2010-10-19

Partly Cloudy 60/43

THE TUFTS DAILY

TUFTSDAILY.COM

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2010

VOLUME LX, NUMBER 28

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Proposed Somerville plan threatens some businesses BY

ALEXANDRA BOGUS

Daily Editorial Board

A city-led proposal to overhaul parts of Somerville and drive private investment to the area has garnered strong criticism from many community members for its plans to uproot a number of mainstay local businesses.

The District Improvement Financing (DIF) plan, presented to Somerville residents in a public hearing on Sept.

15, is a 30-year financing mechanism to improve the city’s infrastructure, roadways and appearance in an effort to attract business investors.

If approved, the DIF would allow the city to acquire up to 35 private and commercial properties through negotiated sale or eminent domain. Among locations listed for potential acquisition are a number of local, familyowned businesses that have existed in the city for decades.

The DIF, which requires approval by Somerville’s Board of Aldermen and the state before its implementation, would revamp close to 20 percent of the city’s land area, focusing on mainly underdeveloped areas in Union Square, Boynton Yards and several other parts of the city.

The project seeks to make these underutilized areas more vibrant urban centers.

“The principle goal is to open up the opportunity areas for new private development,” Monica Lamboy, the executive director of the city’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD), told the Daily.

The OSPCD has spearheaded the plan.

The areas selected for improvement are predominantly near the proposed route of the Green Line extension project, Lamboy said. see DIF, page 2

DAILY FILE PHOTO

Lawrence Bacow will step down as university president at the end of this academic year. His successor is expected to be announced by the end of December.

The art of the search: A look at the quest for a new president BY

MARTHA SHANAHAN Daily Editorial Board

JODI BOSIN/TUFTS DAILY

Patrons relax at the Bloc 11 Cafe in Somerville’s Union Square. A city revitalization plan targets the Union Square area, among others, for development.

The Tufts community will learn the identity of the next resident of Gifford House by the start of next semester, as administrators confirm that the search for the university’s next president, a procedure largely kept under wraps, is on schedule and set to conclude by the end of 2010.

A search committee of 13 people, including alumni, faculty members, administrators and one student, is working this fall to shortlist three or four final candidates for the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees to interview, according to an e-mail sent in June to the Tufts community from Presidential Search Committee Chair Peter Dolan (A ’78).

The Executive Committee will then make its final recommendation to the full Board of Trustees, which will make a decision by the end of this year, accord-

ing to the e-mail from Dolan, who is also the vice chair of the Board of Trustees.

Director of Public Relations Kim Thurler said that the search was on track to meet this deadline.

“The committee and board have always said the goal was to complete the process by the end of the year, and that is still the expectation,” she said in an e-mail to the Daily.

Students will have to be kept in suspense until then, however. Thurler said that the search committee will not release further updates about possible candidates until it has arrived at a final decision.

“I would not anticipate any announcements regarding finalists,” she said.

Searching for a leader University President Lawrence Bacow announced in February that he would retire as president at the end of the 2010-11 academic year after completing see PRESIDENT, page 2

Falling Whistles director to speak about the DRC, child soldiers BY

MONICA MOWERY Daily Staff Writer

The Interfraternity Council (IFC) tonight will host Sean Carasso, the founder and chief executive officer of Falling Whistles, a non-profit organization that works to raise awareness about the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

The conflict is estimated to have resulted in the deaths of more than 6 million people over the past decade. In particular, Falling Whistles aims to spotlight the use of children as soldiers in the conflict and raise awareness about their plight.

The organization also directly addresses the issue by raising funds for a child soldier rehabilitation program.

Carasso will speak at the event alongside Yves Muya, a Congolese refugee and activ-

ist. The event, to take place at 7:30 p.m. in Barnum 008 is part of Falling Whistles’ ongoing nationwide tour to raise awareness about the conflict in the DRC. The organization will visit more than 30 cities on its current tour, which has been on the road since Sept. 7.

Representatives from the organization visited the Massachusetts Institute of Technology last night, according to Falling Whistles Intern Paula Trues.

“The whole tour is about building relationships and trust with community members and create a coalition of people who care about this issue,” Trues told the Daily. “In other areas, we have retail events and go to middle schools and high schools.”

Tonight’s event will include a video screening about the conflict in the DRC and the children living there.

“Falling Whistles visits community centers, colleges and high schools to talk about the conflict, how it affects our world and what we can do about it,” senior Megan Kono, one of the event’s organizers, said. Kono heard about the organization’s work last year and played a role in bringing Carasso to Tufts in the spring under the sponsorship of Alpha Tau Omega of Massachusetts (ATO), of which she is a member.

Kono said Falling Whistles also aims to raise awareness about “conflict-zone materials,” which include elements built into cell phones and other electronics.

Buying products that incorporate these materials can indirectly contribute to fueling the conflict, she said.

Kono said that the organizers reached out to relevant departments at Tufts to publicize the

COURTESY PAULA TRUES

see WHISTLES, page 2

Yves Muya, left, and Sean Carasso will speak at the Falling Whistles event tonight in Barnum 008.

Inside this issue

Today’s Sections

The newest biopic of John Lennon paints a relatable picture of the iconic artist’s adolescent years.

The women’s soccer team downs Trinity to notch its fifth consecutive shutout.

see ARTS, page 5

see SPORTS, page 11

News Features Arts | Living Editorial | Letters

1 3 5 8

Op-Ed Comics Sports Classifieds

9 10 11 15

THE TUFTS DAILY

2

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

NEWS

Interfraternity Council-sponsored event aims to raise awareness about conflict in the DRC

Local businesses express concern over Somerville plan

WHISTLES

DIF

continued from page 1

event, including the Peace and Justice Studies Program, the Department of Political Science and the International Relations Program. They also contacted the Institute for Global Leadership (IGL) and student groups.

IFC Vice President of Philanthropy Emily Shaw, who is also the president of ATO, also helped organize the event.

“We started talking to Falling Whistles in the middle of September and made sure they came to this area and were going to speak at Tufts,” Shaw, a junior, said.

Shaw expects the event to draw a crowd. “We’re expecting a decent turnout,” she said.

“A lot of people who were told about the event were really excited and want to come.”

The IFC has an ongoing relationship with Falling Whistles,

according to Shaw.

“We’re also looking to have another speaker come in November,” Shaw said. “Our big plan for this year is to help each other out and create a more supportive Greek system.”

Trues highlighted the dynamic nature of Falling Whistles.

“It’s been really cool to be a part of an organization that’s growing, especially to see how much it changes over a month,” Trues said.

Search-process veterans offer insights on selecting a new university president PRESIDENT continued from page 1

a 10-year tenure.

The search committee, which convened in February, is using the executive search firm Isaacson, Miller to field applicants to fill the position, according to Dolan’s e-mail.

The firm also worked with Tufts on the search that led to Bacow’s appointment in 2001.

John Isaacson, founder of Isaacson, Miller, is personally managing the search, Chair of the Board of Trustees James Stern (E ’72) said in an e-mail to the Tufts community in February.

Isaacson said his firm is working to field applicants in a way that will make the process more manageable for the search committee.

“We are like a specialized staff to the search committee with an expertise developed out of long involvement in this kind of work,” Isaacson said in an e-mail to the Daily.

“They are the decision-makers,” he continued. “Our task is to make their job easier by giving them more information on a schedule and presented in a way that makes them more, not less efficient.”

Stephen Joel Trachtenberg, chairman of the Education Specialty Practice at the executive search firm Korn/Ferry, said universities usually work with search firms to reduce the applicant pool based on resumes and letters of interest.

“Universities increasingly hire using search firms,” he told the Daily. “It usually means they can find candidates they might not themselves be able to get their hands on.”

Trachtenberg is particularly familiar with the process behind searching for a university president. He stepped down as president of The George Washington University in 2007, and is a coeditor of the book “The Art of Hiring in America’s Colleges and Universities” (1993).

Trachtenberg said that narrowing down the list of candidates is a nuanced process.

“The search for a leader is very daunting,” he said. “You start with 100, and then you cut it to 40, and you’re working your way toward a group small enough to interview in two days.”

Above all, though, the final choice comes down to a gut judgment, he said.

“You’ve done the background check, and ultimately, you make the choice. It’s a very human process. It is not a science; it’s an art,” he said.

Isaacson, Miller submitted advertisements for the position to publications such as the Chronicle of Higher Education and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, according to Thurler.

OLIVER PORTER/TUFTS DAILY

Gifford House, the residence of the university president, will have a new occupant next year.

Presidential timber The quality of the candidates for the position has impressed the search committee thus far, Thurler told the Daily in an interview.

A description of the position, outlined in a document posted on the presidential search website, calls for candidates who will remain committed to sustaining Tufts’ “diverse and inclusive community,” retaining an “increasingly distinguished faculty,” building upon philanthropic efforts and maintaining the university’s commitment to the study of the life sciences.

Among other qualifications, the document calls for someone who has served as a “strategic leader of a highly complex organization,” as well as an individual who has an extensive understanding of academic values and culture.

The qualities desired in university presidential candidates vary depending on the university’s long- and short-term goals, Trachtenberg said.

“At different times you need different kinds of people,” he said. “You develop your criteria and what you’re looking for, and then you decide how you’re going to run the campaign.”

Tufts’ status as an established research institution, he said, will affect how the committee approaches the search process.

“It’s different from being president of an up-and-coming university,” he said. “There’s more maintenance and less creativity involved.”

Still, Trachtenberg believes the university is looking to gain from fresh leadership skills.

“Inevitably, Tufts wants to be bigger … and better, and so they’re going to want someone who will take them in that direction and help them with what they want to accomplish,” he said.

Thurler said that the search committee is considering an international pool of applicants from both academic and nonacademic sectors, but Trachtenberg believes that the

group will most likely draw from academia during the later stages of its search.

Joe Onstott, founder and managing director at Wellesleybased executive search firm The Onstott Group, envisioned that the search would probably produce a pool of candidates who are not currently working in Massachusetts.

“Looking at other area schools, my guess is the person would come from outside Massachusetts,” he told the Daily. “It’s unlikely that they’ll pull someone from one of the other Massachusetts colleges or universities.”

Thurler maintained that the search committee has been drawing from the views of the entire Tufts community in discharging its mandate.

The search committee held open forums on campus in April to garner student input for the selection process. It also conducted a number of “listening tours” on the Medford/Somerville, Boston and Grafton campuses that were open to the entire Tufts community.

“The search committee had been inviting the feedback from the Tufts community when the committee was doing the listening tours,” she said in the interview.

Input from a university community can provide a useful “quality of optics,” but conflicting opinions can complicate such discussions, Trachtenberg said.

“By the time you get through all the things that people are looking for, they are all mutually inconsistent,” he said. “If you satisfy this person, you’re going to dissatisfy the other.”

Typically, Trachtenberg said, once presidential search committees have narrowed down the field down to two options, they will visit the candidates’ current campuses to speak to people about the impact they have made in their current position.

“It does get you a confidence factor if you talk to people who know the candidate,” he said.

The plan’s approval, however, is far from certain. The Board of Aldermen’s Finance Committee held a hearing on the DIF on Oct. 6, but the body does not expect to make a decision within the next several months, according to Board of Aldermen President John Connolly.

“It’s much too early to even begin to establish a timeline,” Connolly told the Daily.

“There’s a lot of talk to happen first.”

application lists a performing arts center planned for 237 Washington St., a location currently occupied by a post office.

