2010-03-29

THE TUFTS DAILY

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TUFTSDAILY.COM

MONDAY, MARCH 29, 2010

VOLUME LIX, NUMBER 36

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Health care bill includes student coverage reform

BY SAUMYA VAISHAMPAYAN

Daily Editorial Board

COURTESY TOMAS GARCIA

The mock trial team is headed for the national tournament after excelling at this weekend’s competition.

Mock trial advances to nationals with milestone showing at regionals BY

KATHERINE SAWYER

Daily Editorial Board

Tufts’ mock trial program this weekend won second place at the opening round of the regional championship series, earning them a bid to compete at the national level. This marks the program’s highest-ever placing in its history.

The program sent one of its four teams to the American Mock Trial Association’s Opening Round of the Championship Series in Boston. The team placed second out of the 24 competing colleges and universities.

The six top-placed teams in the tournament advanced to the National Championship Tournament held from April 16-18 in Memphis, Tenn.

“Quite frankly, right now we’re floored,” senior Rebekah Sokol,

co-president of the mock trial program and co-captain of the winning team, said. “To rank second in that competitive of a field is fantastic and better than we could have hoped for.”

Junior Jonathan Lautin, the other co-president of the program and co-captain of the team, applauded the team’s achievement and anticipated the team’s success at the national level.

“I am incredibly proud of everyone on the team who performed so well, and I’m sure that we’re going to do great once we get to Memphis,” Lautin said.

Boston University hosted the tournament at the Suffolk County Courthouse. Competing teams hailed from around the New England area, according Sokol.

The Boston competition is one of eight opening round championship series tournaments held

President Barack Obama on March 23 signed historic health care legislation that will extend coverage to an expected 30 million of the currently uninsured.

While the specifics of how the reform will affect student health insurance at Tufts are unclear, one of the more significant measures of the bill for students, especially for graduating seniors, is the provision that children can stay on their parents’ health insurance plans longer.

“For the Tufts population, because they are already required to have health insurance, the biggest change is the fact that students can be covered by their parents’ insurance until the age of 26,” Senior Director of Health and Wellness

Service Michelle Bowdler said.

According to Bowdler, this change especially benefits graduate students. Senior Samuel Perrone, a Student Health Organizing Coalition (SHOC) organizer, agrees with Bowdler that this age adjustment is the most significant change for students. SHOC is a Tufts-based organization that seeks to bring a student voice to discussions on student health insurance The bill also bans insurance companies from denying coverage to patients with pre-existing conditions and mandates that almost all Americans must purchase health insurance.

Tufts and Aetna Student Health, the provider for Tufts students’ insurance, during the renewal process earlier this year see HEALTH CARE, page 2

across the country in March. The Tufts program in 2008 advanced from the championship series on to national tournament for the first time and last year sent two teams to compete on the national level.

The mock trial program captains expressed their excitement about the team’s excellent record-breaking finish and credited group dynamics for the team’s success.

“This is the farthest we’ve ever gone and this is one of the best teams we’ve ever fielded,” Sokol said. “We’re working together better and more cohesively than any team yet. We’re looking forward to a really great showing at nationals.”

The second place finish at the Boston tournament has given MCT

see MOCK TRIAL, page 2

President Barack Obama recently signed health care reform legislation.

Friedman School’s Middle East program graduating first class BY

CORINNE SEGAL

Daily Editorial Board

The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy will this month conclude the first year of its Master of Nutrition Science and Policy program based in Ras Al Khaimah (RAK), a state in the United Arab Emirates.

“This is a way for us to extend the mission of the school, which is to improve nutrition through both science and policy worldwide,” Director of Distance Learning for the Friedman School Paul Giguere said.

The program, a joint effort by the Friedman School and the RAK government, is taught through a hybrid system that combines in-person classroom instruction by Tufts faculty with online learning and consists of eight courses and a thesis. Students in the program graduate with the same degree as students studying at the Friedman School in Boston.

It builds on the Friedman School’s expertise, focusing on nutrition science, policy and research, but with an added emphasis on nutrition and public health issues and challenges specific to the

Middle East, according to Giguere.

“We’ve customized the courses a little bit to deal specifically with policy issues and things of that nature that are more interesting to the students who are taking the program, as opposed to a U.S.centered approach,” Giguere said.

“I try to use examples from the region,” Associate Professor Susan Harris, who teaches a course in the program, said.

“Any teacher wants to try to make things relevant.”

The 12-month school year consists of three consecutive terms, each of which begins with a five- to 10-day residency in RAK. After the residency period, students return home and complete the rest of the term’s work online.

This differentiates the Friedman School program from other Internet-based degree programs, according to Giguere.

“It’s a combination of that face-to-face and online interaction that’s really important,” he said. “It’s what sets the program apart from an online program.”

The inaugural class is made up of five students from different parts of the Middle East. According to Professor Lynne Ausman, who has been involved with the

Inside this issue

program since its inception, the Friedman School will recruit more students for the next school year.

Giguere echoed this, saying that the

school has been working to attract more students. “It’s a program that the school see FRIEDMAN, page 2

TUFTS.EDU

Faculty from the Friedman School in Boston are teaching courses remotely to students in the school’s program in the United Arab Emirates.

Today’s Sections

Jennifer Aniston’s latest rom-com is neither romantic nor comedic.

The men’s lacrosse team remains unbeaten after three close spring break victories.

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

THE TUFTS DAILY

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Monday, March 29, 2010

NEWS

Visiting the Hill This Week MONDAY “Leontief Prize Ceremony and Lecture: Development and Well-Being in Times of Crisis” Details: Dr. Bina Agarwal of University of Delhi and Dr. Daniel Kahneman of Princeton University will be awarded the 2010 Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought. The prize winners will each give a lecture and the ceremony will be followed by a reception.

When and Where: 5 p.m.; Coolidge Room, Ballou Hall Sponsor: The Global Development and Environment Institute “Becoming Your Own Therapist: Ultimate Self-Help Through Buddhism” Details: Dr. Nick Ribush, direc-

tor of the Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies, will discuss Buddhism in conjuction with the construction of the Tibetan Sand Mandala displayed in Tisch Library.

When and Where: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Goddard Chapel Sponsor: Office of the University Chaplain TUESDAY “Perchlorate: Wherefrom, Wherein and Where Do We Go From Here?”

Details: Purnendu Dasgupta, the Jenkins Garrett Professor and chair of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Texas at Arlington will be delivering a chemistry seminar.

When and Where: 4:30 p.m.; Pearson 106 Sponsor: Department of

5:30 p.m.; Dowling Hall 745 Sponsor: Career Services

Chemistry WEDNESDAY “Break into Finance: Tips from Insiders” Details: Anthony Scaramucci (LA ‘86) from Skybridge Capital and Jerry Moslow (LA ‘86) from Goldman Sachs will answer questions about their careers and share tips on joining the finance industry. Preregistration required.

When and Where: 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Dowling Hall 745 Sponsor: Career Services

“Roosevelt Advocacy Training” Details: Sarang Sekhavat, the federal policy director from the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, will talk about how to advocate for policy on a grassroots level.

When and Where: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.; Mayer Campus Center Conference Room Sponsor: The Roosevelt Institute

“Break into Sports Careers: Tips from an Insider” Details: David Rone (LA ‘84), co-head of CAA Sports, will discuss his career in sports media and sports business.

When and Where: 4:30 p.m. to

THURSDAY “Microfluidic Systems for Investigation of Spatiotemporal Dynamics in Biological Systems” Details: Professor William Messner of Carnegie Mellon

University will present on “Microfluidic System for Investigation of Spatiotemporal Dynamics in Biological Systems.”

When and Where: 3 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.; Nelson Auditorium, Anderson Hall Sponsor: Department of Mechanical Engineering “GAYpril Kick-off Speaker” Details: Wayne Besen, author and founder of nonprofit LGBT rights organization Truth Wins Out, will kick off a month of LGBT activities for “GAYpril.”

He will discuss the state of affairs of LGBT rights in the US as well as the role the religious right plays in the movement.

When and Where: 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.; Crane Room Sponsor: LGBT Center

Reform allows students to stay on family’s insurance plans longer

Middle East nutrition program looks to continue expanding

HEALTH CARE

FRIEDMAN

continued from page 1

eliminated the pre-existing condition clause in the university’s student insurance plan, according to Bowdler.

Congressmen Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Michael Capuano (D-Mass.), the representatives for Medford and Somerville, respectively, both voted in favor of the bill.

“This new law is a win-win for our country and our community, helping to reduce the deficit while helping families save money on health care costs by providing the largest middle-class tax cut for health care in history,” Markey said in a statement released to the Daily.

While the new health insurance requirement is a milestone, it may not drastically affect Massachusetts as the state has already covered some of the provisions. A similar 2006 Massachusetts law requires almost all Massachusetts residents to purchase health insurance and provides subsidized or free health care for those unable to afford it.

Perrone added that the legislation will create health exchanges, an approach that has already been used in Massachusetts through the Health Connector. Health exchanges are marketplaces for health insurance in which different insurance companies can showcase their plans.

“The Massachusetts connector offers a range of plans to individuals who are buying without employer-based insurance … some plans are subsidized,” Perrone said. “The low income bracket can buy cheap plans from state with pretty decent coverage.”

The health care legislation also focuses on preventive care. Beginning this year, private insurance plans must provide pre-

ventive care for free, and Medicare will follow suit in 2011.

“Preventive care is something that insurance companies have historically not covered and that is really problematic,” Bowdler said.

Tufts’ current student health insurance plan does not cover preventive care to a great extent, according to Bowdler.

For example, the plan does not cover pre-college immunizations, a form of preventive care.

“It will be interesting to see if some of these preventatives fall in student plans,” Bowdler said.

A representative from Aetna Student Health could not be reached for comment.

While enthusiastic about the bill’s passage, Perrone and SHOC believe that the bill could have gone further.

“We all think it’s great. It could have done a lot more, but given the political circumstances it is probably the best we could have hoped for,” Perrone said.

The U.S. House of Representatives was forced to pass the U.S. Senate’s version of health care legislation when Democrats lost the filibuster-proof majority in Senate with the January election win by Rep. Scott Brown (LA ’81).

After the March 21 passage of the health care bill in the House, the House sent a series of changes to the health care bill to Senate that were encompassed in a budget reconciliation bill.

The Senate on March 25 passed the budget reconciliation bill and the House passed it later that day.

According to the budget reconciliation process, a budget reconciliation bill is not subject to filibuster in Senate. The bill passed in both chambers with unanimous Republican dissent.

continued from page 1

is committed to and we’re committed to developing it,” he said.

Ausman said that the program aims to have anywhere from 10 to 20 students in next year’s graduating class.

“That’s our goal for the program, to grow it beyond our pilot phase,” Giguere said.

The majority of students currently enrolled in the Friedman School program already have established careers in their field, although that could potentially change in the future, Giguere added.

“As the program extends, we’ll be attracting different kinds of students at different times, but right now we seem to be attracting mid-career professionals,” Giguere said.

Based on this year’s feedback, administrators will continue to adjust the program and implement changes next year, according to Ausman. She added that one major change might involve the addition of electives to the curriculum.

