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THE TUFTS DAILY

TUFTSDAILY.COM

monday, january 26, 2015

VOLUME LXVIV, NUMBER 5

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Exercise program Trek to Talloires returns

by Melissa Kain Assistant News Editor

The sixth annual Trek to Talloires exercise program began on Jan. 1 and will continue until April 10.

According to Tufts Director of Athletics Bill Gehling (LA ’74), the Trek to Talloires is a webbased program where people can set time-based exercise goals for themselves. As participants progress through their fitness goals, they can achieve distance milestones, from Medford to Talloires, France, based on the work they put in.

The Trek to Talloires started as an alternative to running the Boston Marathon, Gehling said.

According to Gehling, the Tufts athletic community wanted to offer a fitness initiative for those who weren’t interested in running a marathon, but still wanted to partake in some sort of workout challenge.

“It’s a way to set a personalized goal, and … also introduce a competitive element,” Gehling said.

Director of Rowing Gary Caldwell and Varsity Women’s Rowing coach Brian Dawe founded the Trek to Talloires program. According to Caldwell, the Trek was influenced by a similar fitness contest he once participated in. He was encouraged to start the program to help rowing alums get more involved in working out, and the original Trek included a fundraising component.

Now, in its sixth year, it has evolved into a program that incorporates the entire Tufts community.

“It’s a robust part of our campus commitment to healthier lifestyles,” Caldwell said.

According to Gehling, anyone participating in the Trek to

Talloires can challenge other participants. Any type of physical activity can also be used toward progress in the Trek, from shoveling snow to swimming in a pool.

Anne-Christine Rice, a lecturer of French at Tufts, expressed enthusiasm for the Trek and echoed Gehling’s sentiments about the positive competitiveness that it fosters in participants. Her own competitiveness was what first motivated her to participate in the Trek.

“At the time, the easiest goal was 45 hours in 100 days, and I was very concerned I was not going to reach the goal,” Rice said.

Rice ended up logging over 100 hours of exercise in those 100 days.

“I really got into it, in part because I was doing much better than I expected,” she said. “I felt that I was in better shape, and I was doing a lot of it outside and it was making me feel better.”

According to Rice, the Trek also creates a sense of community among its participants.

“I met some really nice people, and that was part of the winning side of the Trek … I got to meet [other faculty and staff members] … that [I] would never get to meet otherwise,” Rice said.

Rice enjoyed the challenge so much that she was eager to involve other members of her own family. She currently completes the challenge along with her husband and two children, and other family members and friends outside of the Tufts community have participated in the Trek as well.

Rice is currently working toward her goal of 75 hours of exercise, but hopes to surpass it.

“You can change your goal as you go,” she said. “At this point, I am on target for 125 [hours] … see TALLOIRES, page 2

Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily

Tufts community members sled down the President’s Lawn on Jan. 24.

Tisch College offers student activists mini-grants

by Meagan Adler Assistant News Editor

Through the Tisch Fund for Civic Engagement, the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service is beginning to offer mini-grants to Tufts students engaging in student activism and raising awareness of issues involving race and discrimination.

According to Alan D. Solomont, the Pierre and Pamela Omidyar dean of the Tisch College, these mini-grants were first discussed following the grand jury decisions in Ferguson,

Mo. and Staten Island and the role that Tufts students were playing in speaking out against them.

Solomont explained that the staff at Tisch College has been impressed by the recent upsurge of students speaking out about underlying issues of race and discrimination, and that the Tisch College staff had asked what the college could contribute to the increase in activism.

He added that Tisch College already supports student activists in speaking out against issues such as these. “This is a mission of Tisch College — to educate,

support and promote active citizenship on campus and beyond,” he said.

According to Mindy Nierenberg, the senior director of Tisch College Programs, students can apply for these grants online on the Tisch College website on a rolling basis. After their application is received, the Tisch College staff will meet with them to offer questions and advice.

At this meeting, applicants are asked to talk about the application and do a presentation of some sort, she explained. see GRANTS, page 2

DoorDash brings new delivery options to Tufts, Somerville

by Sophie Lehrenbaum Assistant News Editor

The Palo Alto-based food delivery startup DoorDash brought its services to Somerville residents and Tufts students this week.

The website and accompanying app, founded in Jan. 2013 by three students at Stanford University, acts as a medium between customers and small restaurants without sufficient delivery systems of their own.

“This isn’t a revolutionary idea but I think it is powered differently, and that makes us special,” DoorDash General Manager Jessica Lachs said.

“The dashers that we have, [including] drivers, bikers and commuters, are out on the road with the app in their hands,” she said. “Our company is just trying to make something peo-

ple are familiar with much more efficient.”

According to Lachs, the company’s emphasis since its inception has been on supporting small business owners and revitalizing the relationship between restaurants and customers. She explained that DoorDash’s co-founders came up with the idea for the business after talking to the owner of a macaron store in Palo Alto, who often struggled to fulfill delivery orders.

“They realized that there were a lot of small businesses … that weren’t able to offer delivery but if they could, would be able to improve their bottom line,” she said.

Lachs emphasized that the app adds a unique synergy see DOORDASH, page 2

Evan Sayles / The Tufts Daily

DoorDash delivers Chinese food to a Cambridge customer on Jan. 24.

Inside this issue

Today’s sections

“Downton Abbey” continues to shine in its fifth season.

The No. 5 women’s basketball team rolls to 4-0 in NESCAC with its victory over Bates.

see ARTS, page 5

see SPORTS, back

News 1 Features 3 Arts & Living 5 Editorial | Letters 10

Op-Ed 11 Comics 12 Sports Back

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The Tufts Daily

News

Monday, January 26, 2015

Visiting the Hill this week Monday BME Seminar: Megan Killian Details: Postdoctoral fellow at the Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine Megan Killian will speak as part of the Biomedical Engineering Seminar Series.

When and Where: 10-11 a.m., Science and Technology Center Room 136 Sponsor: School of Engineering

Characterizing Teacher Attention to Student Thinking: A Model for Teacher Education Grounded in Epistemological Messages Details: Rosemary Russ, assistant professor of science education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will speak as part of the STEM Lecture Series.

When and Where: 3-4 p.m., Halligan Hall Room 102 Sponsors: Center for Engineering Education and Outreach, Department of Education

Tuesday EDUN: A Small Brand With a Big Voice Details: Janice Sullivan, the CEO of EDUN Americas, will discuss her company’s work to build sustainable growth in the fashion industry as part of this year’s Alan Shapiro Entreprenurial Lecture Series.

When and Where: 7-8:30 p.m., 51 Winthrop St. Sponsors: Gordon Institute, Entreprenurial Leadership Program

Friday Al-Mawlid Al-Nabawī/The Prophet’s Birthday Details: The Noor Ensemble will perform a selection of Sufi sacred songs from Morocco and Syria to commemorate the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday.

When and Where: 8-10 p.m., Distler Performance Hall, Perry and Marty Granoff Music Center Sponsors: Department of Music, Middle Eastern Studies Program —by Audrey Michael

Students recieve grants for fighting activism, discrimination

grants

continued from page 1

“[The mini-grant] is not just about funding. It’s about connections to resources and advice on being most effective in what you are trying to do,” Nierenberg said.

There is no deadline to apply, and each application is reviewed as it comes in, she added. She explained that after the meeting, students are asked to step outside of the room while the decision of whether or not they will receive the grant is made.

The amount of money that students receive will depend on the budget that the student or group of students submits in their application, Nierenberg explained. She added that individual students can receive up to $150 and a group can receive up to $400.

Solomont said that the staff of Tisch College wanted to help students who were passionate about issues of race and discrimination, whether by helping them go to a conference or event or helping them publish something.

Nierenberg expressed her support for students addressing issues of race and discrimination.

“I think that right now this is an urgent time in our country’s history

where issues of race and inequality are at our forefront,” she said. “We want to do whatever we can for students to be at the forefront of addressing these systemic issues.”

Solomont also identified his support for student activists on campus.

“We believe that everyone should exercise their responsibilities as participants in this democracy,” he said. “Our role in the university is to help to impart and instill the values, the skills and the knowledge to be active citizens.”

He added that this is the time when young people start to discover their sense of responsibility.

Both Solomont and Nierenberg hope that students will use them as a resource to promote change.

“I just hope students take advantage of this opportunity, and that if they have any questions to feel free to talk to us,” Nierenberg said.

As a lifelong social and political activist, Solomont expressed his perspective on change.

“Change is hard and change is slow,” Solomont said. “Have we made progress? Absolutely. Do we still have a lot to do? Absolutely. These are not easy issues to deal with, and they do not change overnight.”

Police Briefs Russian Roulette At 11:16 p.m. on Jan. 16, the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) on Jan. 16 responded to a report of an intoxicated student in Houston Hall. The student had drunk too much vodka, causing him to fall and get a small laceration on his head. He was transported to Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

Fallen from Grace At 12:12 a.m. on Jan. 17 an intoxicated student was discovered by TUPD in the Mayer Campus Center. The student was lying prostrate on the floor in the main dining area, but was conscious. He was transported to Somerville Hospital.

