THE TUFTS DAILY
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TUFTSDAILY.COM
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2010
VOLUME LIX, NUMBER 6
Where You Read It First Est. 1980
Women’s basketball to take on Ingrid Michaelson to Amherst in clash of top-10 teams play Jumbo Jam BY SAPNA
BANSIL
Daily Editorial Board
BY
CATHERINE SCOTT
Daily Editorial Board
Most matchups between two of the top 10 women’s basketball teams in the country are exciting in and of themselves. But when you throw other factors into the mix — a bitter rivalry that has played out on the biggest of stages and produced rather extraordinary drama, for instance — you get something a little bit more than your run-ofthe-mill clash of two national powerhouses. In these cases, you get one of the most highly anticipated regular season basketball games in school history. On Saturday afternoon in Cousens Gym, nationally ranked No. 10 Tufts will host No. 1 Amherst in the latest chapter of one of the NESCAC’s best rivalries. Aside from the hysteria that would typically accompany a matchup of elite teams, this weekend’s contest will also be played against the
JOSH BERLINGER/TUFTS DAILY
Junior tri-captain Colleen Hart and the 10th-ranked women’s basketball team will host national No. 1 Amherst Saturday afternoon in Cousens Gym in a showdown between two bitter rivals and national powerhouses. backdrop of a contentious history, one that hasn’t exactly been kind to the Jumbos in recent years. Since the beginning of the 2007-08 season, Tufts has won 66 of the 77 (.857) games it has played, but not once during
see WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, page 13 For more coverage of the game, including a video preview, visit blogs.tuftsdaily.com/ thescore and twitter. com/tuftsdailysport
Indie-pop singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson will play this year’s Jumbo Jam on March 2 at Somerville Theatre, continuing Concert Board’s efforts to bring more big-name acts to Tufts. Following the success of the Ben Folds show last year, which was the first time the annual concert was held at Somerville Theater, organizers, wanting to book an act that would be just as popular amongst Tufts students, settled on Michaelson. Concert Board Co-Chairs Nicole Goodwin and Theodore Finch see Michaelson as the perfect fit for Jumbo Jam, since a venue like Somerville Theatre requires an artist whose music caters to a seated audience. “I think the venue works well with what kind of music Ingrid plays,” Finch, a freshman, said. “It’s not mosh music, so a venue with assigned seats will be nice.”
Goodwin, a sophomore, agreed that Michaelson’s style will suit the nature of the event. “The ideal act is someone who is popular on campus, who will give a good live performance,” she said. “We also wanted someone who is rockish, but generally more chill. That’s Ingrid.” Michaelson is well known for her pop tunes, often featured on popular television series such as “Grey’s Anatomy” and “One Tree Hill.” Her music has become increasingly popular, with songs like “The Way I Am” and “Be OK” charting in the Billboard Hot 100. The opening act for the show will be Greg Laswell, whom Michaelson requested to accompany her. Goodwin and Finn hope that excitement about Michaelson can translate into a sold-out show in the approximately 900see JUMBO JAM, page 2
Tufts fund awards Tufts ranks among top in student voting rates grants to local neighborhoods BY
KATHERINE SAWYER
Daily Editorial Board
BY
AMELIE HECHT
Daily Editorial Board
The Tufts Neighborhood Service Fund (TNSF) committee in January awarded $17,500 in grants to support 27 local charitable organizations, despite seeing a significant drop-off in donations from last year. TNSF is an option for giving under the Tufts Community Appeal, a program that provides Tufts employees with opportunities to contribute to charities. TNSF in particular focuses on providing grants to support Tufts campuses’ host communities and Tufts volunteers’ work with local organizations. The committee, which is made up of Tufts administrators, faculty and staff, this year received 50 proposals requesting over $82,000 of grant money, but found itself with less money available to disburse. Faculty and staff donations to the fund decreased from $24,000 in 2008 to $17,500 this year, marking a $6,500 drop, according to Barbara Rubel, director of community relations. Rubel attributed this decline to the current economic situation. “The tough economic times have resulted in a fairly significant decrease in contributions this year,” she said. “While this drop is disappointing to us, it is understandable given the current state of the economy.” Rubel added that TNSF expects a further decrease of approximately $6,000-$7,000 in the amount of money available for distribution next year. She noted however, that funds for TNSF grants are completely employee-generated. “I think that people in the community really see FUND, page 2
Tufts had one of the highest voter participation rates in the 2008 elections, according to recently released data from the Campus Votes Challenge that highlighted the importance of student votes. In the inter-campus voting challenge, Tufts, which attained a voter participation rate of over 70 percent, ranked in the top three in the category of institutions with student populations of more than 5,000. Only seven out of the over 40 participating undergraduate colleges and universities in all categories reached that mark, while 15 achieved rates of over 60 percent, compared to the national average of 59.7 percent voting for all 18 to 24 year-old college students. The rates were recorded as part of the Campus Votes Challenge that University President Lawrence Bacow issued for the 2008 presidential elections to encourage voting. Bacow issued the challenge as a
JENNA LIANG/TUFTS DAILY
Tisch College administered the Campus Votes Challenge. means to promote the ideal that students must vote in order to practice civic engagement. “Voting is the first responsibility of citizenship,” he said in an e-mail. “If students are to be active citizens, then
they should vote. This is why I always challenge our students to vote in election years if they are eligible.” Bacow took this idea of active citisee VOTE, page 2
In divided vote, Senate decides to partially fund EPIIC Symposium BY
BRENT YARNELL
Daily Editorial Board
The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate voted Sunday to co-sponsor the Institute for Global Leadership (IGL)’s 25th Annual Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship (EPIIC) Symposium following a heated discussion. The Senate will give EPIIC $7,500 from its surplus funds with the condition that undergraduates be admitted free of charge to the symposium, which will open Feb. 17. The debate surrounding the decision
Inside this issue
was highly contentious, with the Senate finally voting 12-11 by roll call after a vigorous debate. TCU Assistant Treasurer Ard Ardalan, a freshman, argued that funding EPIIC lay beyond the Senate’s mandate. “It clearly states in our bylaws that our money is meant for TCU student groups,” he said. On the other side of the debate, Junior Senator Bruce Ratain viewed the move as a one-time-only exception. “This situation is unique in that the normal funding source for the symposium has been temporarily frozen due to the financial crisis,” he said. Due to the recession, the symposium’s endowment has been frozen, prompting IGL Director Sherman Teichman to request a $10,000 gift from the Senate last week.
Treasurer Aaron Bartel said that the final $7,500 figure recommended to the entire body by the Allocations Board (ALBO) was a compromise between non-majority factions in favor of and opposed to giving money to EPIIC. Teichman said the Senate’s money would finance travel and living expenses for speakers, who are flown in from across the globe and not paid honorarium. He applauded the Senate’s eventual decision and said it was justified for the see EPIIC, page 2 See tuftsdaily.com to vote on the Senate’s decision.
Today’s Sections
“[title of show]” gives a meta view of the making of a Broadway musical.
The Daily previews Super Bowl XLIV
see ARTS, page 5
see SPORTS, back
News Features Arts & Living Editorial | Letters
1 3 5 8
Op-Ed Comics Classifieds Sports
9 10 12 Back
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Low youth turnout possible factor in Brown victory VOTE continued from page 1
zenship and saw an opportunity to expand it to a challenge among interested universities. “Rob Hollister, dean of the Tisch College, suggested that we extend this appeal to other institutions in the form of a friendly challenge,” Bacow said. “I readily agreed.” Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service administered the challenge, which grew from Campus Compact’s 2008 Voter Initiative, which sought to empower students to engage in the election. Maureen Curley, president of Campus Compact — a national coalition of university and college presidents — explained that the group wanted to be involved in the project because it saw Bacow’s challenge as an excellent way to spur civic engagement. “The idea came from President Bacow, who thought that there was so much being done to register that he was interested to see who would actually vote,” Curley said. “We saw that there was great enthusiasm on campuses and were interested in the connection between registering and actually voting.” Curley believes the challenge was a success because it illustrated the importance of voting on college campuses. “[The challenge] highlighted those schools that were able to have a high percentage of participation and prompted them to look at their initiatives and see how they got those results,” she said. “There has to be more awareness and discussion on campuses about the value of voting and educating people about what the issues are so they feel comfortable voting.” Campus Compact’s network of about 1,100 members from institutions of higher learning provided a target community for Bacow’s appeal, but Curley stressed that the challenge came from Bacow and Tufts. “President Bacow penned the letter that put out the challenge to our members, his colleagues, and said that Tufts would take the responsibility of collecting the data,” Curley said. “We were just the vehicle by which they could reach people.” Students at participating institutions calculated their schools’ voting rates, which were then reviewed against the public voter record by a third-party institution. Tisch College’s Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) computed national voter rates. The results of both the 2008 elections and the 2010 Massachusetts Special Election to fill the late Edward Kennedy’s U.S. Senate seat made Curley question the gap between the voting population and actual turnout. “If you register, why don’t you vote?” she said. Director of CIRCLE Peter Levine’s analysis of the results of the Senatorial election highlighted the importance of the youth vote. He found that 15 percent of young citizens voted in the election, making up just six percent of the total voters in the election. This was a significant decline from the 2008 election, when young people represented 19 percent of the vote. Although Levine is unsure if higher youth turnout would have changed the results of the election, he said the vote would have been much closer. He predicted that if the youth had maintained their 19 percent share of the vote in 2010, the result of the election would have been approximately 50.3 percent for Scott Brown, 48.5 percent for Martha Coakley and 1.2 percent for Joseph Kennedy or other. “In short, low youth turnout by itself did not necessarily cost Coakley the election, but it was a major factor in her loss,” Levine said. Curley agreed that the youth vote is important and that voting has great implications. “Civic engagement is necessary, and higher education prepares students to go on to serve their communities,” Curley said. “You have a public purpose to add to the greater good of the community.”
NEWS
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Ingrid Michaelson expected to be huge draw for students JUMBO JAM continued from page 1
seat Somerville Theatre. “We’re expecting a really big turnout,” Goodwin said. “The people we’ve talked to on campus seem really enthusiastic about Ingrid.” Finch agreed that student response to the decision to bring Michaelson to Somerville has generally been positive. “The message I’ve gotten is that people really like her and are excited for her to be coming,” he said. Concert Board originally booked Michaelson for a show last semester, but she had to cancel her Tufts engagement due to conflicts, according to Goodwin. Tickets for the show will go on sale
Tuesday, Feb. 16 in the Campus Center and cost $15 each. Tufts students will be able to obtain two tickets each when they present their student I.D. Goodwin anticipates long lines when tickets go on sale and suggests that interested students line up early. “If anyone is a die-hard Ingrid fan, they should try to be there right when tickets go on sale, if not before,” she said. Ben Folds was the first well-known act that Concert Board booked for Jumbo Jam, which resulted in the event’s move from its original DewickMacPhie Dining Hall location to the larger, grander Somerville Theatre. Concert Board hopes Michaelson’s performance will help solidify the
trend of bringing more popular acts to Tufts for concerts other than Spring Fling. While Concert Board dedicates the majority of its budget to planning Spring Fling, Goodwin said that the budget for Jumbo Jam has been increased in the past and will continue to grow as long as students embrace the musicians who play in the concert. Finch expressed his excitement about the show and the prospect of bringing similarly compelling acts to Tufts. “I hope people enjoy the show,” he said. “That’s why I joined Concert Board. I want people to experience wonderful stuff.”