The DIF application expresses the city’s plans to use the land of 17 of the other listed properties in Union Square for a public parking garage. Lamboy said the city needed to increase its parking facilities because of a Union Square program that allows property developers to pay the city in lieu of providing parking on their own sites.

Owners unaware of eminent domain possibility One of the major concerns among the aldermen, Connolly said, was the lack of communication between the city and business owners whose properties were targeted in the DIF. “Right now, myself and my colleagues don’t get the impression that the business owners were very closely involved,” he said. “They just got a benign letter, a cavalier notice.”

John Eleftherakis, the owner of John’s Auto Sales in Somerville, told the Daily that before the September public hearing neither he nor many of the other storeowners received notice from the OSPCD that the city had named their properties on the eminent domain list.

“No personal contact whatsoever,” Eleftherakis said.

Instead, he received a call from Stephen Mackey, the president and CEO of the Somerville Chamber of Commerce, a business association independent of the city government; Mackey was the first to notify him that his store might be in jeopardy.

Mackey told the Daily that many of the businesses he called were aware neither of the hearing nor that their properties could potentially be acquired by the city under the proposal.

He believed that OSPCD sent letters to all property owners in the city notifying them of the hearing, but that they had refrained from mentioning which properties were targeted for possible acquisition.

“I still don’t know if for the first meeting they notified the people that were on the takings list that they were on the list,” Mackey said, adding that most of the owners he contacted were “stunned” after learning the news.

Under state regulations, if the city wishes to use DIF funds to acquire a property, it must specify in the DIF application any and all possible properties it could take, according to Lamboy.

“What has triggered concern is that we’ve put down on a piece of paper a list of properties,” she said. “None of those may happen,” as the city would try to negotiate with property owners first before relying on eminent domain, she added.

If a property is taken through the eminent domain mechanism, the city is obligated under federal and state law to help relocate the business, she said.

Eminent domain, she added, can only be claimed by a municipality if there is a public purpose behind the acquisition, like a plan to build a fire or police station.

In Somerville’s case, the DIF

Businesses on a ‘blacklist’ Ricky’s Flower Market, located at 238 Washington St., is one such property that could be acquired for the parking lot. A family-owned business, the store has been in Union Square for 22 years, according to owner Ricky DiGiovanni.

“This is who I am. This is what I do,” DiGiovanni told the Daily. “This is my livelihood.”

DiGiovanni said that the DIF’s proposal for Union Square could be beneficial to the community in the longterm, but said the project needed to be more thoughtout before it could become a reality.

“Updating and working to put a little more polish on the square is always a good thing, but … to be moving too big, too fast is sometimes not a good recipe,” he said.

Whether or not the properties are acquired through the DIF, simply being added to the list could prove detrimental, Connolly said. Banks might be less likely to give loans to these owners if they believe their properties have the chance of being acquired at some point, he said.

Eleftherakis called the acquisition list a “blacklist.”

“It basically blackballed these properties,” he said. “[It] just destroyed the value of my property by putting it on the list.”

Eleftherakis’ family-owned store, John’s Auto Sales, has been in business in Union Square for 65 years, he said.

“I’m loyal to my city. I love my city, but this is my livelihood,” he said.

Connolly said that the Board of Aldermen would heavily consider the affected business owners in deciding whether to approve the DIF. “We’re all going to be very apprehensive about how we proceed,” and are not in a rush to sideline businesses and long-term property owners who have helped shape the character of the city, he said.

Kofi Jones, a spokesperson for the state’s Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, said that the Economic Assistance Coordinating Council, the body responsible for approving DIFs at the state level, requires that transcripts of public hearings be submitted with the city’s DIF application.

“This is a locally driven program, so they will most certainly take it into consideration,” Jones told the Daily, referring to public-hearing testimony.

The DIF must pass Somer ville’s Board of Aldermen before making it to the state level.

“Right now, the DIF is an ‘if,’” Connolly said.

continued from page 1

Features

3

tuftsdaily.com

SAMANTHA JAFFE | EAST COAST, WEST COAST

Starbucks is always the same

B

TIEN TIEN/TUFTS DAILY

Cigarette culture hasn’t quite disappeared from the Hill, as some students say they still engage in social smoking.

Is campus cigarette culture extinct?

Students reflect on cigarette-smoking trends on the Hill BY

ALEXA SASANOW

Daily Editorial Board

It wasn’t long ago that the consummate image of the collegiate intellectual pictured the individual with an espresso in one hand and a cigarette in the other.

As more information is released about the long-term effects of smoking, however, it’s only natural to see a decline in the prevalence of this image on American university campuses.

Still, American smoking culture hasn’t completely gone up in flames — so why do some students find it near impossible to bum a cigarette on campus?

“The more educated people are, the less likely they are to smoke,” Edith Balbach, a senior lecturer in the Department of Community Health, said. “The mistake is to assume they’re smarter. One reason people smoke is that there’s a particular image that’s attached to cigarettes promoted by the tobacco industry with the help of

Hollywood. In much the same way people wear particular fashions, they think of the cigarette as an accessory. The problem is that it’s a highly addictive accessory. It’s not the nicotine that kills you — the nicotine keeps you addicted until the smoke does.”

The correlation between education and smoking habits is, as Balbach pointed out, significant. The American Heart Association reported that only 12 percent of the most educated group in America — those who have had 16 years of education or more — smoke cigarettes, compared to 35 percent of the least educated group.

This can be attributed to any number of things, an oft-mentioned possibility being increased awareness of tobacco’s effects.

Sophomore Anna Furman thinks Tufts’ near lack of cigarette smoking has to do with a combination of factors, mostly the particular historical moment in which we are living.

“There are so many things you can’t take control of in terms of your health,

and smoking is the easiest thing,” she said. “You just don’t do it. My grandpa died of lung cancer and his generation didn’t know; our generation knows, so why would we?”

While Furman is anti-cigarette smoke, she feels partaking in alcohol and marijuana consumption in moderation is okay, which is a common sentiment at Tufts, according to sophomore Kate Griffiths, herself a smoker.

Griffiths said that people on campus are quick to view cigarette smokers in a negative light but do not seem bothered by people’s choices to use other harmful, and often illegal, substances.

“I got yelled at in front of a frat once,” she said. “Some guy yelled at me, ‘Don’t smoke cigarettes — smoke weed,’ which seems to be the general mindset of the campus.”

That smoking tobacco is more harmful than smoking marijuana, however, is a see SMOKING, page 4

PROFILE | DAVE JICK

Dave’s Fresh Pasta’s namesake feeds stomachs and minds with the delicious, simple art of pasta-making

BY JON

CHENG

Daily Editorial Board

Many Tufts students may recognize the exterior facade of Dave’s Fresh Pasta through the window of the Joey as it hurtles from Davis Square through Teele Square. However, many have yet to step beyond the bold Comic Sans font-adorned awning and Christmas lights-bordered store front window into the crowded shop, which sells 29 different sandwiches and 19 varieties of fresh-cut pasta.

The man behind the 10-year-old business and its well-known namesake, Dave Jick, has had a soft spot for pasta ever since he started making it by hand during his youth.

“I decided to work in the food business during high school, through college and then after college,” Jick told the Daily. “And back then, I got interested in pasta and then making my own pasta, so I decided to give it a try.”

After graduating from the University of Michigan with a degree in economics, Jick opted out of going into finance to follow his passion. He ventured into the restaurant business by working as a waiter and a line cook. He soon realized, however, that working in a restaurant was not his cup of tea.

“The hours were long and [the kitchen] was always so hectic,” he said. “I didn’t really

want to work in restaurants for someone else for the rest of my life.”

So Jick put his academic business skills, coupled with his enthusiasm for making pasta, to better use.

“I sort of had this idea that I could [sell] wholesale pasta back in the 1980s — and this was before the beginning of the whole gourmet-pasta craze,” he said. “So I started a wholesale pasta business 25 years ago in the basement of my house.”

At just the right time, he said, popular demand for quality pasta increased drastically, and Jick recognized the need for a bigger space. So he moved shop to a cheap rental corner space in Arlington. The wholesale business soon expanded to a retail business, and when Jick made a large enough profit, he turned back to the restaurant business in 1995 — this time opening his own: Noodles in Cambridge, Mass.

Although the business was fairly successful, Jick confessed that restaurant life was, once again, a constant source of stress.

“I would never consider myself a chef, and I realized I couldn’t run a restaurant,” Jick said.

Five years later, he opened Dave’s Fresh Pasta in Davis Square and has never looked back. Jick has recently added certain new products to sell in the shop — like a fillet of

arctic char, iberico ham and five different types of organic peanut butter — but Dave’s is most famous for its pasta and sandwich dishes, and its sauces, made from scratch.

Many customers are devoted fans of Dave’s ravioli, which comes in 38 varieties, Jick said. He combines ingredients such as crab, sweet red pepper, shrimp, roasted fennel and Pansotti — a mix of Swiss chard, mustard greens and ravioli — to produce pouplar and unusual creations.

Jick attributes the shop’s more unconventional offerings to some of the restaurants and businesses with which he has been in contact.

“It was sort of an eclectic inspiration,” he said. “I taught myself and was inspired by flavors from restaurants. That’s what all chefs do: steal ideas and recipes.”

When it comes to his own taste buds, though, Jick embraces a more minimalist ideology — at least according to his definition of minimalism.

“I’m sort of a purist. I bring home a plain old egg fettuccine and I usually make a quick sauce at home based on olive oil, garlic and variations of a marinara sauce,” he said. “My favorite things with pasta are usually greens, like broccoli and Swiss chard.” see DAVE’S, page 4

ostonians have a rep for being buttoned-up and maybe a little severe. Honestly, I can’t blame them. Between having a winter that lasts for months, the Red Sox as an institution and the quality of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, I’d be cranky too. Watching the Celtics lose to the Lakers can’t have been fun. A heat wave that not only included high temperatures but also near-100 percent humidity doesn’t sound like a picnic either. We should all give them a break. There’s a lot to be cranky about.

But just because you’re cranky doesn’t mean you can take it out on the Californians. I endure some form of it every day. If I wear flip-flops in November, it’s “because she’s from California,” accompanied by an eye roll. If I say anything remotely dumb, same goes. I had a political science professor last semester who spent at least five minutes of every lecture making fun of California and Californians — of course, he was from Brooklyn.

My personal opinion is that all the California-bashing here at Tufts stems from jealousy. Yes, I’m biased. But I also have multiple friends — one in particular, she’s tall and loud and actually from Maryland, if you want to get technical — who desperately wish they were from the best state in the Union. Why? Well aside from the fact that we are — in general, there are exceptions to every rule — taller, tanner, more attractive and more athletically talented (11 of the 14 members of the women’s volleyball team is Californian, need I say more?), we’re also more relaxed. Everyone else wishes they could have ditched their last-period class during senior year of high school to go surfing. They turn positively green thinking about the fact that we could go to the beach in December. Shorts in the middle of January? Normal! Fresh avocados year-round? Always!

But I will admit, Boston has its charms. Public transportation, for one.

I’m from Los Angeles, the city of cars.

I had never been on a subway until I moved to Boston. Now I take the T just for the fun of it. Fall is another amazing perk. The changing leaves are gorgeous — as gorgeous as 75-degree sunshine with Santa Ana winds, which was October for me during my first 18 years on the planet.

Lack of pretension is also a part of the culture here in Boston. In Los Angeles, if you have money, influence or a family member in the entertainment industry, you flaunt it. Here, not so much. It’s more about what you say and what you do. That said, there is also the culture of families who came over on the Mayflower and own half of Connecticut, a house on the Cape and a yacht. But even that is significantly preferable to the children of movie stars and producers who fill Los Angeles and give the rest of us Californians a bad reputation. Other things I love about Boston, which many locals take for granted, are the squares. Davis, Porter, Harvard, Kendall, Copley. There’s a neighborhood vibe about them that I’ve never found anywhere else.