“Instead of everybody taking the same eight or nine courses, we’d like to have there be a couple of electives,” Ausman said. “For people who feel that they’re more policy-focused, it would be nice if they could take an extra policy course or two. And if they’re more clinically focused, it would be nice if they could take an extra course in the health care field.”

Ausman said that the program is made possible through technological progress. She explained that students and professors can easily communicate through Skype and e-mail, and lectures are available on audio-narrated PowerPoint presentations.

“They can download that and play it, wherever they are in the world,” Ausman said.

This has enabled the program to overcome the challenge of geographical separation and internationalize the Friedman School’s mission.

“You can figure out how to overcome that barrier,” Ausman said. “If I were going to set out to do something easy, I would not have picked that. But one of our goals is to bring health and wellness and capacity building to other people in other parts of the world.”

His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, crown prince and deputy ruler of RAK, first approached the Friedman School in 2007 to propose a partnership to further three initiatives.

These three initiatives were to continue professional medical education in RAK, to found an Enhanced Nutrition and Wellness Center in RAK and to create a Masters program in Nutrition Science and Policy.

The resulting first class of students will receive their degrees after completing their theses, which are due this August.

They will be invited to join next year’s class at the commencement ceremony in May 2011.

Although this past year’s program was held from March 2009 to March 2010, next year’s program will be conducted from Sept. 2010 to Sept. 2011, according to Giguere.

This year’s students helped each other during the learning process, according to Harris. “They were such a cohesive group,” Harris said. “They were very supportive of each other. I’m sure that all of that made for a much richer experience.”

Mock trial team places second in regional championship, earns bid to nationals MOCK TRIAL continued from page 1

the team a confidence boost going into the national competition, according to team member Nicholas LoCastro, a sophomore.

“I think that it’s really helpful that we placed second,” LoCastro said. “The teams at this regional were Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth, most of the Ivies pretty much, and to come in ahead of all of them will give us good footing in the national tournament. To see that we can hold our own will definitely help us in the next round.”

LoCastro also received an Outstanding Witness Award at this weekend’s regional tournament.

Brown, Boston, Harvard, Princeton and Yale Universities were the other schools that this weekend earned bids to the national tournament.

Although Tufts’ mock trial program will be competing against unfamiliar teams at the national tournament, Lautin is confident of

the team’s ability to pull off another great performance.

“We’re going to be seeing a lot of new competition,” he said. “There are some amazing teams there so we’re not expecting necessarily to win but we know we can match up with every team we see.”

LoCastro believes the mock trial program’s latest achievement illustrates the great progress that it has made over the past few years.

“Tufts mock trial has only been around for a handful of years, and over the last few years, we’ve grown from a team that didn’t place all that highly in these competitions and now we rank in the top 48 teams in the country,” he said.

“That definitely means a lot to me as well as the rest of the team.”

Sokol voiced the shock that the team is still experiencing at this win. “This is just huge,” she said.

Captain of another of the program’s teams, sophomore Taylor Bates, expressed his enthusiasm for the winning team. “It’s fantas-

COURTESY REBEKAH SOKOL

The mock trial team placed second in the opening Round of the championship series in Boston. tic, and this is absolutely great for mock trial,” he said.

Lautin added that this mile-

stone is a major step for the mock trial program in terms of publicity.

“It is a big step forward … it really

puts us on the map,” Lautin said.

Saumya Vaishampayan contributed reporting to this article.

Features

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tuftsdaily.com

Tufts Student Resources Fitness expands its program, gives back to community BY

ARIELLE BARAN

EMILY MARETSKY | NICE SHOES, LET’S DATE

Senior state of mind

Contributing Writer

Cups of noodles, beer and stress — all stereotypical contributors to the freshman 15. Tufts Student Resources (TSR) Fitness provides students with group exercise classes and a way to keep that freshman 15 in check. This year, as TSR expands its fitness division, it is hoping to give back to the Tufts community and to motivate students to live healthfully, eat nutritiously and stay active.

TSR, a student-run business organization, is comprised of seven different divisions and employs over 80 students annually. The organization’s new promotional events are getting students up to Hill Hall for high-intensity workouts, and the classes that take place there aim to motivate participants to come back.

TSR’s goal is to give students access to valuable resources — like group exercise classes — that the university does not already provide.

“TSR offers services we feel like people really want on this campus and just aren’t getting from the university,” junior Adam Russman, president of TSR, said. “Fitness is a service we feel like Tufts kids really want and really enjoy having, just because our gym isn’t that great and it’s also a very different atmosphere than going to the gym. It’s a social workout.”

TSR Fitness is a division of the organization that provides students with the option of taking as many as seven different group workout regimens, including Power Yoga, Caliente, Boot Camp, TurboKick, Cardio and Toning, Pilates, Sports Circuit and Yoga 101. All classes are in Hill Hall, and students have the option of buying a semester-long pass, a five-class pass or paying $5 for every drop-in.

TSR Fitness Manager and Caliente instructor Andrea Schpok, a junior, hopes that TSR will continue growing and gaining popularity. “It’s definitely a passion of mine to spread health awareness and promotion,” Schpok said. “I guess what I’m looking at right now is using TSR fitness as a way to really

T

DANAI MACRIDI/TUFTS DAILY

TSR Fitness instructors hope to get students into shape with an expanded selection of classes. encourage students to have good fitness habits in college. The habits that we have in terms of exercise now will dramatically predict how we will take care of ourselves later on in life.”

Since becoming manager this fall, Schpok has worked to expand the program in numerous ways. TSR Fitness now offers 11 classes weekly, four more than last year. It also offers a new 12 p.m. time slot. Power Yoga and Pilates are taught during the new noon time slot and according to Schpok, it has been a successful addition to the TSR fitness schedule, as in the middle of the day students can do a less cardiointensive workout in which they are less likely to sweat and can therefore go straight to their next class.

TSR has also offered various promotional deals throughout the year to entice students to attend classes. For example, if students bought a five-class pass on Saint Patrick’s Day, they received a second five-class pass for free.

Freshman May Igawa, who attends

Caliente every Monday and Thursday, tries to take advantage of the different promotional events. “They’ve been selling the TSR fitness shirts and sometimes they have days where if you wear the shirt you don’t have to pay for the class,” Igawa said. “They’re always sending out their promotions to their e-list.”

The TSR Fitness e-list is the program’s main promotional avenue. E-mails informing the TSR e-list members of the different promotions are sent out weekly. However, according to Schpok, many of the students who end up taking TSR fitness classes heard about them by word of mouth.

“First semester, I went to classes mostly alone, but this semester I told my friends to come, and they actually started coming, and now we have a weekly tradition to go to Caliente on Thursday and go eat healthfully at Carmichael after,” Igawa said.

Schpok, in addition to promoting see FITNESS, page 4

Graduate students hope to improve children’s television through ‘Mister Rogers’ scholarship BY

CARTER ROGERS

Daily Editorial Board

Although he passed away in 2003, the name of children’s television legend Fred Rogers of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” (1968-2001) has not been forgotten by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation, which named the Fred Rogers Memorial Scholarship, now in its sixth year, in his honor. Two Tufts students, Christina Zagarino and Rachel Schechter, are among the three recipients.

The scholarship, funded by Ernst & Young, a firm specializing in tax, transaction and advisory services, consists of three $10,000 awards that are given to graduate or undergraduate students. The scholarship is awarded to fund either research or educational program concepts that show potential to enhance the use of media to educate children.

The scholarships were awarded on March 22 at the first annual Fred Forward Conference in Pittsburgh.

The Academy “is proud to honor these students, who will be torchbearers of the Fred Rogers legacy by improving the quality of educational programming for children,” Television Academy Foundation Executive Director Terri Clark said in a press release.

This year’s three recipients were University of Southern California master’s student Xavier Raphael Vanegas, who plans to develop an animated children’s program; Zagarino, a master’s student in Tufts’ child

development department, who is creating a series of short television segments to encourage physical activity in children; and Schechter, a doctoral student in Tufts’ child development department who is researching the educational effects of songs in children’s television shows.

Zagarino heard about the scholarship several years ago, but waited until recently to apply.

“I worked at the New Victory Theater in New York City for three years, and while I was there I realized how important circus art was to children and what a great tool it was for children in terms of performance art and also in terms of just building self-esteem and getting children to do physical activities that they really didn’t think were possible or maybe were fun until they were done in that circus style,” Zagarino said.

The New Victory Theater is a family oriented entertainment venue that Zagarino began working for as an intern in the summer of 2006. During her senior year at New York University, Zagarino worked part time on a family program called the “family workshop” series.

“A lot of the family workshops are circus based and those are the ones that sell the most, and they really do find ways to get parents to interact with their kids,” Zagarino said.

After graduating, Zagarino began to work full time and was the manager of a series of camp programs in which children learned circus arts. “That’s really what inspired me

to do this project,” she said. Zagarino also taught circus arts workshops in schools around New York City.

During her time at Tufts, Zagarino was exposed to large amounts of research naming television as one of the primary causes of childhood obesity.

Upon further investigation, Zagarino realized that certain elements of television were more impactful on children’s health than others. “A lot of the advertisements on children’s programming are for sugary foods and you see a lot of recognizable characters on foods in supermarkets that are not so healthy for children,” Zagarino said.

“I thought about that for a bit and realized I can’t control the kinds of foods children want or even that their parents are able to afford for them, and I can’t really control that certain neighborhoods in America are not safe for children to go out and play, but maybe what I can do is put something on TV that will get kids on their feet and having fun.”

Zagarino’s concept is to create three to five minute interludes that would occur before or after commercial breaks.

“I know children will sit down and watch stretches of two to three hours of television in one morning or early afternoon,” Zagarino said. “I did that as a kid. The way I see these working is they would be spread out across a long time of programming in one day.”

Although Zagarino is still early in the cresee SCHOLARSHIP, page 4

here comes a time in every student’s college career when they stop, drop their textbooks or Solo cup and realize that the end is near.

Recently, I was walking home from my senior dinner, that Tufts tradition that’s always seemed so far in the future, when the truth hit like a punch in my (very full) gut. “Whoa, we’re not going to be here much longer,” I thought.

This realization frequently accompanies a wave of nostalgia and is followed by a play-hard, “live for the moment” attitude, aka senioritis.

For some, being a senior means hunkering down in the library to hammer out a thesis or finish up that natural science requirement they’ve been putting off for three and a half years. But just as frequently, senior year is associated with the “senior slide” and letting your hair down (in between writing cover letters), because we’re never going to be in college again.

Senioritis seems to be an affliction that affects us upperclassmen in more than just apathy toward schoolwork — it shapes our attitudes toward taking other things less seriously too, especially dating.

Think about that couple you know who has been dating since freshman year, only to recently break up to experience those so-called single adventures. Or, try getting involved with someone new when the g-word looms right around the corner, hanging over your head.

Regardless of whether you’re interested in an “Animal House”-esque experience in college, you’ve probably seen the 1978 movie and feel like you can’t graduate without a few wild adventures under your graduation cap. I know a few friends who are in serious relationships and wondering if they need to catch up on “the college experience” by having a crazy random hookup or two.

