2011-9-21

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THE TUFTS DAILY

TUFTSDAILY.COM

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

VOLUME LXII, NUMBER 9

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

TCU ELECTIONS

Election results

Jiajie Charles Su/Tufts Daily

The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy’s new Map Your Future Program will allow undergraduate applicants to reserve a spot in the upcoming class two years after their admission.

Fletcher starts program for undergraduate applicants

Daily Editorial Board

The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy announced the launch of the Map Your Future Program last month, which will allow senior undergraduate students to reserve a space while they gain professional experience.

The program guarantees students a spot at The Fletcher School after they have gained two to three years of realworld experience, according to Kristen Zecchi, associate director of admissions and financial aid at The Fletcher School.

“We’re helping to map out the next four to five years of their life,” Zecchi said.

The program, created by Zecchi and Director of Admissions Laurie Hurley, was designed to help undergraduate applicants compete with their more experienced peers. According to Zecchi, by

Mahpari Sotoudeh

The Fletcher School did not want to continue to have to turn away promising applicants who lacked essential work experience.

“We see a lot of very young applicants applying in their senior year of college, and we hate to turn them away because they have a lot of potential,” Zecchi said.

“This way, we don’t have to deny them.”

In the past, The Fletcher School operated an informal process that allowed students to defer admission for a year in order to gain work experience, according to Jessica Daniels, associate director of admissions at The Fletcher School.

This program will formalize the process, she noted.

“We’ve always needed to carefully consider the best course of action with our youngest applicants,” Daniels said. see FLETCHER, page 2

Bike share program to extend to Somerville

by

Elizabeth McKay

Daily Editorial Board

Boston’s new bike-share program will expand to the City of Somerville this spring.

New Balance Hubway, which debuted in Boston in late July, will feature bike-renting kiosks at several popular local destinations, including Davis Square.

Sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and New Balance, the program currently offers rental access to more than 600 bikes at 61 Boston locations.

A limited-time $60 introductory annual membership fee earns users 30 free minutes of cycling per ride, after which an hourly fee is applied. Users can also sign up for casual three-day or 24-hour memberships that cost $12 and $5 respectively, in addition to the hourly fee.

Somerville bikes can be returned to any other kiosk in Boston and vice versa, according to City of Somerville Director of Communications Michael Meehan.

Somerville will build its first kiosks in Union Square, Conway Park, City Hall, Porter

Square and Davis Square, Meehan said.

“They were the most adjacent to where other kiosks in other cities will be,” he said.

“You might see other people over time wanting to bike up to events in Davis Square and Union Square from Boston or Cambridge.”

Since its summer launch, New Balance Hubway has gained 2,700 annual members and bikes have been rented out to over 52,000 people, according to Mary McLaughlin, Hubway’s general manager.

Somerville expects to join New Balance Hubway this spring, following the negotiation of a revenue-sharing agreement with the City of Boston, Meehan said.

A federal grant will subsidize about $30,000 of the price of each Somerville kiosk, with the remainder financed by Somerville, Meehan said.

Meehan anticipates that the availability of rental bikes will become an important form of transportation for Somerville’s diverse immigrant communities, where he says car ownership is less common. see HUBWAY, page 2

Inside this issue

A close election yesterday resulted in a two-way tie for one of the seven freshman Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate seats.

Six freshman Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate seats and four seats on the Freshman Class Council were filled during the election.

Referendum 1, which would have authorized the disbursement of $20,000 to TuftsLife to fund the purchase of an SMS short code for a one-year trial period, did not pass.

The tie between Dan Katter and Chloe Perez for the seventh freshman Senate seat will be resolved in a run-off election within the next five academic days, according to senior Joel Greenberg, acting public relations chair of the Tufts Elections Commission (ECOM).

This marks the second time in one year that an election has hinged on a single vote, Greenberg noted. The Referendum 3 and

Referendum 4 contest last fall came down to one vote.

Harish Gupta, Darien Headen, Robert Joseph, Andrew Nunez, Matt Roy and Jessie Serrino will serve as freshman senators.

Santosh Swaminathan will fill the role of Freshman Class Council president and Ryan Cairns will serve as Freshman Class Council treasurer. Lindsay Rogers join the Freshman Class Council as its vice president for academic programming.

The Africana community representative seat remains unfilled. ECOM plans to fill the vacancy through a special election later this semester.

Thirty-five percent of the student body voted on Referendum 1, a total of 1,875 students. Fifty-six percent of the class of 2015 turned out to vote on the freshman ballot.

—by Amelie Hecht

Somerville to launch iPhone app for service requests

by Josh

Weiner

Daily Contributing Writer

The City of Somerville last month made available an iPhone application that allows residents to report public-work problems and submit service requests directly to the city while on-the-go.

Somerville residents with an iPhone may now download the free application, which allows users to report anything from a broken sidewalk to a missed trash pickup to a car parked illegally in front of a fire hydrant.

“The goal of this application was to put full service in the hands of every resident of Somerville,” Steve Craig, director of Constituent Services for the City of Somerville, said.

Before the launch of the application, residents could report issues to the city by dialing 311 or going onto the city’s website. The new iPhone application will not replace existing service request methods but rather complement them, according to Craig.

“The Call Center and the city website will always be there… however, in a text-heavy area with many college students, we saw this as an especially practical way for them to

voice their concerns, report an issue and stay engaged within their city,” Craig said.

The free application was developed by Intelligov Software, a company that has developed other programs for Somerville — including the software for the existent 311 work order system.

The new application enables users to send phone-camera pictures to the city in order to report issues. Residents can also track their work orders from their phone.

Somerville Director of Communications Michael Meehan said that Somerville has long been pushing for an easier way for people to bring matters of local concern to the city’s attention.

“We’ve been pursuing this option for over a year,” he said. “It was a matter of finding an application we wanted that would integrate seamlessly with [the technology] we already had in City Hall. It would have to be as effective as using our website or calling us on the phone.”

The idea surfaced during the summer of 2009, Craig said.

The application’s screening process see IPHONE, page 2

Virginia Bledsoe/Tufts Daily

A new City of Somerville iPhone application will enable residents to submit service requests to fix problems such as potholes and broken sidewalks directly to the city.

Tufts student hit biking across intersection A Tufts student biking across the intersection at Powder House Blvd. and Packard Ave. was hit by a car yesterday. The student was transported to Mount Auburn Hospital and treated for minor injuries.

The Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) received an emergency call alerting them of the incident at 11:57 a.m., according to TUPD Sgt. Robert McCarthy. The Somerville Police Department, the Somerville Fire Department, Cataldo Ambulance Service, Inc., Tufts Emergency Medical Services and TUPD responded to emergency calls.

—by Amelie Hecht

Today’s sections

Tufts Travel-Learn programs entice alumni, family and friends.

Johnny Lindquist emerges as Tufts’ starting quarterback.

see FEATURES, page 3

see SPORTS, page 11

News Features Arts & Living Editorial | Letters

1 3 5 8

Op-Ed Comics Sports

9 10 11

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The Tufts Daily

News

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Map Your Future Program at Fletcher allows undergraduate applicants to reserve spot, gain valuable experience before matriculating FLETCHER

continued from page 1

“This is a course of action that works well for [The Fletcher School] and that always also serves the applicants well.”

Typically, The Fletcher School evaluates applicants based on their work experience and international exposure, according to Zecchi. The new program will evaluate the potential that the younger students display, Zecchi said.

“We started the program based on the idea of how many undergrads there are out there who have great potential but just don’t have the experience that

we seek,” Zecchi said. “We want to give them a chance to gain that professional experience.”

Zecchi hopes that the program will help reduce the stress of students applying to graduate school.

“It’s one less thing to think [about] when they’re in Malawi doing the Peace Corps or in New York as an investment banker,” she said. “The program alleviates a burden and helps students work toward a goal.”

The Fletcher School has no core curriculum, so entering students must have a clear sense of what they want to study, according to Jeffrey Carbone, associate

director of admissions at The Fletcher School.

“We want students who can understand what they want to do with their future and how [The Fletcher School] can help them get there,” Carbone said.

Zecchi anticipates that enrollees in the Map Your Future Program will fit in well at The Fletcher School after their deferral years.

“The hope is that when they enroll, they will be pretty much indistinguishable from the average [Fletcher] student and will have accumulated the experiences… and interest in what they want

New program to increase bike availability in Somerville

HUBWAY

continued from page 1

“Over time you’re going to see a lot of people from those various immigrant groups start to use [the bikes] as a means of getting to their job or over to nearby squares to do some shopping, or part of their connection with other modes of transportation,” he said.

Sophomore Neil Aronson, president of the student-run bicycle-share program Tufts Bikes, said bike-sharing encourages environmental friendliness and yields health benefits.

“It’s a convenient alternative to public transportation,” he said. “It encourages physical activity at a time when plenty of people need it.”

Aronson, who is familiar with bike-share programs in Europe and Canada, adds that the greatest challenge for the Boston and Somerville system will be to make bikes as accessible as possible.

“I think that the key with a city-wide bikeshare like that is building enough [kiosks] around so that it becomes convenient for people, because you don’t want to strand people with a bicycle somewhere,” he said.

Aronson said Tufts Bikes has seen user mistreatment, a problem he anticipates the

Josh Berlinger/Tufts Daily

The New Balance Hubway bike-share program, which debuted Boston this summer, will be extended to Somerville this spring.

Boston program will also face.

“I think when you’re renting a bike you lack the sense of ownership, so you’re more likely to not treat the bike as well,” he said. “I think it’s a challenge getting people to realize how serious it is.”

Hubway has thus far struggled to persuade its members to use helmets, McLaughlin said. The organization will in the future offer free helmets for new members at bike-share events.

McLaughlin encouraged residents of neighboring towns such as Medford to press for bike-share programs in their neighborhoods.

Aronson anticipates that the new bikeshare program will operate in tandem with Tufts’ present fleet.

“I think that Tufts Bikes will be able to complement the expanded Hubway system,” he said. “I’m definitely excited for it to come to Somerville.”

to pursue here at [The Fletcher School],” Zecchi said.

The program has received an overwhelmingly positive initial response, Zecchi noted. She claims that the unique nature of a deferral program for an international affairs graduate school has generated some excitement.

“In the international affairs space, this is very unique,” Zecchi said. “I think the excitement we’re sensing from undergrads and their parents and faculty and grandparents is about the opportunity to solidify their future and hone in on a goal.”

App promotes public vigilance IPHONE

continued from page 1

involved several test audiences, according to Craig, including theYoung Somerville Advisory Group, which consists of members aged 21 to 35.

