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friday, february 27, 2015

VOLUME LXVIV, NUMBER 26

New satirical zine, El Tit, comes to the Hill

by Danielle Bennett Contributing Writer

If you haven’t picked up a copy of El Tit, Tufts’ newest publication, self-described as “Tufts’ only oldest, co-ed, non-a cappella, unrecognized satirical publication,” then you’re in luck: After making its debut earlier this semester, according to its Facebook page, El Tit will publish another edition next month.

Although it may not be recognized yet as an on-campus publication, El Tit is making its mark on feminist dialogue at Tufts and, according to its writers and editors, will continue to do so — whether or not it receives funding from TCU. Articles in the first issue of the zine range from “Why I Do Save the Janitors at Tufts” to “Tips for Dicks” to “Man Buns Wage New War on Women” and are all either one or two paragraphs in length. While some are printed in a Times New Roman/Arielesque typeface, others are actually handwritten; the drawings, which often parody advertisements in other women’s publications, are all original.

Though El Tit’s first issue came out this semester, the project has been a long time coming. Things first started heating up when the zine’s editors first met, the first step toward the publication’s founding.

“We all met in different ways,” says Veronica Little, a senior, founding member and the current editor of El Tit. Other editors include senior Laura Friedman and sophomores Lydia Collins and Sophie Passacantando. Yet their initial introductions became the first step toward the publication’s founding.

“Lydia and I met at a frat party,” says Little. “We were both just not having a good time and became friends.”

Little was Passacantado’s RA in Lewis Hall last year.

“We would create little notebooks and charts of funny experiences that happened to and around us at Tufts,” Passacantando said. “Then we decided that we wanted to make a magazine with these notebooks.”

Most of the editors either have worked for or currently work for other on-campus publications, such as the Tufts Daily or the Public Journal, but many didn’t feel completely satisfied that their voices were getting heard.

“Sophie would submit her articles to the Reductress, but we thought that if we have all of this material, we should start our own publication,” said Little.

The plan did not come to fruition until this year, long after Little and Passacantando started to brainstorm, when they tried to get recognized as an organization by TCU.

“Because we were just starting off, we didn’t really have any materials to send in and ended up submitting weird drawings,” said Passacantando.

Ultimately, they weren’t successful in procuring organization status.

“We did the bureaucratic gymnastics, but we still weren’t recognized,” senior Laura Friedman, another current editor, said. “How can you get recognized as a club if you don’t have any funding?”

Little said that the editors didn’t create the zine with a specific message in mind.

“I think an important aspect of starting El Tit is not that we were trying to make a political statement, it’s more just us wanting to produce something interesting and it just happened to be that we are all feminists,” says Little.

According to the zine’s Facebook page, the name ‘”El Tit” spells the word “title” backwards. Passacantando came up with the name after she sent a Snapchat to Little about it. All those involved in the early stages of the publication knew that the name was by far the best fit.

“I really think it’s the most perfect title in the world,” adds Friedman. “I get so much joy thinking about it.”

Little said that everyone who was listed in the beginning of the first issue contributed in some way.

“Although we initially imagined it as a larger operation, we specified the scope and rightfully so,” says Little. “The group debated how best to deal with submissions — whether it should be a collective effort and have open submissions or whether it should be focused more on a few individuals as contributors; what [we] ended up with is a combination of both.”

Submissions are based on a Google doc that is sent out to everyone on the e-list, which is comprised of people that came to the general interest meeting held at the beginning of the fall semester.

“There has been an ongoing conversation among the four of us about how much of El Tit is about opening up and trying to give other people an opportunity or a platform to have some sort of voice,” says Friedman.

“There are so many funny and interesting women and other people at this school who we care about hearing; at the same time, though, we have a very specific vision and we have had an ongoing conversation about mediating giving opportunities versus keeping with why we are doing this.”

Notably, none of the first edition’s articles list their author’s names. Collins said that the publication is more like a group project than a newspaper in see EL TIT, page 2

Caroline ambros / the tufts daily

This year’s EPIIC Symposium, focusing on Russia in the 21st century, began on Wednesday and will run through Sunday.

Annual EPIIC Symposium explores Russia's present and future

by Patrick McGrath News Editor

The 30th Annual Norris and Margery Bendetson Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship (EPIIC) Symposium will continue today with two panels in the afternoon and the official introduction and keynote at 6:30 p.m. The topic of this year’s EPIIC Symposium is “Russia in the XXI Century.”

This year’s event features a number of panels on issues related to Russia, including “The State and the Media,” “Russia and Asia: The Bear Looks East?,” “Ruling Russia: Governance in the 21st Century” and “Beyond the Barrel: The Russian Economy,” according to the program’s website. The conference held its first event on Wednesday

and will continue through Sunday.

Founding Director of the Institute for Global Leadership (IGL) Sherman Teichman emphasized that this year’s symposium comes at an important time for Russia on the global stage.

