TuftsDaily03.06.14

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THE TUFTS DAILY

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thursday, march 6, 2014

VOLUME LXVII, NUMBER 30

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Nine Tufts students arrested at D.C. protest by

Roy Yang

Contributing Writer

Nine Tufts students were arrested alongside 389 others in Washington, D.C., on Sunday as they protested the Keystone XL pipeline, which the Obama administration may approve for construction.

No charges were filed against the students, according to junior Evan Bell, one of the protest coordinators. Approximately 1200 students and activists attended the protest — 20 of them from Tufts, Bell said.

The protest began early Sunday morning in front of Georgetown University, where President Obama delivered his climate speech this past summer, and lasted until late at night, Bell said. Protesters laid large black tarps on the ground, as mock oil spills, and tied their hands to the White House fences.

According to Bell, the event was non-violent.

“On the night of Saturday, there was a civil disobedience training which taught us how to conduct ourselves as peacefully and respectfully as possible,” he said. “We aren’t crazy people.

We have a message and the best way to get that out is to be poised and respectful but also tactfully aggressive.”

The impending construction of the Keystone XL pipeline and “broken promises” from President Obama drove the protest, Bell said.

“We wanted to do more than a simple narrative of ‘Obama, do the right thing’ and really say ‘we were the young people that wanted change and got you in your office,’” Bell said. “I cast my first ever vote for Obama because we all needed change and we all thought he was the man to do it.

Instead, he’s proven culpable to the interests of fossil fuel companies. Now, what we are trying to show is that we have the power and the agencies to do it ourselves and make the change.”

Sophomore Rachel Thomas,

a member of Tufts Divest who went to Washington, D.C., last weekend, described the protest as exhilarating and hopeful.

“I was amazed that there were people my age so energized about climate justice,” Thomas said. “The protest itself was so energizing. The adrenaline flows in your veins, and you’re surrounded by so much positive energy that it just puts hope in you, and to feel that hope was invaluable.”

The idea for the protest began in a conference call in October, and organizers have been planning it since then.

According to Bell and Thomas, potential leaks from the pipeline into the Ogallala Aquifer could impact millions of people who rely on it for fresh water. Bell said the pipeline threatens the environment as well as minority and low-income families.

“Communities of color and low income are being sacrificed for the sake of industrialization and development,” Bell said. “If we truly are trying to advocate justice, we have to support those who need our help. This could mean standing next to them in the front lines or leveraging our abilities as students to do whatever we can.”

Sophomore Shelby Carpenter, a protest participant, explained how the experience differed from other protests she has witnessed.

“Not to devalue the experience, it was just a really privileged situation,” Carpenter said. “We had the privilege as college students to go away for the weekend, with reduced fees and peaceful negotiations with the police ... In no way was this a civil rights protest nor could you compare it to one.

People were waving at us, cheering at us, and there was absolutely no danger.”

Bell said he hopes the protest and other student actions can help create momentum.

“By spreading the divestment narrative we can leverage student power and student influence,” Bell said.

Courtesy Stephen Melkisethian

Tufts students protest the Keystone XL pipeline outside the White House on Sunday, March 2.

Caroline Geiling / The Tufts Daily

Members of the group Students for Justice in Palestine dressed in military garb and carried cardboard rifles, representing members of the Uphill Defense Force, a parody of the Israeli Defense Force. Over the course of more than 30 minutes at Mayer Campus Center yesterday afternoon, the students parodied arrests of around 30 other students.

Students honor member of Class of 2013 with fundraisers The Singapore Students Association (SSA), LCS Cancer Outreach and International Club are hosting a week of fundraising events in honor of Vivien Lim, a member of the Class of 2013 who was unable to graduate after being diagnosed in May of 2012 with a rare form of salivary gland cancer. She passed away this this past September.

According to Shan Zhi Thia, the vice president of SSA, Lim studied human factors engineering, but was also extremely interested in design. Thia explained that Lim designed the Class of 2013 banner that now hangs in the Mayer Campus Center.

“I only knew her my freshman year, but I remember her being kind [and] willing to listen,” Thia, a junior, said. “She had this fantastic dark wit and dark humor ...

[She] was very stoic and never let it get to her. What she thought about was, ‘Oh, we’ll have to deal with it,’ and that was a remarkable kind of attitude ...

That was the kind of person she was — calm — and she took it very well, and she was a fighter all the way to the end.”

Thia explained that after Lim’s death, her mother started a giving page for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the hospital that treated Lim throughout her ordeal.

“Her form of cancer is incredibly rare, so there isn’t a standard

Inside this issue

form of treatment,” Thia said.

“The fund was started [and] it goes toward the larger fund that is geared toward research for this form of cancer ... Last semester, ... we [decided] to help spread the word.”

Andrew Nitirouth, a coordinator for Cancer Outreach, explained that the organization was contacted by SSA and agreed to help. Last weekend, the groups hosted a hair donation event where 12 students had their hair cut and donated to cancer patients.

“Our general mission is to get people to do fundraising events and outreach events for anything that pertains to cancer locally,” Nitirouth, a sophomore, said.

“Even though we didn’t know her personally, we still thought it would be cool to support her [because] she was a part of our community and people should know who she was.”

Thia explained that students have raised over $1000 for her research fund through drink sales, sticker sales and donations. He said that the week will culminate in the annual Parade of Nations event, hosted by the International Club, where $2 from every $3 ticket will go to the cancer fund.

“We’re very happy at the efforts and the support we’ve gotten so far from faculty, staff and students — it has been

amazing,” Thia said. “In the end, it’s just something that’s good for us to have just to remember Vivien, so that we don’t forget we did lose a member of our community this year.”