“It worked very well,” Craig said. “Thirty members volunteered to be testers and went around Somerville taking and sending us iPhone photographs of potholes, fallen trees and sidewalks that needed to be repaired. We got very good feedback as to what they liked and didn’t like [about the application].”

He hopes that the testing period will have successfully worked out all remaining bugs in the system.

“As with all new stuff, we’re still getting feedback,” Deputy Director of Communications Jackie Rossetti said. She noted, however, that the application already has garnered almost 5,000 “Likes” on its Facebook page.

The city plans to make the application available to non-iPhone users in the future, according to Craig.

“We expect to have a similar Android phone application available by the end of the year,” he said.

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Features

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tuftsdaily.com

Leaving on a jet plane? Tufts is by

Amelia Quinn

Daily Editorial Board

Want to fly around the world in a private jet exploring Incan ruins, touring the Taj Mahal and Egyptian pyramids and going on safari in Tanzania? With a Tufts connection and just $64,950 in spare change, the Alumni Association’s Tufts Travel-Learn Program will welcome you aboard the trip of a lifetime.

The program’s “Around the World by Private Jet” trip, a 23-day long trip with stops in five continents, is just one

the Tufts Travel-Learn Program Usha Sellers said.

While the around-the-world trip on a Boeing 747 may not be accessible to most people who graduated in recently, there are other more affordable trips for alumni that are impressive in their own right.

“Our trips range from hiking and paddling over a weekend to longer trips in distant locations,” Sellers said. “The target audience for the ‘Private Jet’ [trip] is for those that seek the unusual, are willing to step slightly outside their personal comfort zones to broaden

Oliver Porter/Tufts Daily

Tufts’ Alumni Association offers a $64,950 round-the-world trip by private jet.

of over 25 trips that the Travel-Learn Program offers to Tufts alumni, parents, family and friends of the university. Launched in 2001 by Director of Alumni Relations Tim Brooks, the program’s aim is to continue to emphasize the importance of travel in a global education.

“Our mission is aligned with the university’s mission to promote continuing education and life-long learning and providing an opportunity for our alumni and friends to sustain connection with the university,” Director of

their appreciation and understanding of different worlds, have discretionary time and money and would like to fulfill a life-long dream of visiting and learning about a number of unusual locations within a short time and in a more cost effective way, environmentally and monetarily,” she said.

The “Mystical India” trip, which is slated to run from Jan. 22 to Feb. 8, 2012, starts at a more affordable $4,895 per person. Highlights of this trip include a meal in the home of a Delhi family, a chance to admire Bengal tigers at the Ranthambore National Park and a safari on camelback to meet

the Meena tribesmen in Kalakho. Like many of the Travel-Learn trips, there will also be visits to UNESCO World Heritage Sites: in this case, the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri.

But how are these exotic trips — filled with so many different stops — planned?

“Our selection of international and domestic destinations is framed by a number of factors,” said Sellers.

“These include range of costs, central themes, locations, durations, safety, distance, reputation of tour operators and documented success of packaged programs.”

While Tufts itself does not have an on-site travel agency to deal with the logistical nightmare of planning a trip, good relations with a set group of tour operators help to keep the programs running smoothly. The TravelLearn Program also bases their decisions on whether the tour operators use environmentally responsible practices, such as preserving wilderness areas and recycling brochures.

“Clearly the selection of tour operators is of paramount importance,” said Sellers. “Their documented delivery of a high-quality program with sound educational content, expertise, willingness to work with universities and associations with small groups of travelers, as well as solid on-site infrastructure, are crucial elements to selection,” she said.

“As far as ‘learning,’ the trips offer guided tours of local sights, and there are usually professors from the different universities that give short lectures based on their fields of expertise,” said David Slapin (LA ’97), who has traveled with Tufts to Amsterdam, Paris, Antarctica, the Galapagos Islands and Machu Picchu, French Polynesia, Tanzania, New Zealand, Australia and the Amazon River.

“The trip that originally caught my TRAVEL, page 4

New Tisch Library lab brings robust media technology to user-friendly reality

by Jon

Cheng

Daily Editorial Board

Jumbos returned to the Hill this month to find that it had a new face — the university conducted complete renovations on a variety of facilities including several academic buildings and the new, blinding, tennis courts.

One of the summer’s biggest projects, however, is slightly more hidden — but it may also be the answer to every Jumbo geek’s dream.

Taking a technological leap of faith, the Tisch Library has converted what used to be the “dark-room” gallery — the shady space beside the media center used for viewing films on reserve — to a brightly lit communal space which functions in both its original capacity and also as a media lab.

Along with the original compact 21-inch LCD TVs with dual VHS and DVD players and the six new iMac computers, there are now also USB iPod docks for each station, AudioTechnica brand turntable record players and a separate sound-proof room for video and audio recording.

According to Tisch Media Center Manager Richard Fleischer, the Digital Design Studio is intended to serve as a classroom aid; a comprehensive faculty survey conducted two years ago highlighted a need for that extra media component.

“One of the big deficiencies from [the faculty’s] perspective was the fact that there was no centralized freely

Scott Tingley/Tufts Daily

Students needing a camcorder, microphone or green screen can now head to Tisch. available studio-production space for students to have access,” Fleischer said. “It was inhibiting the faculty from asking students to go out and create videos.”

In response, Fleischer said, Tisch administrators decided to proceed with the renovation, devoting twothirds of the space for production and

the rest for continual viewing of video.

The studio opened on Sept. 6.

Bryan Revis, the library’s digital media technologist, added that the purpose of the lab is centered on curriculum-related media projects — whether they are extracurricular or see DIGITAL, page 4

Alison Williams and Sarah Gottlieb | Generation SEX

How long is long enough?

I

t’s late on Friday night, and this guy in your French class has just convinced you to go back to South with him for some deep one-on-one “conversation.” You two are hooking up and things get pretty heated, and you can’t wait to tell your roommate later about the ridiculously good sex you’re about to have with a guy this attractive and who must last long in bed, right? You’re finally getting it on and feeling great when out of nowhere he finishes and proceeds to check the time. In your drunken haze you wonder how long you’ve been there only to give yourself a “Well, f--k” in horror as you realize the amount of time you’ve been going at it — less than a minute.

One of the most frequently discussed sex questions is how long is sex really supposed to last? These conversations take place across campus, from the boasts of ,“We were having sex for what felt like HOURS last night!” to the distressed damsel’s, “I can’t believe he finished in only two minutes, did I really waste my time with him?” Really? We’re sorry your steamy sexual encounter didn’t even last as long as a commercial break. Let us take a second to feel sorry for you while we’re over here not getting any.

Anyway, we’re here to dispel a few rumors that cause quite the worry among both college guys and girls. If you’re the type who Googles these sorts of questions, we highly recommend avoiding everything that comes up for “how long does sex last” on Yahoo!

Answers, unless, however, you’re looking for such wisdom as “it depends on such thinks like haw much sexy is the girl or woman” or the contemplative, “’bout as long as it takes to make toast.”

After doing more research, we’ve concluded that most people have unrealistic expectations and inaccurate understandings of how long sex is actually supposed to last.

Many men believe that they aren’t masculine enough if they can’t last in bed for more than a few minutes, while women similarly believe that a guy who lasts for a long period of time is obviously much better in bed. These assumptions can be frustrating, especially for guys who realize that they’ve never had sex for anywhere close to an hour or two while their peers brag about seemingly endless steamy sessions.

In reality, according to studies done by sex therapists, sexual intercourse typically lasts three to 13 minutes. These numbers are far below the boasts of many guys, especially college students. Think about this for a minute.

Why do people care so much about how long a guy can last in bed? You should be lucky you’re getting some in the first place, and if it’s good sex, it doesn’t matter if it lasts five minutes or two hours. Honestly, you’d be pretty tired at the end of an hour or two. Admit it.

For those of you who are still skeptical and wish to make yourself last even longer in bed, you have plenty of options. Most guys our age apparently opt to think about unpleasant or strange images while having sex as a method of turning them off or slowing themselves down.

We asked around, and here are some of the tips we gathered: Wooden chairs Cold showers Homework Cutting grass Rosie O’Donnell ... Well, there you have it. We hope we’ve armed you with enough knowledge (and maybe a few tips) to keep in mind this weekend when you’re looking for that next hookup. Guys, don’t feel like you have to measure up to some ridiculous myth, and ladies, don’t expect too much out of guys if it’s not realistic. And whatever you do, don’t mention dorm furniture.

Alison Williams and Sarah Gottlieb are both sophomores who have not yet declared their majors. Williams can be reached at Alison.

Williams@tufts.edu, and Gottlieb can be reached at Sarah.Gottlieb@tufts.edu.

The Tufts Daily

4

Program offers exotic world trips TRAVEL

continued from page 3

eye was [the] 10-day trip to Amsterdam and Paris,” Slapin, who learned about the program through their periodic mailings, said.

“It was one of the first trips geared toward ‘young alumni’ — graduates from the last ten years,” Slapin said. “It was very inexpensive so we jumped on the opportunity.”

Despite some mishaps, the trip was a worthwhile and exciting experience.

“The tour was being led by a new local company… but, due to the other Tufts alums, the trip was great. We bonded quickly, laughed at the mishaps and had a great overall experience,” he said.

The trips aren’t exclusively for alumni, though.

“I like the Tufts group programs for things I would have difficulty doing myself,” Randy Gittess, who is the parent of a senior at Tufts, said in an email to the Daily.

Gittess went with his wife on a trip to Turkey and Greece, as well as one to Peru. He is currently signed up for a trip to Israel in November and December of 2012.

“When we, with Tufts, were in Peru, there was a mudslide that closed off a road,” Gittess said. Had they been traveling alone, he noted, this might have thrown a wrench in their plans.

“We would have driven right up to that mudslide and not known what the heck was going on. But with the tour, the schedule was flip-flopped and we saw everything.

“As active, able, experienced travelers who go it alone to exciting, accessible places, we find value in joining Tufts’ trips to places it would be difficult to travel to ourselves,” Gittess said. “When we do, we find camaraderie, capability and convenience,” he said.

“I would not, could not, go to Tanzania by myself,” Gittess said. “I will go with Tufts.”

Features

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Tisch’s Digital Design Studio now offers equipment for classroom use and beyond DIGITAL

continued from page 3

required by an instructor or a course.

“Right now there are a number of courses in the School of Arts and Sciences that are requiring their students to do a multimedia video project,” Revis said.

