2010-02-26 by The Tufts Daily

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THE TUFTS DAILY

TUFTSDAILY.COM

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2010

VOLUME LIX, NUMBER 20

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Study examines racial bias on TV BY

CHRISTINA PAPPAS Senior Staff Writer

If words don’t get the message across, actions just might do the job instead. After establishing that subtle nonverbal pro-white biases are prevalent in popular television shows, Tufts University Interpersonal Perception and Communication Laboratory researchers recently found that these nonverbal behaviors directly influence racial biases among television viewers. “Subtle race bias exists even as more explicit bias diminishes — that’s been repeatedly demonstrated in laboratory studies,” Research Assistant Professor of Psychology Max Weisbuch, the lead author of the study, said. “We wanted to look at the subtle social influences that can affect people outside of the lab, and television is a domain that reaches a lot of people. It was a matter of taking what some lab studies suggest ... and investigating it in the media.” Co-author Kristin Pauker, a visiting researcher of psychology from Stanford University, credited Weisbuch with the conceptualization of the study, entitled “The Subtle Transmission of Race Bias via Televised Nonverbal Behavior.” Science Magazine published the study in December of last year. “I thought the idea for the study was really interesting

because we know that there are racial biases that people still hold,” Pauker said. “So it’s been established that racial bias exists, but what our study showed was that racial bias can actually be transmitted via popular TV shows through something as subtle as nonverbal behavior.” According to Weisbuch, the research began in the winter of 2007 and took place in the Interpersonal Perception and Communication Laboratory. Directed by Professor of Psychology Nalini Ambady, the research was comprised of four interrelated studies, each building on the next. The studies examined nonverbal biases, a subset of nonverbal behavior defined by Weisbuch as “the tendency for people to express more positive nonverbal behavior to one group over another group.” Two experimental conditions were created, examining nonverbal bias behavior that was classified as prowhite or pro-black. Silent clips were chosen from 11 popular scripted television shows that feature prominent white and black characters, including “Friday Night Lights,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “House” and “Bones.” “It was hard to find TV shows that fit the criteria that had major characters of different races,” Pauker said. see BIAS, page 3

ASHLEY SEENAUTH/TUFTS DAILY

A new program catering to off-campus residents is in the works.

Senate proposes program to integrate oﬀ-campus community BY

AMELIE HECHT

Daily Editorial Board

The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate is planning a new initiative to create a more cohesive, active community for upperclassmen living off campus. It involves creating a pseudo-residential assistant (RA) position to organize neighborhood activities for the off-campus

Test of new emergency alert system successful, initial results indicate BY

HARRISON JACOBS

Daily Editorial Board

community. TCU President Brandon Rattiner, a senior, explained that the plan would involve dividing parts of the off-campus area into smaller “boroughs.” Each borough would have one or two “community advisers (CA)” — modeled after the RA position — to organize community events for borough residents. “The CA would be similar to an RA, without being a disciplinarian,” Rattiner said. “He or she would plan barbeques, block par-

AMELIE HECHT

Daily Editorial Board

DAILY FILE PHOTO

see TEST, page 3

The university yesterday conducted a test of two emergency alert systems.

Inside this issue

see NEIGHBORHOOD, page 2

Ackerman addresses the economics of climate change BY

The university yesterday tested a new live emergency alert platform along with the current Send Word Now system to assess the need for a new system. Both tests, officials said, were largely successful. The purpose of the test was to compare the viability of the new Rave Mobile Safety and Send Word Now, which the university has used since November 2007, when the Tufts Emergency Alert System was first implemented. Dawn Irish, the University Information Technology (UIT) director of communications and organizational effectiveness, noted that the test of the new system is not due to any failure on the part of Send Word Now. She explained that the university wanted to see if any of the new platforms, such as Rave Mobile Safety, are improvements over the current system. “There have been a lot of changes, updates and technological advancements since [we chose Send Word Now in 2007],” Irish said. “We thought it was a prudent time to evaluate our current system against

ties, movie nights, dinners or anything else that is meant to build community in the borough.” In the current proposal, these CAs would be residents of their respective boroughs. They would receive a small yearly personal stipend for their contribution in addition to monthly activity funding. Rattiner suggested that the money might come from the TCU Treasury or from the Office of

Frank Ackerman, research fellow at Tufts’ Global Development and Environment Institute and senior economist at the Stockholm Environment Institute, at a talk yesterday in the Tisch Library Hirsch Reading Room warned against using traditional economic analysis to deal with climate change issues. In examining the problem of global warming, he said that it is improper to apply traditional economic concepts and paradigms. “Cost-benefit analysis, the way in which economists evaluate different ideas, requires a monetary value for everything, but the benefits of protecting the climate … cannot be measured in dollars,” Ackerman said. “You could say cost benefit analysis fails because it tries to place a price on the dignity of nature.” Another reason why traditional economic analysis is inapplicable to climate change is because it relies heavily on the use of mathematical averages, which fail to give an accu-

rate picture of the situation, according to Ackerman. “The average estimate of sea level rise might be a little bit less than a meter, which would be a hardship for low-lying areas, but that’s only a limited part of the world,” he said. “Fears about climate change are supposed to be based on worst-case scenarios. The average is not what matters when you apply it to climate change.” Ackerman also explained that it is challenging to use economic discount rates, which are traditionally used to calculate the value of present investments in the future, to examine environmental costs. “We are talking about what we owe the people who might live after we are all gone,” he said. Ackerman was discussing his most recent book, “Can We Afford the Future? Economics for a Warming World” (2009), which scrutinizes traditional economic theory and presents the argument that implementing immediate climate change solutions would be economically priceless. see LIBRARY, page 3

Today’s Sections

Pen, Paint and Pretzels’ “SubUrbia” premieres next week.