—by Justin Rheingold

Courtesy Kristie Le

Freshman Rhiannon Wiley gets a haircut during an event that collected hair to donate to cancer patients. The hair donation was part of a week of events in memory of Vivien Lim, a Class of 2013 student who died last September.

Today’s sections

Tufts sends eighth largest Peace Corps constiuency among middlesized schools.

‘The Americans’ offers high tensions scenarios amid a realistic backdrop.

see FEATURES, page 3

see ARTS, page 5

News Features Arts & Living Editorial

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Op-Ed Comics Classifieds Sports

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Features

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Eva Batalla-Mann | Valuable Delusions

Magic

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Caroline Geiling / The Tufts Daily

Tufts offers many opportunities to become involved with the Peace Corps program, including hosting career fairs where representatives from the organization can recruit students.

Tufts ranks high for producing Peace Corps volunteers

by Jessica

Mow

Daily Editorial Board

Tufts University ranked ninth among top medium-sized schools that produce Peace Corps volunteers, up from 15th in 2013. Twenty-four of Tufts’ undergraduate alumni are currently serving abroad with the program.

Many students and officials have attributed the high number of Tufts volunteers to the focus on service work that is embedded in the university’s values. Since 1961, 541 Tufts undergraduate alumni have served with Peace Corps.

“There’s a tradition at Tufts University of engaging with the world and being what we call ‘active citizens,’” Dean of Tisch College Alan Solomont said. “And I see service in the Peace Corps as an expression of wanting to engage in the world and wanting to be an active citizen.”

Hyomi Carty (A ’12), currently serving in the Peace Corps in the Kingdom of Swaziland, echoed Solomont’s sentiments.

“Tufts strongly promotes the idea that, as educated and informed citizens of our local, national and global communities, we have a responsibility to give back and engage in pursuits that benefit the greater good,” Carty told the Daily in an email. “This widespread mentality on campus motivated me to work in a field where I would be able to fully employ this ideal.”

In particular, college majors can influence students’ likelihood to volunteer, according to Katrina Deutsch, the field-based Peace Corps recruiter for the Boston area. Some majors more likely to volunteer include community health, environmental studies and international relations. But area of study not the sole determinant for applicants’ interest.

“I interview all sorts of people — a lot of English majors, education majors and mechanical engineers,” she said. “You don’t have to have a specific major in order to be a Peace Corps volunteer. You can come in with any major in the world.”

The presence of Tisch College at Tufts allows all students to get involved in service opportunities during their undergraduate experience, Solomont said. “[Service work] is both part of the tradition of this university, but it’s also an intentional part of its mission as represented by the fact that 15 years

ago, Tisch College was created to institutionalize this culture of engagement,” Solomont said. “It is the general atmosphere of both the kinds of students we attract, but also the kinds of students we graduate.”

Allison Lawrence (A ’11), a Peace Corps volunteer, credited much of her postgraduate path to programs like Tisch.

“I think had I not been in the Tisch College program and [spent] a lot of time studying and getting hands-on experience with the issues surrounding integrating into communities and working with community partners, that I would’ve struggled a lot more in the beginning of my service,” she said.

In addition to providing an atmosphere focused on service work, Tufts provides many resources for students interested in joining the Peace Corps. According to Deutsch, the Peace Corps is present at the Fall Career Fair, the Careers in the Common Good Networking Night and the newly introduced Gap Year Job Fair.

Deutsch said she encourages the Career Center to direct interested students to her. Once they are in contact, she advises students on their application and decision, and makes sure that each student understands the extent of their 27-month commitment. “[The Peace Corps is] a way of increasing our understanding of our country and of our country understanding other cultures and other countries,” Solomont said.

But like every program, the Peace Corps has its drawbacks.

“A lot of Peace Corps volunteers say that during your two year [service] you have the highest highs and the lowest lows,” Lawrence said. “There’s nothing like being there in a place that doesn’t have cell phone service, the Internet or any way to call people from home.”

Carty said living amid a culture with different social norms has made elements of her volunteer work particularly difficult.

“I find it difficult to swallow the level of gender inequality in this country, as well as the way in which young girls and women are often objectified by men,” Carty said of her experience in the Kingdom of Swaziland. “Also, I am frustrated by the lack of behavior change surrounding HIV prevention. Attitudes

toward protection and contraception are very slow to change.”

As a result, Carty said students interested in the Peace Corps should have a complete understanding of the program, and should maintain realistic expectations about the experience.

“Do not go in with the arrogant expectation that you will make some monumental, important change,” Carty said.

“Enter service with an attitude of humility and a desire to keep an open mind and learn from the people you live and work with. It will be hard, and you will be pushed to your limits. But maintain a positive and determined attitude, and you’ll be able to overcome any obstacle you’re faced with.”

While some Peace Corps volunteers change career paths after their volunteer experience, others have made it part of a track toward work in other areas of international relations.

“I was a little unusual because Peace Corps was actually a part of my strategy ... I thought I wanted to go into international development, but going out of college I still didn’t feel like I totally knew what that meant or what that entailed,” Katie Baczewski, a former Peace Corps volunteer and current student at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, said. “[My] Peace Corps [experience] was figuring out some of the details of [if ] this actually the thing I want to do ... because you can say ‘international development,’ but that’s such a big umbrella term and idea.”

Michael Sanders, a Tufts senior majoring in Archaeology and Environmental Studies, plans on entering the program after graduation.

“Part of the reason I’m doing [the] Peace Corps — or want to do the Peace Corps — is because I’m not completely sure of what I want to do after, but definitely the first option on my list would be looking into grad school,” he said.

When asked how he sees himself compared to other students going straight into the job market, Sanders said he feels confident in his decision.