History of Consumption At 12:45 a.m. on Jan. 17, a student in Miller Hall was reported to TUPD as intoxicated. He informed officers that he had had two forty-ounce beers, along with a few additional cups of hard alcohol. However, the student was not seriously incapacitated, and was accordingly allowed to sign a refusal of treatment form, and so he was not transported to the hospital.

TUPD was observed, the music was suddenly turned off and people began leaving. Officers attempted to find the person or persons responsible for the party, which had caused extensive damage to the house’s ceilings and walls. Eventually a person was located who admitted that he was a resident of the house, but insisted that he had been on the third floor and was unaware of the existence of a party on the first floor. It was subsequently discovered that the organizers of the party were hiding in this student’s room, and that he had told them to hide there when the party was initially broken up. TUPD noted that the student’s hiding of the organizers made his claim of being unaware of the party dubious.

Pub Crawl On Jan. 19 at 2:11 a.m., an intoxicated student in Houston Hall told TUPD officers that he had been drinking cider, beer and wine earlier in the night, but he did not remember the location where he had consumed the alcoholic drinks. He was transported to Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

Too Much Merlot Another student was transported to the hospital on Jan. 18 after being reported to TUPD as intoxicated at 1:34 a.m. The student claimed that she had drunk some wine earlier in the evening, and was incapable of answering basic questions posed to her by TUPD officers.

Driving Miss Tipsy A TUPD officer was flagged down by a cab driver on Jan. 19 at 8:35 p.m. on Boston Ave. The cab driver explained that he had an intoxicated female Tufts student in his cab. The student’s condition was deemed worthy of hospitalization, and she was accordingly transported to Lawrence Memorial Hospital.

International Incident At 11:48 p.m. on Jan. 18, TUPD officers observed 20 to 30 people on the porch of the Davies House, also known as the International House. Loud music was also emanating from the interior of the house.

After asking the students on the porch to leave, officers noted that the entire first floor of the building was packed with dancing students. Once the presence of

Rainbow High At 11:30 p.m. a student in Houston Hall called TUPD, complaining of a negative reaction to some marijuana that he had been using. He was transported to the hospital to be treated. An additional six incidents of students smoking marijuana over the weekend were recorded

by TUPD. —by Daniel Bottino

Trek allows participants to select flexible exercise goals TALLOIRES

continued from page 1

It’s very flexible.”

According to Rice, 466 people are currently signed up for the Trek to Talloires, and she is ranked as number 28. In order to reach her goal, she has partaken in activities such as walking, biking, skiing, skating and water aerobics.

“Because of the Trek, I am pushed to try something new,” she said.

Participants in the Trek are not judged on their performances, according to Rice.

Instead, they’re ranked on the amount of

time spent working toward their goals.

“Even if you’re older and you walk slowly, as long as you have done your exercise, you’re as good as an 18-yearold running around the track,” she said.

Gehling said he believes the Trek to Talloires has been a positive addition to the Tufts community and has encouraged many to reach new fitness goals.

“The idea is, give people the incentive to work out, a way to track it and some reinforcement for doing it,” Gehling said. “It’s a wonderful idea.”

DoorDash provides delivery options for smaller restaurants, consumers DOORDASH

continued from page 1

to the restaurant-deliverer-customer dynamic, explaining how everyone involved in the transaction benefits. The merchants increase their business and their accessibility to clientele, the “dashers” who deliver the food are able to work on their own terms and consumers gain access to local restaurants from which they might have otherwise found too inconvenient for take-out.

Lachs is confident that the app will be useful and relevant for Tufts students, noting that they can conveniently order meals from Davis Square favorites or new Cambridge vendors including Anna’s Taqueria, Yoshi’s and Chipotle.

DoorDash has been expanding its presence in metropolitan areas across the country. While the company began in Palo Alto and the Silicon Valley area, it later expanded to the Los Angeles area and then into Chicago.

Although the company has just now begun to deliver in the Somerville area, it came to Boston in September. Lachs and her team were hopeful about the new market Boston promised, but as the first East Coast city to see the app, the launch was accompanied by some trepidation.

“We knew it would be a challenge, but I think it has been really interesting to see what the impact of weather has been on demand.

It was difficult to predict what would happen when we had inclement weather,” Lachs said, adding that time zone differences and

Boston’s bad traffic posed further challenges.

General Manager of Boston Burger Company Jason Carter explained that while he sees the potential benefits of working with DoorDash, he recognizes the service as potentially superfluous.

“It’s good for the people that don’t want to leave their houses or dorms and it gives a restaurant revenue, but I find that most people would just come in and pick up food anyway,” Carter said.

For first-year Kinsey Drake, who is both a seasoned DoorDash customer as well as a former employee for a restaurant that uses DoorDash, the startup’s expansion to Somerville is an exciting prospect that promises a variety of made-to-order meals at her doorstep.

“I really like it because a lot of restaurants in our area don’t deliver and … it’s really fast,” Drake noted. “As someone who worked with [DoorDash], it was really nice because we didn’t have to coordinate delivery, and it’s a more secure way of delivery I think. There is more of a guarantee that your food will arrive hot.”

Lachs emphasized the startup’s strong sense of customer service that does not end with the take-out container; she said DoorDash’s desired goal is to broaden the product base available to customers in order to optimize time and efficiency.

“The ultimate goal is to build an ondemand delivery platform that can deliver anything … food, pharmaceuticals, dry cleaning,” Lachs said. “Right now, we are delivering food to build up the network.”

Evan Sayles / The Tufts Daily

Kristin Wright, a DoorDash “dasher,” picks up an order at Regina Pizzeria to pick up an order on Jan. 24.

Features

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After long wait, Jumbo to return to the Hill this spring

by Nicole Brooks

Jumbo is finally on his way. The new bronze statue of Tufts’ unique mascot, a 2012 donation by Tufts alumnus Richard Reynolds (LA ’67), was supposed to join the Tufts community last fall. After a long wait and extensive preparations by sculptor Steven Whyte, Jumbo is scheduled to arrive this spring.

Whyte, who is based out of Carmel, Calif., said that his work is near completion.

“I think the bronze will be completed in about 10 days,” Whyte said. “We have to patina it and wax it, and we will get it all ready. He will be finished in about two weeks, and then we will just arrange his trip after that.”

According to California local newspaper, the Carmel Pine Cone, “if all goes according to plan … [the] sculpture of what was once the world’s most famous elephant will be unveiled April 17.”

A generous donation by Reynolds, former vice president of operations at Tufts, the new Jumbo statue was originally planned to arrive on campus on Oct. 19 in time for 2014 Tufts Parents’ Weekend. The statue’s delay has left many frustrated, including President Anthony Monaco.

“I stopped asking. I walk by it everyday hoping it will appear,” Monaco said regarding a timeline for the statue’s arrival.

Celebrating the 125th anniversary of Jumbo being instated as Tufts’ mascot, the new statue’s unveiling on campus was also meant to coincide with Art and Art History Professor Andrew McClellan’s exhibit and book about Tufts’ mascot, entitled Jumbo: Marvel, Myth and Mascot (2014), which focuses on the noteworthy aspects of Jumbo’s life and the mission behind building a new statue. “[The new statue is] to celebrate Tufts mascot, the most distinctive mascot in the country,” McClellan said. “Unlike the generic bobcats and cavaliers that constitute most college mascots, we have in Jumbo the most famous animal that has ever lived.”

According to McClellan, a committee was created to find a sculptor and organize the logistics of commissioning a new Jumbo statue.

“The committee was called the Ad Hoc Jumbo Statue Committee, made up of faculty, staff, students, along with Richard Reynolds, the donor,” McClellan told the Daily in an email. “We solicited proposals from three artists we found following a national search. The committee made the final selection.”

After attending the prestigious Sir Henry Dalton School of Sculpture in Britain as its youngest student, Whyte trained in the traditional techniques of figurative bronze sculpture, according to the studio’s website. He has completed several large sculptures for both public and private commissions.

This fall, he finished the largest statue at any collegiate stadium for Texas A&M, called the War Hymn Memorial. The statue depicts 12 Texas A&M students linking shoulders and feet and weighs 20,000 pounds. According to Whyte, the Texas A&M piece is about four times the size of the Jumbo statue.

“In terms of a single figure, I’ve done a couple of 12-foot pieces, but they are not the same mass as a big elephant,” he said. “In terms of a single piece or figure, this is definitely the biggest.”

According to the article in the Carmel Pine Cone, Whyte began the project in late 2013 by developing potential models of the new statue to show to Reynolds and the committee. According to Whyte, building examples of potential renditions of the new statue was the first step in deciding how Jumbo would look on campus.

Assistant Features Editor

Courtesy steven whyte

The Jumbo statue will arrive on campus this spring after unexpected delays.

“We started by building three models in three different styles of Jumbo, and [of ] how to depict him,” Whyte said. “I did one that was a kind of aggressive naturalistic rendition of your team logo.

Then I did one that was based on the taxiderm[ied] Jumbo with the downward trunk that was tipped off the end, which was my favorite design. I kind of wanted to restart the penny tradition, where students would put pennies into the trunk. And we did another one where his trunk was up and he was slightly walking forward.”

Ultimately the committee decided on the third model. For a reference of the new statue, Whyte focused on studying archival pictures of Jumbo’s hide, as well as photos of live elephants at zoos in order to gain more details about what Jumbo would look like today. The previous Jumbo statue underestimated the size of Jumbo, as it referenced an Indian elephant. The new statue will be 11 feet tall, 18 feet long and will weigh 5,000 pounds.

