2011-2-16

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THE TUFTS DAILY

TUFTSDAILY.COM

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2011

VOLUME LXI, NUMBER 14

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Schwarz wins TCU Senate seat Sophomore Stefan Schwarz last night was elected as a Tufts Community Union senator after roughly 25 percent of the sophomore class voted in the special election for the empty seat.

Schwarz will fill the seat left open following Tabias Wilson’s resignation from the seat last month.

Elections Commission chair Katherine McManus, a sophomore, said turnout was slightly higher in yesterday’s election than in the last special election for a junior Senate seat in December,

in which 22 percent of the junior class voted.

“I think both candidates ran a great campaign,” McManus said. “We look forward to the general and presidential election this spring.”

Schwarz said last night that he looks forward to joining the body, despite the fact that he will serve an abbreviated term.

“I know that it’s a shortened semester, but I’m looking forward to working with everyone on Senate to hopefully achieve some of what I set out in my platform,” he said.

— by Martha Shanahan

Med Center gives grants to Asian programs BY

MINYOUNG SONG

Daily Editorial Board

Tufts Medical Center last month awarded grants to five organizations that focus on Asian health as part of its annual Asian Health Initiative (AHI), this year supporting programs focused on diabetes, obesity and smoking.

AHI provides annual grants of up to $50,000 to promote the implementation of healthrelated programs that meet the needs of the Boston-area Asian population, according to Sherry Dong, the director of Community Health Improvement Programs at Tufts Medical.

The Asian American Civic Association, Boston Asian: Youth Essential

Service, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, Greater Boston Chinese Golden Age Center and Wang YMCA of Chinatown each received a grant for their commitment to addressing health concerns specific to Boston’s Asian community.

Organizations in Chinatown received priority for the grants, Dong told the Daily in an e-mail.

“The Medical Center is situated in the heart of Chinatown, serving as a primary healthcare provider for the community,” Dong said.

“As such, it is quite logical to place an emphasis on the health of the community in closest proximity to us and see GRANTS, page 2

COURTESY ALEXANDRA BLACKMAN

Middlebury College administrators are confident its study-abroad program in Alexandria, Egypt, will continue, but students say their decision to study there hinges on the country’s political transition.

Future of students’ plans to study in Egypt next year remain uncertain BY

MATT REPKA

Daily Editorial Board

After 18 days of protests commanded the attention of the international community and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s Feb. 11 resignation brought an end to three decades of autocratic rule in Egypt, the outcome of the of the Egyptian government’s transition will determine the future

of study-abroad programs there, students and administrators say.

Since Tufts does not have an abroad program in Egypt, Tufts students studying there are typically enrolled in non-Tufts programs such as the one run by Middlebury College through the C.V. Starr School in the Middle East in Alexandria.

Middlebury cancelled this semester’s program in the early

Profs: Egypt on a path toward democracy BY

KATHRYN OLSON

Daily Editorial Board

hours of Jan. 30, evacuating its students from Alexandria by plane through Europe to the United States.

Tik Root, a Middlebury junior, witnessed the first days of the protests in Alexandria before the school decided to cancel the program.

“We knew we were going to be evacuated, and I had a feeling see STUDY ABROAD, page 2

Hescott wins major international teaching award

Experts on Middle Eastern politics from Tufts and Harvard University last night said the protests in Egypt and the recent upheaval of the country’s government represent a fundamental change in the course of the region’s history.

Tarek Masoud, an assistant professor of public policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and Malik Mufti, associate professor of political science and former head of Tufts’ undergraduate International Relations program, addressed over 350 students in the Cabot Intercultural Center ASEAN Auditorium last night for a “crash course” on the political motivations and implications of Egypt’s revolt.

The lecture was sponsored by the New Initiative for Middle East Peace and the International Relations program’s Director’s Leadership Council.

Mufti and Masoud called the popular uprising and the subsequent resignation of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak a puz-

JUSTIN MCCALLUM/TUFTS DAILY

Senior Lecturer of Computer Science Ben Hescott last month was recognized for his enthusiasm and dedication with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Computer Society’s 2011 Computer Science and Engineering Undergraduate Teaching Award.

IEEE — the world’s largest organization for promoting the advancement of technology with more than 400,000 members worldwide — recognized Hescott “for making computer science accessible to a broad spectrum of students through his energy, enthusiasm and dedication to teaching.”

Department of Computer Science Chair Carla Brodley said Hescott has encouraged diversity in a typically maledominated subject area since coming to Tufts in 2007.

see EGYPT, page 2

Associate Professor of Political Science Malik Mufti, center, and Harvard University’s Tarek Masoud, right, presented at last night’s “crash course” on the political upheaval in Egypt.

see HESCOTT, page 2

BY

BRENT YARNELL

Daily Editorial Board

Inside this issue

Today’s Sections

Matthew Perry fails to deliver laughs in “Mr. Sunshine.”

Freshman Chelsea Stevens has found her comfort zone on the slopes.

see ARTS, page 7

see SPORTS, page 13

News Features Arts | Living Editorial | Letters

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Op-Ed Comics Sports Classifieds

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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

NEWS

Computer science lecturer wins IEEE annual award for excellence in undergraduate teaching HESCOTT continued from page 1

“Last semester he had 177 students enrolled, and 44 percent of those were female,” she said. “The average percentage of females in computer science is under 20 percent nationally and at Tufts as well.”

Hescott encourages students from all backgrounds to pursue an interest in computer science, which is ubiquitous in modern life, he said.

“Everyone should have some understanding of computer science,” Hescott said. “We live in an age where understanding data, understanding data representation and understanding data manipulation is key.”

Senior Katie Vogel, who serves as a teaching assistant in the computer science department, said she had no programming experience before taking Introduction

to Computer Science with Hescott last year. She praised his ability to make the discipline accessible to all students.

“I now run a small web business,” Vogel, who is a history major, said. “It’s been inspiring — I can do computer science, which I didn’t know I could do, and now maybe I could do other things.”

Hescott said he developed his teaching style to facilitate discussion about the material and plans his curriculum to inspire questions that lead students to move naturally from one concept to another.

“It’s like leading a horse to water,” he said. “If they haven’t been able to formulate a question around the material you’re covering, they’re never going to remember or store it.”

His method depends upon encouraging participation in a

technical field that can often seem daunting, Hescott added.

“There’s absolutely no tolerance for exclusion,” Hescott said.

“I never say, ‘Why didn’t you know that?’ … I tell the class that they are all computer scientists from day one.”

Vogel said she was struck by his ability to enliven topics that wouldn’t typically excite her.

“It was about a very boring topic, and yet he had me sitting on the edge of my seat,” she said.

“He is amazing.”

Vogel said she could remember in particular one of Hescott’s lectures on a difficult topic.

“To learn this complex idea … it’s called a pointer, a data type, and Ben came up with a play, a fully scripted play, called ‘The Wizard of OS,’” Vogel said. “It’s so fun, he’s brilliant. The metaphors he is using are so applicable to

Experts: Lasting reform will come gradually EGYPT continued from page 1

zle that has confounded political scientists and policy makers who suspected that any regime change in Egypt would stem from the country’s elite.

Masoud said a similar uprising in Tunisia that began in December and resulted in the ouster of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali sparked the pro-democracy protests in Egypt.

“When looking at events in Tunisia, many Egyptians are asking themselves, ‘If they can unseat such an entrenched dictator, why can’t we?’ A key ingredient in mobilizing Egyptians against their regime was a recognition that the people can win against a dictator,” Masoud said.

Masoud also partially attributed Mubarak’s resignation to the Egyptian military establishment’s sympathy for the protesters and its unhappiness with the regime.

“The protests were successful in large part because the military agreed to not fire on civilians. In a way, this signified their desire to see Mubarak step down,” Masoud said.

Mufti addressed the implications of Egypt’s uprisings within the larger context of the Middle East, saying the popular nature of the revolt marks a shift for the region.

“What we are seeing is a col-

lapse in the political authoritarian order that was established in many Middle Eastern countries after World War II,” Mufti said. “The ability of Egyptians to change the regime through people power rather than a coup and [to] hold a popular uprising in the name of democracy rather than nationalism, or pan-Arabism, has fundamentally changed the political discourse in the Arab world.”

Mufti said a normative change over the past three decades has established democracy as the standard of political legitimacy in the Middle East.

“Democracy is the most legitimate idea on earth right now,” he said. “No longer is it referred to as giving power to the ‘bleating masses.’ Now, it’s used as a mechanism to trim the claws of authoritarian regimes, as in Egypt.”

Both professors acknowledged that while Egypt’s supreme military council has promised democratic reform, an Egyptian transition to democracy remains a tenuous and possibly violent prospect.

“It’s not lost on anyone that Egypt is at the complete mercy of the military to follow through on their promise,” Masoud said.

“The military establishment is very conservative and favors a strong political leadership capable of countering perceived outside threats.”

Mufti called for the United States to recognize the complexities of establishing a new democracy.

“The U.S. needs to realize that democratic reform will take time and that there are many destabilizing factors that extremists, Islamists and radicals can and will exploit,” he said. “But that’s the risk of democracy.”

Mufti addressed Israel’s relationship with Egypt, given the new, temporary regime. Although the military leadership has vowed to uphold peace treaties with Israel, he said, a new Egyptian government will most likely adopt a more hostile view towards Israel than Mubarak.

“In any Arab country, when the people are allowed to articulate their sentiments, they will express resentment at Israel,” he said.

Masoud urged the audience to understand that the political evolution in Egypt is not complete and the final result will depend on the inertia of the pro-democracy movement that began with the protests last month.

“The real challenge for Egypt is to transform something on the street into something that can run for elections and win. Now they need to organize the leadership and establish political institutions that will ensure democratic change. Until that happens, it’s not yet a revolution.”

Medical Center helps fund Chinatown health programs with annual AHI grant GRANTS continued from page 1

for whom cultural and linguistic challenges make our support even more crucial.”

Each year’s grants focus on specific health concerns, this year’s being diabetes, obesity and smoking cessation, according to Dong.

