2012-04-05

THE TUFTS DAILY

Sunny 55/34

Where You Read It First Est. 1980 TUFTSDAILY.COM

Thursday, April 5, 2012

VOLUME LXIII, NUMBER 43

Fletcher professor Nasr named dean at Johns Hopkins by

Brionna Jimerson

Daily Editorial Board

Dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy Stephen Bosworth last week announced to the Fletcher community that Fletcher School Professor of International Politics Vali Nasr will leave Tufts to become dean of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University in July.

Nasr joined the faculty of the Fletcher School in 2007. He is associate director of the Fares Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies and is a member of the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Policy Advisory Board. He recently served on the Provost Search Committee, which selected Cornell University sociologist and associate dean David Harris as Tufts’ next provost.

“For all of us at Fletcher, the following news is bittersweet,” Bosworth said in his email sent to the Fletcher community. “As both a Fletcher and Tufts alumnus, as well as one of the School’s most respected faculty members, Professor Nasr has made enormous contributions to the University. His professional accomplishments have long been — and continue to be — a source of institutional and personal pride.”

At SAIS, Nasr will be partially see NASR, page 2

Scott Tingley / The Tufts Daily

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions has announced its admissions decisions for the Class of 2016. The acceptance rate of 21 percent isthe lowest in the school’s history.

Class of 2016 acceptance rate lowest in history

by Shana

Friedman

Daily Editorial Board

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions last Thursday released its admissions decisions for Tufts’ Class of 2016, which with an acceptance

rate of 21 percent is the lowest in Tufts’ history.

This year’s acceptance rate was the Office of Undergraduate Admissions’ second consecutive record low, and this year was the third straight year in which the acceptance rate has declined,

according to Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Lee Coffin.

“Part of the [reason for] increased selectivity has been growth in our applicant pool, and part is a refinesee ADMISSIONS, page 2

Massachusetts considers raising school dropout age

by Justin

Rheingold

Contributing Writer

The Massachusetts legislature is considering legislation that would increase the mandatory school attendance age from 16 to 18 in an effort to reduce the state’s dropout rate.

“The purpose of the bill is to reduce the dropout rate in the Commonwealth and to provide a vehicle for students who have dropped out to be able to go back to school,” State Representative Alice Peisch (D-Wellesley) told the Daily.

The bill recently passed out of the Joint Committee on Education and is currently being discussed in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

The change would work in two phases. The bill would raise the state’s minimum high school dropout age first to 17 in the 2013-2014 academic year and then to 18 in the 2014-2015 academic year.

The law aims to reduce the dropout rate through specific initiatives, including targeting schools with the highest dropout rates, according to Peisch.

Schools would hire graduate coaches meant to work with students who are deemed to be at risk of dropping out.

“The way the law is writ-

MCT

A bill currently being discussed in the Senate Ways and Means Committee would increase Massachusetts’ school dropout age from 16 to 18 over the next two years.

Inside this issue

ten, school districts that have a dropout age of a set percent would be able to apply for funding from the [Massachusetts Department of Education] to fund a graduation coach,” she said.

According to statistical reports from the Massachusetts Department of Education, the dropout rate for both Somerville and Medford school districts was 3.6 percent for the 2010-2011 school year.

The dropout rate required in the current legislation is around 10 percent, and thus Somerville High School would be ineligible to apply for funding for a graduation coach, according to Peisch.

The legislation would still impact these local school districts, according to Vincent McKay, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment of the Somerville Public Schools.

“We have a very transient population, so having a mandatory age of attendance increase from 16 to 18, there will be a greater need for staff at schools to monitor students,” McKay told the Daily. “Our attendance rate will go down and our truancy rate will increase.” see DROPOUT, page 2

Today’s sections

Engineering majors take advantage of studyabroad opportunites.

Greek Festival II brings a second food truck option to the Hill.

see FEATURES, page 3

see WEEKENDER, page 5

News Features Weekender Arts

1 3 5 7

Editorial | Letters Op-Ed Comics Sports

10 11 12 Back

The Tufts Daily

2 Police Briefs Not in our house!

Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) officers at 2:10 a.m. on March 13 were called with a noise complaint from a Latin Way dorm. When they arrived, the officers heard loud music and yelling. After pounding on the door, they were given entrance.

Everyone inside denied living in the residence, and officers subsequently cleared the whole building. The officers later found someone who was a resident, but the student denied having anything to do with the people in his or her residence.

TUPD’s biggest fan TUPD officers outside of Bush Hall at 12:15 a.m. on March 25 heard a loud coughing noise that seemed to come from above them. They looked up and saw a fan in a third-floor window, turned in the “exhaust” position, with smoke coming from the room. After going inside the building and smelling burning marijuana, the officers entered the room and confiscated a glass pipe. Although the fan was still on when the officers entered, the residents denied being involved in smoking in the room.

Cheesed-off cops A fire alarm went off in Tilton Hall at 7:18 p.m. on March 20, alerting TUPD. When officers arrived, all students were outside, so they approached the kitchen area. On the table was a piece of burnt cheese. The stove was also still on. Officers determined that the cheese had cooled and was no longer a fire hazard, so they advised the resident to be more careful in the future.

Follow your nose!

A student at 9:48 p.m. on March 26 was heading toward Cousens Gym and reached for the door and someone else opened it from the inside. The student received a bump on the forehead and a bloody nose but refused treatment.

—compiled by Nina Goldman

News

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Raising dropout age could lead to additional problems DROPOUT

continued from page 1

McKay said, though, that he supports the bill and sees ways to combat these potential problems.

“We would have to diversify program opportunities, and we would have to be more flexible in the times of day that we meet the needs of these students because their lives become more complicated,” he said. “To succeed in today’s world and in this economy, a high school diploma and even a two-year college degree is essential for them to have the skills necessary to succeed.”

Staff increases and changes to school schedules would require additional financial resources, and McKay worries about what funding the state would provide.

“It would join a long list of unfunded mandates from the state, and we will have to use existing resources,” he said.

However, the likelihood of the entire bill’s passing without funding is slim,

according to Peisch.

“I would be surprised if it gets reported out in full without some financial support in the budget,” she said. “If the bill were to be passed, there are definitely expenses associated with it. If we don’t provide for the funding within the budget, it is going to require both the [Massachusetts Department of Education] and local school districts to take money from somewhere else, which is certainly not the intent.”

Given the state of the economy, finding supplementary money in the budget may be difficult, and Peisch described it as an “uphill battle.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, but it’s a very challenging year to try to get in any significant addition that is not already there,” she said.

“Maybe different pieces would be reported out favorably because not every aspect of it requires funding,” she added. “I cannot imagine the age going up without there being some funding associated with it.”

Fletcher community feels ‘bittersweet’ over Nasr’s new appointment NASR

continued from page 1

responsible for the curriculum, faculty, fundraising and operation of the school, according to Director of Communications at Johns Hopkins University Dennis O’Shea.

“Our administration is excited and our students are excited, especially that he has connections to people who are making and ushering policy in governments across the world,” O’Shea told the Daily.

Nasr graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Tufts in 1983 with a degree in international relations and earned a master’s degree in international economics and Middle East studies from the Fletcher School the following year. He later received a Ph.D. in political science from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Nasr said his knowledge of Tufts and higher education will help him understand the role he will be occupying.

“The experiences I’ve had at Tufts — working with the students, working in government — it’s all in preparation for taking on this challenge,” Nasr said. “I saw Tufts and Fletcher as an undergrad. The office provides me with the opportunity to put into practice the way I envision global and international education, and my perception of challenges in today’s world, and

Courtesy United States Navy

Fletcher School Professor of International Politics Vali Nasr will leave Tufts after this semester to become dean of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University.

I’m looking to address this from the other end.”

Nasr will succeed Jessica Einhorn, who is retiring after 10 years as SAIS dean.

The search process for a new dean of SAIS began last October,

according to O’Shea. The executive search firm Storbeck/ Pimentel & Associates helped facilitate the search.

“Someone nominated me for the SAIS job, the firm got in touch and the process of

vetting went from there,” Nasr said. “I wanted to understand what was their vision, what they were looking for, if it was a good fit.”

The process became more intense and serious in January,

and from there, details fell into place quickly, according to Nasr.

Nasr became acquainted with the current dean through previous meetings, and his relations to SAIS are extensive in the professional arena.

“Over the years, I’ve known students who went to SAIS, SAIS alumni I met when I worked at the state department, and there are many faculty I know as colleagues,” Nasr said. “Most of the individuals I met and learned about through the process.”

“SAIS offered the unique opportunity to get involved in management of a great institution,” he added. “In size, it’s a sister institution to Fletcher, the schools are close in tier profile, [and they] focus on international and global affairs.”

O’Shea said that as an academic and a practitioner of foreign policy, Nasr is very qualified for the position.

“When he visited SAIS last week, the people meeting him for the first time were taken with him and impressed,” O’Shea said. “Basically, he has the full package — academics, policy, and person.”

Nasr said he does not know how the Fletcher School plans on filling his position as professor.

“I’ll miss [Tufts] tremendously; it’s been rewarding being here,” Nasr said.

University budgets record-high $15.9 million for need-based financial aid ADMISSIONS

continued from page 1

ment of our predictive yield model,” Coffin told the Daily in an email.

The admissions office received 16,378 applications this year, the second-largest pool in Tufts history, which is slightly down from last year’s alltime record of 17,130 applications.

The number of applications to the School of Engineering reached a record high for the sixth year in a row, rising to 2,769 this year, according to Coffin.

“That increased volume on the engineering side also contributed to the steady drop in the overall acceptance rate,” Coffin said.

The office has slightly exceeded its enrollment goal of 1,300 freshmen students in recent years, with entering classes containing between 1,315 and 1,320 students. Fewer total students were accepted this year in an effort to meet this enrollment goal, according to Coffin.

The admissions office lowered this year’s acceptance rate in accordance with the expected yield — the percent-

age of admitted students who decide to matriculate at Tufts. Strong yield rates in recent years contributed to an increased estimate for this year’s expected yield.

Coffin cited higher-than-expected enrollments from overseas and from California as partially responsible for increased yield over the last few admissions cycles. He said that this is partially because of increased recruitment efforts in those locations.

The admitted class boasts an academic profile reflective of a consistently increasing academic admissions standard.

Ninety-three percent of admitted students with class rankings will graduate in the top 10 percent of their senior class, up from 92 percent last year, with a mean percentile of the top 5 percent. Average SAT scores are 724 in the Critical Reading section, up from 722 last year, 729 in the Math section, up one point from last year, and 730 in the Writing section, equivalent to last year’s average in that section.