In order to create a statue of Jumbo’s magnitude and mass, Whyte first built a steel armature with multiple sections.

The statue is composed of about 50 pieces, which were covered in foam, carved with several inches of clay and later casted in bronze. Then all 50 pieces, which each weigh about 100 pounds, along with the 500-pound trunk, must be held in place and welded together, according to Steven Whyte’s Sculpture Studio and Gallery Facebook page. After this, Whyte said he has to coordinate the texture and details of each piece and match Jumbo’s hide patterns to each other by chasing the welds to get rid of lines.

The surface area of Jumbo’s hide has created somewhat of a challenge for Whyte, as he noted the necessity for attention to detail and staying true to his reference of what Jumbo actually looked like.

“It is 500 square feet of surface area, and we do it in stages,” Whyte said.

“There [are] probably five or six processes of sculpting over that 500 square feet. You’re going over the details of this mass surface area with probably only a one-and-a-half-inch tool. That’s like going over your whole house with a toothbrush. It takes a toll on your arms and it’s a massive scale, so we have to adjust it accordingly.”

Another step in creating Jumbo is getting him to Tufts. According to Whyte, there were plans to have the new Jumbo statue travel across the country by train, to correspond with how the original Jumbo traveled with P.T. Barnum’s circus. These plans, however, were deemed too complicated to be accomplished, according to Whyte.

“I thought it would be nice and people could relate it to the story, as Jumbo

came across a train,” he said. “But it was too difficult to involve all the train companies to get him across most of the country. So, sadly, he will just come on a truck.”

The statue’s donation to Tufts has also generated some opposition from student groups, including Tufts Labor Coalition (TLC), according to first-year Mica Jarmel-Schneider, an Outreach Coordinator for TLC. “Jumbo itself really isn’t a focal point for us,” Jarmel-Schneider said. “But it came up when we were struggling with the janitors to have the administration to create a promise of no cuts, which was a goal of the club last year. We made this flyer that said that the Jumbo statue is estimated to be one-and-a-half million dollars, but they are willing to cut janitors.”

Whyte did not comment on the exact price tag of the new Jumbo. Its appearance on campus, however, has created a talking point for TLC in negotiations for Tufts administration to make a change.

Despite the fact that Reynolds’ donation was specifically intended for the statue’s creation, Jarmel-Schneider said that the topic of the statue and where Tufts chooses to spend and save money was brought up during meetings about janitor cuts.

“I think I can speak for TLC by saying … that Tufts needs to reshape [its] financial priorities,” he said. “The janitors should matter a lot and the statue maybe less. But definitely it is weird that there is so much money donated to the statue, and the people who work hard for us everyday, the people who keep our schools clean and help it run are just cast aside and not cared about. That really needs to change.”

The new statue will be placed in front of Barnum Hall, on a newly landscaped plaza, replicating an African savanna donated by another alumnus, Richard Asher (LA ’53). According to McClellan, the statue’s presence is meant to unite the Tufts community, to reinforce Jumbo’s historical connection to Tufts and to unite school spirit. “[The statue will] galvanize school pride, celebrate the most distinctive college mascot, make visitors aware of Tufts’ interesting history and connection to P.T. Barnum, founding trustee and donor of the museum that housed Jumbo in Barnum Hall,” McClellan said.

Whyte looks forward to the 5,000pound statue’s arrival on campus, which will take place during Tufts’ spring semester.

“I’m looking forward to seeing him in his final home,” he said. “We’ve had him for a while now. I’m working so he can be prepared to make it across to his home and be loved by his new family over there.”

NICO JOHNSON | SWIPING IN

The Tufts dining gastro experience

G

o forth confidently, even when you aren’t.” “Try new things.”

“Don’t be afraid of failure.” I got to Tufts armed with a slew of advice and wisdom from people I respected and looked up to. I was amped to make the most of my college experience and I’d convinced myself I was ready for it.

But there was one thing the counsel of my elders and my inflated bravado hadn’t prepared me for: the dining halls.

I mean, obviously I was pumped about my unlimited meal plan privileges. Swiping in with liberty and gusto, I waltzed all over Dewick and Carm, from the waffle maker to the salad bar to the soft-serve ice cream machine. After some exploration, the burrito line and peach rings in Hodgdon quickly became my main jam.

Yet, after my initial romp through these nutritional havens, the excitement faded.

I developed favorites and stopped trying new things. My salad was the same every day and my main courses devolved into a routine. Mind you, the food was never bad – you don’t have to be chef to realize the cuisine at Tufts is pretty good – but I became complacent.

One day, as I looked down at the same shoelace fries I ate every Tuesday alongside the customary taco salad, I decided enough was enough. Tufts had put all this food in front of me and I’d taken sufficient statistics to know the amount of combinations of my options was greater than what I was taking advantage of.

From that day forward, I started mixing dining hall ingredients to create as unique a gastronomic experience as possible. What follows are some of the best combos I’ve come across, the ingredients to which can be found almost any day of the week.

1. Vanilla soft-serve ice cream with Cinnamon Toast Crunch. On Sundae Sundays (or Sunday Sundaes? It’s a perpetual mystery here), swap the cereal for crushed Oreos and add some peanut butter.

2. Layered slushies in Hodgdon. Red with blue or red with yellow are solid bets.

Yeah, fine, these are pretty obvious choices – but they’re equally as life changing (also, freshmen: before you do anything you regret, the brown is coffee flavored, not Coca-Cola).

3. Back to ice cream: put Nutella, and maybe some peanut butter, on the inside of a cone before adding the creamy stuff.

4. Loaded waffles. Put a liberal amount of Nutella on your golden, gridded masterpiece, followed by about the same amount of strawberry syrup. Then, sprinkle a bit of cinnamon and add a chopped banana.

Top it off with a drizzle of maple syrup if you have a really good dentist.

5. Peanutellanana toast. Exactly what it sounds like: toast topped with peanut butter, Nutella and banana.

6. The best damn hot chocolate ever.

This recipe has brought my friendships to new levels and is best served between November and March. Fill a coffee mug 2/3 of the way with hot chocolate (stop pressing the button when it gets to about halfway). Then, add a shot of hazelnut coffee, leaving a half-inch of space for a swirl of whipped cream Finally, sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on top. Repeat, making 3-4 more cups. Congratulations, you’re now a saint to everyone at your table (this one’s pretty relevant, considering the snowstorm we’re about to get).

It’s okay to have favorites. But those should be the meals you can always rely on, not the only ones you eat. Try new things and don’t be afraid of failure. Dig into your creations confidently. Last but not least, be sure to thank to dining staff that makes it all possible.

Nico Johnson is a senior majoring in political science. He can be reached at Nicholas.

Johnson@tufts.edu.

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ACADEMIC YEAR 2015-2016 The International House (13 Sawyer Ave.) is recruiting new residents for academic year 2015-2016 3 Doubles, 1 Triple and 7 Singles available.

Must be willing to

Monday, January 26, 2015

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Arts & Living

5

tuftsdaily.com

Restaurant Review

Dalí provides authentic Spanish cuisine

by Jessica Mow Assistant Arts Editor

Students who study abroad in Spain often return suffering from withdrawal from the country’s unique, delicious food.

dalí 415 Washington st., somerville, ma 02143

(617) 661-3254 $$$ Luckily, there is an option nearby that is almost as good as the real thing. Dalí, a Spanish restaurant in Somerville, is the perfect place for students to go to pretend they’re back in their favorite restaurant by Puerta del Sol in Madrid.

Though Dalí is not very close — it’s about a 10 minute drive from campus — it is worth the trouble to borrow a car (if you don’t already have one) and leave campus for a night to try it out.

The most notable thing about Dalí is its all-around authenticity, which shines through most prominently in its food. The jamón (Spanish ham) and sangria (fruity wine, for the 21+ crowd) — two Spanish staples — will make any restaurant-goer feel transported back to Spain. The tortilla Española, another traditional dish, is served warm with a flavorful aioli sauce and a sprig of rosemary to brighten the plate.

The more traditional dishes tend to be

First Daffodils via Flickr Creative Commons

Swanky new tapas restauraunt combines Spanish cuisine and stylish atmosphere. the best ones. Order the gambas and you will get a sizzling bowl of shrimp soaking in a garlic and olive oil sauce, with a hint of spice from a chili pepper. But if you order the mussels stuffed with jamón and manchego cheese, you will be left wondering if the kitchen decided last minute to merely mash a handful of popular ingredients together into one plate.

If you have the time and the money, do not skip out on dessert. The churros,

another traditional Spanish dish consisting of strips of fried dough and chocolate sauce to dip them in, are wonderfully crisp and lightly sweet. They also come with a sweeter dulce de leche dipping sauce, if the chocolate is not enough.

Tradition is also highlighted in the décor.

On the walls hang an eclectic mix of decorations from various regions of Spain, see DALI, page 6

TV Review

'Downton Abbey' successfully develops characters against historical backdrop

by Sabrina Chisti Contributing Writer

PBS Masterpiece’s British hit “Downton Abbey” (2010-present) has returned to American televisions for its highly-antici-

downton Abbey starring michelle Dockery, laura carmichael, Brendan coyle, Joanne Froggatt

airs sundays at 9 p.m. on pBs pated fifth season. The show, written and created by Julian Fellowes, follows the lives of the wealthy, aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the early 20th century.