But somehow, in the 3,000 miles separating Boston and Los Angeles, there are some constants. Starbucks, for instance. Doesn’t matter what coast you’re on: The music, the lamps and the nonfat vanilla lattes are always the same, and that, even on the snowiest winter day, makes me feel at home.

Samantha Jaffe is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. She can be reached at Samantha.Jaffe@tufts.edu.

THE TUFTS DAILY

4

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

FEATURES

Amid changing social norms, cigarette smokers at Tufts experience ‘backlash’

Dave of Dave’s Fresh Pasta teaches Somerville the art of pasta-making

SMOKING

DAVE’S

continued from page 3

common misconception among college students. According to the American Lung Association, marijuana smoke contains a greater number of carcinogens than tobacco smoke.

“The problem you get with a joint is that the [marijuana] leaf is often not as finely ground, and you inhale deep into your lungs, and it’s the unburned particulate matter of a joint that is awful for your lungs,” Balbach said. “People don’t smoke marijuana the way they smoke cigarettes, but they also don’t smoke marijuana as long as they smoke cigarettes. The active ingredient in marijuana is not as addictive the way nicotine is.”

There are students at Tufts who do smoke cigarettes. Much of the subculture of smoking on campus has to do with the social aspect of the activity, sophomore Katy Kidwell, a smoker, said. She said that some groups of friends are simply more smokefriendly than others. Just as people sit outside and congregate around a hookah pipe, some students congregate outside of the library, dining halls and social events to take a break and have a cigarette.

“I also know a lot of people that don’t usually smoke, [who] when they’re drunk they ask me for a cigarette,” she said. “I feel like I encounter so many people that are pretty against it on campus, but in my group of friends, it’s so accepted and encouraged.

People offer me cigarettes if I’m sitting out with them and not smoking. I decided over the summer I was going to quit, but I have yet to have had three days here without smoking. I do it because it’s almost ingrained in my social life.”

Griffiths, who is from London, said she experiences much more backlash against her cigarette use at Tufts than she ever did at home.

“I guess I’m used to people being less judgmental because I’m international,” she

said. “People in London smoke a lot; it wasn’t unusual for me to be smoking when I was 16. Here, I just walk around and get dirty looks. You get a lot of people who are that person who list off all these facts why smoking is bad for you, but I know this, you don’t have to tell me this.”

Still, Griffiths said that while it’s incredibly common to see people smoking in London, the British are not ignorant about the dangers of tobacco.

“On the back of cigarette packs in England, sometimes there’s a picture of a dead fetus or a sperm that says it decreases fertility,” she said. “The grossest one I’ve seen is a chest cavity with a rotting heart. I was pretty surprised by how blatant it is, but people become jaded to it really quickly.”

Kidwell agreed and said that she’s never found anti-smoking advertising effective.

Balbach, who has conducted extensive research on the subject, said that the most important frontier in anti-smoking advertising is in the public service arena.

“The public campaigns are getting better and better. For years, they didn’t target the tobacco industry itself; it was all targeted at you and your behavior,” she said. “The campaigns have gotten much better at naming the industry and trying to hold it accountable.”

While the dangers of smoking cigarettes and marijuana are continually the subject of new research and information, though, one type of smoking that Balbach finds under-addressed is the semi-recent trend of smoking hookah, she said.

“It’s just as dangerous as smoking any other product. People think just because it’s cooled in the water that the carbon monoxide goes out of it, and it doesn’t,” she said. “[I] worry about the people who assume these things aren’t hazardous and worry that they won’t become compulsive or addictive. I think all those things are kind of dangerous. I’m a huge advocate of living a life of moderation.”

Better banking means better offers for students!

continued from page 3

Jick uses the same simple mindset when making his famous pasta. “There is nothing to it but good ingredients and no shortcuts,” he said.

Although kneading and laying out a handmade pasta’s dough does require a certain level of skill, mastering the art of pasta-making is really just a matter of practice, Jick explained. This is why he has begun to offer public classes and workshops on a regular basis. Hoping to draw in more culinary students, Jick uses a hands-on approach in his “classroom” and allows cooks-in-training to feast on their own pasta creations after his lessons.

Jick added that the relaxed atmosphere of the classes usually attracts a fairly large number of Tufts students but also appeals to experienced cooks who wish to improve their pasta-making skills. He hopes that the classes inspire some of his more serious students to break into the food business but, in the end, believes that the food business is really only a good fit for those with an active passion for the culinary arts.

“You’ve got to get into it in a handson way and really love it,” he said.

For the occasional cook, though, Jick offered a personal favorite recipe of his that’s not too difficult to prepare and that will appeal to any fan of Dave’s Fresh Pasta.

RECIPE | FROM THE KITCHEN OF DAVE JICK

Sauteed greens and prosciutto over black pepper fettuccini Ingredients 1 lb greens 1 lb fresh black pepper linguine 3 oz chopped prosciutto 6 cloves fresh garlic Red pepper flakes Parmesan cheese Extra-virgin olive oil Instructions 1. Pour a generous amount of extravirgin olive oil into a heavy saute pan.

2. Add three ounces of chopped prosciutto and saute over medium heat for five to seven minutes or until brown.

3. Chop six cloves of fresh garlic and saute with prosciutto over low heat in oil for three to four minutes or until nearly brown.

4. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes

to oil and saute for one minute.

5. Add one pound of greens (spinach, kale, Swiss chard or whatever you have), and cook until wilting.

6. Meanwhile, cook one pound of fresh black pepper linguine until still firm (approximately three minutes).

7. Add cooked pasta to greens, mix, add freshly grated parmesan cheese, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Open a new Student Banking Package.

Add great features.

GET UP TO $75* Get up to $75 and great student features! Now through November 12, 2010, students who open a Student Banking package—including Free Student Checking, Free Student Savings, Free Online Banking, and a Sovereign Debit Card—plus use the Debit Card to make 5 purchases within 60 days—get a $50 cash bonus!* Plus, set up and receive direct deposit into the account within 60 days of the account opening and get an additional $25 cash bonus! That’s a total of $75!* Get banking features created for students today! Stop by the nearest Sovereign Branch, call 1-877-SOV-BANK, or visit sovereignbank.com/75 today!

Santander Strong—Sovereign is part of Santander, the “Global Bank of the Year”† 1.877.SOV.BANK | sovereignbank.com/75

Sovereign Bank is a Member FDIC and a wholly owned subsidiary of Banco Santander, S.A. © 2010 Sovereign Bank | Sovereign and Santander and its logo are registered trademarks of Sovereign Bank and Santander, respectively, or their affiliates or subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Student Banking package is available for full-time and part-time students between the ages of 17 and 25 attending a college, university or other undergraduatelevel school. *In order to qualify for a cash bonus, you need to: (1) open a new Sovereign Free Student Checking account and a Sovereign Free Student Savings account, or have a pre-existing savings account, by 11/12/10, each with a minimum opening deposit of $10; (2) enroll in Online Banking at account opening; and (3) request a Sovereign Debit Card (“Debit Card”) and make 5 Debit Card purchases within 60 days after you open your account. When you qualify, you will receive a credit of $50 to your new checking account within 75 days of account opening. In addition, if you set up and receive a direct deposit within 60 days of account opening and fulfill the above requirements, you will receive an additional bonus of $25, which will be credited to your new checking account within 75 days after account opening. Maximum $75 bonus per customer. Checking account must be open to receive bonus. Annual percentage yield (APY) for Free Student Savings is 0.05% as of 9/1/10 and is subject to change at any time and after account opening. Fees may reduce earnings. The total amount of the bonus credited to your account will be reported to the IRS as interest on your Form 1099-INT for the year in which the bonus is paid. Current personal checking customers or anyone who has had a personal checking account with Sovereign Bank or any of its divisions in the last 6 months are not eligible for this offer. Cannot be combined with other personal checking offers. Offer available only to residents in the following states: ME, VT, NH, CT, RI, MA, NY, NJ, PA, WV, MD, DE, District of Columbia. Sovereign Team Members are not eligible for this offer. †According to The Banker, December 2009.

Arts & Living

5

tuftsdaily.com

BOOK REVIEW

McCarthy’s brutal masterpiece, ‘Blood Meridian,’ still shines after 25 years BY

MATTHEW WELCH

Daily Editorial Board

It takes a true genius to find beauty in utter tragedy. In “The Inferno,” Dante rendered a sweeping, breathing Hell that

Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West (25th anniversary edition) Cormac McCarthy

Random House, Inc. glowed with a beauty that stood at odds with the suffering it contained. In “Blood Meridian,” Cormac McCarthy brings the same desolate aesthetic to the U.S.Mexican border in the mid-19th century.

The book follows a group of American scalp hunters in their efforts to exterminate as many Apache tribes as possible.

Despite the grotesqueness of this premise, McCarthy delivers an intensely beautiful novel with a cultural relevance even greater on its 25th anniversary than its original publication in 1985. Any reader would be

hard-pressed to find a better American novel from the 20th century. To put it simply, “Blood Meridian” exceeds almost all of its peers in lyrical virtuosity, thematic richness and expertly written dialogue.

The story traces the exploits of “the kid,” the nameless teenage protagonist, as he joins the infamous Glanton Gang and mounts a lengthy campaign throughout Texas, Mexico and the American Southwest.

McCarthy takes little time to introduce the violence of the novel’s setting: The adolescent protagonist survives a gunshot to the chest within the first 10 pages and has murdered several people within the first 30.

As horrific as it sounds, the violence of the novel provides McCarthy with a platform for his immense descriptive talent.

Just before the first full-scale battle of the novel, McCarthy describes the nightmarish appearance of the Apache Indians in a wonderful polysyndetic sentence that lasts for two pages: “A legion of horribles, hundreds in number, half naked or clad in costumes attic or biblical or wardrobed out of a fevered dream with the skins of animals and silk finery … all the horsemen’s faces gaudy and grotesque with daubings like a company of mounted clowns, death hilari-

MOVIE REVIEW

Lennon biopic: A portrait of the artist as a young spirit

BY JOSEPH STILE

Daily Staff Writer

Sam Taylor-Wood’s “Nowhere Boy” is a surprisingly low-key drama about largerthan-life icon John Lennon’s adolescence

Nowhere Boy Starring Aaron Johnson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Anne-Marie Duff Directed by Sam Taylor-Wood in Liverpool. While watching the film, it is easy to forget that this troubled kid will become one of the most influential musicians of all time; the movie feels like a simple family drama that could be about the lives of any of the hundreds of teens dealing with similar growing pains.

The film feels like a refreshing antithesis to the hugely popular “Across the Universe” (2007), which features one elaborate musical number after another and makes passing references to Lennon’s career. “Nowhere Boy” avoids this route and instead creates a simple, characterdriven film that is much easier to connect with on an emotional level. The film takes a musical legend and shows him as

an insecure teenager, which most people have been at one time or another.

The movie focuses mostly on Lennon’s (Aaron Johnson) relationship with his mother (Anne-Marie Duff), who had abandoned him as a small child, leaving him with his responsible but cold Aunt Mimi (Kristin Scott Thomas), and on Lennon’s early discovery of rock ’n’ roll music. While this plot does tend toward the melodramatic at times, the small-scale look at Lennon’s life allows for earnestness to shine through.