For the School of Engineering, the

average score on the Math section of the SAT is 759, also a new record.

The average ACT composite score is 32, the same as last year’s score.

“Each [of these scores] ties or sets a new record for testing,” Coffin said.

Fifty-one percent of the accepted class applied for need-based aid, slightly down from 52 percent last year and 54 percent the previous year. Though the Financial Aid Office is still in the process of finalizing awards, Tufts has budgeted a record high $15.9 million in need-based aid this year, according to Coffin. Still, the university has been unable to implement an entirely needblind admissions policy.

The accepted class comprises students from over 80 different countries, including a notable increase in students from Africa, where the admissions office has recently placed a greater emphasis, especially in terms of high school visits. Fourteen percent of the accepted class — a record high — lives in a country other than the United States, and 11 percent are foreign citizens, up from 8 percent last year.

“Tufts admission officers have traveled extensively overseas during the last several admissions cycles, and the record pool of international applicants reflects that strategic outreach,” Coffin said.

The class’s gender divide is 53-to47 percent female-to-male, which is similar to last year’s class. The class is racially diverse, as 30 percent of American students admitted are nonCaucasian, a number that rises to 38 percent if international students are included. Ten percent are the first in their families to go to college, up from 8 percent of last year’s class. Fifty-five percent attend a public high school, the same as last year.

Thirty-nine percent of the Class of 2016 was admitted through Early Decision, and 24 students who were admitted with the Class of 2015 are enrolling this fall after taking a gap year, according to Coffin.

Coffin estimates that roughly 36 percent of the admitted students will enroll this year by the decision deadline at the beginning of May.

Features

3

tuftsdaily.com

Jack Webster and Hannah Furgang | A Piece of Advice

Smooth seductress

D

ear Jack and Hannah, I’m a freshman here and I’ve recently realized that I have a pretty huge crush on my RA. I’ve been trying to deny it for a while now, but I can’t anymore. I guess it was fantasizing about getting written up by him that really drove it home for me. I haven’t told anyone yet, and I don’t plan on it, but it’s tearing me up inside. What should I do?

Sincerely, Heartsick in Houston

courtesy erin coonahan

Senior biomedical engineering major Erin Coonahan is one of many engineers given the opportunity to study abroad.

Studying abroad easier than it seems for engineering students by

Emily Bartlett

Contributing Writer

When sophomore civil engineering major Abby Niesen was attending orientation freshman year, she sat down and was handed a blue piece of paper. On it was a list of all the classes she needed to take over the next four years, and the suggested order in which she to take them. It is a simple formula that Tufts provides to help engineering students graduate on time, and most students stick to this plan. But Niesen is diverging from this path -- she wants to study abroad in Australia.

“The very first thing I said to my advisor was ‘Hi, I’m Abby, and I want to go abroad,’” Niesen said. “She told me I could wait a little to figure it out considering it was the first day of orientation.”

Although trying to organize a semester abroad on the first day of orientation may be excessive, Niesen was responding to the common notion on campus that studying abroad as an engineering student is a difficult thing to do.

“There’s a stigma on campus that going abroad as an engineer is really difficult, although I think people think it’s more difficult that it actually is,” Niesen said.

Many engineering students are put off by the complications they face when trying to study abroad. Civil engineer Ian O’Malley, a sophomore, entertained the idea of foreign study but felt that his options were limited,and that the process was going to be more pain than it was worth.

“I was interested in going abroad because I think it would be a great experience, but there’s only two Tufts programs that engineers can really participate in: Hong Kong and London,” O’Malley said. “I’m also taking such specialized classes, so I felt it would be difficult to stay on track while studying abroad.”

Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education and Director of Programs Abroad Sheila Bayne explained the participation of engineering students in the Hong Kong and London programs.

“Very few engineers go abroad to countries where [natives] don’t speak English,” Bayne said. “Language is not a requirement for engineers, so there are not many students that can take classes to [a high] level in a different language.”

Chemical engineering major Faith Wilson, a sophomore, felt similarly about the process

at first, though she was pleasantly surprised by how simple it was to go abroad once she decided to go through with it.

“I had just put it from my mind. I didn’t even think it was really an accessible possibility,” Wilson said. “But as soon as I actually looked into going abroad, it became clear that it’s totally possible.” She is now applying to University College London and University of Edinburgh.

The process is easier than its reputation indicates, but it remains especially important that engineering students get organized as early as possible if they decide to go abroad, according to Brian Libby, the foreign study advisor for non-Tufts programs.

“Engineers just need to look into it and start thinking about it a little bit earlier.

I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily difficult for engineers to go abroad, but it requires a little more preparation and a little bit more research,” he said.

The application process for engineers who want to study abroad is identical to that of liberal arts students, provided they choose a Tufts program, although they need a 3.2 GPA to be eligible. To participate in a non-Tufts program, engineering students must complete a petition.

“The engineering school here at Tufts grants ABET-accredited degrees, which is the Accreditation Board in Engineering and Technology,” Libby said. “The petition ensures that if an engineering student is studying abroad, they are still going to graduate on time and with a degree that is ABET-accredited.”

“The engineering petition is really easy,” Wilson said. “Tufts is actually really great about making sure that you won’t fall behind.”

Engineering students participating in non-Tufts programs also have to pay close attention to the courses that are offered at the universities they consider, as each course must be approved through WebCenter to ensure that the credit can be transferred towards their degree. This is where the process gets slightly more complicated.

“Engineering students need to take some very specific courses, unlike students in liberal arts, who have a number of requirements that can be satisfied in a lot of different ways,” Bayne said. “Since the students have to find exact equivalents for the courses that they will take, it is more difficult for engineers.”

It is also for this reason that most engi-

neering students elect to go abroad for only one semester. Although the Office of Programs Abroad encourages most students to go abroad for a year if possible, engineering students are not encouraged to do so.

“I met with [Associate] Dean [of Engineering Kim] Knox and said that I wanted to go for the whole year. Dean Knox replied, ‘I don’t know if you can do that. I don’t know if that’s possible,’” Wilson said.

However, determination and a summer spent taking organic chemistry meant that Wilson was able to apply to be abroad for the whole year. In fact, she thinks it might actually be easier for engineers to be gone for this long.

“Reactor design we normally take second semester, but in Edinburgh it’s going to be first semester — but it works out because I’m there for the full year,” Wilson said. “I think going for the full year is almost easier.”

Libby encourages this enthusiasm for going abroad.

“We like to see engineers going abroad, and I think it’s a great experience for any student,” Libby said.

“I would hate to deter students from doing so. We just have to make sure the student is staying on track and that’s in the student’s interest.”

Engineering students may have even more reason to study abroad than liberal arts students, as their college career is a time of freedom before they embark on a very specific career path.

“Something drew me into Australia because it’s all the way on the other side of the world and I knew nothing about it,” Niesen said. “When else are you going to be able to go there, you know?”

Wilson was just as enthusiastic as she discussed the possibility of going to Edinburgh.

“I want to go abroad to really get the experience of living in another culture while I can be taking classes at the same time,” she said. “It’s so accessible and easy to do right now, and I really want to take advantage of that.”

For engineering students who want to go abroad, possibilities are opening up, and Libby has high hopes for growing opportunities overseas.

“I think in international education and study abroad there will be more engineering programs made available in the future,” he said. “I think there is a push to get these students abroad, and it can only increase.”

Dear Heartsick, RAs are lonely creatures by nature, so this shouldn’t be too hard. A flirty text should be enough. But if your man is a bit harder to get, don’t give up! All it takes is some hard work and slightly creepy persistence!

We’re assuming, of course, that you’ve already memorized his rounds schedule.

Always have this information on hand; it can be invaluable. Offer a foot massage at the end of the after-one o’clock round. If he doesn’t want one, ask him for a massage. It’s pretty tiring always staying 10 paces away, and your own tootsies probably need some tenderness. Use the time to talk about your “problems.” Just keep making them up — he’s effectively required to listen to you. But don’t get too carried away here. You don’t want him to think you’re needy or anything. Good topics include course selection, housing advice and anonymous bias incidents.

Remember, you’re a freshman, so you can play as ignorant as you choose. It might even stretch out the convo a bit.

April is probably a bit too late to ask how trick-turning works, but campus legends should still get you some quality time. However, speaking of trick-turning, if he’s sticking to his 80 meals for a meal plan, you can supplement his diet and sail straight into his heart. Warm quesadillas are proven aphrodisiacs, you know.

The best thing you can give, though, is love. You see all those flyers for different events covering your dorm’s walls? He spends hours setting them all up and not a single person even reads them. Get super bonus points and actually attend one of the events and report back to him. Make sure he knows that it was only because of his papering skills that you even knew to go. It goes without saying that you attend all the RA-sponsored dorm events.

Compliment his abs the next time he exits the bathroom in a towel after a shower. If he blushes, you’ve got him. If not, he might just have really hard-to-read cheeks.

Don’t be disheartened. It’s genetic.

Once you’re pretty sure you’ve got him, write him a song. Serenade him from outside his bedroom. If there are other people around, that’s OK. It shows how strong your love is. RAs dig that. If you can play a portable instrument, even better. Lutes are prime. Remember to dress up for your shining moment. It’s spring, so stick a few flowers in your hair. Seasonality is sexy.

Now that you two are alone in his room (praise be to the Dorm God for singles), it’s time to pull out the big guns. A private showing of “Wonderwall” (it’s OK to bring both a lute and guitar for the song portion) is in order. Make sure that you look deeply into his eyes during your rendition. Caress his face. Tell him your secrets. June is a great time for weddings. Book now!

Join us next week when Jack teaches you how to apply Neosporin to all those hardto-reach places on your back!

Jack Webster and Hannah Furgang are freshmen who have not yet declared majors.

Jack can be reached at John.Webster@ tufts.edu and Hannah can be reached at Hannah.Furgang@tufts.edu.

The Tufts Daily

4

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C ELEBRATING

Thursday, April 5, 2012

OUR

10 TH A NNIVERSARY

THE FARES CENTER FOR EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN STUDIES Invites you to a Roundtable Discussion

“P OWER S HARING IN THE M IDDLE E AST AND THE O TTOMAN L EGACY ” Nadim Shehadi

FARES CENTER ROUNDTABLES

Associate Fellow of the Middle East Program at Chatham House, United Kingdom

Nadim Shehadi is an Associate Fellow of the Middle East Program at Chatham House, a London-based research group.

