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THE TUFTS DAILY

TUFTSDAILY.COM

wednesday, february 4, 2015

VOLUME LXVIV, NUMBER 11

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

International Orientation becomes Global Orientation

by Aaron Pomerance Assistant News Editor

International Orientation (IO), one of the five pre-orientation programs Tufts offers for incoming first years, recently changed its name to Global Orientation (GO) as part of a strategy to encourage wider participation in the program.

Lauren Kulwicki, the International Center Intern and a graduate student at Lesley University, explained that the name change is part of a modification to the pre-orientation in order to be more diverse and inclusive, especially for American students who were not previously aware that they were eligible to participate.

“IO gives it this vibe that [the program] is only for international students … [GO is] expanding global perspectives in a world that is so interconnected,” Kulwicki said.

Though IO began in 1987, International Student and Scholar Advisor at the International Center Pat Himes is still frequently asked if Americans are qualified to be host advisors for the program.

Himes hopes that the cross-cultural aspects that GO provides will appeal to prospective participants.

“If you do GO, you will have a couch to stay on in any city of the world,” he said.

Student coordinator and junior Mengqi Sun, who planned the program last year, echoed the sentiment that IO has been inadequately advertised to American students.

“American students don’t usually know that they can do it,” she said.

Along with the name change, the program is looking to reduce its focus on immigration and instead put more of an emphasis on helping students orient themselves to life at Tufts, according to Sun. Himes explained that the lower number of participants in IO this past year led

to the decision to revamp the program, describing the lower numbers as “an impetus for change.”

He added that he wants to continue to “help [participants and host advisors] become good facilitators of cross-cultural interaction.”

This past summer, Sun estimated that IO had around 100 participants, which is lower than the average of 130, but that there were a larger proportion of American students. Sun described this year’s group as “smaller” but “with a stronger bond.”

Himes, who served in the U.S. Peace Corps from 2008-2010, helped plan the pre-orientation program last year, along with Sun. Himes explained that he was very busy with transitioning into this new position last summer. “[Sun] had to do a lot more than she should have,” Himes said.

Sun added that her duties included video marketing and talking to vendors — tasks which required working very closely with the Office for Campus Life Director, Joe Golia.

“I selected and helped train the host advisors,” Sun said.

Sun said that participants in last year’s group especially enjoyed the scavenger hunt, dubbed the “Amazing Race” portion of the program. She explained that the participants had to demonstrate leadership skills during this activity and added that this part of the program will remain unchanged in GO. “Freshman year, I didn’t realize how important [the program] was to me,” Sun said.

She added that she now recognizes the program as a key part of her Tufts experience.

Looking forward, Kulwicki said that she is “ready to do it again,” and that “people find lifetime friends [in the program].”

“We have a strong team going into next year,” Kulwicki said.

Toby Jorrin / For Tufts

Brimhall-Vargas aims to build a diverse community of student and professors on the Hill.

Mark Brimhall-Vargas named Chief Diversity Officer

by Kathleen Schmidt News Editor

Mark Brimhall-Vargas, deputy chief diversity officer at the University of Maryland at College Park, has been appointed to the position of chief diversity officer (CDO) and associate provost at Tufts.

According to University President Anthony Monaco, the position was created by the university-wide Council on Diversity, which he convened in March 2012 and whose goal was to determine how inclusion and cultural competence could best be created at Tufts.

University backs down on request to purchase Somerville property

by Sophie Lehrenbaum Assistant News Editor

Tufts has suspended its efforts to purchase an apartment building located at 119 College Ave after learning that the City of Somerville would oppose the university’s proposal due to its direct conflict with the city’s comprehensive plan, according to Ward 7 Alderman Katjana Ballantyne.

The university had intended to use the property to house different members of the Tufts community, Ballantyne said.

She explained that the proposal ran counter to her previous understanding of Tufts’ intentions with regard to purchasing residential property in the city.

“The … thing [that] is … disappointing is that I have been told personally, maybe four times, that Tufts University is not interested in buying resi-

dential property,” she said. “So this was a surprise to me to say the least.”

On Jan. 6, the Somerville City Clerk’s Office received an unexpected letter from the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency indicating that it was considering approval of a revenue bond to fund Tufts’ proposed purchase, Ballantyne explained. She noted that the letter, which was intended to inform members of city council of the potential acquisition, also sought feedback from the aldermen on whether the project would interfere with any current or future plans of the city government.

Ballantyne, who serves as alderman for the ward in which the apartment building stands, explained that Tufts’ acquisition of the property would not align with the goals that were set forth in Somerville’s

comprehensive plan for the city’s future, SomerVision.

“There was this feeling that the city needed more housing, more commercial pack space, a certain amount of green space and we are trying to make it walkable,” Ballantyne said. “In terms of housing, the central plan says that we are looking for 6,000 new housing units … 1,200 [of which] would be permanently affordable housing units.”

Tufts’ decision to expand housing in the city has highlighted and reinforced areas in which Tufts maintains less-thanideal relations with Somerville, according to Ballantyne. “[Tufts] has not shared its long-term plan, like Cambridge and Boston require of their colleges and universities keeping on file their institutional master plans,” she explained. “In March

Inside this issue

see HOUSING, page 2

“Among the central recommendations in the Council’s December 2013 report was the hiring of a Chief Diversity Officer who would partner with academic and administrative leadership to ensure that Tufts was implementing change initiatives and measuring progress,” Monaco told the Daily in an email. “The students, faculty and staff who served on the Council were instrumental in shaping the structure of the CDO position.”

Renee’ Vallejo, LGBTQ representative to Tufts Community Union (TCU) see DIVERSITY, page 2

LGBT Center looks to the future, consults students

by Safiya Nanji

Assistant News Editor

A meeting of queer student groups was held on Jan. 25 in the Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Center to brainstorm ways to better serve the queer community at Tufts University, LGBT Center Director Nino Testa said.

The discussion focused on three themes, according to sophomore Emily Lansky, leader of the Women’s Group at the LGBT Center, and sophomore Cecilia Petit, who recently brought Black and Pink, a national organizationwhich advocates for members of the LGBTQ population who are or have been incarcerated, to Tufts.

Students touched on improving the roles of both the Rainbow House and the Queer Student Alliance (QSA),

as well as refining the new student orientation which takes place at the beginning of the year.

Lansky and Petit said that the greatest strides were made as a result of their talk about the role of QSA. “The biggest accomplishment was a conversation around the role of QSA and how it can support other queer student groups, as it is something like an umbrella group,” Lansky and Petit told the Daily in an email. “An idea was floated to have QSA become something like a queer student board to help provide support for other queer student groups.”

Attendees also tried to think of a new game to replace ‘Guess the Straight Person’ during new student orientation. see LGBT, page 2

Today’s sections

ART’s new production “Father Comes Home From the Wars” is an expansive masterpiece.

Marilyn Allen sets the BU track on fire for a school record.

see ARTS, page 6

see SPORTS, BACK

News 1 Features 3 Arts & Living 6 Editorial 10

Op-Ed 11 Comics 12 Sports Back

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The Tufts Daily

News

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Town hall meeting considers QSA, Rainbow House, New Student Orientation LGBT

continued from page 1

“We finally decided to totally cut the ‘Guess the Straight Person’ game because it puts queer students on display and perpetuates stereotypes in trying to break them down,” Lansky and Petit said.

From there, the discussion moved to address how students would try to make the Rainbow House a more inclusive space, according to Lansky and Petit. In general, they said that they were pleased with how the meeting went.

“We were happy with the outcome and feel that Nino has begun a positive culture shift to campus that has made the LGBT Center more accessible to many students,” they said.

Testa said he scheduled this meeting back in December.

“I wanted to give students a space to talk about the state of queer student life at Tufts, particularly the successes and failures of formal and informal student groups,” Testa said. He also wanted interested students to talk collectively about what they would like to see moving forward.

Within the meeting, students discussed the past, present and future of queer student life on campus, giving them a helpful opportunity to define and discuss their changing missions and outlooks of groups on campus, according to Lansky and Petit.

“The meeting was also a way to reconcile different needs of queer students on campus,” they said. “It was a way for Nino as a new director, to get in tune with the needs of students,

and to hear directly from queer students about their various needs.”

According to Lansky and Petit, the Jan. 25 meeting allowed everyone to come to a common understanding and set the foundation for creating future plans.

“Although the meeting kicked off new ideas and plans, students are still in the process of determining exactly how new programming and structures will look,” they said.

Testa was also happy with the students’ participation in the discussion and willingness to share their perspectives.

“Tufts has come to be known as a queer-friendly institution, but this is only because people continue to care and focus on how we can improve our campus climate,” Testa said. “Those involved in LGBT groups at Tufts are deeply committed to improving campus climate.”

Testa said that he feels confident that the town hall meeting helped set important conversations into motion.

“I just wanted to make sure that as we move forward making plans in our respective groups, we keep our eye on the big picture: how do students imagine the legacies of their respective groups after they have graduated?” he asked.

“What structural changes could be made to ensure the continued vitality and diversity of queer student life at Tufts?”

Lansky and Petit are hopeful that this initial town hall meeting will encourage change.

“We hope that the work this meeting has begun will allow the LGBT Center to serve more queer students and will create structures that can provide support throughout the coming and going of student leaders,” they said.

Students look for increased on-campus housing options HOUSING

continued from page 1

of last year, I asked from the city to request that an institutional master plan be kept on file [because] it helps the neighborhood and the town to understand what the future planning needs are of the institutions because then we understand what the impact is to our neighborhoods.”

At press time, neither the Office of Residential Life and Learning nor the Office of Community Relations had responded to the Daily’s inquiries regarding this matter.