One example that Revis cited was Professor of Biology Colin Orians’ requirement that his Environmental Biology students double as amateur filmmakers. “[Orians] has been a very big proponent of using the media. He’s breaking his class of roughly 120 kids into production teams of four to five students,” Revis said.

He continued, “At the end of the semester all the videos they produce would go up online into a stored space where they would go into peer review, and probably YouTube, and so forth.”

Accomplishing the feat is not a simple task, which is why the lab offers tools that are more than sufficient to bring their vision to life.

Besides the usual array of software programs such as Final Cut Pro X and Adobe Creative Suite 5.5, users can choose from 15 Flip Video camcorders, four high-definition camcorders, six digital audio recorders, tripods and external hard-drives.

Use of the lab’s facilities and equipment is a simple process. Students can either come in on a first-come, firstserve basis or book two-hour time slots via the Tisch website or email, with priority given to course-related work.

If the design studio is full during a particular time, students can check out equipment, which ranges from the cameras to drawing tablets and lavalier microphones on a reserve basis.

The studio also has a multipurpose room outfitted with all the bells and whistles: a green screen, projectors and two professional-grade micro-

Scott Tingley/Tufts Daily

The new media lab allows professors to assign more media-intensive work. phones. “ “Students who are working on a project can get together in this room, review the final edits they made in the lab, and come in here to say, ‘Okay, visuals are working fine, let me go with the mic now, plug it in to our mixer, and then actually do a voiceover from a sound recording,’” Fleischer said. “For the green screen, you could actually sit there, put a camera on the other end of the table and then superimpose whatever image you’d like behind you.”

Though the process may seem daunting, Fleischer assured potential users that the lab is not just for seasoned media specialists. Its purpose is, in fact, to aid beginners.

“The intent is to offer a beginning step for a lot of kids who may not be familiar with media, with software that can produce video of high quality,” he said.

Additionally, any other student wishing to use the space does not

need to take a course that deems it a requirement; its purpose extends beyond the classroom. Student utility can run the gamut from leisure to creating a video for a student group.

“We haven’t finalized the rules yet, but the expectation is that on nonpeak times, like Fridays and Saturdays, we would open up the lab to just about anybody,” Fleischer said.

With such easily available facilities and equipment, both Revis and Fleischer expect for the lab to reach its full capacity — and possibly to even exceed it — towards the end of the semester.

“The challenge now is funneling that energy in ways that we can manage; right now it feels like the excitement and interest is exceeding what we ever expected it would,” Revis said.

“We are thinking about the future and thinking about how we can accommodate all this for faculty and students, but this is a good phase one.”

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Arts & Living

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Intriguing remakes and promising, nostalgia-laden originals on the horizon for television this fall

Jordan Teicher | The Independent

The first act

by Joseph Stile

Daily Editorial Board

Every fall, television networks spew out dozens of new programs, hoping that one will catch viewers’ attention and become the breakout show of the year. Plenty of quality and original programs look to find a following as stations start premiering some of their most anticipated pilots.

Any show that boasts Steven Spielberg as a producer is bound to get a lot of buzz, which is why people are talking about “Terra Nova.” The dinosaur epic will start on Fox on Monday, Sept. 26 at 8 p.m. It will be interesting to see if the show can keep up the CGI effects necessary for the show’s plot despite the restricted budget most television shows have.

As the old saying goes, “sex sells,” and NBC seems to be banking on it as they roll out their new drama, “The Playboy Club.”

The show, which premiered on Sept. 19, tries to match the authentic ’60s look that “Mad Men” has already mastered. Though “The Playboy Club” is portraying itself as a tale of sex, drugs and scandal, viewers will see if the show faces any restrictions due to its airing on a network rather than cable station.

ABC’s “Pan Am,” which premieres on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 10 p.m., is also set in the 1960s as it looks back on the lives of stewardesses during that time. The show features Christina Ricci, known primarily for her movie roles, and it will test if her solid film career can translate to a big audience on the small screen.

Another show trying to cash in on nostalgia is the ABC reboot of “Charlie’s Angels” (1976-1981). After “Hawaii FiveO’s” huge success last year, it is no surprise that networks would try to bring back other old action shows. “Angels” was a popular television show in the 1970s before being adapted into two movies. On Thursday, Sept. 22 at 8 p.m., viewers will

I

Brook Rushton/MCT

You’d be scared too if you were walking among carnivorous dinosaurs in ‘Terra Nova.’ see if Hollywood can get anything else out of this familiar plotline.

Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul return to Fox on Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. with yet another talent show. After the duo left “American Idol,” the show kept going strong with replacement judges. This fall, the public will see if Cowell and Abdul can make lightning strike twice and create another megahit talent program with “The X Factor.” The show, which is based on a British show of the same name, features individuals and groups of singers competing for a $5 million recording contract. With stakes that high, it is likely to attract some great musicians and performers.

Also returning to television this fall is Tim Allen with his new sitcom, “Last Man Standing.” Allen has created a popular comedy for ABC once before with his show “Home Improvement” (1991-1999).

A lot has changed in the decades since “Improvement” first came on the air, and “Last Man Standing” will see how enduring Americans’ love of Tim Allen is. If it fails, he can always just make another “Toy Story” (1995); those are guaranteed to make money. “Last Man Standing” hits the airwaves on Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 8 p.m.

Another comedian who is creating see TV, page 6

Album Review

Interview | Richard Bell

Kasabian’s fourth album falls short of self-styled hype

Australian Bell conveys activism through art

by

Katherine Griffiths Contributing Writer

Kasabian has a lot to live up to — mainly, its own hype. Three months prior to the release of its fourth album,

Velociraptor!

Kasabian

RCA Records Kasabian’s front man Tom Meighan told NME Magazine that “Velociraptor!” would “change people’s lives.” When the band leapt into fame back in 2004, it declared itself the best British band of the time.

Those are hefty words from five English lads who think they’re the answer to the gap left in the British music scene since Oasis disintegrated. Fortunately, in spite of their everincreasing hubris, Kasabian always manages to do something right.

After their sudden explosion onto the music scene in 2004 with their selftitled album, the two following albums — “Empire” (2006) and “West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum” (2009) — and countless sold-out stadium shows, it is hard to believe that Kasabian could pull off yet another success.

“Let’s Roll Just like We Used To,” the opening track on Kasabian’s latest, starts with a banging gong and melts smoothly into distant trumpets, indistinct mutters and a tantalizing medley of oddities. The song is more akin to the sound of “The West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum,” on which the boys started experimenting with different instruments and varying styles.

The first single off “Velociraptor!” is “Days are Forgotten,” a thumping, raucous anthem of absolute psychedelic nonsense. When the song first played on national radio, listeners reacted as they might to Marmite: polarized, they either loved it or hated it. The babsee KASABIAN, page 6

by

Anna Majeski

Daily Editorial Board

The controversial work of Richard Bell has been well-known for a long time in his native Australia, but he is still unknown to many Americans. Bell’s art-cum-activism, now on view at the Tufts University Art Gallery, creates a dialogue around the still unaddressed plight of the Australian Aboriginal community. Until 1967, the Australian census counted Aboriginals not as citizens, but as “Flora and Fauna.” Unfortunately, the stereotypes and racism arising out of this social imbalance are still very much ingrained in Australian society.

Bell’s work seeks to bring these injustices out from under the carpet and into the limelight. Daily Arts Editor Anna Majeski sat down with Mr. Bell to discuss his work, his history and how he uses his art as a vehicle for these issues: Anna Majeski: You say in the catalogue that you identify more as an activist than you do as an artist. Why did you choose to express this activism through art as opposed to a different route?

Richard Bell: I was becoming a political “inactivist.” You have to burn lots of energy in activism. I was getting a bit tired of it. [Art] was offered as an alternative to me. I came to fine art from tourist art doing Aboriginal painting.

This white guy came to the workshop one day and said, “Why don’t you get into fine art?” And I said, “What do you mean, look at these fine lines here!” And he laughed, of course, and said, “I mean

KASABIAN.CO.UK

Nobody loves English rock quartet Kasabian as much as Kasabian loves Kasabian.

see BELL, page 6

have never written a column before.

You could say I am losing my column virginity and make some “American Pie” (1999) joke involving the forgotten career of Jason Biggs and a warm apple dessert, but I think it is best if we leave that to the sex columnists.

For nine years — dating back to middle school — I have been involved in scholastic journalism. Now, with eight months left in my college career, I get to write in the first-person and have a goofy portrait of myself accompanying the text each week. For that, I am grateful.

In the coming weeks, this column will focus on the independent film industry. I’ll report on low-budget movies and underpaid actors. I’ll let you know about the best art-house movie theaters in the Boston area. I may even decide to reveal my justifiable mancrush on indie stud Ryan Gosling in greater detail. We can leave the droll day-to-day of mainstream Hollywood off to the side. Here, the objectives are to inform, advise and, above all else, tell a good story.

I have reviewed nearly 20 films since coming to Tufts, encompassing the good — “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008); the bad — “Fast & Furious” (2009); and the very ugly — “Motherhood” (2009).

As a lanky freshman, I interviewed director Danny Boyle a few months before he won Best Director at the Oscars. A year later, I interviewed a congested — and equally as lanky — Uma Thurman. I studied abroad in London last semester, became a staff writer for CriticsNotebook.com and have since had three of my film reviews posted under the “Critics” link on IMDB. I trust my voice, and I hope you will too.

And now for the rest of the semester, I get to engage in a cinematic dialogue with you, writer to reader. I’ve chosen to examine only independent films and not the mainstream movie business because indies tell better stories. Many Hollywood films are heartless formulas with poor character and plot development. There are certainly exceptions to that rule, but then there’s Michael Bay. In closing, I write about movies because I love them. I even love the bad ones. I try to turn every movie I watch into a learning experience. Life is full of BS, and for me, the best way to clear my mind is to relax in front of a giant screen and watch a movie. We all have to drag through lectures and readings and tests. When we are older, many of us will work long hours at stressful jobs and sit at undersized desks. We will have kids who complain. Years later, we will have parents calling us up to talk about their never-ending list of prescriptions.

Life only gets harder. But for two hours, when the lights are off and a good movie is on the screen, our imaginations can run wild.

I was 16 the first time a movie truly took hold of me. I went to see Michael Mann’s film version of “Miami Vice” (2006) with four friends. We sat in the top row of the theater, and I remember having this weird epiphany: All of the images, cuts, sounds and music made sense. I didn’t have to stop and think about them as separate elements. That is the power a great film can have on a viewer. My job is to convey that passion of cinema to you.