“I could never see myself just entering a high-paying job right after graduation,” he said. “The things I want to do with my life and the things I’m focusing on are less about getting a high-paying job. I just want something that will keep me active and involved.”

ou can’t go backstage without an escort.” This is blurted out of the mouth of a man wearing an oversized black suit standing by the stage door. You have got to be kidding me. The last time I saw Brett play was at a small coffee shop in my hometown wearing flip-flops, and his feel good music was barely audible over the espresso machine. There were no stage doors and no bouncers. I guess we have come a long way. I’m living in a world away from home and he’s playing to hordes of happy plaidwearing people singing along to every word of every song. I hadn’t seen him in many moons and the transformation was palpable. It was like when a movie cuts to 10 years in the future and the characters’ lives are completely upside down from where they were when the movie started. It’s not every day you get to see someone become the person they always wanted to be. But when you do, and when they become a person making art for large groups of people, it’s an exciting feeling.

It had been a while since I had gone to see live music, which feels strange.

My mom is a singer and I’ve grown up in the wings. I’ve grown up writing set lists and carrying guitar cases. I have spent a good deal of my life handling merchandise and assuring people that it is worth their $20 to buy a CD and support an independent artist. I’m glad to see that here in Boston there seems to be a lot of support for independent music. In my experience, I’ve found that a lot of it is actually really good. I saw an opener at The Middle East a few weeks ago that I had never heard of and her ethereal and hauntingly beautiful song “French Fries are Magical” almost made me cry. It had been a long week.

It’s so important to take the time to listen. There is nothing better than getting caught up in the moment of live music. It’s something you can share with complete strangers and nothing compares to it. Even if it’s not your “style,” there’s something about the energy and vibration of instrument strings and drum skins that creates undeniable electricity. These moments are what make the tumultuous life of a musician worth it. The long road trips and crappy hotel rooms start to make sense because it’s all in pursuit of something magical.

I waited several moments by the stage door, which Mr. Big Suit had told me not to enter despite my All Access Pass. But after several minutes of waiting I followed a couple girls that were heading backstage and slipped right through. You hear all the time that if you act like you know what you are doing people will think you do, and, apparently, it’s true. I entered the green room or the “schmooze zone” and flashed back to reading “The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants” (2001) between my mom’s shows and spending way too long staring at myself making faces in those large mirrors framed by protruding light bulbs. By the time I was done catching up with my long lost, tall, red haired friend they had turned the concert venue into an after-hours club. I had to go back through the EDM flooded room to get my coat from coat check. I made my way through the crowd, dodging people with shiny hair and glow sticks. I walked out into the biting — or glacial — air, happy that, despite all the typical music business gripe, the magic is still there.

Eva Batalla-Mann is a sophomore majoring in peace and justice studies and community health. She can be reached at Eva. Batalla_Mann@tufts.edu.

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Evan Kenward presents new version of the American road trip in debut book UMass Amherst grad’s first work urges young Americans to go out and live by

Nika Korchok

Daily Editorial Board

Author Evan Kenward’s book ‘Young Wanderlust’ details a cross-country road trip taken by him and friends after his college graduation.

Courtesy Evan Kenward

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s the last few months of school approach, it is common for college seniors to feel anxious about their futures. About to finally exit the college bubble and enter the real world, many of these students will find themselves at a crossroads that is simultaneous liberating and terrifying.

Some may be taking more conventional routes, like searching for jobs or planning for graduate school, but others may choose to travel — to succumb to the allure of the open road.

In his debut semi-autobiographical novel, “Young Wanderlust,” University of Massachusetts (UMass) Amherst graduate Evan Kenward recounts his post-grad experiences traveling across the United States in search of that perfect road trip, that essential experience that, he says, defines the U.S. and its youth.

The great American road story Americans have always loved a good road story. From Jack Kerouac’s paramount “On the Road” (1957) to Hunter S. Thompson’s “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” (1971), young Americans, hungry for adventure and trouble, set out searching for the greatest landmarks across these United States and, of course, for themselves. But with the changing narrative that the digital age presents, it can be hard for students to act upon their own wanderlust. Smart phones and social media make any landmark location visible via Google Maps and creating Pinterest boards of dream vacations is easier than actually getting a group of friends in a car and driving to those places. Yet Kenward says that this kind of cross-country exploration provides an education just as valuable as a four-year liberal arts degree.

“I think that it is essential to experience newness and go outside of one’s comfort zone and see different parts of the country and the world,” Kenward said of his motivations for traveling. “It’s an education.”

To find out more, reading his book is a must.

It recounts Kenward’s angst after his 2008 college graduation: bored with his hometown and the security of central Massachusetts, and frustrated with how easily some of his friends had become homebodies after receiving their degrees, he decided to hit the road.

Although Kenward studied abroad in Italy during his junior year of college, he still wanted to see more of what his native North America had to offer — and he also wanted his best friends to be a part of his trip.

“I truly believe that [the draw of] driving across [the] country in America has been written in our culture and DNA for a very long time,” Kenward said.

At the beginning of his journey in the novel, Kenward’s attitude is perhaps typical of a recent graduate — he is equal parts arrogant and insecure. Rather than looking for a job, his biggest goal is to bring his best friends with him as they travel from the northeast to California to Canada and back again.

Impulsive and moody, he focuses more on immediate pleasures than long-term success: “If there was one thing that college taught me, it was how to party,” he writes.

Therefore, if there is one thing that traveling across the country teaches him, it’s how to see things in a new light and with an open mind. As the novel unfolds, he experiences a reinvigorated liveliness that comes from spending time on the road and talking to people from backgrounds vastly different

from his standard suburban upbringing in New England.