The ice hockey team will face Middlebury this Saturday in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament.

see ARTS, page 5

see SPORTS, back

News | Features Comics Arts & Living

1 4 5

Classifieds Sports

7 Back

THE TUFTS DAILY

THE TUFTS DAILY 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 Amelie Hecht Corinne Segal Martha Shanahan Jenny White Brent Yarnell Carter Rogers Executive Features Editor Marissa Carberry Features Editors Robin Carol Emily Maretsky 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 Crystal Bui Nina Grossman Laura Moreno Andrew Rohrberger Devon Colmer Erin Marshall Alex Miller Louie Zong Vittoria Elliot Rebekah Liebermann Marian Swain

Executive Op-Ed Editor Op-Ed Editors

Cartoonists

Editorialists

Alex Prewitt Executive Sports Editor Sapna Bansil Sports Editors Evan Cooper Jeremy Greenhouse David Heck Ethan Landy Daniel Rathman Michael Spera Lauren Flament Assistant Sports Editors Claire Kemp Ben Kochman James Choca Executive Photo Editor Josh Berlinger Photo Editors Kristen Collins Danai Macridi Tien Tien Virginia Bledsoe Assistant Photo Editors Jodi Bosin Alex Dennett Dilys Ong Scott Tingley Anne Wermiel Mick B. Krever Executive New Media Editor

PRODUCTION Jennifer Iassogna Production Director Leanne Brotsky Executive Layout Editor Dana Berube Layout Editors Karen Blevins Adam Gardner Andrew Petrone Steven Smith Menglu Wang Sarah Davis Assistant Layout Editors Emily Friedman Jason Huang Alyssa Kutner Samantha Connell Executive Copy Editor Sara Eisemann Copy Editors Lucy Nunn Ben Smith Ammar Khaku Assistant Copy Editors Katrina Knisely Isabel Leon Vivien Lim Ben Schwalb Executive Online Editor Audrey Kuan Online Editors Emily Wyner Muhammad Qadri Executive Technical Manager Michael Vastola Technical Manager

BUSINESS Kahran Singh Executive Business Director Benjamin Hubbell-Engler Brenna Duncan Dwijo Goswami Ally Gimbel

Advertising Director Online Advertising Manager Billing Manager Outreach Director

The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free to the Tufts community. P.O. Box 53018, Medford, MA 02155 617 627 3090 FAX 617 627 3910 daily@tuftsdaily.com

NEWS | FEATURES

Friday, February 26, 2010

Security officer uses connections to help Haiti victims in need BY

EMILY MARETSKY

Daily Editorial Board

Not far beyond the “Help for Haiti” sign that greets athletes on their way in and out of Cousens Gym lie about 50 bags of clothing and shoes just behind the doorway to Carzo Cage. These bags are the result of the hard work of Madueno Cabral, a security officer, who has been collecting new and gently used clothing to donate to earthquake victims in Haiti since the beginning of February. Cabral, a contract employee through the Department of Public and Environmental Safety at Tufts, works with many Haitian co-workers. He was deeply affected by the earthquake, especially as he witnessed many of the impacts that the earthquake had on the family members of victims in Boston. Cabral, who lost his brother last year, sympathized with his co-workers who lost family members in the earthquake and wanted to do something to help out. “Globally, everyone was devastated. You go through this shock, but you feel helpless on what to do,” Cabral said. After an e-mail invitation was passed on to him, Cabral went to a meeting held in Alumni Hall in early February organized by Senior Student Programs Manager Mindy Nierenberg of Tisch College. At the forum, people from across the Tufts community met to combine forces and organize efforts to help those in Haiti. Cabral spoke at the meeting about his interest in collecting clothing to send to earthquake victims. By the end of the meeting, he had teamed up with senior Helaina Stein, who was also interested in collaborating on the clothing drive, as well as sophomore Mary Bruynell, who was looking to organize a shoe drive. To Cabral, a clothing drive seemed like the obvious choice. “We’re in a recession, tuition is high, and money is tight,” he said. “To ask for money seems obtrusive, but everyone has clothing to give. When the earthquake came, [Haitians] didn’t have time to pack … I just envisioned people running out the door with nothing but the clothes on their backs.” The toughest part about organizing

TIEN TIEN/TUFTS DAILY

Madueno Cabral has been collecting clothing for earthquake victims for the past month. the clothing drive has been finding space to store the donations. After checking with Athletic Director Bill Gehling, Cabral suggested using Cousens as a drop-off point where he could bag clothing up himself. The Cousens location has also been an easy way to publicize the project so far. “Mostly we’ve been attracting people who come to the gym, but how do we reach all of campus?” Cabral asked. So far, the drive has been successful, as evidenced by the piles of clothing bags that take up a large part of the hallway behind Carzo Cage. Cabral, however, is still trying to get the word out to as many people as possible within the Tufts community. He has been trying to spread the project through word of mouth, as well as through his own Tufts connections. He explained that Tufts seemed like a natural place for him to work on the clothing drive because he is connected with many different people through his job as a security officer. “I’m at the [Aidekman] Arts Center, TAB [Tufts Administration Building], the Fletcher School, so I’m like a walking networking person, getting the word out,” he said. “I’m already here,

it’s not out of my way to help, and it’s just part of my job.” Cabral said that ideally, the clothing drive would continue as long as possible. He loves getting the word out and watching the number of clothing bags grow, but the available space in Cousens has been his biggest obstacle. “Space is tight here. I’m trying to find a way to move the clothing at the end of the month … I need to coordinate with another group to take the clothing away and get it to Haiti,” he said. Cabral has looked into collaborating with the Center for Health Education and Social Services in Somerville, and Somerville Alderman-at-Large Jack Connolly has also volunteered to help, Cabral said. “If I’ve got to call the Somerville City Hall to ask for help, I’ll do it,” Cabral added. While he intends to move out the current round of clothing donations by the end of February, he plans to continue soliciting donations afterward for future shipments. “I just hope people don’t become numb over time,” he said. “I want to keep people’s minds on [providing help] … It’s going to be a while before Haiti bounces back.”