“This is timely, there’s no doubt about it,” he said. “It is a very critical moment for the European-U.S. relationship, for the EU itself, over sanctions, over intervention, over the renewal of NATO. It’s an extraordinary time in the context of global politics and worse for an individual country called the Ukraine. So we’ve tried to resonate that.”

Teichman explained that when he chose the subject for this year’s conference three years ago, he didn’t know exactly what the situa-

tion would be today. However, he knew that Western scholars were neglecting Russia.

“When three years ago I determined to do this, people were rather skeptical,” he said.

“They wanted to know why I was doing this – it was a diminished country, diminishing population, a mono-economy.

We’re supposed to be helping our students anticipate issues in the world.”

The world began to turn its attention back to Russia after the annexation of Crimea in March 2014, according to Teichman.

“Suddenly everyone was kind of concentrated on Russia in the Sochi Olympics,” he said. “It took days before the world recognized the bloom was off of that extraordinary see EPIIC, page 2

EPIIC Symposium 2015: Schedule of Events Friday, Feb. 27 12:30 p.m.: “The State and the Media,” Barnum Hall 008 2:30 p.m.: “Russia and Asia: The Bear Looks East?” Barnum Hall 008 6:30 p.m.: Welcome, Introductions and Keynote, Cabot Auditorum 7:00 p.m.: A Keynote Conversation on the U.S.-Russian Relationship, Cabot Auditorium 7:30 p.m.: “The New Cold War? Russia-US Relations,” Cabot Auditorum Saturday, Feb. 28 9:30 a.m.: “Ruling Russia: Governance in the 21st Century,” Cabot Auditorium 11:30 a.m.: “Beyond the Barrel: The Russian Economy,” Cabot Auditorium 2:30 p.m.: “Security Strategy: Military Reform and Nuclear Capability,” Cabot Auditorium 4:30 p.m.: Expert-led small group discussions, various locations in Cabot Intercultural Center and Olin Hall 8:00 p.m.: “Geopolitics: Russia and the Post-Soviet Sphere,” Cabot Auditorium Sunday, March 1 11:00 a.m.: “Keynote Address: Russia and Global Challenges for US Foreign Policy,” Cabot Auditorium 1:00 p.m.: “Political Engagement: Civil Society, Youth and Dissent,” Cabot Auditorium 3:00 p.m.: “Sanctioned Split? Russia and the European Union,” Cabot Auditorium 8:00 p.m.: Film screening of “Red Army” (2015), Somerville Theatre, Davis Square

Inside this issue

Today’s sections

Josh Tillman stands out from former Fleet Foxes ties by creating raw, intimate album that defies genre restrictions.

The reigning National Champion men’s lacrosse team returns to the field this Saturday.

see ARTS, page 5

see SPORTS, back

News Arts & Living

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Comics 6 Sports Back

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Friday, February 27, 2015

News | features

As-yet unrecognized zine’s editors talk satire, feminism EL TIT

continued from page 1

which specific people are assigned a particular spot.

“The voice of the zine is one that has been collectively agreed upon — every article is something that we all by and all take responsibility for,” said Collins.

The submissions are often in reaction to articles from HerCampus, the El Tit editors agreed, adding that they felt that the headlines and the articles written in HerCampus were not really speaking to all women’s experiences.

“Instead of articles about makeup in the winter, we wanted to focus on headlines that said, ‘You’re a person with cool thoughts — engage with this interesting idea,’” said Little.

One contributor ended up writing a section called “El Tech” with the headline “A Shy Girl’s Guide to Printing,” riffing off of an article written in HerCampus titled, “A Shy Girl’s Guide to Networking.”

“It’s problematic in light of [HerCampus] claiming to represent women’s experience at Tufts,” says Friedman. “We talked about this in our letter to the editor. We didn’t feel that our voices were recognized.”

In fact, disappointment in HerCampus was one of the editors’ main motivations for creating El Tit, especially after talking with friends who also expressed their frustrations with the way that women were portrayed in the media, at Tufts and other universities like it. But HerCampus’s influence doesn’t define El Tit, according to the leadership.

“Is it explicitly connected to HerCampus?

No. Are we looking to call them out? Yes,” says Little.”

El Tit has a Facebook page whose cover photo features pictures women eating salad alone and laughing.

Caroline Ambros / The Tufts Daily

Tufts’ new satirical publication, El Tit, released its first issue earlier this semester.

“We kind of hijacked a Tumblr,” says Little. “There are many stock photos of these women eating salad alone and having the best times of their lives. It’s silly, but it’s also accessible for our readers.”

Emily Quigley, a senior and a contributor for El Tit, has taken on the role of designing the website for the zine.

“I think the website should reflect the magazine itself. It will be super simple and maybe not even that appealing,”says Quigley. “It’s supposed to be rough — after all, El Tit is a zine. It will probably have a kind of ’90s feel to it as well,”

With its first issue a success, El Tit is gearing up for its next issue in March.

The contributors plan to use the Google doc again for submissions and continue with the same format as last time.

Little said the staff has talked about expanding, but that for now it will continue production at its current size.

“We probably won’t expand because more pages cost more money, but also a smaller publication forces us to strain out nonsense, fluff or filler and is best for our readers,” said Little. “It forces us to produce the best content.”