Quentin Tarantino once said, “The good ideas will survive.” With my column, maybe I can help their survival.

Jordan Teicher is a senior majoring in English. He can be reached at Jordan.

Teicher@tufts.edu.

The Tufts Daily

6

Arts & Living

Movie Review

Danish director Refn brings thoughtful direction to gritty action film ‘Drive’

by Jordan

Teicher

Daily Staff Writer

Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn could have turned an action film into a masterpiece. He was damn close, and the nec-

Drive Starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn essary ingredients were in the right places: Ryan Gosling in the lead role, talents like Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman and Albert Brooks in the supporting cast, a tremendously dynamic soundtrack, restrained car chases and some heavy suspense. “Drive,” however, does not find perfection because the film is too addicted to its excessive choice of style.

Gosling stars as the unnamed protagonist, a detached antihero who spends his days as a stunt driver on movie sets and his nights as a wheelman for criminals. Driving — legally and illegally — is not only his occupation, but also his obsession. In the 2005 James Sallis novel that provides the basis for the film, the main character is named “Driver,” as if it were the only epithet to properly define him.

Driver’s handler is Shannon (Cranston), a limping mechanic with plenty of personality.

Shannon concocts a plan to get Driver into stockcar racing. Presumably, Driver’s talent will make them rich. The only hiccup is that they need financing for the car, which brings in kingpin Bernie Rose (Brooks) and his deep pockets — up the criminal ladder we go!

Rose has a business partner named Nino

(Perlman), and the two run a “respectable” Los Angeles criminal organization.

The other half of the plot focuses on Driver’s personal life. He falls for his new neighbor, Irene (Carey Mulligan), a young mom with a son named Benicio and a husband in jail. Driver cares for Irene and Benicio until her husband returns. When viewers discover the husband has old debts to pay, the separate strands of the plot begin to weave together. Though Driver tries to help cover the debt, a double-crossing turns Irene into a widow. For the remainder of the film, Driver seeks revenge on anyone who comes after Irene and Benicio.

Cranston and Perlman aren’t given much screen time, but they make the most of their time impressively. The same goes for Brooks, who ventures into unchartered territory by playing a truly violent son-of-agun rather than a comical character. As for Mulligan, she takes on a role that doesn’t require her to do much other than smile at Gosling, but can you blame her for wanting to smile at that man?

Gosling is the perfect actor to play Driver.

Because the part is very thin on dialogue, it requires nuanced body language. Some viewers will assume that because Gosling did not speak a lot, he therefore did not have to act a lot, but interpreting his performance as empty would be a big mistake.

Driver is a fascinating character. He is the inverse of Heath Ledger’s The Joker from “The Dark Knight” (2008). The Joker is all above the surface; everything he feels the audience feels as well.

Driver does his best to keep emotions internal, even in violent situations. His constant struggle to control the moving parts around him while remaining

calm creates great tension throughout the film.

To be clear, Driver is not a hero. In this film, there are no heroes and villains — only smart guys and dumb guys who both crave self-preservation. If anything, he is a sadist with a twisted code of honor. Yet, viewers will leave the theater thinking Gosling is the coolest sadist ever to appear on screen; he is brutally handsome in a bloodstained white jacket. Gosling is so cool in this role that he makes Steve McQueen look like David Hasselhoff.

Aside from Gosling, most credit for the film’s success should go to its director, Refn. He brings a wholly European style of directing to a genre bombarded with constant explosions and digital imagery.

There are extended, thoughtful camera shots and meaningful action sequences doled out in the appropriate places.

Refn has constructed an action movie with a steady pulse and laced it with a magnificent Europop soundtrack.

Less impressive is Refn’s propensity for extreme violence. In the second half of the film, some scenes overindulge in gore and bloodshed. It is disappointing that such a restrained film resorts to overly-stylized violence near the end.

“Drive” is not an easy film to watch.

It defies viewers’ attention spans that have been conditioned to expect cheap thrills. Refn may fight these conventions a little too hard. He has obvious skill, but some shots go on for too long and the film is a bit too barren at times.

However, though “Drive” may not be an action masterpiece, it is the action film audiences want and need.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Raucous comedies and intense dramas entice TV

continued from page 5

a television show this fall is Whitney Cummings, whose show “Whitney” will test if her appeal as a standup act can transfer into a sitcom. The show looks to put a twist on the slacker-sitcom show by starring a woman instead of a man.

This twist will likely open the show up to more unique storylines and situations than other comedies debuting this fall. “Whitney” graces TV screens on Thursday, Sept. 22 at 9:30 p.m. on NBC. Another NBC sitcom looking to find an audience this fall is “Up All Night,” which stars veteran funnyman Will Arnett and actress Christina Applegate. The show’s pilot has already received rave reviews, and with a supporting cast that includes “Saturday Night Live” alum Maya Rudolph, it seems like it could easily be a hit. “Up All Night” will premiere on Wednesday, Sept 21 at 8 p.m. and continues every Wednesday night.

On Thursday, Sept. 22 at 9 p.m., NBC is remaking the stellar British cop drama, “Prime Suspect.” The original British show (which ran from 1991 through 2006) launched Helen Mirren’s career and broke stereotypes with its strong yet flawed heroine.

Critics and fans of the original are waiting to see if Maria Bello can fill Mirren’s huge shoes as she steps into the iconic role this television season.

As the fall continues and the Nielsen ratings come in, viewers will get to see which new shows will survive and which will be cut from the lineup.

Bell’s art fights for Aboriginals BELL

continued from page 5

high art,” and I said, “F--k that s--t, that’s for girls and gays.” He laughed and said, “You’re an activist. You realize that you can reach a much bigger and more influential audience with art. You can raise the issues in art.” I said, “If I did that, I’d be telling these white f--kers exactly what I think of them.” And he said, “Well, then do it.”

AM: So how do you choose to address these issues? By presenting alternatives to the way we treat one another?

RB: I think a lot of these issues need to be discussed. They shouldn’t be swept under the carpet anymore. I’d much rather that things were out in the open. I think it’s much more productive that way. I’ve become a recovering racist, a recovering homophobe, a recovering sexist… People aren’t going to take you seriously if you’re a hypocrite.

AM: Have you found that visual art as a form of activism fits your image of what activism should be?

RB: I do, actually. In talking to people around the world it’s quite apparent that artists are involved and have been involved in revolutions all over the world. So it’s nothing new, in that regard. I’m asking people to consider the alternatives. How about tolerance? I mean, at worst. But the real place to be is acceptance.

AM: How do we need to address differences that are structured and absorbed into societal framework? Do we need a different technique?

RB: Well, of course. Why is it more likely for Aboriginal people to be arrested in Australia?

It’s because in training, [police are] taught this. They’re taught to identify Aboriginal people… with criminal behavior. The whole of Australian society associates Aboriginal people with alcoholism, yet only 40 percent of Aboriginal people drink, as opposed to 60 percent of white Australians.

AM: So these are obviously stereotypes based on lies, but how can you even start to address something that is just a lie? Doesn’t that make it harder to address if it’s unfounded?

RB: Well the use of symbolism is very powerful; you can change thinking overnight. I use

KASABIAN.CO.UK

Still don’t believe that Kasabian is off-beat? Check out this trippy album cover.

Courtesy American Federation of Arts

Bell, ‘Scratch an Aussie #4’ (2008), digital print on aluminum, 38.5 x 25.5 inches, courtesy Milani Gallery, Brisbane. a lot of the techniques used in advertising in my work that go back to a guy named [Edward] Bernays, Sigmund Freud’s [nephew].

He invented the [public relations] industry.

I use a lot of three- and four-color combinations [that] are irresistible to the human eye.

We can’t help it.

AM: What would you hope the average Tufts student going into the gallery would get from your work?

RB: To make themselves open to engagement with difference. To accept difference as a normal part of life, rather than people like the Tea Party who would like everyone to close ranks behind ideals that they hold dear. Government can’t always help people; people have to want to help themselves. People need to want to sell a different message than the old house with the picket fence. That’s the old American dream, but it’s not possible for everyone.

When you strip the work down, there [are] questions about humanity and how we treat each other. We have to ask ourselves, “How do we want to be treated?” And that’s how we should be treating other people. There has to be self-examination, there has to be an honest critique. That’s a good start.

Freshman effort casts looming shadow over “Velociraptor!”

KASABIAN

continued from page 5

bling superimposed over the end of the song signifies a little cheekiness on the band’s part: They don’t take themselves too seriously, and neither should their listeners.

That levity might just be their secret to success, especially considering the name of the album and the somewhat intriguing inclusion of an exclamation mark. Guitarist Sergio Pizzorno — otherwise known as that one who looks like a pirate — told NME magazine the album name stemmed from how “velociraptors used to hunt in packs of four; they were the rock ’n’ roll band of the dinosaurs.”

“Goodbye Kiss” is a wonderfully nostalgic tune. It offers the level of emotional depth that Alex Turner, singer-songwriter of the Arctic Monkeys, manages to pack into each of his songs.

There’s an absurd juxtaposition between the showiness of “La Fée Verte” and the punchy, bizarre title track, “Velociraptor!” Slow, soothing violins clash with the lyrics of the latter: “So you don’t fall in with the/ Velociraptor!/ He’s gonna find ya!/

He’s gonna kill ya!” There, the exclamation mark is definitely audible.

The album is sufficiently strong until “I Hear Voices,” a weak, electronic attempt at modernizing their sound. The pace doesn’t pick up again until three tracks later with “Switchblade Smiles,” another oddly enjoyable noisy jumble. The rest of the album is a rollercoaster ride, mixing and matching paces until “Neon Noon,” the last song on the album, slows the tempo down to a dreamy finale. The second half of the album lacks the sense of humor that makes Kasabian so original and great.

Kasabian managed something special with its debut album by finding an unfilled musical niche. While the band’s ambition has not waned, it peaked on its first album. While listening to any songs off Kasabian’s latest, it’s hard to remember why you’re not just listening to earlier hits like “Club Foot” or “Cutt Off.” Evoking fond memories of previous albums is not the mark of a successful new one, but at least Kasabian will always have their 2004 effort — an album that rocketed into listeners’ brains with the force of a small nuclear explosion.