New Senate initiative seeks to address disconnect of students living oﬀ campus, create sense of community NEIGHBORHOOD continued from page 1

Community Relations. “At the end of the day, we are not talking that much money,” he said. “We could pretty easily find funds for the program somewhere.” Though the program is still being conceptualized, the Senate hopes to next year pilot it in one off-campus neighborhood. Rattiner said he developed the idea in order to address the common problem of off-campus residents feeling disconnected from campus life. “Once you move off campus, you are on your own, you don’t have dorms or dining halls anymore, and I think that it’s really too bad,” he said. “What we are trying to do is replicate that sense of community for students living off campus. It would allow students to meet each other and their neighbors.” TCU Vice President Antonella Scarano, a senior, agreed that the project would help students living off campus continue to feel like part of the Tufts community. “Often student activities focus on oncampus programming, which of course is of value since we pay a student activities fee for such purposes,” Scarano said in an e-mail to the Daily. “However, about half of our student body lives off campus and we need to make sure we are bringing them back to the community in some way.” Director of Community Relations Barbara Rubel, who recently met with

Rattiner to discuss the plans, is optimistic about the proposal’s potential to have a positive impact. “I think this is a great plan for students who are living off campus and feel disconnected from the community,” Rubel said. “I think feeling that way contributes to the problems in the community with parties and noise violations.” She expressed her hope that making students feel more connected to their community would in turn make them better neighbors. “I think this project could have the added benefit of addressing neighborhood complaints,” Rubel said. Senior Lara Crenshaw felt that such a program would not draw much participation because upperclassmen do not tend to rely on such community activities. “I think once you are an upperclassman your social circles are developed and you tend to live near or with most of your friends,” Crenshaw said. “I don’t think most students would take advantage of such planned social events.” Senior Ethan Hochheiser agreed, saying he would not make use of the program. “I don’t think I would really attend most of those activities,” he said. “The only reason I would really go is to eat some free food.” Senior Matt Miller, however, supported creating more means for upperclassmen to connect with each other. “While I personally still have a lot of activities that keep me involved in campus

life, I have a number of friends who don’t who I think would definitely take advantage of that sort of program,” he said. Noting that Senior Pub Nights have provided the opportunity to reconnect with old friends, Miller hopes that this initiative would serve the same purpose. “It would be great to have more community activities to give people a chance to see friends they haven’t seen in a while,” he said. Senior Michael Laha echoed Miller, acknowledging that the program might benefit students who are less involved with on-campus groups and activities. He feels, however, that the majority of upperclassmen would not use the program and pointed out that many students intentionally choose to move off campus. “I think that the idea would serve a certain subgroup of seniors who feel the need to be attached to campus, but there are a lot of students who are interested in being off campus because they want that independence and autonomy,” Laha said. Despite some sentiments that the program is unnecessary and would be underutilized, Rattiner pointed out that there is no risk involved in testing out the program. “The worst case scenario is that the money doesn’t get spent and gets returned to the TCU Treasury to be spent on something else,” he said. “There is really nothing to be lost and potentially a lot that could be gained.”

THE TUFTS DAILY

Friday, February 26, 2010

NEWS | FEATURES

Tufts study confirms televised bias can influence viewers BIAS continued from page 1

“We needed black and white characters who were fixtures throughout a season, which was a problem — when characters on a show die off, they tend to be the black characters.” To control for possible confounding variables, the researchers matched the black and white characters on several characteristics, such as status, intelligence and attractiveness. “We wanted to assure, if we found an effect, that the effect was due to race and not to some other variable,” Weisbuch said. Once the shows were chosen, the researchers randomly selected three episodes of each show. They then carefully examined those episodes to find clips of the characters that contained at least 10 seconds of interpersonal interaction, among other predefined criteria. The researchers then removed sound from the clips and chose the segments that demonstrated the most extreme pro-white and pro-black nonverbal bias; in other words, the clips in which the characters were on the receiving end of extreme positive or negative nonverbal behavior. The final pro-white and pro-black conditions each contained 50 five-second silent clips. The study participants were screened ahead of time to ensure that they had not seen the television shows in question. Weisbuch emphasized that although the television shows did exhibit much stronger and more frequent instances of pro-white bias, the shows are some of the more diverse programs available, as demonstrated by their commitment to the inclusion of racially diverse characters. “The shows we used to find this prowhite bias are actually the shows that really do put in effort to be diverse and to represent everyone,” Weisbuch said. Pauker highlighted the fact that the television shows were not cherry-picked to support the researchers’ hypothesis. “It’s not like we went through and picked TV shows that we thought would

display the most bias,” she said. “We picked popular TV that fit our criteria and that lots of people watch.” The researchers predicted that the participants who viewed the pro-white clips would themselves exhibit a stronger prowhite bias as measured by the race-based Implicit Association Test, which measures unconscious associations. The researchers found that brief exposure to a television character’s nonverbal bias did influence the participant’s own biases. “We found what we expected,” Pauker said. “But when it came down to it, when we had the results in front of us, we were surprised to find such confirmation.” Pauker also noted that the participants were unaware of the bias patterns they had unwittingly internalized. According to Pauker, the participants responded at chance levels to a questionnaire examining recognition of bias patterns across the pro-white and pro-black clips. “That’s a huge problem, because if your guard is down and you don’t realize that this bias exists, then you lack the ability to self-correct,” she said. Weisbuch agreed that subtle racism is problematic because it can affect people without their awareness. “There’s the definite possibility that popular TV might currently be playing a role — a fairly sneaky and insidious role — in perpetuating bias,” he said. “At this point, by publishing, we’re hoping to raise awareness.” However, Weisbuch cautioned against sensationalizing the results. “It appears that many popular TV shows exhibit race bias and that exposure to this bias influences viewers,” he said. “However, we do not yet know the extent to which such exposure exerts a culture-wide influence.” Both researchers hope to follow up on their findings with future research. Pauker is considering performing similar studies with children, while Weisbuch plans to examine the cognitive and communicative processes involved in nonverbal bias transmission.