In addition, he is an academic visitor at St. Antony’s College, Oxford. Prior to arriving at Chatham House, he was a Research Fellow and then Director of the Center for Lebanese Studies at Oxford and Publisher at Ithaca Press in London. Mr. Shehadi, whose research focuses on Lebanon, has authored such articles as “Palestinian Refugees: The Regional Perspective,” “Lebanon: Futile Victory,” “The Special Tribunal for Lebanon: The UN on Trial?” and “Lebanon: Capitulate or Escalate?”

Co-sponsored by the International Relations Program, Tufts University Chaired by Ibrahim A. Warde, Adjunct Professor of International Business, The Fletcher School & Associate Director for Business Programs at the Fares Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies, Tufts University

Thursday, April 5, 2012 12:30 - 2:00 pm Mugar, Room 129 Space is limited. Register for your free ticket at: http://shehadi.eventbrite.com The Fares Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies Cabot Intercultural Center 160 Packard Avenue Medford, Massachusetts 02155 http://farescenter.tufts.edu

Weekender

5

tuftsdaily.com

Arts & Living

Eatery Review

Paul Hatzidis’ Greek Festival II has found a home on College Avenue after a rocky start on Packard Avenue.

caroline geiling for the tufts daily

Greek Festival II lovingly serves up cheap, high-quality Greek fare New arrival welcome on Tufts’ increasingly popular food truck scene by

Melissa MacEwen

Daily Editorial Board

F

or as long as there have been cars, there have been food trucks. Once the unglamorous mobile cafeterias of workers and laborers, food trucks were counted on to provide cheap meals and drinks to the hardworking hungry. But now, food trucks are witnessing a glory age. Ironically, it was the Great Recession that really kicked things off, as it resulted in the unemployment of many food truck regulars.

The resulting surplus of trucks, paired with the number of chefs being laid off from high quality restaurants, led to food trucks’ emergence as a new urban food source with high mobility and low overhead costs.

City streets have always been defined by their sidewalk peddlers, but the modern food truck is much more like a mobile restaurant. The classic “roach coach” still prevails, though it is now equally common to see trucks selling high-quality, specialized food. Social media services such as Twitter and Facebook have also helped some of the more popular trucks develop a fiendish following that tracks their every move.

Still, Boston and its neighboring towns have been slow to jump on the food truck bandwagon. While Los Angeles’s Kogi BBQ Truck and the Red Hook Lobster Pound food trucks of New York City and Washington, D.C. have garnered national acclaim, Boston’s truck culture is minimal. In addition to the trucks’ complicating Boston’s already dicey parking situation, restaurant owners fear competition from the trucks, while residents worry about crowd noise and odors. But fear not — things are looking up. In the winter of 2010-2011, the city of Boston held a competition to establish a cluster of food trucks in the Boston City Hall Plaza. Bon Me, Clover and Momogoose

were the winners. And while Moe’s BBQ and Bark n’ Bite were the only licensed food trucks in the Somerville area until last year, there is now a third: Greek Festival II. Paul Hatzidis is relatively new to The Hill, but he is no stranger to the food industry. Now the owner of Greek Festival II, Hatzidis entered the culinary world at the tender age of 18, fresh out of high school. From selling out of a pushcart near BU to a brief, regrettable stint vending to “the snowbirds” of Florida to a booming business in the Brigham Young Women’s Hospital, he has mastered the art of selling quick eats to people on the go.

In fact, it was only through a serendipitous twist of fate that Greek Festival II made it to campus at all. Around six months ago, a gentleman approached Hatzidis and asked if he wanted to set up a truck at a gas station on Cambridge Street. Hatzidis was interested and started creating a business plan. Three months and thousands of dollars later, the truck was ready — but the gas station had closed. Fortunately for hungry Jumbos, Hatzidis decided that Tufts would be a prime location for his rolling restaurant. Greek Festival II first set up camp on Packard Avenue before a territorial spat with Moe’s BBQ caused him to change to his current location on College Avenue.

“And it seems that the location’s even better over here,” Hatzidis said.

The food truck world is dependent on word of mouth, so it is unsurprising that Greek Festival II has gained such a devoted following in only two and a half months. Hatzidis’s rock-bottom prices and attention to ingredients have bolstered his reputation — and as all foodies know, good food is made even better by great prices.

“The food is natural. It’s not garbage food,” he said. “I bring everything nice and fresh every single day.”

He is also more than adequately pre-

pared for the cooking his job entails.

Greek Festival II is completely outfitted with stainless steel appliances, from three compartment sinks to a charcoal grill to a freezer. According to its owner, the truck has more equipment than the average restaurant.

Gyros are his most popular option and account for about 60 percent of the sandwiches he sells, but other classic Greek dishes have a strong following, too.

Greek burgers are “a big hit” right now, as are chicken and shish kabobs, which are made with his grandmother’s recipe.

Jumbos should also keep an eye out for his spinach pies, which will grace Greek Festival II’s menu in the near future.

“Not to brag, but they’re great,” Hatzidis said with a shrug and a smile, letting the implication of his pies’ taste go unspoken.

Judging by the Greek truck’s other food options, any boasting is completely justified. The falafel wrap, for example, is more than worth the $6.35. Instead of being the standard limp bundle of falafel, tahini sauce and bread, this wrap bursts with homemade falafel, arugula, sliced cucumber, bell pepper, onion, tomatoes and plenty of parsley and tahini sauce. Even the wrap is whole wheat. Similarly, the chicken kebab — served as a wrap — costs less than six dollars and comes with a tasty cucumber sauce. As Hatzidis pointed out, a lot of Greek food can easily be made into cheaper wraps.

“You can get a gyro or a Greek burger for $5, which is pretty cheap,” senior Joe Kennedy said. “They also have good meal deals, so you can get a gyro or a Greek burger with fries and a soda for seven bucks, which I think is a good price.”

The truck’s success has also sprouted from its customer sensitivity. The Tufts Observer noted in March that the truck’s lack of adornment and sparse vegetarian options could drive students away, and Greek Festival II

responded with a colorful external menu and an arsenal of falafel, salads, dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) and hummus in addition to the “steak fries” the Observer previously noted.

Greek Festival II and the ever-popular Moe’s BBQ both cater to Tufts students, but there is actually very little competition between them. For one, Greek food will always cater to a slightly more adventurous audience than American BBQ. Also, while Hatzidis’ truck is open on campus from around 11 a.m.-7:30 p.m. on weekdays and until around 11 p.m. on weekends, Moe’s is more of a late night event. Still, things could heat up soon. The Greek truck has a permit to stay open until midnight, and Hatzidis intends to take advantage of it as soon as possible.

“It’s just a matter of planning with the right people so I can have someone to help me out, stuff like that,” he said.

Festive Jumbos would probably be happy if the truck stayed open even later, but these things can wait. Having a midday alternative to Brown and Brew in the Anderson/Robinson/SciTech hinterlands is good enough for now. Even more promising is Mr. Hatzidis’ plan to get his truck on the JumboCash system; he noted that students frequently do not carry cash around campus.

Aside from the inevitable trips to the gas station for his truck and generator, and the “running around” for fresh produce, Hatzidis is happy with his job and plans to have his wife join him soon from her job near the Brigham Young Women’s Hospital. Though his son is more interested in music than a culinary career, the truck will primarily be a family affair.

“My profit is good, but I’m here to make a living, I’m not here to make a killing,” he said. “If somebody’s a doctor, they like being a doctor. If somebody’s a mechanic, that’s what they like to do. Somehow, I like doing this. That’s the whole deal behind it.”

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Thursday, April 5, 2012

Arts & Living

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tuftsdaily.com

Store Review

Formaggio’s Kitchen brings gourmet European specialties to Boston by

Chris Poldoian

Daily Editorial Board

Not too long ago, there was a series of advertisements sponsored by the American Dairy Association that pep-

Formaggio’s Kitchen 24 Huron Ave. Cambridge, MA, 02148 617-354-4750 Price Range: $10-20 pered primetime television. These messages always concluded with the baritone narrator intoning, “Ah, the power of cheese.” Formaggio’s Kitchen offers its patrons access to some of the world’s most amazing cheeses. Those of you who are lactose intolerant, just stop reading now.

A brief jaunt from Harvard Square, Formaggio’s Kitchen is a specialty store with a brilliant array of hard-tofind ingredients. The store has literally anything you could want. European honey — flecked with truffles? Check.

Salted butter caramels? Check. While the shop also functions as a grocery store — selling produce so fresh that it would make Whole Foods blush — it is the artisanal oils, vinegars and, of course, cheeses that separate Formaggio’s from the rest.

Upon walking in the front door of the ivy-laced store, one can’t help but feel excited. Plump sausages and full legs of Jamon Iberico adorn the walls, hanging like charcuterie-inspired ornaments. Hunks of house-made guanciale (uncured Italian bacon made from a pig’s jowl or cheek) beckon with their glistening layer of fat.

Formaggio’s not only buys some of the

Courtesy Formaggio’s Kitchen

Formaggio’s cheese cave is one of its most appealing features. best meat from Spain and Italy, but also makes some amazing options of its own.

The homemade pates, for instance, are enlightening. A pate is a rich, savory paste made from finely mashed ingredients, typically seasoned meat or fish. They can range in texture from a dense mousse to a structured blend. The pate de Campagne is a great introduction, as it features an amazing blend of flavorful pork trimmings and minced liver. Bacon, port and cream provide a rich mouthful, while whole peppercorns supply a biting finish.

Dance Show Preview

Sarabande’s ‘Shake It Out’ promises eclectic evening by

Matthew Welch

Daily Editorial Board

Tufts’ Sarabande Dance Ensemble will be putting on its spring show, “Shake It Out,” tonight at 9:00 in Cohen auditorium.

For all of the dancers, choreographers and group members involved in the production, tonight marks the culmination of a semester’s worth of work. The entire show is student-produced, with all of the planning, choreography and music decisions made by the group’s participants.

Though Tufts has a fair number of dance ensembles, Sarabande differentiates itself by being extremely inclusive. Tonight’s show features members of numerous dance clubs, including Spirit of Color, the all-female step group Envy, the Indian dance troupe Pulse., Tap Ensemble and Tufts Dance Collective. Such a varied collection of groups has given the show a great range of performances, from subtle solo dances to energetic group acts which fill the stage with performers.

“That’s why the Sarabande show is really great — it’s one of the most inclusive shows on campus,” said sophomore Ani Loshkajian, one of Sarabande’s producers.