It’s also getting to the point where single seniors start to wonder if it’s worth jumping into a relationship with someone new. I know on a recent first date, I couldn’t help but wonder, “Is this really worth getting invested in?” It’s tough enough for long-term couples to figure out their plans or deal with breaking up at graduation — why would you choose to get attached to someone new and have to deal with that? There’s no worse attitude to kick off a date with, but subconsciously, you almost can’t help but think about it.

While timing is a factor in almost all relationships, I like to think that it wouldn’t simply preclude a relationship or fling-potential. Long-term couples who are meant to be won’t be tempted to break up just to see what they’re “missing out on” and that the rest of us are open to giving the “right” person a shot … right?

There’s something to say about relationships (in the most general sense) that have an approaching expiration date, too. After having a crush on one guy for a few months last school year, the spark finally ignited —two weeks before the end of the semester.

It was tough knowing that we were about to leave for the summer, but thrilling that we just had to take advantage of what little time we did have.

On the other hand, one of my housemates came back from his own senior dinner the other night, grinning, and detailed how an alum told a story about how he took a chance and went on a first date with a woman during senior week before he graduated. Sounds a little crazy, but it was a good example about not playing into expectations — they ended up getting married a few years later.

Treat senioritis as an exercise in living in the present; do what you truly want to do, don’t feel like you need to conform to expectations, appreciate the people you already have around you and be open to new possibilities (everyone knows they make the best stories anyway).

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

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THE TUFTS DAILY

Upcoming TSR events aim to improve students’ lifestyles

Students seek to impact children through TV

FITNESS

ative process for the series, she has the basics of each episode planned out. Each would start with a familiar piece of music that would indicate the program had started. “When you hear that, you know it’s time to get up on your feet,” she said.

The camera would cut to two performers who would interact with each other and viewers at home. “[They would] model exercises and try to get the children to replicate that, so they’ll model it, they’ll give the child time to try it out, and they’ll recognize what [the viewers did] by either applauding or giving a thumbs up, and then they’ll move on to the next step,” Zagarino said.

The episodes would focus on themes like stretching, imitating animal shapes and group exercises. Zagarino plans to go into production for the five-part series in the fall.

Although she also hopes to change children’s television for the better, Schechter plans to use the scholarship funds for research, rather than production. “[My research] is for my dissertation, which is happening next year, and it is on how children understand songs that are in children’s television shows,” Schechter said. “I always loved children’s television as a child and what really drew it to me was the songs.”

Schechter worked as a preschool music teacher several years ago and noticed that children enjoyed the songs from television shows.

“There’s a special connection children have with music,” Schechter said. “However, I also learned from reading research that children actually don’t understand a lot of the content that’s taught through song at a young age ... I want to investigate that more because if so many songs are used on all these shows, obviously chil-

continued from page 3

exercise, is also working on encouraging healthful eating.

Before spring break on March 13, TSR Fitness held an event at which students learned how to cook a healthy meal from scratch.

“I guess my goal with having the lunch and promoting nutrition through TSR is, one, that healthy food can taste good. And secondly, we are putting an emphasis on teaching people how to make food in an economical way. I think it’s important that college students see that you don’t have to blow your budget to eat in a healthy way,” Schpok said.

Schpok hopes that TSR Fitness can incorporate more nutrition-based events in the future. The different promotional events and the increase in class variety, times and options are all intended to encourage students to workout more and incorporate exercise into their daily life.

This year, Schpok has planned two week-long events following spring break. The first, TSR Fitness Challenge Week, will take place from March 29-April 3. Students who attend two classes during that time will automatically be entered into a raffle to win various prizes and money from Taipei Tokyo, The Square Nail Studio, Dave’s Fresh Pasta, Massage Therapy Works, Nicholas Call Salon, The RezQuad Café, Ulla’s Flowers and Gifts, Danish Pastry House and Veggie Planet.

“The goal of this week is to motivate students to get back into a healthy fitness

routine. A lot of people have been overwhelmed with work in the past few weeks and some may not have spent much time exercising over spring break. We hope that TSR Fitness Challenge Week will help students figure out how to integrate workout time into their week,” Schpok said.

The second week-long event, Fit for Good Week, will take place from April 5-10. Each of the five days will be dedicated to a different charity on campus. When students attend a class, the money they pay to attend will be donated to the day’s designated charity.

Cash collected on Monday will be donated to Computers for Careers, Tuesday to Tufts Kiva Initiative, Wednesday to Relay for Life, Thursday to Agahozo-Shalom Village in Rwanda and Friday to Child’s Right to Thrive. A charity for Saturday has not yet been determined.

“Fit for Good Week is exactly in the sprit of what TSR is really here to do,” Russman said.

“We’re here to support whatever students find important and to help students succeed.

Everyone at Tufts is concerned about some cause and we’re trying to give back in any way we can. If it’s successful, we’ll start doing it every semester.

It’s a great idea, and I loved hearing it come from Andi [Schpok].”

Students are welcome to give additional donations during Fit for Good Week and are encouraged to come to classes to show enthusiasm and support for Tufts’ charities and the Tufts community.

Monday, March 29, 2010

FEATURES

SCHOLARSHIP continued from page 3

COURTESY RACHEL SCHECHTER

Rachel Schechter (left) and Christina Zagarino (right) show some school spirit at the Fred Forward Conference. dren are learning something, but all the researched that’s published for the public and for students like myself to read says that children don’t understand the content that’s presented through song.”

Schechter cited the song “It’s Not Easy Being Green” performed

by Kermit the Frog as an example of a song in which the true meaning escapes a good deal of its target audience.

“The song is about diversity, and how it’s not easy being different. Three- and four-year olds don’t understand that. They think it’s about being green versus purple versus orange. They don’t really understand what the implicit message is that it’s sharring,” Schechter said.

Schechter hopes that her research will help caregivers and media creators better understand how to convey their messages through song.

To carry out her research, Schechter will have preschool teachers implement versions of a curriculum she will create that utilize pre-existing video songs.

“I’m going to have a treatment and control group, I’m going to have pre- and post-surveying with teachers, I’m going to have a parent survey, which is important for background information on a child,” Schechter said. “I’m also going to be doing observations of the children before, during and after the curriculum implementation.”

“We’re currently living in a society where children are consuming media in outrageous amounts in all different settings throughout their day, so it’s important that at Eliot Pearson [Department of Child Development], we’re looking at this. It’s just as important as everything else that we’re doing,” Schechter said.

“I think now in children’s media, there’s such an emphasis on educational value, so if you don’t have that developmental background that Mr. Rogers was one of the first to pioneer that movement, if you don’t have that [you have to ask], ‘What are you making for kids and what is the value of what you’re making for kids?’” Zagarino said.

Arts & Living

5

tuftsdaily.com

MOVIE REVIEW

MITCHELL GELLER | SLINGS AND ARROWS

G.O.A.T.

T

ROTTENTOMATOES.COM

How can two gorgeous people have so little onscreen chemistry?

‘The Bounty Hunter’ fails to track down charm BY

REBECCA SANTIAGO Daily Staff Writer

It seems reasonable to expect a romantic comedy to provide either romance or comedy, and preferably

The Bounty Hunter Starring Gerard Butler, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis Directed by Andy Tennant both at the same time. But director Andy Tennant’s jaundiced and charm-

less “The Bounty Hunter” is a paragon of rom-com, minus both the “rom” and the “com” — and the resulting picture is not pretty.

Milo Boyd (Gerard Butler) is a boyish cop-turned-bounty hunter who has plunged into a loveless, booze-laden rut since his divorce from journalist Nicole Hurley ( Jennifer Aniston). His luck takes a turn for the better when he receives the assignment of a lifetime: to chuck his bail-jumping ex-wife behind bars. Euphoric at this shot at paid vengeance, Milo is already gunning his car down the highway before he pauses to consider the emotional ramifications of his doomed mission.

THEATER REVIEW

While Milo is hot on Nicole’s trail, the unlikely lawbreaker is hot on the trail of a more serious case. Suspecting a recorded suicide to actually be a homicide, Nicole becomes obsessed with dissembling the story. When Milo finally catches up to her, the former lovers spit and spar like cat and mouse, all the while entangling themselves even deeper in the murder mystery unsheathed by Nicole’s relentless investigation.

As evidenced by “The Ugly Truth” (2009), Butler’s gruff machismo can bring a certain youthful charm to the see HUNTER, page 6

ALBUM REVIEW

White Stripes’ live album all theatrics

BY JOSH

ZEIDEL

Daily Editorial Board

What happens when a two-member band pushes garage rock to the very limits of listener tolerance? What hapACTORSSHAKESPEAREPROJECT.ORG

The ensemble cast brings life to Actor Shakespeare Project’s “Othello.”

Actor’s Shakespeare Project’s ‘Othello’ has vibrant immediacy BY

ERIC BERG

Daily Staff Writer

Nestled in a small theater space, there is a play that seems to burst with vibrant, exuberant energy. The Actor’s Shakespeare

Othello Written by William Shakespeare Directed by Judy Braha At the Villa Victoria Center for the Arts through April 4 Tickets $25 to $47 Project’s refreshing production of “Othello” is performed as if it weren’t written in

Under Great White Northern Lights The White Stripes Third Man

Elizabethan England, but as though it were a new play, with an unabashed force that carries its audiences through the five acts with ease.

For those who didn’t read “Othello” in high school, the play is about the titular hero (Jason Bowen), a newlywed general, and Iago (Ken Cheeseman), who weaves an intricate web of lies to get his revenge on Othello. The tragedy of this play comes from the heartbreaking trap both Othello and his wife, Desdemona (Brooke Hardman), fall into thanks to the machinations of Othello’s false friend.

Bowen takes on the lead role of Othello with poised charm and a carefree smile. His youth is one of the contributing factors to

pens when that very same band decides to tour, of all places, every single province and territory of Canada? The result is The White Stripes’ new live album and accompanying documentary film, “Under Great White Northern Lights,” based on the band’s 2007 tour.

Following The White Stripes from British Columbia and the Yukon Territories and then east across the continent to Newfoundland and New Brunswick, the film features footage from concerts, life on the road and behind-the-scenes interviews with guitarist and singer Jack White and his exwife, drummer Meg White.

The White Stripes formed in 1997 in Detroit, Mich., and gained wide-

see OTHELLO, page 7

see WHITE STRIPES, page 7

hink of the best thing ever.

Is it sliced bread?

Since it was first sold in 1928, sliced bread has been the veritable gold standard to which every other great thing has been compared. Sliced bread is pretty cool … but the coolest?

It seems odd, not to mention uniquely American, to so strongly champion something that’s actually just an old thing with a little change. And yet it’s done all the time: new models of cars, each generation of the iPod, the 50 state quarters, the Super Bowl. The list goes on. It should come as no surprise, then, that a loaf of bread would cause a major uproar when pre-cut into homogenous pieces.

It’s been nearly a century since Otto Frederick Rohwedder invented the machine that shaves 15 seconds off the preparation of toast, but I’d bet that since he, and every other baker ever, started offering pre-sliced bread, the quality of the bread has gone down. Most sliced breads are roughly the same: a poor excuse for a crust that’s little more than a thin, brownish, bad-tasting strip around the outside, and a doughy expanse of white between said brown borders.