“We … develop criteria, work with our advisory committee and review local public-health data to identify health priorities for any upcoming funding cycles,” Dong said.

The Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, an organization that works with mental health providers, public schools and guidance counselors, received a grant in support of its effort to raise awareness about childhood diabetes and obesity through its Family Services program, according to the organization’s executive director, Elaine Ng.

The Family Services program, whose staff works with parents to help them meet their children’s mental and physical needs, owes its existence to AIH, Ng told the Daily.

“Our Family Services [program] was founded through the first grant from AHI, when they first started funding,” Ng said.

Ng plans to use the grant to fund varied approaches to issues in family health. A cooking class, for example, will introduce immigrant parents to healthy recipes that they can make for their children.

“I think a person’s health and their ability to live a healthy life is impacted by a lot of different factors,” Ng said.

“Health needs are inextricably linked to other areas.”

The Wang YMCA of Chinatown also received a grant for its work combating

obesity. It will use the money to implement a program targeting health among teens.

“Children were seen at risk for obesity by not exercising, by eating poorly and by not getting information from their immigrant parents on what to do,” Richard Chin, the director of community development at the Wang YMCA, told the Daily.

“There’s a critical need for youths and teens to adopt healthier lifestyles, to offset the risks of obesity and poor nutritional choices,” he added.

Chin sees the grantfunded program improving Chinatown teens’ health across the board.

“Our program will try to help change teens’ sedentary lifestyle, nutritional choices and lack of a health-andwellness exercise regime,” Chin said.

COURTESY TUFTS UNIVERSITY PHOTOGRAPHY

Computer Science Lecturer Ben Hescott, who this year won an annual award for teaching from the IEEE Computer Society, has been credited with bringing diversity and accessibility to the subject. what we’re doing.”

Hescott said he tries to bring his passion for computer science into his teaching because passion was one of the qualities he most valued in his teachers.

Hescott, however, said he is not

averse to prescribing hard work for his students, considering it a valuable academic experience.

“I think it’s important that people come out of a class and say, “I took that class and it was awesome and it was hard,’” he said.

Potential Egypt study abroad students eye political situation STUDY ABROAD continued from page 1

we weren’t coming back,” Root told the Daily. He said he instead plans to study this semester at Damascus University in Syria.

While four Tufts students studied in Egypt during the fall, no one went there for the spring semester this year, according to Associate Dean of Programs Abroad Sheila Bayne.

“It just so happened that there weren’t any [students] this spring,” Bayne said. “It was lucky.”

The decision to cancel a program rests in the hands of the directors in question, Bayne added. “Student safety is very important, and we try to give students the information that they need to make good decisions,” she said. “But it’s up to the programs that are running there to decide whether they’ll run in a given semester.”

Middlebury Program Director Nehad Heliel, who has remained in Egypt after the end of the protests, said student safety was the top factor in the decision to cancel the program. Heliel’s comments were provided to the Daily

by Middlebury junior Otis Pitney, who has remained in contact with the program director.

“As the director of the Middlebury program, numberone in terms of my duty, my job description, is I have to look out for [students’] security,” Heliel said. She said the decision to cancel the semester was taken after discussions between Middlebury administrators both in Egypt and in the United States.

Several Tufts sophomores considering study-abroad programs in Egypt next year said despite the political uncertainty, Egypt remains an attractive destination because of the benefits of language immersion.

Sophomore Mark Rafferty submitted his application to the Middlebury program for fall 2011, but is still undecided where he will end up.

He said the likelihood that he will study in Egypt next year depends on the political situation.

“I was very optimistic about it until I read a few days ago that they’re postponing elections for six months,” Rafferty said. “If it’s going to be uncertain until that point, [the program] probably won’t want to risk it.”

Heliel said she was confident about the future of the Alexandria program, predicting that interest in the program would only increase.

“It’s not going to make stu-

dents run away from Egypt — it’s going to actually make Egypt a more interesting location in terms of study abroad,” Heliel said.

Sophomore Caitlyn Doucette is in the process of applying to the Middlebury program and said she was confident in the university’s decision.

“I would feel comfortable if they felt comfortable still having the program,” Doucette said.

Paul Wulfsberg, a former Tufts professor who also served as an associate director of Middlebury’s Alexandria program until August, told the Daily that safety concerns from parents are sometimes incongruous with the situation on the ground.

“In terms of State Department travel advisories and all the press, perceived instability is important for students’ parents,” Wulfsberg said.

He cited Syria as an example.

“A lot of students are hesitant to think about Syria because their parents are worried about them going there when it actually has been a pretty stable place.”

Doucette is unsure whether her parents would be comfortable with a decision to study in Egypt, but said she would make the final call.

“I’m kind of at the point in my life where they trust me to decide whether a place is safe enough.

Ultimately, it’s my decision — I just don’t like unnecessarily scaring them,” Doucette said.

Wulfsberg said even in the event of the creation of an antiWestern government in Egypt, the continuation of studyabroad programs next year is not impossible.

“If it’s a government that’s opposed to American policies, it will probably be more difficult, but not impossible to have American study-abroad programs there,” Wulfsberg said. “I doubt that the government there would place significant obstacles to study abroad. Egypt is dependent on having a regular in-flow of foreigners and tourists so that would not be in their best interest.”

Heliel said that she believes things will be back to normal by September.

“I think people are going to act very civilized, and things are going to calm down,” she said.

“I do think that by September things will be better.”

Ellen Kan contributed reporting to this article.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

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F a r e s C e n t e r f o r E a s t e r n M e d i t e r r a n e a n S t u d i e s P r e s e n t s

“All Roads Lead to Lebanon: Microcosm of the Best & Worst in the Modern Middle East”

Rami G. Khouri Fares Center Spring 2011 Visiting Scholar, Tufts University; Director, Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs, American University of Beirut Rami George Khouri, an internationally syndicated political columnist and book author, is the first Director of the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut, and also serves as a nonresident senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Dubai School of Government. He is Editor-at-Large, and former executive editor, of the Beirut-based “Daily Star” newspaper. Over the years, Khouri has penned several regular columns, including “Jordan Antiquity” (1997-2001) and presently, “A View from the Arab World.” Khouri is also a regular commentator regarding current affairs for BBC radio and television, CNN, NPR, PBS, Al-Jazeera International, and other leading international media.

Khouri received his B.A. in Political Science and Journalism from Syracuse University and a MSc. degree (Mass Communications) from the S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

Chaired by: Karam Dana, Tufts University

Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at 5:30 pm Cabot 7th Floor - Tufts University Open to the Public Cabot Intercultural Center 160 Packard Avenue Medford, Massachusetts 02155

http://farescenter.tufts.edu For more information contact: Chris Zymaris @ 617.627.6560

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Features

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CONFERENCE CALL

ALANNA TULLER | THE ARCHIVES ADDICT

Secular Europe and religious America?

Tufts scholars debate religious differences across the Atlantic Religion has long been a central aspect of societies worldwide, but its role and importance varies throughout the globe. As industrialization and globalization continue to impact every aspect of life, many wonder about the changing role of religion in a modern world and if the popular claim that Americans are more religious than Europeans is actually valid.

—by Emilia Luna

Elizabeth Lemons Lecturer of religion Religion is more central to American identity For Elizabeth Lemons, a religion lecturer at Tufts, it is important to consider the index of religiousness when trying to answer these questions.

“There are a lot of surveys that show that Americans are more religious than Europeans, but there is some scholarship that questions the accuracy of these surveys,” Lemons said. “According to some social science surveys, many Americans report that they go to religious services about twice as much as they actually go, so the discrepancies between attendance at religious services from America to Europe might not be as big as it looks.”

Lemons added, however, that even scholars who believe that there isn’t a significant difference in religiosity between the United States and Europe also agree that being religious seems more central to the American identity than the European one.

“In America, religious identity seems to be important, while it doesn’t seem as important in Europe,” she said.

Although there is debate among scholars, Lemons said that a historical explanation is key. According to Lemons, religion has historically been a choice rather than a mandate in the United States; from the beginning, religions in the United States have had to attract followers to their tradition or church, in contrast to the obligatory religious participation of medieval Europe.

“Religion has been more a vibrant part of American culture historically, and so it is something that people engage more rigorously in, rather than it being something that is taken for granted,” Lemons said.

Lemons sees a sort of “marketing” of religion in the United States, in which moral values are strongly tied to spiritual beliefs.

But she stressed the importance of questioning if the metric for religiousness is dependent on what people say they believe, or how they really act.

“Some people say they go to church but they don’t, or they say they believe in God, but what does that mean in their lives?” she said.

David O’Leary University Chaplain Don’t sound the death knell for religion in Europe According to University Chaplain David O’Leary, a constant struggle is waged in the United States and Europe to merge science and reason with religion.

“It’s a struggle of people willing to say reason and faith, grace and nature and trying to hold on to the ‘and’ — it makes it a more sophisticated life,” he said. “We have to accept science and nature, but the other side should not try to dismiss religion.”

An additional conflict exists between the notion of spirituality and the conventional definition of religion, O’Leary said.

“Most young people say ‘I am spiritual, but not religious.’ Well, what does that mean?” he said. “The belief factor is still there, but it might not be in a form of a traditional worship.”

Additionally, O’Leary said, the religiosity of a person or group is extremely difficult to assess due to the personal nature of the topic, which makes conclusive empirical evidence on religion rates quite rare. As such, despite the general belief that religion is diminishing in Europe, the degree of this decline may be overstated, O’Leary said, citing active youth movements in Italy as an example of continually prosperous

JODI BOSIN/TUFTS DAILY

Scholars disagree over the differing role religion plays in the United States and Europe.

European congregations.

“These religious groups that are trying to get back to the roots of Catholicism are the groups that are thriving,” he said. “No one is interested in maintaining a big church anymore — make them all museums. But the active people are the ones in the food lines or caring for the homeless.”

Regardless of whether Europeans and Americans conform to established religious ideals or carve their own spiritual paths, O’Leary believes that faith in a higher power is of vital importance.

“I don’t think there is anything wrong with experimentation as long as people come back to the conclusion that to be solid and rooted you need something beyond yourself, a faith tradition,” he said.