Performances are key to making a film like this work, and Thomas and Duff anchor this picture as the two maternal figures in Lennon’s life.

Duff portrays Lennon’s biological mother as ditzy but with a nervous energy that is almost palpable. It feels like Duff’s character might fall apart during almost any scene, despite the smile and cheer she always wears. It would have been easy to vilify Lennon’s mother for being irresponsible and giving him up, but the film wisely sidesteps this, making her at once fragile and one of the few sources of fun in Lennon’s simple life.

Despite her obvious flaws, she was still the one who introduced Lennon to rock ’n’ roll and supported his music when others did not. see NOWHERE, page 6

Pure silliness

I CBC.CA

Cormac McCarthy’s ‘Blood Meridian’ celebrates its 25th anniversary with a new edition. ous, all howling in a barbarous tongue and riding down upon them like a horde from a hell more horrible yet than the brimstone land of Christian reckoning.”

The massive slaughter that follows seems all the more justified by McCarthy’s painstaking description of the Indians. As see BLOOD MERIDIAN, page 6

ALBUM REVIEW

‘The Rock and the Tide’ fails to blend new and old Radin BY

ANNA WILLIAMS

Contributing Writer

This is not Joshua Radin’s album.

At least, that’s the impression you get when you hit the play button. Radin’s

The Rock and the Tide Joshua Radin Mom and Pop Records new album, “The Rock and the Tide,” is like nothing he has produced before — and not necessarily in a good way.

Known for his “whisper rock,” Radin’s folk/pop music provides an alternative to the now popular alternative rock.

“The Rock and the Tide” is Radin’s third album. His previous two albums, “We Were Here” (2006) and “Simple Times” (2008), made him most recognizable for his novel voice, melancholic melodies and pensive lyrics.

Radin’s ascent to fame started when shows like “Scrubs” (2001-10) “House,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “One Tree Hill,” among others, included him on their soundtracks.

In his newest release, Radin provides an album that either echoes his music from the past or that stretches him to the brink of alternative rock and pop, so much so that he seems almost unrecognizable.

In the past, Radin has been compared with Nick Drake and Elliot Smith, but his new album aligns him more with Ke$ha and Muse. “Here We Go” sounds like it belongs in the depths of a sketchy nightclub rather than in a quiet café or in the background of an emotional scene. He uses heavy synthesizers to back up a poor vocal performance and lack of real musical depth.

In both “You’re Not as Young” and “The Ones with the Light,” Radin adds an element of alternative rock with loud drum solos and electric guitar.

These rock songs, peppered throughout the album, are not necessarily terrible songs in and of themselves, but they don’t fit into the general tone of

NOWHEREBOY.CO.UK

‘Nowhere Boy’ focuses on John Lennon’s adolescent life before the Beatles.

MADELINE HALL | THE TASTEFUL AND THE TASTELESS

see RADIN, page 6

could be mistaken, but it looks like that girl’s wrist is deformed or disfigured in some way. Yes, I know it now; there is definitely something goofy happening on that wrist. There are squiggly bumps and lines snaking halfway up her arm. Call me nosy, but I have to know. What kind of horrific injury turns a girl’s forearm into a lump of pink, yellow and teal?

“What’s that on your wrist? Are you OK?” “Oh, this? It’s just a pony.”

“That cannot possibly be a pony.”

“Well, yeah, I know. But it’s a Silly Bandz pony.”

From the look on her face, I realize I’m supposed to know what this means, but all I can take away from this encounter is “silly.” That is certainly an applicable and appropriate word for the mass of rubber bands cutting off the circulation to her hand. Surely there is no reasonable explanation why she just paid real U.S. dollars for these office supplies simply to wear them. To expect anyone to know what shape they actually take is also ludicrous. Her Silly Bandz are now Absolutely Ridiculous Bandz; “Silly” barely covers it.

I admit Silly Bandz freak me out. These bright bands in a whole array of shapes remind me of the infamous “sex bracelets” so popular in 2004 at the peak of middleschool awkwardness and oafishness. A cultural phenomenon revolting in itself, each bracelet stood for a sexual act to be performed upon breaking one. You can understand the ensuing concern I felt, then, when I saw eight-year-olds happily trading brightly colored bracelets highly reminiscent of those from our youth. What kind of cultural disintegration is this?

I brought this topic to the forefront of my friends’ attention in a fit of disgust. They’re pointless! They’re garish! They cannot possibly be flattering on anyone! The list of offenses committed by Silly Bandz was steadily piling up until a friend honestly admitted, “I just want something to trade.”

All the lights in my head went off at once, like that coveted Lite Brite we all knew and loved as kids. This is simply the continuation of our childhood tendencies to trade.

When has it ever been “uncool” to trade knickknacks and trinkets? Previous generations rooted in simple joys witnessed the obsession with exchanging marbles, baseball cards and yo-yos. In our own early years, we traded Pokémon cards, Pogs and slap bracelets as overtures to budding friendships — yeah, you loved that guy who gave you a Charizard, admit it. As “emerging adults” — or, simply, college students — we have been swapping spit and trading digits as more mature forms of interaction and bartering. Perhaps that’s a different kind of exchange, but you get the idea.

The phenomenon of Silly Bandz is the continuation of a timeless need to trade as a form of basic social interaction. It explains why an equal amount of teens as tots are sporting these bracelets in an attempt to preserve some lasting youth.

I had missed the memo; buried beneath hours of computer coding and pages of reading, I had failed to see the childish but satisfying joy of giving your sweetie a rubber band shaped like a pumpkin. Phrased like that, the romance disappears, but these series of exchanges revive that childhood tendency to connect with each other through a shared good. Also, pumpkins are quite timely in light of Halloween.

My heartstrings are pulled taut like the Silly Bandz around your wrist, but I won’t be donning these squiggly suckers any time soon, despite my recent revelation. You can bet your Crazy Bones that I’m shipping my Beanie Babies from home, though.

Madeline Hall is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. She can be reached at Madeline.Hall@tufts.edu.

THE TUFTS DAILY

6

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

ARTS & LIVING

Radin’s experimentation leaves his new album falling flat

Actresses are the real stars of Lennon biopic

RADIN

Thomas works with a character who is the polar opposite of Duff’s, but she is equally effective. Thomas’ character refuses to betray her stoic exterior with any real emotions. Even at her own husband’s funeral, she remains stone-faced and even chastises Lennon for his tears, saying, “Don’t be silly. If you’re going to do that, go to your room.” While this frigidness might make the character off-putting to the viewer, Thomas also makes it clear that Mimi was the one who took Lennon in as a child, raised him and gave him all

continued from page 5

the album. It becomes clear that his iconic “whisper” loses much of its hypnotizing power when paired with strong electric guitar and boisterous synthesizers.

Many of the songs from “The Rock and the Tide” are interchangeable, monotonous “whisper rock” pieces that easily meld together.

“One Leap” says almost the exact same thing as “The Fear You Won’t Fall” from his EP “Unclear Sky” (2008), and “Think I’ll Go Inside” evokes the same delicate quality of his earlier songs without the novelty of Radin’s voice to propel and promote the song.

The lyrics, “It’s raining, I think I’ll go inside,” that make up the majority of the song, do nothing to make it any more listenable to.

Even “The Rock and the Tide,” after which the album is named, is as forgettable as the rest of the songs. While many of these Radin-repeats are satisfying to the “Grey’s Anatomy” fan base, those with slightly higher expectations will be disappointed by the unvaried, melancholic croonings on love and life.

However, there are a few songs that echo earlier Radin while adding a fresh angle.

“Streetlight” demonstrates his positive progression as an artist — the poetic lyricism combines with soft melodic undertones to make an upbeat track that urges us to “let the wind blow … wherever it says we are supposed to go.” This song is satisfying

for a typical Radin fan — one who expects something folkpop driven with a quiet passion that moves the song.

Radin created a few upbeat songs that capture everything great about his old songs while evoking a carefree, happy ideal.

“Wanted” and “She Belonged to Me” both have a fluid quality throughout, adding variation that placates die-hard Radin fans. In the first song, “Road to Ride On,” Radin tests his vocal flexibility with a more soulful tone and contrasts this with a steady and fast-paced drum beat to create an uplifting melody.

Despite the few songs that succeed in synthesizing the new Radin with the old, the majority of the songs on “The Rock and the Tide” are disappointing. Radin wavers between trying to stick to the good stuff and experimenting with new styles. Both attempts end in failure when his new stuff either becomes interchangeable with the old, or are merely comparable to the work of many less-talented artists currently on the music scene.

The string of bad songs leaves the listener begging for Radin’s old successes by the album’s end. Fortunately, Radin added two of his old songs to conclude “The Rock and the Tide.”

These familiar tunes were a gratifying ending but in no way made up for the disappointing numbers throughout the rest of the album. By ending his album with two of his most famous old songs, Radin may be telling us that his old stuff will be his only good stuff.

NOWHERE continued from page 5

that he had. While she is never as fun as Lennon’s real mother, she was just as instrumental in his life.

The real treats of the film are the scenes in which Duff and Thomas appear together. Even though they are very different characters, the actresses do a convincing job of playing sisters. While acting together, they give the viewer the sense that they have known and have had to deal with each other over their entire lives. They could not be more different as people, but they understand their differences because they have dealt with them for decades.

The less compelling parts of the

picture deal with the formation of The Quarrymen, the predecessor to the Beatles. This includes a few shorter scenes with a young Paul McCartney (Thomas Sangster), who seems far too serious and pompous in the movie. The film works too well as an intimate family drama for the introduction of Lennon’s band members to work.

This will not be the film a lot of people expect, but that does not mean they will be disappointed.

“Nowhere Boy” is a movie that favors strong acting, drama and emotion rather than the flashier alternatives seen in most biopics of famous musicians.

Through violence and depravity, ‘Blood Meridian’ deftly explores human nature BLOOD MERIDIAN continued from page 5

the novel progresses, the reader encounters countless more scenes that make the most out of this dynamic. Even in the most grotesque battles scenes, McCarthy finds a way of repelling the reader with the repugnance of his subject matter while simultaneously drawing them in with the eloquence with which he communicates it.

However, “Blood Meridian” would hardly be a novel of its stature if relied solely on McCarthy’s descriptive talents.

Glanton’s gang of scalpers contains one of the most nightmarish characters in fiction: Judge Holden, a hairless seven-foot-tall albino who seems born from a different world altogether. Over the course of the story, the Judge revels in the violence that surrounds him, killing Mexicans and Indians alike and raping and murdering children whom he

usually seduces with kindness.

For all of these horrible acts, the Judge never comes across as a character who is guided solely by his violent inclinations. His philosophy and his mastery of virtually every human occupation make him a character of immense intellectual prowess: He speaks numerous languages, is a fiddle virtuoso, converses on topics ranging from geology to divination and seems immune to the effects of sleep deprivation and starvation.

Though the Judge’s egregious acts prove his evil, he would hardly be a character of such frightful substance without an equally disconcerting philosophy to inform him.

The Judge’s speeches to the gang comprise some of the most interesting and disturbing portions of the novel: “This is the nature of war, whose stake is at once the game and the authority and the justification … It is the testing of one’s will

and the will of another within that larger will which because it binds them is therefore forced to select.

War is the ultimate game because war is at last a forcing of the unity of existence. War is god.”

In his compelling introduction to the newly released 25th Anniversary Edition, Harold Bloom finds every fictitious villain short of Shakespeare’s Iago incomparable to the Judge. By creating a character who can commit such atrocities and justify them with the intellectual capacity of a genius, McCarthy unflinchingly addresses the darkest that human nature has to offer.