“Sarabande has the most outside groups and the most diverse group of dancers.

That’s what’s really special about it.”

Putting on such a long show has required a semester’s worth of weekly rehearsals from all of the group’s dancers, who work even harder in the week lead-

ing up to the show.

“Everything comes down to the last week, but that’s show business. Sunday night, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, all 6 to midnight,” senior Sarabande president Christina Aguirre said.

The musical accompaniment to Sarabande’s spring show is just as eclectic as the dances themselves. Spanning a broad range of songs like the XX’s understatedly groovy “Crystalised” to heartfelt acoustic ballads like Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros’ “Home,” the dance show flows smoothly between different genres and moods, all the while providing a platform for the dancers’ creativity.

“We try to keep the energy up throughout the whole show,” Loshkajian said.

“There are some emotional pieces, highenergy pieces, sexy and fun stuff. You can’t get bored, because if you don’t like one piece, you’re bound to like the next one.

There’s something for everyone.”

Sarabande’s show is interspersed with solo dances by various seniors in the group, helping to break up the flow of the proceedings and give the audience a brief opportunity to calm down between higher intensity acts. The contrast between these intimate solo performances and the more elaborate, energetic ensemble dances gives the show another subtler dimension.

Sarabande is also unique in the liberties it offers to its dancers, who have a much see SARABANDE, page 8

As amazing as the meat was, it is the cheese that steals the show. Cheeses of all different textures and tastes are available for purchase at the store.

For every hardened cheddar from England, there is a gooey camembert from Normandy. For fans of the stinky, take heart: You haven’t been forgotten.

Plenty of natural-rind cheeses offer some funk. During my visit, I sampled a cheese with a wash-rind and brought home a wash-rind cheese that now has my entire refrigerator smelling like armpit. If that sounds a little see FORMAGGIO’S, page 8

Top Ten | Things to find in an Easter Egg Easter egg hunts are probably the greatest thing to come out of Jesus’ resurrection. Little kids duking it out in the backyard for little plastic capsules filled with goodies? You don’t have to be Christian to appreciate this G-rated version of Hunger Games.

10) A winning Mega Millions ticket: With half of a billion dollars, think of all the Funyons we could buy!

9) Crack: Also a great gift to receive during Passover. It may not be leavened, but it will get you high!

8) Yolk: An oldie but goodie. Chug it like you’re Rocky.

7) Candy: Here at the Daily, we’re partial to the purple Peeps. Stick ‘em in the microwave for extra gooey awesomeness.

6) Danny DeVito: This pint-sized actor could probably fit into an Easter egg. We’d snuggle up with him this Sunday; after all, he keeps that bald head of his buffed to perfection.

5) Nothing: Let’s face it, you’re probably Nana’s least favorite grandchild.

4) A smurf: These blue munchkins are small, and according to Gargamel, absolutely scrumtrulescent.

3) An owl: The Arts Department is nuts about these hooters.

2) Star of David: JC was Jewish! We want some kosher Jesus times this Easter Sunday.

1) Tooth: Preferably a molar, but beggars can’t be choosers.

—compiled by the Daily Arts Department

Niki Krieg | Queen of Cibo

T

An Easter salad hough we have been back from spring

break for almost two weeks now, and the weather isn’t exactly cooperating with us, I’m definitely still in spring break mode. I’m feeling lazy, excessively (but wrongly) relaxed, and I’m (again, wrongly) not thinking about my projects, papers and homework assignments, but rather what lies ahead in May, the summer and the future. … OK, maybe my mind’s on Easter, too.

I suppose I’ve inherited the love for the holiday from my mom, but my family — and I in particular — has always been extra-enthusiastic about Easter. Easter to me is this rejuvenating, springtime holiday that brings out the happiness and life in everyone; everyone takes a day’s break from the usual stress and frustrations and comes together to celebrate. After — usually — the miserable winter weather, Easter is a highly welcomed holiday.

Sure, I welcome Easter because of its profound religious backstory, but I really welcome Easter because, if you sit down and think about the holiday’s traditions, they’re plain insane. Coloring and hiding Easter eggs? A bunny coming in the night to drop off holiday treats? What is happening here? Long story short, I love these crazy practices. When I was a kid, the egg hunt was an intense, all-day challenge involving the best prizes, and as I got older the hunt turned instead into an equally-as-fun bocce ball tournament. I let my creative and wacky side shine through when it comes to coloring those eggs. I’m also all about the Peeps and gaining back what I gave up for Lent (we won’t count this year as a complete sacrifice).

And, of course, the food at Easter is always the best. More than anything else, it’s not only what I’ve missed so much for the past three years while away at school, but really what I’m so looking forward to this weekend.

Lately, this layered pasta salad has made a front-row appearance at my family’s parties, as it’s visually emblematic of the spring season and, quite simply, tastes incredible: perfect for that Sunday dinner.

Ingredients: 1 bag of frozen cheese tortellini Half a head of lettuce, washed, patted down and torn into bite-sized pieces 3 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch disks 1 small bag of frozen peas, cooked 3 boneless chicken breasts, fried, patted down and cut into bite-sized pieces 1 red bell pepper, de-seeded and cut lengthwise into strips 1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise 1 package of Knorr brand pesto mix (and olive oil, according to directions) 1 cup buttermilk — or,1 cup milk mixed with 1 tbsp. lemon juice First, bring a large pot of water and a dash of salt to a boil. Once boiling, add the tortellini and cook to your liking — about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and set aside, and to keep the pasta soft, periodically run the colander under hot water.

Meanwhile, in a large, clear bowl, first put in the lettuce: This will serve as the base to your salad. On top of the lettuce, place the carrot disks and on top of that, the peas.

On top of these vegetables, the tortellini goes next, followed by the pieces of chicken.

Just to be sure, if you look at the side of your bowl, right now it should be — from bottom to top — layers of lettuce, carrots, peas, pasta and chicken.

The strips of red pepper should be placed in a circle, along the rim of the bowl, to become the top-most layer of the salad.

As for the dressing, mix together in a small bowl the mayonnaise, pesto mix and buttermilk, and then pour this over the salad.

Chill overnight and give a quick stir right before serving.

Enjoy, and if you celebrate Easter or Passover, happy holidays!

Niki Krieg is a senior who is majoring in Italian studies and history. She can be reached at Nicole.Krieg@tufts.edu.

The Tufts Daily

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Arts & Living

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Sarabande features a broad range of dances and music SARABANDE

continued from page 7

greater say in the choreography of the routine than dancers in many other dance collectives. Each dancer is given plenty of freedom to experiment, producing a show that goes in directions one might not anticipate. Many of the larger ensemble dances feature intricately choreographed interactions between different groups on stage, producing a performance that is both cohesive and free flowing.

“Each dancer can do what they want.

Something Sarabande has been exploring more is the freedom to be creative,” Aguirre said. “Some pieces are more conceptual with an idea behind them or a theme or feeling. Dance is just the language of the message. [The working environment] is not like a dance team whatsoever.”

The various dances in Sarabande reflect different approaches to choreography, from conceptually themed routines to more abstract dances. Freshman dancer and first-time choreographer Kelsey Howe discussed her experience designing a routine.

“I had such a great time last semester that I’m choreographing for the first time in the show. It was definitely an experiment,” Howe said. “Overall, it’s fantastic working with these dancers. They pick up choreography really easy. I wouldn’t say my theme is necessarily something I want to put into words on the program. There are lots of dances that have an explicit theme, but my dance is just a feel-good dance. I want the audience to feel uplifted and enjoy the movement.”

Scott Mimnau / The Tufts Daily

The Sarabande show’s choreography mixes solo and ensemble dances.

The Artsy Jumbo

Actor, mime, director Jonny Hendrickson is one man show

courtesy Joyelle West

Formaggio offers truly unique European specialties.

Meats, cheeses offered in enticing combinations at Formaggio’s FORMAGGIO’S

continued from page 7

too adventurous, there are also plenty of mild, more approachable cheeses.

There’s really something for everyone.

With more than 200 cheeses to choose from, you can’t help but feel overwhelmed. Don’t worry, the friendly staff is there to help guide and educate.

Each staff member is knowledgeable and passionate about the products on display. If you have any sort of question, go ahead and ask. Whether you’re curious about the AOC laws that regulate cheese production in France or want to learn about the differences between burrata and buffalo mozzarella, the staff will be there to help.

The key to Formaggio’s success comes from its cheese cave. Rather than store its cheeses in suboptimal conditions,

Formaggio’s hollowed out two rooms that offer the cheese a damp and musty habitat ideal for storage and aging.

Constructed in 1996, the shop’s two caves maintain a temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit and a humidity level of 85 percent. Such a high moisture level in the air facilitates bacteria and mold growth, which is integral to the aging of young cheeses. Furthermore, the environment keeps older cheeses from drying out. The exposed stone helps keep the rooms cold, while a fountain and deep puddles maintain the high level of humidity.

Before visiting Formaggio’s, I highly recommend calling in advance for a tour of the cave. This personalized glimpse at the underappreciated and misunderstood art of cheese is unlike anything else in the Boston area.

Among his other drama-related involvements, Tufts senior Jonny Hendrickson serves as the current president of Tufts 3Ps. His responsibilities include leading the executive board, running the group’s weekly meetings and being the student face of the theater program. Hendrickson has been heavily involved in acting at Tufts since his freshman year and won many prominent parts, including the role of Oedipus in this past fall’s acclaimed production of “Oedipus Rex.” After acting in his high school productions, Hendrickson became thoroughly involved with theater, and it was this passion that eventually led him to become a Drama major here at Tufts. Hendrickson also joined the Tufts mime troop, HYPE!, because he enjoys the physical comedy that miming facilitates.

Yet his involvement with drama does not end there, as Jonny is also part of Surprise Teeth, Tufts’ musical comedy group. The group writes its own material and rewrites lyrics to famous songs in humorous ways.

Since Surprise Teeth only does one show each academic year, in the spring, the upcoming performance is worth catching.

In addition to his roles in front of the audience, Hendrickson also works behind the curtain, having directed various shows at Tufts. Most recently he directed a production of “Hamlet Machine.” Hendrickson said he incorporates a lot of what he’s learned from acting to help him direct his shows.

After graduation, Hendrickson plans to move to New York and pursue acting, direct-

ashley seenauth / the tufts daily

ing and circus performance, as he searches for the connection between circus acts and theatrics.

Hendrickson encourages younger students to join Tufts productions at any level of commitment. He is adamant that the theater can be a rewarding experience for all types of students here on campus.