“The history of humanity has shown that people have always believed in something.

People need community and the support of one another.”

Paula Aymer Associate Professor of Sociology Cultural differences dictate religiosity Associate Professor of Sociology Paula Aymer explained that religion is an aspect of culture, and, as a result, cultural idiosyncrasies often dictate the degree to which a population is religious.

According to Aymer, the demographic composition and socioeconomic hierarchy of the United States explain the religious fervor in American culture.

“In the United States, you have greater diversity — there is a great feast of religions,” Aymer said. “Religion in America gives meaning to people who are seeking all kinds of meaning. To people who are poor, it gives them a sense of worth, but to people who have everything, it gives them a sense of fulfillment. It makes them feel special.”

On the other hand, Aymer believed that European countries were more homogenous in their cultures and demographics, a factor which she though might explain their lack of religious vehemence.

Furthermore, according to Aymer, the historical and political nature of European countries and the United States can explain the respective role religion plays in the present day. Aymer stressed that religion in the United States was built into the very foundation of the nation itself.

“At the very beginning, capitalism and religion managed to form very strong bonds,” she said. “Socioeconomic success is often treated as a mark of specialness — that your religious faith, your prayer life and your God marked you for that success.”

On the other hand, in Europe there exists what Aymer calls a “civil religion” that doesn’t bind people together as much as it does in America.

“Nationalism — belonging and being faithful to the nation and being part of tradition — is more important than fighting for religion,” she said. “The nation-state and its values — independence and choice — are letting religion out of their lives.”

A particularly noteworthy development, considering the lesser role of religion in Europe as compared to the United States, Aymer said, is that religious organizations comprised of immigrants from the likes of North Africa and the Middle East are actually thriving.

“You are going to see variety in religion [in the future] based on national identity, race and class,” she said.

Jeffrey Summit Rabbi, Tufts Hillel Executive Director The definition of religion is a key factor For Rabbi Jeffrey Summit, Tufts Hillel’s executive director, the difficulty of assessing religion in different parts of the world begins by incorrectly treating the topic in a monolithic manner.

“Different religious communities have different philosophies in terms of the meaning of religion and why they do it,” Summit said. “Certain words like ‘religion’ we use fairly freely, but it has different connotations and associations depending on the community where they are prescribing.”

Summit said there are many different ways that people identify as Jewish and that not all of these are religious. As such, exploring how “Jewish” Europeans and Americans are is not necessarily related to how religious they are.

“Some people identify Jewish spiritually and religiously, others culturally, and these are all very valid and strong,” he said.

“Hillel, for example, is [both] a cultural and religious group on campus.”

The Jewish community in America is not at all homogeneous; its population ranges from very traditional to very assimilated Jews, according to Summit.

“How people think of themselves ‘Jewishly’ plays a significant role,” Summit said. “Many Jews in Europe feel themselves being battled and under attack. AntiSemitism is rising in Europe, but in the U.S., it isn’t as much of a factor in Jewish identity,” Summit said. “In Israel, the majority of the society is secular and so anti-Semitism is very important.”

Summit warned about making generalizations about religiousness demographically because many, especially at college campuses like Tufts, explore a religious and cultural identity on their own terms.

Summit did acknowledge that on American college campuses, the interest in Judaism has been increasingly growing.

“Hillel is the busiest it’s ever been,” Summit said.

Party like it’s 1926

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omething that (hopefully) hasn’t changed too much over the years is the average Jumbo’s dedication to his or her schoolwork. I think it’s fairly safe to say that Tufts has seen generations of hard-working, intelligent students during the course of the university’s history.

It might be slightly less common knowledge, however, that Tufts students have always had a knack for throwing pretty sick parties.

Now, don’t get me wrong: I love the music at Fall Ball and Winter Bash, music which pulses through my entire body and leaves my ears ringing for a full day afterwards. I love our classy dancing. I love the crowds of well-behaved students sitting pleasantly on the President’s Lawn for Spring Fling. But a part of me wishes I could have partied with Jumbos a century ago during what seems to be a Golden Age of school-sponsored festivities.

The real force behind these glamorous shindigs of yesteryear was the Evening Party Association. According to the 1925 Tufts Yearbook, this club was “composed of a group of students whose purpose it is to promote the social life of the college by holding a series of formal dances.”

Although it is sadly defunct, the club was active until the early 1940s and created some pretty amazing events. In fact, we could probably learn a thing or two from their party-planning skills.

Take, for example, all of the football rallies we have nowadays. Oh, wait … that’s right, we don’t have football rallies. However, 1926 was a banner year for football and school spirit. The Tufts Weekly, the precursor to the Tufts Observer, reported that a “large and enthusiastic football rally” took place in November of that year in which students were treated to live music “furnished by the band,” numerous speeches by professors and coaches, as well as the expert cheers of “Harry O’Brien ’22, former Tufts cheerleader.” (I get the feeling the definition of “cheerleader” has changed over the years).

After these indoor festivities, rally-goers took their celebration to the streets and “about 200 students formed behind the band and paraded over the Hill and to Teele and Davis Squares, singing and cheering.” As if a mob of college kids gallivanting around Somerville wasn’t enough, the students created a massive bonfire upon their return “in anticipation of the next day’s game.” I know we’re all busy with schoolwork and clubs, but Tufts students from the 1920s totally school us in terms of Jumbo pride. Plus, I think current residents of Medford and Somerville would really appreciate us bringing our newfound school spirit into town every night before a football game.

If crowds of crazy football fans aren’t quite your cup of tea, the Evening Party Association also planned events that catered to a more sophisticated crowd. For the sophomore class’s Annual Banquet in 1938, the Weekly reported, “a roast turkey dinner will be served… [and] this year, instead of holding just a banquet, the committee has planned a smoker to be held in conjunction with the dinner.” What, you may ask, is a “smoker”? The Weekly clarifies: “Pipes, tobacco, and cigarettes will be distributed during the evening.”

It’s sort of amazing how little things have changed over the years. Yes, the university no longer distributes tobacco to students, and no, I don’t expect to see a turkey dinner at Winter Bash next year. But there’s always that electricity when the whole student body gathers for an event, whether it’s storming the streets of Somerville before a football game or collectively obeying Taio Cruz’s command to “throw our hands up in the air sometimes” at Fall Ball. No matter the century, one thing is certain: Tufts students will always know how to party.

Alanna Tuller is a sophomore double majoring in English and Spanish. She can be reached at Alanna.Tuller@tufts.edu.

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TV REVIEW

EMILY BALK | WHISK-Y BUSINESS

Despite strong, experienced cast, ‘Mr. Sunshine’ fails to light up the room

Where the buffalo roam

BY

BEN PHELPS

I

Daily Editorial Board

Some TV comedies measure greatness in terms of jokes per minute. For instance, funnier equals better for Tina Fey and

Mr. Sunshine Starring Matthew Perry, Allison Janney, Andrea Anders, Nate Torrence Airs Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. on ABC company on “30 Rock,” even if it means cutting corners when it comes to plot and characterization. Other comedies can be good without being laugh-outloud funny. “Scrubs” (2001-10), although it certainly had its humorous moments, was always at its best when it threw more serious dramatic elements into the mix.

Unfortunately, “Mr. Sunshine,” the new Matthew Perry vehicle on ABC, doesn’t fall into either camp. Despite a strong cast and promising premise, the jokes largely fall flat and there isn’t much substance to otherwise prop up the show.

Perry plays Ben Donovan, the operations manager of a San Diego arena aptly named the Sunshine Center. He channels his inner Chandler Bing, delivering almost exactly what you would expect from a Matthew Perry performance, which works for the most part.

His sarcasm and exasperated tone hearken back to his days on “Friends” (19942004) and contrast nicely with the other arena personalities.

At this point, though, Ben is too thinly drawn for a lead character. He comes off a bit egocentric, but not as much as the show wants us to think. Other

COURTESY ABC

The cast of ABC’s newest comedy ‘Mr. Sunshine.’ people describe him as a “preening, selfcentered narcissist,” but most of the evidence to support that claim comes from the fact that he wanted to be wished happy birthday and to be thanked for his 10 years of service at the arena. The moniker “Mr. Sunshine,” while obviously a play off the arena’s name, is also supposed to ironically apply to Ben, but so far there’s not a lot to back that up. It feels more like an attempt to be clever, but a weak one at that.

The supporting cast is filled out to varying degrees of success. Allison Janney of “The West Wing” (1999-2006) is mostly a miss as Crystal, the owner of the arena. Janney must repeatedly receive

MOVIE REVIEW

notes that say “crazy!” and “politically incorrect!” because they are the only two traits she seems to have, even if they’re not particularly funny (although her repeated over-the-top winking does draw laughs).

Andrea Anders of the late, great workplace satire “Better Off Ted” (2009-10) fares a bit better as Alice, the marketing director and Ben’s one-time flame. Her surface-level liberalism has potential, especially when paired with boyfriend Alonzo’s (James Lesure) optimism, but I’m afraid she’ll be relegated to the role of love interest, despite Anders’ proven see MR. SUNSHINE, page 9

BAND PROFILE

California group re-defines hip-hop BY

MITCHELL GELLER

Daily Editorial Board

But with its melding of same-sex romance, a ghost story and a more conventional family drama, director Javier Fuentes-León’s strange narrative proves itself a rare exception. Not only does “Undertow” work, and work well, but the end result becomes far more interesting than the individual bones of its narrative skeleton.

The film centers around a simple fisherman, Miguel (Cristian Mercado), from a small Peruvian coastal town. He’s happily married with a child on the way and well-loved by nearly everyone within the close-knit, traditionally Catholic community. He also happens to be carrying on a passionate, highly sexual affair with Santiago (Manolo Cardona), a local male

Eminem won the Grammy award this past Sunday for Best Rap Album for 2010’s “Recovery.” It’s been over a decade since “The Slim Shady LP” (1999) dropped, scaring white America, challenging hip-hop conventions and announcing a new force to be reckoned with.

Twelve years in, Eminem has become a pop star — as insanely talented as he may be, Eminem has little novelty to offer audiences.