Season five continues the unfinished storyline from season four. The beautiful, wealthy Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery) struggles to find a husband who can be both a respectable partner and her new love. John Bates (Brendan Coyle) is under continued suspicion from the police about his involvement in the death of Mr. Green, the valet. Daisy (Sophie McShera), the assistant cook, strives to better her opportunities for career advancement by taking math lessons from a friendly teacher, who is in turn interested in Tom Branson (Allen Leech).

Despite the complexity of its plots, the success of Downton Abbey relies on the interconnectedness of characters to strengthen the unity of the narrative; “Downton Abbey” is criticallyacclaimed for its ability to weave characters together while presenting important social issues against the backdrop of 1920’s England.

One of the most tragic storylines from the previous season involves Anna Bates, played by the talented Joanne Froggatt. In season four, Anna Bates is sexually assaulted by the valet, Mr. Green (Nigel Harman).

In a time when the blame of sexual assault is misplaced particularly unrelentingly on the survivor instead of the assailant, Anna struggles with both the physical and psychological dimensions of her recovery. In season five, her concern rests with

Nick Briggs/Carnival Films for Masterpiece/MCT

Tensions build as plots begun in season four continue in current season of PBS Masterpiece’s “Downtown Abbey.” the fact that her husband, John, is under intense police scrutiny for the death of her attacker. The show artfully depicts Anna’s struggle with the aftermath of her trauma while living in a society that hinders her physical and emotional healing.

Another plot point follows the plight of Edith Crawley (Laura Carmichael), whose secret illegitimate child is both her greatest joy and worry. After her soon-to-be husband mysteriously disappears, she gives birth to their daughter, Marigold, who she gives away to a family that is close to the Abbey so she can visit her daughter often. Over the years, Edith’s storyline has frequently put her in unfortunate situa-

tions, and the new season has more of the same. While the stories surrounding Edith are often entertaining, they can at times overshadow her development as a character. Her characterization was at its best when she was not just passively reacting, but actively achieving.

The show’s most famous character is arguably Mary Crawley, who in season five decides to marry Anthony Foyle (Tom Cullen). However, since she has been married once before, she wants to ensure that Anthony is the right choice for a partner and deliberates including him in her life. see DOWNTOWN, page 6

Helen Schmidt | AROUND THE BOOK BLOCK

What I read over break

H

i everyone! I’m Helen, and welcome to the most literary corner on campus! Each week you’ll find me here talking about everything from my most recent favorite books to characters with huge personalities. Let’s get started, bookworms!

Winter break has come and gone, but if you’re anything like me, a month away from classes means entire days devoted to reading. I love curling up by the fire with a cat in my lap, devouring page after page, from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep. This may sound a little crazy, but it’s understandable that I was able to read well over two dozen books this way. I spent my semester building up a collection of “to read” books, and winter break was finally my chance to get through them all. I was blown away by some of the books I read. So, in order to narrow down the list, I made the books compete for the title of best novel, best short story collection and best nonfiction book.

Here are the winners!

The best novel goes to “Animal Farm”(1945)

by George Orwell. “1984”(1949), also by Orwell, is one of my favorite books, so I was surprised at myself that it took me so long to read “Animal Farm.” The novel is appropriately named, as the story focuses on animals on a farm in England that revolt against their human owner. “Animal Farm” makes a chilling statement on the cruel similarities between animals and people. The new farm begins with all animals being called equal, but as time wears on, the power shifts. The pigs parade around, learning to stand on their hind legs, while ferocious dogs threaten any animal brave enough to question the pigs’ power. It’s easy to forget every character is a farm animal; everyone, down to the lazy cat, is a dynamic character, giving the story an eerily human feel. Animal Farm is one of those rare books that seems frightening in and of itself, but when it is examined carefully, it’s clear just how terrifying our world is.

The best short story collection goes to “The Quantity Theory of Insanity”(1991) by Will Self. Self’s novels are always a bit shocking, making me question my reality, but his collection of strange, yet ordinary tales reaches beyond disorientation. Each story takes a simple idea and expands on it, building upon itself until I start to think, “Why couldn’t that undoubtedly crazy and impossible idea exist?” One particularly interesting story theorizes that the dead of London simply reside in another section of the city, with no one noticing until one day when the protagonist sees his recently deceased mother on the street.

I was entranced by the stories, to the point that it seemed I had been transported to their worlds completely. Each world was arguably crazier than the next, but their basis in truth led me to believe they were entirely possible.

The best nonfiction book goes to “The Violinist’s Thumb: And Other Lost Tales of Love, War, and Genius, as Written by Our Genetic Code”(2012) by Sam Kean. Kean is a physicist who became interested in writing the elaborate histories that led to modern neuroscience, genetics and chemistry as told in “The Dueling Neurosurgeons”(2014), “The Violinist’s Thumb”(2012) and “The Disappearing Spoon”(2010). Having recently read “The Dueling Neurosurgeons,” I decided to tackle another of Kean’s books.

Kean’s writing and passion for science is evident with every word, taking dense and complicated information and simplifying it into an enjoyable read. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come in science, but what’s even more exciting to explore is how far we have to go. Even those who aren’t interested in science will appreciate these books because they relate to each and every one of us. Now that I’ve been massively pleased with two of his books, I’m off to tackle “The Disappearing Spoon!”

Helen Schmidt is a sophomore majoring in biology. She can be reached at helen. schmidt@tufts.edu.

6

The Tufts Daily

The fifth season of ‘Downton Abbey’ focuses on character growth

Monday, January 26, 2015

Arts & Living

Dalí in Somerville is pricey, but pleasing DALI

continued from page 5

Decorations showcasing the famous handpainted plates from Sevilla, a poster advertising Pamplona’s popular bullfighting and of course the strange, surreal elements associated with the restaurant’s namesake, Salvador Dalí.

Of course, good food and good décor do not come without costs. The place seems perpetually crowded, and with no reservation system, one could easily be waiting for over an hour for a table to free up. Call ahead to put your name on the list, or you will fall victim to the horrendous wait, which you will have to spend in a small, cramped area by the bar. Making your way to your table can at times feel like walking through a frat party.

The large amount of patrons can also rival the noise of a frat party. Popular Spanish music is played at a relatively loud level already, but between the density of people in one space and the amount of sangria being passed around, the noise level stays consistently high.

The food may be typical of Spain, but

the prices are not. Plates are served in tapas style, meaning that you will probably want to order two or three for dinner per person. However, each plate costs what could easily be one course at another restaurant. Although the cost may feel prohibitive, at the end of the meal, the feeling of satisfaction is priceless.

To complete the restaurant’s warm ambience, the service is very friendly.

Waitstaff seem to always be singing “happy birthday” — or celebrating something. There was a bachelorette party in attendance that was serenaded almost every five minutes. Above all, the atmosphere was very relaxed.

Though this may have accounted for the long wait, it gave patrons plenty of time to sit, chat and enjoy the sangria — just the way the Spanish do.

Dalí is located at 415 Washington St., Somerville, Mass., 02143. It is open Sunday-Thursday 5:30 p.m.-10:00 p.m., with the bar open until 11:30 p.m. It is also open Friday-Saturday 5:30 p.m.-11:00 p.m., with the bar open until 12:30 a.m.

Nick Briggs/Carnival Films for Masterpiece/MCT

The character Mary faces tough choices in the current season.

DOWNTON

continuedfrom page 5

Meanwhile, she takes an active interest in running the Downton estate with Branson and her father as she continues to expand her horizons and take on responsibility.

“Downton Abbey” does an excellent job of portraying the progression of time and technology, as well as the impact of the first World War on people from a variety of social classes in 1920’s England. The show’s greatest flaw is that, like most British television shows, its seasons are very short compared to the season lengths of American programs.

This hinders the show’s ability to properly

develop an arc.

In addition, the show sometimes creates plots that are wildly outlandish or completely trivial in order to generate excitement. But despite its lengthy run and occasional reliance on cheap thrills, “Downton Abbey” still manages to capture England’s decadent wealth and luxury, downtrodden poverty, tumultuous politics and clashing social and classist issues, while maintaining viewers’ attention. In doing so, Julian Fellowes has created a sprawling and magnificent show that is more or less historically accurate — with the beautiful clothes and traditions of the 1920s to match.

First Daffodils via Flickr Creative Commons

Dalí serves up delicious traditional Spanish dishes like tortilla Española and gambas

Run foR a seat on tCu! Come to a GENERAL INTEREST MEETING! Today, January 26 8:00 PM Eaton 206

Vacancies:

• 5 Junior or Senior Senate Seats • 2 Elections Commission Positions • 1 Judiciary Seat • 2 Committee for Student Life Seats • 1 Latino Community Representative • 1 Asian American Community Representative • 2 Junior Class Council Seats

PIZZA WILL BE PROVIDED!

Don’t forget to vote!