Inspiration strikes According to Kenward, he is influenced by a variety of artists, whether they be writers, musicians or visual artists. “[I am inspired by] any artist that creates a production more than just [by those that stick] within their medium,” he said, pointing to the unrestricted writing style of Dave Eggers and the pure showmanship and artistry of Pink Floyd as particular favorites.

Like his diverse sources of inspiration, Kenward also incorporates a wide range of media into his own book. Rather than being a straight travel diary, the book features recipes and lists, as well; a multi-page fairytale even springs up throughout the narrative.

The different forms of writing that Kenward integrates smoothly into the text makes the reading experience similar to what it would feel like to peer directly into his mind as he processes new sights and experiences. The diverse presentation of material allows the reader to travel along with Kenward, to get out on the road and be a part of the journey.

Indeed, descriptions of the places that Kenward visits are enough to bring the reader directly there. From the Badlands in South Dakota to Vancouver, British Columbia, Kenward’s descriptions of his surroundings are full-bodied and evocative. Reading the book itself is almost like traveling across the country.

The importance of experience However, for Kenward, reading is not enough. The author uses his novel to emphasize the importance of taking action.

“Experience is what we do to keep our hearts beating,” he writes. “Certain people do not want to experience new things out of fear. Some say that it is out of disinterest, but that is a lie. It is fear that keeps someone from traveling or letting a stranger stay in their home, or trying a new food, or climbing a mountain.”

Indeed, Kenward clearly seems happier in his travels than many of the people he encounters in “Young Wanderlust.” In fact, the road trip itself seems to have helped the young author reconcile a desire to travel with the realities of life. Though he has friends and acquaintances who have become restless after settling down, Kenward seems to have confronted and conquered his fear of this by the book’s conclusion. While he doesn’t have the immediate security of a nine-to-five job,

the fulfillment he feels from setting goals for his travels, achieving them and growing as a result are more valuable to him than the highprofile jobs some of his (decidedly unhappy) friends have obtained.

The writing process Kenward describes himself as propelled by productivity and, for him, writing this book was a way to narrow the boundless energy that he felt upon graduating.

“Writing the book was fulfilling,” he said.

“Any success that comes from it would be an added bonus.”

Kenward also said he wants young readers who may pick up his work to be entertained and engaged — though he also hopes to offer them a picture of an alternative post-grad experience. As he states both explicitly and implicitly throughout the novel, taking time

off, resisting the societal pressure of finding a job and a spouse and just hitting the road can be helpful to recent graduates who may be unsure of their place in the real world.

“I think people are constantly rushing into [adult life],” he said. “I think people don’t realize you can take some time [to] experience [the world] and come back a much more well-rounded individual.”

“Young Wanderlust” serves as a good reminder that there is more than one path to take after college. From the dirt road leading into national parks to the homes of strangersturned-friends met in roadside restaurants, the gems of such a journey can themselves often be the road to self-discovery and lifelong happiness.

“Young Wanderlust” is available from Amazon in paperback for $14.52 and as an e-Book for $4.99.

Courtesy Evan Kenward

Kenward’s travels took him to many unique spots in the United States, including the Oregon wilderness.

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Theater Preview

‘How I Learned to Drive’ premieres tonight 3Ps’ major spring production deals with issues of sexual abuse by

Drew Robertson

Daily Editorial Board

Pen, Paint & Pretzels’ spring major production, “How I Learned to Drive,” opens tonight in Balch Arena Theater. The show, written by American playwright Paula Vogel, was first performed in 1997 and follows the story of a young girl, introduced to us as Lil’ Bit (played by sophomore Tessa Barlow-Ochshorn) through her childhood and adolescence in Maryland.

Simultaneously manipulated and neglected by her dysfunctional family, Lil’ Bit becomes entangled in a highly complicated and inappropriate relationship with her uncle, Peck (junior Andy De Leon). Following a non-

chronological timeline, “How I Learned to Drive” traces the arc of their encounters, from the first time he molests her to their driving lessons together in his car, ultimately demonstrating the effects of his disturbing abuse on her adult life.

Though its difficult subject matter makes “How I Learned to Drive” a challenging show on several levels, director Hannah Deegan, a junior, says the questions of consent that it raises were one of the reasons she chose to direct this play.

“Considering the climate on campus right now [it seemed relevant],” Deegan said. “Our sexual assault policy is changing [and] we had Eve Ensler [author of ‘The Vagina Monologues’

Drew Robertson / Tufts Daily

Lil’ Bit reflects on her childhood experiences as she narrates the show from stage.

(1996)] come [to campus recently]. There is another thesis production coming up in April about sexual assault on college campuses, so it really felt like the right time to make this a part of the conversation.”

“How I Learned to Drive” is also notable for allowing a woman’s voice to take center stage ­— both through Vogel’s lines and Lil’ Bit’s character. Though Peck is undoubtedly a powerful figure, multiple monologues and voiceovers put the show’s women firmly in the driver’s seat, at least when it comes to the narrative. Notably, “How I Learned to Drive” is also one of a handful of 3P’s major productions in the last few years written by female playwrights. “‘How I Learned to Drive’ stuck out to me firstly as such a strong female voice,” Deegan said. “So much of literature and theater is male-centric, and Lil’ Bit has such a strong voice. She really spoke volumes to me.”