Though “Blood Meridian” is set during one of the grimmest periods in American history, it breaks free from the grip of its circumstances to acknowledge some of the most fundamental, unpleasant truths about humanity. The result is one of the greatest American contributions to world literature.

The Spring 2011 University Seminar courses are sure to stretch your mind.

Join scholars and researchers from Tufts’ various disciplines and campuses. Tackle complex societal issues by exchanging ideas and knowledge.

Application Deadline: October 22nd One Health: Interdisciplinary Approaches to People, Animals, & the Environment

Stem Cells & Human Enhancement: Scientific Frontiers, Ethics, & Policy

This Seminar will draw graduate and upper level undergraduate students together to develop interdisciplinary perspectives on one of three pressing global health issues: the emergence of infectious disease, the pursuit of sustainable agriculture, and the loss of biodiversity. Faculty from all three campuses will provide expertise and guidance for individual and group teaching and learning. Students will examine and represent their discipline's perspective and tools to other group members; learn and incorporate other disciplines into their own thinking; and collaborate with others on the development of new, synthesized solutions. The course will prepare students and faculty to address complex global health challenges from an interdisciplinary team-oriented approach and set a framework for similar cross-school collaborative learning and teaching experiences at Tufts. Topic for 2011 Seminar: Anticipating disease outbreaks in a globalized world.

The medical promise of embryonic and adult stem cells has generated enormous excitement because of their potential to cure human diseases for which no cure exists. However, societies must weigh the advancement of stem cell science against ethical issues that lie at the heart of the value of human life. This ethical dilemma is currently the subject of government legislation, public policy analysis and heated public debate. This course will provide a dynamic forum for its students to explore how societies can balance their desire for progress in personal health with their respect for alternative religious, cultural and societal views about the origins of human life.

Sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching.

Search “University Seminar” on Facebook for more info on courses and application process.

Or go to http://provost.tufts.edu/useminar Questions? Email: useminar@tufts.edu

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

THE TUFTS DAILY

ADVERTISEMENT

ATTENTION TUFTS STUDENTS LIVING OFF CAMPUS IN MEDFORD: Single stream recycling is coming to Medford New trash and recycling carts will be delivered to you this week.

Every residence will receive two carts, one for trash and one for recycling.

An informational Program Guide will also be coming in the mail.

Call the office of Community Relations at (617) 627-3780 with any questions.

7

THE TUFTS DAILY

8

THE TUFTS DAILY

EDITORIAL

The message from Chile

BENJAMIN D. GITTLESON Editor-in-Chief

EDITORIAL Managing Editors

Ellen Kan Carter Rogers Matt Repka Executive News Editor Alexandra Bogus News Editors Michael Del Moro Nina Ford Amelie Hecht Corinne Segal Martha Shanahan Brent Yarnell Jenny White Daphne Kolios Assistant News Editors Kathryn Olson Romy Oltuski Executive Features Editor Sarah Korones Features Editors Alison Lisnow Emilia Luna Alexa Sasanow Derek Schlom Jon Cheng Assistant Features Editors Maya Kohli Amelia Quinn Emma Bushnell Executive Arts Editor Zach Drucker Arts Editors Mitchell Geller Rebecca Goldberg Ben Phelps Anna Majeski Assistant Arts Editors Rebecca Santiago Matthew Welch Rachel Oldfield Larissa Gibbs Elaine Sun Seth Teleky Devon Colmer Erin Marshall Lorrayne Shen Louie Zong Rebekah Liebermann Ashish Malhotra Josh Molofsky Alexandra Siegel

Executive Op-Ed Editor Assistant Op-Ed Editors Cartoonists

Editorialists

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

EDITORIAL | LETTERS

Last week’s successful conclusion of the mission in Chile to rescue 33 miners trapped more than 2,000 feet underground has led to an explosion of joy and a sense of solidarity both in Chile and around the world.

The miners’ ordeal was a great hardship for them and their families, but also led to an awe-inspiring display of unity by the Chilean people. In this moving story, the United States and other nations around the world could learn a few lessons from the Copiapo mining accident.

Thousands of people die in mining accidents each year, and rarely do incidents like this get such attention or have such happy endings. China, a country with a record of frequent mining disasters, has expressed its empathy for the miners. President Evo Morales of Bolivia, a country with a history of strained relations with Chile, stood alongside Chilean President Sebastian Pinera at the base of the rescue shaft to welcome the miners, including one Bolivian, as they emerged.

But the United States can learn more from this event than just cooperation and international solidarity. Many of our soldiers are overseas, deeply entrenched in conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. If there’s anything we can take from Pinera’s at-any-cost rescue

operation, it’s that no one should be left behind. Applied to the American context, as the wars drag on and some question their continuing viability, it is important that we as a nation continue to remember and support the men and women in uniform who are making a huge sacrifice for us, regardless of our views on their mission. Each and every one of them deserves the same support that the 33 miners have received.

Domestically, the United States has struggled with emergency relief action.

Whether it was Hurricane Katrina in 2005 or the recent Deepwater Horizon oil spill, efforts to curb the effects of the disasters have fallen short of anything close to decisive or innovative. During these dire situations, the United States has found itself caught up in partisan politics, declining help from other countries and failing to do the right thing when it matters most.

The New York Times, in reporting plans to turn the Copiapo mining accident into a Hollywood film, has actually touched on a true reality. The event has played out much like a heartwarming action movie and has left its global audience inspired to overcome political obstacles in the face adversity.

Perhaps one of our next tasks should be finally fleshing out and enforcing restrictions on the mining industry,

which has showed considerable disregard for human life over the course of its checkered history.

The United States reported 18 coal mining-related deaths in 2009. While this is considerably better than China’s 2,600 mining-related deaths, the world, with its consumption of coal and metals, owes its miners more respect.

It’s really quite a wonder that in such an established industry, safety procedures have yet to be refined and implemented to perfection. In October alone, following the rescue of the Chilean workers, the world added at least two more tallies to its record of mining accidents: 26 miners were killed and 11 trapped in an accident in China, and two were killed and two are still missing in an Ecuadorean mine.

If the touching story of these Chilean miners is not enough to effect changes in the global mining industry, nothing will be. The Chinese contributed parts of a crane that helped pull the workers out. NASA provided expertise on how to treat the miners while they were trapped and advice on how to extract them. And Pinera was able to get the results he needed from Chileans who may or may not agree with his politics. Congratulations to the miners, their families, Pinera and the people of Chile for their success and heroic efforts.

LORRAYNE SHEN

Philip Dear Executive Sports Editor Lauren Flament Sports Editors Jeremy Greenhouse Claire Kemp Ben Kochman Alex Lach Alex Prewitt Daniel Rathman Noah Schumer Ethan Sturm Assistant Sports Editor Aalok Kanani Meredith Klein Danai Macridi Andrew Morgenthaler Tien Tien Josh Berlinger Virginia Bledsoe Kristen Collins Alex Dennett Emily Eisenberg Dilys Ong Jodi Bosin Jenna S Liang Meagan Maher Ashley Seenauth

Executive Photo Editor Photo Editors

Assistant Photo Editors

Staff Photographers

Mick B. Krever Executive New Media Editor James Choca New Media Editors Kerianne Okie

PRODUCTION Leanne Brotsky Production Director Andrew Petrone Executive Layout Editor Sarah Davis Layout Editors Adam Gardner Jason Huang Jennifer Iassogna Alyssa Kutner Steven Smith Sarah Kester Assistant Layout Editor Zehava Robbins Executive Copy Editor Alexandra Husted Copy Editors Isabel Leon Vivien Lim Linh Dang Assistant Copy Editors Andrew Paseltiner Melissa Roberts Elisha Sum

Darcy Mann Executive Online Editor Audrey Kuan Online Editors Ann Sloan Ammar Khaku Executive Technical Manager Michael Vastola Technical Manager

BUSINESS Benjamin Hubbell-Engler Executive Business Director Laura Moreno Advertising Director Dwijo Goswami Receivables Manager The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free to the Tufts community.

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

OFF THE HILL | BOSTON COLLEGE

On the hunt for jobs BY

THE HEIGHTS EDITORIAL BOARD The Heights

The dire economic situation and its effects on national unemployment are weighing heavily on the minds of the current senior class, for whom the postgraduate years are fast approaching. As of September, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics placed unemployment at 9.6 percent, and a recent Gallup poll found that those aged 18-29 are [faring] even worse, with 15.8 percent actively seeking and failing to find work. Clearly, these are tough times for all, but recent college graduates are particularly disadvantaged, with too many qualified applicants and too few entry-level positions.

It would be easy for students and recent graduates to feel frustrated and betrayed, as students often view a college education as a prudent investment toward a success-

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.

ful future. Despite our ambitions, this is not always the immediate reality. Most students in four-year institutions have invested enormous amounts of time, effort, and money into their [education] to ensure that they would have the skills necessary to be competitive applicants in the job market.

Our parents were able to anticipate a clear path from college to career. Though our paths are less clear, their ambiguity frees us from the idea that there is a clear divide between college and the “real world.”

Students who might have been expecting to immediately begin their careers in highly competitive fields directly after graduation will need to think creatively about other ways to gain experience while working toward their ultimate goal. The idea of a career has drastically changed during our lifetime, and students should no longer expect to spend their entire professional lives in one field. It’s easy to

become pigeonholed in college, but the world encourages students to broaden their horizons and investigate other options that would utilize their skills sets in different ways. There are jobs out there and your skills will be needed, but the search will just require more effort than it would have in previous years.

Until your goals become clear, there should not be a stigma attached to spending some time after graduation to explore options. Young adults can volunteer, seek advanced degrees, or explore the country or the world. This is the time when we are discovering where our calling lies. This is a process that will never look the same for two different people. We realize that it may be unhelpful or even overly simplistic to tell students to work harder, to think more creatively, or to discover the undiscovered, but there is no advice that will replace your own ingenuity.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters must be submitted by 4 p.m. and should be handed into the Daily office or sent to letters@tuftsdaily.com. All letters must be word processed and include the writer’s name and telephone number. There is a 450-word limit and letters must be verified. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, space and length.

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

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

THE TUFTS DAILY

9

OP-ED

What do Sam Harris and Jesus have in common?

BY

MARK RAFFERTY

One of the things I love most about Tufts is the excitement that so many people have about seeking the answers to difficult questions about politics, religion and life itself.

Freethought Week, which brought us a colorful smorgasbord of brilliant thinkers who challenge accepted norms, was a fascinating chance to sit down and talk about the basics of the universe without the shouting or name-calling that often deters people from such conversations.

For many, the climax of the week was the visit by noted philosopher-skeptic Sam Harris, who on Thursday spoke about his “moral landscape” theory and discussed his belief that humans can use science to inform their moral values.

As a Christian, I really appreciated Dr. Harris’ engaging presentation, and furthermore, I was thrilled to see how closely his worldview and mine coincide. Some might find it odd — even Dr. Harris himself appeared a little surprised when I told him — that a student who firmly believes in spending one’s life following a mighty and loving God would find common ground with one of the most stalwart critics of religion.

But, listening to Dr. Harris with an open mind, I found that his basic vision of morality contributes greatly to an enlightened understanding of the monotheistic worldview.

In his theory of morality, Harris argues that science and morality should not be relegated to separate spheres in our thoughts about the universe. Those who believe in the power of empirical investigation and reasoning do not need to cede the right to make moral judgments; rather, the opposite is true. The sciences that inform us about the world that we live in — physics, biology and psychology, for example — can help us make morally correct choices. And what defines “morally correct”? Those choices that lead to the better well-being of humanity.