While various types such as whole grain, cinnamon raisin, potato, “rye” (don’t even get me started on mass produced rye bread), pumpernickel and the rest might vary in flavor, appearance and price, the texture more or less remains the same.

The structural integrity of sliced bread is appalling. A loaf of said bread is apt to be crushed, mushed and generally destroyed by anything and everything it comes in contact with: other groceries, heavy lunch meats, fumbling hands, etc.

Fresh baked bread — even if it’s baked by a supermarket or food chain — is infinitely better than Wonder Bread any day. A real loaf of bread is a fulfilling experience, from ripping off the first piping hot, crusty chunk to eating the last crumbs of a delicious sandwich.

Each year those of the Jewish faith avoid leavened bread — both sliced and otherwise — for the eight days of Passover, and every year they survive. We as a society do not need sliced bread.

If sliced bread were a person, it would eat only boiled chicken, and mayonnaise would be its favorite condiment; it would put mayonnaise on everything. It would wear sports goggles and a full sweat suit to go speed walking. It wouldn’t believe in ice cream or water parks. Sliced bread would advocate the banning of books.

Sliced bread would not sleep in the same bed as its wife.

It seems that the phrase, “the greatest thing since sliced bread,” is supposed to be ironic. The phrase has clearly been taken out of its original context, which probably went something like this: “I just got back from the doctors: I have an ulcer!”

“Oy!” “It’s the greatest thing since sliced bread!... Phooey.”

In a pinch, sliced bread will work. It’s perfect for a quick piece of toast or a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but it isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

This Pesach, which starts tonight at sundown, Jewish people observing the holiday, don’t feel bad about giving up sliced bread; you’re not really missing out on anything except the culinary equivalent of an ulcer. And to the non-Jews, don’t eat the matzah and talk about how much you love it.

That’s just ridiculous.

Sliced Bread: 2 out of 5 stars.

Mitchell Geller is a junior majoring in psychology and English. He can be reached at Mitchell.Geller@tufts.edu.

THE TUFTS DAILY

6

ARTS & LIVING

Monday, March 29, 2010

Diverse soundtrack drowns out lackluster performances in ‘Bounty Hunter’ HUNTER continued from page 5

silver screen when offset by the right female lead. Sadly, Aniston is not that costar. In this film, she plays the only role she seems to know how to play: a condescending and blundering fashionista who takes herself way too seriously. In fact, she, like her audience, barely cracks a smile throughout the film’s excruciating 110-minute run.

Aniston’s drollness aligns well enough with the campy, wry script, yet her lack of versatility or spontaneity slaughters any flailing chance she and the equally static Butler had at feigning onscreen chemistry. The couple simply makes no sense. Their uncomfortable flatness dooms them and the film to the fiery realms of cinematic purgatory, although perhaps purgatory is too strong a word. At least purgatory sounds like it might be interesting.

Supposing Butler and Aniston had managed to ignite anything vaguely resembling a romantic spark, they still would have only satisfied the romantic component of this so-called romantic comedy. Even a generous critic must concede that the film is hideously unfunny.

Part of the blame lies in its script, which effectively demonstrates why fast-paced, witty newsroom dialect is best kept in the newsroom.

Still worse is Nicole’s pastel-bedecked and stalkerish coworker Stewart ( Jason Sudeikis of “Saturday Night Live” fame). His awkward infatuation for Nicole combined with his mama’s boy brand of creepiness seems the stuff of comic genius, and yet Sudeikis’ weirdly infantile performance

ROTTENTOMATOES.COM

Jennifer Aniston can’t seem to get a break in yet another underwhelming rom-com. makes viewers convulse in disgust rather than laughter.

The generally talented Sudeikis’ failure to bring humor to this atrocity of a film is one of many indications of how “The Bounty Hunter” might have been amusing, or at least salvageable, had it not seemed so contrived. Perhaps because Aniston and Butler don’t try

hard enough, every other actor tries way too hard in an effort to compensate for their lackluster costars. The result is a disappointing, off-kilter film that smacks of cumbersome strain and undiscovered potential.

The soundtrack is by far the best part of the movie, especially because a consumer may obtain it without actually hav-

ing to desecrate his or her eyes or ears with this flick gone awry.

The soundtrack is high-energy with an impressive range, spanning from Frank Sinatra to Run DMC. Songs like Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On” (1973) and Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok” (2009) pop up at ironic points in the film, teasing the otherwise hapless theatergoers into genuine, if

brief, entertainment.

However, those fleeting moments of auditory delight are not nearly enough to justify wasting $10 on this insult to cinema. By all means, feel free to purchase the soundtrack, though — and do purchase it instead of downloading it, because a film this poor needs every penny it can get.

Deadline Extended to teach Explorations or Perspectives in the Fall Contact the ExCollege:

excollege@tufts.edu 617-627-3384 95 Talbot Avenue

THE TUFTS DAILY

Monday, March 29, 2010

7

ARTS & LIVING

‘Northern Lights’ documentary offers glimpse into The White Stripes

‘Othello’ dabbles in gender reversals

WHITE STRIPES

this production’s force. Every moment he is on stage, Bowen appears utterly at ease with himself and his role. There is no doubt that his noble nature and almost arrogant charisma so well established in the beginning make his slow unraveling throughout the play a wonder to behold.

Iago, who can easily be considered the real star of the play, is a forceful, terrifying presence onstage. Cheeseman, despite the occasional fumbling of a line, delivers his creepy monologues with wild eyes that chill the theater. The other members of the ensemble cast further complement these two actors with their equally brilliant performances. Although one of the potential difficulties with performing Shakespeare is its esoteric language, the actors reveal the power of these great words with strong deliveries filled with meaning.

The production’s set also adds to the strength of the actors in the play. The small space, which at the hands of a less capable troupe could lead to a cramped and uncomfortable play, is transformed into an intimate production, which makes the violence in “Othello” all the more jarring and traumatic.

The audience is split into two sides each facing the stage, with the balcony seats in the circular space overhead and lighting in plain view. Such exposure, to both the set’s operation and to the audience, gives all the different elements of the play a certain unity.

continued from page 5

spread success in 2002, when their third album, “White Blood Cells” (2001), merited enough independent popularity to merit its re-release on the major label V2 Records. Praised for their simplistic recording approach and stripped-down, garage-rock fusion of punk and blues, the duo went on to release “Elephant” (2003), “Get Behind Me Satan” (2005) and “Icky Thump” (2007), all of which won Grammys for Best Alternative Music Album in their respective years.

In a live setting, The White Stripes take an extremely energetic and spontaneous approach to their music. Their presentation inspires awe at the raw power of the little band, but they frequently sacrifice musical precision for stage presence.

They don’t even use a set-list for their shows, relying instead on noisy transitions, during which Jack White unleashes huge blobs of distorted feedback from his guitar and amplifiers. In addition, he sings as though struggling to be heard over his absurdly loud instrument, wailing and shrieking in tones that rarely hit the correct pitch. As a result, many of the songs on this live collection have been rendered nearly unrecognizable.

For her part, Meg White plays the drum kit with such minimalism that most beginners could easily duplicate her parts. She began playing drums in 1997, the same year that The White Stripes formed, and has never had a lesson. Meg does little, aside from keeping the beat while Jack launches into squealing, distorted solos and fuzz-filled interludes. In interviews, the reclusive Meg rarely speaks, instead allowing Jack to expound at length on the band’s approach to music.

A few of the tracks on “Under Great White Northern Lights” are actually worth the listen. Songs like “I’m Slowly Turning Into You,” “We Are Going To Be Friends” and “Icky Thump” call to mind the more refined rawness of Modest Mouse or Cold War Kids. A few of the Stripes’ more bluesy numbers have the sweet, fuzzy ring

AMAZON.COM

The White Stripes disappoint with their latest live album and documentary. of another notable garage-rock duo, The Black Keys.

But for the most part, “Under Great White Northern Lights” falls flat, with Jack White’s cleverly penned numbers lost in the shriek of his voice, drowning underneath the overdriven feedback from his out-of-tune guitar.

At the very least, it helps to be able to watch the movie; the visual effect of The White Stripes’ emphatic gestures and strutting on-stage demeanor were lost when one just hears the audio. With the DVD, one can understand the entire effect that they’re striving to achieve. In this regard, the film serves as a garage-rock performance art piece.

But this is supposed to be music; a listener shouldn’t have to see it to “get it,” and more importantly, they shouldn’t have to “get it” to like it. This collection of performances thus violates the main purpose of a live album by failing to prove that the band can recreate at least some of the magic they make in the studio. In this regard, “Under Great White Northern Lights” falls short of the mark, but its intimate perspective into the lives of Jack and Meg White begs the idea that only the enigmatic duo can understand their spontaneous live shows.

OTHELLO continued from page 5

The varied heights of the set elements — including a staircase in one corner — create interesting visuals without being overly pretentious. The balcony space is later used in one of Desdemona’s scenes to touching effect. Although certain elements seem unnecessarily symbolic — we can certainly figure out that Iago is spinning a web of lies without having the physical lines above our heads form a web — overall the tight quarters of the stage are used perfectly.

Oddly enough, the most confusing elements of this production were those introduced to make “Othello” more accessible to a modern audience. Gender roles were switched deliberately to create a matriarchal society, rather than a traditional patriarchy, and the military high command played by a racially diverse group of actors. Furthermore, although the program informed us that the play is supposed to take place in the near future, nothing on stage ever made this explicit or used this setting for some evident purpose. These modifications suggest that director Judy Braha was trying to transform “Othello” in interesting ways, but did not fully actualize these unique changes in the play’s costume design or performances.

This is practically irrelevant, however, because what Braha was able to craft instead is a brilliant and energetic Shakespearean production. “Othello” is an old play, but instead of being intimidated by its writer, the Actor’s Shakespeare Project instills it with a new life and creative vigor.

ACTORSSHAKESPEAREPROJECT.ORG

Latest production of “Othello” takes new risks to modernize Shakespeare classic.

STUDENT LOAN REPAYMENT SESSIONS DOWLING HALL, ROOM 745 MARCH 3rd @ 3:30 – 5 pm MARCH 30th @ 12 – 1:30 pm If you are graduating in May and have borrowed federal loans while enrolled at Tufts you should attend one of these sessions which will cover: REPAYMENT OPTIONS INCLUDING INCOME BASED REPAYMENT CONSOLIDATION * PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS If you have more than one federal loan you may find a Direct Consolidation Loan to be beneficial for you. These sessions will cover the pros and cons of consolidating your loans.

Please contact Student Services in Dowling Hall with any questions at 617-627-2000

Fina ancial resou urces are a big challen nge for man ny organiza ations. In thiis invaluablle workshop p, you will learn n how to wrrite a grant and develo op key skillss needed to o be successsful in fund draising.

Grant Wrritingg Wed dnesday, March M 31 5 5:30 – 7:00 0 pm Campu us Center, Room m 112 Za amparelli Room R m Open to all studentts interested d in developing their le eadership skills. s RS SVP is required to ocl@ @tufts.edu.