—by Joe Stile

What’s Up This Weekend Looking to make your weekend artsy? Check out these events!

VSC Culture Show 2012: Made in Vietnam Join the Vietnamese Student Club for a night of fun and games, featuring Vudoo Soul, Harvard Vietnamese Dance Troup, MC Games and even free Vietnamese food.

(Friday, April 6, 8:30-11:00 p.m. in the Alumnae Lounge.)

Sarabande Presents: Shake It Out Sarabande performs its final show of the year tonight and Saturday in Cohen Auditorium. The show will also feature guest performances by Pulse, Tamasha, New Age (Boston Dance Group), SOC, Garba, Envy and Tap Ensemble. Free tickets are available with your Tufts ID at the Aidekman Box Office.

Boston Modern Orchestra Project Two music groups play different pieces directed by two conductors. Music pieces played are “The Little Match Girl Passion” by David Lang and “Passio Domini Nostri Jesu Christi Secundum Joannem” by Avro Part.

(Friday, April 6, New England Conservatory: Jordan Hall. Tickets are $10-$52.)

The Boston Turkish Film Festival A showcase of the North American premieres of emerging and established Turkish filmmakers. All films are in Turkish with English subtitles. (Through April 28, film screenings will take place at Remis Auditorium or Alfond Auditorium, Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston.

Student tickets are $10.)

—compiled by the Daily Arts Department

Thursday, April 5, 2012

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Stop by PACT’s Sexual Assault Awareness Table in the Campus Center Sex in the Dark Metcalf Lounge Thursday, April 5, 9 pm

Come play in the dark and get up to speed on safe sex! Fun activities, prizes and food!

Spitting Game: The College Hook-up Culture. Screening and snacks.

Hill Hall Lounge Wednesday, April 11, 8 – 9:30 pm

The campus hook up culture is explored in this award-winning ground breaking film, screened first here at Tufts! The film gets inside the hook up culture of a southern university and invites a dialogue around gender politics, and ethics.

Consent Workshop Barnum 08 Wednesday, April 18, 9 pm

Tired of not being asked for consent? Get asked 200 times in one night!

Come for Consent Speed Dating, where you and many potential “dates” will try to find the most effective and fabulous way to ask consent and win prizes and maybe more...bring friends!

Speak Out and Stand Up: Raising Awareness about Sexual Assault Metcalf Lounge Wednesday, April 25, 8 – 9:30 pm

A 25-minute docudrama narrated by actress Kristen Stewart, of Twilight, features a realistic short film involving sexual assault on a college campus as well as testimony from survivors and experts in the field of sexual assault.

Faces of Survivors Photo Exhibit Tisch Library April 16 - 20

"Faces of Survivors: Voices Reclaimed" is a series of photographs of survivors of sexual assault, abuse, and domestic violence. This photo essay celebrates the healing process and the strength of survivors.

The exhibit will include photos of Tufts’ survivors.

Co-sponsored by the Office of Equal Opportunity and the Women’s Center

Walk for Change Boston Area Rape Crisis Center Sunday, April 22, 2012

Details and registration here: http://www.barcc.org/join/events/walk The 7th annual Walk for Change promises to be a high energy inspirational, community building event. Last year over 1,500 walkers - survivors, families, friends, teams, volunteers - joined together to walk.

Beyond Beats and Rhymes Africana Center Date & Time - TBD

Hip-Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes provides a riveting examination of manhood, sexism, and homophobia in hip-hop culture.

Director Byron Hurt, former star college quarterback, longtime hip-hop fan, and gender violence prevention educator, conceived the documentary as a "loving critique" of a number of disturbing trends in the world of rap music.

Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Fair Location – TBD Date and Time – TBD Co-sponsored by VOX. Tufts University Dept of Alcohol and Health Education For more information: http://ase.tufts.edu/healthservice/

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THE TUFTS DAILY

Mr. Cain comes to Medford

Editor-in-Chief Craig Frucht Ethan Sturm Managing Editors Laina Piera Brionna Jimerson Elizabeth McKay Mahpari Sotoudeh Jenna Buckle Shana Friedman Nina Goldman Lizz Grainger Stephanie Haven Leah Lazer Victoria Leistman Patrick McGrath Melissa Wang Falcon Reese Amelia Quinn Victoria Rathsmill Derek Schlom Hannah Fingerhut Nadezhda Kazakova Lily Sieradzki

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Thursday, April 5, 2012

editorial

Daniel J. Rathman Editorial

Editorial | Letters

Herman Cain is coming to Tufts!

Last week’s news that the Tufts Republicans are bringing Cain to speak on campus was met with a flurry of both excitement and amusement. Tufts students are apparently cerebrally tickled by Cain’s intrusion into our left-leaning bubble.

But the student body’s lukewarm response to the announcement of Cain’s appearance, which is scheduled for April 12, supports the complaints often heard from conservative students that the average Jumbo struggles to take Republican speakers seriously.

Tufts students, it seems, are conditioned to exclusively expect big-name speakers who represent their collective political worldview. Consider this academic year alone — the most well-attended speaking events have been Noam Chomsky, a selfproclaimed anarcho-syndicalist and libertarian socialist; Cornel West, a self-identified neo-Marxist socialist; comedian Lewis

Black, who performed “Daily Show”-style stand-up comedy that consisted primarily of blasting GOP presidential candidates (including Cain); and former President Bill Clinton. Notice a trend?

All of these speakers are valuable and interesting, to be sure, and they contributed a great deal to intellectual discourse on campus. But the fact that Herman Cain’s planned appearance has raised so many eyebrows underscores the fact that Tufts students are resistant to bringing conservative speakers to campus — even when those speakers may have something worthwhile to contribute.

The resistance to exposure to conservative points of view has long been a reality of life on the Hill. In 2003, when former President George H. W. Bush was brought to campus to speak on U.S. relations with the Middle East, then-University President Lawrence Bacow faced a fierce backlash for

inviting Bush to campus.

Tufts Democrats announced yesterday that former Ohio Congressman and Governor Ted Strickland and former Chair of the Democratic National Committee Steve Grossman, both Democrats, will be speaking at Tufts on April 17. Meanwhile, Tufts alumnus and current Senator Scott Brown, a moderate Republican, has yet to speak in any official capacity at his alma mater.

We do not share Herman Cain’s beliefs about social, economic or foreign policy.

We do not support his 9-9-9 plan. There are few presidential candidates over whom we can even fathom endorsing Herman Cain.

But he is an accomplished businessman, a leading conservative voice in the media and a former presidential candidate in an ongoing primary election — and we welcome the opportunity to hear in person what he has to say.

wes engel

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PRODUCTION

Off the Hill | American University

The hard-earned rewards of Teach for America

Adam Gardner

Production Director Jen Betts Executive Layout Editor Jason Huang Layout Editors Shoshanna Kahne Sarah Kester Elliot Philips Emily Rourke Matthew Cardarelli Gabrielle Cella Assistant Layout Editors Sarah Kee Adrian Lo Danny Macdonald Nancy Pritzker Reid Spagna Sara Eisemann Executive Copy Editors Drew Lewis Ashley Cheng Copy Editors Ben Considine Patrick Donnelly Nina Goldman Katrina Knisely Niki Krieg George Le Andrew Paseltiner Olivia DelloStritto Assistant Copy Editors Joshua Dower Adrienne Lange Patrick McGrath Lauren Schonberger Gregory Witz Audrey Kuan Executive Online Editor George Brown Online Editors Andrew Braren Stephanie Haven Quan Lin Darcy Mann Justin Rheingold Ben Schwalb Webmaster Ammar Khaku Executive Technical Manager Daniel Kotin Technical Manager

BUSINESS Laura Moreno Executive Business Director Simmone Seymour Advertising Director Saanya Gulati Receivables Manager Rhys Evans Sales Director

by

Amanda Merkwae The Eagle

It was around this time last year that I was busily stapling up Teach For America flyers across American U.’s campus and tweeting statistics about the achievement gap on the hour to advertise for the final TFA application deadline.

Although I learned a tremendous amount about Teach for America as an organization while working as a recruiter at American last year, I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into this year as a TFA Corps Member in Milwaukee.

From the minute I walked into the classroom on the first day of school, my life drastically changed.

I teach 7th and 8th grade social studies and math in a Milwaukee charter school.

Ninety-nine percent of my students receive free lunch each day, and our school lacks most resources that are readily found in suburban Wisconsin school districts.

After a few days on the job, it was clear that my students were seriously lacking in basic math and reading skills. Unfortunately, this is the reality for thousands of other students living in Milwaukee.

With only 39 percent of students “at or above basic” in reading by fourth grade and only 59 percent above basic in math, the educational landscape in this town is awfully grim.

Despite their struggles with literacy, my

students proved to me early on that they know how to think critically.

It was a mind-blowing transition from learning about race and the justice system in a Ward classroom to hearing my students share brilliant reflections about the racial injustices they encounter on a daily basis in Milwaukee.

We talk about “power” in my Civics class, about which groups have it and which groups don’t. It broke my heart when my students were not one bit surprised when I told them Wisconsin has the largest black-white achievement gap and Milwaukee is the most segregated city in the United States.

“Ms. Merkwae, that’s bogus … but we can’t really do anything about it,” tended to be the phrase I heard most from my kids.

That’s where they’re wrong.

AU has prepared me to mold civically conscious minds here in Milwaukee. Teach for America gave me the opportunity to show 7th- and 8th-grade students that they do have power in society, that they can change their life prospects by making education a top priority, and that they are completely capable of changing the world like the leaders we learned about in class.

My students know the Bill of Rights like the back of their hands. They can explain the importance of allies in creating social change, like the thousands supportive of Cesar Chavez and the Farmworkers Movement.

They can analyze the differences between the philosophies of Dr. King and Malcolm X

and decide for themselves whose approach to civil rights they agree with more. I could not be more proud of my students.

I’ll be honest — it wasn’t always easy to get out of bed each morning. The first few months as a corps member were brutal. I got very little sleep — I had never worked harder in my entire life — and I still felt like I was getting nowhere with my kids.

But when friends back in D.C. heard what I was going through, the support from my friends and the AU community was unbelievable. Every day I would get a new box full of supplies, a case of printer paper or an inspirational “thinking-of-you” card.

AU friend and TFA D.C. Corps Member Meg Miraglia sent me boxes full of curriculum resources along with inspirational quotes to hang in my classroom and my apartment.

