. But what the Jumbos lacked in titles, they made up for in depth.

The aforementioned relay squad also placed sixth in the 200-yard freestyle relay, less than two seconds out of second place. Senior Meredith Cronin also joined the trio of second-years to garner a third-place showing in the 400-yard freestyle relay, edging out NYU’s “B” team at the wall by .13 seconds.

Cronin, Adams, Eacret and Ziolek also took sixth in the 400-yard medley relay, 0.17 seconds out of fifth.

“It is really important to have that depth, because on top of individuals, we have a lot of strong relays,” York said. “Our A and B relays were able to place high even though MIT and NYU started earlier than we do and

Jumbos to face Ephs after break MEN’S SWIMMING continued from page 9

but overall we are strong, so that if one of us has a bad day, many other people can pick him up and carry the team.”

Even against the tough competition of a powerhouse like MIT, the Jumbo divers had a dominating performance last weekend, led by senior quad-captain Rob Matera. Matera swept the two diving events in the meet, while junior Trevor Stack finished in third in both, picking up more valuable points for the Jumbos.

So far this season, the diving team has thoroughly dispatched all threats in each of its three meets. Matera has yet to drop a single event, in what may end up being a record-breaking season for the Tufts captain. The divers’ dominance gives the rest of the team confidence that they will almost always have an advantage before they even step into the pool.

“We have a great relationship with our divers,” Delean said. “I don’t think that other teams hang out with their divers nearly as much as we do. They are one of the strengths of our team, and we don’t even worry about them — we know that they’re going to be great and perform well every time.”

The MIT Invitational was the first large tournament in which the team has

participated in this season. It achieved victories at home versus Colorado College and on the road in a tri-meet with Middlebury and Connecticut College. The MIT meet was a chance for the team to experience the intensity of a postseason competition with less pressure to succeed on the scoreboard. While the season is still young, if the Jumbos plan to make a run at unseating perennial power Williams from the top of the NESCAC, they must excel at the NESCAC meet in late February — a meet with a very similar, frenzied atmosphere.

“The atmosphere is something entirely different,” Salzberg said.

“When you’re in an invitational, when they’re 200 or 300 kids on deck, it’s a different format, a little more challenging, very similar to conference meets.

Dual meets are a high-energy sprint; this is a marathon.”

The second-place finish at MIT wraps up the first portion of the team’s season, and the Jumbos will now have over a month off before their next meet on Jan. 16 against Williams and Wesleyan.

The team plans to spend 12 days in Fort Lauderdale over winter break, where it will take a trip to the Swimming Hall of Fame in between intense practices and workouts in preparation for the latter half of the season.

were rested for this meet.”

Individually, freshman Christine Garvey was Tufts’ top finisher, placing fourth in the 200-yard butterfly. But the first-year finished almost eight seconds behind NYU freshman Tatum Gormley, the ultimate winner.

Eacret scored top-10 finishes in the 50and 100-yard freestyles, as well as in the 100-yard butterfly. With junior All-American Megan Kono abroad and consequently absent from the 1650-yard freestyle race — one of her specialties — sophomore Katie Russell represented the Jumbos strongly in the event, finishing sixth, two-tenths of a second behind Colby freshman Heather Cronin, Meredith Cronin’s sister.

With the finish at MIT, the Jumbos now turn their attention to their annual winter training trip held in Florida. With NESCAC races with Williams at Wesleyan looming upon their return to the northeast on Jan. 16, Tufts will look to get back on the winning track. With a 2-2 record, the Jumbos have already exceeded their loss total from last season but are confident in the training trip’s potential as a crucial stepping stone for improvement.

“It’s always a crucial part of the season,” York said. “It’s really important because it’s the only thing we’re doing. We don’t have classes or homework or anything else going on at Tufts that gets in the way of practices.

It’s really important to help us get in shape and we come out of it a lot stronger.”

Syracuse Orange proving talent early on NCAA BASKETBALL continued from page 9

the season progresses.

Aside from the early matchups in New York City, Syracuse has yet to play any other top 25-caliber teams. Nevertheless, the Orange is a talented team that will always be a threat with Boeheim on the sidelines. What’s more, Syracuse has eight players averaging over seven points per game so far this season. In the always-brutal Big East, depth — and the wide array of lineups that come with it — is invaluable.