Edward Beuchert, a Somerville resident and a member of the Board of Directors of the West Somerville Neighborhood Association, cited increased enrollment at Tufts over the past several decades as a primary cause for housing-related tension between the school and surrounding neighborhoods.

“Essentially, Tufts was asking for taxpayer-funded assistance to purchase a home where members of the community were living and turn it into housing for the university,” he said. “The fundamental problem is in the last 25 years, Tufts has increased [its] undergraduate enrollment by more than 1,000 students and there hasn’t been any corresponding increase in on-campus dormitories. Sophia Gordon Hall is a great building finished in 2006 … we need about six more of those.”

Beuchert underscored that the high demand for off-campus housing given the lack of guaranteed housing for upperclassmen also promotes shady practices by landlords leasing homes.

“Criminal landlords have expanded the properties they have rented out … because they can get lots of money that way,” he said. “It causes a lot of problems in the neighborhoods.”

Current housing policies can serve as a source of anxiety for upperclassmen, who are

not guaranteed housing on campus. Vanessa Torrice, a sophomore whose house hunt began in September, explained that the concept of increasing the number of living spaces on the school’s grounds is attractive.

“One of the main stressors for me personally was knowing that I had a low lottery number for junior year — one that Tufts designated as ‘unlikely’ to get housing [on-campus],” she said.

Torrice also cited additional hurdles she has experienced in her efforts to secure housing, including the Somerville law that prohibits more than four unrelated residents from living in the same home, which in turn hikes up the price for students seeking off-campus housing. She added that Tufts could do much more to alleviate the strain placed on students by the housing grind.

“There were a few informational meetings about housing off campus, but all it basically told us was that it was our responsibility, with a few tips on how to go about it,” Torrice said. “Very unhelpful … Ideally, it would be best to have more on-campus housing to at least give students more of a choice about whether they want to live off-campus or not, to relieve some of the stress and pressure.”

Ballantyne said that she is feeling increased friction between the city and the school, but she hopes to restore a sense of community and collaboration between the two entities in order to allow them to work together as one.

“The neighbors that live around Tufts University are not opposed to students,” she said.

“That is not the issue. They just want to understand what is happening, because slowly over time, housing has been taken away from families that could live here. If there was a plan everyone could talk about, people could get used to certain ideas. We just have a lot of work to do.”

Caroline ambros / the tufts daily

Testa intended the town hall meeting as a space of reflection for the Tufts LGBTQ community.

Brimhall-Vargas to focus on supporting a more inclusive campus DIVERSITY

continued from page 1

Senate, reported having mixed feelings on the creation of the position.

“To be a chief of something means that one already has a body that someone is stepping into of leading, which is not true of Tufts,” Vallejo told the Daily in an email. “We do not need one more person, we need an entity of people. It is like first we need a field, a team [and then] a coach. You don’t go and hire a coach if there is not a team.”

The role of Chief Diversity Officer will have many components, including coordinator, advisor and expert, Provost David Harris said.

“Perhaps most importantly, this is a person who has the flexibility to focus on diversity and inclusion,” Harris told the Daily in an email. “Many of us who care deeply about these issues have responsibilities that require we focus on a much broader range of issues.”

Brimhall-Vargas echoed this by citing the decentralization of universities as one of the main reasons why there was a need for the position.

“The advantages of that [decentralization] are that it makes for a very robust academic life,” he said. “The difficulty is that when it comes to meeting large institutional goals that sort of reach across those various units, that’s harder to do. It’s harder to bring people into alignment unless someone is sort of keeping their eye on that larger institutional goal.”

Brimhall-Vargas is very optimistic about the goals and progress that can be accomplished by institutions when they take these kinds of steps.

“I’ve been doing this kind of work in higher education for 18 years and I’ve got to see the progress that institutions can

make when there are diversity professionals who keep moving forward and secure gains and make sure that the institution is bettering itself and that it actually has an impact — that we do in fact make progress,” he said.

Brimhall-Vargas’ first goal at Tufts is to better acquaint himself with the school.

“I really see my initial phase of being there is getting to meet people, having a sense of what their experience is and really listening with an ear to understanding what their concerns are, what their aspirations are and how diversity can enhance that,” he said.

Brimhall-Vargas named recruiting and retaining a diverse faculty and student body as a concern expressed by several Tufts students he had met, adding that he is eager to engage with those issues.

“Students have a very sophisticated understanding of diversity because they know how difficult and complicated it is … Students were also very aware that there’s a lot of room to grow,” he said.

He added that while diversity is a moral goal one should have, it also prepares students for a diverse workforce both in the U.S. and abroad.

“We are becoming a society that needs to be able to interact across differences and it has a very material impact once people are employed,” Brimhall-Vargas said.

According to BrimhallVargas, when he talked with students, many of them seemed surprised that 25 percent of the student body identifies as students of color, saying that “it didn’t feel like that.”

“There’s an awareness that there has been a significant amount of progress in terms of making sure that Tufts can be a supportive and inclusive place, but that students are

still trying to figure out what that looks like and how they can navigate that so I’m hoping to bring some wisdom and experience to that process,” he said.

He added that he has heard a lot about an emerging consciousness around what it means to be a first generation student in higher education and was pleased that students were making administrators aware of that issue.

“Even if you’re not a student of color, you might come from a particular experience or background where you know you’re the first person to go to university and that presents different challenges that frankly even the fields of higher education and student affairs [are] still learning about and that students are in fact letting us know that that’s something that’s important,” he said.

According to Vallejo, it will be very important for Brimhall-Vargas to keep in mind that diversity goes beyond racial and ethnic diversity, extending to gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and abilities.

“President Monaco stated that he is confident that Mr. Brimhall-Vargas will advance Tufts in the goal of diversity by building bridges so I hope he starts with the communities often left in the corner,” they said. “I look forward to seeing and hearing his work around campus.”

Brimhall-Vargas stressed his devotion to diversity and its advancement.

“I’m deeply committed to these issues; this is not something that I do just as my day job,” he said. “It’s not like I show up at work, do diversity work, and go home and it isn’t part of what happens at home.

For me this is not just a career, this is my outlook on life.”

Features

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tuftsdaily.com

Miranda Willson | Ecofeminism for All

Ha! Oh, Everyday Misogyny!

O

pierre de coubertin via wikimedia commons

Tufts considers role in 2024 Olympics games as a university

by Jake Taber

Dismissing Washington D.C., San Francisco and Los Angeles, the United States Olympic Committee announced earlier this month that it had selected Boston as its official candidate to host the 2024 summer games. In putting together their bid package, members of the Boston 2024 executive committee have looked at college and university campuses, as well as facilities across the metro area, in order to assemble a list of possible venue sites.

Last fall, Gloria Larson, one of the members of the Boston 2024 committee, met with senior members of Tufts’ administration about the possibility of building a major venue on the Medford/Somerville campus. University Director of Athletics Bill Gehling (A ’74) was included in these negotiations.

“They did come out and talk to us at Tufts about the possibility of building an aquatic center out here,” Gehling said.

He explained that by the time the games come to Boston, better access to Somerville would make Tufts a more attractive location to host the venue.

“By the time 2024 comes around, the Green Line station will be up and running,” he said. “So subway access to Tufts is much easier.”

According to Gehling, the negotiations settled on the fields beside Curtis Hall and the railroad tracks, mostly used for club sports and recreation, as a probable location for the aquatic center.

Ultimately, Tufts was not identified in the proposal as the preferred location for the venue, though the proposed sites are not set in stone, according to university Executive Vice President Patricia Campbell.

“The proposal that the U.S. Olympic Committee is now going to make to the international committee does not have the aquatic center at Tufts,” Campbell said. “I would make the comment that it’s a process over time … it’s a long way away, nearly ten years away, and so the bids tend to change based on a whole variety of factors.”

According to Campbell, the university administration had expressed significant interest in hosting the center, and still does.

“We’d love to have that aquatic center and have the aquatic events here; that would certainly be ideal for us — we would have loved it,” she said.

Executive Features Editor

Tufts’ current aquatic facility, the 70-year-old Hamilton Pool, was closed for an extended period of time last year when cracks were found during routine maintenence. The adminstration has been looking for ways to update the facility. Gehling said that the aquatic center would be an ideal solution to the problem.

“If you just look at our athletics facility, our pool is one piece of our facility that’s just completely inadequate. It’s inadequate even just for our varsity programs, but it’s clearly inadequate to meet the needs of our entire community,” he said.

According to Gehling, the aquatic center would have left Tufts with an Olympic-sized pool capable of holding twenty lanes. Its larger capacity would have also meant more pool hours open to the public and less reserved for varsity teams.

While the administration wants to build a larger pool anyway, Gehling said that the university would have received outside financial support for construction if it were to be an Olympic venue.

“I think we still would have had to raise a significant amount of money, because we’re going to be left with it, but I think the feeling was that we wouldn’t have had to raise as much ourselves, [and] also the effort to raise it could have been easier,” Gehling said.

A number of other Boston universities are still in the running to host new facilities, or events in existing facilities. According to Campbell, University of Massachusetts-Boston was being considered as a site for athlete housing.

“The Commonwealth would like to expand [the UMass-Boston] campus as a residential campus, and so if dorms are being built anyway, they could be built with the idea of being used as an Olympic Village,” Campbell said.

According to The Boston Globe, other possible venues include the Harvard Stadium for field hockey and the Boston Common for beach volleyball. Closer to Tufts, Assembly Square in Somerville may host a temporary Velodrome.

University Director of Public Relations Kim Thurler said regardless of whether Tufts hosts any Olympic facilities or events, the international nature of the games is in line with the university’s focus on global citizenship. “[There are] a couple of strengths that Tufts offers in the area of active citizenship through [the Jonathan

M.] Tisch College of [Citizenship and Public Service], The Talloires Network … and also our emphasis on globalism and internationalism,” she said.