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

DATE:

The Tufts Daily

Arts & Living

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2011 TIME: 7:30 PM LOCATION: CAPITOL THEATRE 204 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE ARLINGTON, MA

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The Tufts Daily

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THE TUFTS DAILY Carter W. Rogers Editor-in-Chief

Editorial Niki Krieg Adam Kulewicz Managing Editors Amelie Hecht Executive News Editor Kathryn Olson News Editors Laina Piera Corinne Segal Saumya Vaishampayan Brent Yarnell Bianca Blakesley Assistant News Editors Gabrielle Hernandez Brionna Jimerson Michael Marks Elizabeth McKay Marie Schow Minyoung Song Mahpari Sotoudeh Martha Shanahan Executive Features Editor Jon Cheng Features Editors Maya Kohli Amelia Quinn Falcon Reese Derek Schlom Victoria Rathsmill Assistant Features Editors Margaret Young Rebecca Santiago Executive Arts Editor Zach Drucker Arts Editors Anna Majeski Charissa Ng Joseph Stile Ashley Suarez Matt Welch Melissa MacEwen Assistant Arts Editors David Kellogg Bhushan Deshpande Seth Teleky Devon Colmer Louie Zong Craig Frucht Michael Restiano

Executive Op-Ed Editor Op-Ed Editors Assistant Op-Ed Editors Cartoonists

Editorial

Editorial | Letters

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Calls for Ablow resignation too extreme

The outcry from within the Tufts community over the recent remarks of Tufts School of Medicine Assistant Clinical Professor Keith Ablow has been, to say the least, palpable.

In his Sept. 2 editorial on FoxNews. com, “Don’t Let Your Kids Watch Chaz Bono on ‘Dancing With the Stars,’” Ablow said: “I’m going to take heat for saying all this, by the way.” He was indeed correct.

Ablow argued that children should not be allowed to watch episodes of “Dancing With the Stars” featuring Chaz Bono, the transgender son of Cher and Sonny Bono, because doing so may result in children questioning their own gender identities. Ablow said children seeing Bono in an environment where he is cheered on by an audience could result in them seeking out gender reassignment surgery, against which he comes out strongly.

“The truth is that Chaz Bono should be empathized with and treated with dignity. Any contribution he makes to the world should be applauded as it would be for any other person,” Ablow wrote. “But Chaz Bono should not be applauded for

asserting she is a man (and goes about trying to look like one) any more than a woman who believes she will be happier without arms, has them removed and then continues to assert that she was right all along — her self-concept was that of a double amputee.”

The Daily strongly disagrees with Ablow’s notion that children seeing Chaz Bono in a celebratory environment will somehow change their gender identity.

According to experts, there is currently no hard scientific evidence to support Ablow’s claims.

Furthermore, Ablow’s inflammatory remarks about the nature of gender reassessment surgery went against Tufts’ environment of inclusiveness. His language was hurtful to transgender individuals, both to those that have chosen to undergo gender reassignment surgery and those who have not.

However, the calls for Ablow’s resignation or firing based on his comments in his editorial and recent interview are overzealous.

Firstly, Ablow is not a full-time faculty member. His position at Tufts is not

paid and he has not given a lecture in five years. Those that he did give were infrequent and to residents who already had their M.Ds. These lectures were not related to the subjects he addressed in his editorial.

More importantly, however, is that most of the calls for Ablow to resign are due to disagreements with his personal views.

Ablow’s opinions on transgender issues are certainly more conservative than the general Tufts consensus. His association with Fox News, an organization often used as the butt of jokes by liberal Tufts professors, only compounds this notion.

However, if we call for the removal of individuals with views different from ours, we remove the debates that are key to growth. Universities are places where we learn to have our ideas and views challenged and learn how to logically defend our convictions.

If we insist on Tufts being a liberal bubble where no dissenting opinions are accepted, we eliminate diversity. If we do that, we make Tufts a weaker institution.

DEVON COLMER

Editorialists

Daniel Rathman Executive Sports Editor Matthew Berger Sports Editors Lauren Flament Claire Kemp Ben Kochman Aaron Leibowitz David McIntyre Alex Prewitt Ann Sloan Ethan Sturm Kate Klots Assistant Sports Editors Josh Berlinger Virginia Bledsoe Kristen Collins Alex Dennett Justin McCallum Ashley Seenauth William Butt Lane Florsheim Caroline Geiling Meagan Maher Oliver Porter Scott Tingley Dilys Ong

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PRODUCTION Jason Huang

Production Director Alyssa Kutner Executive Layout Editor Rebecca Alpert Layout Editors Jennifer Betts Shoshanna Kahne Sarah Kester Emily Rourke Elliot Philips Assistant Layout Editors Emma Spero

Off the Hill | New York University

American Apparel’s ethics are as cheap as their clothing by

Andrew Paseltiner Executive Copy Editor Ben Considine Copy Editors Patrick Donnelly Sara Eisemann Katrina Knisely Drew Lewis Ashley Cheng Linh Dang Assistant Copy Editors Lauren Greenberg George Le Gregory Witz Audrey Kuan Executive Online Editor Darcy Mann Online Editors Ben Schwalb Will Wong Ammar Khaku Executive Technical Manager

BUSINESS Laura Moreno Executive Business Director Saanya Gulati Receivables Manager P.O. Box 53018, Medford, MA 02155 617 627 3090 FAX 617 627 3910 daily@tuftsdaily.com

Liz Beras

Washington Square News

Many have heard of American Apparel — the clothing store that manufactures, distributes and sells basic apparel. You may walk by one of the many retail stores in the city and may even be wearing it. But the products sold at American Apparel are not worth the money.

American Apparel has built its brand on selling T-shirts, sweatshirts, pants and even racy advertisements for people of all ages. Founded over a decade ago, it currently has over 200 stores in 20 countries and seemingly too much debt to calculate. The clothing from American Apparel is nothing more than mere textile designs and the occasional printmaking. Textile designs are relatively cheap garments to produce, as they are simple designs in solid colors that require minimal testing for quality control. With infrequent turnover of designs and nonexistent markdowns, the company was predestined for failure.

Most recently, American Apparel’s stock has hovered in the $0.90 range.

Sales have been down in prior quarters and its debt keeps rising as American Apparel’s liquid funds deteriorate. About six months ago, Canadian-based investors put funds into the company, though recent reports speculate that those investors might be looking to sell their shares in the company.

Native Canadian Dov Charney, CEO and founder of American Apparel, is arguably one of the most controversial CEOs in the industry with a slew of sexual harassments suits filed by employees on his record.

American Apparel holds a provocative and racy image among the general public because of their advertisements and marketing initiatives. At Fashion’s Night Out every fall in New York, American Apparel traditionally has customers interested in being models take snapshots for a modeling contest.

The attendees who participate in the contest have their snapshots sent to the casting office and the winner gets placed in an advertisement — an advertisement rated PG-13 at minimum, of course. It is an embarrassment that this company

has built its image on the degradation of young people in their advertisements.

There is a fine line between artistic and lewd marketing, and our society should not accept the latter.

American Apparel produces its garments in the United States and does not employ sweatshop labor — but that does not excuse the company for reportedly hiring thousands of unauthorized employees. A non-sweatshop environment does not rule out potential disasters like the recent death of an American Apparel factory worker caused by a knitting machine.

Given the circumstances, it appears as if American Apparel won’t be around for much longer. As for the avid American Apparel shoppers, there is no need to be concerned — I am sure competitors with sounder finances are awaiting your business with open arms. As for the hipsters who are now worried about where their extensive collection of plain tees and tube socks will come from, I’m confident you can find another retailer that is more authentic than American Apparel could ever be.

CORRECTIONs The Sept. 20 Sports Schedule element incorrectly listed this week’s games. An updated version of the schedule can be seen in today’s issue.

The bio section of the Sept. 20 Op-Ed “Yes on Referendum 1” incorrectly referred to Taylor Lentz as a junior. She is in fact a sophomore.

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.

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Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The Tufts Daily

9

Op-Ed

Where is our Jumbo pride?

I am constantly asked what is the best part of my job as president of Tufts University. The answer is simple: the students. They are smart, positive and engaged, not only in their studies and research, but in all aspects of Tufts life — from drama, music and art, to athletics and keeping fit, to community service both locally and abroad.

It is one of the highlights of my morning routine to decide which Jumbo tie to put around my neck: Jumbos dancing, Jumbos on ice skates, Jumbos parading with their trunks high in the air… all symbols of our Jumbo pride.

However, on Monday mornings when I arrive at my office in Ballou Hall, there is always a manila folder on my desk, which I dread opening. It contains the reports from the Tufts University Police Department about students who were transported to the emergency room over the weekend for alcohol intoxication. Nothing deflates my Jumbo pride more than this Monday morning ritual.

How can the same students who instill in the Tufts community such a positive sense of purpose break the law and drink to such excess that they require emergency medical care? I have spent every day since Fall Ball asking myself this question and listening to faculty, staff and students who were by

Anthony P. Monaco

willing to discuss the issue with me.

Many of those who were transported were drinking hard liquor as part of “binge drinking” or “pre-gaming.” The single most important aspect of this behavior is that it takes place in a social situation. These students were not drinking alone. They were consuming excessive amounts of alcohol in a social environment, which seems to foster drinking with the sole aim of getting drunk.

Social media also contribute to this culture. Many of you have connected with me via various sites such as Facebook and Twitter. I have enjoyed reaching out to you using these platforms. At the same time, I have been surprised by the number of postings, tweets and photos that boast about getting and being drunk, or contain content glorifying the scenes where binge drinking takes place — both on and off campus. I have contacted some students expressing my concern for their health and personal development and requested they remove this alcoholrelated content. It diminishes their own and Tufts’ reputation. I think it also contributes to the problem with alcohol abuse in the community. Research shows that many of our students do not drink, and of those who do, they by no means all drink to excess. But if such behavior is seen as normal in social

media, it will come to seem normal in daily life.

If binge drinking is occurring in a social situation and is being glorified through social media, then it is not just about the individual who is unfortunate enough to get transported for medical care. It is a social issue, and all of us need to work together to stop the culture of binge drinking. I want to do my part, and I know many other committed members of the Tufts community — students as well as faculty and staff — who want to make this a collective effort. At the same time, while binge drinking is a social issue, individual actions still matter. You need to look after your own friends and classmates to ensure they are not put in the position of requiring emergency medical care for alcohol intoxication. For all the Jumbo pride we feel in our community service activities to help those who live and work around us, have we forgotten our own Tufts community? Let’s focus our Jumbo pride on preventing students from abusing alcohol. The best day of my presidency at Tufts will be the Monday morning when that manila folder is empty. Only then will I feel the full force of Jumbo pride.

Anthony P. Monaco is the president of Tufts University.

Let’s keep our student events

Tufts, like every other college campus it seems, has an alcohol problem.

And it’s embarrassing. And it’s starting to limit our student activities. And that’s a shame.