MCT

“Grey’s Anatomy” was one of the shows used by researchers to analyze the effects of racial bias in television. “I’d like to try to isolate the processes — the mediators and moderators — that account for the effect,” Weisbuch said.

“That would help us to get an idea of factors that might inoculate people against the influence.”

Both alert systems performed well in yesterday’s test

Ackerman suggests new economic paradigms for studying global warming

TEST

LIBRARY

continued from page 1

another commercial product.” According to Irish, preliminary analysis has revealed both systems to be very effective. For each test performed, both systems delivered messages to over 15,000 people, including nearly 10,000 SMS messages, 18,000 telephone messages and 20,000 e-mails. Exact statistics are still unavailable concerning the performance of each system as the university is waiting to receive that information from the vendors. Irish noted, however, that neither of the two systems ran into noticeable issues. Geoffrey Bartlett, technical services manager in the Department of Public Safety, added that besides the numerical data that Tufts will use to decide between the systems, a survey has also been instituted for phone users to report on the quality of voicemail messages left by the two platforms. While both systems, as of right now, seem to have performed at equal levels, the debate over switching systems, according to Irish, is not over. “There are a lot of factors that determine if we change a vendor,” she said. “Obviously, contract is one, technical performance is another and pricing is another. Those are the pieces to the puzzle that we don’t have the answer to yet.” Bartlett explained that while Tufts is considering

multiple vendors other than Rave Mobile Safety, the Rave system was the only one that had already been sufficiently assessed to the point that a large-scale evaluation was necessary. Another factor in the decision to test Rave was that the vendor offers the Rave Test Drive, a complimentary emergency test for schools to evaluate the system, according to Bartlett. Bartlett said that at a later date, university officials will go through a proposal process that will involve a detailed comparison process between the current vendor and the new vendors that decide to apply for the contract. He explained that university officials chose to try out the new system at this time along with the scheduled Send Word Now test so that comparisons would be accurate. “We wanted to do the tests with the same population of people at the same time,” Bartlett said. “We wanted to create the same conditions so it was an apples-to-apples comparison.” Regardless of which system Tufts ends up using, Bartlett emphasized that once a message is sent, recipients should be sure to read the message and spread the message through word-of-mouth. “For a variety of reasons, you cannot assume everyone got word,” he said. “We want to emphasize that word-ofmouth is a huge part of [the emergency alert] working.”

continued from page 1

He began by describing the economic puzzle that his book studies, which served as inspiration for the title. “What if we know something is absolutely required for the future of the earth and we can’t afford it?” Ackerman said. He briefly discussed the implications of current scientific research, noting the possibility of the environment shifting to an unfavorable state. “A five degree temperature change, which is what scientists are now projecting may be seen fairly soon, would move the climate far out of the range of temperatures that humans evolved in,” he said. Ackerman highlighted a number of excuses for inaction and the lack of policy implementation, the first of which was what he called “fake science,” where scientists ignore important facts and data. He proposed applying the insurance paradigm in considerations of climate change solutions. The risks involved in climate change may seem minimal, he said, but still need to be insured against. This justified the costs of protecting the earth against climate change. “Almost all homeowners have fire insurance, but the risk of your house burning down is 0.4 percent per year,” Ackerman said. “How large is the probability of losing the Greenland ice sheet? Probably about the same size as having a fire.” Pulling up a chart that showed the government’s spending on

VIRGINIA BLEDSOE/TUFTS DAILY

Economist Frank Ackerman yesterday discussed his latest book on climate change. defense in the past several decades, he noted that the idea of spending money to prevent major risks is not unfamiliar to government. “We take money out of current consumption to prevent against remote threats all the time,” Ackerman said. He concluded that it is critical for the United States to immediately invest in technology and industry that would facilitate the establishment of a more environmentally sustainable economy. “We have to invent new technologies and jobs that will make it possible to create a carbon-free economy,” he said. “What we need now

above all is to spend money on creating new technologies that will create new forms of technology and new forms of renewable energy.” Senior Erin Taylor said that she thought the presentation’s economic focus was a useful way to approach the climate change issue. “I think it is a really important perspective because it is what politicians and the people who have power listen to,” Taylor said. Friends of Tufts Libraries sponsored the author discussion and Tufts’ campus bookstore organized a book signing and reception after the talk.

THE TUFTS DAILY

4 CROSSWORD

Friday, February 26, 2010

COMICS

SUDOKU Level: Getting a snow day

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Ben: “I don’t even know this girl and she smacked me on the head with a Nalgene like ‘WA-PAM!’”