Pizza will w be servved.

Also, join us for ourr last worksho op of the yearr: ork and Offic cer Transition n Susttain your Wo Aprril 7, 5:30-7pm m Rabb b Room, Linco oln Filene Hall

For more in F nformation visit v activeccitizen.tufts..edu or o ocl.tufts.edu u/leadersforrchange IIn collaborattion with: C CEEO | Instiitute for Global Leadershhip | Jumpstaart | Leonardd C Carmichael S Society | Peaace and Justiice Studies | Student A Affairs Sociaal Justice Iniitiative | Tuffts Hillel

THE TUFTS DAILY

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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 Lorrayne Shen Louie Zong Vittoria Elliot Rebekah Liebermann Marian Swain Seth Teleky

Executive Op-Ed Editor Op-Ed Editors

Monday, March 29, 2010

EDITORIAL | LETTERS

EDITORIAL

Health care coverage changes need clarification Despite health care reform’s prominence in the federal government’s agenda and the public arena, the outcomes on the Tufts community of the bill recently signed by President Barack Obama remain unclear. The legislation contains significant improvements for health care coverage for young adults, such as the ability for children to stay under their family’s insurance plan until the age of 26. Despite the positive changes for students that will come out of the legislation, the convoluted language of the lengthy bill has led to confusion about how it will affect Tufts’ student health insurance. Tufts students need to be properly informed of how the health care system supported by the university will be affected by the legislation.

One of the most significant questions about the legislation’s impact on Tufts students regards insurance for preventive care, which includes examinations by specialist physicians and universitymandated immunizations. The bill will direct all private insurance companies and Medicare to provide insurance for such procedures without charge. Prior to the passage of the bill, private insurance companies each had their own

policies regarding preventive medicine.

Under the bill, students who receive health care through non-Tufts plans appear to be covered for these procedures. Approximately 20 percent of Tufts students, however, are on the student health insurance plan, which currently does not cover some significant forms of preventive care, such as pre-college immunizations. Yet Massachusetts state health care laws have their own requirements and nuances that may potentially exempt Aetna Student Health, Tufts’ official health care insurance provider, from changing its coverage the way that other companies must.

It is necessary for Aetna to provide preventive coverage for students on Tufts’ plan, even if the company is not legally required under Massachusetts’ student health care laws to do so. Initial preventive care reduces the risk of developing a medical condition demanding treatment, ideally saving Aetna and the affected students the money that they might need to spend on expensive medication, therapies and doctor appointments. Moreover, Tufts should be wholeheartedly committed to ensuring that its students are as healthy as possible — the student community must be healthy

to be fully vibrant. This commitment entails making sure that the university’s official health care insurance provider complies with the nationally approved standards of health care to which all students are entitled.

Equally as significant as the changes to Tufts’ health insurance plan is the task of publicizing these changes, and of informing students of the changes to all insurance plans mandated by the national legislation. Health care reform is a vital issue for all students, and there is currently a wealth of confusion surrounding the health bill’s impact on the university’s health services. Especially given that health care is such a naturally complicated issue, the Tufts administration must make an intensive, prolonged effort to ensure that students and their families are both aware of and prepared for the changes that affect them.

Health care reform has the potential to improve the lives of every American, and students in particular. Tufts must act now to make sure that this potential is fully realized, both through implementing major changes to the plan it endorses and through making all students aware of relevant changes to their health insurance coverage.

WAYNE STAYSKAL 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 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 Hena Kapadia Online Editors Audrey Kuan Darcy Mann Assistant Online Editors Ann Sloan Muhammad Qadri Executive Technical Manager Michael Vastola Technical Manager

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

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OFF THE HILL | FAIRFIELD UNIVERSITY

The greatest source ever [citation needed] BY

CASEY DONAHUE The Mirror

I was sitting in the library freshman year writing a politics paper, when I looked up U.S. Senator John McCain’s 2005 Detainee Treatment Act on Wikipedia.org. What greeted me when the page loaded was a shockingly large photo of male genitalia, placed there by some random person who had decided to edit the page.

According to a recent survey by First Monday, more than half of all college students are using this impeccable source of information when doing schoolwork-related research. And why wouldn’t they? Why would anybody waste their time looking for answers in books written by experts, when they have easy access to un-cited information that could have been written by literally anybody in the world? Wikipedia is fast, free and easy. And besides, everybody knows that books are for nerds.

The fact that anyone can go on and

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.

edit the pages that they want makes Wikipedia even more legitimate, as it’s sort of like a classroom where people can come together to share information and ideas. And like a classroom, it is completely ridiculous to suggest that some people wouldn’t have any idea what the hell they’re talking about. So if Bob in Topeka says that the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom was Charlie Sheen, you can trust it, because why would anybody post something on the Internet that wasn’t true?

Some say that they just use Wikipedia as a jumping-off point, and that it leads them to other, more viable sources. Some articles link to more respected resources of information, such as journals and articles. Others link to personal Web sites, blogs and pages that read “Page Not Found.” I’ve even seen Wikipedia articles that list Twitter feeds as their sources, because we all know that information isn’t worth anything if it can’t be boiled down to 140 characters.

According to the same study in First Monday, 22 percent of all college students report that they never use Wikipedia for school-related work.

These students are clearly missing out.

The online encyclopedia is supposed to be surprisingly accurate. I know this because I read it on Wikipedia.

I think that college students should be allowed to use Wikipedia as a source on their papers, because doing a whole bunch of research and actually verifying information is just a schlep. In fact, I think that students should just be allowed to turn in printed-out Wikipedia pages as assignments, because who’s to say that they didn’t go on and write that page themselves?

Wikipedia is the greatest thing to happen since sliced bread, which according to its Wikipedia page, was invented in 1928 and was banned for a short time in 1943. After all, it’s hard not to trust a resource whose longest page is “List of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition monsters.”

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THE TUFTS DAILY

Monday, March 29, 2010

9

OP-ED

Alcohol Task Force should try ‘reentry’ for Spring Fling BY

KAREN GERLACH

Tufts’ Spring Fling decision is more than disappointing; it’s dangerous. Spring Fling will now be a dry event; that is, no alcohol will be allowed on the premises. This is a direct result of last year’s catastrophe: at least 10 Tufts students were hospitalized and there were thirty calls to Tufts Emergency Medical Services for excessive alcohol consumption, according to Ben Gittleson’s April 27, 2009 Tufts Daily article, “Spring Fling leads to mass casualty incident.”

Although I’m sure that the new policy came out of the desire to help students and prevent the disaster of last year, I think this policy is at best useless, and at worst actively dangerous.

The only difference between last year’s policy and this year’s policy is that now, students over the age of 21 are no longer allowed to bring in alcohol. For underage students, the policy is exactly the same as it was before. A dry Spring Fling will not help in preventing another mass casualty event, and it will not help in preventing underage drinking. This is obvious from the statistics of hospitalized individuals from last year. All the students that needed medical attention were underage, according to Ellen Kan’s Feb. 25, 2010 Daily article, “Senate adds voice to Spring Fling discussion.” Spring Fling was intended as a dry event for those individuals already. Clearly, making the event completely dry will not prevent overconsumption of alcohol.

However, Tufts can keep Spring Fling a dry event and prevent another mass casualty incident if it follows one other policy: Let students leave and reenter Spring Fling.

Of course, allowing students to leave and reenter Spring Fling may permit some of them to leave and drink. However, when they leave, they will be able to take advantage of the chance to drink water and eat food as well, tempering any alcohol they’ve had and preventing dehydration. Additionally, they will have the chance to recover from the heat and revelry, away from the crowds and sun. Finally, and most importantly, these students, if they do choose to drink, will be drinking over a longer period of time, during separate sittings. It seems clear that a student who wanted to go to a dry Spring Fling and experience the entire concert under the influence of alcohol would have to drink to excess in one rush, rather than spread out over the several hours.

Tufts cannot prevent students, even underage students, from drinking before the event, but the university can make it safer for everyone.

Even for non-drinkers, Spring Fling can be tiring,

TIEN TIEN/TUFTS DAILY

and heatstroke is a predictable consequence of four hours in the sun. Each year, there are insufficient supplies of food and water for all the revelers. This is not helpful for students who need to drink water to prevent alcohol poisoning or even heatstroke. If students were allowed to return to their dorms or apartments, they could eat at their leisure and drink plenty of water without fighting a crowd in need of the same.

But how could Tufts bring about a reentry policy at Spring Fling without changing the infrastructure already in place? I think reentry could be simply put into effect though use of hand stamps. Just like at certain clubs (or the Boston Museum of Science), Tufts could buy a standardized set of hand stamps, and then deny reentry to anyone not sporting one.

Because we already have police officers stationed at the entrances, we could easily have them stamp

individuals on their way out who think they’d like to return.

This policy would be beneficial to any individual who comes to the concert, not just those who consume alcohol before (or during). Tufts would not have to give up the idea of a dry event. But Tufts can keep students and visitors safe by allowing them to leave and reenter the concert. This fix is simple and much cheaper than financing a 21-plus bar area.

Thus, Tufts would cut down on dangerous pregaming, keep drinkers and non-drinkers alike safe and solve problems related to scarcity of food and water, simply by instating a policy of reentry at this year’s Spring Fling. We all want a fun and safe Spring Fling.

Reentry is the best way to achieve that.

Karen Gerlach is a graduate student in French.

The dangers of partisan history BY

PAT ANDRIOLA

As a history major, I often get asked questions about what practical impacts my studies will bring, as if my education is devoid of meaning without problem sets or beakers. For most students, History was a class they took in high school as a teenage version of Social Studies (or in college if they had to fill a requirement). For those who cannot sit through a lecture on the Industrial Revolution or the Great Leap Forward, I am not here to preach. I understand not everyone can share my love of history. However, the recent changes in the Texas history curriculum, decided by the State Board of Education (SBOE), are absurdly upsetting and overwhelmingly detrimental to the intellectual development of the children of Texas.

If you have not heard about the changes, let me briefly outline what has happened. Out of the 15 members that sit on the SBOE, 10 are conservative — a powerful bloc that can pass almost any legislation they please. On Friday, March 12, the board voted on changes to public school textbooks that, after a public hearing and vote in May, will completely reshape how Texas students view history.

One big change is the removal of Thomas Jefferson from a list of people who contributed to the country’s intellectual origins. John Calvin and Thomas Aquinas are to be added instead, and teachers are to emphasize the Christian values of the Founders,

ignoring the separation of church and state, which was deemed to be not “historically accurate.”

Other changes include having country and western music added to the list of important cultural movements, while hip hop is removed; the refusal to include references to Latino historical figures as role models, but the inclusion of the violent nature of the Black Panthers to supplement Martin Luther King, Jr.’s philosophy; a more favorable view of antiCommunist Senator Joseph McCarthy; an explanation of the unintended consequences of Title IX and Affirmative Action; “imperialism” replaced with “expansionism” and “capitalism” with “free market;” and an added section on “American Exceptionalism” with an emphasis on Christianity and patriotism.