This year, my senior year, I watched part of Fall Ball from my porch instead of attending, and saw the steady stream of ambulances shuttling students to Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

As it turned out, 12 students were transported. It is quite telling that the ambulances arrive before the students. Tufts has to hire ambulances in anticipation of need. Is that not sad?

As in past years, we are lucky that no one died.

Please do not confuse me for a teetotaler. I’ve no problem with the moderate consumption of alcohol; and frat parties certainly have their place. But there’s a line, and it gets crossed far too often. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone smile as they vomit on themselves, lose consciousness in a bathroom stall or get loaded into the back of an ambulance on a stretcher (or maybe even all three).

And yes, it is true that 12 people, in a school of several thousand, is not a large percentage. But unfortunately, the poor choices of the few are beginby Isaac

Freeman

ning to affect the lives of all students.

For instance, incoming freshmen will never experience the sights, sounds, and free doughnuts of the “Nighttime Quad Reception” because it has been cancelled indefinitely. And I am worried that this was not an isolated decision, but the beginning of a trend. If we can’t get this under control, what other student events will end up on the chopping block? Spring Fling? Fall Ball itself? Is it really worth it?

Obviously, the administration does not want to cancel major student events.

Doing so would be extremely unpopular, but if it comes down to popularity or student safety, student safety will always win out. For better or for worse, the administration has only relatively blunt instruments to work with. It would be impossible for the administration to monitor every location where students could be drinking, and any attempt to do so would only drive the drinking further underground (especially because many of the participants are underage). So what options does the university have?

They can try to educate students about the dangers of binge drinking, which they are, but other than that, their hands are essentially tied. If they can’t control the dangerous drinking itself, all they can do is control the impetus for the drinking: by canceling events.

Amanda Johnson | Senior Moments

JODI BOSIN/TUFTS DAILY

I recognize that no one starts his or her night intending to end it with an ambulance ride that he or she will never remember — other than the bill to pay later — but we’ve got to get this under control somehow. And the onus is on us. The perception of alcohol has to change. Instead of supporting binge drinking, or even just ignoring it, try thinking about it differently: This type of inconsiderate behavior is going to cut back on the number of student events that you will be able to enjoy in the future.

We’ve gotten a lot better at calling Tufts Emergency Medical Services for our friends when they need help — and I thank all those who volunteer their time to answer those calls — but why not intervene one step earlier?

Wouldn’t it just be easier, a lot less stressful and a lot less messy just to discourage those extra vodka shots in the first place? We are beginning a new year, with a new president who will be looking to finally fix what former University President Lawrence Bacow, despite his efforts, could not. Let’s do the right thing and save our student events.

Isaac Freeman is a senior majoring in quantitative economics.

Where freshmen get it right

I

remember it like it was yesterday. I was in Dewick during my freshman orientation week, and I was feeling pretty seasoned.

The head-start that I had on some of my classmates from Wilderness pre-Orientation had bestowed me with what felt like a lifetime’s worth of knowledge, and I was anxious to share my new-found wisdom with a classmate I saw contemplating the coffee choices.

“Sometimes they put out French vanilla,” I suggested eagerly. “It’s really good.” The girl rolled her eyes. “I’m a senior,” she scoffed before briskly walking away. I was taken aback — this girl was nothing like the students I’d met throughout the week, thirsty for friendship and willing to feign interest about my hometown, dorm and anticipated major.

In the years since, I’ve come to attribute the incident to my own over-developed sense of importance, and the reality that a) they almost always put out French vanilla coffee and b) it’s utterly gag-inducing by the time you reach your first all-nighter.

Even so, I think the girl’s attitude represents a complex that is quite pervasive at Tufts, a sort of territoriality and inclination to cling to comfortably defined boundaries.

After the initial months of Facebookfriending and handshaking, social dynamics become firmly planted. Overwhelmingly, these circles are based on shared activities and space: athletic teams, ethnic groupings, Greek life, freshman housing. A large part of this, I’m certain, is because of the hyperachieving lifestyle we’re so immersed in at Tufts. Let’s face it: By the time we’re halfway through our college career, so many of our relationships are based primarily on convenience. Were they not, sacrifices would have to be made elsewhere. But there’s a fine line between embracing natural proclivities and hindering ourselves. I fear we often find ourselves on the wrong side of this line.

As much as I believe this is true for many demanding schools, I think a part stems from a certain self-consciousness and insecurity that is uniquely Tufts. As a university with too many students for an intimate community but not enough for the camaraderie felt at larger schools, an academic excellence shadowed by a lagging name recognition, and two of the most world’s most prestigious universities within walking distance, we have a bit of a chip on our collective shoulders.

Unfortunately, I think that has permeated into the way that we operate socially. In trying to establish our niche in a competitive environment, our defense mechanisms are perpetually firing. We are hesitant to welcome new faces in fear that it makes our already existing social life seem scant. We glance down when we pass someone we barely know because waving might seem overly eager. We stick to the same parties on the weekends because venturing elsewhere makes us vulnerable. Our endeavors to prove ourselves are largely self-defeating — the more our student body is described as “cliquey” and “isolating,” the more we prolong an image of an uppermiddle-class university tinged with bitter Ivy League envy.

Perhaps I am simply superimposing my own shortcomings on Tufts, and that my own (admittedly narrow) social life does not mirror the experience of the majority of my peers. But in many conversations with classmates, I’ve heard countless echoes of similar sentiments.

Prominent Tufts alumnus Simon Rosenberg (A ’85) recently said at a campus event that Tufts is right on the cusp of cementing its place among the nation’s top academic institutions, giving current students the momentous opportunity to fuse our own characteristics with the identity of the school, thus shaping its future trajectory. As the freshman class watches the rest of us to learn the intricacies of major requirements and the mysteriously limited operating hours of SIS, I suggest we take a page out of their social playbook. It’s a move that would do wonders for our prospective identity, and make the “Tufts burden” a thing of the past.

Amanda Johnson is a senior majoring in international relations. She can be reached at Amanda.Johnson@tufts.edu.

Op-ed Policy The Op-Ed section of The Tufts Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. The Daily welcomes submissions from all members of the Tufts community; the opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Daily itself. Opinion articles on campus, national and international issues should be 600 to 1,200 words in length. Op-Ed cartoons are also welcomed for the Campus Canvas feature. All material is subject to editorial discretion and is not guaranteed to appear in the Daily. All material should be submitted to oped@tuftsdaily.com no later than 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

10

Comics

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Doonesbury

Crossword

by

Garry Trudeau

Non Sequitur

Tuesday’s Solution

Married to the Sea

www.marriedtothesea.com

SUDOKU Level: Knowing a story about a boy who hated stories

Late Night at the Daily Tuesday’s Solution

Carter: “What’s awesome about Flag Day? Everything.”

Please recycle this Daily.

by

Wiley

Sports

11

tuftsdaily.com

Football

Lindquist’s leadership and drive are keys to his success by

Alex Prewitt

Daily Editorial Board

The metaphorical itch surfaced when Johnny Lindquist walked away from football.

An all-state quarterback at Highland Park High School outside Chicago, Lindquist almost never even sniffed the East Coast. The senior quarterback matriculated at Michigan, spurning collegiate athletics for a school eight times Tufts’ size.

“Honestly, I was a little burnt-out my senior year in high school,” said Lindquist after Monday’s walkthrough practice, with a football tucked underneath his right arm. “I played three sports for four years, and I thought it would be all right just going four years without playing a sport. But I realized that wasn’t the life I wanted to live.”

He missed the built-in segments, the daily routine of working out and practicing with teammates and friends alike. Lindquist soon found himself working out on his own for a couple of hours each day. Eventually, he figured he’d give football another shot, transferring to Tufts after his freshman year.

The Jumbos are sure glad he did.

“It’s all about the journey, and there’s lots of different turns that come in your way and a bunch of different experiences,” interim head coach Jay Civetti said. “We’re fortunate to have him, starting quarterback or not. He’s a great team guy, and he’s focused on making his teammates better, making his friends better, [and] making himself better.”

Despite a statistical deficiency in collegiate experience, his leadership qualities and poise have made him an ideal replacement suitor for Anthony Fucillo (LA ’11), one of Tufts’ most prolific passers of all-time. Lindquist won a preseason quarterback battle with junior John Dodds and will start Saturday’s opener at Hamilton, looking to turn around a team that went 1-7 in 2010 — its worst season since 1996.

An economics major on a pre-med track with the team’s highest GPA, Lindquist has quickly developed a reputation among fellow Jumbos as a fierce leader, a quality he attributes to a desire to maintain pride.

“I respect a lot of the guys who do rather than say,” Lindquist said. “It’s important to put your head down and go to work rather than talk about it. I realized that was a good approach to life and to football.”

During the team’s preseason Judgment Day training, now a staple among Tufts teams, the former Marines running the program awarded Lindquist with a leadership honor for directing the Jumbos through the various intense drills.

With the directors yelling instructions into his ear, Lindquist took a deep breath, led the Jumbos in suicides and exhibited the calm collectedness that’s gotten him to this point.

“He just took the reins, really,” junior wide receiver Marty Finnegan said.

“The Marines were adamant about us taking over our own team, and he was see FOOTBALL, page 12

Football

Tufts drops spread offense for more balanced attack by

Ben Kochman

Daily Editorial Board

The football team has abandoned the no-huddle spread offense that lit up the scoreboard in 2010 in favor of a more balanced attack of runs and short passes, a plan that was on display Friday night when Tufts scrimmaged Bowdoin on Bello Field in its first action against an opposing defense.

“It’s an offense that I was a part of for six years [while he coached] at BC — an offense I grew up with,” interim head coach Jay Civetti said. “It gives us the best chance to do our end of the bargain on game day.”

In two quarters of official play on Friday, Tufts ran the ball 11 times and threw seven times — a far cry from last year’s offense, which put up record-breaking numbers of completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns with Anthony Fucillo (LA ’11) at the helm, but the Jumbos finished last in the NESCAC in rushing yards and time of possession.

The leader of this year’s offense, newly minted starting quarterback senior Johnny Lindquist, has only completed one collegiate pass.

However, coaches and teammates alike rave about his poise and leadership ability.

In the first of his three drives leading the offense Friday night, Lindquist moved the team in range for a 23-yard field goal from senior kicker Adam Auerbach.

The drive included a 30-yard pass

to junior tight end Nick Kenyon, who looks healthy and dangerous after tearing his ACL last season.

Those points were all Tufts scored on Friday, as the other two Lindquist drives ended in a turnover on downs and a punt.