Tues 2/03

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Monday, January 26, 2015

The Tufts Daily

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The Tufts Daily

THE TUFTS DAILY

Editorial

Drew Z. Robertson Editor-in-Chief

Editorial

Jacob Indursky Reena Karasin Managing Editors

Audrey Michael Executive News Editor Daniel Bottino News Editors Jenna Buckle Shana Friedman Nina Goldman Stephanie Haven Alexa Horwitz Patrick McGrath Justin Rheingold Kathleen Schmidt Jei-Jei-Tan Denali Tietjen Melissa Wang Meagan Adler Assistant News Editor Marianna Athanassiou Melissa Kain Arin Kerstein Eeman Malik Safiya Nanji Sophie Lehrenbaum Aaron Pomerance Emma Steiner Gabriella Zoia Jake Taber Executive Features Editor Maya Blackstone Features Editors Sophie Dasinger Hannah Fingerhut Jessica Mow Mengqi Sun Shannon Vavra Nicole Brooks Assistant Features Editors Greta Jochem Arin Kerstein Becca Leibowitz Yuki Zaninovich

Monday, January 26, 2015

Editorial | Letters

A lifeless TuftsLife serves no one

Before the inarguable ubiquity of the internet, things were done a bit differently — clothes were tried on and bought in stores, final papers were submitted in plastic report covers and graded with a red pen and communication, in all of its ways, shapes and forms, took place in person, in print or not at all.

But this is the twenty-first century, and in the same way that technology and the internet have taught us to expect fulfillment of our needs and desires at the click of a button, they have created an expectation for instantaneous communication and a nearly limitless network of people who we have the ability to reach with our words.

The central-campus bulletin boards of our parents’ university days are no longer able to do the trick of connecting five thousand Tufts students and hundreds of clubs. In lieu of this antiquated forum, TuftsLife was created.

The website, which has historically been funded by the TCU Senate, was

designed for the express purpose of serving as a virtual bulletin board on which students and organizations could post about campus events and individual needs. For a few years, TuftsLife successfully served as a central calendar for all happenings on campus and helped connect students with sublets, textbook sales and shared rides. Currently, however, the website is more reminiscent of a ghost town occupied only by a few straggling posts for psychology studies and the occasional job opening in Tufts Dining.

But the need for a central site of campus communication is everpresent, and with TuftsLife lacking in both popularity and efficiency, the student body has turned instead to a fragmented network of Facebook groups, e-lists and scattered fliers.

The website, run by a lineage of techsavvy undergraduates, is apparently under reconstruction, but perhaps

the site is in need of a major overhaul in mission statement as opposed to a few minor design tweaks.

While one of the website’s redeeming qualities is that it is largely student-run, this feature serves little purpose if students do not think to use it because of its reputation for lacking in comprehensiveness and virtual traffic. Tufts needs a website that could serve as a sort of conglomerate of calendar events, classified ads and group promotions. Yes, students should be supporting a virtual commons and a billboard able to be viewed by anyone at Tufts at any time. However, although minor design improvements might increase the efficiency and popularity of the site, perhaps we should consider designing a new TuftsLife that really takes into consideration what the university needs, and that fosters a sense of open communication and connectedness within the student body.

Ty enos

Nika Korchok Executive Arts Editor Dana Guth Arts Editors Grace Segers Anjali Nair Assistant Arts Editors Joshua Podolsky Jennifer Straitz Ross Dember Executive Sports Editor Marcus Budline Sports Editors Alex Connors Wil Glavin Sam Gold Steven Hefter Alison Kuah Tyler Maher Jorge Monroy-Palacio Alex Schroeder Maclyn Senear Chris Warren Ray Paul Biron Assistant Sports Editors Phillip Goldberg Josh Slavin Scott Geldzahler Executive Op-Ed Editor Ray Bernoff Susan Kaufman Olivia Montgomory Ruchira Parikh Keran Chen Cartoonists Ty Enos Jennifer Lien Hannah Hoang Editorialists Katie Matejcak Natasha Khwaja Bailey Werner Nicholas Pfosi Evan Sayles Caroline Ambros Sofie Hecht

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Jewel Marie Castle Production Director

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BUSINESS

Chris Chininis

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letter from the editor

And we're off!

by Drew Robertson Editor-in-Chief

Hi folks! Whether you know it or not, today’s a very important day. It is the last day before a giant blizzard obliterates New England. Set your affairs in order.

It also marks the first week we go daily!

From now on, every day we have school, there will be a brand new, shiny Tufts Daily waiting for you. And that means that today begins our weekly columns.

Columns are a time-honored tradition at the Daily, and provide some of our most well-argued, colorful and diverse content. So without further ado, allow me to introduce to you our spring 2015 crew (in no particular order): The Features lineup this semester blends old and new voices. Lex Erath and Miranda Wilson will both carry on their columns from previous semesters, “Sugar & Spice” and “Ecofeminism for All,” respectively. “Sugar & Spice” chronicles the hilarious frustrations (and occasional joys) of life as a Tufts Jumbo, while “Ecofeminism for All” discusses gender, sexuality and other hot-button topics.

With a new column for the section, titled

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.

“Swiping In,” Nico Johnson will be sharing his recipes for dining hall delicacies.

Kendall Todd will reflect on her explorations in the City of Light in her contribution, “Culture Shock.”

Arts columnist veteran Helen Schmidt, the author of “Around the Book Block,” will cover all things novel, and Emily Gruzdowich will premiere her column, “A Caffeinated Critic,” which aims to bring Tufts students greater awareness of the wealth of art galleries and exhibitions in the greater Boston area. “Frost for You,”

by Danny Bottino, will discuss the poetry of Robert Frost and its relevance to Tufts students. And for a Thursday treat, Nikki Blank will be continuing “SWUG (Senior Washed-Up Girl)”, an attitudepacked faux-advice column which we’ve learned is 99.99 percent guaranteed to win a smile — or a gasp — from our readers.

Our Opinion section will be starting this week off with a study of oppressive regimes in Caitlin Thompson’s column, “Beyond the Politics of Oppressive Regimes.” Later on in the week, returning columnists Henry Jani, Adam Kaminski, Pooja Sivaraman and Rebecca Solomon will grace the Op-Ed page once

more. Henry writes “Reply All,” which offers a delightful look at social customs, conventions and quirks, while Adam’s “The Cool Column” reports his weekly explorations in the name of immersion journalism. Our dynamic columnist duo, Pooja and Rebecca, will be back with “New York Style Delhi: Nonkosher Advice in Jumbo Sized Servings,” a funny, lighthearted serving of life and relationship advice.

Sports also brings back a team of experienced writers, although today’s paper kicks things off with rookie Wil Glavin. Wil’s column, “The Fantasy Expert,” will be dishing out fantasy baseball wisdom. Sam Gold will continue talk about ethics in professional and collegiate sports in “The Gold Standard,” while Tyler Maher’s “Beantown Beat” provides an up-close look at the Boston sports scene. Finally, “The Association,”

by Steven Hefter, tracks issues facing the NBA and the world of professional basketball as a whole.

We couldn’t be more exited to introduce this crop of talented, entertaining writers, and hope you enjoy these columns as much as we do.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters must be submitted by 2 p.m. and should be handed into the Daily office or sent to letters@tuftsdaily.com.

All letters must be word processed and include the writer’s name and telephone number. There is a 450-word limit and letters must be verified.

The editors reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, space and length.

ADVERTISING POLICY All advertising copy is subject to the approval of the Editorin-Chief, Executive Board and Executive Business Director. A publication schedule and rate card are available upon request.

Monday, January 26, 2015

The Tufts Daily

Op-Ed

The potential decline in popularity of Facebook

by Sun Ho Lee

Facebook has been quickly dominating the social networking world a few years after its appearance in 2004. Its simple registration process and connection processes with other people resulted in more than 50 percent of all Internet users signing up, according to Ian Maude from Enders Analysis.

When we look at only the revenues Facebook collects, it is not easy to claim that Facebook will decline in popularity in a few years. It seems like the firm stands tall among competitors. However, according to Maude, we have to look at Facebook’s net additions, which is only one million per quarter. The world already has too many people using this platform!

According to John Cannarella and Joshua Spechler, two researchers at Princeton University, Facebook will lose 80 percent of its active users by 2017.

While this seems to be a radical claim, it demonstrates a decline in Facebook’s growth trajectory.

Then what are some of the potential problems in Facebook? According to Forbes, a 13-year-old Ruby Karp said that “Facebook has been trying too hard. Teens hate it when people try too hard; it pushes them away. Teens just like to join on their own. If you’re up in their faces about the new features on Facebook, they get annoyed and find a new social media.”

According to Chris Hoffman from MakeUseOf, there are many other alternative choices that are great such as Tumblr, Instagram, SnapChat and WhatsApp. “People are moving away from social networks like Facebook that are linked

to their real identity and towards other networks where they use pseudonyms that aren’t their real names and avatars that aren’t their real faces,” says Hoffman.

Simply put, Facebook lacks privacy and most people need their personal space.

Gene Marks of Forbes emphasizes the effectiveness and prevalence of emails.

He says, “The death of email has been vastly over-exaggerated. Email is still the primary means of communication for just about all companies in the world … Because Facebook is not a place for

corporate, professional communications.