TNSF still impacts community despite decrease in donations FUND continued from page 1
appreciate the money because it comes purely from the faculty and staff of the university,” Rubel said. Organizations must meet several criteria to be eligible for a grant. They must be located in one of the four Tufts host communities of Somerville, Medford, Grafton and Boston’s Chinatown, be classified as a nonprofit organization and be actively incorporating Tufts volunteers in their work. Stacey Herman, director of student affairs at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and a TNSF board member, explained that the committee evaluates proposals based on a number of different considerations. Among other factors, the committee looks at how well-organized and detailed the event or proposal is, how specifically the money will be used and how the project benefits the community as a whole. The types of funding requested by different organizations vary greatly, from a request for soundproofing materials for a daycare to an appeal for money to buy a Wii for a senior citizens’ home, according to Herman. She added that TNSF has been looking to go beyond giving monetary grants to organizations, to support them in new ways. “We try and look at different, innovative ways we can fund the organizations,” Herman said. Herman cited the example of Outside the Lines Studio (OTL), an arts-based day program for people with developmental and physical disabilities, which last year requested money to purchase a Mac computer. The fund was able to fulfill that request through more innovative means. “We were actually instead able to find some Tufts computers that were not in use anymore, but that were that still good computers, that we were able to donate,” Herman said. “We do try our best to stretch all of our resources.”
TIEN TIEN/TUFTS DAILY
Outside the Lines Studio is one of the local organizations benefiting from the TNSF. OTL, which also hosts the Leonard Carmichael Society’s Best Buddies volunteer program, submitted a proposal this year for $1,200 to purchase recreational equipment and sensory materials for clients with autism. TNSF granted them $200, allowing them to purchase only part of what they had initially hoped to buy, according to OTL Director Else Eaton. Despite not receiving full funding for the proposal, Eaton said she was still grateful for the grant. “The money still definitely helps,” she said; “$200 is $200 that we would not ordinarily be able to spend to purchase important equipment for the studio.” According to Rubel, TNSF has evolved since in its inception in 1996, when the majority of the proposals came from the Somerville community,
“In the past few years, we have seen the number of requests from the different communities become much more balanced,” she said. Rubel explained that the change is a result of the development of more charitable programs in the host communities, rising awareness about the grants and an increase in the number of organizations searching for new sources of funding in tough economic times. Herman believes that the program goes a long way towards improving towngown relations. “Its exciting to see that members of the Tufts community can come together and give back to the places where people teach and learn,” she said. “I think it does really strengthen the relationship between Tufts and its host communities.”
Teichman says Senate’s decision supports intellectual life EPIIC continued from page 1
body to promote a vibrant academic scene on campus. “The reason why a student comes to this campus is for intellectual life,” Teichman said. “Most of the Senate understands this … It’s not a question of just the money. It should be the intrinsic responsibility of Senate to support intellectual life.” The funding debate provoked a discussion about the role of the Senate’s funding allocations and had many questioning the Senate’s ability to give out funds to multiple organizations. Senate Historian Tomas Valdes did not believe that an exception should be made for EPIIC. “They’re experiencing the same endowment decreases as every other university organization,” said Valdes, a junior. “I felt giving them money would be giving them special treatment.” Associate Treasurer Kate de Klerk disagreed, however, stating that other organizations’ requests would have been considered on their own merits, but none were made. According to de Klerk, a sophomore, the funds would have lain dormant in an
account had they not been used for EPIIC. “In the past, the surplus money was not used,” de Klerk said. “Not spending the surplus doesn’t help anyone.” Bartel, a sophomore, clarified that money for student groups usually comes from the buffer fund and not the surplus, so this funding decision would not affect other groups’ requests. “There is no set purpose for [the surplus] money,” he said. “Generally it has been spent in the same manner we spent this money on EPIIC. The Senate finds something that it thinks is worth funding.” Bartel added that about $60,000 remains in the surplus and explained that the Senate’s co-sponsorship fund contains $1,400, requiring the body to approve a transfer from the surplus to accommodate EPIIC’s request. Typical co-sponsorships cost less than $200. Trustee Representative Adam Weldai disagreed with the random nature of the final decision. “If we were going to fund it, we should have just given them the whole $10,000,” said Weldai, a senior. “The biggest problem I had with Sunday was picking a number that was totally arbitrary.” He also feared Sunday’s decision could
lead to the Senate funding other groups. “The Senate set a precedent that if you can appeal to us and you can tug on our heartstrings, we’ll bail you out,” Weldai said. “That’s irresponsible.” Ratain, an EPIIC alumnus, said that each speaker was valuable to the symposium experience. “If this contribution means that more speakers can come who wouldn’t be able to do so, then that could contribute to the quality of the symposium, providing added benefit to students,” he said. The Senate’s gift of $7,500 is countered by the loss of ticket sales, which usually generate between $2,000 and $4,000 in revenue, according to Teichman. He estimated that the symposium would cost a total of $36,000, covering transportation, housing and food expenses of international speakers for four days and called the Senate’s co-sponsorship “a decisive difference.” Teichman added that EPIIC brings value to the campus beyond the symposium, citing the Questions Without Answers gallery, which was donated to Tufts for free. “If the university had to pay for it, it would be in the range of one hundred thousand dollars,” he said.
Features
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tuftsdaily.com
Thinking outside the essay: Tufts admissions adds new video option to application BY JON
CHENG
Contributing Writer
In recent years, the Tufts admissions department has allowed supplemental essays to the Common App in which potential Jumbos write about everything from whether or not they agree with Kermit the Frog’s statement “It’s not easy being green,” to answering the question of “Are we alone?” This year, however, the admissions committee made the application even more unique. For the prospective Class of 2014, Tufts’ Office of Undergraduate Admissions decided to offer applicants the opportunity to direct or produce their own YouTube.com video as part of an optional supplement to two required short essays. The video is an alternative to choosing one of seven other optional essay topics. While the content of the video is up to the applicant, the admissions committee suggests the applicant create a video — capped at around one minute — that says something about the applicant. Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Lee Coffin said that the admissions committee added the video option as a means to assess creativity and to offer students a non-verbal opportunity
to tell their stories. The committee believed that a popular teen video platform like YouTube would be a good starting point. “[It] seemed like an interesting way to gather new perspectives on our deep and talented pool of applicants,” Coffin said. “And it has been — applicants have used the video option in all sorts of creative ways and, like the unexpected following they have spawned in YouTube, the admissions officers are enjoying this new part of our supplemental application.” Coffin added that most of the videos the admissions committee has seen helped the students’ applications by complementing what the admissions officers learned about them on paper. “The videos have been funny and poignant and goofy and insightful,” Coffin said. Ripley Swan, a high school senior from Brunswick, Maine, created a video that showcased his talents and various hobbies, including his interest in filmmaking and in inventing his own devices. His YouTube video featured the creation of an underwater glass cube to house a video camera, steady cam inventions and cameratracking devices. Swan said that he was drawn to the video option because film-
making is his main hobby. “It ... just made sense for me to take this extra opportunity to show Tufts who I am,” Swan said. “Given my interest in film, I would be able to put something together that would really demonstrate what I had attempted to describe in words in the other parts of my application.” Swan’s efforts paid off. In addition to being a part of his Early Decision acceptance to Tufts, his video is now the most viewed — with over 3,300 hits to date — among the YouTube submissions from the applicants for the Class of 2014. The next most popular video, with over 2,500 hits, shows applicant Sam Zuckert taking creative advantage of another application supplement option — which asked applicants to “use an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper to create something” — to compose an edited music piece by tearing, crinkling and ripping the sheet of paper. Other popular videos show applicants performing skits, raps and music. Some current Tufts students, perhaps bored over winter break, admitted to watching a variety of the YouTube application videos. Freshman Matt Connor was especially enthusiastic about them. “I thought some of them were
really funny and added to their application,” Connor said. “Some were really clever and unique.” Others students remarked that the video essay would distinguish Tufts from other schools. “I think it’s really cool how it separates Tufts from other colleges,” freshman Howie Levine said. Videos like Swan’s and Zuckert’s not only display the creativity and talents of some of the thousands of candidates for next year’s class, but also serve to strengthen the maker’s application. Though Coffin admits that some of the videos “have been awful,” he said that submitting a bad video does not significantly hurt an applicant’s chances of admission. Nihal Krishan, a senior at the Singapore American School, submitted a video as part of his application. He used an unusual filming technique of cloning himself onscreen. As a result, it allowed him to interview himself — side by side — on video. Though he was denied admission, he is still confident that it helped his application. “I wanted to show some unique quirky things about me, like reading the newspaper in the bathroom and how I invented a little chant for Tufts ... to showcase their school spirit,” Krishan said. “And even though I didn’t get in, I think [my video] only could have
helped me.” While the video option has been popular amongst applicants, Krishan and Connor did not think it would make admission more competitive as a result. “[The video] makes the job of an admissions officer different; no other university has done that,” Krishan said. “But it’s not more competitive.” Swan, however, was more skeptical. “I have watched plenty of other videos which I am sure strengthened many other applications, so I think it does make the application pool more competitive,” he said. Though some have voiced concern about how including a video option could portray Tufts in a negative light, Kim Thurler, Tufts’ director of public relations, did not think the new idea could be disadvantageous. Instead, she believes that the distinctiveness of the videos keeps with the university’s tradition of innovation. “While it’s way too early to judge, the potential is intriguing,” Thurler said. To see the YouTube.com videos mentioned in this story, check out the article on tuftsdaily.com.
Astronomy at Tufts attempts to redefine itself Program eager to increase research opportunities, attract graduate students BY
MARY BETH GRIGGS Daily Editorial Board
Those Jumbos who loved Concepts of the Cosmos and are looking to continue their study of astronomy should make “space” on their schedules for additional courses to be offered by a newly expanded Department of Physics and Astronomy. Officially, the astronomy program is a part of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Though the only undergraduate major currently available for someone looking to explore the skies is astrophysics, this is likely to soon change. For most of the past 36 years, Kenneth Lang has been the only professor teaching astronomy full-time. He began teaching at Tufts in 1974 as an assistant professor, for which he earned an annual salary of only $12,000. Since then, both his role in the department and, presumably, his salary have grown. He has written many textbooks on introductory astronomy, which he incorporates into his courses. “All of my courses deal with books that I’ve written and I think that helps with two things: one is the popularity, the other is the enthusiasm you can convey to students in a rapidly changing field like astronomy — keeping them informed of what’s happening right now,” Lang said. Last September, Danilo Marchesini joined Lang as an assistant professor in the astronomy department. He specializes in studies on galaxy formation and evolution, and has worked on telescopic arrays in locations ranging from Chile to the Canary Islands. He also has worked on the Hubble space telescope. Marchesini won’t be the newest member of the faculty for very long. The department is entering the final stages of a hiring search for a new professor of astronomy. In an effort to distinguish itself from the more theoretical cosmology group within the Department of Physics and Astronomy, the program is particu-
DANAI MACRIDI/TUFTS DAILY
Students might be inclined to open up a few more astronomy textbooks in the near future. larly interested in hiring an observational astronomer. Both the astronomy program and the Tufts Institute of Cosmology have high hopes for the incoming professor. “We have a group of theoretical, not observational cosmologists; their hope is that this person will complement their work,” Lang said. Currently, Emily Dare is the only graduate student of astronomy at Tufts. She is in her second year of work on her Ph.D. “I would like that to change because I would love for there to be a group working here. Hopefully in the next few years there will be at least one other student working here,” Dare said. One reason for the dearth of graduate students may be the difficulty of observing stars locally. For example, the closest telescope array that Marchesini can use for his work is located in Arizona.