According to Thurler, Tufts hopes to play a role in ensuring that the games have a lasting positive impact on the city by supporting youth and community civic engagement.

“Even if we were not to be the physical site for one of the venues for an event, there would still be ways for us to support involvement by students and other constituents around the city in a positive way to make sure the event is a benefit to the city and has opportunities for leadership and volunteerism with the Tufts community,” she said.

Campbell agreed, adding that the games would provide ample opportunities for student involvement.

“You can imagine trying to man such a major enterprise, I think there’ll be lots of opportunities for students to be volunteers,” she said.

She also speculated that Tufts’ facilities downtown might see use during a Boston games.

“We have [the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy], which is unusual, so how important is nutrition to athletes,” she said. “We have the [Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine], and so for the equestrian events there could be a role that would be played; who knows, but you can imagine veterinarians helping to staff some of the equestrian events.”

Boston’s bid doesn’t move to the IOC without controversy. Groups like No Boston Olympics have opposed the games on the basis of their price tag, which may come to more than $15 billion.

While concerned about the strain that the games might put on the city, Gehling is confident that Boston’s Olympics will be able to overcome their technical and administrative challenges.

“I have concerns about whether or not a city that already has traffic problems will be able to accommodate this kind of influx of people without bringing the city to a halt, but there are some really smart people working on it and thinking about it, and if those hurdles can be overcome, I think the Olympics becomes a wonderful vehicle to cast a positive light on the whole city of Boston and certainly all of the colleges, including Tufts, that are a part of the greater Boston area,” he said.

ne night last semester, I was drinking and hanging out with a group of Tufts students who I don’t know that well. At one point, the two other women present got a hold of one of the guys’ stories for his fiction class. They decided to read it aloud to everyone in the room.

The story loosely fell into a genre one might call “frat lit”— which is apparently pretty popular on this campus, at least based on submissions given to The Canon.

The story was told from the perspective of a shy, unsure male college student, perhaps similar to the author of the piece, describing his failed attempts to get laid.

In one scene, the narrator gives a detailed description of two female floormates. All the guys on the floor agree that one of them is much hotter than the other, but tonight the other one is looking more attractive than usual, the narrator notes.

He describes the way her body looks in her tight clothes and how she’s wearing too much makeup and “trying too hard.”

Then, he contemplates: “Maybe I’d fuck her…or maybe I wouldn’t,” as if this decision is entirely his to make, as if she’s just waiting for him to decide if she’s worthy of being fucked.

This “punch line” drew lots of laughs from the crowd. Clearly, the story was meant to be funny. Laughing the hardest were the two other women in the room.

The narrator eventually goes to a party and tries to have sex with someone; when he is rejected, the reader is made to think that the female characters are dumb and cruel, because he’s a nice guy. Meanwhile, his more forward friend ends up having anal sex with “some random chick.”

I was not deeply offended by the story.

But I can’t stop thinking about the two women who laughed at every demeaning description of the female characters. I wonder if the women, and everyone else there, felt comfortable laughing at the story because neither the author nor the narrator behaves in a macho, stereotypically sexist manner. Like the author himself, the narrator is portrayed as a shy, sensitive, nice guy. The women with whom the narrator interacts, on the other hand, are portrayed as cruel and dumb, unable to see the narrator’s charm.

But sensitivity does not make anyone immune from misogyny. In fact, the narrator seems to assume that his personality traits make him entitled to sex.

This is the kind of misogyny I see most often at Tufts. Guys will call themselves sensitive and even feminist but feel that they are entitled to women because they “aren’t like other guys.” Perhaps this is why no one else seemed offended by the story; the narrator’s brand of misogyny is subtler than someone who calls women “whores” or “bitches” outright.

I wish I had called the author out on his sexism. Too often, I hear probablyunintentionally offensive stories in which women are assumed to exist solely for male pleasure, are judged for both “trying too hard” and not trying hard enough, and are “mean, stupid teases” for not sleeping with men. But I often feel pressured to accept this everyday misogyny because I don’t want to be labeled as a “crazy, overly sensitive feminist.”

Elliot Rodger, the man responsible for the May 2014 Santa Barbara killings, was largely motivated by what he saw as women refusing to date and sleep with him. I’m not in any way comparing the narrator from the story or the author to this deeply disturbed individual. Nonetheless, maybe it’s time we stop tolerating men who think that if they appear to be respectful towards women, they are entitled to them.

Miranda Willson is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. She can be reached at miranda.willson@tufts.edu.

Arts & Living

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tuftsdaily.com

Theater Review

'Father Comes Home From the Wars' powerfully revives Greek theatrical devices

by Josh Podolsky Assistant Arts Editor

Taking place in the early 1860s, during the beginning years of the Civil War, Suzan-Lori Parks’ new work Father Comes Home From the Wars (Pt 1-3)

Directed by Jo Bonney American Repertory Theater 64 Brattle Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 “Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3)” (2014) is a throwback of epic proportions. The production is actually comprised of nine parts in total — the next six plays are still to come. The play touches issues past, present and seemingly eternal as Ms. Parks revivifies traditional ancient Greek theater with her use of classic devices, historical narrative and colorful contemporary dialogue.

The production at the American Repertory Theater, directed by Jo Bonney (who also directed the production in New York for the Public Theater), is serious, scathing, beautiful and funny all at once. With no single aspect of the production elevated in quality above other elements, the play “Father Comes Home from the Wars” is succinctly an overall masterpiece.

The play opens in 1862, somewhere in Texas, at the start of the war. The group who sings “Chorus of Less Than Desirable Slaves” (Charlie Hudson III, Julian Rozzell Jr., Tonye Patano and Jacob Ming-Trent) is taking bets on whether Hero (Benton Greene), the asyet-unseen protagonist, will join their slaveowner, Colonel (Ken Marks), on the front lines of the Confederacy. Each of the four chorus members gives his or her reasoning as to why they think Hero will or will not go — the exchanges are entertaining, if drawn out.

Evgenia Eliseeva via American Repertory Theater

“Part 1: A Measure of a Man” of “Father Comes Home From the Wars” follows Benton Greene as Hero as he struggles to decide of whether go to war for the Confederacy to win his freedom from slavery.

The play picks up steam with the revelation of the slaveowner’s promise to Hero: Colonel will give Hero his freedom in exchange for Hero’s assistance in serving the colonel on the front lines of the Confederacy in the war. Hero’s decision to help the Confederacy is dizzyingly ironic, but not unfounded, especially because Hero fears freedom more than he desires it. There is a greater emphasis on the psychological, rather than the physical, atrocities of slavery throughout the play. The entirety of Part 1 resolves in a flash, however, with Hero departing more as antihero than hero for his betrayal of Homer (Sekou Laidlow), another slave and a

friend. The incident illuminates just how severely servitude has twisted Hero’s the moral compass.

Part 2 commences with Colonel, a colonel in the rebel army, relaxing by a fire while a Union soldier (Michael Crane) sits captive in a makeshift cage; Hero meanwhile is offstage gathering wood for the fire. At one point, the colonel says, “I am grateful every day that God made me white,” going on to enumerate the advantages afforded him by his race. The relevance of Colonel’s monologue to recent events is part of the beauty and power of this play, which flawsee FATHER, page 7

Album Review

27th time around, Kidz Bop refuses to grow up

by Greta Jochem Daily Staff Writer

In the midst of this second-wave snow storm, what’s better to warm the heart than a choir of harmonious pip-

Kidz Bop 27

Kidz Bop Razor & Tie squeak voices singing America’s top 40 hits in perfect harmony? The ever-popular Kidz Bop franchise has released its highly-anticipated 27th album, surprisingly entitled “Kidz Bop 27” (2015).

At first listen, the album may sound like a computerized chorus of pre-teens, but apparently there are four real kids behind the voices: Ashlynn, Grant, Matt and Brendia. The album covers recent top songs like “Shake it Off” (2014), “Rude” (2014) and “Problem” (2014).

Hearing egregiously childish voices sing about very adult issues, especially in popular songs that are overwhelmingly sexualized, is utterly hilarious. Of course there aren’t any explicitly bad words in the Kidz Bop lyrics, but the adult themes are still there, just broadcasted through the voices of autotuned children. Without paying attention to the lyrics, the slightly cute but mostly annoying voices conjure up montages of joyful

children singing about flowers, sunshine and lollipops during a third-grade recess.

But, besides a few words edited here and there, they are still singing about adult issues.

Hearing a child sing, “Can I have your daughter for the rest of my life?” or “Am I wrong thinking that we could be something for real?” is at first funny, then slightly uncomfortable.

At times, Kidz Bop’s clean lyric edits go hilariously wrong. In the original Grammy contender song “All About That Bass” (2014), Meghan Trainor sings, “I’m bringing booty back,” which apparently is not appropriate for innocent ears (even though the lyric is tightly tied to the song’s arguably body-positive message). Thus the lyric on the Kidz Bop version has been changed to something that the first few times around sounds like, “I’m bringing anal back,” as Perez Hilton pointed out on his website. With a few more close listens and verified Google fact checks, it’s revealed that the kids are actually singing “I’m bringing it all back.” But because the rhythm of the song doesn’t flow as well with the edited Kidz Bop lyrics, the words end up garbled and, entertainingly enough, even more inappropriate than before.

Even when not misunderstood, historically the lyric changes are laughable.

Listeners had high expectations after Kidz Bop 24 (2013) infamously changed explicit lyrics in Mackelmore’s “Thrift Shop” (2012) to “Whatup?! I got a hit song!”

Sadly, Kidz Bop 27 offers few giggle-inducing lyric changes. Boom Clap’s (2014) “first kiss just like a drug” was changed to “first

look just like it was,” which doesn’t make much sense.