“Recovery” is not the best rap album released in the last Grammy cycle, and it is nowhere near Eminem’s best work. The album represents a clean, ambitious, positive rapper hungry for a comeback. It’s easy and boring.

Hip-hop isn’t dead, though.

While Marshall Mathers was busy accepting his golden gramophone, something much more important was happening in hip-hop: Tyler the Creator, the de facto leader of the group OFWGKTA (Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All), released a new video.

To understand the importance of the video, “Yonkers,” you have to understand OFWGKTA. Rappers, producers, artists, filmmakers, hell-raisers, skaters — OFWGKTA is made up of Tyler the Creator (aka Wolf Haley, aka Ace),

see UNDERTOW, page 9

see OFWGKTA, page 9

HÉCTOR ÁLVAREZ VIA UNDERTOWFILM.COM1

Cristian Mercado (left) and Manolo Cardona (right) struggle to love each other openly in a small Peruvian coast town.

‘Undertow’ merges genres, tackles sexuality with supernatural approach

BY JOHN-MICHAEL SEQUEIRA

Daily Staff Writer

Genre mashups may be in vogue — check out “Zombieland” (2009), a fantastic horror-comedy, or Quentin Tarantino’s

Undertow Starring Manolo Cardona, Tatiana Astengo, Cristian Mercado Directed by Javier Fuentes-León entire filmography — but it’s not often the pairing of two disparate storytelling approaches yields anything more than an interesting experiment.

t was during my freshman year at Tufts that I first sampled the great buffalo chicken calzone. I was unfamiliar with calzones and buffalo chicken to begin with, so I was feeling skeptical. I couldn’t imagine why the people around me were eating what I thought amounted to glorified Hot Pockets with elephantiasis with such gusto.

My first taste of that greasy creation — pizza dough encapsulating melted cheese and spicy, breaded, deep-fried chicken, dipped into a mild blue cheese dressing — and I knew, right there and then in Lewis Hall that it was really something special. Wow. It seemed wrong, but tasted so right. Who but the most dedicated vegetarians could argue that the “buff chick cal,” as some say, is anything but magical? What genius decided to wrap chicken in fried batter and then wrap that in white pizza dough and then bake it?

With some research, I discovered that the buffalo chicken calzone is something of a regional specialty, if not specific to Boston. It is ubiquitous on the menus of your average pizza/sub delivery joints, and seems to inspire cult-like devotion in college students. I’ve seen two hungry men lock eyes and know, from the look in each others’ faces, that they were going to order the large. But the buff chick defies its “man food” stereotype. There is a strong female following for the calzone as well.

Unfortunately, but fortunately for my thighs, I will not always be in this hot spot of hot chicken called Boston. Sure, I could try my hand at making a buffalo chicken calzone, but I know, deep down, that it wouldn’t be the same. For others that may not be able to get their fingers on a buff chick, despair not, there is a solution: a white-trash cousin of our beloved buff chick. Behold the buffalo chicken dip!

Popular at events like Super Bowl parties and other manly sports gatherings, I see no reason why this goop shouldn’t be enjoyed any time you’re craving the king of calzones but can’t seem to find one. The following recipe is a reworking of the one that can be found on the Frank’s RedHot website. I’m not really one for brand loyalty, hence the changes.

Expect to feel incredulous when you read the list of ingredients. I’ll be the first to admit that it sounds vile, but just go ahead and cook the hot mess. Your taste buds and your friends will thank you.

Ingredients: 8 ounces of cream cheese, room temperature 1/4-cup ranch dressing 1/4-cup blue cheese dressing 1/2-cup hot sauce (You can use classic hot sauce or be adventurous and try it with Sriracha or chili garlic sauce. Just be careful to taste until desired spiciness. Or don’t and risk blowing your head off with capsaicin overload.)

1/2-cup crumbled blue cheese or shredded mozzarella (plus a little extra) 2 cups chicken* in small pieces (roasted, fried, whatever) *if you’re feeling health-conscious (guffaw) or you are vegetarian, you could leave the chicken out altogether or substitute with spinach, cauliflower or tofu.

Pre-heat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese, ranch and blue cheese dressings, hot sauce of choice and cheese.

Stir in chicken, veggies or nothing. Pour the mixture into a baking dish, which should be something you want to serve it in, smooth it out, and sprinkle the extra cheese on top.

Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until the dip is hot and the cheese on top is melted and beginning to brown. Serve with pita chips, hearty bread or vegetables. Go to the gym the next day.

And for those extreme loveres of buff chick, visit buffalochickencalzone.com, a blog devoted exclusively to buffalo chicken calzones and wraps. I am not making this up.

Emily Balk is a senior majoring in biopsychology. She can be reached at Emily.Balk@tufts.edu.

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THE TUFTS DAILY

ARTS & LIVING

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

THE TUFTS DAILY

9

ARTS & LIVING

Hip-hop group OFWGKTA goes for shock and awe, leaves nothing off-limits OFWGKTA continued from page 7

Hodgy Beats, Earl Sweatshirt, Domo Genesis, Mike G, Frank Ocean, Left Brain, The Jet Age of Tomorrow, Syd tha Kyd, Jasper Loc and Taco Bennett.

Tyler the Creator is a mere 19 years old, and the youngest member is 17-year-old Earl Sweatshirt (who is currently M.I.A. — many speculate he’s in boot camp, which has spawned the rallying cry of “Free Earl” all over the Internet and at OFWGKTA’s shows). But upon hearing its tracks, you’d never know the group was composed of such a young crew.

Their music is all self-produced — most often by Syd, the sound engineer and the only girl in the crew — and is a terrifying blend of violent, funny, sharp, wicked lyrics over dense, clean beats. The songs are windows into the heads of intensely creative, smart, funny teenagers weaned on 1990s rap and exposed to the Internet at a young age.

Nothing is off-limits: They cook up the sort of bizarre, twisted darkness that hasn’t been seen since early Eminem or Immortal Technique at his most daring. The lyrics, nearly all of which are unprintable, are sociopathic, anti-social and mind-blowing in the best way possible. Hip-hop hasn’t been this exciting, compelling, scary and bizarre in a long time. The collective has been drawing comparisons to artists ranging from Wu-Tang Clan to Eminem to the Jackass guys, and all are totally valid, although it’s hard to accurately describe exactly what these guys are up to.

For the past two years, OFWGKTA has released all of its music for free on its Tumblr blog, and although this amounts to only a handful of group mixtapes and a few solo albums, the group’s status has been steadily growing. Earl Sweatshirt’s first solo album, “EARL” (2010), made

PITCHFORK.COM

OFWGKTA, officially Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, doesn’t look ready to kill them all. waves across the blogosphere, and its title track earned a spot on New York Times’ music critic Jon Caramanica’s best of 2010 list.

“Yonkers,” the video in question, is the first single off Tyler’s upcoming album “Goblin,” which will be released in April

by XL Recordings in a deal announced on Monday. The video, no doubt many listeners’ first taste of OFWGKTA, was directed by Tyler, a film school dropout.

It’s a stark black-and-white ordeal featuring Tyler sitting on a stool rapping the hyper aggressive lyrics in his roaring baritone, a voice that sounds like it should be coming from the depths of hell rather than a young black kid’s mouth.

It’s a simple formula, but throw in a giant cockroach, vomit, a bloody nose,

demon eyes and a noose, and you have something distinctly OFWGKTA. Over its three-minute running time, the video manages to be at once gorgeous, horrifying, sickening and completely hypnotizing. It’s hard to watch, but impossible to look away from; it’s a horror film, and one of the most effective in recent memory. It’s not for the faint of heart, it’s not for children, and it’s definitely not for the mainstream. Somehow, though, it’s racked up over 500,000 views in a few short days.

OFWGKTA is obscene and dramatic and, in a word, awesome. They’re skate punks making hip-hop music and videos, blogging and pissing people off to amuse themselves. But they’ve hit on a formula that’s perfect for right

now. What they say in their songs will no doubt bring the ruckus when the mainstream catches on, but the fact that they’re doing their thing with some modicum of success is thrilling.

They’re following in the footsteps of Soulja Boy, who harnessed the always surprising, infinite power of the Internet to carve out a niche and do exactly what he wanted to. But while Soulja Boy was teaching us to “crank dat,” OFWGKTA is trying to shock us for its own kicks and giggles.

The group, or at least part of it, is appearing tonight on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.” Or, as it announced on its website over the weekend, “Time to scare white America.”

Consider yourself warned.

Director Javier Fuentes-León shows struggle with sexuality in ‘Undertow’

Matthew Perry’s comedy shows potential, but more development needed

UNDERTOW

MR. SUNSHINE

continued from page 7

artist and photographer.

Mercado’s take on the admittedly juicy role is raw, heartfelt and affecting. He performs leagues away from the overacting that could’ve easily been phoned in.

At times, however, he strays past subtlety into full-on ambiguity, with Miguel’s psychological innards rendered a touch too opaquely.

And, occasionally, it’s quite difficult to fully comprehend what he sees in his wife Mariela — the two seem merely close companions and partners in domestic ennui, bound to each other more by common obligation than love.

Still, these are missteps made with the best of intentions, and Fuentes-León can hardly be criticized for trusting his audience enough to offer up such refreshingly honest material.

Below the surface, in hints and fragmentary pieces, is a wholly compelling illustration of a man at odds with himself and his sexuality, suffocated by repressed desire and sealed off by an impregnable casing of denial. Here, Fuentes-León has captured a reality lost on most Western film-going audiences: that being out isn’t always a surmountable challenge — it’s often a near-impossibility. Thankfully, the all-too-easy checkpoints of spiritual hand-wringing, pleas to God or tearful confessions are circumvented in favor of a stark and truthful portrait — one that is quickly shattered by Santiago’s unexpected disappearance.

As the picture takes this sharp turn into the otherworldly and allegorical, the bond between Miguel and Santiago, who has transformed into something of a ghost and is invisible to the world at large, takes on an unusual, intriguing light. The film moves away from the expected and into the profoundly original.