As I fly out the door with photocopies, my laptop and a coffee mug in hand each morning, I catch a glimpse of one quote hanging on the back of my door. It reads, “Smile, you’re going to learn something today.”

Ain’t that the truth. Every day is an adventure, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to take part in the movement that TFA has started. I encourage you to think about my students in Milwaukee and the millions of other students across the country that are shortchanged by the educational system in the United States.

Let’s give them the education they deserve.

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

The April 3 Features article “Synaptic scholars engage in interdisciplinary dialogue” incorrectly stated that the Neubauer Scholars program was phased into the Synaptic Scholars program in 2006. In fact, the Neubauer Scholars program still exists as an independent program.

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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Thursday, April 5, 2012

11

Op-Ed

Hey, you with the ovaries by

Emily Cox and Erika Brown

Hey, woman, yeah you with the ovaries, we’re talking to you: Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few months (which, to be honest, is becoming a more appealing option every day at this point) you have probably noticed a lot of political controversy swirling around things that pertain to women’s bodies. It is possible that you might not have noticed the “women” part right away because politicians and other key stakeholders keep asserting that they are NOT talking about women but rather discussing issues that solely pertain to healthcare and religious matters and yet the apparent and disturbing trend is that the contestation of these topics always seems to take place around issues that relate to us, as women, exclusively.

Because it is an election year, healthcare and religion are things the American people want to discuss. This is only fair, but oddly it is female contraception and abortion that have been particularly hot topics since President Barack Obama announced the birth control mandate and incited verbal and legislative backlash throughout the country.

Many members of the Catholic Church and the Republican Party have voiced contempt for this bill, claiming that it violates the First Amendment by waging a war on religion. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), said the decision amounted to a “trampling of the First Amendment” and a “systematic dismantling of religious liberty for people in this country.” But where in any of these critiques are the health and well being of women being looked after? Are women even mentioned?

Spoiler alert: They are not.

With the way things are going now it looks like women’s selfworth, not the Republican Party or Obama, is going to be the real casualty of election season 2012.

The birth control conversation has strictly focused on female

contraception, and yet most of the opposition manages to neglect women and women’s health entirely by claiming that what they are discussing has nothing to do with women. Female contraception, it seems to us, would be partially, if not fundamentally, about females. By what logic are men divorcing women from their bodies? At what cost is this war being waged?

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) attempted to counteract Obama’s mandate through the creation of the Blunt Amendment that, if passed, would have overridden the mandate’s free contraceptive coverage as well as many anti-discriminatory aspects of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, including coverage for HIV/AIDS screenings, prenatal care for single mothers, mammograms, vaccinations for children and even screenings for diabetes based on objections to a perceived immoral lifestyle. Egg-as-Person bills have sprung up in several states, attempting to criminalize abortions even in the case of incest or rape. A failed Iowa bill went so far as to try to make abortion grounds for a murder charge.

Did we miss the memo that made it OK for women to be persecuted for violence that was inflicted upon them by men?

Moreover, do the men behind these legislations just not understand the implications of their actions, or are they simply choosing to ignore them?

Neither answer is particularly comforting for about 150 million of the people living in the United States.

We as women are not unaffected by all of this. We as women live our lives immersed in this culture of violence, of shame, of twisted reasoning and of oppression. The two women writing this op-ed certainly feel it beginning to get under our skin, and it is not because we are weak. It is because our eyes are open and we have been paying attention.

We are exhausted by the amount of energy it takes not to internalize the language being used every day on the national stage.

mct

In some ways Rush Limbaugh has done us a favor by lifting the veil of couched language and showing the true colors of this entrenched patriarchy.

Today, we are not necessarily asking you to take sides in the political arena. We are not calling the “Femi-nazis” to arms. Instead we are asking you to stand up and fight back against the rising tide of negativity against women. We are asking you to help us create an America where the Limbaughs of the world would never dream of calling a young woman testifying before Congress a “slut” and a “prostitute” in an attempt to silence her. This is not about political or human rights.

This is about basic human dignity. This is about women understanding that they have a voice — a voice that can create unimaginable change if they only believe in themselves enough to use it. Look what happened when women stood up for Planned Parenthood in February. Look at the outpour-

ing of support in the past few weeks alone. People everywhere have begun to shout at the top of their lungs that we as women, as people, have the same right to self-determination and self-love as everyone else in the world.

Please join us. Go out and find a woman and tell her that she is special and important. Tell her she is strong and can do anything she puts her mind to. Tell her that she does not need to carry the weight of the world alone. Because we guarantee you that unless she has been living in total isolation (or under a rock), at least some of the hateful and demeaning rhetoric has reached her.

As it has for thousands of years, the systematic degradation of women often takes place in subtle ways, and women begin to internalize the messages society is sending them. But here is the secret “they” do not want you to know: we have lived in this environment our whole lives, and still we rise. (Maya Angelou illustrates this beautifully in her

poem “Still I Rise.”)

In times like these the temptation to close our eyes, to turn away is overwhelming. But in doing this we shut our eyes to our own strength. While we may be scared to face what is going on, we have to realize that in many ways we already have. We have faced this same ideology and reasoning every day of our lives. And look what we have accomplished in spite of it! We are here to tell you that you are stronger than you ever dreamed was possible; you are strong enough to stand up and say “no more.” Just because women have managed to thrive in spite of their heavy burdens does not mean they should be doomed forever to carry them. Imagine how high we, and the generations of women to come, could rise if we were free?

Erika Brown is a senior majoring in American studies and community health. Emily Cox is a senior majoring in English.

Another reason to reform the Senate by

Leslie Ogden

The list of reasons why Americans feel their politics are broken is long and growing.

Here’s one of many: The U.S. Senate, which due to the way the U.S. population has grown and settled, has developed a “small state bias” so grave that it is on the verge of becoming an undemocratic institution. The issue is serious enough that it has become necessary to question whether major reform of Congress, and particularly the Senate, is needed.

According to the 2010 census, it is now the case that half of the United States’ population lives in just nine states, with the other half of America living in the other 41 states. While the voters in these top nine states have equal representation in the House with 223 Representatives (the other half has 212), in the Senate it is a different story.

Because of this population distribution, the half of the U.S. living in the largest nine states is represented by 18 Senators.

The other half of the country liv-

ing in the other 41 states has 82 Senators, more than four times as many. You don’t have to be good at math to see how much less representation in Congress those living in the big states have today.

Let’s take a closer look at this dynamic by examining California. With a population of about 37 million, California has more than 66 times the population of the smallest state, Wyoming, which has 563,626 people. California has 53 Representatives, and two Senators; Wyoming, one Representative and two Senators. So despite having 66 times the population of Wyoming, California has only 53 times the number of Representatives and an equal number in the Senate.

Furthermore, the four smallest states combined have eight Senators, giving California only a quarter as many Senators as Alaska, North Dakota, Vermont and Wyoming, even though California has 14 times the population of these states combined.

In creating our bicameral legislative system, the founding fathers attempted to balance the issue of big/little states by creating a House whose representation was based on population and a Senate based on proportionality. In The Federalist Papers, James Madison explains his intent to create a “mixture of principles of proportional and equal representation,” particularly “among a people thoroughly incorporated into one nation, [in which] every district ought to have a proportional share in the government.”

In essence, to create an equal vote that is a “constitutional recognition of the portion of sovereignty remaining in the individual States.”

However, due to the growth of the number of states in the U.S. and the migration and expansion of our population, the big/ little state balance in the Senate has become approximately oneto-four, creating a “small state bias.” This small state bias is additionally exacerbated by the proportional allocation of Congressional seats, which

immediately gives each state one Representative, regardless of population. This means that while California has more than 66 times the population of Wyoming, as we saw, it only has 53 times more Congressional seats. Therefore, even in the House, large states do not receive the proper amount of representatives because each state is automatically allocated a Congressman, regardless of the mathematical proportion. The net result of this is that smaller, more rural and less demographically diverse populations in the U.S. have exaggerated influence in Congress today.

Where this small state bias becomes undemocratic is on issues that affect large and small states very differently. Immigration reform is a good example. Most of the new migrants who have come to the U.S. in this last wave of very heavy immigration have ended up in the large states.

Seventy percent of Hispanics, for example, reside in the top nine most populous states.

The states where most recent

migrants and their families live have somewhere between 20 and 30 Senators representing them in Congress today even though they have a majority of the U.S. population. The other states, with a minority of the U.S. population, have between 70 and 80 Senators representing them. Despite the fact that poll after poll show that a clear majority of Americans support “comprehensive immigration reform,” it has been extremely difficult to get it passed through Congress in recent years. The voices of the majority who support immigration reform are wildly underrepresented in the current design of our Congress.

At a time when societies around the world are working hard to improve their own civic institutions, it would be a welcome sign for the world’s most important democracy, the United States, to help inspire this process by updating and renewing its own.

Leslie Ogden is a senior majoring in international relations.

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.

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Thursday, April 5, 2012

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Thursday, April 5, 2012

The Tufts Daily

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Men’s crew improves, looks ahead to next weekend MEN’S CREW

Hamilton, Tufts finished in 6:26, only five seconds off the lead. The difference was nine seconds — 6:33 to 6:24 — when Tufts faced off against Wentworth.

Despite the losses, the Jumbos put in what Clary believed were “two consistent, technically sound pieces” and made sure not to overlook the improvements they had made since the previous day’s race against Tulane.

“The score doesn’t dovetail with our performance,” Kane said. “We went 0-3, but improved massively on Sunday over Saturday’s performance. We dropped 14 seconds Sunday versus Saturday on the same course. However, we lost both races in the last 700 meters of each race, suggesting that we were out-rowed during that section. Our last 250 meters — our sprint — couldn’t make up for the ground lost during the last 700 meters, although we came close both times.”

The team will have a week to rest up before action resumes at the Shoemaker Boathouse on Saturday, April 14. Tufts will take on Wesleyan, Bates and the University of New Hampshire.

continued from page 19

and Bai, a senior.

“The first race was tough for both us and Tulane, as the freezing rain and wind made keeping the set of the boat difficult,” Clary said.

On Sunday, the novices looked to continue their success while varsity hoped to rebound. Hamilton, Wentworth and Mount Holyoke joined Tulane and Tufts for the day’s 20-race program to make it a five-way event including both men’s and women’s crews. The weather conditions improved for the occasion, with temperatures reaching the mid-40s and, more importantly for the rowers, calm winds.

The novice men’s eight stole the show again, racking up its second win of the year against conference rival Hamilton, which finished a full 17 seconds behind Tufts.

Once again, the team had an aggressive start to thank for its comfortable victory.