Of course, Kidz Bop probably started from a good place: creating “safe” music for kids to listen to that’s a step up from Humpty Dumpty and makes them feel like a “big kid.”

But in a lot of ways, Kidz Bop epitomizes what’s wrong with the American pop music industry.

As if recycling another sugary, fabricated pop song and pumping it out onto the radio to the masses for quick consumption in the top 40s to make a quick buck isn’t enough of a manufactured music overload, there’s Kidz Bop to take it over the top.

Recycled? They’re essentially the same songs, plus or minus a few words.

Sugary? They’re more saccharine-saturated than your stomach on Valentine’s Day after a miserable solo binge of drug store chocolate — but I’m not speaking from experience, of course. Kidz Bop capitalizes on making covers of pre-made cookie-cutter songs by churning out two full albums a year, plus Halloween and Christmas albums and a themed album in the spring — in case one doesn’t get their “Kidz Bop” fix from the two annual LPs. So when you’re having your weekly existential crisis and feel the urge to forget about your current problems by reverting to your childhood, know that it’s best to resist the sparkle of a new and enticing Kidz Bop album and stick with a classic round of “Baby Beluga” (1980).

Emily gruzdowich | caffinated critic

Going, Goya, Gone ’m always thinking about Goya. The brash-

I

ness of his political statements resonates.

The forcefulness of his etched lines and bold pigments compels. The mastery of his brush over commissioned portraits as well as chaotic dreamlands awes. My endless musings about Goya, artists, exhibitions and galleries in general inspired me to write a column for The Tufts Daily. As you read, I invite you to become an art connoisseur or even a critic, using Boston’s wealth of art to do so.

The dark period of Goya, characterized by superstition, devotion, dreams and death, was juxtaposed against his earlier works of conformity in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts’ (MFA) exhibition on the artist. Featuring a collection of seventy-one works on paper from the MFA — in combination with loans from the Museo del Prado, the Louvre, the Met and the Hispanic Society of America in New York — the show traced the path from how Goya outwardly viewed himself to how Goya interpreted the troubled humanity around him. Showcasing his bold combination of pigments in the striking portrait “María Del Pilar Teresa Cayetana De Silva Álvarez De Toledo Y Silva” (1797) as well as his carefully etched dark political critiques of “Los Caprichos” (1797-1798), the exhibition captured the versatility of Goya as an artist. Through tracing the exhibition path, one was let into the meticulous mind of Goya. His creative genius trafficked between depicting the leisure of aristocracy to revealing the plight of an innocent citizen in the Peninsular War. As a painter, printmaker, and draftsman, Goya created his works from a mixture of media.

The show at the MFA successfully captured the multi-faceted nature of Goya as an artist and the commonality of themes that preoccupied the artist’s work across centuries.

Bridging the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Francisco Goya’s work pioneered the transition from Old Masters to Moderns.

Striving to depict the myriad of human conditions and emotions, Goya’s work is as relevant today as it was at its creation. Goya attempts to represent transient states of humanity. To do so he employed rapid brush stokes to capture the fleeting emotions of a mortal world, crafting a tangible spectrum of imperfect human emotions. Fixating at the gradual rise and decline of the human race, Goya examines how order gradually slips into disorder. Even in works that appear to be blessed with rare tranquility, often a tension exists that implies the lurking chaos not yet pictured.

In particular, I am drawn to this tension exhibited in Goya’s works: the struggle between harmony and chaos.

Goya’s works are characteristically dark in both subject palate and nature, but they feature foreboding infusions of light, which signal the “light” or radical change to come. Even in his work “The Third of May, 1808” (1814-1815), the light of a revolutionary change follows the gruesome massacre. The struggle to impose order on a life characterized by disorder is a goal many of us can relate to. The opposite poles of perfection and failure addressed in Goya’s work transcends the works’ 19th century context.

While Goya himself is a revolutionary artist, I left the exhibition with very mixed thoughts, questioning the cohesion of the show’s arrangement as well as the arbitrary thematic divides. The exhibition was hard to traffic; offputting temporary walls and lack or abundance of wall text caused a disjointed viewing of the exhibition. The majority of the exhibition set up late-period Goya, or as the MFA referred to it “solo Goya.” However, a consequence of this suspenseful setup was that the “Disasters of War”(1810-1820) prints lost their individual impact when stacked at the end.

Nonetheless, an exhibition comprised of this number of Goya’s works in the United States is a significant event in itself. For those not able to make it out to the exhibition, which closed January 19th, I encourage you to look up some of the show’s highlights, such as “Seated Giant” (1818) and “Witches’ Sabbath”(1797-1798) to catch a glimpse of the gravity of this exhibition.

Emily Gruzdowich is a sophomore majoring in Political Science. She can be reached at Emily.Gruzdowich@tufts.edu.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

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Arts & Living

'Archer' returns to former glory with wit, grit by carter thallon Contributing Writer

“Archer,” (2009-present) FX’s animated satirical comedy, has returned to its roots with its Jan. 8 premiere

Archer

Starring H. Jon Benjamin, Aisha Tyler, Jessica Walter, Chris Parnell

Airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. on FX of season six. After one year of using the “Vice” plotline, the show has the gang back to work at the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS).

Well, actually the main characters are now working as contractors for the CIA due to the real-world ISIS — a terrorist organization that has gained prominence and attention in the news during the show’s offseason.

But, the workplace name change is neither here nor there for the show; what’s important is that “Archer” is back to its standard and glorious format.

The show follows the secret-agent life of main character Sterling Archer (H. Jon Benjamin), a world-class spy and narcissist.

His numerous personal problems seem to stem mostly from his mother (and boss):

the cold Malory Archer (Jessica Walter).

Archer’s colorful array of co-workers also include his no-nonsense exgirlfriend, Lana Kane (Aisha Tyler); the extremely vulgar head of HR, Pam Poovey (Amber Nash); the mad scientist who shares the DNA of Hitler, Dr. Krieger (Lucky Yates) and several others.

Archer and his associates travel around the world on top-secret missions and attempt to save the day.

The best way that the show can be described for newcomers is Charlie Sheen as “007: Dr. No” (1962).

The show’s humor is driven by lightning quick banter and Archer’s egotistical actions during high stakes situations. All of the characters are constantly yelling at each other, drinking heavily and muddling up their situation before miraculously saving the day. The show creates fantastic comedic harmony by mixing its extreme vulgarity and crudeness with its sharp, witty dialogue.

After mixed reviews of its fifth season, “Archer: Vice” (2014) — which veered away from the spy aspect of the show — season six has re-established the standard “Archer” formula and has already produced several stellar episodes. The first two episodes were extremely well written, and “Archer” seems to be back to the top form of its former seasons.

While many things on the show have reverted to their normal states —

Edward Liu via Flickr Creative Commons

Show creator Adam Reed (who also plays Ray Gillette) is returning to the tried-and-true formula of “Archer’s” previous seasons, with Jessica Walter (Mallory Archer) and H. Jon Benjamin (Sterling Archer) delivering razor sharp wit. such as Pam gaining back weight after she stopped eating pounds of cocaine, and the return of Barry (Dave Willis), Archer’s cyborg nemesis — this season looks to stay fresh by introducing the new character of Abbiejean KaneArcher, or Baby A.J. for short. Baby A.J. is Lana’s infant daughter, who was revealed to also be Archer’s child at the end of season five. So far, the underlying story of the impulsive and immature Archer learning to become a father has been compounded in complexity

by Archer’s increasingly complicated relationship with Lana. This has provided the show with excellent material and has given it a platform to show growth for Archer’s character.

While the show generally appears to be returning to its previously fine form, the third episode of the season was a bit lackluster, and seemed to be slipping back into “Vice” territory.

Some of the dialogue in this episode sounded as if they were parodying the show itself, cramming in slightly rehashed jokes with a minutely different context.

This delivery is not terrible for new viewers, but for people who have followed the show from the beginning, it could become repetitive. “Archer” has given viewers innumerable excellent catch phrases, but even the classics get old after hearing them quoted a hundred times.

While this season could crumble if creator Adam Reed tries too hard to solely return to the old “Archer” of seasons past, the show’s failure doesn’t seem likely. Given the strength of the first several episodes, the sixth season should be a return to the show’s former glory, satisfying the viewers’ needs for both classic formula and new innovation.

lEvgenia Eliseeva via American Repertory Theater

In “Part 2: A Battle in the Wilderness” of “Father Comes Home From the Wars,” Hero (Benton Greene) and his slaveowner Colonel (Ken Marks) form a bond while serving for the Confederacy on the front lines of the Civil War.

‘Father Comes Home’ offers insightful look at Civil War-era America FATHER

continued from page 6

lessly interweaves past and present — try thinking of a more poignant and cringe-worthy way to elucidate white privilege to audiences than having a Confederate nutcase enumerate the extensiveness of that privilege to them in monologue form.

The final part of this installation in the “Father Comes Home From the Wars” odyssey brings the audience back to Texas, now in 1863. The characters who comprised the Chorus from Part 1 have left the narrative, and new characters (played by the same actors) make up the new chorus labeled as “The Runaway Slaves.”

These runaway slaves are on their way north and hope to bring Homer and Penny ( Jenny Jules), the lover whom Hero leaves behind when he goes to war, with them.

Allusions to Homer’s “Odyssey” run rampant throughout Parts 1 and 3.

Hero, in Part 3, changes his name to Ulysses – a reference both to Odysseus (Ulysses is the Roman version of the name) and to the Union commanding general Ulysses S. Grant. Odd-see, a play on the word “Odyssey,” is the name of Hero’s hilarious talking dog, who plays a pivotal role in heralding his master’s return in the same way as the dog in Homer’s “Odyssey.”