“To do what I do, which is the study of high red shift galaxies, you really need big telescopes, and the closest one is in Tucson,” Marchesini said. Though the distance can be inconvenient, die-hard astronomers do not mind trekking to remote outposts. “I entered astronomy because I love going to the telescopes and observing — I try to do it at least once or twice a year for three or four nights,” Marchesini said Over the years, Lang’s astronomy courses have been popular among students. “In my introductory Astronomy 10 course, Wanderers in Space, there have been between 250 and 400 students every year for about 30 years. For my higher level course in Stellar Astrophysics, and Astronomy 22, the enrollments are always about 50 students each year,” Lang said. Within the astronomy department,
large classes and a small faculty mean that it can be hard for professors to get to know individual students. The classes offered by the astronomy program are limited in number and tend to be taken by non-science majors wanting to fulfill a requirement or engineers taking an elective course. The courses are primarily designed for students who are interested in, but do not want to major in, astronomy. Dare believes that this may act as a dissuading factor to those who plan to seriously study the science. “The way that they’re structured is not really meant for an astronomy major, someone who really loves it and wants it to be their career path, basically. I really want them to have undergraduates going into astronomy and astrophysics,” Dare said. The desire for more researchers is echoed by other professors in the small department. “What I would really like is to have more undergraduates in astronomy, and more undergraduates researching astronomy. Before it was harder, obviously, but now the tools are there and the opportunities, even more so,” Marchesini said. While the research opportunities for aspiring astronomers at Tufts have been limited in recent years, the department has historically encouraged undergraduate research. In the past, students have both conducted and published their own research. “The paper that has been most responded to of any of my astrophysical journal papers was done with the help of three Tufts undergraduates called ‘The Composite Hubble Diagram,’” Lang said. Published in 1975, the article is notable for its popularity and its then-novel inclusion of undergraduate researchers. “It is in vogue now for students to do scientific research, but that was 35 years ago when it was not as common,” Lang said.
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ATTENTION SENIORS!!! IMPORTANT JUMBO 2010 YEARBOOK INFORMATION! The 2010 Jumbo Yearbook is currently in production. Yearbooks will include a recap of the entire year and will be mailed to home addresses in September. Yearbooks can be ordered at www.jostensyearbooks.com Questions contact the Office for Campus Life at ocl@tufts.edu
Arts & Living
5
tuftsdaily.com
ALBUM REVIEW
Eels produces average album with ‘End Times’ BY
WES ENGEL
Daily Staff Writer
“End Times,” the latest record from the alternative rock band Eels, defies description. Lyrically, the album is a
End Times Eels Vagrant somber study of failed love; however, the band expresses depressing subject matter through a variety of arrangements. From melancholy solo-guitar songs to more upbeat, bluesy tunes with full instrumentation, the album fuses different styles, all held together by frontman Mark Everett’s gruff, talky vocals. Eels has always been Everett’s brainchild, but on “End Times” he takes an even larger role, playing most of the instruments and writing all of the songs. Everett’s musical style has changed with every album over the years. The softer, stripped-down arrangements of this newest album are the culmination of a gradual movement away from the more rollicking, electric numbers of past records. Even the electric songs off of “End Times” have a simpler, smaller feel to them — a tone that can describe the entire album — and it suits the subject matter well. Despite the bounce on AMAZON.COM
see EELS, page 6
Eels’ new album furthers the vision of the band’s lead singer, Mark Everett.
GALLERY REVIEW
THEATER REVIEW
New MFA exhibit presents a relevant, if imperfect, concept BY JESSICA
BAL
Daily Editorial Board
Considering the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Boston’s usual collection of African and Oceanic
Object, Image, Collector: African and Oceanic Art in Focus In the Japanese Room, through July 18 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston 465 Huntington Ave. 617-267-9300
SPEAKEASYSTAGE.COM
“[title of show]” plays with being a show within a show.
‘[title of show]’ fills in the blank with theater references BY
EVAN CHIACCHIARO Daily Staff Writer
Watching “[title of show]” is like playing a 90-minute version of “Jeopardy! Musical Theater
[title of show] Written by Jeff Bowen & Hunter Bell Directed by Paul Daigneault At the Speakeasy Stage Company through Feb. 13 Tickets $14 to $54 Edition.” While the plot is interesting and the music lively and entertaining, the audience
spends most of the show trying to keep up with a never-ending stream of references to obscure musicals, actors and actresses and New York City landmarks. “[title of show]” is the brainchild of librettist Hunter Bell and composer-lyricist Jeff Bowen, who were friends and struggling artists in New York in 2004 when they heard about the New York Musical Theatre Festival. With the application deadline only three weeks away, the pair resolved to submit whatever they could write, and the result was “[title of show]” — a musical chronicling the experience of Hunter Bell (Joe Lanza) and Jeff Bowen (Jordan Ahnquist) trying to write a musical in three weeks for the New York Musical Theatre Festival. If it sounds
art — a mere two rooms next to the special exhibition galleries on the first floor — the appearance of “Object, Image, Collector: African and Oceanic Art in Focus” is a welcome celebration of two sectors not often highlighted at the museum. But, despite the exhibit’s inclusion of several exquisite objects and its intrigu-
ing central theme, it doesn’t pull the pieces together the way it should and, if anything, seems an overly cautious step toward a more thorough exploration of African and Oceanic art. The exhibit, located near the Buddhist Temple Room in the Japanese art galleries, features works from 20 different private collections and is arranged roughly chronology. Wall text clues the visitor in to the unifying theme of the show — one that smartly entwines the evolution of photography from documentary tool to viable art form with the evolution of African and Oceanic objects from practical items to aesthetic curiosities. Curators Christraud M. Geary and Karen E. Haas explain the way in which the foreign objects provided formal subjects for modern photographers, while European and American photographic images in turn elevated African see OBJECT, page 6
meta, that’s because it is. The show centers on the premise that the audience is viewing the creation of the piece as it unfolds. Bookended by the opening lyric, “A D D D D F sharp A will be the first notes of our show,” and the closing lyric, “This is the last line of our show,” the play never tries to create the illusion of most musicals. “[title of show]” is consistently self-referential and fully aware of its status as a show within a show. The gimmick works for most of the production; while it occasionally becomes heavy-handed and clumsy, its self-awareness provides many of the show’s numerous punch lines. Nowhere is the show’s shtick COURTESY MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON
see TITLE, page 6
New MFA exhibit features works from numerous private collections.
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Thursday, February 4, 2010
ARTS & LIVING
Lyrics take front, melodic creativity suffers on Eels’ new album EELS continued from page 5
EELSTHEBAND.COM
“End Times” is an average performance for Eels.
the acoustic “Mansions of Los Feliz,” Everett sings, “Well it’s a pretty bad place outside this door/ I could go out there but I don’t see what for/ And I’m happy living here in the dark/ On the edge of my mind.” The depressing lyrics juxtapose solidly with the cheerier-sounding guitar on this track. It takes a particular skill to write catchy, upbeat songs with an underlying sadness to them, but Everett pulls it off. His gravelly, raspy voice, while fairly unconventional, is the perfect vehicle for his morose lyrics. His vocal tone cannot be described as beautiful, but it is definitely unique and fitting to his songs. The lyrics serve as the focal point of the album. Much of the music seems to be there only as an accompaniment for the vocals, and at times this lack of emphasis leads to almost no overall musical hooks to pull in the listener. Some songs are
no more than a set of rotating chords underneath a simple verse/chorus form. While this simplistic format isn’t unheard of for rock music, the album struggles to hold the listener’s interest without some variation. It should come as no surprise, then, that nine of the 14 tracks clock in at less than three minutes. With simple, repetitive music, the burden of carrying the album falls on the vocals, but even the singing often lacks strong melodies. If nothing else, some dramatic dynamics with the singing would keep the songs engaging, but Everett’s delivery remains laid-back for the entire album. One standout track is “Paradise Blues.” While the song follows a standard blues progression, the growling electric guitar, variation in dynamics and unabashed shrieking falsetto evoke the Eels of old. Dark themes have always pervaded Everett’s music, but more lighthearted, fun music from past
work is in short supply on “End Times.” A few more of these types of songs could have given the album a much needed shot in the arm. The stripped down arrangements obviously represent a deliberate artistic choice, and they do have their merits. Bittersweet songs like “Little Bird” do well with the simple instrumentation as Everett’s voice has no competition, and the lyrics can jump forward. His songs strive for honesty and often contain some humorous observations, such as in “Nowadays,” when he wryly observes, “The truth is something no one really wants to hear you say/ Just how you doin’ and have a nice day.” For Eels fans and anyone looking for an idiosyncratic, if fairly depressed singer-songwriter, “End Times” has something to offer. The album is nothing revolutionary, but it has its moments. Considering previous albums, it’s a bit of a shame that the easiest way to describe this latest release is “not bad.”
Show littered with obscure Broadway references may alienate the average viewer TITLE continued from page 5
clearer than in the song “Secondary Characters” — possibly the catchiest number. As Hunter and Jeff leave the stage following the play’s final festival performance, Susan (Val Sullivan) and Heidi (Amy Barker), the show’s secondary characters, are left onstage alone for the first time. What follows, of course, is the secondary characters singing a song about how exciting it is that the secondary characters are alone on stage singing a song. The number is indicative of the wink-wink attitude of the musical and its frequent pokes at its own quirks. While the meta structure and self-referential nature of “[title of show]” are certainly present, they are not as noticeable and pervasive as the frequent allusions to Broadway and life in New York City. From the lyrics of “Monkeys and Playbills,” which literally contains a list of obscure Broadway musicals, to the insertion of the ubiquitous number 525,600 from “Rent” in the penultimate number, “Nine People’s Favorite Thing,” the show is littered with inside jokes and Broadway parlance — so many, in fact, that the playbill contains a glossary so that the average viewer isn’t completely lost. Apart from this glossary, Bell and Bowen make little effort to appeal to an audience beyond
avid musical theater buffs. This avoidance of the average viewer proves to be a detriment to the show. “[title of show]” too often becomes a struggle to keep up with the references and to feel like part of the “in” crowd. Instead of entertainment, the experience proves to be a bit too much like theater homework. The Speakeasy Stage Company’s musical performances are often less than engaging and suffer from a lack of precision. The show’s finest musical moments are undoubtedly its lush four-part harmonies, and it is here that the company’s voices fall short. The harmonies are inconsistent and rarely seem to lock, and a showstopping musical rendition never materializes. Although moments of musical excellence do occasionally appear, the overall sense is that the score is better than the performances. The Roberts Studio Theatre is the perfect venue for an intimate musical like “[title of show].” The black box theater is small enough that the company of four actors and a keyboardist (who has the occasional speaking line) fill the room with sound. While a larger show might seem cramped, the small cast of “[title of show]” is well-suited to the venue, and the sparse set of four chairs and a keyboard never make the stage appear cluttered.