Meanwhile, the varsity men rowed much better on Sunday but still could not come away with a victory. Against

17

Sports

Varsity eights eke out thrilling wins against Mt. Holyoke WOMEN’S CREW

continued from page 19

remainder of the race, finishing with a time of 7:29.3 to Tulane’s 7:41.1.

The following day also started out well for Tufts, which swept a Mt. Holyoke team that they have struggled against in recent years. All three varsity boats performed admirably, with the first and second eights edging out their competition in the final moments of their races by a combined four seconds.

In the final race against Mt. Holyoke, the second varsity four — not to be outdone by the eights — dealt with its competition handily, winning their race by a whopping 37 seconds to complete the Jumbos’ sweep.

Against Hamilton, though, the Jumbos failed to deliver, which can be attributed at least in part to the fact that it was their second series of races within an hour.

While the novice eight boat defeated Hamilton’s by seven seconds, the two varsity boats fared worse, suf-

fering from fatigue over the long day. The first varsity eight lost by 20 seconds, and the second fell by 45 seconds to a squad that looked to be in midseason form.

“Our final race against Hamilton was a tough loss but a learning opportunity for us,” Holec said. “We now know we need work on endurance if we’re going to be able to race twice in an hour.”

Despite the loss, the Jumbos look to be in good shape moving forward.

If they maintain their dedicated work ethic, they have the potential to do a lot of winning this spring.

“We’re excited going forward with our results and things we learned from this weekend,” Parisi said. “We’re eager to take on [next week’s] challenge but know that we are ultimately looking forward to the championships to be our strongest moment in the season.”

The women will next host Bates, Wellesley and Wesleyan in races at Shoemaker Boathouse on April 14.

Elephants in the Room I would do _____ for a Klondike bar

Kate Applegate Sophomore midfielder Women’s Lacrosse

I would do nothing for a Klondike bar, but for a Choco Taco anything goes

Ben Kane Sophomore Men’s Crew

Nothing I didn’t do to get out of prison

Kathleen Holec Senior tri-captain Women’s Crew

Nothing. I’d rather have strawberry ice cream.

Ben Saperstein Senior midfielder Lacrosse

Coach Daly’s laundry

_____ for President 2012

Colbert

Obama

Best April Fools’ Day prank

HBO character who’s most like me

Removing the bathroom stall dividers in Wren

Arya from “Game of Thrones”

Saran Wrapping my friend’s car. We used 120 rolls of Saran Wrap and it took him three hours to cut it all off

E from “Entourage”

Tomas Garcia

Flipping a room upside down (duct tape stuff to the ceiling)

Cheryl from “Curb Your Enthusiasm”

Justin Bieber

My brother once gave me a fake scratch ticket that won $30,000

Arnold Rothstein from “Boardwalk Empire”

all photos courtesy tufts athletics

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Women’s Tennis

Women’s Lacrosse

Josh berlinger / the Tufts Daily

Junior captain Lindsay Katz has led the Jumbos in the No. 1 singles spot this season and will look to lead them to victory this weekend at the Wellesley Invitational.

Tufts prepares for Wellesley Invitational against some of region’s best This weekend, the No. 12 women’s tennis team will play in the three-day Wellesley Invitational, where eight teams, including six ranked in the national top 30, will be competing.

The Jumbos hope to build off a strong showing in their home opener this past weekend against the Colby Mules, a match the Jumbos took 9-0.

“We’re going into the tournament looking to win,” junior captain Lindsay Katz said.

“We had a great win against Colby, and we think we can keep it going this weekend.

We play MIT first, who we beat 7-2 the first time we played them in the fall. We’ve been working hard on our doubles play all week in preparation.”

MIT will be one of only two unranked teams in the tournament, but after defeating Colby 8-1 on Mar. 10, it might at least have a chance in the first round.

Still, the Jumbos handled the Engineers fairly easily back in September, and if they can continue to get the most out of underclassmen Sophia Schonfeld, Eliza Flynn and Samantha Gann, and receive strong play from Katz at the top, they

should be able to win MIT again.

Tufts could face a tougher test in the second round, playing either 30th-ranked Bates or 18th-ranked Wellesley. Wellesley comes in 11-2 overall since the fall and in midseason form. A Wellesley-Tufts matchup would probably be hotly contested in all nine spots.

If Tufts advances to the finals, they will likely meet perennial NESCAC power Amherst, which enters the tournament ranked third nationally. Amherst is coming off a heartbreaking 5-4 loss to rival Williams but previously won all four of its matches on its spring break trip to California. If Tufts pulled off that upset, it would be a huge confidence boost for a young team.

Tufts’ first match against MIT will be played on Friday, followed by the semifinals on Saturday and the championship on Sunday.

There will also be a separate losers’ bracket for teams once they’re eliminated.

The invitational will be the last tournament for Tufts before beginning a string of seven conference matches as well as one nonconference contest against Emory.

—by Jake Indursky

oliver porter / the Tufts Daily

Senior tri-captain Lara Kozin had three goals and four assists for a game-high seven points in Tufts’ 14-7 thrashing of Endicott yesterday.

Tufts snaps three-game skid at Endicott After three consecutive conference losses, the women’s lacrosse team earned a much-needed victory over non-conference opponent Endicott yesterday afternoon, 14-7. The Jumbos soared past the Gulls, establishing an 8-1 advantage at halftime to essentially put the game out of reach.

Six different players scored goals for national No. 12 Tufts. Senior midfielder Emily Pillemer led the way with four, while attackers senior tri-captain Lara Kozin and sophomore Gabby Horner added three goals apiece. Kozin had a monster performance, notching four assists to finish with a game-high seven points. Senior attackman Kelly Hyland also had a solid day with a trio of assists.

The two teams tied 6-6 in the second

half, but the Jumbos had already done their damage — in the first, they outshot their opponents 19-5 and forced 13 turnovers.

Tufts controlled every aspect of the game, including shots (35-16), ground balls (22-18) and draw controls (13-10).

Goalie Tess Shapanka made four saves before giving way to backup Rachel Gallimore for the final 11 minutes.

With the win, the Jumbos improved to 5-3 on the season. On Saturday, they will look to ride the momentum from Wednesday’s victory when they return to NESCAC play, hosting Williams on Bello Field.

For complete coverage of yesterday’s game, see tomorrow’s Daily.

—by Jake Indursky

Jumbos begin second-half push tonight against Panthers MEN’S LACROSSE continued from Back

to make it 5-2 with 11:19 left before halftime. After four minutes of offensive silence from the Jumbos, Wood sparked a three-goal run — during which he registered three points — to give his team an 8-2 lead with 2:21 to go before the break.

The Beavers showed some signs of life with an unassisted tally at the 1:44 mark from senior Jamie Schmidt, but the Jumbos went into the intermission knowing they had their opponents on their heels.

“During halftime, we knew we needed to keep the foot on the gas pedal and keep pushing our tempo and our style of play,” Schafer said. “We tried not to worry about

the shots that didn’t go, just the next ones.”

Plenty more shots would find the net for Tufts. Wood opened the second half with two goals before a Bowers snipe made it 11-3 Jumbos five minutes into the third.

From there, Tufts took its hand off the throttle and started to unload the bench. Babson won the scoring battle 3-2 over the last 25 minutes of the game, but it was too little, too late as Tufts sealed the 13-6 win.

The performance, which included four Tufts goals in each of the first three periods, was one of the team’s most dominant 60-minute efforts of the spring to date.

“I think what kept the momentum going was seeing the younger guys coming in and making plays,” Bowers said. “That really kept

everyone excited throughout the game.”

The impact of the underclassmen was undeniable. Wood’s five goals and one assist, registered on just eight shots, and Schoenhut’s two goals, one ground ball and one forced turnover stood out in front of the cage, while freshman Cole Bailey controlled Tufts’ offense from behind the crease, notching four assists and five ground balls. Sophomore defenseman Dan Alles contributed six ground balls and caused two turnovers, which tied Wood for the team lead for the day.

The squad won’t have much time to take notes on the victory, as it will travel to Middlebury tonight for its fifth NESCAC game of the season. With the conference in

disarray compared to recent years, another win is imperative if Tufts wishes to remain near the top of the NESCAC and Div. III. No matter how much swag the Jumbos have — their uniforms and gear were recently featured on the Inside Lacrosse website — another loss to a middle-of-the-pack NESCAC team could cause them to plummet in the USILA rankings.

“We’re focused on taking steps forward and not taking any steps backwards at this point in the season,” Schafer said of the importance of tonight’s game.

“We know we need to be building that momentum toward the end of the season so that a month from now, we’re playing our best lacrosse.”

Thursday, April 5, 2012

The Tufts Daily

19

Sports

Alex Arthur | King Arthur’s Court

Men’s Crew

Men’s varsity squad sees improvement despite winless weekend by

Wanting a green Woods

G.J. Vitale

Daily Staff Writer

The men’s crew team had a busy weekend, racing against three schools in its first action of the year. Tulane’s squad made the 1,500-mile trip from Louisiana to Massachusetts to kick off the season on Saturday at William A. Shoemaker Boathouse on the Malden River. It was the 11th annual dual race between the two squads.

The first matchup of the day, beginning at 9 a.m., featured the Tufts novice men’s eight. The group delivered an impressive performance, notching the fastest time of the day at 6:39.9 and beating its opponents by more than two lengths; Tulane’s crew finished in 7:03.4. By the 500-meter mark of the 2,000-meter race, the Green Wave’s fate was sealed as the Jumbos began to pull away. The all-freshman team was led by coxswain Kasia Gawlas, stroke Nate Hajian and bowman Dong Park. In descending order (positions seven through two), the middle crew was Sam Helrich, Connor Des Rochers, Chris Rickard, Will Ross, Jihoon Kim and Chris Pires. The crew was entirely made up of freshmen, with the exception of Ross, who is a sophomore.

At 9:40 a.m., Tufts’ and Tulane’s men’s varsity crews went at it. For the first half of the race, Tulane kept a comfortable oneto two-length lead. Despite a valiant Tufts effort to come back at about the 1,500-meter mark, Tulane secured the victory with a 6:41.4 finish to Tufts’ time of 6:55.2. The combination of a strong Green Wave eight and deteriorating weather proved too much for the varsity squad. In descending order, the Jumbos’ varsity crew consisted of coxswain Jeremy Rosenblatt, stroke Jeff Thibodeau, Kyle Flood, Andrew Rogers, Lex Clary, Tim Peng, Luke Abdow, Mike Bai and co-captain bowman Ben Kane.