EPIIC Symposium will address important questions concerning Russia today EPIIC

continued from page 1

closing ceremony with the seizure of the Crimea. And so we have what we have now. A year later — the chaos, the dismembering of a country in Europe, the flouting of international law, extraordinary new norms.”

Ethan Krauss, who is a student in this year’s EPIIC class, explained that the students get to choose the topics and speakers for each panel. He noted that the students looked to underline a number of themes in this year’s symposium.

“For us, we decided that the three most important kind of consistent threads with Russia and issues related to Russia are the historical legacy of the Soviet Union and the Russian empire, how domestic changes kind of affect geopolitical situations … and thirdly how Russia sees itself in the world,” Krauss, a junior, said.

Maxim Kondratenko, a senior and fellow member of this year’s EPIIC class, explained that students in the class began considering panel topics and prospective panelists in the beginning of the course. He added that students were selected to either moderate a panel or present a speaker.

“Pretty much from the start, we were able to choose what committees we wanted to be a part of and start researching who we wanted to bring in,” Kondratenko said. “It’s essentially been a work in progress this whole year.”

Teichman underscored that the symposium provides a unique opportunity for students interested in the region and its related issues to engage with specialists in the field.

“The EPIIC symposium is a chance to have an extraordinary front-row seat to extraordinary people — people who have been pivotal in history, people who are decisive in their own policymaking, people who are academicians, scholars, analysts, activists, etc. to have a front-row seat to listen, to meet, to think with, to question … to learn an

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incredible amount and to do it, I think, in a fun and exciting environment,” he said. “It’s not an academic environment in the context of the usual long lecture, few questions. This is really an attempt at a dynamic interchange, a dialogue and interface.”

Krauss noted that the symposium will provide a more nuanced discussion of both Russian and Western perspectives on this year’s theme.

“It’s very much like if you come from a Western background you almost exclusively see the Western side of things,” he said. “When you come from, say, a Russian or at least a Russian-leaning background, you only exclusively see the way it’s portrayed in their eyes.

We selected experts who have extensive working experience living in both spheres … So they … have very good understandings of how the other sees the world.”

Arik Burakovsky, a first-year graduate student at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy who is a TA for the EPIIC class, also stressed the importance of fostering conversation between opposing sides.

“What I find we really need is a dialogue,” he said. “We’re bringing in professors, we’re bringing in experts from think tanks, media, government, from Russia, from Ukraine … and they’re all getting together to talk about this issue, and that’s really important, because what we’ve found is that people are oftentimes siloed and tend to think in traditional ways that they’re used to, and it’s good to get outside of that bubble.”

Burakovsky, who served on the symposium’s public relations committee, explained that organizers put up posters across campus and handed out postcards to promote the events. They have also reached out to universities across Boston and have made use of social media.

“Social media is one aspect,” he said.

“The other aspect is, of course, word of mouth. It’s always, I think, the most

effective if you can tell your friends who are interested in the topic or interested in what IGL does to come to the symposium, because that has a much larger impact.”

Krauss explained that he is looking forward to the more open exchange of ideas and opinions that is possible at the symposium.

“I’m most interested in kind of hearing more candid views than some people are necessarily allowed to discuss in public,” he said.

Burakovsky emphasized that anyone interested in Russia can learn a lot from the symposium, regardless of their background.

“I think that for anybody who is new to this topic to come in and learn about it and to be exposed to the significance of Russia on the global stage currently is very important,” he said. “And this symposium will allow them to do that.

Currently the situation in Ukraine is very tense. It’s still ongoing. There are new developments every day, we see it in the news constantly.”

Kondratenko encouraged all interested students to attend the conference.

“I think people are aware, and if they follow the news, which I’m sure everyone at Tufts does, this is becoming an increasingly relevant and increasingly pertinent topic of discussion, because obviously Russia is becoming more powerful, Russia is becoming more aggressive,” he said. “The knowledge of that region is more and more important and less and less well-known.”

The symposium hosted its first event on Wednesday, a Russian Cultural Night sponsored by EPIIC and Tufts’ Russian and Slavic Student Association.

The event featured vocal and instrumental pieces from the region, performed by Tufts students and guest artists, as well as a photography exhibit. Gregory Carleton, a professor of Russian studies, and author Suzanne Massie presented the first keynotes last night, which were followed by the first panel, “Religion, Politics and Identity.”

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Friday, February 27, 2015

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A Jumbo never forgets…

Say ‘thanks’!

Stop by the #OurTufts Thank-a-Thon and write thank you notes to the alumni donors who help make Tufts the special place it is.

Where: Alumnae Lounge When: Sunday, March 1 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.

Enjoy pizza, giveaways, raffles, a selfie booth and more!