Please recycle this Daily

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Arts & Living

tuftsdaily.com

THEATER PREVIEW

‘SubUrbia’ portrays young people struggling to grasp profound, philosophical questions BY

MICHELLE BEEHLER

Daily Editorial Board

Next week, the Balch Arena Theater will transform into a parking lot outside of a 7-Eleven convenience store, where a group of young twentysomethings will be basking in the glow of the store’s neon sign drinking beer, smoking cigarettes and grappling with the theoretical questions about the meaning of life. Pen, Paint and Pretzel’s (3Ps) upcoming major production of Eric Bogosian’s “SubUrbia,” directed by senior Joe Pikowski, delves into the frustration and disillusionment of the play’s characters, as they desperately seek something beyond their trivial lives. Pikowski said the show is at times “crazy, loud and offensive” as it balances the more serious questions and problems of life. The most paralyzing, mammoth question on everyone’s minds in the play is: “What do we do now?” In “SubUrbia,” the equilibrium of a nondescript, faceless suburb goes awry with the return of Pony (sophomore Charles Laubacher), a folk singer who has achieved mild fame in Los Angeles. Pony’s life experiences and newfound success create a wave of jealousy and fascination among his friends, who still find themselves pathetically hanging out at the local 7-Eleven. Pony’s return to suburbia forces his friends to question why after all this time they are still stuck in the same parking lot doing nothing. The show continues to ask a series of intangible questions as it follows Pony and his friends Buff (senior Gregory James Berney), Tim (senior Dan Casey) and Jeff (senior Tim Roberts). In trying to grasp these abstract, philosophical concepts,

SCOTT TINGLEY/TUFTS DAILY

Pen, Paint and Pretzels’ production gets at gritty topics with edge and humor. the friends are left feeling alienated and insignificant. Consoling themselves with a life of cigarettes, beer, porn and other frivolities, the characters use these things to fill the gaps created by disappointment

TV REVIEW

and disparity among them. The idea of having a couple of unmotivated 20-year-olds hanging onto deadend jobs is not an entirely original or unique situation. But the show goes

deeper than, say, the cult classic film “Clerks.” (1994), in trying to figure out what, if anything, has meaning in the see SUBURBIA, page 6

ALBUM REVIEW

Ambitious ‘Have One On Me’ sees Newsom exploring new territory BY

MATTHEW WELCH

Contributing Writer

Joanna Newsom’s novel approach to songwriting has been obvious since her 2004 debut, “The Milk-

Have One On Me Joanna Newsom Drag City

TV.COM

The U.K. sitcom “The Inbetweeners” is about four awkward teenage guys.

Despite total lack of class, British comedy a major hit BY

MITCHELL GELLER Senior Staff Writer

Everyone knows that British accents make everything classier. Imagine if the kids in “American Pie” (1999) were

The Inbetweeners Starring Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, James Buckley Blake Harrison Airs Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. on BBC America

British. Classy, right? Well, no, not really. Meet “The Inbetweeners,” a bildungsroman from across the pond that follows the exploits of a group of teenage misfits in high school as they seek popularity, women and nothing much else, really. “The Inbetweeners” is told from the perspective of Will MacKenzie (Simon Bird), a privileged loser who is forced to change schools after his parents’ divorce. Will quickly falls in with the only people at his new school who will give him the time of day, namely Simon Cooper (Joe see INBETWEENERS, page 6

Eyed Mender.” The album was almost painfully intimate, with deftly picked harp underpinnings cradling her charmingly hesitant voice. Newsom’s penchant for challenging, playfully abstract lyrics and fluid song structures immediately set her apart from other singer-songwriters. Her latest album, the three-disc epic “Have One On Me,” sees Newsom at a new level of maturity. “Have One On Me” augments the scope of “Ys” (2006), Newsom’s follow-up to “The Milk-Eyed Mender,” without sacrificing the plaintive intimacy that made Newsom’s debut so effective. Despite its intimidating length, the album is surprisingly even and readily absorbing. That being said, any effort to digest the album in one sitting would be pointless. Unlike most great albums, “Have One On Me” is best heard in fragments; the vast majority of the tracks are well above the six-minute mark. If the length of the songs wasn’t enough, the depth of Newsom’s lyrics is plenty to make any extended listening overwhelming for the uninitiated. On first go, the sprawling structures of songs like “Soft as Chalk” and “Esme”

AMAZON.COM

Newsom’s latest album is as difficult to understand as its cover. play out like “Moby Dick” (1851) for a sixth grader. For all the challenges it poses to its audience, “Have One on Me” rewards repeated listenings beautifully. In Newsom’s past album, the orchestrally infused “Ys,” the singer-songwriter experimented with extended song structures and complex arrangements. The album’s elaborate ornamentation showed Newsom’s ambition, but it also spread her young talent a little thin. While “Ys” was lush and enthralling, the richness of its harp and symphonic passages was almost cloying at times, leaving some listeners with a desire for the stripped-down sound of Newsom’s debut. Thanks to Newsom’s newfound confidence as a vocalist and bandleader, she fills the space of her ambitious tracks with a subtle strength that was absent on the gushing string sections see NEWSOM, page 6

THE TUFTS DAILY

ARTS & LIVING

Friday, February 26, 2010

Cast’s enthusiasm sure to come across in 3Ps’ production of ‘SubUrbia’

‘Inbetweeners’ a British version of ‘Freaks and Geeks’

SUBURBIA

INBETWEENERS

continued from page 5

world. Between the neon glare of the 7-Eleven and the pressure of responsibility, Pikowski said that there exists a duality for the characters in the show. “The characters are so caught up in themselves that the play asks what gets dropped — what gets left behind,” Pikowski said. There is a void between the nothingness that the 7-Eleven sign represents and the idea of being and living somewhere else. The characters find themselves lost in the separation, frozen in place and unable to act, all the while building up to an unforeseeable climax. Like the essence of the show itself, “SubUrbia” doesn’t adhere to a traditional plotline. The play is a mesh of nonlinear dialogue and activity, keeping the characters’ lives closer to reality. Scenes vacillate from the characters’ crazy antics and hilarious remarks to their introspection on controversial topics. And as the characters’ personalities fuel the plot, their actions and emotions range from reckless optimism to disillusioned cynicism. The play’s characters are relatable in ways that may be a little uncomfortable, but refreshing and revealing at the same time. “[The character of Jeff ] hits so close to home, but I don’t want to admit it, and getting over the fact that I don’t want to admit it has been a hurtle,” Roberts said. “The parallels of this play to reality are frightening at times.” Even with such heavy topics, “SubUrbia” still manages