By melding Santiago’s afterlife into an almost blissful public honeymoon, in which Miguel and his lover can stand openly amidst those who would have condemned them in life, FuentesLeón speaks with profound simplicity on the challenge of concealing one’s inner self from the world at large. Their unabashed, authentic romance in these

moments shames the typically superficial portrayals of love and companionship in popular cinema.

And for a film sharing so much in common with the American independent effort “The Kids Are All Right” (2010), the mirrored stories bear markedly different thematic fruit. They are, in many ways, opposite sides of the same coin — though divided by gulfs of culture and ideology, both films include affairs of an unexpected sexual orientation, leading to a common storytelling fingerprint. Considering that “The Kids Are All Right” currently stands nominated for both Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the upcoming Academy Awards, it’s more than a little surprising that “Undertow” didn’t make the cut for Best Foreign Film.

Yes, “Kids” director Lisa Cholodenko’s work made for an intelligent, interesting film, but its claims at originality were purely smoke and mirrors. To her credit, the ability to feature a gay couple onscreen without spotlighting their sexual orientation as its singular focus was commendable. Yet the film can essentially be distilled to a standard morality tale — affairs cripple any family, straight or gay — while FuentesLeón shrugs off simplistic morals for more ambitious fare.

That ambition, and the complexity beneath it, embodies an artistic spirit that needs nurturing from the Hollywood establishment. It’s therefore a shame to see the academy so determined to pass over films that break ideologically new ground in favor of those that merely apply a surface sheen of hip progressivism.

The academy’s decision to bypass “Undertow” for an Oscar bid is, at best, misguided, and, at worst, a failure of judgment that will prevent a slew of great films from ever being viewed by a large audience. Cristian Mercado’s nuanced performance as the haunted Miguel deserves to be seen, right along with the narrative’s fascinating challenge to both romance and the supernatural. Unfortunately, it seems more likely that “Undertow” will simply be lost in the catacombs of underdistributed foreign films.

continued from page 7

comedic chops.

The biggest laughs come from Roman (Nate Torrence), Crystal’s son and the newest employee at the Sunshine Center, despite a marked lack of interests or skills. Torrence plays the dimwitted character with so much enthusiasm it’s hard not to smile, but he’ll have to be careful not to push his character into annoying territory by going too broad.

As Ben says in the pilot, the Sunshine Center does “political conventions, sports, rodeo, lingerie, football, motocross” and, as we see later, circuses and rock concerts, too. There is certainly no shortage of ways to bring in interesting guest stars and conflicts. But only one of the three episodes I’ve seen, involving Nick Jonas as a demanding teen star, delivered on the show’s potential — and even that was only one subplot.

Pilots are often necessarily rushed.

They have to make a good first impression to keep viewers interested while introducing the main characters, setting a tone and telling a good story.

And with so much going on, pilots are sometimes not the best indicators of

what a show truly is.

For example, the pilot and subsequent handful of episodes of “Cougar Town,” which stars Perry’s former “Friends” costar Courteney Cox, was based on Cox’s character’s desire to sleep with younger men. It has now notably transformed into a goofy ensemble comedy with little left from its early iteration.

I have seen two episodes past the “Mr. Sunshine” pilot, including tonight’s episode, however, and things don’t change much. I hope the show is merely taking a little time to find its footing because I like a lot of the elements individually. Perry, Janney and Anders are all great comedic actors and there are plenty of supporting characters to eventually make a solid ensemble. The premise has a lot of promise and the Sunshine Center has the potential to become a distinct setting with strong character.

So far, though, I can’t say I’m dying to see a fourth episode. I’ll keep watching because I want it to improve and I believe it has the potential. But if a sitcom is clearly aiming for laughs over gravitas and it’s not getting them out of me, something’s not working.

COURTESY ABC

Matthew Perry and guest star Nick Jonas share a scene on ‘Mr. Sunshine.’

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EDITORIAL | LETTERS

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

EDITORIAL

Berlusconi: A wake-up call for treatment of women The latest sex-related scandal from Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is hardly surprising. In a decision handed down yesterday, Berlusconi will stand trial in April for allegedly paying an underage belly dancer for sex, then abusing his power to help release her from jail on theft charges.

Though hardly actions expected of a leader of a modern, industrialized nation like Italy, this marks only the most recent in a long line of scandals from the prime minister and comes as old news for Italian citizens.

Berlusconi has denied any technical wrongdoing, yet he has conceded some curious details. He did in fact pay the girl the euro equivalent of $9,450 for attending a party of his, though he has insisted he did not pay for sex.

He also did request her release from police custody, claiming he believed her to be the niece of then-president of Egypt Hosni Mubarak.

Getting to the bottom of the scandal is certainly important, yet the incident reflects the larger and far more important problem of Italy’s persistent mistreatment and humiliation of its women.

Women in Italy are too often seen as objects for sex who possess little equal-

ity with men. According to the most recent Global Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum, Italy ranks 74th worldwide for its treatment of women.

This ranking places Italy behind the likes of Colombia, Peru and Vietnam, an appalling feat for an advanced industrial democracy and a member of the European Union.

Despite his alleged (and confirmed) impropriety, Berlusconi stated that he has no intention of resigning anytime soon. This announcement comes in the wake of widespread protests and calls for him to step down, both from political opponents and women’s rights activists. Hundreds of thousands more protested on Sunday in cities across Italy and throughout Europe, demanding greater gender equality and his resignation.

This most recent scandal follows the prime minister’s familiar pattern, in which he uses his political power and wealth to propagate Italy’s degradation of women. Berlusconi owns or controls a majority of the television media outlets in Italy and thus determines how women are viewed by a vast majority of the country.

Outside of his media empire, Berlusconi uses his political power

to further objectify women. He often appoints busty and physically attractive women to government positions, irrespective of their merit. Unsurprisingly, Berlusconi’s minister of equality was a contestant in Miss Italy 1997, in which she placed sixth.

The prime minister’s actions are reflective of a national culture of sexism. Italy ranks very low globally in a slew of categories, according to the World Economic Forum’s report. The country takes the 121st spot in wage parity, 97th in opportunities for women in leadership positions and 87th in labor participation. A November Newsweek article additionally reported that only 45 percent of Italian women work outside the home, as compared with 80 percent in Norway and 72 percent in the United Kingdom.

These startling statistics add up to one conclusion: Berlusconi’s tradition of degrading women is poison to Italian culture. In 2009, over 100,000 women signed a “Berlusconi Offends Us” petition in response to a sexist remark he made to a female politician, yet the move clearly fell on deaf ears. How many more scandals will it take?

It is time for Italy to catch up to its fellow European nations and modernize its attitude toward women.

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OFF THE HILL | UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA

US citizens take rights for granted

BY SAMRUDDHI SOMANI

The Daily Gamecock

If you have seen headlines in any international newspaper or news site this week, you’ve seen evidence of the political turmoil ravaging North Africa — specifically Egypt — whose democracy has not performed as its citizens expected.

These stories have prompted me to reflect upon our own relatively wholesome political structure and how many rights we seem to take for granted.

While we often complain about the inefficiencies of our government, we rarely stop to think about what it has

The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free to the Tufts community. EDITORIAL POLICY Editorials represent the position of The Tufts Daily. 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.

done right. For example, we have enshrined within our Constitution many rights people in other countries only dream of. We know we won’t be punished for speaking out against our leaders in public forums. We are able to disseminate our dissent and share our views.

While we may take these freedoms of speech and press for granted, perhaps we ought to imagine a country without them. What if it were illegal to complain about the White House’s handling of the economic crisis? What if it were illegal for Jon Stewart to hold his “Rally to Restore Sanity”? What if it were illegal to suggest that money not be diverted

from education or arts spending?

Another important aspect of our political tradition is its inclusiveness.

There are very few requirements to hold public office. Note that we have neither a hereditary system nor a minimum formal education requirement.

This is just the beginning of the political freedoms we enjoy. We are free to speak our minds and share our views.

We are able to choose representatives, who reflect these views and take our hopes and desires seriously. We are not limited to a small subset of Americans who meet a long list of requirements.

Knowing all this, how can we not take pride in our government?

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Wednesday, February 16, 2011

THE TUFTS DAILY

PRASHANTH PARAMESWARAN | THE ASIANIST

The American dream?

BY ISAAC

India is Starbucks’ cup of tea

FREEMAN

One of the great things about Tufts is how worldly the students are, so I apologize if I’m preaching to the choir about this, but I think it bears mention. To set the scene, I’ve spent the last month traveling all over New Zealand on the supercheap. That means I’ve been splitting my nights between hostels and campgrounds. While backpacking like this certainly has its thorns, it has allowed me to meet tons of interesting (mostly savory) people. Two things in particular struck me about the travelers that I have met: first, the relatively small number of Americans — especially those my age — and second, the duration of my bunkmates’ travels.

Take my new Israeli friends for instance. Most of them have finished their compulsory army tours and are traveling for a full year before going to college. And I thought I was roughing it with my measly month! I asked them how long they’d been travelling for, and they offhandedly mentioned that they had been out for three months — in New Zealand alone. Taking that much time off of “real life” is really foreign to me.

Take the German girl in the tent next to me at a campground outside of Christchurch. She had already spent two months in New Zealand, and this was only one stop of many for her. These are not isolated cases. Most of those I met weren’t working or studying abroad — they were just seeing the world with a backpack and a decent bankroll. Now I’m not talking about adults here, although there were plenty of those, too — I’m talking about people my age with no plans other than to see the world in all its glory.

And now it has finally occurred to me why there were almost no young Americans anywhere I traveled: They were too busy fulfilling the so-called “American Dream.” Shunted directly from high school into college with summers full of internships and jobs, the American way of doing things doesn’t leave a lot of room for gap years — especially not

S

ANDREW MORGENTHALER/TUFTS DAILY

if you want to be competitive in such a tight job market. And if you’re lucky, four rigorous years in college might earn you the privilege of being hired directly into a top-notch job where you will spend your days (and nights) working hard to achieve your career goals.

For many, this is the American ideal of success. But at what cost?