It’s always been and will continue to be a place for fun.” Marks continues and raises a point saying that Facebook is too broad. He claims, “But now the social media industry is being broken down into specialties: photo sites, video sites, news sites, micro-blog sites, check-in sites, etc.

The trend will continue, and along with it will be Facebook’s loss of members.”

As a person who goes onto Facebook first thing in the morning everyday, I think it is an extremely convenient website that has the whole package that some people point

out and use against Facebook. However, I think Facebook has changed dramatically ever since I first started to use it. Ever since they introduced the concept of the news feed, it seems like the site started violating the privacy that a lot of people desire. The news feed gives way too much updated information, and merely makes us stay in the site longer and waste time.

I started to use Instagram last year and it seems like my experience when I’m on Instagram is more pleasurable than on Facebook nowadays. The idea of hashtags is creative and widely used. Instagram only shows photos and videos uploaded by those you have followed, which doesn’t make you waste too much time. According to Scott Galloway, who is a professor of marketing at New York University Stern School of Business, Instagram will be the most powerful platform in the world in two years based on its growth trajectory and engagement rate.

It is quick to determine the fate or evaluate the potential doom of Facebook.

It is still the largest social networking service that is only growing and, importantly, financially stable. However, with multiple creative applications emerging in the market, Facebook might start losing users to applications that only focus on fractions of what Facebook provides. After all, the statement made by Gene Marks might be true: “In the end, Facebook is just an application. And people get tired of applications after a while.”

Sun Ho Lee is a sophomore majoring in economics. He can be reached at SunHo. Lee@tufts.edu.

Op-Ed

Open Letter: Tufts Graduate Students Join the Call to make 2015 our year of resistance to state violence

by Black Lives Matter Tufts Graduate Student Group As graduate students in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts, we join the national call by Ferguson Action, to make 2015 our “year of resistance to state violence against Black lives,” and we invite graduate students and others across Tufts University to join us.

The police killings and non-indictments for the deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner have ignited communities across the country to demand justice. Increasingly, people are recognizing that their deaths, along with those of Akai Gurley, Nizah Morris, Tarika Wilson, Oscar Grant, Aiyana Stanley-Jones, Trayvon Martin, Yvette Smith, Tamir Rice and so many others, are not aberrations of an otherwise functional criminal justice system.

They are an expression of an historically produced system of state violence toward Black people.

Last week, thousands marched and took direct action to demand justice for Black lives under the banner of #ReclaimMLK, reviving the Civil Rights tradition of militant non-violent civil disobedience and the legacy of the “leaderful” grassroots movement that made the gains of the Civil Rights movement possible. Here at Tufts, we have been inspired by the leadership of undergraduate activists of #IndictTufts who, through holding vigils every 28 hours and die-ins on and off campus, have elevated consciousness on this campus about the state-sanctioned murder of Black people.

As graduate students, we too have a role and a responsibility to raise our voices and join the movement to defend ALL Black lives. We can start by articulating the relevance of this movement to our discipline and professional practice.

As emerging urban planners and policy makers, we recognize the sometimes adversarial role our field plays in Black communities. From the slave labor that drove industrialization in the Northern cities to residential discrimination, urban renewal, decades of disinvestment followed by gentrification, cities have been sites of racial segregation, exploitation and violence. In spite of this, U.S. cities have been built by Black labor, shaped by Black leadership, organization and resistance, and have found strength in multiracial social movements that have forced a more liberatory urban vision. As progressive urban planners and policy makers, we strive to build on this history of struggle for just and equitable cities where Black lives do indeed matter.

So we call on other graduate students throughout the Tufts community to ask themselves difficult questions. Why do Black lives matter to you? How will you resist state violence against Black lives in your discipline and professional practice? Whether you are in the sciences or humanities, you have a role to play in this movement, and we invite you to join us in engaging in thoughtful action to address this question.

Ferguson Action New Year’s Pledge of resistance:

I pledge to make 2015 my year of resistance to state violence against Black lives.

I challenge myself and those in my community to take risks as we confront the many ways that Black lives are diminished and taken from us.

This pledge is in defense of ALL Black lives. We stand with Black men and women.

We act when Black Queer and Trans lives are threatened. We defend the rights of our Black family when we are poor, disabled and incarcerated. I will elevate their names.

9

Op-Ed

I pledge to practice resilience. As I make space for direct action and civil disobedience, I will also act for the healing of our communities and make space for my own healing so I may be a part of this movement for the long-haul.

This year, I will declare boldly and loudly through my words and actions, that #BlackLivesMatter.

Signed, The following UEP students: Rebecca Tumposky, MA ’15 Danielle Ngo, MA MS Friedman ’17 Andrew Petit de Mange, MA ’15 Rachel Nagin, MA ’16 Allentza Michel, MPP ’15 Marc Germain, MPP ’15 James McKeag, MA ’15 Benjamin Baldwin, MA ’16 Jonathan Diaz, MA ’16 Andrew Wiley, MA ’15 Abby Farnham, MA ’15 Joseph Sacchi, MA ’15 Janaki Blum, MA ’16 Kasia Hart, MA ’15 Marguerite Hutcheson, MA ’15 Joel Wool, MA ’17 Cassie Mann, MA ’15 Kim Etingoff, MA ’15 Caitlin Matthews, MA/MS Friedman ’17 Trang Vuong, MA ’16 Rebecca Toole, MA ’15/MS Economics ’15 Laurie Hickman Calvert, MA ’15 Kathleen O’Brien, MA ’15 Suezanne P. Bruce, MPP ’16 Meghan Higgins, MA/Child Development ’16 Jacqueline Calderón, MPP ’15 Allison Platt, MA ’16

To get involved in graduate student organizing at Tufts, contact tuftsgradBLM@gmail.com or attend their meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. at 72 Professor Row.

caitlin thomson | oppressive regimes

The internet gets involved in opposition

T

he internet and social media have become integral in combating repressive regimes. In places where governments limit the people’s right to assemble or speak out against the state, the internet is an essential tool in building an effective opposition movement. But as internet opposition grows, so does government censorship and surveillance. In order to overcome this online control and bring about fundamental change in the society at large, opposition must manifest itself offline as well. In short, the internet is an important tool, but only one in a multitude.

A key aspect of building a successful, cohesive opposition movement is gathering a likeminded and similarly frustrated community. Within such group, plans for change are formed and people who are dissatisfied with their government no longer feel alone. But in many places, the right to physically assemble simply does not exist.

Take Russia, for example. Protests must be cleared by the police weeks beforehand, and spontaneous protests, even peaceful ones, result in huge numbers of arrests. Even informal business meetings of opposition leadership are often shut down for trumped up reasons. In 2014 alone, multiple meetings of the powerful political opposition party Open Russia were interrupted on fake suspicion of bomb threats. Time and time again the Russian government has tried to make it impossible for opposition to gather, hoping to deter plans to challenge the regime.

The internet offers a platform to discuss offline action when there is no other option.

In connecting people online, the internet also opens opportunities for opposition to move to the streets. Social media has been a primary factor in a number of protest movements that resulted in the overthrow of unjust dictators. Most famously, Facebook and Twitter played an integral role in drawing protestors and building the movement in Egypt in 2011. Similarly, in Iran in 2009, Twitter spread news and gathered the people’s voices in protests expressing disapproval of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s reelection. Most recently, in May 2011 and again in December 2014 in Russia, powerful anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny used Twitter to call on people to protest in Moscow.

The protests that form as a result of online discussion are key. Without them, no actual tangible change would arise. This offline manifestation enables the cause to reach more people and the action to become more visible to the international community. This step is often terrifyingly dangerous, but without it, movements built online will eventually fall flat.

The internet is an important tool for a successful opposition movement, but it is not a perfect solution to all the resistance’s problems, especially when the government gets involved online, too.

For one thing, in places like China, the government strives to control political conversation in online forums. Topics deemed remotely threatening to the regime, like the Tiananmen Square massacre, are simply removed, thereby limiting what people can discuss. In Russia, the state controls public opinion by using pro-government “trolls” that provide contradicting comments on anti-government forums. In doing so, the regime can undermine the opposition’s arguments and paint online discourse in its favor.

Online dissidents use code to get talk around the censorship, but conversations are nonetheless monitored, infiltrated and restricted.

The internet and social media have successfully enabled protest movements and led to change in instances like the Arab Spring, but it is by no means a fail-proof and risk-free method. As governments catch up to online challengers, it becomes even more important that opposition ultimately take the movement offline in order to take steps towards real change. In short, the internet is only one tool to challenge unjust regimes, albeit an important one.

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

Op-ed Policy The Op-Ed section of The Tufts Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. The Daily welcomes submissions from all members of the Tufts community; the opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Daily itself. Opinion articles on campus, national and international issues should be 600 to 1,200 words in length. Op-Ed cartoons are also welcomed for the Campus Canvas feature. All material is subject to editorial discretion and is not guaranteed to appear in the Daily. All material should be submitted to oped@tuftsdaily.com no later than noon on the day prior to the desired day of publication; authors must submit their telephone numbers and day-of availability for editing questions. Submissions may not be published elsewhere prior to their appearance in the Daily, including but not limited to other on- and off-campus newspapers, magazines, blogs and online news websites, as well as Facebook. Republishing of the same piece in a different source is permissible as long as the Daily is credited with originally running the article.