SPEAKEASYSTAGE.COM
Despite the small cast, “[title of show]” is sure to please Broadway buffs. The cast makes efficient use of the space, using the entire stage and exploiting the distance between characters to highlight both tension and joy. A particularly poignant moment comes when Hunter storms off
the stage in anger but is still visible to the audience in the wings; while he is clearly separated from his fellow cast members, the audience can still view his emotional distress. “[title of show]” is a musical
for people who love musicals. For everyone else, it’s a hit-or-miss experience. Witty dialogue and a fun score draw the audience in, but a reliance on frequent allusions might push many audience members right back out.
‘Object, Image, Collector’ introduces many ideas but does not address them all OBJECT continued from page 5
and Oceanic figures to the level of, say, Greek and Roman statues. The comparison is an intriguing symbiosis, but it doesn’t translate as spectacularly as
COURTESY MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON
“Object, Image, Collector” explores Western perspectives on African and Oceanic art.
the visitor might hope throughout the exhibit. “Object, Image, Collector” hits its highest points when photographs and art objects are paired. Images by American photographers Man Ray, Walker Evans and Charles Sheeler hang near figures that inspired them. Sheeler’s arrangement of “Six West African Figures” (1917-19) echoes a similar collection of African pieces positioned below it, although they are not the exact objects shown in the photo. Ray’s striking photograph used for the cover of a 1926 Paris exhibition brochure is accompanied by a piece from the Island of Nias that seems to have been pulled right from the page. In these pairings, questions of perspective and appropriation begin to open up. Visitors, with or without realizing it, also contribute to the amalgamation of perspectives on African and Oceanic art. A woman leaned in to take a photograph of a male figure from Central Flores, Indonesia, that was described as having “an interesting photographic history,” from the camera of a Dutch colonial administrator to publication in a German survey of Indonesian art; she adds to the history of the piece.
After all, the exhibition claims to be all about looking. In the juxtaposition of objects and images, of modernist paintings (Fernand Léger’s “La création du monde,” 1922, is thrown in) and masks, the visitor is encouraged to examine the ways in which European and American perspectives of African and Oceanic art have shifted over time, and the ways in which African objects have informed modernist style. The path of African and Oceanic art objects is a complex one — sifting through the hands of various collectors, artists and institutions. At times, though, it seems as if “Object, Image, Collector” tries to tackle too much, and then shies away. The show attempts to give an overview of the changing treatment of African and Oceanic objects, from the ways that they were documented to their appearance in exhibitions. By the time the exhibit approaches the ’50s and ’60s, visitors have lost the photography-object interaction and are left sifting through a variety of side topics. Descriptions become strictly visual for most pieces, with little instruction on how to read the objects in the context of the evolving EuroAmerican perspective. A few self-aware contemporary works
— a bold self-portrait piece by American Willie Cole using domestic iron marks as a reference to the branding of African slaves and fragmented collages by Romare Bearden asserting Harlem heritage —– are memorable, but make statements that don’t mesh neatly with the rest of the show. Though the gallery text points out that Oceanic works are often mistakenly assumed to fall within African art, the exhibit simply perpetuates that confusion by combining the two. Even within the selection of African art alone, the same attention that is given to differentiating French and Spanish paintings is not applied to separating the styles of figures from Mali and Nigeria. “Object, Image, Collector” tries to pack in too much, without unpacking the complex discussion to be had regarding each work. While the show is a promising move for the museum in strengthening its display of African and Oceanic art, it could use some fine-tuning. A serious study of the works that make up such a small sector of the building is needed for visitors to appreciate their complex histories, and perhaps “Object, Image, Collector” will act as a vital steppingstone.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
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EDITORIAL
Senate’s allocation a slippery slope
KERIANNE M. OKIE Editor-in-Chief
EDITORIAL Caryn Horowitz Grace Lamb-Atkinson Managing Editors Ellen Kan Executive News Editor Michael Del Moro News Editors Harrison Jacobs Katherine Sawyer Saumya Vaishampayan Marissa Gallerani Assistant News Editors Corinne Segal Martha Shanahan Amelie White Jenny White Brent Yarnell Carter Rogers Executive Features Editor Marissa Carberry Features Editors Robin Carol Emily Maretsky Julia Zinberg Mary Beth Griggs Assistant Features Editors Emilia Luna Alexa Sasanow Derek Schlom Catherine Scott Executive Arts Editor Jessica Bal Arts Editors Adam Kulewicz Charissa Ng Josh Zeidel Michelle Beehler Assistant Arts Editors Zachary Drucker Rebecca Goldberg Niki Krieg Nina Grossman Laura Moreno Andrew Rohrberger Devon Colmer Erin Marshall Alex Miller Louie Zong Vittoria Elliot Rebekah Liebermann Tori Stevenson Marian Swain
Thursday, February 4, 2010
EDITORIAL | LETTERS
The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate’s decision Sunday to allot $7,500 from its surplus fund to the annual symposium of Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship (EPIIC) has raised controversy over who may — and should — receive TCU Senate funding. The Senate came to the decision to draw money from the surplus when Director of the Institute for Global Leadership (IGL) Sherman Teichman appealed for funding to allow Tufts undergraduate students to attend the symposium this February free of charge. The difficult nature of the decision was evident in the 12-11 split in the Senate’s vote. It is virtually undeniable that EPIIC is a worthwhile cause and that the Senate’s intentions were in the right place when it gave money to a group whose mission is centered on global education, outstanding academic achievement and experiential learning. These are some of the very goals that Tufts strives for as a university. Additionally, the Senate surplus will remain at about $60,000 after the gift to EPIIC, and many would argue that these funds should be put to use and not sit in a
stagnant bank account. Teichman’s appeal to the TCU was based on the IGL being hard-hit by the recession, but as harsh as it may be, resolving financial concerns such as these should be the role of the IGL, EPIIC’s parent institution, and not of the TCU Senate. TCU Treasury members assert that this allotment was a one-time exception made in the face of overwhelming justification and merit. However, the funding choice puts the Senate on a slippery slope, as this decision could be taken as a precedent for allocating money to non-student-led groups in the future. The university as a whole has been suffering at the hands of the economic crisis, but it is not appropriate for the Senate to assume responsibility for every sector of Tufts. The Senate and EPIIC essentially operate in different realms. TCU’s primary concern should be dealing with extracurricular and student-led groups, and EPIIC stems from the IGL. The IGL is neither extracurricular nor student-led. Acting as the umbrella organization for EPIIC as well as a number of other groups revolving around global leadership, the IGL has its own budget allo-
cations set up to fund its components. The decision to provide funding to EPIIC disregards an entire system that has been set up to keep money going toward students. While right now it may seem that the bureaucratic process impedes the blending of exceptional academic endeavors and student-initiated, student-powered campaigns, making exceptions like this ultimately will lead to disorganization and less fruitful efforts. The fact that EPIIC is facing hardship is unfortunate and a problem worth discussing, but not a cause to make such drastic exceptions. Unfortunately, there are plenty of other groups on campus that are facing the same financial trials but did not receive money from the TCU Treasury’s surplus fund. In a way, the Senate’s choice to disregard an often-burdensome system was refreshing, as it showed that the students who make up our Senate keep Tufts’ values and pursuits in mind. The Senate, nevertheless, should keep in mind that its policies of not allocating money to groups supported by other organizations are in place for a reason and that they should not be arbitrarily bypassed.
DEVON COLMER
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OFF THE HILL | UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS AT LAWRENCE
Obama deserves an objective progress report BY
LUKE BRINKER
The University Daily Kansan
Amidst a double-digit unemployment percentage rate, the president’s approval rating plummets to near-Nixonian lows. Two years after coasting to big wins, his party is repudiated in midterm elections. The man looks like a one-termer. While this sounds eerily similar to prognosticators’ predictions for President Barack Obama’s dismal 2010, it was actually the situation confronted by another president: Ronald Reagan. Hard to believe? That’s forgivable; Reagan is etched in the public memory as a great president. A 2009 USA Today/Gallup poll found that Americans gave him even higher marks than Lincoln or Washington. So, a rough start need not translate into a failed presidency. While Obama’s approval ratings have nosedived since he assumed office, it’s ridiculous to conclude that his presidency has been a dud. All presidents are prisoners to events. They campaign on a laundry list of promises, but the circumstances they confront upon tak-
ing the oath dictate the agenda. Obama’s first task was to right the course of the economy. The much-maligned $787 billion stimulus package has helped stave off further disaster. That’s not White House spin. It’s the conclusion of a recent study by the conservative American Enterprise Institute. Sure, the administration’s forecasts that unemployment would peak at eight percent without a stimulus, when it now stands at a stomach-churning 10 percent, were boneheaded. And while priming the economic pump is priority one, our generation must hold Obama accountable on his pledge to pursue a strategy to reduce the nation’s jawdropping structural deficits. If Obama manages to sign health-care reform into law, he will have achieved a victory that’s eluded presidents for a century. Alas, it may prove a cursed victory. Yes, there were demagogic warnings about death panels and creeping socialism, but the president isn’t blameless. Presidents command the bully pulpit. In ceding too much control to Congress and never settling on a narrative — reform’s necessity for reasons of cost control or moral obligations — Obama
lost his grip. On foreign affairs, Obama’s emphasis on dialogue and cooperation has improved America’s international image. But in terms of tangible results, there’s not much to brag about. It remains to be seen whether doubling down in Afghanistan was the right move. Moreover, Obama hasn’t marshaled international goodwill to forge a united response to challenges from climate change to Iranian proliferation. Finally, it’s important to remember that Obama campaigned on a pledge to change the political tone in Washington. Remember the whole “Change We Can Believe In” thing? As the bitter debates over health care and bailouts have shown, the country remains as divided as ever. It was too much to expect one man to unite a country that seems perpetually polarized. Clearly the president’s work is incomplete. If he thought his first year was hard, he surely knows things are unlikely to get any easier. But, looking at both the progress made and the catastrophe averted, it’s clear that, while far from perfect, the first year has laid a solid foundation.
Clarification The headline of Tuesday’s women’s basketball article read “Hart tops career century mark, Jumbos go 2-0 over weekend.” However, this is inaccurate, as Hart reached her 1,000th point in last Saturday’s game as explained in the accompanying article.
EDITORIAL POLICY Editorials that appear on this page are written by the editorialists, and individual editors are not necessarily responsible for, or in agreement with, the policies and editorials of The Tufts Daily. The content of letters, advertisements, signed columns, cartoons and graphics does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Tufts Daily editorial board.