All are sophomores except Flood, a junior, see MEN’S CREW, page 17

Kristen Collins / The Tufts Daily

The men’s varsity crew team went 0-3 this past weekend on the Malden River but saw positive signs of what’s to come this season.

Women’s Crew

Josh berlinger / the Tufts Daily

The women’s crew team came away with a clean sweep of Mt. Holyoke on Sunday to highlight a 2-1 season-opening weekend.

Tufts rows to 2-1 record in opening weekend at Malden River

by Sam

Gold

Daily Staff Writer

The women’s crew team emerged from the first weekend of its spring season with two wins and a loss at home, defeating Tulane on Saturday and Mt. Holyoke on Sunday before falling to NESCAC foe Hamilton in Sunday’s second contest.

In their 11th annual race against the Tulane Green Wave, the Jumbos displayed refined technique in their strokes, undoubtedly a direct result

of an intense offseason training regimen. Galvanized by upperclassman leadership, they took to the water with a level-headed, winning mentality.

First, though, they had to overcome some pre-race anxiety.

“Everyone seemed to have nervousness on land before the first race,” senior tri-captain Erika Parisi said. “But once we were on the water, everyone was extremely focused and ready to race.”

The Jumbos left it all on the riverbank, racing as cool as the water they

glided on.

We were very happy with this strong start for the team,” senior Kathleen Holec said. “The team dynamic is continuing to remain strong after the spring break training trip.”

The Jumbos set the pace early at 36 strokes per minute to help keep the Green Wave at bay and by the 500meter mark were over a length ahead.

Over the next 1,500 meters, they doubled that lead and sustained it for the see WOMEN’S CREW, page 17

E

very year, during the first full week of April, the beautiful Augusta, Ga., plays host as the sports world descends on its purest establishment. It is also each year at this time that the fanfare leading up to the tournament holds a different narrative. The buzz ahead of this year’s Masters is palpitating, and just thinking about it has my hands sweating.

SportsCenter, writers, fans, whoever, all can try to feed alternative storylines to fill time slots or words on a page, but golf right now boils down to just two people: Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods. Looking at the winners from the past 20 years, only Charl Schwartzel, Trevor Immelman, Zach Johnson and Mike Weir look out of place from the rest of the Green Jacket keepers. Augusta is usually won by the best. I don’t want to discount Luke Donald and his No. 1 world ranking, or Phil Mickelson, but the favorites are McIlroy and Woods.

After McIlroy won his first major at the U.S. Open last year, shooting a record-setting 16-under par, eight strokes ahead of the second-place finisher, people were ready to anoint him the next big thing. Talking heads began putting him in the same sentence with Woods and discussing what it all meant for the sport going forward.

McIlroy’s U.S. Open victory, of course, came after his equally remarkable collapse at the Masters two months earlier, when he led by four strokes heading into the final round before shooting an 80, the worst round in history for a professional golfer who led after three rounds at the Masters. Since his implosion at Augusta, McIlroy has gone on a tear and has a first-, second- and thirdplace finish already under his belt this season. Just 22 years old and already a fan favorite, he is as confident as anyone right now.

Now, the McIlroy train was full steam ahead until two weekends ago, when Eldrick Tiger Woods did something he hadn’t done since 2009: win a golf tournament. Woods won the Arnold Palmer Invitational by five shots, shooting 13-under par. It was really hard to keep Woods’ victory in perspective, given that it was just one event and it wasn’t a major; but come on, who wasn’t excited? As much as the world turned on Woods after his ugly personal life was exposed, we need — no, we want — a triumphant Woods in our lives.

He’s arguably the greatest golfer ever and, personally, was a childhood hero of mine. He hasn’t won a Green Jacket since 2005, but he has finished fourth the last two years. He has been hurt, fallen and raked through the coals, and all deservingly so. But let him rise. I believe in Tiger and, after Bay Hill, I believe Tiger believes he can win.

One of my favorite Tiger memories happened last year. It was such a fleeting feeling because he did not go on to win the Masters, but it felt important to me anyway. During the fourth round, Woods birdied the sixth and seventh holes to reach eight-under par. He then eagled the eighth hole. When he sank that eagle putt to let everyone know that he still mattered, as a sports fan watching from home I felt like I personally was there and willed that ball into the hole. No other athlete in the world galvanizes a crowd so instantaneously and makes them feel that, just by watching, they are doing something great as a collective whole.

That is why we need Tiger to put on the Green Jacket again.

Alex Arthur is a sophomore majoring in economics and English. He can be reached at Alexander.Arthur@tufts.edu.

Sports

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INSIDE Women’s Tennis 18 Women’s Lacrosse 18 Men’s Crew 19

tuftsdaily.com

Softball

‘K’ parade: Fournier fans 17 in shutout effort by

Alex Baudoin

Daily Staff Writer

In the first inning of the softball team’s doubleheader against non-conference Babson yesterday, Allyson Fournier struck out the side — standard procedure for a pitcher who’s fanned 88 batters in 51.2 innings this season. Then, in the second inning, she struck out the side once more. After that, she did it again. And again.

Twelve outs, 12 K’s. Through four innings, those were the numbers for Fournier. And she’s only a freshman.

Fournier ultimately struck out 17 and walked four while tossing a two-hit, complete-game shutout that resulted in a 2-0 Tufts victory. Coming off a weekend sweep against NESCAC rival Bowdoin, the Jumbos went on to sweep the twin bill after an 11-5 triumph in game two, improving to 16-3 on the season with wins in five straight games and seven of their last eight.

Fournier, who has a conferenceleading 0.68 earned run average, kept her opponents off balance in game one with an overpowering fastball and devastating off-speed stuff. The recent NESCAC Pitcher of the Week improved

to 8-0 on the season and has already completed five complete games and three shutouts.

After the freshman’s brilliant performance, both she and her coach downplayed its magnitude.

“I was just trying to make sure my ball was spinning and hit my spots,” Fournier said. “I think hitting spots is the key to getting better for me, so I’ve been focusing on that.”

“Allyson obviously is very talented and throws the ball very well,” coach Cheryl Milligan added. “We still have a lot of things we want to work on with her, and I think she’s certainly primed to be one of the top pitchers around. I think she would be the first one to tell you though that we are still working on a lot of things to make her postseason-ready. Obviously, she’s off to a great start.”

Despite Fournier’s excellence, the first game was far from a blowout. Babson starter Megan Brain did her part to keep her team in the game, allowing no extra base hits and just two walks in seven innings. While the Jumbos did manage nine hits off the junior hurler, they struggled to come up with clutch hits with runners in scoring position.

The initial damage came off the bat of sophomore catcher Jo Clair in the third inning, when she belted a single off the left field wall to score sophomore outfielder Sara Hedtler from second base. Clair, who began the doubleheader fifth in the NESCAC in batting average and first in doubles, finished the game 2-for-2 with a walk and an RBI. Sophomore Chrissie Massrey provided an insurance run for the Jumbos with a pinch-hit RBI single in the bottom of the sixth.

In the second game of the doubleheader, Babson rattled Tufts sophomore starter Rebecca DiBiase right away, erupting for three early runs on a home run off the bat of junior shortstop Catie Funk. DiBiase struggled with her command all game, and the Beavers hitters stayed patient.

But the Jumbos came storming back in the bottom of the third, scoring seven runs in the frame. They sent 13 batters to the plate in the inning, in which several Jumbo hitters reached based safely multiple times.

In the top of the fourth, the Beavers threatened again, scoring two runs before sophomore Lauren Giglio replaced DiBiase on the mound with

one out. After overpowering the next two batters to get out of the inning, Giglio silenced the Beaver bats for the remainder of the game, retiring nine of the next 13 batters she faced.

The Jumbos extended their lead in the bottom of the inning with home runs from freshman right fielder Michelle Cooprider and classmate third baseman Kris Parr. Cooprider finished the game 2-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Hedtler also put together an impressive performance, going a perfect 4-for-4 with an RBI. “That’s kind of how this team is,” Milligan said of her squad’s offensive eruption in the second game. “Oftentimes on weekdays, we tend to take a little bit too long to get warmed up, and so if we are going to be a postseason team, we are going to have to be one of those teams that understands that we can’t take a couple innings off. So that’s sort of what we are battling right now, but obviously we have a lot of talent.”

The Jumbos have today off before hosting a three-game set this weekend against the Bantams, which currently stands one spot behind Tufts in the NESCAC East division with a 2-1 conference record.

Men’s Lacrosse

After falling from top 10, Tufts rebounds at Babson by

Claire Kemp

Daily Editorial Board

This past weekend wasn’t pretty for the No. 12 men’s lacrosse team. Despite crushing then-unranked (now No. 19) Trinity in MEN’S LACROSSE (6-2, 3-1 NESCAC) at Babson Park, Mass., Tuesday Tufts Babson

4 2

4 1

4 2

1 1

— 13 — 6

nearly every category — including a 54-33 edge in shots and a 15-6 advantage on faceoffs — Tufts dropped the NESCAC battle 9-8 in overtime. As a result, the Jumbos plunged out of the top 10 for the first time in two years.

But the team showed its resilience on Tuesday night, fixing what went wrong against Trinity to dismantle non-conference foe Babson 13-6 on the road.

“We reviewed the game against Trinity, and we felt we needed to do a better job attacking the cage with everyone being a threat to score,” said sophomore midfielder Peter Bowers, who notched his 13th goal of the season in the contest. “We did a better job finishing our shots against Babson.

Nothing too complicated; we just needed to do a better job moving the ball.”

The visitors kept the pressure on from start to finish on Tuesday, with freshman attackman Chris Schoenhut starting the scoring just 43 seconds after the opening whistle. Though the Beavers answered about seven minutes later to make it 1-1 with 6:51 remaining in the first quarter, the Jumbos firmly took the reins by the end of the period.

Junior defenseman Matt Callahan, senior midfielder Geordie Schafer and sophomore midfielder Beau Wood all scored before the three-minute mark to make it 4-1 early.

Babson would muster just one more goal before the end of the opening stanza as Tufts’ defense kept the pressure on, causing 13 turnovers in the first 15 minutes alone.

The second period was even rougher for Babson. Senior co-captain midfielder Kevin McCormick started the scoring on a feed from junior defenseman Sam Gardner Oliver Porter / The Tufts Daily

see MEN’S LACROSSE, page 18

Junior defenseman Matt Callahan scored a goal and scooped up four ground balls in a 13-6 win over Babson on Tuesday.