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Sports

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Jumbos explode for 51 points in second half against Bobcats WOMEN’S BASKETBALL continued from page 12

tricky to pick up — what are fouls, what refs are looking for — and I think they’ve done a great job. Kelsey has been a great mentor for Lauren, able to go back and forth with any questions Lauren may have. And I think Melissa has stepped up as well. Melissa’s been doing great as well, especially in recent games. She’s got such a talented skill set already, and just having her melt into our offense and defense has been great.”

After the halftime intermission, Tufts slowly put the game out of reach. Just over five minutes into the second half, sophomore Josie Lee put Tufts up by 21, 46-25, on a 3-pointer. At the 9:19 mark, Tufts had stretched the lead to 30 after a pair of free throws from North. With 7:26 remaining to play, coach Carla Berube had substituted all of the starters out.

The players off the bench picked up right where the starters left off, continuing to build the Jumbos’ lead.

“We’re going to play our brand of basketball from minute one to minute 40, doesn’t matter who’s on the floor,” Berube said.

“And I thought that the players that came in towards the end of the game did a really great job executing, defending, boxing out — and we expect nothing less than that.”

Tufts’ depth of talent was showcased during the second half. Junior Maura Folliard scored eight points off the bench and hit two out of three shots from beyond the arc, while senior Hannah

Artner pulled down four rebounds in nine minutes of play. Most significantly, 11 of the 12 players listed for Tufts scored during the contest, and nine of the 12 logged double-digit minutes.

“The reason why we have such a deep bench is because we have so many players that can play competitively in practice,” Kanner said. “And I think that speaks to our second team, that they can come in against a NESCAC opponent and keep the score going up. We don’t have a definitive line, I think, between starters and bench players. I think bench players push our starters every single day.”

North finished as the game leader in points with 19, while senior tri-captain Hannah Foley paced the Jumbos with seven rebounds to go along with her eight points. Kanner and Baptista scored 15 points apiece and had six and five rebounds, respectively. Lee also grabbed six rebounds, while Dillon picked up six assists. Davenport finished with 15 points for Bates, and also tied for the team-lead in rebounds, five, with sophomore center Allie Coppola.

Tufts outshot Bates by a margin of 53.3 percent to 25.5 percent, and also held a huge advantage in rebounds, 53-21. The most telling stat difference, however, might be points in the paint: Tufts dominated 44-10.

This advantage down low, with skilled play from Kanner and North, is something the Jumbos are always looking to utilize.

“We have 6’2”, 6’2” inside,” Berube said.

“Of course we’re looking to pound it in the

post every chance we get. You know, what happens defensively is if Bates has some great outside players, five outside players, it’s a little bit harder defensively for our bigs to play. I think they did a better job in the second half defending the perimeter. But offensively, absolutely. We want to run, and we want to pound it in the post — get easy opportunities inside when we have that kind of advantage.”

Tufts also found success down low in the previous game against Emmanuel.

The Jumbos held a 54-22 advantage in rebounds, while North and Kanner posted double-doubles of 25 points and 10 rebounds and 13 points and 12 rebounds, respectively. The Jumbos led the Saints at half 34-21 and maintained a doubledigit lead the rest of the way. Foley also starred for Tufts with 17 points and nine rebounds in the win.

Morehead, who has not logged a minute of play since Dec. 29 on the team’s trip to Puerto Rico, is still an undecided for the Jumbos. Coach Berube said the team expects her return soon, but the senior tricaptain will have to wait to hear from a doctor this week to update her status on when she can rejoin her teammates on the court.

Tufts will play a series of NESCAC games on the road next, as they travel to Conn. College for a game Friday night and Wesleyan the following day. These games will be crucial as the Jumbos vie for the top spot in the conference, currently held by Bowdoin, who is undefeated at 5-0.

Tufts sends message with dominant performance MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING continued from page 12

of team we have approaching in the future. A young, talented team is a good sign.”

Wallace and McElduff also explained that as first-years they have improved rapidly due to a more rigorous training regimen than they had in high school, one that includes weight lifting and builds a strong sense of camaraderie among the teammates.

With just under a month until the conference championship meet, NESCACs is at the forefront of the team’s focus right now, even though it still has one more meet before then — next weekend’s Middlebury Invitational. The Invitational will be the last event of the season for 20 members of the Tufts team who will begin to taper this week.

“In practice, the team, as well as myself, are all working on fine-tuning our races,” Winget said. “At this point in the season, our endurance and fitness is what it will be, so now we are really trying to focus on the little things so we can race our best at the end of the year.”

“We’re doing a lot of speed-orientated workouts now too,” Wallace added. “For technique, everyone on the team has their

Ethan Chan / The Tufts Daily

Strong all-around performances in the pool gave the Jumbos an easy victory. own things that they need to work on, but as a whole, our starts and relay take-offs will be practiced a lot up until NESCACs.” While it is difficult to predict future results, past years indicate that Tufts will most likely be competing against Conn. College for third at NESCACs behind swimming powerhouses

and perennial first- and second-place finishers Williams and Amherst.

“We only have about four more weeks until our season is over,” McElduff said.

“We’re all putting in our best effort to make sure that the end of the season is how we want it to be.”

Jumbos get strong contributions from underclassmen WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD continued from page 12

three seconds, which was huge for me, and unexpected because I was sick.

We also won the 4×400 so it was nice to have a win with my teammates.”

In the field events, sophomore Keren Hendel continued to vault well in the pole vault, placing third with a 10’ 10” clearing. Sophomore Bailey Conner scored key points in the throws, as she took fourth in the shot put with a 36’ 11 1/2” heave and second in the weight throw with a launch of 46’ 8”. First-year Amylee Anyoha also threw well in the weight throw, placing fourth with a 44’ 3 1/2” throw.

This season, the majority of the

team are underclassmen, but that has not stopped the squad from excelling.

“The transition from high school to college was pretty tough at first because now I’m training every single day, and the workouts are harder than anything I’ve ever done in high school,” Prusaczyk said. “But after fall track, and as the season has progressed, I feel as though I have adjusted.”

Allen hopes for a strong showing, both individually and as a team.

“Individually, I want to qualify for the Indoor Nationals in the [60-meter high hurdles],” Allen said. “But as a team, I would love to have a strong showing in the hurdles by all hurdlers. We have a few freshmen and

sophomores who have a strong background in the hurdles and I am excited to see the hurdle presence grow this year.”

The team has high hopes for the season, with the ultimate goal of a top-three finish at the Div. III New Englands.

“By season’s end, we want to put our full effort into championship meets, and hopefully finish in the top three at Div. III New Englands,” Prusacyzk said.

The Jumbos will be splitting their squad next week, as some will compete at Boston University’s Terrier Invitational, while the rest will be at Tufts’ own Stampede Invitational.

Wil Glavin | the fantasy expert

I

Fantasy Corner Infielders

n Mixed Leagues, it has become clear to me that first base is, by far, the deepest position in fantasy baseball this year. It is not absurd to assume that by the end of the season, the three best fantasy hitters are all 1B (Paul Goldschmidt, Miguel Cabrera and Jose Abreu). If these three finish with 600 plate appearances, a line of .310/35/100/100 is likely.

The position becomes trickier to predict in the early to late teens, where I placed Mark Trumbo (OF eligible), Prince Fielder, Joey Votto and Chris Davis. Each of these four players missed a varying amount of time in 2014, but all could finish as top seven 1B by the end of this year, if healthy.

Toward the end of the top 20, Lucas Duda and Adam LaRoche stand out as sneaky .260/30/100 guys. No one thinks of them as top 10 1B, but with plenty of injury concerns ahead of them, both could quietly be major steals.

Adam Lind and Brandon Belt are two names outside of ESPN’s top 20 who I think could definitely put up big numbers. Lind had a line of .288/23/67/67 in 2013 and hit .321 in 96 games for Toronto last year. Belt was a popular fantasy pick in 2014, but he finished with just 235 plate appearances due to a serious concussion. He has fallen off some people’s radars, but he’s just 26, and a .280/20/75/75 line seems accurate.

In terms of a deep sleeper, I like Chris Colabello on Toronto. Justin Smoak is expected to start at 1B, but he has had endless opportunities to produce in fulltime roles and never has. I see Colabello, who hit 24 HRs in 89 games in 2013 for the Twins AAA affiliate, as the leading Blue Jay 1B in ABs this year.

The hot corner is much lighter on talent this year, so unlike 1B, where you can wait and still find potential studs, grabbing one of the top six or seven at 3B is the strategy I will be implementing. I see the top fantasy third basemen (in order) as, Adrian Beltre, Anthony Rendon (also 2B eligible), Josh Donaldson, Evan Longoria, Kyle Seager and Todd Frazier.

The D’Backs new Cuban import, Yasmany Tomas, is said to have a lot of power and is playing in a great hitter’s park with two mashers batting near him in the lineup. He could be a dark horse to lead the position in HRs in 2015.

Pablo Sandoval will be a popular pick because he is hitting in a stronger lineup in a great HR park, but NL hitters going to the AL tend to struggle for the first few months (see Miguel Cabrera, Adrian Beltre, Adam Dunn and countless others).

I won’t be drafting Sandoval at his ADP, but if he has a rough April and May, I will be actively trying to trade for him before he heats up.