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Thursday, February 4, 2010
9
OP-ED
In schools we trust? BY
WILL EHRENFELD AND SHANA HURLEY
Below the radar, using funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, President Barack Obama and U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan are making radical changes to public education. They have established a grant called the “Race to the Top Fund” that offers competitive grants to “encourage and reward states that are creating the conditions for education innovation and reform.” The Fund is a $4.35 billion investment incentive for significant reforms in education policy. Among the improvements sought after, Obama and Duncan are planning on removing the state charter school caps and mandating the inclusion of students’ test scores in teacher evaluations. During last week’s State of the Union Address to Congress, Obama heightened his pitch for education reform and reinforced his commitment to fundamentally changing the way schools function. “The idea here is simple,” the president said. “Instead of rewarding failure, we only reward success. Instead of funding the status quo, we only invest in reform.” The administration is proposing an overhaul of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, such as changing school financing to reward schools based on academic progress rather than the number of students within the district. Even before Congress had considered the changes to No Child Left Behind, the impacts of Obama’s education plans are already experienced in Massachusetts. In January, lawmakers passed a bill that expands charter school access in Massachusetts. Governor Deval Patrick affirmed that the education bill is “the beginning of the end of the achievement gap.” There was, however, disagreement among Democrat legislators who were unsatisfied by the authorization of changes in teacher contracts outside of col-
lective bargaining, the lack of funding provisions in the bill and the weight given to the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam as a factor in determining which schools are to be considered underperforming. Lawmakers were also frustrated by the timeline of the bill. The bill was passed quickly to accommodate Massachusetts’s Race to the Top Fund application deadlines. Because of this, important stakeholders felt they were left out of the process. Though the increased attention for education reform is certainly laudable, there are also matters worth considering. Rushing to accommodate the top-down pressure for policy change is not without risk. There is no consensus over what educational success really looks like. There is only a broad agreement over the need for reform. However, exactly in what form that change should manifest — and how should that change be measured — is extremely controversial. Parents, school professionals and scholars of education consistently debate the goals of schooling in America. To assume that all well-educated students can also perform well on a standardized test is not a widely accepted assertion; however, the White House plans on using this supposition, as high performance will now correlate to an increase in funding. Although a benchmark of the new policy is to remove the charter school cap, it is unclear that the expansion of charter schools will increase student achievement even if defining achievement through test scores. Charter schools have existed in the United States for a mere 20 years and in the more than 3,400 charters currently operating around the country, the report card is mixed. Extensive research of charter schools has not found that they provide significantly better educational outcomes than traditional public schools. So why is the White House pushing to
expand charter schools? What about the needs of traditional schools? Reforming public education is a project that has been taken on by nearly every president and Congress in recent history. From desegregation in the 1950s and ’60s to No Child Left Behind up to the present Race to the Top contest, many approaches have been proposed, some have been implemented, and yet there is still a fervent desire for change. While no consensus exists on the path forward for public education reform, now is one of the most exciting moments in the history of American education. With a wide array of innovation occurring, options are expansive and few are without controversy. The Tufts Democrats will host the fifth annual Issues of the Future Symposium: Education Reform on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 12 p.m. in the Alumnae Lounge. Deborah Meier, the founder of multiple schools, the award-winning author and the recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” Grant, will provide the keynote speech, followed by two panels featuring leaders of public education in Boston and nationally. The first panel, examining different educational models and best practices in public schooling, will feature three education professionals with fantastic, varied experience and backgrounds. Among these speakers are Kevin Brill, Larry Myatt and Alan Safran. Brill is the current Associate Head of School at Fenway High School, an innovative public school located across the street from Fenway Park. He has experience teaching in both the United Kingdom and the United States, and will be presenting with Myatt, the founder of Fenway High School. Myatt co-founded Boston’s Center for Collaborative Education and serves as a convener for The Forum for Education and Democracy. Safran is the executive director of Media and Technology Charter High (MATCH) Charter Public High School in Boston. MATCH is nationally known as
a leader in no-excuses schooling, with rigid discipline and extensive one-on-one and small-group tutoring helping them to achieve exceptionally high MCAS scores and plaudits from politicians and educators alike. Each of these men will provide their unique perspectives on education reform through a discussion of what works and what doesn’t as well as the way forward for reform. The second panel will consider some of the challenges, political and practical, of school reform. It will feature Josh Biber, Teach for America (TFA) Boston’s Executive Director and Richard Stutman, President of the Boston Teachers Union. The two have fought publicly over contract issues and TFA’s expansion into the Boston area, but share a common desire to improve public education. Joining them will be Dr. Tony Pierantozzi, Superintendent of Somerville Public Schools, who will provide insight about the diverse community in our backyard. With only one charter school at present, Somerville provides an interesting case study on which to consider the opportunities and challenges posed by the introduction of new school models into a community. Finally, Tufts’ very own faculty member, Professor of Education Steve Cohen, will fill out this panel as a moderator, contributing his wealth of experience and knowledge to what we know will be a very lively discussion. To consider these issues and others related to school reform, the Tufts Democrats are inviting the community to the Issues of the Future Symposium. Will Ehrenfeld is a senior majoring in peace and justice studies and political science. He is the current vice president of the Tufts Democrats. Shana Hurley is a senior majoring in International Relations and political science. She is a former president of the Tufts Democrats.
A resolution to remember BY
RACHEL BARAS AND MAE HUMISTON
February 2010. Just past a new year. Still in the beginning of a new decade. And, more importantly, not too late for a few resolutions: floss, avoid pizza, get fit, remember the war. What? Is that last one not on your list? You’re not the only one: Welcome to America. This is where you can attend a school that is known for its active citizenship and International Relations Program and yet doesn’t properly respect Veterans Day. This is a nation where reminders that we are at war are few and far between, making it difficult to process that yes, hundreds of thousands of American citizens are fighting in dangerous regions around the world. As military correspondent and author Thomas E. Ricks describes in his recent book, “The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq” (2009), wars have become “the national wallpaper — always kind of there but not particularly noticed.” Does the fault for this lie in topical fatigue? In the out-of-touch media? In a lack of confidence in the war’s purpose? Or in the lack of direct contact to the war’s consequences? In certain ways, the answers to questions like these justify the national lethargy. From pop stars to Barbie dolls to humanitarian crises to military initiatives, the public has shown a tendency to stay focused on a topic for a finite amount of time; a departure from this time limit would be a contrast to the norm. And yes, there are absolutely times when the media seems to favor a scandalous cultural development over news on our military’s missions overseas. As a result, it is incredibly easy to erase the military from our consciousness, even with the value that American society places on future security. However, it is imperative that we make an effort to invest ourselves in learning about their current affairs. There are three important reasons for this: a responsibility to our government, a responsibility as a Tufts student and a responsibility to prepare for an uncertain future. The term active citizenship is usually associated
with actions like recycling and volunteering, but it should also be interpreted as a responsibility to keep our congressmen informed on their constituents’ perspectives. The government has no ability to listen to us unless we make ourselves heard; it has no incentive to consider our points unless we show that we care about the decisions they make. Educate yourself on the conflicts in which we’re involved in order to form solid opinions. Contact your representative, your senator, the president — show them that American civilians are paying attention to how they’re guiding our military through war. And do not think that an individual’s input does not count: The more people who share their perspectives with their congressmen, the more these congressmen will feel comfortable in taking a strong position as representative of their constituents. Inasmuch as the efficacy of our republic is enough of a motivation for self-education for some, personal motivations exist as well. With establishments like the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and the Institute for Global Leadership, Tufts is a school known for its international orientation. No matter whether your major is in international relations, civil engineering or philosophy, people you meet will expect you, a Jumbo, to possess a measure of awareness about the international community. No one wants to be caught flat-footed, and efforts to prevent such a vulnerable position require recognition that militaries and their wars are central to international dynamics. All one has to do is to look at the Introduction to International Relations syllabus to realize how central wars are to global interactions; as a whole, they are the most notable stimulus for major change in international relations. With the complex wars of today’s world, major changes are taking place even as you read this piece. Even without these changes, the working world into which many of us will soon enter is difficult to make sense of, and the new developments, by no means completely positive, make our entrance that much more frightening. In light of the obstacles we will surely encounter, it is prudent to give yourself as
much of a head start as possible. Who knows what the world will look like in the coming decades; with the current trends of globalization, no career is immune to developments in the international arena. It will be increasingly important to be sensitive to other cultures, to be knowledgeable about nations’ interactions through history, and to represent the United States in a way that improves our reputation abroad. Given that these three responsibilities are founded in part on the roles and actions of militaries, their fulfillment will be aided tremendously in learning more about our wars and armed forces. There are many more reasons why civilians should involve themselves in military affairs. No matter how many you are exposed to, though, translating an abstract aim into tangible results requires personal initiative. This translation is in only your control. For the competitive readers out there, though, here’s a challenge for the year, a challenge for the decade: keep the war in mind, and keep the war in your study schedule. Don’t know how to start? Joining the Alliance Linking Leaders in Education and the Services (ALLIES) is an easy beginning. Founded in Spring 2006, ALLIES works to bridge the civil-military gap by hosting speakers, holding conferences, building partnerships with U.S. service academies and constructing military simulations. Check out ALLIES at the activity fair on Feb. 10. However, joining ALLIES is not your only route to becoming a more active citizen in the military sector. Volunteer for the United Service Organizations. Give your time to your local U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs office. Keep up with the news. Continue to inform your congressmen on your views and what you want to see in our government’s plans. Get to know the conflict that will see many more new years and many new decades. Rachel Baras is a freshman who has not yet declared a major. Mae Humiston is a freshman who has not yet declared a major. They are both members of the ALLIES initiative.
LET THE CAMPUS KNOW WHAT MATTERS TO YOU.
The Op-Ed section of the Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. Submissions are welcome from all members of the Tufts community. We accept opinion articles on any aspect of campus life, as well as articles on national or international news. Opinion pieces should be between 600 and 1,200 words. Please send submissions, with a contact number, to oped@tuftsdaily.com. Feel free to e-mail us with any questions. OP-ED POLICY The Op-Ed Op-ed section of the Tufts Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. Op-Ed 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 Op-ed editors. The opinions expressed in the Op-ed Op-Ed section do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Tufts Daily itself.
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Thursday, February 4, 2010
COMICS
DOONESBURY
CROSSWORD
BY
NON SEQUITUR
BY
TUESDAY’S SOLUTION
MARRIED TO THE SEA
www.marriedtothesea.com
SUDOKU Level: Getting work done when the Super Bowl is on
LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Tuesday’s Solution
Caryn: “I hate the word ‘amidst.’ No one uses it right.” Kahran: “I was dancing amidst the fairies?”