Harris posits that there are many states of existence for humanity, and of these, some are obviously better than others. A map of these states would look like a series of peaks and valleys corresponding to good conditions of a well-off humanity and bad situations with more pain and suffering representing the valleys — thus, his image of the “moral landscape.” According to Dr. Harris’ theory, science and reasoning inform us and enable us to work toward one of those peaks. Harris takes issue with other systems of thinking, such as religion,

MELISSA WEIGAND

Universal health care took much of the stage throughout the summer. Debates were constant, and many people sat glued to their television screens watching the vote. The reforms that were implemented do several wonderful things. They extend the length of time children can be covered under their parents’ plans (as a college student, this is something I will appreciate in the future), make it more difficult for insurance companies to drop expensive customers and remove lifetime caps on medical costs. Yet huge issues remain. People are kidding themselves if they think this reform will suddenly make everyone able to afford adequate health care.

In Massachusetts, we’ve led the way, signing health care reform into law in April 2006.

Talk constantly centers on the availability of affordable options and the high coverage rate of 97 percent of Massachusetts residents. “Affordable” hangs in the air like some sort of lifeline, and Massachusetts deserves a lot of credit for making health care accessible to many people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it. In our haste to cover everyone, however, we’re failing to look at the rope that lifeline is made of, and the avoidance of deeper concerns could have lasting effects.

Commonwealth Care, the program that offers low- to no-cost health insurance to Massachusetts residents who qualify, generously offers subsidized plans to those who earn up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level, making the cut-off income a little over $32,000. Once someone earns more

Homonegativism

T

COURTESY JENNIFER ROPER

which he claims won’t necessarily lead to a peak of well-being.

The bridging of the gap between scientific knowledge and moral values is a significant stride in thought that helps to paint a more coherent picture of the universe. In Harris’ model, we find an absolute truth, a rationale for moral imperatives and a way to embrace modernity as a road to a better future. At the same time, this model leaves something to be desired. As a friend of mine described afterward, “Dr. Harris gave us a great description of a car and how it works, but he forgot that it needs a driver.” The single burning question that Harris leaves unanswered is a simple one: Why is the collective good of humanity something that should be worked toward?

What if there were a God, a God who was all-loving and all-knowing, a God who only desired the well-being of humanity? One whose only reason for creating people was to bring them into His love so that they could be complete and prosper?

If this were true, then wouldn’t working toward the will of God be the same as working toward the collective good of humanity? Assuming that science gives us truth, wouldn’t that same truth lead us to this vision of a collective good, since, as

Pope John Paul II was fond of saying, truth cannot contradict truth?

I asked Dr. Harris that question after getting his autograph: “If such a God existed, would that fit in with your model of morality?” From what I understood from his response, the idea of reason-based morality is indeed completely consistent with a monotheistic worldview.

What does it mean that Dr. Harris and I have compatible views on morality? Some might say that it makes them more credible.

Although he doesn’t agree with my conviction that there is a loving God who gives our world a purpose, I’m happy to see that we could acknowledge our common ground and shared logic, for this is what successful dialogue is about. After talking and finding our common ground, we came away affirmed in those beliefs and ready to take our explorations further.

Thank you, Tufts, for being a school where we can find these commonalities. I hope that if this world has a truth, as Sam Harris and I believe, we will all come a little closer to finding it as we engage each other with love.

Mark Rafferty is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major.

Still searching for affordable health care BY

ELISHA SUM | OUR GENDERATION

than that, however, individual plans range from approximately $400 to $1,200 a month, which many consider unaffordable, especially compared with individual employersponsored plans, which typically range from $100-500 a month.

The current structure of the plans poses the threat of an ever-widening economic gap, even though that gap is precisely what health care reform attempts to close. The individual plans, as well as the subsidized plans, on average provide much less coverage than typical work-sponsored health care. Those who have a job without benefits, or without adequate benefits, are therefore put in a difficult position. If they don’t have some form of health care, they risk Massachusetts tax penalties and unforeseen medical expenses.

But if they do enroll in health plans, they pay a lot for not very much coverage.

Commonwealth Care offers three tiers of programs — bronze, silver and gold. Each tier has low, medium and high levels, with bronze being the lowest, most basic and most affordable option. The care offered, however, still leaves the door open for a substantial financial burden. Under the bronze benefits plan, for example, one must pay up to the annual deductible ($2,000) and then a 20 percent co-pay for an extended hospital stay.

Since hospital bills for extended stays can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars, a 20 percent co-pay could lead to significant debt. The doctors and hospitals accepted by these plans — both unsubsidized and subsidized — are extremely limited. One of the “smaller network” plans specifically states that its doctors are limited for lower cost,

even though it is more expensive than some of the other options.

The gold plans — geared toward those who expect a significant amount of medical coverage or who want (and can afford) to be more than adequately covered, should the need arise — clearly show the inequalities that still exist. For extended hospital stays under the gold plans, the cost to the patient is a $150 copay — nothing else. According to a report published in October 2009 by America’s Health Insurance Plans, the average insurance premium for an individual is $2,985, which comes out to around $250 per month. None of the individual plans offered in Massachusetts through Commonwealth Choice even comes close to that. The least expensive plan was slightly over $400 as of Oct. 1.

No easy solution exists. But these are issues that need to be talked about, not swept under the rug. People are being unfairly penalized for working at a job that either does not offer benefits or can only offer them in conjunction with Massachusetts Commonwealth Choice.

The people who need to pay more for health care are the people who are already earning less money. They are the ones who cannot afford sick days, so when they are unhealthy, they need the most support.

Instead, they often receive the least.

Our current health care system still needs to be changed significantly.

Melissa Weigand is a junior majoring in English.

ori Amos once sang, “Tell me what you think they’ll do when they find you out … find out you’re just a p----, my sweet boy.”

In light of recent, long-awaited media coverage, I’d like to talk about homonegativism in this column. Here, the word functions as an umbrella term that includes homophobia and heterosexism and will refer to any bigoted attitude or intolerant behavior toward the queer community. But first off, let’s make it clear that bullying and its corollary, attempted and fatal suicides, are nothing new, especially among queer youth. The findings of a National Transgender Discrimination Survey released in early October revealed that over half of transgender and gender non-conforming students that were bullied, harassed or assaulted in school have attempted suicide. Additionally, the survey uncovered that 41 percent of respondents have attempted suicide, a rate that is over 25 times higher than the national one of 1.6 percent.

These dizzying numbers stress the need to address homonegativism and the way in which it informs daily interactions, mindsets and policy. For now, I’m going to focus solely on the personal level in relation to males.

Let’s briefly explore the witty phrase “no homo.” Thrown carelessly after any comment or action that may be misconstrued as homoerotic, it makes any somber day a little bit gayer. However, I don’t support its use, for the phrase, born of the fear of being perceived as queer, mediates the antiqueer discourse, regardless of the intention of the user. Similarly, homophobic epithets, even if used in jest among friends, function much in the same harmful way. In the same way that rape jokes’ insensitivity perpetuate the outlandish, callous assumption that rape survivors ask for it or are to blame, these types of discourses further perpetuate homophobic and heterosexist ideology.

As I alluded in a previous column, misogyny functions alongside homonegativism to frame gender deviance as shameful and disgusting, a behavior in need of correction and punishment. Evidently, the outcome may be fatal in hostile environments. For instance, this summer, you may have heard of the 17-month-old infant boy beaten to death by his male babysitter in response to his “acting like a girl.” How many more queer — here, and only here, do I use this term in a broader sense to designate any deviance from the norm — bodies have to suffer the violence, whether physical or psychological, of homonegativism before we act?

Despite this extreme case, gender nonconformity is accepted within a context that ensures the heterosexual quota isn’t disturbed, which means these situations often involve mocking and denigrating queer identities. Often, this occurs in homosocial situations with males as a way to ensure heterosexuality on the part of each member.

The masculine code requires a disavowal of any connection to femininity.

Another manifestation that can perpetuate homonegativism is internalized homophobia. The negative attitudes and stereotypes about queer folk can transform into a potent self-hatred that may manifest in active discrimination and violence against other queer folk. It can also function on a smaller scale. Take, for example, a disavowal and disgust toward lesbian butch identities from their feminine queer counterparts who have internalized the intolerant attitudes at large. Yet if queer identities were accepted as valid and legitimate, it would then follow that the fear of slipping into deviance would dissipate. The anxieties for all genders to conform would be lessened and ameliorated.

We have to decide that enough is enough.

Homonegativism has claimed too many lives, non-queer and queer alike. Sometimes, or rather most of the time, it doesn’t get better, and we as a “modern and progressive” society should respond to correct that.

Elisha Sum is a senior majoring in English and French. He can be reached at Elisha.

Sum@tufts.edu.

OP-ED POLICY The Op-Ed section of The Tufts Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. The Daily welcomes submissions from all members of the Tufts community; the opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Daily itself. Opinion articles on campus, national and international issues should be 600 to 1,200 words in length. Op-Ed cartoons are also welcomed for the Campus Canvas feature. All material is subject to editorial discretion and is not guaranteed to appear in the Daily. All material should be submitted to oped@tuftsdaily.com no later than 12 p.m. on the day prior to the desired day of publication; authors must submit their telephone numbers and day-of availability for editing questions. Submissions may not be published elsewhere prior to their appearance in the Daily, including but not limited to other on- and off-campus newspapers, magazines, blogs and online news websites, as well as Facebook. Republishing of the same piece in a different source is permissible as long as the Daily is credited with originally running the article.

THE TUFTS DAILY

10

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

COMICS

DOONESBURY

CROSSWORD

BY

NON SEQUITUR

GARRY TRUDEAU

BY

WILEY

MONDAY’S SOLUTION

MARRIED TO THE SEA

www.marriedtothesea.com

SUDOKU Level: Buying matching Tufts gear for the entire family

LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Monday’s Solution

Alexandra: “Hey Ben, does your ‘pretty zombie’ line ever get you girls?”

Please recycle this Daily.

Sports

11

tuftsdaily.com

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Tufts posts fifth consecutive shutout in 1-0 win at Trinity BY

DANIEL RATHMAN

Daily Editorial Board

During the women’s soccer team’s four-game winning streak heading into Saturday’s match at Trinity, Tufts had WOMEN’S SOCCER (4-1-1 NESCAC, 6-2-2 OVERALL) at Hartford, Conn., Saturday Tufts Trinity

0 0

1 — 1 0 — 0

scored five goals and allowed none.

But both of those impressive runs were imperiled just moments before kickoff in Hartford, Conn.

The back line and goalkeeper who had been instrumental in those four shutouts were ravaged by injuries.

Senior co-captain defender Carrie Wilson had suffered a concussion in practice. Phoebe Hanley, the sophomore netminder who started and played the first half in all nine of the Jumbos’ previous contests, aggravated an elbow injury during warm-ups.

To make matters worse, junior

ALEX DENNETT/TUFTS DAILY

see WOMEN’S SOCCER, page 15

Junior Jamie Love-Nichols, above in the Homecoming game against the Bates Bobcats, scored the lone goal for the Jumbos on Saturday in their shutout against the Bantams, giving the team its fifth consecutive win.

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

Despite rough weather, Tufts wins Conn. College Invitational BY

CONNOR ROSE

Daily Staff Writer

The women’s cross country team won the Connecticut College Invitational at Harkness Memorial State Park this weekend. Dealing with tough winds that made the usually fast course harder to traverse, the Jumbos took down the rest of the field, finishing with 53 points, seven ahead of secondplace Cortland State. MIT took third with 93 points.