Sponsored by the Tufts Student Fund www.giving.tufts.edu/studentfund

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Friday, February 27, 2015

Come out to the 2015 EPIIC International Symposium on

RUSSIA in the 21st CENTURY

Hear from top Russian and Western policy experts, former US Ambassadors to Russia and the Former Soviet Union, Russian and US military officials, and a broad range of academics, journalists and activists Participants include: Amb. Thomas Pickering, former US Ambassador to the Russian Federation; Amb. Jack Matlock, former US Ambassador to Moscow (1987-91); Dmitri Trenin, Director of the Carnegie Moscow Center; Gen Pavel Zolotarev, Russian Academy of Sciences; Shorena Shaverdashvili (A’00), Liberali Magazine, Georgia; Birgit Hansl, Lead Economist for the Russian Federation for the World Bank; Matthew Murray (A’79), Deputy Assistant Secretary, International Trade Administration, US Department of Commerce; Ilya Ponomarev, Member, Russian Parliament, State Duma; Oksana Boyko, Host of Worlds Apart, RT; Matthew Rojansky, Director of the Kennan Institute at the Wilson Center; and Angela Stent, Author of The Limits of Partnership: US-Russian Relations in the Twenty-First Century SCHEDULE Friday, February 27 • The State and the Media, 12:30pm • Russia and Asia: The Bear Turns East, 2:30pm • Welcome and Keynote Addresses, 6:30pm • Keynote Conversation: U.S.-Russian Political Dynamics, 7:00pm • Keynote Address: An Ambassador’s Perspective: Ambassador Jack Matlock, 7:30pm • The New Cold War? Russia-U.S. Relations, 7:45pm Saturday, February 28 • Ruling Russia: Governance in the 21st Century, 9:30am • Beyond the Barrel: The Russian Economy, 11:30am • Security Strategy: Military Reform and Nuclear Capability, 2:30pm • Expert-led, Small-group Discussions, 4:30pm • Geopolitics: Russia and the Post-Soviet Sphere, 8:00pm Sunday, March 1 • Keynote Address: Russia and Global Challenges for U.S. Foreign Policy: Ambassador Thomas Pickering (F’54), 11:00am • Political Engagement: Civil Society and Dissent, 1:00pm • Sanctioned Split? Russia and the European Union, 3:00pm

Tickets are Free • Register at tuftsgloballeadership.org For more information: 73314

Arts & Living

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Movie Review

Hot Tub Time Machine II marginally superior to original

by Lauren Samuel Contributing Writer

Though it may be hard to believe, “Hot Tub Time Machine II” (2015) is not easy to write off. Unlike Steve Pink’s original

Hot Tub Time Machine 2 Directed by Steve Pink Starring Adam Scott, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke “Hot Tub Time Machine,” the 2010 pick of the year for those who love crude humor, “Hot Tube Time Machine II,” though even goofier, is creative and incredibly selfaware. While the humor of the first movie resonated with its mainstream audiences, in retrospect the film was excessive, pointless and surprisingly dark. Instead, Steve Pink’s 2015 work — with returning cast members Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson and Clark Duke — is more ridiculous, more eccentric and in many ways smarter, despite its shake-your-head-worthy stupidity. As the characters’ and the audience’s understandings of the space-time continuum become less and less clear, the film’s absurdity increases.

Strangely, the sequel is both similar to “Hot Tub Time Machine” – even paying homage to many of the original film’s jokes – and different from it. The two fundamental plot differences between this

via Hollywood Press / ABACAUSA.COM

Adam Scott plays the son of Adam, the protagonist in the original “Hot Tub Time Machine.” film and the original are that the machine now takes the protagonists to the future (not their ’80s ski weekend) and that an original member of the trio, Adam (played by John Cusack), is replaced by his son (played by Adam Scott of “Parks and Recreation” (2009-2015)). Saturated with satire, Pink’s vision of 2025 is a surprisingly witty backdrop for the shenanigans

in which this motley crew of men engage.

From holographic iPhone-esque devices that would put the size of the most recent 6+ to shame to a dark comedic bit on the violent and exploitative nature of modernday television, the future in “HTTM2″ is a messed-up realm of extreme excess and deep-rooted issues.

The film’s unexpected wit carries over to a consciously astute mockery of the premise of both itself and its predecessor, as well as to the topic of time travel itself. While jokes from the original film are repeated, each iteration contains a self-deprecating irony regarding the absurdity of the first film’s plot. These brief moments of self-aware lucidity are a breath of fresh air when compared to the superficial silliness that characterized the plot of the first film. This selfdeprecating technique makes the moments of cleverness “Hot Tub Time Machine II” exceptionally funny. Such moments remind the conscious viewer that Pink’s jokes are much smarter than one might expect from the crude situations in which the characters are placed. The film contains scenes that are reminders of the obscene, misogynistic humor that permeates this film’s genre: A disconcerting homophobic scene tries to become less offensive and more self-mocking by featuring a joke about the future decade’s increasingly more liberated opinions regarding sexuality, and a disturbing hospital scene features a large needle coming in contact with Adam Scott’s scrotum. But such scenes lie within a conscientious framework that, though often poorly,

addresses the fact that characters’ issues of development, depression, substance abuse and cycles of human nature are only able to be aided by the potential existence of alternate universes. Yes, “Hot Tub Time Machine II” does, in fact, “go there.”