And so on. At one point, a frustrated Democratic member of the board, Mary Helen Berlanga, left the meeting and shouted that, “We can just pretend this is White America and that Hispanics don’t exist.”

The size of Texas somewhat dictates supply for other schools, which means we could see a snowball effect that spills into other states.

In my op-ed from April 22, 2008, entitled, “Protect our schools: Keep intelligent design out,” I said that right-wing Christian proponents of intelligent design, shut down by both academia and the courts in their pursuit to eliminate evolution from classrooms, “will turn to other areas — maybe the math or history departments — and attempt to implement their theistic ideas there.” It is truly scary to believe

this is actually happening.

Many will just laugh at the absurdity of Texas and think that this is not a big deal. However, historiography has shown us that a child’s view of the world can be utterly changed by how he or she views history.

Even growing up in the 1990s, I remember history books being dominated by white males, although in the past few years there has been an effort to make history more universal and less Eurocentric and male-dominated. Not only do these changes in Texas push us back in the wrong direction, but they also become a tool for the far right. This form of historical revisionism is outlandish. In George Orwell’s “1984,” the protagonist Winston Smith worked at the ironically named Ministry of Truth, rewriting historical documents so that they more properly reflected the government’s wishes. The reshaping of history for political purposes is a vile act that we as a society should thwart at every step.

I’m not upset that the changes to the curriculum are right-wing in nature. I’d be equally upset if these changes vilified Ronald Reagan or glorified Jimmy Carter. History should be as objective as humanly possible, and when the curriculum is being decided by the political agendas of those on both the right and the left, as Helen Lovejoy would say, “Won’t somebody please think of the children?”

Pat Andriola is a junior majoring in history.

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10

COMICS

Monday, March 29, 2010

DOONESBURY

CROSSWORD

BY

NON SEQUITUR

GARRY TRUDEAU

BY

WILEY

MARCH 19 SOLUTIONS

MARRIED TO THE SEA

www.marriedtothesea.com

SUDOKU Level: Getting the entire left side of your March Madness bracket wrong

LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY March 19 Solutions

James: “It’s a good hug. I hug myself all the time.”

Please recycle this Daily

Monday, March 29, 2010

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11

JONATHAN LANDAW “Images of Enlightenment: Tibetan Art in Practice” GODDARD CHAPEL - 6 PM TUESDAY, March 30, 2010 Jonathan Landaw spent six years living in northern India studying Tibetan Buddhism and serving as the English editor for the Translation Bureau of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. In addition to his work as an author and editor, for the past thirty years Jon has been leading meditation courses in many parts of the world.

Goddard Chapel, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, (617) 627-3427 Website: www.tufts.edu/chaplaincy Wheelchair Accessibility via Tower Door

DR. NICK RIBUSH DIRECTOR OF KURUKULLA CENTER "BECOMING YOUR OWN THERAPIST: ULTIMATE SELF-HELP THROUGH BUDDHISM" GODDARD CHAPEL -- 6 P.M. -- MONDAY, MARCH 29, 2010

Dr. Nick Ribush received his medical degree from Melbourne University in Australia in 1964. He left the medical profession to become a monk in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition from 1974 to 1986 and then co-founded Wisdom Publications with Lama Yeshe. He founded the Kurukulla Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies in 1989.

Also of note, Tibetan Sand Mandala is being constructed at Tisch Library March 29 – April 6, 2010

Late Arrivals Welcome Goddard Chapel, Tufts University, Medford, Massachusetts 02155, (617) 627-3427 Website: www.tufts.edu/chaplaincy Wheelchair Accessibility via Tower Door

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12 Event Commencement What do you need to know?

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SPORTS

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Jumbos deem spring break contests a success WOMEN’S LACROSSE continued from page 16

VIRGINIA BLEDSOE/TUFTS DAILY

The women’s lacrosse team scored its first win over rival Williams since 1995 behind six goals from senior cocaptain Jenna Abelli.

over 40 minutes of playing time, at one point by four goals, but eventually fell 11-9 to the Mules, who came out on top when they managed to outscore Tufts 4-0 in the final ten minutes of the game. Johnson and Abelli led the Jumbos’ offensive attack, scoring three goals each.

Following the Colby loss, the team boarded buses headed toward Albany, N.Y. for spring break action. The Jumbos faced Buffalo State last Wednesday, a game in which the Tufts offensive exploded for a 20-13 victory behind Johnson’s six goals and five assists. Her 11 points tied the program’s single-game scoring record, joining two other players who have accomplished the feat. The last time a Tufts player reached this record was in 1996 when Rebecca Black (LA ’96) did so in back-to-back games against Mount Holyoke and Wesleyan.

Abelli scored four goals, while Kopp and Perez both had four

ground balls and four ground controls. Most impressively, Tufts ended the game with seven turnovers versus Buffalo State’s 21.

Tufts, despite the loss to Colby, gained valuable experience in its spring break games, which pushed the squad’s record to 3-2 and gave the Jumbos their first NESCAC win.

“The break was definitely successful for our team,” junior defender Lily Colahan said. “After losing our first two NESCAC games, it was important to beat Buffalo State and Williams. I think our two wins, especially versus Williams, will help other teams take us more seriously. We will approach the rest of the season more seriously as well, and use this momentum to go forward in the next games.”

The Jumbos end the week of spring break lacrosse with a 1-2 NESCAC record and will face NESCAC opponent Bates on Wednesday before hosting Wesleyan on Saturday.

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THE TUFTS DAILY

Monday, March 29, 2010

13

SPORTS

Hoyt quickly making name for himself as Jumbos’ coach MEN’S SWIM AND DIVE continued from page 15

season for the NESCAC meet, they were forced to endure yet another mentally and physically exhausting championship grind.

“Really, it’s a mental game,” Kinsella said. “We had already tapered once, and a lot of guys came and brought their A-game, and I’m so proud that everyone became an All-American.”

While this year’s NCAA Championships was Kinsella’s final meet at Tufts, the other eight Jumbo swimmers on the team will return next season with hopes of finishing even higher at the 2011 meet.

“It’s going to be hard having Patrick graduate, and it’s been great swimming with him,” Jenkins said. “But I think he knows that we have a lot left in us, and I think that we’re just going to get better and

have even more people qualify next year.”

Tufts’ showing on the national stage is an improvement on the team’s 35th-place finish at Nationals last year and suggests that Hoyt is taking the team in the right direction, and, only in his sixth year, is rapidly adding to the legacy of former coach Don Megerle.

“Coach Hoyt has had a substantial impact on this program, and the fact is that he had the second-best performance in his time at Tufts with only graduating two seniors,” Kinsella said.

“The important thing is that [Hoyt] is building [the] program of Megerle and creating his own legacy, and that important part is that that legacy is here to stay.”

Kinsella added. “And I’m excited to see what next year’s legacy is going to be.”

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` SCHEDULE | March 29 - April 4 MON

TUE

WED

vs. BSC (2) 3:30 p.m.

SUN

at Bates (2) 12 p.m.

vs. Bowdoin vs. Bowdoin 3:30 p.m.

(2) 12 p.m

at Babson 4 p.m.

Men's Lacrosse

SAT

at Bates 3 p.m.

vs. Babson (2) 3 p.m.

Softball

SCOTT TINGLEY/TUFTS DAILY

FRI

at Mass Maritime 3 p.m.

Baseball

Senior quad-captain Rob Matera rounded out a stellar career on the diving board with an honorable mention All-American performance at Nationals.

THU

at Wesleyan 1 p.m.

vs. Bates 4:30 p.m.

Women’s Lacrosse

vs.

Wesleyan 12 p.m.

STATISTICS | STANDINGS Men's Lacrosse

Women's Lacrosse

(5-0, 3-0 NESCAC)

(1-2, 3-2 NESCAC)

Conn. Coll.

Tufts Middlebury Williams Amherst Bowdoin Colby Trinity Wesleyan Bates

W 3 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 0

L W 0 6 0 5 1 4 1 3 2 1 2 2 2 4 2 5 2 5 3 3

L 0 0 1 2 3 4 3 2 3 3

Individual Statistics G A P D.J. Hessler Ryan Molloy Kevin McCormick Sean Kirwan Matt Witko Brian Donovan Mike Droesch Doug DiSesa Jamie Atkins Nick Rhoads Team

11 7 7 9 7 6 5 4 3 3 73

8 10 6 1 0 0 1 2 2 2 41

19 17 13 10 7 6 6 6 5 5 114

Goaltending Steven Foglietta Bryan Petillo

GA 29 10

Sv S% 26 .473 21 .677

Softball (7-5, 0-0 NESCAC East)

NESCAC

NESCAC OVERALL

NESCAC OVERALL

Trinity Amherst Bates Bowdoin Colby Middlebury Tufts Williams Conn. Coll.

Wesleyan

W 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 0 0

L 0 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 3 3

W 5 3 2 3 6 4 3 2 2 2

L 0 2 2 3 1 1 2 2 3 5

Individual Statistics G A P

USILA Div. III Men’s Lax

Baseball (8-2, 0-0 NESCAC East)

NESCAC

OVERALL

as of March 21, 2010

OVERALL

East Trinity Bates Bowdoin Tufts Colby

W 3 0 0 0 0

L 0 0 0 0 3

T W L 0 9 1 0 8 3 0 13 3 0 8 2 0 4 5

T 0 0 0 0 0

East Bates Bowdoin Colby Trinity Tufts

W 0 0 0 0 0

L 0 0 0 0 0

T W L 0 2 7 0 11 5 0 1 8 0 4 7 0 7 5

T 0 0 0 0 0

West Wesleyan Williams Amherst Middlebury Hamilton

2 2 1 1 0

1 1 2 2 0

0 13 5 0 5 5 0 7 7 0 3 5 0 5 9

0 0 0 0 0

West Amherst Hamilton Middlebury Wesleyan Williams

0 0 0 0 0

0 0 0 0 0

0 7 5 0 0 8 0 8 4 0 10 6 0 2 8

0 0 0 0 0

Individual Statistics AVG HR RBI

Emily Johnson Jenna Abelli Casey Egan Lara Kozin Steph Perez Kerry Eaton Sterling Champion Kelly Hyland Kaitlyn Leidl Emily Pillemer Team

18 16 11 5 7 5 3 1 0 1 67

9 5 2 6 2 0 0 1 2 0 27

27 21 13 11 9 5 3 2 2 1 94

Ian Goldberg Alex Grzymala Dave LeResche Ben Walkley Sam Sager Frank Petrosky Chase Rose Corey Pontes Nate Bankoff David Orlowitz Team

.481 .429 .415 .400 .395 .391 .368 .368 .333 .265 .344

1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3

5 2 8 5 11 8 8 0 8 7 73

Goaltending Sara Bloom Tess Shapanka

GA 43 4

Sv 24 2

S% .358 .333

Pitching Pat O’Donnell Dave Ryan

W L ERA SO 2 0 1.76 14 1 0 4.86 12

Individual Statistics AVG HR RBI 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 4

6 5 8 7 14 1 6 0 4 0 51

Emily Beinecke Stefanie Tong Casey Sullivan Lena Cantone Christy Tinker Lizzy Iuppa Mira Lieman-Sifry Izzie Santone Julia Silberman Liz Pinzino Team

.483 .438 .410 .371 .357 .286 .281 .250 .229 .143 .313

Pitching Aly Moskowitz Izzie Santone

W L ERA SO 2 0 2.39 12 2 2 3.82 5

Ranking, team (No. 1 votes) 1. Gettysburg (16) 2. Stevenson (4) 3. Salisbury 4. Corland 5. Middlebury 6. Denison 7. Roanoke 8. Dickinson 9. Tufts

IWLCA Div. III Women’s Lax as of March 23, 2010

Ranking, team (No. 1 votes) 1. Salisbury (20) 2. Gettysburg 3. Franklin & Marshall 4. Hamilton 5. TCNJ 6. Trinity (Conn.)