The Jumbos put all five of their scorers in the top 20. Senior tricaptain Amy Wilfert, who finished third, continued her surge to peak racing performance with a solid time of 22:39. Junior Anya Price finished eighth overall in a time of 23:14. Five seconds behind Price was freshman Abby Barker, who finished 10th. Sophomore Lilly Fisher was 12th in 23:21. Rounding out the scoring for the Jumbos was freshman Lauren Creath in 20th place, who finished in 23:36.

Freshman Laura Peterson and sophomore Melanie Monroe also finished in the top seven for the Jumbos in 24:00 and 24:02, respectively. The underclassmen

again showed they are ready to contribute to the team and do so at a high level.

“The freshmen have been a huge factor in our success this season, and everyone is looking forward to seeing how they progress through the end of cross country and in future seasons,” Monroe said. “We certainly could not have gotten this far without them.”

Sunday’s race was significantly smaller and more team-oriented than last week’s jam-packed field at the New England Championships.

The Jumbos were able to focus more on finishing first, rather than going for personal best times.

“My approach this race was to focus on passing people instead of trying to get the best time,” Creath said. “It was more about wanting to win as a team.”

In past years, Harkness had proven to be a fine course to set personal bests. With fast winds blowing around the course this weekend, however, times were destined to be slower.

“Going into the race, I knew there were going to be some pretty heavy winds and that the course

was relatively flat,” Monroe said. “I knew I was going to have to relax through the wind and really go out hard from the beginning. I wanted to put myself in a good position to move up during the race.”

“This may have been the first time that the top group was able to use each other during the race,” Creath added. “I think if we do more of that, it will really help us and improve our score as a team.

Personally, I know I am able to run faster if I can work with a teammate who can help push me.”

As the squad enters the championship season, health, steady improvement and fine tuning will be extremely important.

“Personally, I want to stay healthy, rested and injury-free throughout the rest of the season,” Monroe said. “I want to continue to give every race my best effort.”

For the young runners, the college season can prove to be much more grueling than what they experienced in high school.

“In past seasons I’ve gotten injured at the end, so I’m really focused on staying healthy,” Creath added. “I want the team to have solid performances at the

ANDREW MORGENTHALER/TUFTS DAILY

Senior tri-captain Amy Wilfert this weekend continued her return back from injury to full strength, leading the Jumbos to victory at the Connecticut College Invitational with a third-place finish among 199 competitors. championship meets and beat as many schools as we can.”

Most of the Jumbos will be going to Franklin Park on Sunday

to run the Mayor’s Cup 5k, while the top runners will take the week off as they prepare for the NESCAC Championships on Oct. 30.

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

WOMEN’S SOCCER

Jumbos, led by Rand, claim title at Conn. College Invite

Wright’s nine saves in Jumbos’ shutout victory yield NESCAC honors

BY

LAUREN FLAMENT

Daily Editorial Board

The men’s cross country team ran its way to victory on Saturday at the Connecticut College Invitational in Waterford, Conn.

In a field of 225 competitors at Harkness Memorial State Park, the Jumbos’ top five runners placed within 30 seconds of each other and in the top 20 overall.

Tufts’ score of 59 tied with Div. I UConn for first place.

Once again, sophomore Matt Rand led the Jumbos’ charge. Rand crossed the line of the 8,000-meter course in a time of 25:47 to claim fifth. He was only 20 seconds

behind The College of New Jersey’s Tom Bocchino, who won the individual race.

Fellow sophomores Kyle Marks and Tyler Andrews were close behind, securing their spots as top-10 finishers. Marks and Andrews took ninth and 10th, respectively, with times of 25:56 and 26:00.

“I was really happy with my race,” Marks said. “I went out pretty hard, and then at the end, Tyler really helped me not fall off the pace more than I did, and we worked together until the end.

“Tyler had a really great race,” Marks added. “He’s finally getting fresh legs after see MEN’S XC, page 15

After making her first collegiate start in the women’s soccer game against Trinity on Saturday, freshman goalkeeper Kristin Wright received NESCAC Player of the Week honors.

Wright usually splits playing time in the goal with sophomore starter Phoebe Hanley, who sat out on Saturday due to an injury. Wright proved to be up to the challenge, making nine saves against the Bantams to keep them scoreless and to protect the Jumbos’ 1-0 lead.

Wright improved her season save total to 23 and her save percentage to

.920 after Saturday’s game. Throughout nearly 500 minutes of time in the net this season, Wright has allowed just two goals.

The win against Trinity was the fifth consecutive shutout win for Tufts.

With upcoming contests against Conn.

College, Williams and Bowdoin, the team is looking to continue its streak as well as to jump to the top of the NESCAC standings. Currently, Tufts sits in second place behind Amherst.

—by Lauren Flament

THE TUFTS DAILY

12

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

SPORTS

Health Professions Study at Tufts U.

Learn from a panel of representatives from Tufts’ preͲhealth graduate and professional schools about admissions and opportunities that one might take advantage of as an undergraduate.

After the panel, enjoy some light refreshment while you have the opportunity to talk to any representatives whose preͲhealth focus interests you. Take this advantage of having any questions that you might have answered in one room or simply to broaden your view of what a preͲhealth student at Tufts has available to them.

APPLY TODAY!

Have a great idea for a campus event but need a few extra dollars to

IMPORTANT FOR ALL PRE-HEALTH STUDENTS

make it a reality?

Then apply for the Student Life Fund !

FALL DEADLINES: October 29, 2010 and November 19, 2010

Open to all years!

When? ‡†Â?Â‡Â•Â†ÂƒÂ›ÇĄ October 20

What time and where? ǣ 5 PM ‹� Dowling 745

ǣ 6 PM ‹� Dowling Library

Sponsored by Health Professions Advising

See http://uss.tufts.edu/studentaffairs/slf.asp for more details!

Free Flu Shots Students Only It’s Time to Vaccinate!

Do your part to help the Tufts community stay healthy—and please get vaccinated.

Health

Flu Shots will be administered on Wednesday, October 20, 2010 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Health Service Conference Room 124 Professors Row Please wear short sleeves and bring an I.D.

http://ase.tufts.edu/healthservice

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

THE TUFTS DAILY

13

SPORTS

MEN’S SOCCER

ALEX PREWITT | LIVE FROM MUDVILLE

A fantastical reflection

M

JOSH BERLINGER/TUFTS DAILY

Junior goalkeeper Alan Bernstein, above in a game against Middlebury, made eight saves to preserve Tufts’ scoreless tie with Trinity on Saturday.

Jumbos earn gritty draw in Hartford, move closer to NESCAC tourney berth BY

ETHAN STURM

Daily Editorial Board

After losing three straight games, the Tufts men’s soccer team knew that it needed a positive result Saturday at MEN’S SOCCER (2-2-2 NESCAC, 4-5-2 OVERALL) at Hartford, Conn., Saturday Tufts Trinity

0 0

0 — 0 0 — 0

Trinity. 2010 was in danger of becoming a mirror image of last season, when the team lost its final four matches of the season and missed the NESCAC tournament.

But Tufts responded, fighting out a gritty 0-0 draw with the Bantams. The result ended the Jumbos’ losing skid and has them in a prime position to clinch a spot in the conference tournament.

“We didn’t want to come out of there with a tie, and looking at the standings and how things are shaping out, it would have been good to get a win,” sophomore midfielder John Lewis said. “But to go into that kind of an environment and come out with points and play well is definitely positive moving forward.”

The match was the epitome of NESCAC soccer: hard-fought and low-scoring.

Both teams had their opportunities, but a pair of experienced keepers — Tufts’ Alan Bernstein and Trinity’s Grant Schonberg, both juniors — made key stops.

“It was a classic NESCAC battle,” Bernstein said. “Both teams had chances, but, more times than not, these conference games are low-scoring and evenly matched.”

Bernstein finished the match with eight saves, while Schonberg ended with nine.

The Bantams’ formation crowded the center, giving the Jumbos’ outside midfielders plenty of room to work. Lewis

almost took advantage of Trinity’s defense early in the match, but he sliced his shot low and easy enough for Schonberg to handle. It was one of three shots for Lewis, who rattled the Bantams’ defense throughout the afternoon.

Trinity nearly opened the scoring when an error by sophomore defender Michael Walker left the Jumbos out of position and extremely vulnerable. Walker mishit a backward pass, springing Trinity’s senior midfielder Peter Marlette free on goal. But Bernstein did well to come off the goal line, cutting off Marlette’s angle and forcing the ball over the crossbar.

Walker worked hard to make up for the miscue; he led the Jumbos with four shots in the game. But Trinity controlled much of the possession in the first half, amassing seven corners and keeping the pressure high.

As the second half began, the game began to slow down, with total shots dropping from 13 in the first half to eight in the second frame. Both sides played rough, with a total of five yellow cards handed out in regulation.

As the final minutes ticked down in a grueling affair, overtime seemed inevitable.

But with little time remaining, Tufts had one more golden chance. Lewis played a ball over the top to freshman forward Jono Edelman, who was able to slip a shot past the Bantam keeper.

The ball seemed bound for the back of the net until a Trinity defender sprinted into the area — seemingly out of nowhere — and cleared the ball inches before the goal line.

“When the ball got by the keeper, from my view it was going right into the net,” Lewis said. “To see that guy come sliding across, I couldn’t help but to just fall to the ground. I thought it was the end — I thought we were going to win the game.”

Instead, an extra 20 minutes of overtime was in the cards for the two squads.

Trinity had the best opportunity to snag a late-game win when, with four minutes left, the team sent a low, hard shot sizzling through Tufts’ box. But Bernstein was up to the task, diving to his left to parry the final threat to the scoreboard and complete his third shutout of the season.

The scoreless draw was a change of pace for a Jumbos defense that had been porous of late, as it had allowed seven goals in the team’s previous three games.

But everything was clicking on Saturday for the team’s back line.

“We believe in the system, and everyone thought we were unlucky to concede all of those goals Tuesday” against UMass Dartmouth, Bernstein said. “We just tried to be consistent on Saturday, and it worked out well. As a whole, we had a really good game.”

The draw put the Jumbos in a good spot, with just three matches left in the regular season.

Tufts is in sixth place in the NESCAC, four points ahead of ninth-place Conn.

College. A win tomorrow against the Camels will clinch an appearance in the NESCAC Championships. The Jumbos can also still earn a home playoff game, as they sit just four points behind fourthplace Amherst.

But tomorrow’s game will be a tall task for the Jumbos, who have struggled in midweek games, managing a meager 2-3-1 record in those contests despite playing some weaker non-conference opposition. The Jumbos will need to be fired up for this one, as their postseason hopes hang in the balance.

“We’ve definitely struggled midweek, and I think it’s partially us taking our foot off the gas pedal during non-conference games,” Lewis said. “The feeling is that we have been deserving of points in those games, we just haven’t put the game away when it mattered.

If we can do that against Conn., I don’t see why we can’t come out of there with three points.”

y fantasy football career started when I was in fourth grade, a time when drafting players meant picking based off their “NFL Blitz” capabilities and the entry fee was two Zebra Cakes or one Kool-Aid Jammer, whichever was handy at the time.

I co-managed my first-ever fantasy team with one of my best friends in a league filled with high schoolers nearly twice my age. We picked Drew Bledsoe in the first round, traded him for Brett Favre and then swapped Favre for Steve Young, who promptly got hurt about three hours later in a preseason game.