The Jumbos were down 13-3 after one half of play, and the two teams spent the rest of the scrimmage practicing specific late game-situations.

Sophomore running back Ryan Pollock got the bulk of the carries Friday, and he is excited to play a larger role in an offense that hopes to add a little muscle to last year’s aerial assault.

“We want to wear the defense down, and give our defense more time to rest,” Pollock said after practice Monday. “We’re looking to pound the ball and establish ourselves as a physical team, and just make sure that we dominate at the line of scrimmage.”

That physicality starts with the offensive line, which returns four seniors: tri-captain Luke Lamothe, David Lloyd, Andrew Daley and George Brereton.

When Tufts decides to attack through the air, it will likely be to junior Dylan Haas, who was third in the NESCAC with 72.2 receiving yards per game, and had 205 yards on Oct. 30, 2010 against Amherst, last season.

Sophomore Pat Nee and junior Marty Finnegan should also see lots see FOOTBALL, page 15

Inside the NESCAC

Hamilton begins first season as full member of NESCAC Seven schools prepare to make difficult transition from Liberty League by

Aaron Leibowitz

Daily Editorial Board

After more than 15 years since splitting its membership between the NESCAC and upstate New York’s Liberty League, Hamilton College is now a full member of the NESCAC. Prior to this fall, seven Continentals teams competed in the Liberty League — men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s lacrosse and field hockey — while their other 21 teams played in the NESCAC. Now, all 28 are together in one conference.

Though the switch will mean longer road trips for the Continentals from Clinton, N.Y. — about four-and-a-half hours to Tufts and over seven hours to Colby — they are convinced the change is for the better.

“We decided we really wanted to be in one conference rather than two,” Jon Hind, Hamilton’s athletic director since 2007, said. “It really wasn’t about the fact that 21 of the 28 were in NESCAC; it really was all about wanting to partner ourselves with who we consider like-minded institutions.”

The switch is not only important for Hamilton’s overall reputation but also the success of its athletic program.

“Certainly from an institutional standpoint it’s very important for us,” Hind said. “But also athletically it changes the teams we play, and I can’t tell you how many times we were in recruiting battles and ended up with a prospective student-athlete who said, ‘I want to play in NESCAC,’ and we weren’t in NESCAC.”

Josh Berlinger/Tufts Daily

The Jumbos, seen here against Hamilton last season, travel to Clinton, N.Y. for its season opener on Saturday.

Hamilton was one of the original NESCAC institutions in 1971, along with the current members and Union College — which left the conference in 1977 and was replaced in 1982 by Connecticut College.

For a long time, Hind explained, the league was only loosely affiliated with the NCAA, and conference play had no postseason ramifications. In 1993, however, the NESCAC began sending teams to NCAA championships. Two years later, Hamilton helped found the Upstate Collegiate Athletic

Association, today known as the Liberty League, to decrease travel time. Then, in 1999, when the NCAA began granting automatic qualifying bids to conference champions, the NESCAC schools wanted their teams to have full round-robin schedules within the conference.

“The question was posed to Hamilton, ‘Are you in or are you not?’” Hind said. “We certainly didn’t want to sever ties with NESCAC, but pragmatically felt it would make more sense to play some of the sports in New York.”

Somehow — Hind himself is unsure of the reasoning — the decision was made that seven Hamilton teams would play in the Liberty League, and that the rest would play in the NESCAC. The Liberty League does offer some strong competition, including Skidmore, Bard and William Smith, but Hind admits that the NESCAC has more depth in each sport.

Hamilton fits well in the NESCAC in terms of size, with about 1,900 students. Every school in the conference except Tufts has between 1,000 and 3,000 undergraduates,

and only Tufts and Wesleyan are defined as “universities.”

So far, everyone at Hamilton seems happy with the move.

“I think [the reaction] has been unanimously favorable,” Hind said. “If we had just jumped leagues and gone into NESCAC, we probably would have received some of that [negative] feedback.

But at a school of our size where pretty much everybody knows each other, we already had so many teams doing that travel that I’m sure the student-athletes talked to each other. I think the fact that so many of our teams were already competing [in the NESCAC] has made it much easier for the other seven.”

While deciding whether to make the switch, Hamilton examined how many more hours athletes would spend away from campus on a NESCAC schedule than on a Liberty League one.

While the results were significant — about 20 to 25 more hours per team — the conclusion was made that, spread out over the course of a season, the extra time was well worth it. Also, Hind noted that Hamilton athletes will actually miss fewer classes than in the past because the NESCAC plays more games on weekends.

With men’s and women’s soccer and field hockey just a couple of weeks into their transition seasons, all that is clear is that the Continentals are going to be constantly tested.

“I’ve been at all of the games, and they have been competitive dogfights ’til the end,” Hind said.

“That’s what we expected — a dogfight week-in and week-out.”

The Tufts Daily

12

Sports

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Lindquist impresses in scrimmage vs. Bowdoin FOOTBALL

continued from page 11

the man.”

Though Lindquist appeared in just two games last season, attempting only one pass and rushing for 12 yards on three carries, he watched and learned while Fucillo set single-season program records for yards, attempts, completions and touchdowns, biding his time.

Fucillo, according to Lindquist, was a vocal leader whose intensity and rapport served as an up-close model for success and leadership, qualities

Lindquist has emulated throughout the preseason competition.

“Just watching how Anthony approached it gave me ideas on how to be the best quarterback I can be,” Lindquist said. “He’s a vocal guy, and I try to do the right thing… lead by example. I picked up times when he’d step in and talk to linemen, let them know when they’re doing a good job or feel people out.”

When the offseason rolled around, and with the battle with Dodds looming, Lindqust prepared for his golden opportunity the same way he always

approaches the offseason.

“I just worked out with a friend of mine back home, threw routes, worked out, lifted, ran,” Lindquist said. “I didn’t really think about it. You sort of get in your own head if you think about it too much, so you just play your own game.”

In directing an offensive unit that lost 86 percent of its rushing game and 58 percent of its receiving game, Lindquist has a heavy task at hand. So far, he’s appeared up to the challenge.

During a Friday scrimmage at Bowdoin, he went 5-for-8 for 60 yards

on his first two series, numbers that look even more impressive considering that two of his incompletions were dropped passes.

Perhaps more importantly, with his first collegiate start on the horizon, fellow Jumbos are throwing their support behind the quarterback whose journey almost never brought him here in the first place.

“It goes back to who he is as a person,” Civetti said. “He’s a great team guy, and he’s focused on making his teammates better, making his friends better, making himself better.”

Josh Berlinger/Tufts Daily

Running back Ryan Pollock is excited to play a bigger role in the football team’s revitalized offense.

‘

Elephants in the Room Go-to dance move

Tommy Castle Junior defensive back Football

Sam Laber Senior Men’s tennis

Matt Rand Junior Men’s XC

Cara Spieler Senior outside hitter Volleyball

That Russian cancan thing

Name of my autobiography

Favorite Pokémon

King of the Castle

Sandshrew

Anything from the ‘80s.

Life Moves Fast

What’s the one with the three guys digging?

(Dugtrio)

Super Bowl shuffle

A Day at the Balloon Fair

That pointy snake

The Crump

Cara Spieler’s Day Off

Ponyta

I’d never date someone who ____

Wasn’t approved by mom

Laughs at unfunny things

Doesn’t like Oreos

Was a mean person

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Dyer, Rand earn first NESCAC Player of the Week honors Senior Taylor Dyer and junior Matt Rand became the first two Jumbos to earn NESCAC Player of the Week honors in the 2011 fall season. The awards came in field hockey and cross country, respectively, and were the first of each player’s career.

Dyer’s award comes on the heels of a pair of victories during which Tufts outscored its opponents 7-0.

Dyer, along with the rest of the Jumbos’ defense, allowed just two shots on goal in 140 minutes of play. But while top-notch defensive play from Dyer is nothing new, she also added a pair of goals, one in each of the team’s two games. The goals were just the second and third in her four-year career.

Meanwhile, Rand placed first in the 8-kilometer race in the Maine invitational at Bowdoin, with a time of 25:05.9. Rand, who has been looking to build on his outstanding sophomore season, helped the Jumbos to the team title at the tournament, with a total of 35 points. Tufts managed to best Bates, Bowdoin, Trinity and Colby, posting a strong start to the season.

—by David McIntyre and Ethan Sturm

all photos courtesy tufts athletics

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

The Tufts Daily

13

Sports

Inside the NFL

Playing the odds: Top teams after two weeks

New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers right where Vegas predicted

MCT

Alex Arthur

Before the start of every NFL season, every sports website, whether it is ESPN.com or CBSSports.com, runs a grid featuring its respective self-proclaimed “experts” and their preseason Super Bowl predictions. While their insight is often valuable and sometimes correct, the most entertaining way to assess a team’s chance at lifting the Lombardi Trophy is to look no further than its betting odds in Sin City.

The Daily takes a look at how those odds, through two weeks, are matching up to reality. by

Daily Staff Writer

New England Patriots: 13-to-2 odds Green Bay Packers: 7-to-1 odds The two odds-on-favorites to win this year’s Super Bowl have had nearly identical starts to the season. Through just two games this season the Patriots and the defending-champion Packers have allowed 762 and 800 passing yards, respectively: the two highest figures in the league.

Green Bay and New England, however, boast arguably the two most potent offenses in football, an advantage that thus far has allowed them to mask their defensive shortcomings.

Both teams have faced a weak conference foe and a second, stronger contender, and they produced identical 2-0 records.

Philadelphia Eagles: 15-to-2 odds Just six-and-a-half quarters into the season and quarterback Michael Vick was sidelined due to injury. Vick may not miss much time, and nevertheless last season the Eagles showed they could insert a new quarterback and reformat their offense without missing a beat.

Transitioning its offense from one led by Kevin Kolb to one quarterbacked

by Vick, however, is a very different case from the challenge head coach Andy Reid and his squad face now.

Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg must now, at least temporarily, design an offensive scheme around third-string quarterback Mike Kafka — the Eagles’ third quarterback while Vince Young is inactive due to a

hamstring strain.

While Kafka looked serviceable against the Falcons, he lacks the field vision and experience Vick offers, he doesn’t tout a 30-17 career record like Young.

With Vick in the lineup the Eagles are a top-five team, but without him, their fragility has already been exposed.

San Diego Chargers: 11-to-1 odds One very trendy Super Bowl pick heading into the 2011 season, the San Diego Chargers have shown in two weeks of competition that they might not yet be ready for such a big stage.