7. Colby 8. Stevens 13. Tufts

NFCA Div. III Softball as of March 23, 2009

Ranking, team (No. 1 votes) 1. Louisiana College (8) 2. Texas-Tyler 3. East Texas Baptist 4. Messiah 5. Christopher Newport 6. Cortland State 7. Luther 8. Ohio Northern Also receiving votes: Tufts (16)

14

THE TUFTS DAILY

Monday, March 29, 2010

SPORTS

Tong, Sullivan, Beinecke all hit above .400 on spring trip to California SOFTBALL continued from page 16

chance came in the fourth inning, when singles by Tinker and freshman Emily Beinecke left runners on the corners with one out. But Radcliffe weaved out of the inning unscathed by inducing a pop fly followed by a groundout.

While DiBiase settled down after the first, allowing only one more run for the rest of the game, the damage had already been done. Radcliffe completed a five-hit shutout, not allowing a single walk, and St. Thomas took the game 3-0.

The Jumbos began the week by taking their first four contests, outscoring the opposition 36-10. Sullivan was at the heart of the offense, scoring eight total runs while ripping two doubles, two triples and a home run. Beinecke also got off to a fast start, and her three-run double, the difference in Tufts’ opening day 5-3 victory over La Sierra, contributed to earning her the first NESCAC Player of the Week honors.

“It felt great to come out and win our first four games,” Sullivan said. “Our team has a lot of potential this year, and I think that we showed that offensively in those games.”

The low point of the trip occurred during a break from the Sun West Tournament, when the squad headed to Claremont, Calif. The Jumbos dropped both games of a doubleheader, losing to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 2-0 and then to Redlands 6-1. Both teams had already played almost 20 games, and the difference in in-game action showed.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps had two pitchers combine for a three-hit shutout, making the most of two first-inning runs given up by senior Stefanie Tong.

Redlands, on the other hand, belted its way to a win. Deep into a 1-1 game, the Bulldogs figured out Santone, exploding for five runs on seven hits in the bottom of the sixth.

“It was great for us to see some great pitching, since doing well against it will be a key for us to make it out of Regionals again,” Tong said. “We were definitely getting on base, but we weren’t able to string together a series of hits.”

While the Jumbos roster has experienced turnover, their offense looks just

JAMES CHOCA/ TUFTS DAILY

After a stellar 2009 season in which they finished fourth in the nation, the Jumbos are off to a relatively slow start to this year’s campaign, posting a 7-5 record over the course of their spring break trip. as strong as ever. Beinecke leads the team with a .483 batting average, an impressive feat for any player, let alone one playing her first collegiate year.

“Emily has been great,” Tong said.

“She walked through the doors as a freshman and not only is she a good hitter, but she also picks the right pitches to hit. She has also been doing well on the field, and has really filled the hole left by the seniors. I think she is going to be a great contributor to the team.”

Tong, who last year as a pitcher had nine appearances in the circle and zero at bats, and Sullivan are hitting well above .400 as well. Sullivan leads the

team with 16 hits, a pair of home runs, and a slugging percentage of .795, while Tinker has knocked in 14.

“There were definitely a lot of positives to come away from this week with,” Sullivan said. “We are a young team, but we showed in a few spots how much offensive potential we have.”

However, Tufts has struggled to find consistency with its pitching.

The Jumbos have used five different pitchers and have a team ERA of 3.86.

Moskowitz has been a high point in her four appearances, boasting a 2-0 record with a 2.39 ERA. But if the Jumbos hope to succeed, the overall depth pitching

will need to improve.

Tufts will get its first chance to do just that tomorrow in its home opener, a doubleheader against Babson.

The Beavers come in at 8-8 and the game serves as an opportunity for the Jumbos to get settled in before conference play.

“We had a lot to learn from our spring training trip,” Tong said. “I think we realized some of the things we really need to work on. It’s nice to be back home and be able to practice on the same field we are going to be playing on. We will definitely be looking to improve before Tuesday.”

Tufts visits non-conference Babson before going to NESCAC foe Wesleyan MEN’S LACROSSE continued from page 16

JAMES CHOCA/TUFTS DAILY

Junior Matt Witko scored four goals, including the game-winner with just over five minutes left, in No. 9-ranked Tufts’ 10-9 win over Williams at home on Saturday.

the fourth quarter on a goal by junior Mark Squicciarino.

But with 3:54 left in the game, Hessler notched the gamewinning goal off of a pass from junior Alec Bialosky.

The Jumbos maintained the lead for a 10-9 victory, with Tufts sophomore Steven Foglietta making 12 saves, including five in the final quarter. Hessler and sophomore Sean Kirwan both finished the game with three goals.

“We just stayed with our plan, stuck to the basics and maintained our confidence,” Kirwan said. “We worked hard in the off-season, and prepared ourselves for the difficult situations in practice.”

On Wednesday, after trailing 9-7 at halftime against a stout Skidmore defense, the Jumbos regrouped to win 15-10 at Hofstra University’s Shuart Stadium in spring break action. Tufts took the reins on the game in the second half, outscoring the Thoroughbreds 8-1. McCormick took over offensively in the third quarter, rattling off a spurt of two goals and one assist to classmate Kirwan.

“We prepare for real game situations in practice, so we are ready for the same situations whether we are behind or ahead” McCormick said.

“Tough situations really never get the best of us.”

In the fourth quarter, Tufts

notched goals from five different players to seal the win.

Petillo, who had entered the game in the third quarter, ended the game with six saves, including four in the final period.

“Both goalies have been playing well, but it was coach’s [Mike Daly’s] decision [to bring Petillo in],” Kirwan said.

“Petillo stepped up, and that’s exactly what we needed him to do.”

“Coach often says to be ready when your chance comes,” Petillo added. “Going into the game in the second half, I was focused strictly on being ready.

It helps mentally to go through the games like we have played.

Coming back after being down and maintaining a lead are real tests of mental fortitude.”

The spring break victories pushed the Jumbos’ record to 5-0 overall, including an unblemished 3-0 in conference play. With the win over Williams, the squad remains atop the NESCAC standings and will take on Wesleyan on the road this Saturday. The important thing, though, will be staying focused.

“It was a busy week; there was something intense planned all week long. The trip was a nice chance to be together and to keep everyone focused. It was something that we all signed up for,” Petillo said. “Coach tells us that we have a target on our backs, and that is something we relish.”

THE TUFTS DAILY

Monday, March 29, 2010

15

SPORTS

MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING TRACK AND FIELD

Three Jumbos win at Jerry Gravel Classic

SCOTT TINGLEY/TUFTS DAILY

Senior Patrick Kinsella was part of the 200-yard medley relay that finished in eighth place at the NCAA Championships and was the only fourth-year who swam at Nationals.

Jumbos finish 18th at Div. III Nationals BY

BEN KOCHMAN

Daily Editorial Board

Nine men’s swimmers and one diver capped off a grueling season with an impressive result at the Div. III National Championships, held this year at Minnesota University’s Aquatic Center from March 17-20.

All 10 Jumbo performers went home as either All-Americans or honorable mention All-Americans, and the team overall finished in 18th place — the second-highest finish in coach Adam Hoyt’s six-year tenure.

The top Tufts performance came in the 200-yard medley relay, where a team of senior Patrick Kinsella, juniors Michael Del Moro and Zed Debbaut and sophomore Owen Rood reached All-American status by finishing in seventh place in the prelims with a time of 1:31.89 — approximately a half-second faster than the time posted three weeks earlier at the NESCAC Championships — and subsequently a 1:32.29 finish in the final that was good enough for eighth place.

“We went consistently with our times at NESCACs … though in the morning we swam a bit faster,” Kinsella said. “At night we went slower, but in these kinds of races it’s a difference of a touch, or an exchange, that makes all of the difference.”

Three other Tufts relays finished in honorable mention All-American position at NCAAs, including the 200-yard freestyle relay team of Rood, Kinsella, junior Gordy Jenkins and sophomore E.J. Testa that was only one tenth of a second away from qualifying for the finals and ultimately finished in 11th place with a time of 1:23.68.

“That was a little of a rough swim for some people, and as a whole we weren’t on the mark that we wanted to be, so we missed the final heat by a tenth of a second,” Jenkins said. “But we knew that it was going to be a shootout, and while we wanted to be third or fourth, 11th place isn’t bad.”

The other two Tufts relay teams to earn honorable mentions were the 400-yard medley relay team of Kinsella, Del Moro, who is also a news editor for the Daily, Debbaut and Rood, and the 800-yard free-

style relay unit of Kinsella, Testa, and juniors Andrew Altman and David Meyer.

The sole male diver at the Championships, senior quad-captain Rob Matera, ended his Tufts career with an honorable-mention performance in the 3-meter diving event, scoring 361.65 in the consolation final to finish 16th overall.

The nine Tufts swimmers who went to Nationals composed one of the bigger teams to head to NCAAs in recent memory, according to Kinsella and Hoyt, and the top20 finish is encouraging for a program that hopes to continue to improve.

“Coach told us that we were the second-largest squad we have ever sent to Nationals,” Kinsella said. “And people thought we would do well, but finishing 18th is very impressive.”

The top-20 performance from Tufts was especially remarkable given that the team had to quickly recover from the huge NESCAC Championship meet only three weeks earlier. For those who had trained all

For senior Jesse Faller, the beginning of the outdoor track and field season simply marked the continuation of his already impressive final season for the Jumbos.

Faller, who garnered All-American honors for the winter season in March at the NCAA Championship meet in the 5,000-meter run, scored two victories in shorter, outdoor races at Westfield State College’s Jerry Gravel Classic this Saturday, surging to wins in both the 800- and 1,500-meter races.

Faller took the 800 with a time of 1:56.22, edging out Wesleyan senior Chris Coleman at the finish line by .07 seconds. He also won the 1,500 by .86 seconds, earning 20 points for Tufts’ 35 points in the overall team standings, which gave the Jumbos a seventh-place finish at the meet.

Junior Alex Greshman, who one week prior came in 11th at Northeastern University’s Husky Spring Open, came in third place in the hammer throw at Westfield State, ringing in as the top Div. III finisher with a 166’7” hurl. The Jumbos also received a fourth-place finish from freshman long jumper Gbola Ajayi, who leaped 20’7”, the best Div. III mark at the meet.

On the women’s side, junior Amy Wilfert and first-year Kelly Allen came away with wins in the 1,500-meter race and the discus, respectively.