This film is a bizarre combination of obnoxious characters who learn few life lessons, a dystopian future society with a surprising amount of detail and the typical bro-humor tropes that permeate the genre. These factors make “Hot Tub Time Machine II” a bit frantic and confusing, but not altogether terrible.

In fact, such frantic behavior is mirrored in Adam Scott’s character, Adam Jr.; replacing a mediocre Cusack, who brought a somber and weary tone to the last flick, Scott is a moral reflector of the insane society in which he lives.

Playing his typical good-boy-gone-wild role, Scott brings a sense of stability to the viewing experience. He echoes the thoughts of the viewer when absurdist situations arise and, as he goes on a wild trip, makes the audience laugh with his disorientation.

“Hot Tub Time Machine II” is futile, obscene, homophobic and problematic.

However, the film is more than just the sum of its parts. The few exceptions to these negative aspects allow the film to be much more refreshing than “Hot Tub Time Machine,” and its satirical and self-aware mockery make it a bit more complicated and surprisingly smarter than the average viewer may anticipate.

Album Review

'I Love You, Honeybear' catapults Father John Misty to indie-folk fame

by Greta Jochem Daily Staff Writer

Defying narrow genre categorization, Father John Misty’s music is a quirky mixture of experimental rock

I Love You, Honeybear Father John Misty Sub Pop Records and folk with psychedelic and electronic moments. The artist’s sophomore album, “I Love You, Honeybear,” released on Feb. 10, is the highly anticipated follow-up to his 2012 debut, “Fear Fun.” In the past, Father John Misty, a pseudonym for Josh Tillman, has been constantly referred to as the “ex-Fleet Foxes drummer” because of the time he spent touring with the popular indie band. With his newest

album, Tillman proves that he has the skill to stand out on his own.

On a basic level, “I Love You, Honeybear,” delivers a pleasing, fresh sound for indie music lovers. The album has been receiving high praise from Pitchfork and Rolling Stone for its strong instrumentation. Tillman effortlessly balances a diverse-sounding album while retaining the cohesion between dissimilar sonic elements. “Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins)” incorporates a cheerful Spanish horn, while “True Affection” borders on electronic folk.

Overall, “I Love You, Honeybear” strings together a handful of dreamy, rhythmically sweeping ballads.

Yet Misty’s songs are more than just melodically pleasing. Each carefully constructed track floods with raw emotion. In “Bored in the USA,” he slowly and sorrowfully declares, “Oh, they gave me a useless education / And a subprime loan / On a craftsman home / Keep my prescriptions filled / And now I can’t get off / But I can kind of deal / Oh,

Ralph Arvesen via Flickr Creative Commons

Joshua Tillman broke out as psychedelic rocker “Father John Misty” in 2012. His sophomore album “I Love You, Honeybear,” sets him apart as a true artist.

Nicole Dilley via Flickr Creative Commons

with being bored in the USA.” Decrying American capitalism, greed and the fallacy of the American dream, his sorrowful ballad makes an ironic and poignant jab at Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” (1984) while condemning the mundane and meaningless life glorified in mainstream American culture.

His emotion is hardly restricted to societal angst; Misty’s personal life seems to have infiltrated the album as well. This is especially evident when he sings about love — the most cliché of song topics — in the least cliché way possible. For example, in “Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins),” he talks about his wife, Emma, whom he recently married. In his characteristic off-beat spirit, he and his wife made their own music video for the track on their wedding anniversary. The video features dreamy, kaleidoscopic, swirling images that filter iPad videos of Misty and his wife as Tillman sings, “First time, you let me stay the night despite your own rules / You took off early to go cheat your way through film school / You left a note in your perfect script: “Stay as long as you want” / I haven’t left your bed since.”

Despite his love-struck emotions in many of the tracks, Misty proves to be artistically complex; his thoughts aren’t static. “Holy Shit” lets us in on his doubts about love through the lyrics, “Oh, and love is just an institution based on human frailty / What’s your paradise gotta do with Adam and Eve?/ Maybe love is just an economy based on resource scarcity.”

Tillman’s own summary of his album does it justice: “My ambition, aside from making an indulgent, soulful, and epic sound worthy of the subject matter,” he described to record label SubPop, “was to address the sensuality of fear, the terrifying force of love, the unutterable pleasures of true intimacy and the destruction of emotional and intellectual prisons in my own voice.”

For the listener, the album is a window into Tillman’s deeply personal thoughts and emotions as he reflects on getting married and approaching middle-age. In an overly manufactured and superficial music industry, it’s rare that an artist is as genuinely emotional as Tillman. Beyond his quirky style, this raw honesty is what makes his album unique.

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Friday, February 27, 2015

Comics

Pass / Fail

SUDOKU Level: Starting to study, then hearing “Good evening, all. The library will close in 15 minutes.”