For all the references, the play is not reverential. The dialogue is peppered with contemporary slang, and the actors, tailored in a mashup of period and modern clothing, make full effect of these moments. To wit, the fourth wall is hardly even a consideration — both literally and figuratively, it does not exist in this play.

The cast keeps this play, which runs nearly three hours, moving at near breakneck speed for much of the time.

Ming-Trent brings outstanding energy to the role of Odyssey Dog, delivering lines that are equal parts harsh criticism and comedic retort with aplomb.

Ms. Jules, who breaks hearts with her performance in Part 3, is also a highlight of the production.

The story wraps up neatly at the end — if the outcome is not surprising, then the motivations that lead the character to that concluding point are — and could very well stand on its own without the next six parts. Like any show with a stellar opening, however, “Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3)” makes you want to see the rest of the volumes in the series; it’s that good.

“Father Comes Home From the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3),” written by Suzan-Lori Parks and directed by Jo Bonney, is playing at the American Repertory Theater through March 1. Tickets are $25 for students with a valid student I.D.

Gage Skidmore via Flickr Creative Commons

Aisha Taylor, who plays Lana Kane in “Archer,” at Comic Con.

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Wednesday, February 4, 2015

THE SILENT EPIDEMIC Hepatitis C and Access to Affordable Medicines

EXHIBITION, RECEPTION, AND LECTURE Tonight, Wednesday, February 4, 7:00pm Slater Concourse Gallery, Aidekman Arts Center

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a global health challenge affecting an estimated 200 million people across the world. Often called a “silent epidemic,” many who contract it often go undiagnosed for years. In Brazil, an estimated three million people have acquired HCV, yet only about 10-12,000 people a year receive the life-saving medications that they need. While Brazil’s Ministry of Health has launched an awareness campaign, the major challenge facing the country is access to effective and affordable medicines.

In August 2014, six Tufts students from the Institute for Global Leadership’s Program for Narrative and Documentary Practice and six Brazilian students created character-driven, multimedia narratives about Hepatitis C and the lack of access to effective, affordable medicines. This project was in collaboration with Open Society Foundations and under the guidance of renowned photojournalists Samuel James and Marizilda Cruppe. This exhibition is the result of the collection of stories to put a human face to the “Silent Epidemic.” The full story can be found on the website: www.the-silent-epidemic.com.

OPENING LECTURE ON THE ETHICS OF ACCESS TO MEDICINES BY

PROFESSOR SHELDON KRIMSKY

Professor of Urban and Environmental Policyand Planning in the School of Arts & Sciences and Adjunct Professor in Public Health and Family Medicine in the School of Medicine at Tufts University, Professor Krimsky’s research has focused on the linkages between science/technology, ethics/values and public policy. The author of 14 books, he currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Council for Responsible Genetics and as a Fellow of the Hastings Center on Bioethics.

REFRESHMENTS WILL FOLLOW

For more information: tuftsgloballeadership.org or x73314

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Journalist's death should inspire peace, but not forgiveness In a pattern of events that has become disturbingly familiar, Islamic State militants have executed yet another hostage. On Saturday, the kidnappers posted a video that appears to show the beheading of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto. Goto, who had been missing in Syria since October, was in the country attempting to aid in the release of another hostage, Haruna Yukawa, whose murder was announced on Jan. 24.

Goto’s death at the hands of extremists is particularly poignant given the fact that he dedicated his life and career to covering conflict zones with a humanitarian focus. He was known for reporting on the lives of regular people impacted by war, disease and natural disasters, reminding the public of the human costs of foreign conflicts.

As someone with extensive experience working in dangerous areas, Goto was well aware of the risks facing him in his travel to Syria. Shortly before his capture, he released a video stating that he was fully responsible for his own fate and urging others not to blame the people of Syria for

whatever may happen to him. Nor was this the first time Goto had issued a call for tolerance. In the aftermath of his death, a tweet of his from 2010 has gone viral: “Closing my eyes and holding still. It’s the end if I get mad or scream. It’s close to a prayer. Hate is not for humans. Judgment lies with God. That’s what I learned from my Arabic brothers and sisters.”

We live in a world where people are cowardly enough to attack and kill those whose only mission in life is to help others, seek the truth and report the news. Before leaving for Syria, Goto stated, “It’s very dangerous, so even if anything should happen to me, I won’t blame the people of Syria.

Whatever happens, I am responsible.” Goto is hardly the first journalist to be killed by this organization, and sadly, he likely will not be the last.

Goto’s message has touched a nerve both in his native Japan and across the world. “I am Kenji,” a Facebook page for mourning and messages of solidarity, currently has over 49,000 likes. Because Goto’s fight for justice and humanity in times of conflict lies in stark contrast

to the Islamic State’s senseless violence, many view him as a hero.

And rightfully so — Goto’s philosophy has much to teach us about the way we should deal with the horrors of ISIL’s actions. While the behavior of these extremists may leave us desperate for retribution, we must always remember to guard against Islamophobia within our own countries and prevent further oppression domestically. Furthermore, we must remember that the victims of these conflicts are not just high-profile hostages, but also the ordinary people across Iraq and Syria who have had their countries and lives destroyed by the Islamic State. Their fates are an extremely important piece of this conflict, a fact of which Goto worked hard throughout his career to remind us.

To truly honor Goto’s life and work, we must embrace the principles he fought for and avoid the type of intolerance that allows groups like ISIL to function in the first place. We do not need to forgive or forget the horrors, but we need to ensure they stop and prevent them from happening ever again.

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Human rights in Saudi Arabia

or the past two weeks, higher ups in the international community have flocked to Saudi Arabia to pay respects after the death of King Abdullah on Jan. 23. Everyone from French President Francois Hollande to President Obama met with offered condolences and met with the newly appointed King Salman in order to solidify good relations with the new government. “As our countries worked together to confront many challenges, I always valued King Abdullah’s perspective and appreciated our genuine and warm friendship,” said Obama.

As evident from the rhetoric and gestures of heads of state around the world, King Abdullah was highly respected throughout the international community as a steady ally. Much of the international community’s admiration for the man stems from his reputation as a reformer and his attempts to expand the rights of his citizens.

King Abdullah did admittedly have some success in modernizing his state, improving the lives of the underappreciated and underprivileged, and overturning archaic laws that limited freedoms.

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.

This is especially true of women’s right. French head of the IMF, Christian Lagarde, says that “in a discreet way, he was a strong advocate for women.

It was very gradual, appropriately so probably for the country… [but] he was a strong believer.”

Women in Saudi Arabia did see an expansion of their rights under King Abdullah. Professions previously open only to men now see some female representation. In 2013, 30 women were appointed to the Shura council, the advisory body to the cabinet. Women can now receive higher education and vote in elections, freedoms never allowed before Abdullah took control in 2005.

But the truth is Saudi Arabia remains one of the most repressive states, both towards women and society at large, and reform is slow and limited.

Despite a shift forward, human rights violations are still numerous and gruesome. In Saudi Arabia, women are still cannot drive, despite King Abdullah’s promise to overturn this law, and they must receive permission from male guardians to travel or marry. And the rest of society is not immune to similar repression. Journalists are sentenced to a decade in prison and 1,000 lashes for speaking against the government.

In 2014 alone, 80 people were beheaded in methods eerily reminiscent to the Islamic State.

Even under one of the most liberal leaders, Saudi Arabian society remains under heavy control. “King Abdullah’s reign brought marginal advances for women, but failed to secure the funda-

mental rights of Saudi citizens to free expression, association and assembly,” said the Human Rights Watch. The deceased king took steps in the right direction, but success was marginal and failed to address the root of the problem: a misogynistic and oppressive society that thrives by keeping women subordinate and dissent down.

Without real change, Saudi Arabia will remain a repressive state where people are tried in terrorist courts and tortured for advocating for basic rights.

The international heads of state that paid tribute to the deceased king are not oblivious to his wrongdoings, and Obama is no exception. The State Department recently released a report reflecting human rights violations under King Abdullah. But, despite overwhelming evidence of heinous repression, the United States policy fails to reflect the abuses. In offering condolences for the King’s death, international leaders continue to support a state that fails to take real steps towards an expansion of rights, and as a result, such treatment of citizens remains. Ideally, world leaders should use the opportunity to impress on the newly appointed King Salman that human rights must be a global priority. As it stands, King Abdullah’s death leaves Saudi Arabian freedoms in question.

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

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Wednesday, February 4, 2015 Op-Ed

The Tufts Daily

Super Better: Super Bowl Ads that Actually Added Women

by Madeline Bacchus

Op-Ed Contributor

The Super Bowl is probably the most anticipated television event of the year. With an assumed male dominated viewership, it’s no surprise that every moment is tailored to keeping them focused on the television, even during commercial breaks. Though past Super Bowl ads have been notorious for their promotion of gender stereotypes and roles, this year some companies tried to tone down the manly-man aspect of their ads. Some were successful and some not so much.

Past Super Bowl advertisements have had some embarrassing hits. For example, Dr. Pepper Ten’s 2011 commercial was so focused on over-exaggerating male gender norms to masculinize diet soda, a beverage apparently considered feminine, that it seemed borderline comical. Realizing that the ad was completely serious, even Forbes dubbed it “bizarre.” But, Dr. Pepper wasn’t alone.

Joining them in the notorious commercial category would be Doritos’ 2013 Super Bowl commercial in which a girl tries to convince her father to play dress up with her. The dad only plays with his daughter after being bribed with Doritos, because why would a father ever want to spend time with his daughter. Daddy’s friends decide to join in as well. Not only does the joke paint a caricature of outdated gender roles, it’s also offensive to those who don’t abide by those roles. Bonus points to Doritos for throwing in the ever-coveted nagging

Op-Ed

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Op-Ed

wife, stereotypically carrying groceries and ruining the fun.