Wilfert cruised to victory in her race, winning by nearly four seconds in a 4:44.97 time, while Allen’s best discus toss of 134’8” won by a foot.

Additionally, Allen came in third in the shot put and fifth in the hammer throw. Junior Kanku Kabongo rang in third in the long jump, while senior Julia Feltus took fourth in the shot put, helping the Jumbos come away with 44 points, good enough for sixth place overall.

On March 20 at the Husky Spring Open, Feltus smashed her own program record in the hammer throw, hurling eight inches further than her previous mark of 147’10” set last year at the NESCAC meet. Allen also came in fourth in both the shot put and discus throw at Northeastern.

The Jumbos will be in action next when they host the Snowflake Classic this Saturday on the Ellis Oval.

—by Alex Prewitt

see MEN’S SWIM AND DIVE, page 13

Athletes of the Week JENNA ABELLI, WOMEN’S LACROSSE With the prospect of defeating perennial rival Williams for the first time since 1995 looming on Saturday, senior co-captain Jenna Abelli scored six goals and added one assist to help the Jumbos cruise to a 17-7 victory on the road, their first win versus the Ephs in 17 tries dating back 15 years.

Thirteenth-ranked Tufts improved to 3-2 on the season with the win, which saw Abelli score four of her goals on free position shots, including two to open up the second half, which turned a four-goal game into a near-blowout. She also scored a pair toward the end of the first half, giving Tufts an eight-goal lead before Williams went on a four-goal run to close out the half.

Last spring, when the Jumbos went 16-3 and made it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament, two of those three losses came to Williams. This year, thanks to Abelli, Tufts is off to a fast start. Abelli’s six-goal outburst gave the Jumbos their largest margin of victory over the Ephs since they won by 13 in 1986.

On the year, Abelli is second on the team with 16 goals and 21 points.

VIRGINIA BLEDSOE/TUFTS DAILY

DAVE LERESCHE & SAM SAGER, BASEBALL Off to its best start since 2000 with an 8-2 record on its spring trip, the baseball team can largely thank junior tricaptain Dave LeResche and sophomore Sam Sager for its fast start. The left side of the infield has combined for 35 total hits on the spring trip, which catalyzed a rejuvenated offensive attack that posted 17 hits in a game on three separate occasions.

The Jumbos scored double-digit runs four times on the trip, most recently in a 10-0 blasting of Virginia Wesleyan on Sunday. LeResche, a shortstop, is hitting a .404 clip with 16 runs scored, which ranks him first on the team. Sager, additionally, is hitting a shade below .400 and has a team-leading 12 RBI. Both LeResche and Sager are continuing the strong offensive effort they showed last season. LeResche led the team with a .376 average and a .541 slugging percentage, which included 12 doubles and two home runs, while Sager, in his first year, was third with a .333 average.

DAILY FILE PHOTO

Sports

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INSIDE Men’s Swimming and Diving 15 Track and Field 15 Athletes of the Week 15

tuftsdaily.com

MEN’S LACROSSE

Ninth-ranked Jumbos grind out three close spring break wins BY

ADAM MANDELL

Daily Staff Writer

Instead of spending its spring break lounging on the beach and sunbathing, the men’s lacrosse team swept a threegame slate against three tough opponents. The intense schedule began on March 20 in a game against a Colby squad that had lost to the Jumbos twice last season and ended with a crucial 10-9 squeaker at home versus Williams.

The Tufts squad returned home after a long week with one final date on its spring break agenda: last Saturday’s against Williams at Bello Field. The Jumbos’ home opener was a nail-biter; although Tufts never trailed Williams, they never led the Ephs by more than two goals. “[The Williams game] is always a big rivalry game; I still remember being knocked out of the conference playoffs by them my freshman year,” junior goalie Bryan Petillo said. “We knew it was going to be a dogfight. We expected that. Every game from here on out is a big game.”

After many lead changes in the first half, junior D.J. Hessler netted a quick goal early in the third to put the Jumbos up 6-4. Williams came back to tie it again, with junior Corey Jacobs scoring his second of the game at 6:21 to push it to a 6-6 stalemate. The Jumbos offered a swift reply, finding the net twice more as senior Jamie Atkins scored and assisted for an 8-6 lead at the end of third quarter.

Williams junior Matt Cranshaw assisted consecutive goals to senior Richard Reuter and junior Mike Ryan to bring the two teams back to a deadlock at nine apiece, before Tufts junior Matt Witko scored the game-winner with less

JAMES CHOCA/TUFTS DAILY

Junior Tom Butterfield-Bragg and the Jumbos are one of two undefeated NESCAC teams this year with a perfect 5-0 mark. than six minutes left to play.

In the final few minutes of the game, Petillo made three key saves to deny a Williams response. Petillo and Ephs senior goalie Stephen Vrla both finished with 14 saves. Tufts narrowly edged Williams on a 39-36 in ground

balls, while face-off wins favored the visitors 12-9.

“It was tough throughout the entire game; they stayed with us the entire time, but finally we were able to finish it,” sophomore Kevin McCormick said. “The games we played were the

toughest so far this season. Having no distractions during the break helps us prepare for the rest of the season.”

The contest went back and forth until Colby evened the score at 9-9 late in see MEN’S LACROSSE, page 14

SOFTBALL

WOMEN’S LACROSSE

Abelli, Jumbos smack Ephs for first Jumbos go 7-5 on West Coast trip win versus Williams in 15 years BY

ANNIE SLOAN

Daily Staff Writer

With two NESCAC losses under its belt, the women’s lacrosse team was eager for a win against Williams College on Saturday. Tufts’ determination was clear from the start, as the Jumbos scored the first five goals of the game, leading to a 17-7 victory at Williams’ Renzie Lamb Field.

“It was one of our team goals this year to beat Williams,” senior co-captain Jenna Abelli said. “It felt really good because they knocked us out of the NESCAC tournament last year in overtime. We went into this game really mentally focused and pumped up. We spent a lot of spring break getting to know each other, and so we were ready for the game as a team.

Excitement levels were very high and I think that showed on the field.”

The game marked the first time Tufts has beaten Williams since 1995, a span which includ-

SPRING BREAK IN REVIEW

ed 17 consecutive defeats at the hands of its bitter conference rival. The Jumbos ended last season with just three losses, two of which were narrow defeats against Williams by scores of 15-13 and 11-10.

This weekend’s victory was a team effort led by Abelli, who scored six goals, and senior cocaptain Alyssa Kopp, who tallied six ground balls and four draw controls. Sophomore Steph Perez, sophomore Lara Kozin and senior Emily Johnson each contributed two goals, while junior Sara Bloom had four saves in goal.

The Jumbos jumped out to a 5-0 lead by the 18:00 minute mark of the first half, which was then promptly met by Williams junior Anne Marie Burke, who scored the Ephs’ first goal 14 minutes into the first half. Tufts, though, answered with four straight goals to give the Jumbos a 9-1 lead with under six minutes left before the break. In that time, Williams was able to score three goals, as Tufts entered the

intermission with a 9-4 lead.

Williams’ momentum carried over to the second half when sophomore Meera Sivalingam scored just 39 seconds into the half. Tufts again countered Williams’ momentary success, though, by scoring five more straight goals, the first three from free position shots.

“Though we had a large lead going into the second half, it’s important not to think that you’re winning. We had to stay very focused,” Abelli said. “In the NESCAC you can come back from a five-goal deficit really easily. I didn’t feel confident until we were up by eight or nine and time was winding down.”

The Jumbos outshone the Ephs both defensively and offensively, outshooting them 31-14 and allowing eleven fewer turnovers.

The team was not as successful in its NESCAC match at home versus Colby earlier in the week on March 20. The Jumbos led for see WOMEN’S LACROSSE, page 12

BY

ETHAN STURM

Senior Staff Writer

The softball team began its season with a rocky trip to the West Coast over spring break.

After winning their first four games, the Jumbos dropped five of their next eight, including two tough losses to national powerhouses Cal Baptist and St. Thomas.

Tufts ended the trip on a high note with a 5-2 victory over Hamline in its most recent game on Saturday. Trailing 1-0 after the first frame, Tufts immediately went to work on Hamline senior pitcher Jessalyn Weaver. The Jumbos led off the inning with backto-back singles, and senior co-captain Casey Sullivan stepped to the plate with two on and none out. She made the most of the opportunity, slamming a three-run home run and giving the Jumbos a 3-1 lead.

In the circle, freshman Aly Moskowitz gave up one

more run in the second before handing the ball over to sophomore Izzie Santone with a 3-2 lead. Santone, who posted a 21-1 record with a 1.13 ERA last season, was lights out the rest of the way, giving up only two hits in five shutout innings. The Jumbos added two more runs in the fifth on a two-out, two-run double by senior co-captain Christy Tinker and cruised to a 5-2 victory.

“It was important to leave [California] on a positive note,” Sullivan said.

Earlier in the day, Tufts struggled to handle St. Thomas’ senior pitcher Marta Radcliffe. The Tommies jumped out early on freshman pitcher Rebecca DiBiase, as a pair of one-out hits in the first inning led to two early runs after a groundout and a single brought both runners home.

The Jumbos’ best scoring see SOFTBALL, page 14

BASEBALL: TUFTS 15, LYNCHBURG 11 - TUFTS 9, WASHINGTON & LEE 5 - TUFTS 7, GUILFORD 3 - TUFTS 9, AVERETT 1 - GREENSBORO 17, TUFTS 3 - METHODIST 16, TUFTS 8 - TUFTS 11, N.C. WESLEYAN 4 - TUFTS 6, APPRENTICE 4 - TUFTS 16, APPRENTICE 12 - TUFTS 10, VIRGINIA WESLEYAN 0. SOFTBALL: TUFTS 5, LA SIERRA 3 - TUFTS 9, LA SIERRA 0 (6 INN.) - TUFTS 10, ST. MARY’S (MINN.) 0 (5 INN.) - TUFTS 12, LEWIS & CLARK 7 CLAREMONT MUDD-SCRIPPS 2, TUFTS 0 - REDLANDS 6, TUFTS 1 - AZUSA PACIFIC 7, TUFTS 1 - TUFTS 5, AZUSA PACIFIC 0 - TUFTS 10, SAINT OLAF 8 - CAL BAPTIST 9, TUFTS 1 - SAINT THOMAS (MINN.) 3, TUFTS 0 - TUFTS 5, HAMLINE 2. MEN’S LAX: TUFTS 10, COLBY 9 - TUFTS 15, SKIDMORE 10 - TUFTS 10, WILLIAMS 9. WOMEN’S LAX: COLBY 11, TUFTS 9 - TUFTS 20, BUFFALO STATE 13 - TUFTS 17, WILLIAMS 7. MEN’S TENNIS: TUFTS 6, PUERTO RICO-MAYAGUEZ 3 - VASSAR 8, TUFTS 1. WOMEN’S TENNIS: TUFTS 8, NORTHWOOD (FLA.) 1 - LYNN 6, TUFTS 3 - TUFTS 5, NOVA SOUTHEASTERN 4 - BARRY 8, TUFTS 1 - CORNELL 7, TUFTS 4