OK, I exaggerate a little. First of all, this doesn’t describe all students, and most corporations aren’t evil entities out to devour college graduates. In fact, I’ll be the first to admit that my goals fall somewhere along these lines. I want to be successful; I’m prepared to work hard for it, and that is the same mindset I see among most of my friends. But even my short time traveling has opened my eyes to the fact that there are other ways than the American way. The American version of success is great, but it’s also very limiting.

Many are afraid to take a year off before or after college to explore the globe for fear of becoming obsolete. Traveling like

that just isn’t done by Americans with the same frequency as many other cultures, and I think we, as a society, miss out on a lot because of it.

Don’t get me wrong — I’m not suggesting that everyone should drop everything and book a one-way ticket to Tuvalu. But before we all get cast into our careers and life endows us with even more responsibilities and obligations, it’s worth taking a moment to stop and think. It’s a big world out there, and as apple pie as the American Dream may be, you’re cheating yourself if you think it’s the only way.

So take that trip. See the world. Even if you can’t take a year, take a month or even just a week and simply explore.

They say youth is wasted on the young, so don’t let that be you! You’re only young once, so make the best of it.

Isaac Freeman is a junior majoring in quantitative economics. He is currently studying abroad in New Zealand.

Class Council and Alumni Association lacked foresight, likely to repeat mistakes BY

KEVIN MCDONALD

After reading the Tufts Daily’s editorial on Feb. 14 regarding the senior class’s “100 Days Until Graduation” celebration, I was stricken by the inadequacy of the reasons presented as to why the event was held in a venue that was knowingly too small for the number of students invited. The reasons for the Alumni Association’s decision to hold the event in Dewick-Macphie Dining Center, as explained to the Daily by Senior Class Council President Lindsey Rosenbluth, were not strong enough to justify knowingly denying two-thirds of seniors entrance to a celebration in their honor.

In said interview, Rosenbluth commented on why the event was not held in a larger venue, such as the Gantcher Center, saying, “You don’t really hold a cocktail party in a gym.” It is comments like these that show how shortsighted members of the Tufts community — both current and past — can be. As the editorial commented, something as simple as a celebration for the senior class should, at the very least, be able to guarantee entrance to anyone wishing to attend, even if this means sacrificing the ideal atmosphere.

In my opinion, Dewick was a poor choice by the Alumni Association allaround. The fact that the Senior Class Council agreed to such a venue shows either their lack of a backbone to stand up for the constituency they purport to represent or their own simple ineptitude at event planning. Here’s a tip: Don’t invite more than can attend.

In the same interview, Rosenbluth stated that the Alumni Association chose

11

OP-ED

Dewick because Tufts lacks a “suitable venue,” an excuse that is just wrong. It may have been four years ago, but I can distinctly remember having my Freshman Orientation dinner in Gantcher. If the room was suitable then to fit the entire Class of 2011, I ask, “What has changed since?” Certainly not the size of the room, as the university is still able to hold Fall Ball and other campus-wide events there that likely attract close to — if not more than — the 1,100 students that make up the senior class.

So what was the problem? We can have a banquet in Gantcher, but not a cocktail party? Oh, right ... the Alumni Association isn’t willing to shell out the money for a larger room to benefit its next class of members. Maybe in future years, they could do everyone a favor by not bothering with the oh-so-necessary free business-card holders, save a few bucks and use the money towards booking a place in which everyone can fit.

Oh, but it’s not about the money?

According to Rosenbluth and the Alumni Association, it’s because Gantcher is too spacious. This is, in my opinion, just about the worst excuse one could offer.

Clearly having a venue that is too big is less of an issue than one that is too small.

I was one of the hundreds of seniors who walked downhill and waited in line in the 20-degree weather only to be told by event staff, “The event is at capacity.

Under no circumstances will anyone be getting in.” And I can tell you that I would not have minded a wide-open gym able to accommodate everyone, even with some extra space for students to mingle.

And if the size of the gym is still a concern, rope a section off. It’s not a novel

concept. Obviously the event must stay on-campus — so make everyone happy; put it in Gantcher, please.

The Alumni Association is not solely to blame for this debacle, as the Senior Class Council clearly neglected to inform those invited just how limited space was.

They failed to mention that only half of the bottom floor of the dining hall would be open, which at least would have been an indicator of how many students they would have been able to accommodate that night. As a side note, even if the failure of this year’s “100 Days” celebration doesn’t lead the Alumni Association to move the event out of Dewick, they should at least consider using more of the hall instead of only one-quarter of it.

The invitation e-mail sent to all seniors simply said that “space is limited,” without qualifying the statement in any way. It made no mention of the fact that people would be turned away and have been in the past. In fact, after being denied access to my own celebration, I spoke with current alumni who related similar experiences of getting blocked out from the event.

The two organizations should make it up to the senior class by holding an event that all members can attend.

Clearly it is a pipe dream, but maybe they will learn to rectify their mistake.

Sorry, Class of 2012, but judging by how they have yet to fix their event planning issues, the Alumni Association and Senior Class Council seem doomed to repeat their mistakes.

Kevin McDonald is a senior majoring in political science and classics.

ince Scotsman Robert Bruce discovered tea bushes growing along the banks of the Brahmaputra river in 1823, India has gone on to become the world’s leading tea producer and consumer. So the fact that Starbucks, the globe’s leading specialty coffee retailer, is even thinking of entering the world’s largest tea-drinking nation may seem somewhat far-fetched.

It is not. Coffee demand is surging in India, and local coffee chains are already taking advantage of it. If Starbucks can adapt to the peculiarities of the Indian market, coffee may soon become many Indians’ cup of tea.

The Indian coffee market is growing at a feverish pace. Consumption has almost doubled in the last decade on the back of the large, young urban population that prefers Western cafes to traditional Indian coffeehouses. Leading coffee chains like Café Coffee Day and Costa Coffee are already registering double-digit growth rates and statistics indicate the market is far from saturated. If the Indian economy sustains its blistering growth, McKinsey predicts that India’s middle class will swell from 50 million in 2007 to 583 million by 2025. Little wonder Starbucks has woken up and smelled the coffee.

Entering the Indian market also jives well with the company’s long-term growth strategy. Most of Starbucks’ future expansion is expected to come from the pursuit of international opportunities, particularly in BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China), which are the global engines of growth. Of these, India is the only one that Starbucks has not entered, mostly because of issues with the Indian Foreign Investment Promotion Board over foreign direct investment (FDI) regulations. With the financial crisis behind it and India’s ruling Congress Party eager to liberalize its lucrative retail sector, entering the country in partnership with other established Indian companies makes sense.

While Starbucks does face stiff competition, it may be better suited to the Indian market than some of its competitors. I recently heard Costa Coffee CEO Santhosh Unni grumble about how Costa’s whole business model had to be reworked “to better accommodate socializing,” since coffeehouses in India are now “first and foremost meeting places.” He seemed to wish he ran Starbucks, a company with a competitive advantage that combines coffee quality with personalized customer service and a relaxed ambiance. The coffee giant has already had great success expanding its cafe areas and seating room in many Asian markets where most purchases are consumed in-store. This would be fairly easy to replicate in India.

The trickier issue will be “Indianizing” Starbucks to account for local tastes, which no Western brand has been able to escape.

McDonald’s introduced the now famous the McAloo Tikki, a vegetable burger stuffed with potatoes, peas, spices and a vegetable-tomato mayonnaise, while Taco Bell added menu items for as low as 35 cents. Coffee outlets in India tend to combine food with coffee to draw larger crowds and offer a combination of lower prices, vegetarian options and local favorites. Starbucks will thus have to customize its products and practices somewhat, perhaps by adjusting its price and adding some Indian teas, coffees and foods.

This may seem like a tall (or grande) order.

But consider Starbucks’ work in Britain, the largest per-capita tea consumer in the world and the nation of afternoon tea, tea gardens and tea dances. According to the Harvard Business School, after Starbucks first entered the country in 1998, tea sales fell even as coffee sales rose rapidly. By 2008, annual sales of coffee in Britain had exceeded sales of tea.

Need a coffee break to digest that one? I’m sure more Indians will be taking those soon if Starbucks brews the right strategy for entering the country.

Prashanth Parameswaran is a graduate student at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. He can be reached at prashanth.parameswran@tufts.edu. Check out his blog http://asianist.wordpress.com.

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 noon 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

12 CROSSWORD

COMICS

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

SUDOKU Level: Getting Salman Rushdie’s Wuyi Huang Guan Yin tea leaves past customs

TUESDAY’S SOLUTION

Tuesday’s Solution

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Sarah: “I’ve been using this really nifty bone-growing machine for eight weeks.”

Please recycle this Daily.

Sports

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WOMEN’S SKIING

Chelsea Stevens shines in freshman season at Tufts ‘Shambles’ has found her place in the Jumbos’ lineup, both on and off the slopes BY

ALEX ARTHUR

Daily Staff Writer

The ski team doesn’t normally attract racers with International Ski Federation (FIS) experience. So this winter when freshman Chelsea Stevens burst through the door, literally, it was to her captain’s delight.

“On the first day of training camp, ‘Shambles,’ as we call her, fell down some stairs, broke through a door and tumbled into a fellow skier,” senior captain Lindsay Rutishauser said.

“However, since then, Chelsea’s funloving and energetic zeal for skiing has been intrinsic to our team’s success this season.”

Stevens, 18, hails from Lebanon, N.H. and began skiing before she was 2. By the time she was 8 years old she was competing in races.

“My mother is an avid skier, so she put me and my sister, Courtney, into racing programs when we were really little,” Stevens said. “She did it not because she wanted us to race, but just so that we would be really good skiers with her.”

Stevens attended Waterville Valley Academy in Waterville Valley, N.H. from grade school until her sophomore year

COURTESY KATHY BRESEE

Freshman Chelsea Stevens, here at Bromley, Vt. in late January, may be nicknamed ‘Shambles,’ but her Tufts career so far has been stellar. of high school. From there, she transferred to the Holderness School in New Hampshire and raced for the school’s prestigious Eastern Alpine ski team.