It seemed as though no company even took the time to consider the possibility that women watch the Super Bowl too. Last year, women made up 46 percent of the Super Bowl audience, according to Nielsen demographic data.

In response to the overly-masculine commercials, the Representation Project spoke up both last year and this year by using #NotBuyingIt and #MediaWeLike in tweets during the game. Women also made up 59 percent of Twitter users, according to a report published by onlineMBA.com. This year it appears that advertisers have finally taken notice and addressed the female viewership.

This year, Always took the phrase “like a girl” and tore it to shreds. Not only did they destroy the notion that women and girls are physically inferior, they also proved that gender stereotypes are things we learn from society growing up; they’re not inherent.

In addition, they pointed out how this phrase can be harmful to boys and men as well by regulating their gender roles and stereotypes.

Through Nationwide’s commercial this year, Mindy Kaling made a very intentional statement on the invisibility of women, specifically women of color, in a humorous way. Even without the whole script and scenes, just her appearance during one of the most watched television events of the year, one catered to the male population, helped dismantle that same invisibility.

This move was not at all something

new for the comedian. Kaling discussed this same concept of invisibility alongside Lena Dunham, Jenji Koha, Kristen Wiig, and Emily Nussbaum at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

Going beyond the obvious commercials, some other companies even toned down their dude-centric ads this year. Fiat’s 2013 commercial attempted to subtly convey the message that buying their car would make women more attracted to you. The message came out crystal clear. The subtlety, on the other hand, needed a lot of work, so much in fact that they may as well have earned themselves a spot in Sociological Images’ list of pornographic imagery in media from 2008.

However, this year’s viewers followed a tiny blue pill (clearly Viagra) on its adventure from a man’s palm to the gas tank of a Fiat 500, which consequently “grew” into a 500X crossover SUV. Though the central message remained, this ad relied on some well-known tropes and more creativity to get that message across. The lack of breathless women struggling to be noticed was noted. Bonus points to Fiat for throwing in a realistic-looking bed-mate of the man who sadly lost the blue pill instead of the typical younger, model type.

There was even a moving ad about domestic violence, in which the phone call heard was actually a real 911 call which occurred about eight months ago. It seems like an effective commercial, drawing the viewers into the frightened mentality of a victim of domestic violence. Going even further, the NFL gave the air time for the commercial

from the No More organization for free.

Given the recent domestic violence cases involving multiple members of the NFL, this commercial is either ironic or a promise for a better future.

The NFL has publicly partnered with the No More organization, working with it to end domestic violence.

However, the donation of air time comes from the NFL’s own advertising time. They get that time to air commercials no matter what. In essence, the NFL just took a quick break from directly promoting itself to indirectly promote its new campaign against domestic violence, if you can even call it a campaign. The ad offers no solution to help end domestic violence.

The only purpose it served was to show that domestic violence exists and the NFL cares. No one really knows what the NFL is doing about it.

As it turns out, No More is not exactly a nonprofit organization. It also doesn’t consist of a committee of people. No people seem to actually work there.

Instead, the organization is made up of various brands, such as Allstate and Verizon. Even the website nomore.org is owned by Kate Spade. So, with all this in mind, the commercial is ironic, if not some cheap publicity stunt.

Regardless, they’re all a step in the right direction and an absolute improvement from years before. Sure, the ads could still use some (or a lot of ) tweaking, but at least companies are taking notice of female viewers and trying to reach out to them. Now it’s up to the companies not to drop the ball on this in the future.

Paul Ryan and the Future of the Republican Party

by Jamie Neikrie Op-Ed Contributor

Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan has decided not to run for President, and this is a bad thing for the country.

“I have decided that I am not going to run for president in 2016,” Ryan said in a phone interview with NBC News on Jan. 12, noting that he is “at peace” with the decision he made. “I feel like I am in a position to make a big difference where I am and I want to do that,” Ryan said.

In the new Congress, Ryan will assume a powerful role as the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, where he will be the leading voice of a body that has jurisdiction over all taxation, tariffs and other revenue-raising measures, as well as Social Security, unemployment benefits and Medicare. In keeping his position in the Committee, Ryan is demonstrating his belief that the real power in American politics resides in Congress, not in the presidency. But in deciding not to run for president, Ryan may be hurting the country he is seeking to help.

In 2010, Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell stated that “the single most important thing [the Republican Party] wants to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.” That year, President Obama passed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Obamacare was a decidedly moderate, albeit sweeping, policy change. It established a market-based health care system, an idea proposed by the Heritage Foundation, embraced by Republicans for over a decade and implemented successfully in Massachusetts by then-Governor Mitt Romney. And yet, the Republican Party has opposed the ACA at every turn, voting to repeal it more than 50 times in the House. Even when the president delayed or eliminated deadlines in the ACA to appease Republicans and the business community, the House of Representatives decided to sue him for it.

This all-encompassing, anti-Obama agenda has driven the Republican Party

to oppose several of Obama’s proposals: amnesty for illegal immigrants, an idea touted by Ronald Reagan in the 80s, advocacy for greater government interference in the case of abortions, despite the founding conservative principle of limited federal power and turn against TARP, the emergency response package drafted by both parties after the 2008 economic collapse. Across the board, the GOP has been reactionary, failing to drive policy discussions in any meaningful way.

Paul Ryan offered an antithesis. This past summer, Ryan faced public backlash for his remarks about the state of inner-city work ethics, comments that were perceived as more of an indictment of poor people than an analy-

sis of the systems that create poverty.

Refusing to back down, Ryan released a comprehensive anti-poverty discussion paper later that July. A helpful transition away from the ugly “moochers” and “47 percent” rhetoric of the Romney campaign, Ryan’s plan commits resources to successful programs like the Earned-Income Tax Credit, and promises that future programs will be driven by research and results rather than ideology. Overall, Ryan’s travels and experiences in policies have guided him to see communities as the best safety net, and so his plan attempts to bundle federal programs and send them to the states, localizing poverty prevention.

Harry E. Walker / MCT

Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan has decided to forgo a run for president in 2016.

While his name was tossed around for a while as a possible presidential contender in 2016, Ryan is rarely thought of as the face of the Republican Party. And yet, through his impressive and sustained attention to conservative economic values, including last December’s Ryan-Murray budget plan, Ryan has become the GOP’s leading wonk and policy expert.

For even the staunchest liberal, conservative ideology and rhetoric offers a legitimate balancing point. There are very credible arguments to be made for smaller, localized governments, a stingier budget that keeps the deficit in check or poverty programs that avoid the onesize fits all moniker. More so than in any other field of politics, conservative and liberal economic policies work in tandem, balancing spending, welfare, and taxation policies.

I lost sight of that fact over the last six years, watching the Republican Party embrace obstructionism as a guiding force. Paul Ryan helps return politics to a place of policy and ideas, rather than partisan rhetoric. Other conservative leaders have already begun to follow Ryan’s lead in bolstering their policy portfolios. Marco Rubio has been one of the leading voices on immigration proposals, while Rand Paul’s recent comments about voting rights for ex-felons and the dangers of government surveillance have driven rumors of his 2016 aspirations.

Paul Ryan’s proposals aren’t perfect. His budget proposal undercuts aid to the poor by drastically reducing Medicaid and eliminating SNAP, while his poverty plan makes no mention of these sweeping measures. Ryan’s plan of devolving poverty programs to local communities also lacks specificity, and relies too heavily on state governments that have continually proven to be poor vehicles of safety net measures.

But Ryan’s willingness to lend his voice to the national conversation, to drive to policy proposals and to stand as the conservative voice on economic issues distinguish him.

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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The Tufts Daily

FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 4, 2015

Crossword

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Doonesbury

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

ACROSS 1 Beginning on 5 No ordinary party 9 Keister 13 Big Island coffee region 14 Sap-sucking insect 16 Put on board 17 Learning ctr.

18 “Being John Malkovich” director 20 Bit of dust 21 Readies for another voyage 22 “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” co-star 26 Portions out 29 One making waves 30 Sean Lennon’s mom 31 Occasionally 32 Three-time Hopkins role 34 At hand 35 Slangily, overimbibe; literally, what the starts of 18-, 22-, 49- and 54Across can do 38 Fictional archaeologist Croft 40 Bakery array 41 Promises 44 “Hawaii Five-0” actor Daniel __ Kim 45 Cellular messenger 48 Ambien maker 49 Saddle storage area 51 Longhorn rival 53 Mandlikova of tennis 54 Nervous habit 58 Prophet’s concern 59 Promgoer’s concern 60 Really enjoy 61 One of 28 Monopoly cards 62 Places for hats 63 Jazz singer Horne 64 Icelandic literary work

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Comics

by Garry Trudeau

Non Sequitur by Wiley

2/4/15

By Gareth Bain

DOWN 1 With hands on hips 2 Northern Mexican state 3 GM navigation system 4 Meant to be 5 __-relief 6 iPhone purchase 7 See 12-Down 8 Enjoy the Pacific Crest Trail 9 Literary arcs 10 Redeemed from captivity 11 Carpenter’s tool 12 With 7-Down, punny message site 15 Make leaner 19 Leave at the altar 23 Expert on feet?

24 Foot part 25 Wrecks completely 27 Tetley offering 28 Estonia, until 1991: Abbr.

31 Doomed 1588 fighting force 32 Gigs for 22Across, often

Tuesday’s Puzzle Solved Tuesday’s Solution

Married to the Sea

©2015 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

33 Expressive rock genre 35 Bribing 36 Rescue op 37 Smell bad 38 Old DJ’s platters 39 India Pale __ 42 Shapeless mass 43 Start of a selection process 45 Didn’t stay put

2/4/15

46 “Thanks, but I’m set!”