Fury and Emma Plankey

Married to the Sea

Thursday’s Solution

www.marriedtothesea.com

FEBRUARY 23—27 Friday, February 27 Classics: Please join Classics, Latin and Greek, Archeology majors, minors, faculty, and prospective majors and minors for information, presentations and lunch. Food provided! —12:00pm-1:15pm, Eaton Hall 201

Community Health: Lunch with the director—11:30am-1:00pm, 112 Packard Ave. Consortium of Studies in Race, Colonialism, and Diaspora Studies: Faculty and majors will take about the programs within the RCD: Africana Studies, American Studies, Asian American Studies, Colonialism Studies, and Latino Studies.

Friday, February 27, 12pm-1:30pm, Eaton 206

Biology: The Biology Department will hold an informal information session for students considering Biology, Biopsychology, and Biochemistry. Biology faculty will be available to answer questions. Refreshments will be served. —2:30pm-3:30pm, Barnum Elephant Lobby

Civil and Environmental Engineering: Majors Week CEE Open House-Come talk with students and faculty to learn more about CEE. Enjoy free food, win a raffle! —3:00pm-4:00pm, Burden Lounge, Anderson Hall

Upcoming Events…

Wednesday, March 5 History: History Department Open House-food will be served. —12:00pm-1:15pm, East 113

Friday, February 27, 2015

The Tufts Daily

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Sports

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Jumbo’s post defense essential for containing Ephs’ star Cook WOMEN’S BASKETBALL continued from back

comeback win against Conn. College this past weekend. The team overcame a 10-point halftime deficit thanks to strong play from their own frontcourt, junior Katie Litman, who scored 10 points in just 18 minutes. Litman’s classmate Oge Uwanaka filled up the stat sheet coming off the bench with eight points, four assists, four steals and three blocks.

Still, the Jumbos are confident that they will be able to halt the Ephs’ momentum with strong defense in the opening minutes.

“There’s [their momentum], but we also know that Conn. College is a great team,” sophomore guard Josie Lee said. “Even if they’ll have the momentum after that [game], we’ll be looking to shut them down especially in those first five minutes.”

Tufts already boasts the nation’s best defense, holding opponents to just 46.4 points per game, and is powered by North’s and Kanner’s advantage on the boards, averaging 8.5 and 6.0 rebounds (coupled with 2.4 blocks) per game respectively.

The battle on the defensive end will depend on the Jumbos’ ability to contain the Ephs’ top scorer and co-captain, senior point guard Ellen Cook, who is leading her team in points per game (14.1), assists per game (2.9), steals per game (1.8) and minutes per game (31.8), having started all 25 games of the season thus far.

“Williams is one of the few teams in the NESCAC that matches us in height advantage, and they also have very quick and strong guards,” Lee said. “We need to make sure we’re always boxing out and [the game will] definitely be about the boards. Personally I’ll be guarding one of the guards and they’re all shooters so they’ll kick it out and I’ll play perimeter defense, [but] if they do get by me, my teammates will have my back.”

Film, as well as more detailed analysis of their opponents and their opponents’ offense, become much more important in the post-season, when each game could be the final game of the season for the Jumbos.

“Film is a big part of our preparation and I have to know my own personnel, what

her tendencies are, how I can defend them and how I can detect them too,” North said.

“In practice we’ll also have skill players that try to mimic how Williams plays so we can adjust to how they attack the basket and know how best to defend them in the game.”

As Tufts looks to go deep into the postseason, following an unprecedented Final Four berth at the 2014 NCAA Div. III Championship and the program’s first NESCAC Championship, the first-years, most notably forward Melissa Baptista and point guard Lauren Dillon, will have to ensure they do not get swept up in the hype and excitement of the post-season.

“I definitely think it’s important for [the firstyears] to figure out and then realize that we just have to take [the post-season] one game at a time and not get ahead of ourselves,” North said. “Last year I had no idea how far we could make it so I just took it one game at a time to make [each game] easier to grasp conceptually. I think [the first-years] realize what the stakes are here and they realize how far we can go, so we just have to take that potential,

Tufts starts season ranked No. 14 in the nation

Caroline Geiling / The Tufts Daily

Junior midfielder Brigid Bowser looks to once again be an important part of the Jumbos’ attack.

Tufts gears up for season opener with Middlebury MEN’S LACROSSE continued from back

challenges for us to face, so all our focus is on this year,” junior attackman John Uppgren said.

According to Daly, it is not the responsibility of the players to worry about the roster turnover from year to year or even game to game. He wants the players to focus on winning each game while coaches consider roster changes.

“Every team is different. I don’t care if you remove one guy … one guy changes the complexion,” Daly said. “I think it’s definitely on the coaches to navigate those changes of complexion and changes in personalities.”

The team takes a next-man-up approach to the depth of the roster. The team is confident in each of the 50 players on the roster and their ability to fill any role necessary.

“Anyone can be called up to play at any time, so that forces everyone to be playing at their highest level. Coach Daly

always says he has full confidence in us as players and that’s why he recruited us here: to get called up and to contribute,” Dew said.

“The great thing about this team is everyone on this roster is capable of stepping up, and I think the trust factor with everyone’s ability is there, and that carries over,” Bailey said.