Thomas), Neil Sutherland (Blake Harrison) and Jay Cartwright (James Buckley). Will is annoying, socially awkward, mean, unappreciative, whiny and not even all that funny. Luckily, audiences are supposed to dislike Will, meaning that first-time actor Simon Bird did an amazing job with the role. The story usually centers on Simon, the most normal of the group and, consequently, the least interesting comically. The real meat of the show lies with Jay, the hopeless, lying pervert, and Will, the stupid — possibly clinically so — one of the bunch, who also happens to be poor as dirt and whose father is probably gay. With these bare bones — misfit teen boys at school — creators Damon Beesley and Iain Morris are able to go pretty far. The 12 episodes that make up the first two seasons of the show (the second season just premiered in the United States) are arguably some of the finest in British television over the past few years, which is saying a lot. The show, which originally aired on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom and is now being shown on BBC America, is sure to reach cult status in the United States. Emphasis on the “cult” part, because “The Inbetweeners” isn’t for everyone — not by a long shot. “The Inbetweeners” definitely has a target audience of 15- to 35-year-olds, give or take a few years. And viewers on the lower end of this range may find some opposition from their parents, who, if they’re doing their jobs correctly, will be horrified by the

SCOTT TINGLEY/TUFTS DAILY

“SubUrbia” tackles heavy topics with a comedic tint. to be edgy and funny with its material. There is a downward spiral that takes place in the show, but with the use of rollerblades and a string of swear words, these comedic elements really help lighten an otherwise depressing situation. The excitement of the play’s ensemble cast is sure to carry forward onto the stage. “This play is the gutsiest, riskiest thing that has ever been put

on [at Tufts],” Berney said. With their incredible energy and exuberant love for the show, it most likely will be. “SubUrbia” is playing at the Balch Arena from March 4-6. Performances are every night at 8 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on March 6. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased at the Balch Arena Box Office on weekdays from 9 to 5 p.m., or by calling 617-627-3493.

show’s language. Things work differently in the United Kingdom than they do in America, so the content of TV shows can be fairly appalling (from a Puritanical standpoint). Each episode is about one of the four boys trying to get with a girl, tangentially at least, and the language rings true to that of 16-year-old boys. American viewers who are unfamiliar with British slang will make many trips to Google.com and Urbandictionary.com to find out, for example, what a “bell-end” is, among a myriad of other beautifully filthy phrases. “The Inbetweeners” is Judd Apatow and Paul Feig’s cult hit “Freaks and Geeks” (1999-2000) with more wank-related humor and better accents. As dirty as the show gets, its heart is still in the right place. Nothing is sacred in Beesly and Morris’ ode to the awkwardness of adolescence: vomiting (on children), diarrhea, nocturnal emissions, hair removal, animal cruelty, casual sexuality, friend’s parents (Neil’s is presumably gay; Will’s is hot), drunk driving, compulsive lying and underage drinking, to name just a few. Though the show is centered on a group of young men, viewers of both sexes will find something to laugh, cringe and gag at over this upcoming season’s six episodes (and for the lucky uninitiated, the six of the first season). With a third season, a U.S. version for ABC and a feature film in the works, “The Inbetweeners” isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Guess it’s time to figure out what a bell-end is after all.

Newsom’s latest album delivers with introspective lyrics NEWSOM continued from page 5

for “Have One On Me,” opting for the articulate support of a folk band. While strings do appear on several tracks, Newsom projects herself far more assertively over them, as shown in the opening tune “Easy.”

For all the challenges it poses to its audience, “Have One on Me” rewards repeated listenings beautifully.

While one might wonder how the artist behind introspective ditties like “Sawdust & Diamonds” could carry an entire group, Newsom handles the musicians with great nuance. Instead of coating the album with mandolin riffs and string swells, she saves the band for the most propitious moments, using it to add momentum to her ever-shifting arrangements. “Baby Birch,” a song on the record, effortlessly segues from a typical Newsom pseudo-ballad to an energetic toe-tapper with drums, guitar and jovial handclaps. The song concludes with an unexpectedly Asian twist as harp, mandolin and pan flute harmonize on a decidedly Eastern theme. While “Have One On Me” still has its fair share of solo harp tunes — Newsom’s trademark — the album draws most of its energy from the variety and depth added by the backup band. The antiquated piano pop of “Soft as Chalk” would feel out of place on any previous Newsom album, but the tambourines and eager snare hits feel perfectly at home on the track here. Though Newsom has enlarged the

For an outstanding senior who has contributed to the Tufts International Community through leadership and community service. The International Center is now accepting nominations from all students, faculty, and staff for an outstanding senior who has demonstrated a strong committement to the International Community. NOMINATIONS TO BE TURNED IN BY MONDAY, MARCH 1, 2010. LAST.FM.COM

Newsom creates an unconventional album comprised of a three-disc set that runs two hours. variety of sounds she works with, “Have One on Me” still exudes the whimsical charisma that has made her work so engaging. This newfound versatility will probably characterize most of Newsom’s later releases, as she continues to gain confidence in unfamiliar territory. For this reason, “Have One On Me” will be seen as an important moment in Newsom’s career; it is the first time her remarkable talent as a singer-songwriter has fulfilled the scope of her ambition. The result is one of the best albums of the year so far.