The Cubs’ Kris Bryant is the clear-cut favorite for NL Rookie of the Year, but when will he be called-up? Bryant finished with a line of 43/118/110 in AA and AAA last season and has the potential to be a top 5 3B after the All-Star break.

In terms of buy-low candidates, I am quite high on Pedro Alvarez, the 23rd ranked 3B on ESPN (2014 stats: .231/18/46/56). He hit 30-plus HRs in 2012 and 2013 and has proven to be a very streaky player, so I would draft him as a mid-teens 1B/3B and hope 2014 was the outlier.

Potential Steals: Trevor Plouffe, Maikel Franco, Will Middlebrooks, Martin Prado, Xander Bogaerts and Alex Rodriguez.

Potential Busts: Josh Harrison (unsustainably high BABIP of .353 in 2014), David Wright, Ryan Zimmerman, Chase Headley, Mike Moustakas and Manny Machado.

Wil Glavin is a junior majoring in English.

He can be reached at will.glavin@tufts.edu.

Sports

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tuftsdaily.com

Men’s Swimming and Diving

Tufts trounces Wheaton in last dual meet of season

by Maclyn Senear Sports Editor

The men’s swimming and diving team won its final head-to-head meet of the season in dominant fashion Saturday afternoon, beating Wheaton College 177-107.

The win brings the team’s record to 3-3 in head-to-head matchups on the season as the Jumbos set their sights on next month’s NESCAC championships.

“Wheaton is an up-andcoming team, and they always push us to swim our best,” junior tri-captain Michael Winget said. “We never take them lightly, and I believe that translated into the guys swimming well.”

Tufts won 10 of the meet’s 16 events, and would have won 14 and racked up a higher point total if the team had not exhibitioned, or competed while ceding all points, in five events, including both diving events.

“Even though the score wasn’t close, everyone on both teams was on their feet the whole time cheering for each other, so it was an incredible atmosphere,” first-year James McElduff said. “It was an opportunity for guys tapering to see where they were at with their times and for the guys not tapering to have fun swimming different events than we normally do.”

Winget and fellow junior tri-captain Cam Simko helped lead the Jumbos at Wheaton, winning a pair of events each. Winget led off the meet swimming the opening backstroke leg of the first-place 200 medley “A” relay for Tufts, in which he was followed by first-year Morgan Ciliv, sophomore William Metcalfe and first-year Panos Skoufalos.

He then went on to win both the 50 and the 500 freestyle,

with Tufts taking the top four finishes in the 500 freestyle.

Simko finished first in the 100 butterfly and the 100 freestyle before going on to shave his seed time of 2:02.87 to 2:01.08 in the 200 individual medley. He would have won that race as well if Tufts had not been exhibitioning all their events at that point in the meet.

Ciliv and junior Anthony DeBenedetto were just as prolific for the Jumbos.

DeBenedetto won the 1650 freestyle, where Tufts also had the top four finishes, and then the 100 backstroke.

Ciliv won both the 50 and 100 breaststroke events and was backed up by second-place finishes in both events from sophomores Jasper Du and Michael Lordi, respectively.

First-years Zachary Wallace and James McElduff also added wins as the Jumbo first-years on Saturday gave the team a reason to be excited for the future.

Wallace out-touched Wheaton’s Ross Johnston by 0.38 seconds in a very close 200 freestyle race to follow up a two-win performance against Boston College on Tuesday.

Ciliv, Wallace and McElduff are three of the 10 talented Tufts first-years that were recently named to the 24-man NESCAC squad. 22 of the 24 members have been chosen already for next month’s championships, with the final two spots open for any swimmers that distinguish themselves in the next couple weeks.

“I’m so honored and excited to be part of the NESCAC team,” said Wallace. “I just hope to swim my best. And for so many freshman to be named to the ‘CAC team this year tells everyone what kind

Basketball

Evan Sayles / The Tufts Daily

First-year Lauren Dillon has run the point for the Jumbos since senior tri-captain Kelsey Moorehead’s injury.

Resounding win over Bates lifts Tufts to 4-0 in conference play

by Alex Schroeder Sports Editor

At halftime of the women’s basketball game on Saturday, No. 5-ranked Tufts led opponent WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (16-1 Overall, 4-0 NESCAC) at Cousens Gym, Saturday Bates Tufts

21 32

16 51

— —

37 83

at Boston, Mass., Wednesday Tufts Emmanuel

34 21

42 31

— —

76 52

Bates by 11 points. When all was said and done in the NESCAC matchup at Cousens Gym, the Jumbos had built a 46-point lead, defeating the Bobcats 83-37 to move to 16-1 overall and 4-0 in the NESCAC. Prior to this weekend’s game, Tufts had a non-conference

matchup on Wednesday, Jan. 21 against Emmanuel College. The Jumbos traveled into Boston for their contest with the Saints, handling them 76-52. The two wins were Tufts’ seventh and eighth consecutive wins, with the blowout over Bates being the Jumbos’ biggest win of the season.

Despite holding statistical advantages in shooting percentage (45.2-31) and rebounding (24-12) in the first half against Bates, Tufts had trouble pulling away in the opening 20 minutes. The Jumbos had started the game with a 14-3 run that took them nearly halfway through the first stanza, stifling the Bobcats’ offense. Bates stuck around, however, led by first-year Nina Davenport’s 11 points off the bench. The visiting Bobcats closed the Jumbos’ lead to just seven with 6:45 remaining before halftime, but six straight points from first-year forward Melissa Baptista pushed the lead

back to 11. The teams traded baskets down the stretch and the 11-point lead would hold for the Jumbos going into halftime.

Baptista and classmate Lauren Dillon are two rookies making big contributions to an experienced Tufts team one season removed from its first NESCAC championship and a Final Four appearance. Dillon has taken over as starting point guard in the absence of senior tri-captain Kelsey Morehead, who has been sidelined with an injury. Baptista has worked effectively down low in the forward position, often coming off the bench early in the game for the Jumbos’ starting front court of sophomore forward Michela North and senior tri-captain Hayley Kanner.

“I think it’s hard to make the transition between high school and college,” Kanner said. “There are a lot of nuances that can be see WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, page 11

woMen’s Track and Field

Tufts scores first-place finish in Bowdoin Invitiational

by Chris Warren Sports Editor

The women’s track and field team traveled through the snowstorm to Brunswick, Maine on Saturday for the Bowdoin Invitational.

Traditionally, this meet has been the smallest competition for the Jumbos during the indoor season, with numbers as low as four teams. However, this year was different with 11 teams signed up to compete. Although the Coast Guard Academy, Colby-Sawyer College and Keene State College cancelled due to the snow, Tufts competed strongly against seven other teams, finishing as the overall winner of the day with 137 points, outpacing second place Southern Maine (115 points).

The day started with the women’s 5000 meters. Firstyear Olivia Nicholson had a huge race for the Jumbos as she rode a strong pace in the middle of the front pack to a fast time. Nicholson took sec-

Annie Levine / The Tufts Daily

Sprints played a big role in Tufts’ win in Maine. ond with a time of 18:51.79, a huge improvement from her 5k cross country times. The Jumbos also scored six points in the mile, as senior Meghan Gillis and Maine’s own, sophomore Sam Cox, rode a very fast first 800 meters (2:34) to fourth

and fifth place, respectively.

Most of the points on the day, however, came from juniors Alexis Harrison and Marilyn Allen. Harrison took second in the 60-meter dash with a time of 7.87, and won the long jump with a leap of 16’ 11 1/2”.

She is surely rounding into the form she exhibited last year when she qualified for the Div. III Outdoor Championships in the 100-meter dash. Allen took second in the 60-meter hurdles, running 9.06 seconds, just 0.02 seconds behind Southern Maine’s senior,Peyton Dostie.

Allen later returned to win the 200-meter dash by 0.01 seconds over Wheaton sophomore Emily Gustavson, in a new personal best of 26.82 seconds. Sophomore Rita Donohoe also took third in the same event with a 27.22 second clocking. Donohoe later returned to help propel the 4×400-meter relay team of senior Lauren Gormer, sophomore Hannah Loss and freshman Julia Prusaczyk, as well as herself, to victory with a time of 4:06.15.

“I feel like my races went well yesterday considering my hamstring injury,” Allen said. “I also think my starts have improved a lot this season, which have helped me improve a lot on my times.

But, I still need to improve on my approach to the first hurdle.”

In the mid-distance events, the runners had a very strong showing. Junior Sydney Smith led the charge in the 1000 meters, taking second overall in 3:08.08. Sophomore Alice Wasserman was not far behind in 3:10.45 for third, while firstyear Sara Stokesbury also had a strong race in 3:12.15 for fourth. Gormer and Prusaczyk also scored 10 points for the Jumbos in the 600 meters, as Gormer ran 1:39.86 for third overall and Prusacyzk ran 1:41.08 for fourth overall.

First-year Evelyn Heffernan took fifth in the 800 meters in 2:28.30. Smith and Heffernan later returned with Cox and first-year Prudence Sax to take the victory in the 4×800 meter relay in 9:58.95.

“The meet went really well; we won in team scoring which was awesome,” Prusacyzk said. “I PRed in the 600 by see WOMEN’S TRACK, page 11