Winners of five consecutive NESCAC championships and two national titles in 2010 and 2014, the Jumbos have developed a top-flight program under coach Daly. The run of conference titles is meaningful given the high quality of opposition that the Jumbos face within the NESCAC. “We have so much respect and we are so lucky to play in this conference because every single team is so talented and has the ability to beat anyone at any point,” Dew said. “We do not take any opponent for granted, we believe that every day we need to come out as hungry as ever in order to be successful.”

The mentality and talent of the play-

ers and coaches has led to sustained success. Bailey was named Lacrosse Magazine’s Div. III preseason player of the year, and he and Uppgren are two of the 13 first-team All-Americans listed by Inside Lacrosse. Senior attackman Chris Schoenhut made the third team and junior face-off specialist Conor Helfrich was an honorable mention. The 423 goals scored by the Jumbos a season ago were the most scored by any team in NCAA history, regardless of division.

Along with the acclaim and trophies comes an extra ounce of motivation for opponents. Everyone wants to take down the champions, so the Jumbos are going to get every team’s best shot.

“I think we have huge targets on our back … everyone gets up for that Tufts game just because we’ve had success in the NESCAC in the last five years. That’s the challenge, just making sure our team is mentally focused for every game,” Bailey said.

According to Uppgren, this can help motivate the Jumbos as well.

use it and move forward with it. They get how important this is to everyone.”

The winner of the Tufts-Williams game will play the winner of the BowdoinAmherst game; this is the fourth time in the last five years that the top four seeds have all advanced to the semifinal round.

With the familiar faces of either Bowdoin’s senior guard Sara Binkhorst or Amherst’s senior forward Megan Robertson awaiting in the final, Friday’s winner will have a big challenge in the championship game.

Williams will be looking to get another chance at the NESCAC championship – its last opportunity ended in a 53-38 loss to Amherst in the 2013 final – while Tufts, the NESCAC defending champions, has earned the right to host the conference championship for the second consecutive year and is looking for a repeat of last year’s title.

“Each practice this week we’ve been working on a lot of stuff that will help us get to Williams but in the back of our mind we have Amherst and Bowdoin, [and] we’re being hopeful that we win on Saturday,” North said.

WOMEN’S LACROSSE continued from back

shooting and look to make all seven athletes on the field a threat at all times.”

In the win-loss column, it will be important for them to do well in their NESCAC league games. Specifically, Tufts will need to beat Bates, Colby and Bowdoin for a spot in the conference playoffs and a shot at an NCAA tournament bid. However, a win in the NESCAC is no easy feat. The league is largely considered one of the strongest in the country, with seven NESCAC schools ranked in the top 20 nationally by the IWCLA. Tufts sits at No. 14, under Trinity (2), Middlebury (3), Amherst (5), Colby (9) and Williams (11) and just above Bowdoin (15).

Wright acknowledges the pressure of being ranked in the top 20 nationally and playing in such a competitive league.

“There is definitely more pressure on each game. We have to show up to play. It is a good kind of pressure, because every time we have to try our hardest which makes us better,” she said.

The talent of the Tufts team should not be overlooked, especially considering the competitiveness of the NESCAC conference. Opening up this weekend against Middlebury will be a good test of the team’s strengths and weaknesses. A NESCAC win on the weekend would be a great start to the season and a testament to the hard work the team has put in during the offseason.

“All it means really is just that we have to work that much harder, make sure our preparation is locked down for every game,” Uppgren said.

Dew says they look forward to facing opponents at the tops of their games.

“We expect teams to give us incredibly difficult games and we’re excited for that opportunity,” Dew said.

As the Jumbos embark on their title defense, the focus is not on the events of last May, when they brought home the national title, nor is it on this coming May, when they hope to earn another trophy. The quest to become repeat national champions is an arduous one to be undertaken day by day and game by game.

“I love playing for Tufts lacrosse because we’re nobodies from nowhere, and we may be defending champs but in our minds we’re just as hungry to win game one,” Dew said. “We’re not worried about the national championship. We are focusing on short-term goals that can help us get there.”

Sports

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tuftsdaily.com

Men’s Lacrosse

Top-ranked Jumbos embark on title defense

by Joshua Slavin Assistant Sports Editor

Coming off an NCAA Div. III national title a year ago, expectations are rightfully high for the men’s lacrosse team.

The Jumbos’ season kicks off Saturday with a home game against the Middlebury Panthers, and with it begins the quest to repeat as champions.

Tufts begins the year as the No. 1 team in the country, as ranked by the Inside Lacrosse’s Face-Off Yearbook, and as the No. 2 team according to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. The yearbook also lists four members of the Tufts team as preseason All-Americans. For coach Mike Daly and his players, however, the focus is neither on the past nor the preseason accolades the team has received.

“Those things mean something to other people, but they don’t mean anything to us,” Daly said of national rankings.

The emphasis, instead, is placed on the competition the Jumbos will face.

“Most importantly, we know that every one of our opponents got better this year and we need to improve in order to keep that leverage that we have on them,” Daly said. “It’s going to be an absolute grind.”