The following season, I tried my hand at a solo career and drafted three Jacksonville Jaguars in the first four rounds because I thought their jerseys looked cool. In the seventh round, I took kicker Al Del Greco, then of the Tennessee Titans. Up until this past week, I was convinced that my sheltered fourth-grade mind loved the idea of having someone vaguely foreign on my team, regardless of position.

And then on Sunday, it dawned on me. The reason why I picked Del Greco 10 rounds before I should have suddenly became clear.

I’m actually quite terrible at fantasy football. No, seriously. I suck.

For the past three-and-some-change seasons, in my big-money, 14-team league in my hometown, I’ve accrued an aggregate record of 20-32, by far the lowest winning percentage in the league’s illustrious history.

What’s more, in 2007, I went 1-12. This season? I’m 0-6.

And yet, the collective masses of poor fantasy football players — believe me, there’s someone like me in every league — continue to subject ourselves to constant punishment, week in and week out, only to finish the season basically where we started — with an empty wallet.

Similar to how “(500) Days of Summer” (2009) broke down the existence of humans into two subcategories — men and women — so, too, can each diehard fantasy football player be pigeonholed into one of two separate definitions: The good players are sadists, and the bad ones are masochists.

For some strange reason, I keep funneling money into my leagues, only to emerge on the losing end every season. I seem to enjoy losing, almost as an art form, and my friends seem to enjoy relentlessly making fun of it me for it.

It’s been a long time since I last had hope for actually capturing a championship; rather, each season has simply boiled down to the struggle to stay out of last place. If I can avoid being spotlighted in the cellar, then that year can be considered a sweeping success.

I know, I know. It’s no way to go about living life. But that’s the thing about fantasy football — the game and the players engaged in it exist in their own little bubble, shut off from the outside world and completely devoid of any sort of normalized social etiquette. For me, accepting the bare minimum has become standard in fantasy football, but I wouldn’t ever consider stooping down to that level in any other aspect of life.

Consider this: Fantasy football is a lot like playing the slots. All it takes to win is a little luck and actions as effortless as dropping your arm in a vertical line. Sure, it takes smarts to not draft Al Del Greco in the seventh round, but the NFL is such an injuryriddled league that we pray every Sunday for our stud running back to stay healthy.

Sleepers, furthermore, are simply crapshoots that we hope will ultimately pan out somewhere down the road.

The difference, of course, is that the teamwork and group enthusiasm for individual success at the slots doesn’t transfer over into fantasy football.

Regardless of whether you define fantasy football as a game, a sport or an activity, it’s the epitome of the every-man-for-himself mentality. As the kids say these days, “Go big or go home.”

I, unfortunately, seem to have gone home a long time ago.

Alex Prewitt is a junior majoring in English and religion. He can be reached on his blog at http://livefrommudville.blogspot.com or followed on Twitter at @Alex_Prewitt.

14

THE TUFTS DAILY

SPORTS

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Tufts Hillel presents a lecture by

HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR ELIEZER AYA L ON

A survivor of the Holocaust, Eliezar Ayalon lived through the atrocities of five Nazi

concentration camps and a death march. After the war, he emigrated to Israel where

he served as a soldier in the 1948 War of Independence. Join us for an extraordinary opportunity to hear Mr. Ayalon as we welcome him from Jerusalem to share his first hand account of persecution, survival and rebirth.

OCTOBER 19, 2010 | 8PM in Cabot Auditorium This program is made possible through the generosity of Joyce and Bill Cummings and the Cummings Foundation.

THE TUFTS DAILY

Tuesday, October 19, 2010 Around Campus Chaplaincy THURSDAY, October 21, 2010 CHAPLAIN`S TABLE - “A LOOK AT DEALING WITH LOSS” MacPhie Conference Room/ Dewick Dining Hall Ben Tousley Folksinger and Hospice Chaplain Hospice of the North Shore “Songs at the End of Life”

Housing Going Fast-Apartments One 3 BR, Two 4 BR, One 5 BR .

Available June 1, 2011 to May 31, 2012. Very convenient to school. Call (617) 448-6233.

2, 4 and 6 BR Apt on Ossipee Available June 1, 2011. For more information call Maria at (781) 942-7625.

15

SPORTS

Housing

Housing

Across from Professors Row 6 BR, 2 bath w livingroom, hardwood floors throughout, ceramic tile eat in kitchen, dishwasher, refrigerator, washer/dryer, front/ rear porches, 4 car off st parking. $4650/mo incl heat and hot water.

Avail 9/1/11. Call Bunny (954) 9424848

College Ave 5 BR Apt 2 1/2 Baths, kitchen, living room, off-street parking, w/d basement.

Available June 1, 2011. Rent: $3250.

First and last month rent required.

Tenants pay utilities. Larger apts available. Call Guy (617) 590-7656.

Wanted

-

$$ SPERM DONORS WANTED $$ Become a California Cryobank donor and earn up to $1,200/ month, receive free health and infectious disease testing, and help people fulfill their dreams of starting a family. Convenient Cambridge location. Apply online: SPERMBANK.com

CLASSIFIEDS POLICY All Tufts students must submit classifieds in person, prepaid with check, money order, or exact cash only.

All classifieds submitted by mail must be accompanied by a check. Classifieds are $15 per week or $4 per day with Tufts ID or $30 per week or $8 per day without. The Tufts Daily is not liable for any damages due to typographical errors or misprintings except the cost of the insertion, which is fully refundable. We reserve the right to refuse to print any classifieds which contain obscenity, are of an overly sexual nature, or are used expressly to denigrate a person or group. Questions? Email business@tuftsdaily.com.

Defensive line’s makeup will see changes again at Conn.

WOMEN’S SOCCER continued from page 11

ANDREW MORGENTHALER/TUFTS DAILY

Part of a trio of sophomores that finished in the top 10 among a field of 225 runners, Kyle Marks helped lead the Jumbos to a tie for first with UConn at the Connecticut College Invitational this past weekend.

Jumbos take first at Conn. College Invitational MEN’S XC continued from page 11

cutting down his mileage a bit for the end of the season, and I think he will only continue to improve as the season goes on.”

Rounding out the scorers for the Jumbos were freshman Liam Cassidy and junior Scott McArthur, who crossed the line together in 26:16, earning 17th and 18th places, respectively.

Though the athletes expected to run fast times on the flat course, substantial winds slowed the field down. Cassidy, however, still captured a personal record on Saturday.

“It went really well. I went out slow, and then I closed pretty fast,” Cassidy said. “I planned to go with Scott and [freshman] Ben [Wallis], and then if I had anything more at the three-mile [marker], go faster. That pretty much happened, except that Scott stayed with me, and we both pushed each other to finish really well.”

Wallis came in close behind Cassidy and McArthur, finish-

ing 21st with a time of 26:20.

Three seconds behind Wallis in 23rd place was senior co-captain Jeffrey Ragazzini, who is returning to top form after being sick earlier in the season.

“The team did really well,” Marks said. “We showed our depth. We had not that big of a spread between our first and seventh, and we had a couple guys coming back from sickness and injury. The freshmen are continuing to do really well.”

The race wrapped up a solid regular season for the Jumbos, who believe that they have improved over the course of the four meets they have run.

“The freshmen are [now] definitely more comfortable running an 8k, and we just work better as a team,” Marks said. “We’re more comfortable with our own individual racing strategies, and we know what works for us now.

Hopefully, we can only improve going forward.”

“I’ve been smarter in not going out too fast,” Cassidy said. “I’ve

learned to be conservative with the first few miles and then have the mental strength to push through in the last one. We all keep improving every race.”

Though the squad has found much success thus far, the work isn’t over yet.

“Hopefully [we can] get our one through seven [runners] closer together, towards the faster end, and just dig into the killer instinct more in the championship season, which we haven’t really had to dig into yet,” Marks said.

Most of the squad will rest next weekend before heading into the team’s championship season. The Jumbos will travel to Hamilton on Oct. 30 to face off against conference rivals at the NESCAC Championships.

“Both NESCACs and Regionals are going to be really competitive this year, more so than last year even, but I like our chances with the team we have,” Marks said.

“If we have two Saturdays like I know we can have, then we’ll be pretty successful.”

defender Laney Siegner exited the game early with an injury of her own.

Yet despite fielding a patchwork back line and a freshman goalie playing in her first collegiate start, Tufts persevered with an impressive 1-0 victory.

The Jumbos attacked the Bantams’ net throughout the first half, sending 11 shots at senior goalkeeper Emily Weedon. But the experienced Weedon aptly turned away the six tries that were on goal in the opening period, putting the pressure on Tufts’ first-year Kristin Wright, whose only action this season had come in the second halves of games.

Fortunately, Wright was up to the task, making three saves in the first half and six in the second to finish with nine. She praised the reassembled defense for gelling quickly and making her job easier.

“I was freaking out a little bit because we were already late to warm-ups and it made me extremely nervous, especially with our back line being so different,” Wright said.

“But it worked out. I love our back line. I feel so confident with them back there.

You know they are going to get in front of the ball, and almost nothing ever comes through.”

After some initial frustration with their inability to finish, the Jumbos were finally able to give Wright a lead to protect in the 55th minute.

Junior forward Jamie LoveNichols settled a ball in the Bantams’ penalty area with her chest and buried a shot into the lower right corner of the net for the lone tally of the game.

“It was a great all-around build-up, starting from the back line,” senior co-captain Sarah Nolet said. “We got the ball up the field, found Jamie in the box, and she drilled a sick volley past their goalie.

Great goal.”

As the Bantams scurried for an equalizer in the latter portion of the second half, the Jumbos’ back line suffered another blow. Nolet, a defender, was sent off with 10 minutes remaining for picking up her second yellow card of the match. But Tufts was able to overcome Trinity’s one-man advantage, ensuring that both the shutout and the winning streak remained intact.

“The last 10 minutes, playing a man down with this crazy back line, we were just trying to get to the corners and hold on to the ball,” Wright said. “They did have a lot of corners toward the end, but we didn’t let them score.”

“The most important thing is that we have been playing together a lot and we

really know how each of us will react,” Nolet said. “We all really trust each other, which is huge when we come up against adversity like we did on Saturday.”

Now in second place in the NESCAC standings after surging past the Bantams, the Jumbos (6-2-2 overall, 4-1-1 NESCAC) on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. will take aim at conference bottom-feeder Conn. College (4-3-3 overall, 0-3-3 NESCAC) in their last road game of the regular season.

The starting lineup for that game is up in the air.

Nolet will serve a mandatory one-game suspension as a result of her red card, and her teammates’ recoveries are questionable for Wednesday.

But considering the determination the Jumbos showed on Saturday, they will be confident no matter which 11 players take the field.

“We’ll have to move some people around again, but that shouldn’t be a problem at all,” Nolet said. “I’m fully confident in our back line still, and Kristin should be fine whether Phoebe can play or not. We need to keep the level of intensity we played with this weekend and keep the momentum, no matter what level Conn. College is playing at. They are a good team, and we need to bring it.”

“I was freaking out a little bit because we were already late to warm-ups and it made me extremely nervous, especially with our back line being so different. But it worked out. I love our back line. I feel so confident with them back there. You know they are going to get in front of the ball, and almost nothing ever comes through.”

Kristin Wright freshman goalkeeper

Tufts is just one point behind Amherst in the NESCAC standings, and the team has played one less game than Amherst. If Tufts can extend its winning streak to six games in New London, Conn., on Wednesday, the ensuing home games against Williams and Bowdoin will give the team a chance to earn the top seed in the NESCAC tournament for the first time since 2005.

16

THE TUFTS DAILY

ADVERTISEMENT

Tuesday, October 19, 2010