THE RECIPIENT WILL BE AWARDED AT THE PARADE OF NATIONS ON SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 2010. Nomination forms are available at the International Center 20 Sawyer Ave., Medford campus or online at http://ase.tufts.edu/icenter/documents/chapmanApplication.pdf

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

NCAA hopes could rest on conference tourney results

The Daily takes a look ahead to the

NESCAC Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament NESCAC Quarterfinals, Tomorrow at higher seed

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL continued from page 8

7 p.m.

strength of schedule number is outstanding — that really helps,” Tessmer said. “The number of ranked teams they’ve beaten is also important. So some things are in the favor of Tufts.” While their NCAA prospects appear promising at the moment, the Jumbos’ hopes ultimately hinge on the outcomes of several postseason games that will be played this weekend. Tufts’ chances of landing an atlarge bid would improve tremendously if the tournament locks, including Amherst, wrapped up their respective conference titles and stayed out of Pool C. But if, for instance, Bates were to knock off the Lord Jeffs in tomorrow’s NESCAC semifinal and go on to win the conference championship — an unlikely scenario, but one that is certainly not out of the realm of possibility given how well the upstart Bobcats have played of late — the Jumbos’ tournament hopes would take a severe hit. “That’ll throw the whole wrench in it, I’ll be completely honest,” Tessmer said. “If Bates wins the whole tournament, it’ll be tougher to get everyone in — someone won’t get in. Bates is certainly the dark horse here.” But while the Jumbos will certainly keep their eyes on all of this weekend’s happenings, they know that, at this point, their fate is out of their control. “Whatever happens happens,” Berube said. “I really like my team a lot this year, and yeah, we’ve slipped up a little bit in the last few weeks, but our goal is to right this ship and rise again, because we have played great basketball this year and we know what’s in us. We’ll see what happens.”

No. 1 Bowdoin

7 p.m.

vs.

No. 4 Bates

The Polar Bears are the NESCAC’s hottest team after winning their last six games, and the only time Bowdoin earned the No. 1 seed in the NESCAC Tournament in 2007, they made it to the title game. Colby, conversely, limped to the finish with a 1-6-1 record in its last eight contests, with the lone win coming in its last regular season game Saturday.

4 p.m.

No. 3 Williams

vs. No. 6 Hamilton

Williams had the top seed heading into last weekend, but losses to UMass Boston and Middlebury forced the Ephs to settle for the No. 3 seed. That means they will have to face Hamilton, a team that is 9-2-1 since mid-January. The Ephs won the lone match between the two sides in overtime on Jan. 9, but a close game could favor the Continentals.

7 p.m.

No. 2 Middlebury vs. No. 7 Tufts Middlebury has won its last six games, including the past five, by a 22-8 total margin and has been a part of every NESCAC Championship game ever. But Tufts played them well in the season opener, earning its first-ever point against the historic Div. III powerhouse with a 3-3 tie at home on Nov. 20.

No. 4 Amherst vs. No. 5 Trinity The defending NESCAC champs drew the fourth seed and almost ended up playing this game in Hartford, Conn. before Trinity fell in overtime to Southern Maine 2-1 on Saturday. Trinity also won the regular season matchup 2-0 in November and has the chance to pull an upset on Saturday.

NESCAC Championship Sunday, March 7 @ 2p.m. at highest remaining seed

— by Ethan Landy

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8) France

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10) Switzerland

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INSIDE NESCAC Ice Hockey 7

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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Selection committee chair assesses NCAA Tournament chances Case for slumping Jumbos includes strength of schedule, overall body of work BY SAPNA

BANSIL

Daily Editorial Board

Needless to say, it’s been a strange few days for the women’s basketball team. Accustomed to gearing up for the NESCAC semifinals this time of year, Tufts is instead dealing with the aftermath of last weekend’s overtime loss to Bowdoin in the first round of the conference tournament. Not only was it the Jumbos’ earliest exit from NESCACs in four years, but it also left the team in a virtual holding pattern for the last week. At-large bids to the NCAA Tournament won’t be awarded until Monday at 12:30 pm, and, until then, Tufts has been forced to wait anxiously to see if the selection committee will breathe new life into its 2009-10 campaign. “I feel that we have a shot at it, and that’s why we’re practicing this week and getting ready for the opportunity to extend our season,” said coach Carla Berube, who, as a member of the Northeast regional advisory committee, helps evaluate teams during the selection process. “You’ve got to put the whole body of work into consideration. With our record and our strength of schedule, I think we have a very good shot.” Only one team — the 200405 Wesleyan Cardinals — has ever received an invite to March Madness after going one-anddone in the NESCAC Tournament. And considering how the end of this season has unfolded, the selection committee just might have enough reason to keep Tufts from becoming the second. Since Feb. 6, the Jumbos have lost three of four games, slipped two spots in

the Northeast regional rankings and landed on the outskirts of the NCAA bubble. But there are still many factors working in Tufts’ favor. Chief amongst them is the strength of the NESCAC, which has sent at least three teams to the NCAA Tournament in four of the last five years. This season, the powerhouse conference boasts each of the top five schools in the most recent Northeast regional rankings — including arguably the nation’s top team in Amherst (25-0, 9-0 NESCAC) — and looks to be as deep as ever. Given its strength, it is “highly possible” that the NESCAC will receive three — or possibly even four — Pool C bids to the NCAA Tournament this season, according to Div. III women’s basketball selection committee chair Karen Tessmer. If this is the case, Tufts, currently fourth in the Northeast rankings, looks to be in a solid position for at-large consideration. “Traditionally — and it holds true again this year — the conference is very strong,” Tessmer told the Daily. “The top teams are probably some of the best team, certainly in New England. Their records show it — they’re beating all the other New England schools. They battle with each other and lose to each other, but beat everyone else around New England. “I think the NESCAC’s strength of schedule puts their schools in a favorable position compared to other schools around the country,” she continued. “Certainly, the automatic qualifier is going, but then there’s probably four to five other teams that have a great record and great strength of schedule, and