The setting, which promises an ultimately misleadingly safe and familiar environment for both Lil’ Bit and the audience, is also a significant part of Deegan’s vision for the show. The sloping shape of Balch Arena, as well as pieces of the set, emphasize the suburban and family setting that is at the epicenter of some of the most troubling aspects of the “How I Learned to Drive.” According to freshman stage manager Tom Morin, the colorful, miniature houses that hang above the stage were designed to evoke the feeling of a suburban neighborhood, giving audience members the impression of looking down into the scenes that make up Lil’ Bit’s life and home: Peck’s car, her bedroom, the kitchen table. Onstage projections also help to anchor

TV Review

‘The Americans’ returns strong in second season by

Lancy Downs

Daily Editorial Board

Television, it seems, is rife with political thrillers of all kinds: from “Scandal” (2012-present) and “Homeland” (2011present) to Netflix’s “House of Cards” (2013-present) and the upcoming “Crisis,” the genre is clearly in no short supply. These buzzy shows have garnered intense and loyal fans, impressive ratings and frequent critical acclaim (the exception here is “Crisis,” which doesn’t premiere until March 16). But despite the current popularity of the political thriller, FX’s superbly crafted “The Americans” hasn’t seemed to be able to capitalize on the trend. To be sure, the spy series, which just recently returned for a second season, is a criti-

cal darling and has earned nominations at the Emmys and other smaller awards shows, but it certainly does not pervade the pop culture landscape the way its counterparts do.

The reason for this is unclear, and fans may wonder why the series has not gained the following it deserves. Perhaps it is because the Cold War drama doesn’t have the twists of “Scandal,” the breakneck pacing of “Homeland” or the Machiavellian sensibility of “House of Cards” — or perhaps it is some combination thereof.

Indeed, these shows center on major figures in the political world: presidents, first ladies, congressmen, high-powered CIA agents. Unless your last name is Clinton, see AMERICA, page 7

Craig Blankenhorn / Courtesy FX

Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) are Soviet spies posing as the perfect American couple on ‘The Americans.’

Drew Robertson / Tufts Daily

Uncle Peck’s relationship with his niece is both disturbing and complicated, bringing up questions of consent, alcoholism and the nature of love. non-chronological scenes in time and place.

Despite some of the challenges of the show, cast and crew members alike have high hopes for the upcoming performances. Sophomore Artoun Festekjian, who plays a member of the Greek Chorus in the production, said that he has enjoyed the cast experience.

“We got into it right from the get-go ... and I think the finished product looks really good,” he said.

The performances will

also give students a chance to respond to the show, with talkbacks attended by members of Action for Sexual Assault Prevention, directors from “The Vagina Monologues,” representatives from Hillel initiative Moral Voices and the leadership of the upcoming thesis production on sexual assault. Performances of “How I Learned to Drive” will be held at Balch Arena on March 6, 7 and 8 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased at the Aidekman Box Office or by calling 617-627-3493.

The Artsy Jumbo

Senior Silliman For those who cannot quite find the right creative outlet here at Tufts, Boston offers unlimited opportunities for artistic expression. The School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (SMFA) is a popular venue, one which senior Mikko Silliman has been visiting every weekend for the past five semesters.

Although he had never considered making ceramics before coming to Tufts, he decided to try his hand at the art.

“I’ve always been curious — what are ceramics?” he said. “I started my spring semester freshman year, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”

Immediately hooked on the craft, Silliman continued to register for the SMFA’s introductory ceramics class, which meets at 9 a.m. every Saturday morning.

Silliman is also currently collaborating with a woodworker friend to create two full chess sets. He explained that, in addition to the physical creation, the real

draw of making ceramics is the ability to get lost in his own thoughts during the process.

“It’s so meditative in the morning when you have just one thing to focus on,” he said. “It is also really satisfying to use something you’ve made — like eating cereal out of a bowl I just created or playing chess. They’re the perfect gifts since I ... have no place to keep [everything I make].”

Silliman’s artistic prowess extends further than cups, bowels and vases: the economics major has also dabbled in jazz and folk music.

Silliman has some advice for those considering taking up ceramics (or any art, for that matter): “The more you make and practice, the better you get,” he said. “But I have to focus on quality over quantity.”

—by Dana Guth

The Tufts Daily

Thursday, March 06, 2014

Nash Simpson | Throwblack Thursday

What’s Up This Weekend Looking to make your weekend artsy?

Check out these events!

Canvas stretching: This weekend the Crafts Center will host a demonstration on canvas stretching. Participants are welcome to bring their own stretcher bars or use ones provided at the event. Depending on interest, there may also be a review of oil painting basics and techniques.

(Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Crafts Center.

Admission is free.)

Hammered Realm: The Ever-Present Cimbalom: This weekend will see a con-

cert put on by the Ludovico Ensemble, highlighting the cimbalom, a Hungarian instrument. The concert will feature world premieres by Boston and Tufts student composers, including John McDonald, Marti Epstein, Meng Tian and others.

(Saturday at 8 p.m. in Distler Performance Hall. Tickets are free with a Tufts ID; limit two per person.)

I-Club Presents: Parade of Nations: Tufts International Club is once again presenting its annual cultural showcase, “Parade of Nations.” The event will feature performances from various student groups

including La Salsa, Tamasha, Spirit of Color and others. (Saturday at 8 p.m. in Cohen Auditorium. Tickets are $3 each and can be purchased at the Mayer Campus Center Info Booth or on tuftstickets.com.)

Tufts Symphony Orchestra: In the latest edition of the Sunday at Tufts Community Concert Series, the Tufts Symphony Orchestra will perform under the direction of John Page. The performance will feature works by Beethoven, Bernstein, Elgar and others. (Sunday at 3 p.m. in Distler Performance Hall. Admission is free.)

—compiled by the Daily Arts Department

Craig Blankenhorn / Courtesy FX

In season two of the show, Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell) has reason to fear for her children’s safety.

Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys shine in nuanced espionage thriller

America

continued from page 6

Bush or Obama, you are unlikely to relate to the struggles the characters face on “Scandal,” “Homeland” or “House of Cards.” Nevertheless, the often preposterous scenarios these dramas concoct might even astound Washington’s top players.

But while these shows serve as a form of escapism, “The Americans” is decidedly focused on something much more real: the classic ‘80s suburban family.

While the drama certainly has its fair share of fight scenes, wigs and phone tapping (it is, after all, a spy series), the real heart of “The Americans” lies in its depiction of the Jennings family (and, to a lesser degree, their neighbors, the Beemans).

The Jennings appear to be your average American family — mom Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and dad Philip (Matthew Rhys) run a travel agency and look after their adolescent kids Paige (Holly Taylor) and Henry (Keidrich Sellati) in a suburban Washington,

D.C. neighborhood. But as the audience knows, Elizabeth and Philip are actually not travel agents at all but Soviet KGB agents who have spent the majority of their lives posing as your average (and quite good looking) all-American couple.

The act is exhausting. Philip and Elizabeth are forced to lie to nearly everyone they know: their kids, their neighbors, their friends, their colleagues and, sometimes, to each other. And if this weren’t tiring enough, they spend their nights stealing American state secrets, seducing unsuspecting government officials and narrowly escaping bloody crime scenes.

It’s a miracle they can get up in the morning to make breakfast for their kids.

The first season showed us just how much of a toll this life of lies and secrets has taken on the Jennings. The couple — whose marriage was not a choice, but required for their mission — separated for a time, only to reunite in the final episodes.

But the pair isn’t out of the woods just yet; they face trouble on the home front and

Artsy Nugget

Twitch Plays Pokémon Insanity In the past three weeks, approximately 100,000 people managed to jump, fight and mythologize their way through a single run of Pokémon Red. This internet culture event occurred via Twitch Plays Pokémon, a live stream of the Pokémon game played on an emulator that responded to the commands of any person involved through a chat box. The only catch: there were more commands at any given second than the game could possibly process at one time. The resulting input-lag created a completely spellbinding experience, as the game’s erratic progress unfolded.

Twitch Plays Pokémon is fascinating on several levels. For one, it harnesses a beloved and well-known cultural experience. Participation is both nostalgic and entertaining because people who played the game when they

7

weekender

were younger tend to know it well already and enjoy its various tropes and idioms.

But the real magic lies in the mistakes that occurred throughout the game’s progress — mistakes such as “Bloody Sunday,” in which 12 Pokémon were accidentally released from the PC or the compulsive checking of the Helix Fossil in the items menu. These random accidents spawned an enormous subculture and faux religion perpetuated on websites such as Reddit and Tumblr; every incident contributed to an intricate back-story, like the players’ strongest pokémon (Pidgeot) being dubbed “Bird Jesus.”

Twitch Plays Pokémon is still happening as players embark on a new journey in Pokémon Crystal Version.

—by Anthony Martinez

at work. The season two premiere saw their daughter Paige attempting to learn more about her parents’ suspicious late night absences, only to find them enjoying — to put it delicately — some private time. Work isn’t going much better either, as their friends (fellow Soviet spies) were suddenly and gruesomely gunned down in a hotel room.

Philip and Elizabeth are far from ordinary in some respects, but in others, the choices they are forced to make and the lies they have to tell resonate with viewers — and this is what makes the series both dynamic and thought-provoking.

Meanwhile, life isn’t easy for the Jennings’ neighbor Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich), an FBI agent whose personal life — which features a crumbling marriage and an increasingly-distant Russian mistress — is a disaster and whose job is just as stressful. Stan is fascinating; he’s a “good guy” who has somehow unwittingly made a mess of his life.

In a parallel universe, he would be the hero of this show, the upstanding American agent who saves the day from the evil Russian spies. But, thankfully, “The Americans,” is much more complex than that; the most layered and well-acted scenes come when we see the moments of friendship that comradely Stan and his wife (Susan Misner) share with Philip and Elizabeth. There is something so genuine and honest in these interactions that viewers will find themselves wondering where exactly the line between truth and fiction lies.

The barely-maintained boundary is especially intriguing because it is tied so closely to the Jennings’ duplicitous existence and the show’s engaging depiction of family and marriage. “The Americans” may be far from your typical political thriller, but its exploration of more complicated and nuanced material is some of the most compelling stuff on TV. It’s a shame more people aren’t tuning in each week to see where it takes us next.

A brilliant critique in disguise

P

aul Robeson, a commonly overlooked figure in the grand scheme of African American history, was the epitome of a Renaissance man.

He distinguished himself in professional football, political activism, singing and acting. Robeson’s powerful and robust, yet uniquely smooth bass timbre propelled him to the national limelight where he enjoyed an illustrious, albeit ephemeral, reign as a Hollywood actor and singer.

One of the highlights of his film career is the well-known “Showboat” (1936), made famous by his unforgettable rendition of “Ol’ Man River.” In the dozen or so movies he appeared in, Robeson’s acting roles were fairly limited to archetypal roles reserved for big black males. Yet, his 1936 film, “Song of Freedom,” temporarily released him from such confinements by providing him with the effective political voice that he had been yearning for by that time in his career.

A “Song of Freedom” is about a working class black Londoner named John “Johnny” Zinga (Robeson), who feels a deep spiritual and musical connection to Africa, despite having been born and raised an Englishman. He stumbles into a career as an immensely successful opera singer, which eventually leads him to discover that he is the descendant of African royalty. Johnny uses his newfound wealth and fame to fulfill a lifelong dream of visiting his tribe in Africa to connect with his roots. Upon his arrival, he attempts to rule his people as their rightful king, but things do not go so smoothly: the powerful witch doctor and his superstitious following reject Johnny’s commands.