Please recycle this Daily
GARRY TRUDEAU
WILEY
THE TUFTS DAILY
Thursday, February 4, 2010
FINAL ROUND of SENIOR PORTRAITS February 3 – February 9 Room 112 Campus Center
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THE TUFTS DAILY
12 Housing
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Thursday, February 4, 2010
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Coaching matchup favors Payton over Caldwell
Manning has enjoyed success against Saints’ defense
SAINTS
COLTS
continued from page 16
4. Playmakers on Special Teams: The special teams battle in this game as a whole is largely a wash. Both teams were in the bottom five in average kickoff return yardage allowed, and the Saints allowed the highest average in the league on punt returns. Still, in a game in which the quality of both sides’ offenses should not allow either team to pull away, a big play in the return game could make the difference on Sunday. New Orleans, then, will be grateful to have two fantastic return men on its side: Courtney Roby and Reggie Bush. Roby, an Indianapolis native who was released by the Colts two years ago, has found a home with the Saints. His strong returns were a key part of his team’s win over Minnesota and he has developed into a reliable special teams fixture. But it is Bush who is the true game breaker on this side. The former USC Trojan has four career punt return touchdowns and is always a threat to bust a big return. If Bush does so Sunday, then he and the Saints could be leaving the Colts in the dust.
5. Destiny’s Child: New Orleans quickly morphed into America’s team this season, largely thanks to a 13-0 start. With a dubious past that includes some of the worst seasons in league history, the Saints were better known for being so terrible as to induce fans to wear paper bags over their heads rather than for having championship potential. But everything has changed with the arrival of Sean Payton and Drew Brees. Few fan bases are as invested in their team as the one in New Orleans, and there should be plenty of fans making the trip from the Bayou State for the game in Miami. And while the Superdome was raucous two weeks ago, it is tough to forget the images of the Saints’ home during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which forced the team to play its home games in Baton Rouge, La. and San Antonio, Texas. But even with that weight on their shoulders, the Saints’ players have relished the pressure placed on them to succeed and surpassed all expectations for them this season. So what is the only thing missing from the Saints’ long road from worst to first? A Super Bowl victory.
NESCAC Men’s Squash Tournament Championship Bracket - at Trinity College Feb. 5
Feb. 6
Feb. 6
Feb. 7
First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Championship
continued from page 16
have always been able to keep themselves in the game long enough to let Manning do his work. 4. Locker Room Material: This is not to say that the Saints don’t have motivation of their own to win the Super Bowl, because the prospect of gaining the first Lombardi Trophy in franchise history is enough. But, with New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ recent comments, the Colts should be more than fired-up to prove him wrong. Williams, who told a Nashville radio station last week that his defense would hit Manning with some “remember me” shots, made no apologies during media day and instead reinforced his point that the Saints would get to Manning early and often on Sunday. But the Colts’ offensive linemen will take it personally and upon themselves to protect their star quarterback. Against Williams-led defenses in the past, Manning has only been sacked seven times, four of which came in one contest back in 2001. Indianapolis left tackle Charlie Johnson, upon hearing Williams’ remarks, told the Associated Press, “We’ll
let our game speak for ourselves.” If they use what Williams has said as ample motivation, Indianapolis will come out on top. 5. The Manning Himself: Four MVPs, including this year’s award; 50,128 passing yards; 366 touchdowns; one Super Bowl trophy. Against Williams-coached defenses, Manning has accumulated a 110.7 quarterback rating, an average of 295 yards per game and a 68.9 completion percentage. He has pretty much done it all statistically. But most importantly, Manning has more big-game experience and is currently playing at a nearly unstoppable level. His brilliant in-game adjustments and pinpoint passes flummoxed the Jets, the NFL’s top-rated defense in the regular season, as he finished with 377 yards and three touchdowns two weeks ago. What makes Manning so great is his patience and his ability to direct the game at his own pace. With the help of his steady offensive line and the aforementioned receiving corps, Sunday should be no different. In the end, Manning will be holding his second Super Bowl trophy high, and the talk of best quarterback ever will commence.
EDITORS’ CHALLENGE: XLIV EDITION
1 Trinity 9 Hamilton
WINNER
SCORE
MVP
Adam G.
31-28
Peyton Manning
Alex P.
40-31
Pierre Garçon
Ben K.
45-44
Drew Brees
Claire K.
27-24
Drew Brees
Daniel R.
31-27
Drew Brees
Dave H.
38-35
Drew Brees
Ethan L.
31-27
Robert Meachem
Evan C.
34-24
Drew Brees
Jeremy G.
34-17
Peyton Manning
Kerianne O.
30-27
Pierre Thomas
Lauren F.
28-24
Drew Brees
Mike S.
27-23
Peyton Manning
Sapna B.
35-21
Austin Collie
Steve S.
34-24
Peyton Manning
9:00 a.m.
7:00 p.m. 8 Colby 5 Middlebury
6:30 p.m.
9:00 a.m. 4 Bowdoin 11 Wesleyan 5:00 p.m. 6 Amherst
1:30 p.m.
Champion 10:30 a.m. 3 Bates 2 Williams
10 Conn. College
4:30 p.m.
10:30 p.m.
5:00 p.m. 7 Tufts
NESCAC Women’s Squash Tournament Championship Bracket - at Trinity College Feb. 5
Feb. 6
Feb. 6
Feb. 7
First Round
Quarterfinals
Semifinals
Championship
1 Trinity 9 Bowdoin
12:00 p.m.
7:00 p.m. 8 Wesleyan 5 Amherst
6:00 p.m.
12:00 p.m. 4 Middlebury 11 Conn. College 7:00 p.m. 6 Hamilton
1:30 p.m.
Champion 1:30 p.m. 3 Bates 2 Williams
10 Tufts 5:00 p.m. 7 Colby
1:30 p.m.
-
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7:30 p.m.
Make-orbreak weekend ahead MEN’S BASKETBALL continued from page 16
center Lance Greene pull his team within one, setting the stage for the tight finish. Pierce ended with game-highs of 24 points and 14 rebounds, while freshman forward Scott Anderson added 16 points and eight rebounds as well. Beyel, the team’s second-leading scorer this season, was effectively silenced on the night with only six points. On Tuesday, senior tri-captain Jon Pierce became the all-time leading scorer in Tufts men’s basketball history. Below is a list of the players Pierce passed to cement his name in the Jumbos’ record book. Name
Career Points
1. Jon Pierce 2. Greg Davis (LA ’86) 3. Chris McMahon (LA ’95) 4. Chad Onofrio (LA ’96) 5. Troy Cooper (LA ’83)
1,787 1785 1721 1611 1589
“It may seem like bad luck,” junior forward Sam Mason said. “But to an extent bad luck is a reflection of how you’re playing, decisions that you make throughout the course of the game. Coach [Bob Sheldon] says, ‘Every play matters,’ and it seems like if we made a couple plays here and there it wouldn’t come down to the last shot.” One more time, the team will have to put itself back together to prepare for its do-or-die weekend starting tomorrow. Friday night, the Jumbos will host Trinity, a team that sits in sixth place in the NESCAC at 9-10 overall and 2-3 in the conference. It is a must-win situation, vital to keeping the Jumbos’ playoff hopes alive, and with quick emotional and physical recoveries from Tufts, the playoffs are a very reachable goal. “We made some mistakes in the first half [Tuesday night],” Mason said. “But we can live with mistakes as long as we’re playing hard; and even though our record is disappointing, this weekend is important conference play, and we just want to come out and play hard. We probably won’t be going too hard in practice since we’ve had so many games in so few days. Just short, crisp, focused practices and this weekend — we’ll be ready to play.” On Saturday, Tufts will face Amherst, which sits in fourth place in the conference and lost last weekend by one to the Bowdoin squad Tufts bested for its lone NESCAC win. “It’s going to be tough,” Pierce said of the task ahead. “We just have to come in here and refocus during the next two days of practice and as tough as it is, try to put these few games behind us. That’s what’s the blessing and the curse of basketball: that you usually play again pretty soon after these type of deals. “We’ve had three tough losses, but we just have to come out and we have to make one more play,” he continued. “That’s how we have to look at it. We have to treat every play like it’s important. Because in the past three games we’ve seen that each play can have a huge effect on the outcome of the game.”
THE TUFTS DAILY
Thursday, February 4, 2010 WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
In last home meet, Tufts snaps three-game losing streak BY JESSE
WEINBERG
Senior Staff Writer
In its last home match of the season, the Tufts women’s swimming team broke its three-meet losing WOMEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING (4-5) Hamilton Pool, Saturday Wheaton — 119 Tufts — 181 Bates Tufts
— 131 — 167
streak, defeating NESCAC rival Bates College 167-131 and nonconference opponent Wheaton College 181-119 to improve to a 4-5 record. The Jumbos benefited from five wins out of the 16 total events in a strong performance from coach Nancy Bigelow’s team. “I think this weekend was a really nice representation of what we are capable of,” senior tri-captain Joanna Drinane said. Sophomore Valerie Eacret led the Jumbos with individual wins in the 200-yard freestyle and the 100-yard butterfly, powering the Jumbos to their first dual-meet victory since Dec. 2. In the 200 freestyle, Eacret touched out teammate and fellow sophomore Courtney Adams to win the race by four-tenths of a second. “There were a lot of close races and we were very competitive in the events,” senior tri-captain Meredith Cronin said. “Everyone
did a great job racing and going out for fast times. It was the last home meet of the season so it was important for us to put in a lot of effort and swim well.” Tufts also fared well in the distance events, with junior Megan Kono, who recently returned from a semester abroad, narrowly winning the 1000-yard freestyle and also taking second in the 500-yard freestyle. In the first race, Kono barely beat out Bates sophomore Kara Leasure, while Tufts sophomore Katie Russell finished the event in third place. Freshman Christine Garvey also made a significant contribution to the winning effort, taking first in the 200-yard butterfly over Bates first-year Tara Dugan by 0.25 seconds. Garvey also posted a solid performance by finishing second in the 400-yard individual medley. The backstroke events were strong points of the day for the Jumbos, with Cronin finishing second in the 100- and 200-yard events. Sophomore Kelley Moriarty added third-place finishes in each event. Tufts also received strong performances from their divers once again, with senior Lindsay Gardel, who won the 1-meter event and finished second in the 3-meter, leading the way. The team has been kept afloat by the strong performances of its yougest players, like Garvey, Eacret and sophomore Paulina Ziolek, who have more than carried their load thus far. “We always like to have strong underclassmen, and it’s been really
nice that they have been able to contribute, and it’s also been really exciting for the juniors coming back from abroad and contributing as well,” Drinane said. The Jumbos were glad to get a win after previously putting in the hard work without the dual-meet victories to show for it. “I think we have worked really hard up to this point and dedicated a lot of time and training, with the training trip, working hard both in and out of the pool,” Drinane said. “We are working to keep our minds and bodies fit at this point, and I think from here on out we are only going to see positive results because of the immense training that we have done so far, and so far everything is really shaping up well.” Next weekend, Tufts will swim at the Wheaton Invitational, its last chance to tune up before the NESCAC Championships at Middlebury on Feb. 19. With the championship season fastapproaching, the Jumbos know they have little time left to prepare. “We are really looking to have a positive end of the season,” Drinane said. “This meet [against Bates and Wheaton] really lifted our spirits and gave us a huge confidence boost so that we can move forward and be successful in our upcoming meets.” See pictures from all the weekend action in the Daily’s Week in Tufts Sports slideshow. View the gallery at tuftsdaily.com/sports
Matchup with nation’s top team gives Jumbos a chance to prove themselves WOMEN’S BASKETBALL continued from page 1
that stretch has it beaten Amherst. Though each of the teams’ last four meetings during that span have been close — none has been decided by more than six points — the Lady Jeffs have come out on top every single time, including once on a buzzer-beater and twice in the NESCAC Tournament. “The u p p e rc l a s s m e n have been through this with Amherst,” junior tri-captain Colleen Hart said. “We’ve lost to them three or four times … Every game it seems like we’re right there with them, and we haven’t been able to close those games out.” That both teams are currently at the peak of their success has only added to the intrigue of Saturday’s matchup. In the most recent D3hoops.com national rankings, released early Monday evening, the Jumbos climbed inside the top 10 for the first time in program history, a nod to their 18-2 overall record. The Lady Jeffs, meanwhile, vaulted out of the No. 2 spot — where they had spent the entire season — and took over the nation’s No. 1 ranking from Illinois Wesleyan. It’s certainly a well-deserved honor for Amherst, which has opened to a 19-0 start and beaten all but one of its opponents by double digits. Though the Lady Jeffs have suffered their share of key injuries, their incredible depth — seven different players have led them in scoring this season — has enabled them to overcome. “They’re very deep, and one through 12, they’re solid,” coach Carla Berube said.