NCAA TOURNAME TOURNAMENT ENT R RÉSUMÉ 20-6 (6-3 NESCAC) NE ESCAC) IN-REGION RECORD: 17-4 GIO ON R ECORD: 1 7-4 4 ((.810) .81 IN-REGION STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE: GIO ON S TRENGTH O F S CH .632, THIR THIRD NATION RD BEST T IIN NN AT TION IN-REGION GION W WINS INS VS. RANKED RANKED TEAMS: EMMANUEL (JAN. 5), 22), ANUEL (JA AN. 5 ), COLBY COLBY (JAN. ( BOWDOIN 23) DOIN (JAN 2 3) PAST EXPERIENCE: 2009 — MADE SECOND ROUND OF NCAA TOURNAMENT 2008 — MADE ELITE EIGHT OF NCAA TOURNAMENT they’ll all be vying for these at-large bids. The good thing is, compared to other teams around the country, their numbers look good.” When Tessmer and the seven other members of the selection committee convene on Sunday in Indianapolis, they will decide the Jumbos’ fate based, in part, on

their overall body of work, which could very well override their lateseason struggles. For the year, Tufts has an .810 winning percentage against the nation’s third toughest in-region schedule. The Jumbos’ résumé was further bolstered by regular season victories over Colby and Bowdoin, both of

whom are currently ranked ahead of them in the Northeast rankings, as well as another over regional No. 6 Emmanuel. “Not getting a chance to get a couple more wins in the conference tournament hurts, but their see WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, page 7

ICE HOCKEY

Historically dominant Panthers await Jumbos in NESCAC play Seventh-seeded Tufts gets Middlebury in first round of conference tournament BY

ADAM PARDES

Senior Staff Writer

In every season since it joined the NESCAC, the ice hockey team has never made it past the first round of the conference tournament. This year, as the seventh seed, the Jumbos have a stiff task ahead of them if they hope to break that trend. This Saturday, Tufts will play secondseeded Middlebury College, a team looking this postseason for its league-best eighth championship. The Panthers have reached the final game of the NESCAC playoffs every year since their inception in 2000. Furthermore, they won seven of the first eight tournaments ever held, their last title coming in the 2006-07 season. The Jumbos, on the other hand, will be looking for their first-ever win in the tournament, having lost in the opening round each of the four times that the team reached the postseason. In those games, Tufts was outscored by a total of 27-5, including a 4-1 loss to Amherst in last year’s quarterfinals. While playing the role of the underdogs, the Jumbos are far from disheartened and remain ready for the challenge ahead of them. “We’re definitely really excited for this game,” sophomore goaltender Scott Barchard said. “They’re a great team from top to bottom — from their first line to their fourth line — and they’re strong in net, too. We know what to expect from them.” One key to Tufts’ success this weekend lies in the secure hands of Barchard, who has been stellar all season-long between the pipes. The Jumbos’ netminder posted an impressive 12 wins in this year’s play and boasts a Div. III best 0.942 save percentage.

JOSH BERLINGER/TUFTS DAILY

Sophomore goalie Scott Barchard, center, had 39 saves in Tufts’ 3-3 tie against Middlebury in its season-opener and will be instrumental if the Jumbos hope to upset the Panthers in the first round of the NESCAC Tournament on Saturday. Additionally, Barchard’s 936 saves this season — over 200 more saves than any other NESCAC goalie — surpassed the school record he set a year ago. Also on Tufts’ side will be a well-tuned specialty teams unit. The Jumbos had converted on nine of their last 18 power-play opportunities coming into Saturday’s loss against Div. III powerhouse Norwich, a 7-1 loss to the nation’s No. 2-ranked squad. “The power play has really been picking up lately,” junior tri-captain Dylan Cooper said. “We had great success against Southern Maine on their

Olympic-size ice last week.” On the other end, Tufts’ penalty kills rank as the third-best in the NESCAC at an imposing 86.1 percent success rate. Cooper added that Barchard’s great play was a major reason for the team’s pristine penalty kill numbers. History does not favor a Jumbo upset this weekend. In last year’s opening weekend, the Panthers scored five goals against Tufts in the first stanza en route to a crushing 9-0 defeat. However, a final-minute goal by freshman defenseman Trevor John in Tufts’ opening game in the current campaign

earned the Jumbos a 3-3 tie against the Panthers. This game marked the first point the Jumbos had earned against Middlebury since 1986, following 13 consecutive losses to the Panthers. In that game on Nov. 20, 2009, Tufts jumped out to a 2-0, second-period lead thanks to goals from juniors Tom Derosa and Zach Diaco. Despite Barchard’s 39 saves, the Panthers got three goals in the final stanza, all of which came in a period of just over four minutes. Coming into Saturday’s quarterfinal, Tufts will be facing a Middlebury squad that finished the season strong by winning its last six games — all in-conference matchups — by an average margin of victory of 3.2 goals. The Jumbos, despite losing to Norwich in their season finale, are a confident bunch after going 4-2-0 in February to claim the seventh seed in the NESCAC. “We moved the puck really well against Southern Maine on the bigger ice and played a high-tempo game against Norwich,” Cooper said. “We have to be the harderworking team. We have to want it more.” In traveling to the Kenyon Arena this weekend, the Jumbos enter a building in which Middlebury is 10-2-2 this season and has an Olympic-sized playing surface, substantially larger than that at Tufts’ home arena, the Valley Forum. But Barchard doesn’t see the bigger rink at Middlebury as problem, but as an advantage. “We think we can use it to our advantage,” he said. “We’ll try to exploit their defense by using one of [our] strengths: our speed up front. We have to be aggressive and take away their time and space, especially in the neutral zone.”