In its short 72-minute running time, the film emerges as a deeply thoughtprovoking challenge to the British colonial system, while simultaneously critiquing the pervasive negative effects of forced racial assimilation caused by the slave trade. Furthermore, the film highlights the erasure of African tradition within the context of white society. Considering its 1936 release date, “Song of Freedom” has an immensely powerful political agenda. It cleverly dispels an entire system of oppression, while maintaining the harmless cloak of a modernized fairy tale.

The London depicted in the film (where its first half takes place) is astoundingly non-racist. It’s a fully integrated society where Johnny joyfully sings European opera for white audiences who love him and rave at his otherworldly talent. This setting establishes music, not race relations, as the major focus. While he enjoys singing opera, one particular tune, loosely based on the West African pentatonic scale, brings him joy above all else. This plot point is a play on the history of the Negro spiritual. Almost all black gospels can be played using only the black keys on the piano (the pentatonic scale — try it!). White composers called it the “slave scale,” and they actively tried to merge it with the European major and minor scales. The operatic sound of Johnny’s West African tune — the sacred song of his people — exemplifies the appropriation of the so-called slave scale into mainstream music.

The second half of the film takes on a different subject. Once he arrives in Africa, Johnny undergoes a major shift from being the oppressed descendent of slaves longing for Africa to the oppressor himself. He even begins to refer to England as his home! Hence, Johnny, the black Englishman, essentially has no home.

Being black, Johnny serves as an ironic representation of imperialism. He tears down the supposedly primitive culture he encounters and immediately labels their customs and beliefs as inferior to those of Europe. “It [has] got to be changed,” Johnny says, and he does just that. Spoiler alert: the film has a “happy” ending (that is really not so happy). As we clap for the victory of our protagonist, we are simultaneously applauding the supposed success of British imperialism in Africa.

Nash Simpson is a senior majoring in English. He can be reached at Nash.

Simpson@tufts.edu.

The Tufts Daily

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THE TUFTS DAILY Caroline A. Welch Editor-in-Chief

Editorial | Op-ed

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Editorial

SAT changes are important initial step

Editorial Ja’mie Hoagland Stephanie Haven Managing Editors Justin Rheingold Executive News Editor Daniel Bottino News Editors Jenna Buckle Abigail Feldman Daniel Gottfried Alexa Horwitz Victoria Leistman Annabelle Roberts Denali Tietjen Josh Weiner Sarah Zheng Meredith Braunstein Assistant News Editors Dana Guth Kathleen Schmidt Jei-Jei Tan Charlotte Gilliland Executive Features Editor Emma Arnesty-Good Features Editors Emily Bartlett Hannah Fingerhut Caitlin McClure Sabrina McMillin Jessica Mow Shannon Vavra Maya Blackstone Assistant Features Editors Sophie Laing Jake Taber Kendall Todd Lancy Downs Executive Arts Editor Brendan Donohue Arts Editors Veronica Little Dan O’Leary Drew Robertson Dana Guth Assistant Arts Editors Nika Korchok Wakulich Anthony Martinez Jake Indursky Alex Baudoin Alex Connors Ross Dember Zachey Kliger Kate Klots Aaron Leibowitz Tyler Maher David McIntyre Jason Schneiderman Alex Schroeder Sam Gold Alison Kuah Jorge Monroy-Palacio Maclyn Senear Chris Warren Nicholas Golden Tom Chalmers Matthew Crane Scott Geldzahler Susan Kaufman Benjamin Boventer Amy Bu Keran Chen Jehan Madhani Kyle Allen Jorge Monroy-Palacio Jonathan Moore Bailey Werner Caroline Geiling Sofia Adams Ethan Chan Matt Schreiber Christie Wu Caroline Ambros Maya Blackstone Alexander Knapp Annie Levine Nick Pfosi Kyra Sturgill Mitchell Katz Rachel Sheldon Alexander Kaufman Jake Hellman Aastha Chadha Ethan Chan Jade Chan Kristie Le Tanay Modi Blair Nodelman Joshua Podolsky Grace Segers

Executive Sports Editor Sports Editors

Yesterday, the College Board, the non-profit organization that administers the SAT Reasoning Test to over one million college-bound high schoolers each year, announced a dramatic overhaul of the test’s content, scoring and format. The overhaul represents a responsible step by the College Board to both make the test more accessible and to refocus its content and scoring on skills that translate more directly to academic success.

Debuting in 2016, the new SAT will feature two sections: evidenced-based reading and writing, and math, worth 800 points each for a total of 1600 points.

Additionally, test-takers will no longer be penalized for incorrect answers. The newly optional essay will be scored separately, and the reading and writing section will do away with arcane vocabulary in favor of more commonly used words, as well as emphasize evidence-based critical thinking. The math section will also be refocused to include data analysis on top of the algebra questions that are already a part of the current SAT. By scoring the new, optional essay separately and introducing a revamped reading and writing section, the College

Board is following the trend of universities who have decided in recent years to not include the existing SAT’s writing section score in their analysis of an applicant’s testing success.

While the College Board predicts that the new test will be more difficult, these alterations should still make it more straightforward and accessible, while simultaneously working to diminish its reputation as an exam designed to trick the test-taker.

In conjunction with the new SAT, the College Board also announced a partnership with Khan Academy to provide free test preparation via the Internet.

In its statement, the College Board acknowledged the gap between students who can afford expensive, third-party test preparation and those who cannot. Although students will need access to a high-speed broadband connection to take advantage of Khan Academy’s test prep, the wealth of information the College Board is willing to provide online for free is an admirable and an important step in leveling the playing field of college admissions.