“They’ve got a lot of scorers — it’s not like you can stop one or two or three or four. You’ve just got to play an all-around great game from everyone of your positions.” For all it’s success in recent years, the women’s basketball team has nonetheless had its share of troubles with NESCAC rival Amherst. Of the Jumbos’ 11 losses since the start of the 2007-08 season, four have come at the hands of the Lady Jeffs, and none have been easy to swallow. Two days before the teams meet again, the Daily looks back at their contentious recent history: Jan. 18, 2008 | Amherst 64, Tufts 62 Then-sophomore forward Samantha Swensen nailed the shot that would set the tone for the rivalry: a buzzer-beating layup that sealed a dramatic victory for Amherst before a capacity crowd in Cousens Gym. March 3, 2008 | Amherst 59, Tufts 53 The NESCAC’s top two teams met in the conference title game, with the Lady Jeffs emerging with their first crown. Feb. 7, 2009 | Amherst 54, Tufts 48 The Jumbos were denied a chance to all-but sew up their first ever NESCAC regular season crown, tripped up once again by the Lady Jeffs. Feb. 28, 2009 | Amherst 49, Tufts 46 In its second-straight NESCAC Tournament meeting with Amherst, Tufts was done in by 18 first-half turnovers, a late 5-second violation and a go-ahead three by then-freshman guard Kim Fiorentino by 48 seconds remaining.
But at the same time, the polls have put the target squarely on Amherst’s back and only helped to ratchet up the intensity for Saturday’s game. “Definitely every year, it’s the game we look forward to,” senior tri-captain Katie Wholey said. “It just makes it even bigger that they’re the No. 1 team in the country, and they haven’t lost, either.” “The pressure is on them,” Berube added. “They’re having that magical season where they’re undefeated, almost at
13
SPORTS
the end of the year, and I’m sure they want to keep that going.” For all the hype surrounding its game against Amherst, Tufts is making sure it doesn’t overlook Trinity (14-5, 2-3 NESCAC), which will head to Cousens Gym tomorrow night to kick off the NESCAC weekend. The Bantams are in the second year of a remarkable turnaround, which has taken them from the cellar to contention. They made some noise on Dec. 29, when they knocked off then national-No. 8 Thomas More in Daytona Beach, Fla., and now, they’ll try to prevent the Jumbos from locking up home-court advantage through the first round of the NESCAC Tournament. “We saw them knock off Thomas More, and we know that they’re no team to take lightly,” senior tri-captain Vanessa Miller said. “I think it’s a blessing and a curse to be in the NESCAC. On any given day, any team can beat any other team.” But tomorrow’s contest against the Bantams is nonetheless regarded as just the prelude to Saturday’s showdown, which the Jumbos know will provide them with a unique opportunity to learn once and for all where they stand relative to the nation’s best. “D-III is very regionalized, and it’s really hard on a regular basis to get games that will put you in the spotlight on a national level, and so anytime you can get an in-region No. 1 team onto your own court, it’s a big deal,” Miller said. “It’s a chance to make a really big national statement for us, so we’re excited for it.”
tale of the tape: super bowl xliv
Indianapolis Colts versus New Orleans Saints
This Sunday, the Colts and the Saints will converge on sunny Miami for a shot at eternal glory and the title of NFL Champions. New Orleans, fresh off a giftwrapped victory over Minnesota and Brett Favre, will appear in its first-ever Super Bowl and, just years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city, has rejuvenated fandom on Bourbon Street with Drew Brees’ potent aerial assault. Meanwhile Indianapolis, who won Super Bowl XLI in 2006, looked near-unstoppable in its 30-17 AFC Championship win over the New York Jets. These two squads, who at one point appeared destined for undefeated seasons, will now have to settle for a grudge match at Sun Life Stadium with the Lombardi Trophy at stake. The Daily takes a look at these two unfamiliar opponents and how they will stack up against each other on Super Bowl Sunday. —by Alex Prewitt
TEAM HISTORY Super Bowl wins since 1970
2
0
Playoff appearances since 1970
18
7
All-time headto-head wins
5
5
SEASON STATISTICS Yards allowed per game (NFL rank)
339.2 (18)
357.8 (25)
Points allowed per game (NFL rank)
19.2 (8)
21.3 (20)
Regular-season record
14-2
13-3
Regular-season record on East Coast
3-1
5-1
Record vs. common opponents
4-2
5-0
Total offense (NFL rank)
363.1 (9)
403.8 (1)
Points scored per game (NFL rank)
26.0 (7)
31.9 (1)
HEAD COACHES: Jim Caldwell vs. Sean Payton Age
55
46
Regular-season record with team
14-2
38-26
Postseason record with team
2-0
3-1
MISCELLANEOUS Resident Frenchnamed player
Pierre Garçon
Pierre Thomas
Awkward birthmarks on QB’s faces
0
1
Who....
Is performing at halftime
Dat
14
THE TUFTS DAILY
SPORTS
Thursday, February 4, 2010
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THE TUFTS DAILY
Thursday, February 4, 2010
15
SPORTS
FENCING
Jumbos take one of three at Brandeis Invitational BY
DANIEL RATHMAN
Daily Editorial Board
After a rough outing at the Northeast Fencing Conference meet two weekends ago, the women’s varsity fencing team entered Saturday’s Brandeis Invitational and the ensuing home match against New York University (NYU) on Sunday hoping that additional practice time would enable it to turn in a better performance. And even though the Jumbos won just one of their four contests, the team continued to show promise for the future. “Our freshmen did well this weekend, and the extra practice time is definitely helping us improve,” senior captain Amani Smathers said. Sunday’s dual match against NYU was the only such event the Jumbos will host this season, but they were unable to make use of the comforts of being home against a far more experienced squad. The Violets enjoyed a stellar effort in the sabre event, defeating Tufts 7-2, and performed even better with the foil, shutting out the Jumbos 9-0. Freshmen épées Abby Hepworth and Kira Hoffman both posted 2-1 records for Tufts, as the Jumbos bested NYU 5-4 in that category, but the Violets dominance of the other bouts was enough to deal Tufts a 20-7 setback. On Saturday, the Jumbos squared off against Haverford, Hunter and UPenn, sandwiching a pair of tough losses to UPenn and Haverford around a solid, 16-11 win over the Hawks. Despite another strong effort by the épée squad, which was led by Smathers (5-3 on the day) and Hepworth (4-4), Tufts
JOSH BERLINGER/TUFTS DAILY
The women’s fencing squad Sunday fell to New York University, 20-7, but looks to rebound from the loss when it hosts the second NFC Conference Meet on Saturday. could not hold off the wellrounded Fords and Quakers, falling 17-10 and 24-3 in the two matches, respectively. Overall, the Jumbos’ épées finished the day with a winning mark of 2-1, while the foils were 1-2. The sabre squad lost all three of its bouts. The performances of firstyears Hepworth and Hoffman
the remainder of this season. “Abby Hepworth had a really good weekend for us, but we need to get better as a team, and it’s tough because we’re always really young and trying to rebuild,” Smathers said. Now 3-11 overall and 1-5 in NFC action, the Jumbos will look to continue to polish their skills when they host the second NFC
were the most encouraging part of the weekend for the team, though, as the freshmen have adapted to the collegiate level of fencing quickly. Their recent efforts give the Jumbos reason to be excited and encouraged about their future prospects, in addition to breeding confidence in a rapidly improving épée squad for
conference meet of the season on Saturday. This weekend’s matches will be Tufts’ last tuneup for the New England College Championships on Feb. 20. “Usually the teams we play in the second Northeast Fencing Conference meet aren’t as good as the ones in the first, so we’re definitely hoping to do better here at home,” Smathers said.
MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING
Chan’s four wins headline tri-meet sweep as postseason nears Jumbos take down Bates, Wheaton in last home meet BY
BEN KOCHMAN
Daily Editorial Board
The men’s swimming and diving team walked into Hamilton Pool last Saturday having lost three out of its last four meets MEN’S SWIMMING & DIVING (7-3) Hamilton Pool, Saturday Wheaton — 51 Tufts — 245 Bates Tufts
— 63 — 235
and subsequently looking to turn the tide on the season. And with a thoroughly impressive performance in a tri-meet
against Wheaton and NESCAC-rival Bates, the Jumbos finished up their regular season right where they want to be: in the win column. Tufts won 15 out of the 16 total events in its final home meet of the year, including both diving events and each of the two relays. Senior quad-captain Lawrence Chan led the team with wins in the 50-meter breaststroke and the 100-meter freestyle, as well as taking part in two relay victories. While Wheaton and Bates were able to sporadically add some points to their tallies, with Bates freshman Matt Johns garnering the lone non-Tufts first-place finish in the 50-meter backstroke, ultimately, the strength and depth of the Jumbos’ squad was too much to handle. In the overall standings, Tufts finished ahead of Wheaton 245-51 and dispatched
Bates 235-63. “It was great to finish up so strong in our last meet of the year, and especially leading up to the championship,” Chan said. “We didn’t try to crush them or anything, and we really just treated it like any other meet. We just went out and had fun, and to finish strong in Hamilton Pool was great.” With the lower half of the team resting for next weekend’s Wheaton Invitational, coach Adam Hoyt was happy with the way the Jumbos’ top swimmers performed and hopes that the team can maintain its momentum for the NESCAC Championship meet at the end of the month. “It’s always important to finish up with a couple good meets, but it’s more important for us to swim well,” Hoyt said. “With people getting healthier and looking better in the water, I thought we’d have some good
WEEKLY POLL | TUFTSDAILY.COM/SPORTS
How will the men’s basketball team finish the season? 11%
36 percent — Just like last year, they’ll wind up in the league’s cellar 28 percent — They’ll make the NESCAC Tournament, but nothing more
36%
25 percent — They’ll just miss out on the Tournament.