The Big East is also a guarddominated league, and aside from Rautins, the Orange doesn’t have a ton of experience at the position.

So while Syracuse may level out a bit as conference play gets going, don’t underestimate the potency of a deep, well-coached team that can score in a number of different ways.

Syracuse and Wisconsin both prove the mantra true: Don’t always trust the preseason prognostications.

’m excited.

No, not like in the oh-my-God-I’mgoing-to-see-Hannah-Montana-slashMiley-Cyrus-in-concert-tomorrow kind of excited, I’m talking about something way more fun. More along the lines of VinceVaughn-after-he-hit-Ben-Stiller-in-theface-with-a-dodgeball-in-sudden-deathovertime-and-got-a-treasure-chest-full-ofgold excited. So why am I so giddy?

Because it’s that time of the year again.

Forget the Christmas presents, forget lighting the menorah and forget getting shut down when I go for a New Year’s kiss. It’s college football bowl season, and that’s all I need to perk up my spirits during exam time. Just like the best time of the year for Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson is wedding season, so too for me is this time of year when the teams bring their best, the ridiculous sponsorships come out and the national champion is crowned.

But as much as I would love to watch the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl or the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl (seriously, what are those companies? The latter sounds like a Kenyan prince trying to scam you out of money), Jan. 4 will be the perfect way to kick off 2010.

On that day, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., the two best midmajor schools in the country will square off for bragging rights. Texas Christian University (TCU) and Boise State, both undefeated, will get their shot at each other in a contest featuring two of the top four offenses in the nation. And I couldn’t be happier about it.

Sure, I’m a little peeved that neither team got its shot at the national title, and it’s simply absurd how three teams that have not lost can go without a chance to win the BCS championship. SI’s Cory McCartney wrote Sunday that the Horned Frogs and the Broncos deserve better, that the Fiesta Bowl matchup was a cop-out, denying the two unbeatens a chance to validate their seasons against the sport’s big boys. And McCartney is completely correct.

But rather than vent about how either TCU or Boise State will be undefeated come Jan. 5 and the BCS will still turn its nose up at them and say “No, sorry, your schedule wasn’t good enough,” there is too much good that can come out of this game to remain angry for long.

I’m excited to see the rematch of the 2008 Poinsettia Bowl, which marked the first time a regular bowl game featured two teams ranked higher than the squads facing off in a BCS game during the same season. No. 11 TCU pulled off an impressive 17-16 win thanks to a fourth-quarter touchdown by Joseph Turner.

Speaking of Turner, I’m excited to see the senior back and his 11 touchdowns lead the nation’s fourth-best offense into Arizona.

Junior Andy Dalton and his ridiculous 159.6 quarterback rating will direct the passing attack, which features six receivers with at least 200 yards so far.

On that note, I’m excited to see how the Horned Frogs will stack up against Boise State’s top-ranked offense. TCU has allowed 12 points or fewer in six of its last seven games, but the Broncos have scored at least 40 in their past seven contests. If there was ever a showdown for the ages, this is it.

I’m excited to watch sophomore Kellen Moore, Boise State’s quarterback, air it out versus TCU’s secondary. Moore, the nation’s top-rated quarterback at 167.3, has 39 touchdowns and three interceptions this year. He gives it up less than a Mormon prude.

But my glee doesn’t stop at mere statistics.

I’m excited to see purple jerseys versus blue turf. Horned Frogs against Broncos. Texas versus wherever Boise is located (Montana?

Wyoming?). Snub Exhibit A taking on snub Exhibit B. Most importantly, I’m excited to see which team will emerge as the champion of the little guys, which squad will finish the season with an unblemished record.

Yet regardless of what happens, both the Broncos and the Horned Frogs got screwed over once again.

But I don’t care, because I’m too busy being excited to tell.

Alex Prewitt is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at Alexander.Prewitt@tufts.edu.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

DOONESBURY

THE TUFTS DAILY BY

GARRY TRUDEAU

NON SEQUITUR

BY

11

COMICS CROSSWORD

WILEY

MONDAY’S SOLUTION

MARRIED TO THE SEA

www.marriedtothesea.com

SUDOKU Level: Breaking a printer

LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Monday’s Solution

Dave: “Landy can be the head reindeer, but I’m driving the goddam sleigh!”

Please recycle this Daily

12

THE TUFTS DAILY

ADVERTISEMENT

Tuesday, December 8, 2009