Daly urges the players to try to tune out the noise that comes with defending a championship. This season’s goals do not have anything to do with what happened last year. Instead, the players’ concentration is on the current team and the things they can control.

“Coach Daly says all the time to make everything smaller. It’s really not about the outside world’s opinion, it’s about the guys, the team and just working hard every day,” senior co-captain attackman Cole Bailey said. “A saying we have this year is ‘go undefeated everyday.’ We take pride in our work ethic and holding each other accountable.”

Caroline Geiling / The Tufts Daily

The Jumbos bring back many key components of last year’s championship team, but plan on taking this season one day at a time.

The team is currently focusing on shortterm objectives. In order to reach the season-long aim of repeating, the team takes a very piece-by-piece approach. Right now, the only goal is the most imminent one: beating Middlebury on Saturday.

“What we talk about is elite attention to detail, elite attention to goals and winning

every day,” junior defensive midfielder Sawyer Dew said. “The expectation that we have is to play Tufts lacrosse and to play our best lacrosse on Saturday.”

While a national championship trophy is obviously a great source of pride for the players, the coaches and the program, the team does not want to dwell

on the past; with a new year comes a new team. About 10 seniors from last year’s team have graduated, and a new class of first-year players has arrived.

“It’s a new team, so it’s going to be a completely different season with new see MEN’S LACROSSE, page 7

women’s Basketball

women’s Lacrosse

Jumbos prepare for tough conference

by Abby Curran Contributing Writer

The women’s lacrosse team will open up its season this Saturday against Middlebury. The Jumbos have high hopes for the 2015 season after finishing with a 10-6 record overall and a 6-4 mark in the NESCAC last year.

The team returns key starters, including Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWCLA) Div. III All-American third-teamers Emily Wright and Brigid Bowser. Wright, a senior defender, was second in the NESCAC last year with 31 caused turnovers; she also recorded 36 ground balls and 46 controls on draws in the 2014 season. Meanwhile, junior midfielder Bowser recorded 59 draw controls and scored 43 points on 25 goals and 18 assists last year.

The two will return to the field for the 2015 season with other key upperclassmen starters, including senior Rachel Gallimore in goal, junior Caroline Ross and senior Kali Digate at attack, seniors Lindsey Walker and Laura Steinmetz at midfield and junior Jaymi Cohen on defense.

According to Ross, the first-years and sophomores on the team may compete for starting roles as well.

“The freshmen and sophomores will both play big roles on the team” she said.

“Those two classes are really stepping up in the preseason.”

Ross joins Wright and DiGate as tricaptains for the 2015 season. As the leadership core on and off the field for the fall semester, they looked to prepare the team as much as possible in the off-season. With

the support of coach Courtney Farrell, the team implemented higher fitness expectations as well as required mental training sessions. They have also incorporated inseason lifts that the players must find time to complete.

“All of [the training] was to get us ready for season. When Feb. 15 came, we had already worked out a lot of stuff and were ready to start,” said Wright. “We are starting at a much higher level than last year, so we are already a couple steps ahead, everyone has high energy and is ready to go.”

The team’s homework to read the mental training book “The Energy Bus” over Christmas break inspired its mottos for the 2015 season, “enjoy the bus” and “enjoy the ride.” Through email, Farrell summarized the goals for the season using this book as the backdrop.

“The team is looking to take this season day-by-day, minute-by-minute,” she said.

“Enjoy the ride along the way and make it last as long as possible together.”

This is Farrell’s second year at the helm. Settling in after year one, she is ready to lead her team to a successful season. Expectations are high, and the players are ready to fulfill Farrell’s strategic vision to make this year’s team the best in program history.

“We want to have an edge defensively, set ourselves apart and take pride on the defensive end of the field,” Farrell told the Daily in an email. “We want to take pride in the middle of the field, on the ride and be fast and smart in transition.

Offensively, we want to tighten up our see WOMEN’S LACROSSE, page 7

Ethan Chan / The Tufts Daily

Senior guard Hannah Foley will look to shut down Williams’ guards on Sunday.

Tufts looks to repeat as NESCAC champions at Cousens

by Alison Kuah Sports Editor

The NESCAC Championship will be held this Sunday at Cousens gymnasium, but whether the No. 5 women’s basketball team will have a shot at defending its title and becoming back-to-back champions for the first time will depend on its semifinal matchup against fourth-seeded Williams the day before.

Tufts is coming off a blowout victory against Hamilton, where they built up a 37-14 lead in the first half en route to a 64-43 win that was never in doubt. Led by

the powerful post play of sophomore center Michela North and senior tri-captain forward Hayley Kanner, Tufts shot 48.5 percent from the field in the first half and outrebounded Hamilton 40-31 overall.

The Jumbos will be relying on North and Kanner, the team’s leading scorers of the season, in the paint. North has averaged 13.8 points per game and Kanner has averaged 13.

Williams will test their scoring prowess.

The Ephs are coming off arguably their gutsiest win of the season; they pulled out a 45-44 see WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, page 7