47 Actress Plummer 49 Hackneyed 50 __ Island 52 Bibliog. catchall 54 Brief refresher 55 Solitaire foundation card 56 Wimple wearer 57 Credit-weighted no.

THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME

www.marriedtothesea.com

by David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek

Unscramble these four Jumbles, one letter to each square, to form four ordinary words.

©2015 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved.

TUCHH NORTGS

SUDOKU Level: Making your own wings for the Super Bowl party.

Check out the new, free JUST JUMBLE app

ZAOKO

CREPOP

Now arrange the circled letters to form the surprise answer, as suggested by the above cartoon.

-

A: Yesterday’s

(Answers tomorrow) Jumbles: HEDGE TRUNK FAULTY FATHOM Answer: After the stockbroker got married, he was — OFF THE MARKET

Late Night at the Daily

Monday’s Solution

Jon: “We should actually change our mascot to the jumbles.”

Please recycle this Daily.

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

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Tufts splits games against Conn. College, Wesleyan MEN’S BASKETBALL continued from back

bench early to bring on sophomore point guard Tarik Smith and first-year forward Ben Engvall to help spur on the offense.

Engvall in particular had a strong first half, scoring nine of his 10 points, and hitting a 3-pointer with only 43 seconds to go before halftime to extend Tufts’ lead to 36-30. In Sabety’s absence, Engvall should see an uptick in minutes, as he gives the Jumbos the ability to stretch the floor while still competing for rebounds on the block.

The second half was a different story for Tufts. Wesleyan, who shot only 33 percent from beyond in the arc in the first half, began exploiting Tufts’ 3-2 zone, shooting 44 percent from three in the second half.

On the other end of the floor, Tufts couldn’t buy a bucket, failing to score for the first 7:20 of the half.

“We didn’t score the first six minutes of the second half,” Sheldon said. “We went man-to-man [later in the second half]; our man-to-man was all right. We shouldn’t give up 80 points. We’ve got to be tougher.”

By the time Smith hit a 3-pointer at the 12:20 mark, Wesleyan had gone on an 11-0 run. Smith’s three cut the lead to 41-39, but Wesleyan did not relinquish its lead for the rest of the game.

The Jumbos did not go away, though, and a scuffle on the floor in which it appeared that Smith got hit in the face by a Cardinals player energized the Jumbos — particularly Palleschi, who had to be restrained following the altercation.

Palleschi backed up his talk, scoring Tufts’ next seven points en route to a 12-point second half.

“There was that scuffle which obviously made us want to win even more,” Palleschi said. “But we should never have to have a scuffle like that to … bring our intensity up. We should be intense throughout the

entire game. But we all kind of banded together, and we tried our best to keep fighting back into it.”

After Smith hit two free throws at the 7:37 mark to cut the lead to 54-49 the game was a back and forth affair. However, every time the Jumbos appeared poised to regain the lead, the Cardinals responded.

A layup from junior guard Ryan Spadaford made it a one-point game with 4:59 to play, but Wesleyan’s sophomore forward Joseph Kuo hit two layups, both off of offensive rebounds, to push the lead back to five. Kuo terrorized the Jumbos inside all day, grabbing 13 rebounds, six of which came on the offensive end.

Following Kuo’s second layup, Tufts refused to go away; it put on a full-court press that gave Wesleyan some trouble at the start. However, Wesleyan iced the game at the free throw line, hitting 16 of 18 from the line in the final 2:21.

Palleschi led all scorers with 20 points, and Smith added 15 of the bench for the Jumbos. Wesleyan had four scorers in double figures: Junior guard Joe Edmonds had 18, Kuo had 17, junior tri-captain guard Jack Mackey had 16 and junior guard BJ Davis had 12.

While the game against Wesleyan tested Tufts for the entire 40 minutes, Tufts’ 71-57 win over Conn. College was rarely in question.

“Against Conn. College we did a very good job,” Palleschi said. “We passed the ball a lot, we got ball reversals and we waited to get a good shot.”

Tufts came out fast in the first half, breaking out to a 15-4 lead. But the Camels were able to keep pace for some time, as they cut the lead to 20-18 with a little over seven minutes in the half. It was the Jumbos’ game the rest of the way, though, as they took a 34-25 lead into half thanks to nine first-half points from senior tri-captain guard Ben Ferris.

The second half saw the Jumbos break the game open; they came out of the locker room swinging, scoring the first nine points of the half.

“We have a defensive philosophy where if we get three stops, we call it a ‘kill,’ and at the start of the second half, we got two straight kills,” Palleschi said.

“We started off the second half up nine, and within the first three or four minutes we were up 15, and we just kept playing our game … the halftime was very good for us. We saw the mistakes we made and adjusted, but we also just kept playing how we were playing.”

The Jumbos played a much more complete game against the Camels, with 11 players scoring, including 14 points from Ferris and a much needed 12 points, including three 3-pointers, from junior tri-captain guard Stephen Haladyna, who had been struggling with his shot this season.

The next step for the Jumbos, who are now 4-2 in the NESCAC and tied for second place, is to continue to prepare for life without Sabety. According to Palleschi, if Tufts can imitate one of professional basketball’s great teams, it should have no problem compensating for the loss of one player.

“As a team, we do a great job in trusting each other,” Palleschi said. “I know if I pass to anyone, I have faith in them that they’re gonna score or make the right play, and I believe they have the same faith in me. At the beginning of the season, we would watch the YouTube clip ‘San Antonio Spurs The Beautiful Game’ and we try to model ourselves to that.”

Sheldon’s only focus for the team is to just stay positive.

“We’ll be alright,” Sheldon said of the team’s outlook for the season. “We’re in the middle of things at 4-2. That puts us in the middle of the league. We have two left at home and two on the road, so it’ll be a battle, but we’ll be ready to go.”

Jumbos look to continue early season success Women’s FENCING continued from back

be great to see how we have improved since last fencing them.”

For Innes-Gold, Dartmouth is another chance for the team to test its mettle against top competition.

“I think the most important thing going forward is for us to stay focused during long multi-meets, learn from our mistakes, and maintain energy and effort, especially during close bouts,” Innes-Gold said.

Though the Jumbos are excited to prove themselves and test their skills against tough opponents, they are also sad to see their successful season come to an end.

“I have loved seeing this great group of women get closer this year, which I think has made us better fencers,” Gooch said.

“That said, we look forward to a successful and enjoyable remainder of the season.”

Courtesy Anne Gooch

The women’s fencing team went 4-0 at the Wellesley Invitational on Jan. 25.

Young throwers prove themselves in weekend meets WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD continued from back

very talented,” Conner said. “They have had a huge impact, as they have been scoring points for the team from the first meet of the season. As a class they bring so much energy and athleticism to the team, so I can’t wait to see what they can do in the next few years.”

At BU on Friday night, Allen became the new school record holder in the 200 meters as she obliterated her old PR of 26.82 seconds by 1.4 seconds, qualifying for Div. III New Englands, ECACs and the Open New England Championships. She also competed in the 60-meter hurdles — her main event — and took 18th place overall with a 9.11 second time that was fourth best in Tufts history. Junior Alexis Harrison

competed in the 60-meter dash, covering the distance in 8.07 seconds, as well as the 200-meter dash, which she ran in 27.08 seconds. Donohoe also competed in the 400 meters, landing 92nd in 61.35 seconds.

In the 500-meter dash, Prusaczyk ran for a quick 79.05 seconds to take 19th overall, while Loss took 38th overall in 81.31 seconds. Smith and senior Lauren Gormer also competed in the 800 meters, as both broke 2:20. Gormer placed 43rd overall in 2:18.91, while Smith finished 48th overall in 2:19.24.

“We saw some solid mid-season performances from everyone at BU,” Smith said.

“Our long sprints team is looking stronger every week. I think between Hannah [Loss], Rita [Donohue] and Julia [Prusaczyk], we can anticipate getting points from the long

sprint events in almost every meet. Lauren [Gormer] and I both feel our performances at BU were good midseason benchmarks in the 800 and should set us up to run some fast times later on.”

The Jumbos host their last home meet of the season, the Cupid Invitational, this Saturday before heading back to BU for the David Hemmery Invitational.

Although the Jumbos have performed well in the last few weeks, Smith believes there is still more room for improvement.

“I think the biggest hurdle we need to address is gearing up mentally to run as well in races as we do at practice,” Smith said. “We need to get better as a team about walking into races with confidence that we can keep up with almost any team in New England Div. III track.”

Tyler Maher | Beantown Beat

Angels in Arizona

L

ast week I asked what would happen when New England’s prolific offense clashed with Seattle’s suffocating defense in Super Bowl XLIX. As expected, a thrilling dogfight between the two best teams in football ensued, ultimately decided by plays that can only be described as miracles. Yes, the dramatic events of Sunday’s heart-stopping conclusion were truly miraculous.

It started with the Seattle Seahawks staging one last wild rally. Trailing 28-24 with two minutes remaining, they needed an 80-yard, game-winning touchdown drive. In the NFC championship game two weeks before, the Hawks managed to claw back from a similarly dire situation and overtake the Green Bay Packers on their final possession. Now they’d have to do the same against New England.

Before long, Seattle was on the brink of another crazy come-from-behind victory.

The Seahawks quickly marched downfield, spurred by Russell Wilson’s 33-yard bomb to Jermaine Kearse, who made the most unbelievable catch I’ve ever seen. Kearse gathered the ball while lying flat on his back, after bobbling it off every part of his body, after Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler tipped the original pass. The pigskin must have changed direction at least half a dozen times, and somehow Kearse corralled it. It was the helmet catch all over again.

Following a four-yard rush by Marshawn Lynch that brought Seattle to within spitting distance of the end zone, New England needed a miracle of its own. The Pats were up against their own goal line, backs to the wall, about to blow yet another Super Bowl lead in the closing seconds. All the Seahawks had to do was advance five feet and the championship would be theirs.