28%
11 percent — They’ll win the NESCAC Tournament, without a doubt Results are out of 36 total votes. Poll is not scientific and reflects only the views of those tuftsdaily.com users who chose to respond. Which star Tufts athlete is most essential to his/her team’s success? To vote in this week’s poll, visit tuftsdaily.com/sports
25%
swims, but it was a pleasant surprise to see us do as well as we did.” The Jumbos’ divers swept the 1- and 3-meter events, as they have done in every meet this season against Div.III opposition. Junior Trevor Stack continued to challenge senior quad-captain and All-American Rob Matera, edging out a victory in the 1-meter event with a score of 262.85, while Matera earned the top spot in the 3-meter event with 272.45 points. “It’s great to have two people on the same team being competitive and pushing each other,” Hoyt said about his pair of top divers. “If one has an off day, then the other can step in. When we need them, we know that one or the other will step up and carry us.” Twenty-two Tufts swimmers will head to Norton, Mass. this weekend for the Wheaton Invitational, which for all but one of the Jumbos attending will be the final meet of the season. Hoyt said that he has yet to fill the final spot of the 24-man “A” team that will go to the NESCAC Championships in late February and will wait until after the Wheaton meet to choose which swimmer will earn a spot on Tufts’ roster for the conference meet. The 23 swimmers and divers who are already on the NESCAC Championship team will spend the next couple of weeks tapering off their workout routines, doing their best to both stay sharp and get their legs some much-needed rest. In a sport in which a fraction of an inch can make all the difference, even the smallest improvements are critical. “We keep up our training for the next two weeks, but this is definitely a good time to work on the little things, like starts, turns and finishes,” Chan said. “Because all of these little things are so important, and add up at the end.”
Sports
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INSIDE Women’s Swimming and Diving 13 Fencing 15 Men’s Swimming and Diving 15
tuftsdaily.com
SUPER BOWL PREVIEW
The Daily breaks down Super Bowl XLIV
Brees, high-octane New Orleans Saints will go marching to victory BY
Indianapolis gives his team trouble, Payton has the ability to make the adjustments to solve any problems.
ETHAN LANDY
Daily Editorial Board
Who dat in the Super Bowl? Yes, the New Orleans Saints are one step away from completing their transformation from one of the laughingstocks at the bottom of the NFL into world champions. But standing in their way on Sunday in Miami will be Peyton Manning and the AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts. After destroying the Arizona Cardinals in the divisional round and besting the Minnesota Vikings in overtime in the NFC Championship, New Orleans earned its first trip to the NFL’s biggest stage in the team’s 43rd year in existence. The Colts are five-point favorites heading into the game, but that won’t matter to the Saints, who were underdogs from the start. So even though few people will be picking the Saints to win, here are the top five reasons why they will be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday night: 1. High-Octane Offense: New Orleans had the most prolific offense in the league during the regular season, coming into the postseason as the only team to average over 400 yards of total offense per game or to put up more than 30 points per game. Led by quarterback Drew Brees, the Saints are a dynamic team that can score in bunches. While the Jets’ game plan in the AFC Championship against the Colts was to keep the game close and hope to avoid a shootout, New Orleans has the offensive firepower to compete — and win — in a highscoring affair. While Brees’ play has dipped at the end of the season, he is primed for a breakout performance against the Colts on Sunday. Brees has a plethora of receivers, led by Marques Colston, to spread the ball around to. And while the Colts may also possess that entity, Brees has what Manning does not: a reliable running game. The Saints, with the three-headed rushing attack of Reggie Bush, Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell, were the sixth-best rushing team in the league this season, while the Colts ranked dead last in that category at just over 80 yards a game. 2. Sean Payton: You could make a case that most of the matchups in this game, upon comparison, are largely even. But if there is one area where one team seems to have a significant edge, it is at head coach. While Jim Caldwell has done an exemplary job in his first season after replacing Tony Dungy in Indianapolis, New Orleans’ Payton has become one of the best coaches in the league. He calls the shots for his team’s prolific offense and should be able to get his squad to exploit a Colts secondary that has exceeded expectations for most of the season. Payton has led a Saints team — that was essentially an afterthought in most preseason prognostications after going 8-8 in 2008 — to the biggest stage in football. If
3. Playmaking Defense: Gregg Williams is one of the best defensive coordinators in the game, and he understands that Manning is nearly impossible to stop. He also knows that the Saints’ defense is not talented enough to win without making big plays. If you watched the NFC Championship, then you saw that New Orleans’ fortunes turned in the second half once its defense showed up and forced a bevy of turnovers. That defense is led by veteran safety Darren Sharper, who had nine interceptions in the regular season. But the Saints also have a few more underrated members in their secondary, including former Buffalo Bill Jabari Greer, who has become a virtual shutdown corner this season, and Tracy Porter, who
MCT/ DESIGN BY STEVE SMITH
had the big interception at the end of regulation in the victory over the Vikings. While Manning has had some success against Williams’ defenses, the Saints coordinator has promised to bring the heat on Sunday. If defensive end Will Smith and the Saints’ front seven can disguise their schemes and get some pressure on Manning to make him uncomfortable — much like they did against Brett Favre — they could put the Saints playmakers in a position to alter the game like they did in the NFC Championship. see SAINTS, page 12
Behind their all-time great quarterback, Indianapolis Colts will win BY
ALEX PREWITT
Daily Editorial Board
Let’s face it, the United States wants the New Orleans Saints to win this Sunday’s Super Bowl. This has the makings of an instant classic Hollywood film, one in which the once-destroyed city of New Orleans rallies around its inspirational franchise as it seeks football glory. Fans will wave signs and towels emblazoned with “Who Dat,” and Drew Brees will hoist up the Lombardi Trophy as fireworks explode and confetti rains down on Miami’s Sun Life Stadium. Players will cry, coaches will hug and Bourbon Street will celebrate. A nice image, right? Can’t you just picture it? It’s too bad that it’s all a pipe dream, because the Indianapolis Colts will win Super Bowl XLIV. The AFC champions, led by their MVP award-winning quarterback Peyton Manning, will capture the first Super Bowl of the decade, officially putting the definitive stamp on what has already been a historic career for Manning. Here are the top five reasons why the Colts will win the Super Bowl and will spoil America’s hopes for a postKatrina championship in New Orleans: 1. The Wild, Wild West: Indianapolis’ receiving corps is, without a doubt, the deepest and most diverse the Saints’ secondary will face all year. With names like Wayne, Collie, Clark and Garçon that are more reminiscent of a crime-fighting trio of cowboys and their French sidekick, the Colts have four receivers with at least 650 receiving yards and four touch-
downs on the year. What’s more, any one of them can step up on a given day. After leading receiver Reggie Wayne was shut down by All-Pro corner Darrelle Revis in the AFC Championship Game versus the New York Jets, Manning turned to Pierre Garçon and Austin Collie for an aggregate 274 yards and two touchdowns — stellar numbers for players drafted in the sixth and fourth rounds, respectively. What’s more, the Saints rank 25th in the country in total defense, giving up 357.8 yards per game and, despite ranking third in the league in interceptions, still giving up 236 receiving yards per contest. Even if the Saints coerce a few turnovers out of the Colts’ offense early, the Indianapolis receiving corps is too deep and too explosive to handle. 2. Hyped Up: Super Bowl XLIV marks the first time in franchise history that the Saints will be playing on the NFL’s biggest stage. Sure, Saints quarterback Drew Brees is having an incredible statistical season, and New Orleans ranks first in both total offense and points scored per game, but how will they perform with the flashbulbs popping? The Saints have only four players who will play on Sunday who have even appeared in a Super Bowl and only cornerback Randall Gay boasting a ring. With all the hype surrounding New Orleans and its storybook season in the wake of the horror of Hurricane Katrina, will the Saints be able to channel their focus into playing 60 minutes of football on Sunday? Perhaps, but the Colts will do it better because they’ve been here before. 3. The Defense: Assuming Dwight Freeney comes back from his ankle injury, the Colts’ pass rush could give them an edge in getting to Brees and disrupting him in the pocket, disallowing the Saints’ signal-caller to check down to his second or third options. Freeney will be going up against Jermon Bushrod, a backup who has been forced to play all year because of an injury to Jammal Brown and who has struggled mightily lately. Even if end Robert Mathis, who has been practicing in Freeney’s slot this week, goes up against Bushrod, Brees could find himself in a situation similar to the Week 15 loss to the Cowboys, when DeMarcus Ware abused Bushrod en route to two sacks. With an underrated defensive unit that allows 19.2 points per game — eighth-best in the league — the Colts are well-equipped to deal with whatever aerial assault New Orleans throws at them. Though Indianapolis has not faced a quarterback quite up to Brees’ caliber in the playoffs, the Colts see COLTS, page 12
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Pierce’s night overshadowed by controversial call in midweek loss BY
CLAIRE KEMP
Daily Editorial Board
The Tufts men’s basketball team simply cannot catch a break. MEN’S BASKETBALL (5-15, 1-5 NESCAC) Cousens Gym, Tuesday UMass Dartmouth Tufts
31 30
36 — 67 36 — 66
After picking up the pieces from two losses over the weekend, one of which came at the end of four overtime periods and the other on a buzzer-beating three-pointer, the Jumbos headed home to face nonconference foe UMass Dartmouth,
only to have their hearts broken once again. Leading by one, Corsairs senior tri-captain and forward Brandon Shelton missed a jumper after a Tufts turnover. But sophomore guard Alex Klepadlo elevated for the offensive rebound to the left of the rim and tossed it back into the basket as he was falling to the ground. The second-chance points put the visitors up 67-66 with five seconds left in regulation. That score became final when the potential game-winner from senior forward Dave Beyel was waved off by the officials, who made the call that the shot was released after the buzzer, much to the chagrin of the
Jumbos’ bench. Unfortunately for senior tricaptain and reigning NESCAC Co-Player of the Week Jon Pierce, the loss made it hard to celebrate a record-breaking night. On a free throw with 6:34 left in the second half, Pierce became the program’s all-time leading scorer with his 1,786th career point, surpassing Greg Davis’ (LA ’86) mark of 1,785, set between 1982 and 1986. Pierce would go on to score one more point in the game for a game-high 24 to set the current mark at 1,787. “To be honest, it really hasn’t hit me yet, considering how we lost the game,” Pierce said of his accomplishment. “But it’s an
honor, and it’s a testament to the hard work that my team has put in, that I’ve put in and sacrifices that other people have made so that I had the opportunity to take the shots that I do. It’s such a team effort and a personal honor that I take quite seriously. It just hasn’t quite set in yet.” Considering how they lost the game — and the two before it — it will certainly take some time for elation to set in for Pierce. With six minutes on the clock, Tufts was up by eight points, only to watch Shelton score 11 of UMass Dartmouth’s final points to help the Corsairs win. The Jumbos had been down
31-30 going into the half, but came out of the locker room firing and went on a 12-7 run. The Corsairs answered back, but an 11-2 stretch gave Tufts a comfortable 58-50 advantage with 6:34 left. But it might have been too much breathing room, as the Jumbos’ defense became relaxed, allowing UMass Dartmouth to respond with 12 of the next 16 points to tie the game at 62 all. A jumper and pair of free throws from Jumbo senior tricaptain Dan Cook regained a threepoint lead with under two minutes to go, but a foul on the other end of the court let Corsairs sophomore see MEN’S BASKETBALL, page 12