Kicker Nate Keading’s season-opening kick-off was returned 103 yards for a touchdown by the Minnesota Vikings’ Percy Harvin, demonstrating that even the NFL’s new kickoff rules could not help the Chargers’ historically bad special teams unit.

In Week Two, San Diego dropped a 35-21 game to the Patriots, and head coach Norv Turner’s team looks unprepared to face road challenges from good teams. While the Chargers could easily go 6-0 in their division this year, their non-divisional schedule looks daunting — with home games versus the Packers and Ravens and road tests at the Jets, Bears and Lions.

The only way they’ll get to the Super Bowl out of the AFC is by posting an outstanding divisional record to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

New York Jets 12-to-1 odds Looking at the score of the JetsJaguars tilt from this past week is a bit misleading. The Jets won 32-3, a blowout by any means.

But at a closer look, New York’s play was not that impressive. Quarterback Mark Sanchez threw some terrible passes that resulted in two interceptions, the Jets’ rushing game was virtually nonexistent — rushing for just 101 yards — and Jacksonville’s Luke McCown had one for the ages, going 6-for-19 with no touchdowns and four picks.

The Jets could have easily lost their first game of the season against the Dallas Cowboys, in which New York

trailed by 14 points in the fourth quarter. Barring the weaknesses of the opposing quarterbacks the Jets have faced, head coach Rex Ryan might not be smiling so smugly at a 2-0 record.

Indianapolis Colts: 18-to-1 odds Ever wonder what would happen if a team had one player that was so incredibly gifted that their front office took a nap for five years and forgot to improve the team at all because that one player made up for every other shortcoming on the field? Yes, Patriots fans, we know the Pats dropped from 16-0 to 10-6 when Tom Brady was hurt in 2008. … But they still won 10 games. The Colts, meanwhile, are headed for first prize in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. The Colts would be the worst team in football if the entire Kansas City Chiefs team wasn’t on injured reserve.

Detroit Lions: 30-to-1 odds It never bodes well for a team when everyone jumps on the bandwagon in the preseason and proclaims that a team that has recently served as the NFL’s perennial joke is ready to be a legitimate contender (see: Texans, Houston the past four seasons).

However, the Lions have handled all the offseason accolades and pressure well, and they have made a serious statement. On the road, Detroit handily defeated a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that went 10-6 last season, and the Lions did not even play to their potential.

In Week Two the Lions followed up that performance by doing what legitimate contenders do — beating up on bad teams. Detroit accomplished this to the tune of a 48-3 annihilation of the aforementioned Chiefs. With all their offensive pieces finally healthy, the Lions indeed have the makings of a playoff-caliber football team.

Any NFC West Team: Infinity-to-1 odds and the keys to God’s Maserati Admittedly, Vegas didn’t actually list those odds. But doesn’t someone deserve infinity dollars for actually being willing to bet on the 49ers, Cardinals, Rams or Seahawks, and then watch them actually win?

Ethan Sturm | Rules of the Game

One Mo legend

T

he term “legend” in sports is tossed around far too much by our generation. We have only been around for a small part of sports history, and we tend to forget that a lot happened long before we were watching.

We don’t know what it’s like to see Wilt Chamberlain score 100 points in a game or to see Babe Ruth hit 60 home runs in a season. We all remember Michael Jordan in “Space Jam” (1996), but how many of us remember him in the “Flu Game” (1997), where he posted 38 points and hit a game-winning three pointer despite suffering from severe flu-like symptoms?

Devoid of ever watching true greatness, we tend to define legends by low standards. LeBron James is a “legend” even though he has never managed to earn a title, while Brett Favre’s longevity transcends his actual accomplishments.

Even those who may be deserving of such a status have disappointed us in other ways. Tiger Woods let his personal life and golf game collapse into shambles because he couldn’t keep it in his pants. Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire’s legacies lasted about as long as a congressional hearing.

But true legends do still exist today, and as Mariano Rivera recorded his 602nd save on Monday, he simply confirmed officially the title that he earned long ago.

Rivera’s story at times seems right out of Hollywood: a pitcher that at best looked like a borderline major leaguer, a single pitch that he developed by chance and threw exclusively his entire career, and a chance to be at the heart of one of the greatest sports dynasties of all time.

But his legendary status comes from much more than that. He has dominated his field for nearly 15 years, influencing pitching through the league. The cutter has become a vital part of many of the league’s top pitchers’ arsenals and has recovered some careers from the depths.

He is a ninth-inning stalwart at Yankee Stadium, and his presence is as synonymous with the end of baseball games in the Bronx as “New York, New York.”

Post-season play is where legends are made, and few have been better than Rivera. His 42 postseason saves, 0.71 ERA and five World Series rings more than speak for themselves. Even at his worst moments — the 1999, 2001 and 2004 playoffs — he never looked any less indomitable.

Yet above all, he personifies a legend off the mound. He pitched through the steroid era with the same lanky frame that has served him well his entire career. He is more than humble, and looking at his face after his recordbreaking save you would have thought someone had killed his cat. As long as the Yankees win, he couldn’t care less what his stat line is. Mo is the final player in the Majors allowed to wear Jackie Robinson’s No. 42, and if Robinson was still around today, I don’t think he could have been happier with the man that will finally retire his number from the sport.

Unsurprisingly, he also knows how to deal with adversity. When his cutter started to lose some of its effectiveness against righties, he developed a two-seamer that cut in on their hands.

When lefties began to open their stances knowing the cutter was coming inside, he learned how to backdoor them with a cutter that painted the outside corner. It was with this innovation that he struck out Chris Parmelee for No. 602.

Perhaps that was a fitting punctuation to his record breaking performance.

Because, even at 41 — even while he is still on top of his game — Rivera continues to get better.

Ethan Sturm is a junior who is majoring in biopsychology. He can be reached at Ethan.

Sturm@tufts.edu.

The Tufts Daily

14

Sports

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

2011/5772 Rosh Hashanah Sept. 28–30 Yom Kippur oct. 7–8 Services | Meals

C E l E b R AT I o N renewal reflection Rosh hashanah

Yom KippuR & shabbat

W e d n esd ay, s ep tem b e r 2 8 , 2 0 1 1

F r i d ay, O C t O be r 7 , 2 0 1 1

• reform service 6:45 pm | Hillel Center

• pre-Fast dinner 5:00 pm | Hillel Center

• Conservative egalitarian service 6:45 pm | 51 Winthrop Street

• reform service 6:30 pm | Hillel Center

• dinner 7:45 pm | Hillel Center

• Conservative egalitarian service 6:30 pm | 51 Winthrop Street

t h u r sd ay, se p tem b er 2 9 , 2 0 1 1

s at u r d ay, O C t O b e r 8 , 2 0 1 1

• reform service 10:00 am | Hillel Center

• reform services 10:00 am | Hillel Center

• Conservative egalitarian services 9:00 am | 51 Winthrop Street

6:15 pm | Yizkor and Neilah Interfaith Center, 58 Winthrop Street

3:30 pm | Tashlikh, Meet at 51 Winthrop Street to walk to Mystic River 6:15 pm | Afternoon Service, Hillel Center

• Conservative egalitarian services 9:00 am | 51 Winthrop Street

7:00 pm | Evening Service, Hillel Center

4:00 pm | Afternoon Services 51 Winthrop Street

• alternative service: meditation and discussion 11:00 am | Interfaith Center 58 Winthrop Street

5 :45 pm | Neilah 51 Winthrop Street

• Lunch 12:30–2:30 pm | Hillel Center • dinner 8:00 pm | Hillel Center

5 :15 pm | Yizkor 51 Winthrop Street

• alternative service: meditation and discussion 11:00 am | Hillel Center

F r i d ay, s e p t em b er 3 0 , 2 0 1 1

• ‘Forgiveness’ – a discussion with rabbi Jeffrey summit 3:00 pm | Hillel Center

• Conservative egalitarian services 9:00 am | Hillel Center

• break-the-Fast dinner 7:00 pm | Hillel Center

5:15 pm | Afternoon Service, Hillel Center • Lunch 1:30 pm | Hillel Center

Tickets are required to attend meals.

Buy holiday meals quickly and easily! www.tuftshillel.org

The Tufts Daily

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

15

Sports

Running backs, tight ends will play larger role this season FOOTBALL

continued from page 11

of action, though the receivers as a whole will likely have fewer touches in the new offense. Tight ends Kenyon, senior Pat Cassidy and freshman Will Hewitt — who had a 19-yard catch on a pass from Lindquist in the scrim-

schedule

mage — make their presence felt in the middle of the field.

“We’ll get decreased reps, and there’s more of an emphasis on blocking,” Finnegan said.

“I think we’ll have more extended drives, less three-and-outs, a lot of grinding and then taking a shot. We

have a definitely some deep threats, but it’s going to be smash-mouth.”

Civetti is keeping his team’s offensive game plan for Saturday’s seasonopener close to the vest, beside saying that Tufts will adapt to what the Hamilton defense throws at them and put Lindquist in manageable situa-

tions in his first collegiate start.

It’s clear from the Bowdoin scrimmage that designed runs will at least play a larger role in the Jumbos’ scheme than they did last season.

After the Hamilton game, a clearer picture of Tufts’ new-look attack will come into focus.

SCHEDULE | Sept. 21 - Sept. 25 WED Men’s Cross Country

Women’s

Cross Country

Field Hockey

THU

vs. MassDartmouth

FRI

Codfish Bowl at Franklin Park

Codfish Bowl at Franklin Park

Golf

Men’s Soccer Women’s Soccer

vs. Wheaton

Women’s Tennis

SUN

at Colby

Football

SAT

at Hamilton at Williams Invitational

at Williams Invitational

at Colby

at Colby

at MIT

Volleyball

vs. Endicott and Smith

vs. TBA at MIT

Looking for something different this Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur?

Join Senior Jewish Educator Rabbi Danya Ruttenberg for amazing alternatives to traditional services.

How Will You Evolve This Year?

Taking Responsibility and Forgiving Yourself

Explore possibilities for real change in the new year as Rosh Hashanah begins with discussion and meditation.

Discover the life-changing work of Yom Kippur with discussion and contemplative spirituality (including meditation).

September 29 at 11 AM Interfaith Center

October 8 at 11 AM Hillel

The Tufts Daily

16

Sports

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

iN CaSE of

EMERGENCY

This is only a test There will be a test of the Tufts Emergency Alert System

Wednesday, September 21 You may receive email, voice and text alerts—thank you for your patience and help in testing this important system.

To learn more, visit emergency.tufts.edu