You know what happened next. Wilson inexplicably threw the ball on second-andgoal rather than handing it off to Lynch — probably the best running back in the NFL — or punch it in himself. An alert Butler reflexively slid in front of Wilson’s screaming pass and intercepted it, sealing Seattle’s defeat. If the undrafted rookie reacts one second later, intended target Ricardo Lockette makes the catch and the game is over. To put Butler’s play in perspective, it marked the first and only time that a pass from the one-yard line got picked off this season.

What Kearse and Butler did was incredible. Absolutely incredible. Two stunning acts of freak athleticism; one nearly won the Super Bowl, and the other clinched it.

We sports fans spend so much of our lives waiting, praying, and hoping for miracles like these. It’s kind of silly, actually.

We plead for desperation threes to go in, for Hail Mary passes to succeed and for pinch-hitters to come through with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. We wish for opponents to brick free throws, fumble in the red zone and boot easy grounders.

More often than not, however, our teams let us down. They miss the shot, shank the field goal and strike out to end the game. Rarely do they defy the odds, leaving our prayers unanswered, our hopes and dreams dashed.

But sometimes miracles do happen, and when they do it’s positively magical. The Red Sox came back after going down 3-0 to the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS. The Celtics erased a 24-point deficit against the Lakers in the 2008 NBA Finals. Tom Brady, David Ortiz and Paul Pierce have done things throughout their playoff careers that shouldn’t be humanly possible.

Referring to the legendary Ted Williams, John Updike once wrote that “gods do not answer letters.” Maybe not, but Malcolm Butler probably does.

Tyler Maher is a senior majoring in economics and English. He is also a Sports Editor at the Tufts Daily. He can be reached at tyler.maher@tufts.edu.

Sports

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tuftsdaily.com

women’s fencing

men’s Basketball

Women's fencing Following Sabety injury, Jumbos primed for strong finish stay afloat in NESCAC

by Chris Warren Sports Editor

The women’s fencing team may not be the most visible athletic group at Tufts — they play all their matches at other schools and typically practice late at night — but the squad has certainly put its opponents on notice with an excellent season. The Jumbos have gone 16-9, winning a dozen matches by double digits and losing six by seven points or less (they have also forfeited once). Their season has been defined by big wins and close losses, and considerably more of the former than the latter.

“The team is looking really strong this year,” senior epee captain Flora Lang said.

“Especially considering we’ve lost almost a third of our members since last semester.”

Tufts started its season strong on Nov. 9, winning six of eight at the Vassar Invitational. Its next match was the last of the fall semester, a Dec. 5 blowout loss at No. 7 Harvard that senior sabre captain Sarah InnesGold cited as a turning point in the season.

“I have seen a lot of improvement in our team’s performance compared to last semester,” Innes-Gold said.

“We left for winter break on a low note following a loss to Harvard and several injuries.

This semester, we’ve had a lot of success and each meet has brought improvements. I have high expectations for next weekend’s multi-meet.”

Tufts returned from the break well-rested and eager to get back on track. Despite losing nearly a third of its members to injury, study abroad, and other commitments, the Jumbos have man-

aged to go 10-6 this semester.

After going a perfect 4-0 at the Jan. 25 Wellesley Invitational, Tufts will go into this Saturday’s multi-meet at Dartmouth — relocated after originally being scheduled at Smith College — buoyed by momentum.

“The Wellesley Invitational last weekend was probably the highlight of our season so far, with the team as a whole going undefeated against all four schools and the foil squad performing the best they have all year,” Lang said. “Also last weekend, we had the opportunity to fence against Vassar for a second time, with sabre captain Sarah Innes-Gold facing off against her [first-year] sister Annie Innes-Gold and coming out victorious after a defeat earlier in the season.”

Following the Dartmouth meet, Tufts will return to Vassar, where it kicked off the spring semester on Jan. 18, to compete in the NEIFC Championships on Feb. 21. Then it’s on to the NCAA Northeast Regional Championship at NYU, where the Jumbos will wrap up their season on March 8. As the finish line nears, Tufts is focused on getting better and ending the season on a high note against challenging competition.

“Going forward, specifically for the Dartmouth Multi-Meet, we hope to strengthen both our team and individual records on our way to regionals, ensuring that as many people qualify as possible,” sophomore Anna Gooch said. “We have a chance to fence some tough schools for the second time this season [the other being at Vassar’s aforementioned Fencing Challenge], so it will see WOMEN’S FENCING, page 15

by Jake Indursky Managing Editor

Before its two-game homestand this past weekend, in which it split games against Wesleyan MEN’S BASKETBALL (9-9 Overall, 4-2 NESCAC) at Cousens Gym, Saturday Wesleyan Tufts

30 36

50 35

— —

80 71

— —

57 71

at Cousens Gym, Friday Conn. College Tufts

25 34

32 37

and Conn. College, the men’s basketball team received news of the biggest loss — both literally and figuratively — of its

season when 6’ 8” sophomore center Hunter Sabety suffered an apparently serious knee injury. The timetable for Sabety’s return is unclear, but according to coach Bob Sheldon, the Jumbos are prepared to move forward without their mammoth inside presence.

“It’s a big difference, and we have to learn how to play without him,” Sheldon said. “We’ve got to learn to play more with our smalls, and we will.”

Although the team will undoubtedly miss Sabety’s team-high 15.4 points per game (PPG), it was the absence of his rebounding presence on both ends of the floor that appeared to be the key factor in Tufts’ 80-71 loss to Wesleyan on Saturday.

The Cardinals out-rebounded the Jumbos 42-28, and although they only scored five more sec-

ond chance points than the Jumbos, it seemed that every Cardinals offensive rebound came at a backbreaking time for the Jumbos.

“Typically when we have two bigs, or me and Hunter at the same time, it’s a little bit easier to get a body on someone, and if we don’t get a body on someone we can still make up for it with our size,” sophomore tri-captain center Tom Palleschi said. “Without him, we didn’t do a good job of boxing out at all, and that’s a team that crashes the offensive glass incredibly hard.”

Both sides had trouble getting going at the start of the game, with the two sides combining to go just 5 of 18 from the field in the first eight minutes. However, with his new lineup adjustment still in place, Sheldon went to the see MEN’S BASKETBALL, page 15

Emma Kindig / The Tufts Daily

Sophomore guard Tarik Smith shoots a 3-pointer in the second half of the men’s basketball team’s 80-71 loss to Wesleyan on Jan. 31.

women’s Track and Field

Tufts shines as Allen breaks school record

by Tyler Maher Sports Editor

The women’s track and field team split its squad up over the weekend for a pair of nonscoring meets. A few members of the team traveled to Boston University’s annual John Thomas Terrier Invitational on Friday, while the majority of the team competed at Tufts’ own Stampede Invitational, held at the Gantcher Center on Jan. 30 and 31.

At BU, junior Marilyn Allen set a Tufts record in the 200-meter run with her 25.42 time, shattering the 25.59 mark set by Jessica Trombly in 2004. Normally a hurdler, Allen used the banked curves of BU’s track to her advantage to set the new record, which also stands as the top Div. III finish in that event this season.

Saturday’s Tufts Stampede kicked off with the women’s 3,000-meter run. Sophomore Kelly Fahey placed second overall in the event at 10:35.85, qualifying for both the Div. III New England Championships and the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) meet. In the same heat, junior Lily Corcoran and sophomores Meredith Reynolds and Olivia Dehm also

Caroline Ambros / The Tufts Daily

The women’s Track and Field competed in the Tufts Stampede Invitational in the Gantcher Center at Tufts.

had strong races, running as a pack and finishing ninth, 10th and 11th respectively. Senior Meghan Gillis raced well in the women’s one-mile run, placing sixth in 5:20.40.

Tufts also had a robust presence in the mid-distance events, as first-year Prudence Sax (3:04.39) and sophomore Sam Cox (3:06.70) finished second and third in the 1,000-meter run. First-year Sara Stokesbury also raced well, taking second place in the 800 meters with a time of 2:25.32. Junior Sydney Smith, doubling back from running the 800 at BU the night before, took silver in the 600 with a 1:41.32 time.

In the sprints, the Jumbos were without team members who had competed at BU, but they still enjoyed several strong performances. Two first-years, Annalisa DeBari and Toluwa Akinyemi, made the 60-meter hurdle finals, taking fifth in 9.87 seconds and seventh in 10.07 seconds, respectively. The 4×200 team of sophomores Bianca Rescalvo, Hannah Loss, Rita Donohoe and first-year Julia Prusaczyk finished third with a time of 1:51.75.

In the field, sophomore Keren Hendel took fourth in the pole

vault with a 10’ 11.75”″ clearing — a new season best. DeBari finished fourth in the triple jump, leaping 33’ 7.25” in her first collegiate triple jump competition.

Junior Mary Ellen Caruso also took eighth in the competition with her leap of 32’ 10.50”.

Sophomore Bailey Conner was fourth in the shot put, throwing the ball 37’ 9.25”, and later took fourth in the weight throw, heaving the weight a distance of 45’ 7.75”. Freshman Amylee Anyoha also competed in the weight throw, securing third place with a throw of 46’ 4.00”.

“I feel that I threw well,” Conner said. “I was able to PR in the shot put and qualify for ECACs in both the shot and weight throw. Amy [Anyoha] had a huge throw to shatter the freshman weight record, and, it being only the third meet of the season, I feel that our team will have many more opportunities to grow if we keep working hard.”

This year’s team is admittedly short on experience, particularly in the throws squad, but that hasn’t hindered it much at all.

“This year’s throws team is very young, but the freshmen are see WOMEN’S TRACK, page 15