“Chelsea came in with an academy

FIGURE SKATING

Alums to premiere film about ’61 plane crash BY

ALEX PREWITT

Daily Editorial Board

In times of tragedy, family often provides the best outlet for expression of grief. And for a tight-knit U.S. figure-skating community, there was no bigger tragedy than the events of Feb. 15, 1961.

With the entire U.S. Figure Skating Association Team en route to the World Championships in Prague, Sabena Airlines Flight 548 crashed over Brussels, killing all 72 passengers on board, including 18 athletes and 16 family members, coaches and officials. The unspeakable disaster — the cause of which was never determined — sent shockwaves throughout the sporting world, as well as wiped the slate of rising American figure skating stars clean.

In commemoration of the crash’s 50th anniversary, an exclusive event will be broadcast live on Thursday from the Best Buy Theater in Times Square to more than 500 theaters nationwide and a number of Boston-area locations.

Included in the event, hosted

by NBC’s Matt Lauer, will be the world premiere of “RISE,” a film both celebrating U.S. figure skating and honoring those lost in the crash.

“It’s a complicated story,” said Nancy Stern Winters (LA ’86), one of the movie’s co-directors along with her twin sister, Lisa Lax (LA ’86). “We wanted to do a celebratory piece about something that was inherently sad. So we came up with a way to connect skaters from every generation and found ways to connect each of them to someone on that plane. It was a challenge, but we think we were able to accomplish that.”

Told through the eyes of some of the sport’s most

legendary athletes, including Michelle Kwan, who is currently studying at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and 2010 Olympic gold medalist Evan Lysacek, “RISE” uniquely bridges the gap between those lost in the crash and today’s skaters who carry on their legacy.

The up-and-comers on Flight 548 included 16-yearold rising star Laurence Owen, the reigning U.S. women’s national champion who had just appeared on the cover of “Sports Illustrated” before heading to Prague with her sister, fellow skater Maribel Owen, and mother, Maribel Vinson-Owen, a skating legend and coach in her own right.

From there, for instance, Lax and Stern Winters establish a link that trickles down to Lysacek, whose coach, Frank Carroll, was trained by Vinson-Owen in the years leading up to the crash. For Carroll, whose legendary coaching career was only missing an Olympic gold medal, Lysacek’s victory in Vancouver provided a vicarious memorial for his former mentor.

“I was approached to be a part of the film right after the [2010 Vancouver] Olympics, and I just questioned how my story was relevant to the story of the film,” Lysacek told the Daily. “I’m so many years beyond the plane crash, but they explained to me how my coach had been affected by the plane crash and how, by me winning in Vancouver, that put the punctuation at the end of the sentence that had been running on for 50 years. And it wasn’t until I saw the final cut that I understood how I assumed [Carroll’s] role and allowed his dream to live on.”

The unique challenge of see RISE, page 14

background,” senior captain Brian Bresee said. “That’s rare for us, so we were really excited to get her.”

Life on a competitive ski team wasn’t easy, however, and Stevens struggled

through her junior and senior years.

“The environment there was very cutthroat,” Stevens said. “There was no such thing as a team time; you were just on your own.”

But at Tufts, Stevens has benefited from the team atmosphere and has found her groove on the course.

“This is the best I’ve skied in a long time,” Stevens said.

After last weekend’s results in New Hampshire, she has clinched first place in the season for individual women, ahead of five rival Castleton State skiers. With three first place finishes, and no finish worse than 11th, Stevens has come out as the top woman racer in the Thompson Division.

Stevens credits the team dynamic, which helps alleviate race-day pressure and boost performance, for her successful season.

“Racing for a team time instead of your own [time] takes a lot of pressure off yourself,” she said. “At Tufts, all the racers are there to support each other and motivate each other to ski better.”

Another factor in Steven’s success has been her consistency, something Rutishauser has noticed over the course see STEVENS, page 15

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Jumbos end regular season with force Clegg receives NESCAC honors, Tufts dominates at home BY

KELSEY PERKINS

Daily Staff Writer

The women’s basketball team finished its regular season with a decisive 60-47 victory over WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (18-5, 5-4 NESCAC) Cousens Gym, Monday Endicott Tufts

20 40

27 — 47 20 — 60

Endicott on Monday night at Cousens Gym. Dominating from the opening tip-off to the final buzzer, Tufts took advantage of this final tune-up before the start of postseason competition on Saturday at Williams.

Right off the bat, the Jumbos looked determined to make a strong statement against the Gulls. A three-minute, 11-point run early in the first half, fueled by two 3-pointers from sophomore forward Collier Clegg and one from senior guard Vanessa Miller, put the Jumbos ahead 16-5 with 13:32 left in the half. A short-lived effort to counteract the deficit brought the Gulls back to 16-8 with less than 12 minutes to go, but the Jumbos quickly answered with a 14-2 run that gave them a 30-10 lead at the 5:48 mark. Offensive contributions from eight different players gave Tufts a 40-20 lead at the end of the first half.

“It was huge that we came out ready to play in the first half,” sophomore forward Sam Tye said. “Our fear was that after the exciting win on Senior Day [on Saturday vs. Bates], we would come out flat against Endicott, but we didn’t.”

The Jumbos had a slow start to the second half, scoring only six points in the first 11 minutes, highlighted by another 3-pointer from Clegg. Endicott took advantage of Tufts’ offensive lapse and went on its own offensive run, cutting the margin down to only

VIRGINIA BLEDSOE/TUFTS DAILY

Junior guard Tiffany Kornegay had 10 rebounds and four assists in a blowout win on Monday night at home versus Endicott. eight points to trail 50-42 with 6:13 left in regulation.

The Jumbos’ leaders came through in the clutch, however, with key offensive contributions from two seniors playing their final game at Cousens Gym. Senior tri-captain guard Colleen Hart netted two 3-pointers, while Miller contributed three of her own, helping the Jumbos

regain their comfortable advantage. Tufts would not relinquish its lead for the remainder of the game, securing an important win to finish off its regular season.

“It was really important for us to win our last regular-season game, especially after our big games this past weekend,” see WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, page 15

THE TUFTS DAILY

14

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

SPORTS

FENCING

Jumbos turn the corner in quad meet at Stevens Tech Tufts picks up wins against Queens, NJIT and FDU, peaking before regionals BY

NICK WOOLF

Contributing Writer

The most dangerous teams in the playoffs in any sport are those that finish the regular season on a high note. And with just one meet left before the NCAA Northeast Regional Championships, the women’s fencing team is peaking at the right time.

After dropping their previous three matches, the Jumbos slashed their way to three overall wins this past weekend at the Stevens Institute of Technology, defeating Queens College, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT ) and Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU).

All statistics were obtained from the team, because the Tufts Athletics Department does not regularly publish information on the fencing team.

“I think at this point in the season our team is really starting to come together,” coach Ariana Klinkov said.

“The team is making unbelievable strides at each meet, and it’s really exciting to see them progress as the season moves forward.”

Even though the Jumbos lost their final two meets of the weekend to Temple University and Johns Hopkins University by scores of 19-8 and 16-11, respectively, they still came away from the weekend feeling positive.

“I feel that our meets in New Jersey went really well,” freshman Laurel Hutchison said. “We performed well as a team and were all very supportive of each other. The epee and sabre squads are usually very strong, but the foil squad fenced very well in New Jersey, too.”

The team’s third, final and most impressive win of the weekend came against FDU in a 21-6 rout. The epee, foil and sabre squads all recorded victories in their respective events, beating out the opposing Knights by 6-3 scores in each competition.

Tufts defeated NJIT 16-11 for its second triumph of the weekend, claiming both the foil and sabre events 6-3, but

falling just short in the epee competition, 4-5.

The Jumbos started off the weekend with a decisive 12-6 victory over Queens College. The epee and foil squads both prevailed by scores of 6-3.

In terms of individual standouts, Klinkov pointed to three of the team’s probable regional qualifiers: senior quad-captains Georgia Ranes and Coryn Wolk and freshman Julia Hisey.

“Hisey has been performing very consistently all year,” Klinkov said.

“She did quite well this weekend, winning well over 50 percent of her bouts, and has won about 70 percent of her bouts this season. Coryn and Georgia both did fabulously this weekend, setting us up to qualify several athletes for the Regional Championships — something that would be a great achievement for our team.”

According to Klinkov, the team will find out which members have qualified for regionals — set for March 11 — today. The trio of Ranes, Wolk and Hisey are expected to qualify, along with junior Sarah Danly and sophomore Abigail Hepworth.

And despite fencing being such an individual sport, Klinkov and her fencers are stressing one concept above all heading into the final weeks of the season: teamwork.

“With this team there’s no ‘prima donna’ star — everybody’s working together as a team and helping each other out,” Klinkov said. “As a coach I think that’s the nicest thing you can see. When you walk into a meet late in the season and see everyone helping out, coaching each other and encouraging each other, it really speaks to how committed this group is.”

With two weeks to prepare for the final conference meet (at Mount Holyoke on Feb. 27) before the regional competition, Tufts is setting the bar high. The epee squad in particular, which won the conference championship in 2009, has its eyes set on success.

COURTESY LAUREL HUTCHISON

Sophomore Abigail Hepworth led the Jumbos in the epee this weekend at Stevens Tech.

“I think [the epee squad] can win the conference championship again this year, or at least come in the top three,” Ranes said. “It’s not that we have an individual standout; we all just really work well together as a team.”

It remains to be seen whether or not the women’s fencing team can build upon its successes from this past weekend and continue to build momentum into the Regional Championships, but

there is little doubt that the program is headed in the right direction.

“This year’s team has been part of something truly inspiring — we’re completely transforming the fencing program at Tufts,” Hutchison said. “We want to up our division in the coming years and start recruiting girls with United States Fencing Association ratings, a step that could take the program to a whole new level.”

Even for the uninterested, ‘RISE’ provides an inspirational message RISE continued from page 13

balancing inspiration with heartbreak is nothing new for Lax and Stern Winters, co-owners of Lookalike Productions and winners of 16 Emmy Awards. The U.S. Figure Skating Association approached the twins about the project in 2009, and they spent the next two years researching and gathering interviews and footage. The two were still busy putting the final touches earlier this week in preparation for Thursday’s event.

“It’s a film that me and Nancy together are really, really proud of,” said Lax, who, along with Stern Winters, codirected the ESPN 30-for-30 film “Unmatched,” which premiered in Sept. 2010. “I think it’s one of the best Lookalike Productions we’ve ever done.”

Lax and Stern Winters mined the memories of those intimately connected to the crash victims, survivors who — understandably so — had buried the heartbreak deep inside. The result is a cathartic experience for viewer and interviewee alike.

“It was such a tragic moment that they just hid it away,” Lax said. “Because it was such a sensitive topic and because it was their loved ones, they just didn’t want to talk about it …

In a way, for some of them, it was a little therapeutic. After all of it, they were glad to have talked about it for the first time in many, many years.

“There were times as interviewers when we had to take a deep breath and let the moment

COURTESY LESLIE BARBARO

From left to right, Lisa Lax, Scott Hamilton, Michelle Kwan, Brian Boitano, Peggy Fleming, Dorothy Hamill and Nancy Stern on the set of “RISE,” the film commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1961 plane crash that killed 18 members of the United States figure skating team. settle,” she added. “It was difficult to listen to the stories, but also rewarding.”

Among the tear-jerking moments in “RISE” are a reading of one of Laurence Owen’s poems by actress Dakota Fanning to figure skater Dorothy Hamill, as well as journal entries from Vinson-

Owen, which hauntingly end as she pulls up to the airport in New York to board the plane.

“I was emotional seeing the film, and I don’t get emotional about that many things,” said Lysacek, who was in New York to skate at the film’s showing on Thursday and had just finished ringing the NYSE bell to

commemorate the crash. “In this day and age, we have a hard time in 2011 figuring out how to relate to people who were in a plane crash in 1961.

It’s hard to comprehend that, and I think the movie transcends so much time.”

Even for those lacking interest in figure skating, the tragedy

provides a swift reality check about the importance of family and friends, which can appeal to all, regardless of sporting preference. To wit, Tufts baseball coach John Casey is bringing a contingent of his players to the see the film on Thursday in Revere, Mass. “[Lax and Stern Winters] bring out the human side of sports and athletics, and I think that sometimes it helps to clarify that it’s not always about wins and losses,” Casey said. “It has themes of resiliency and hard work and picking people up after their down, so why wouldn’t you want to go see it?”

In a weird, metaphysical way, the crash helped birth a new generation of figure-skating stars. In honor of the victims, the U.S. Figure Skating Association established a memorial fund, to which proceeds from the premiere of “RISE” will go, which has individually benefited each skater who speaks in the film.

“Scott Hamilton says unequivocally in the film that he wouldn’t have skated in the Olympics without the fund,” Lax said. “We felt it was really important to let the younger generation know who these people were. No one really knows what it’s all about.”

“It’s important to know the history of any sport you’re playing in,” Stern Winters added. “I think that’s one of the reasons why the U.S. Figure Skating Association wanted to do the film, [so] that the story won’t be forgotten.”

Thanks to “RISE,” the legacy of the 72 passengers and 18 athletes aboard Flight 548 will surely live on.

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Jumbos to face Williams in NESCAC quarterfinals WOMEN’S BASKETBALL continued from page 13

Tye said. “Recently our offense has really been clicking more. We’ve always been a defensive team, but it’s looking more and more like we can be dominant on both ends of the court.”

True to form, Tufts drew from multiple scoring threats in its regular-season finale. Hart finished with 16 points and five rebounds. Clegg and Miller joined Hart in double digits with 15 points and 12 points, respectively. Clegg, who on Monday was named NESCAC Player of the Week, had five 3-pointers for the third game in a row. Junior guard Tiffany Kornegay led the Jumbos’ defensive effort with 10 rebounds and four assists.

The team’s recent success, culminating in Monday night’s dominant performance against Endicott, gives

Tufts strong momentum heading into the playoffs.

“Monday night against Endicott and last weekend against Bates were both positive games for us and have given us some good momentum going into playoffs,” junior tri-captain Kate Barnosky said. “We’re playing with confidence and clicking much better offensively.”

Next up is the playoffs, where Tufts, ranked fifth in the NESCAC, will travel to Williams on Saturday to face the No. 4 Ephs in the NESCAC Quarterfinals.

The two teams have already proven to be evenly matched, with an overtime battle in their regular-season matchup that ended with a buzzer-beating tip-in to give Williams the victory.

“Last time we played Williams was a heartbreaker,” Tye said. “We played

BRIAN ROWE | CALLS THE SHOTS

them evenly the whole game, and unfortunately it ended in overtime with a tip-in at the last second. Williams has always been a big rival of ours. They’re on our list of teams to beat, so we’re glad to be getting a second chance at them this year. Since we’ve already played them, we’ll be able to watch film and see what went wrong, so we’ll be well prepared.”

The Jumbos, a close team both on and off the court, may have the advantage of camaraderie on their side and will look to utilize that throughout the postseason.

“We’ve had great team chemistry all season long, and that can only help us in the postseason,” Barnosky, a forward, said. “I think we’re all on the same page in wanting to continue this season and make some noise in the postseason.”

Stevens clinches first place for individual women STEVENS continued from page 13

of the season.

“Her top attribute is her reliability,” Rutishauser said. “She’s had relatively clean runs all season. It’s a huge asset for the team. Most top racers around the league don’t have that consistency.”

This weekend, Stevens’ dependability on the course could be the difference for the women’s team in qualifying for nationals, as the Jumbos travel to Stevens’ backyard, Waterville Valley, to compete in the regional tournament. Tufts earned a berth in regionals for finishing in the top five within their division.

“Going home for Regionals is definitely interesting for me,” Chelsea said. “I don’t think I’ll be distracted. I have a lot of good memories and relationships there, so that should only

motivate me further.”

Athletes, by nature, are creatures of habit, namely the preparations and daily routines that often drive their success. Chelsea is wary of the temptation to over-prepare and deviate from the norm in the upcoming five days, but she’s confident that her focus will remain the same.

The night before the race, she sharpens and waxes her skis. On race day, she inspects the course herself and then again with the team.

“After that, I go back a second time, alone, to center myself,” she said. “I know a lot of people use music to focus, but when I go out, it’s just me and the mountain.”

Although Stevens is just a freshman, she is already helping out some of her older teammates.

“Even before the races, she puts in

hard work,” Rutishauer said. She’s very helpful in inspecting the course with the girls who are new to racing.”

If the team doesn’t finish in the top five at the end of the season, Stevens must finish with the top time at Regionals to qualify for Nationals.

“I’d love more than anything for the team to make Nationals,” Stevens said.

“But I know, if we don’t, then, there’s one girl from Yale I’ll definitely need to beat out. I’m going to try and just ski my best and see what happens.”

But regardless of this weekend’s results, Chelsea is certain about one thing: She’s here to stay.

“When I was choosing a college, skiing didn’t really play a part in it,” Stevens said. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to race, but this year has been so fun, so there’s no doubt I’m doing this for the rest of my time at Tufts.”

Elephants in the Room Liz Moynihan Freshman Women’s basketball

Alex Orchowski Junior Men’s basketball

Donnie Simmons Junior Football

Michaela Sinrod Freshman Volleyball

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A billion here, a billion there

T

he NFL lockout that will likely begin on March 4 will not end quickly or gracefully. The owners — or prime evildoers in this saga — all run franchises valued at hundreds of millions of dollars. Even the Detroit Lions, who at 0-16 in 2008 had almost as many problems as Bear Stearns that year, were reportedly valued at $917 million. In this struggle between owners and players, the owners are asking for more money, more games and for the players to sacrifice their bodies even more than they already do. The players want the same deal as that which already exists: The same number of games, plus financial accountability from the owners.

How is this happening? Are the owners that greedy? Are they that unconcerned with the health and safety of their players? Super Bowl XLV, which pitted Green Bay against Pittsburgh a week and a half ago, was the most-viewed program in television history.

More popular than the State of the Union.

More popular than the Oscars. More popular than “Eastbound and Down” (how is this possible?). The owners don’t seem to know what they have going for them. Or, the more likely and more depressing reality: They know precisely what they have, and are choosing to do all they can to exploit it.

When I say “it,” I mean the players’ health and wages above all else. The owners opted out of the last Collective Bargaining Agreement due to their feeling that it was more beneficial to the players (true), and that they were being treated unfairly (false). The owners seem to be failing to recognize that over the past two years, the true, frightening and innumerable effects of concussions have become widely known to the public. Concussions are rampant in all levels of football and their negative consequences are indisputable.

Despite the body of research proving the short- and long-term implications of concussions, the owners are insisting on adding two games to the season and justify this desperate attempt to generate even more revenue by expanding rosters and limiting practice sessions. But even a non-sports fan would expect the same starters to play all 18 games, even if they’re exposed to more career-threatening or life-altering impacts. If two games are added, it’s unlikely that Patriots owner Robert Kraft would say to Tom Brady, “You know what, Tommy boy, you do enough over 16 games, why don’t you take a breather for two of these?” That’ll happen when Mark Prior throws 200 innings again.

The players are learning more about the risks that their bodies take every time they step on the field. The research isn’t pretty.

Somehow the science of two 250-lb. elite athletes slamming into each other at full speed is starting to catch up with our intuition that maybe football isn’t as safe as bowling. Giving a football player a helmet is a little like banning FourLoko on campus — it might eliminate some of the worst injuries, but the majority of them will happen anyway. Roger Goodell has the well-being of former, current and future NFL players in mind only as long as they contribute to the NFL’s cash flow. Not quite the progressive standard that NFL alums in their ’40s and ’50s with arthritis and dementia want to see from their former employer.

The players proposed a 50-50 split in revenue sharing. The owners said no. The players asked to see the financial records that the owners cryptically reference when complaining about how they need a bigger share of all revenue. The owners said no. The players asked for AllSport on the sideline instead of Gatorade. The owners said no. Okay, that last one was made up, but given the power trip the owners are on, it wouldn’t surprise me.

Brian Rowe is a senior majoring in economics. He can be reached at B.Rowe@tufts.edu.

THE TUFTS DAILY

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