To provide a more immediate impact, the College Board is releasing hundreds

of practice problems from previous tests through Khan Academy. Students taking the existing version of the test can now take practice tests for free. This is a stark change for a College Board that has historically held a vice-grip on any information that students can use to study for the SAT. The College Board’s revision of the SAT Reasoning Test and new free test prep offering through Khan Academy reflects an impressive shift toward testing skills that students actually utilize in the classroom and equalizing access to preparation via a proven non-profit.

Despite these improvements, however, the incredible amount of power that the College Board wields over the American education system continues to be problematic. As a private organization, the company sets national high school curriculum via Advanced Placement classes and exams and the SAT Reasoning Test, which is still the preeminent standardized test for college entrance. Students, teachers and parents must hope the College Board makes decisions that benefit the American education system, with little recourse for influencing those choices themselves.

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Off the Hill | University of Houston

Bitcoin disappearance shouldn’t have caught us by surprise

By Alex Meyer The Daily Cougar

Bitcoin, defined as a “peer-to-peer technology,” was designed in 2009 for the purpose of making digital monetary transactions without the presence of a banking authority. The open software is available to everyone, and it runs with the use of cryptography to control the exchange of funds. But with the recent embroilment of one of the network’s central hosts, Tokyobased Mt. Gox, who is in a $409 million loss of investments, most economists may not want to get involved.

A “massive hack” is rumored to be the cause of customer outrage following the shutdown of Mt. Gox’s website on Feb. 25. Also at this time, the Mt. Gox Tokyo office was seemingly deserted by its employees. The following day, Mt. Gox chief executive Mark Karpeles released a statement on the site for concerned capital investors.

“I would like to use this opportunity to reassure everyone that I am still in Japan and working very hard with the support of different parties to find a solution to our recent issues,” Karpeles said.

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.

With the inability to retrieve funds, many Mt. Gox users are left in the dark.

When the site went offline, a handful of protestors gathered outside the corporation’s Tokyo office, despite it being vacant, claiming they had suffered significant losses in their virtual wallets.

In a circulating document reported to be reflective of Mt. Gox’s real position, more than 744,000 Bitcoins were “missing” due to relentless cyber attacks.

Joseph Grundfest, a law professor at Stanford University and previous SEC commissioner, told Reuters, “The lack of clarity about formal regulatory status provides no safe harbor for liability for criminal fraud.”

This isn’t the first scandal the Bitcoin name has faced. In January 2014, Bitcoin CEO Charlie Shrem was arrested on charges of money laundering involving the digital black market known as Silk Road. According to criminal complaints, Shrem and another conspirator are accused of having sold more than $1 million worth of Bitcoins to those participating in the market, who would then buy illicit drugs.

Sen. Tom Carper (D) of Delaware, chair of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, told Yahoo that Mt. Gox “is a reminder

of the damage potentially ill-equipped and unregulated financial actors can wreak on unsuspecting consumers.”

Although many are infuriated by Bitcoin’s present instability, some have chalked up the downturn as just another crash, to be expected of “high-risk investments” like Mt. Gox, as Karpeles termed it in an interview with Reuters last spring. Hopefully, the standstill Mt. Gox is undergoing will foster the “solutions” it claims to be working towards.

This extensive breach should serve as a warning to those choosing to invest virtual currency, as this technological era births new loopholes for danger.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is now contemplating the establishment of rules for Bitcoin’s digital trading. The Wall Street Journal reports that federal prosecutors in New York have subpoenaed Mt. Gox. Japanese authorities are also reported to be looking into the matter, acknowledging that a court case would most likely take place in the United States. With Karpeles still under wraps, there’s no telling what will become of Mt. Gox’s future and the millions lost to its investors.

As of 6:39 p.m. on March 4, Bitcoin was priced at $671.22.

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Thursday, March 6, 2014

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Op-Ed

Op-Ed

Jonathan Moore | Politically Erect

A call to higher discourse

by Itai

The Facebook event page for Tufts Apartheid Week features a collection of quotes, all of a similar nature. In each, the speaker voices concerns over Israeli policies, and their implications on Israel’s character as the democratic homeland of the Jewish people.

These quotes are connected not just by their content, but by the origin of their speakers — each was voiced by a notable Israeli. While I imagine this was not the intended effect, I couldn’t help but be proud as I read them.

How beautiful is the state of Israel that her dignitaries, her heads of state, her generals, authors and academics are amongst her most outspoken critics.

This criticism is vital to any vibrant democracy. As citizens of Israel’s greatest ally, the United States (a nation that currently boasts historically high levels of support for Israel), we too have an obligation to engage in serious criticism and dialogue.

To that end, I encourage you all to listen to the speakers on campus this week. They should be heard, given proper consideration, but also viewed within their specific, and unfortunately narrow, context.

Because that is what Apartheid Week truly is: a prohibitively narrow context through which to view the IsraeliPalestinian conflict. It gives no credence to the complicated history of sacrifice and loss on both sides, and instead aims only to defame Israel. And let us be clear: labeling Israel an apartheid state is defamation in every sense of the word.

No, Israel is not an apartheid state.

Israeli Arabs are afforded full and equal rights under Israeli law, and as such benefit

Op-Ed

On denial goggles

Thaler

MCT

from more liberties than do their counterparts in any other Middle Eastern country — the right to worship the God of their choosing, the right to participate fully in the democratic process. Palestinians who are not citizens of Israel are unfortunately not afforded the same rights by the Israeli government — precisely because they are not citizens of Israel. (It is important to note as well that they do not want to be citizens of Israel.) But what divides Palestinians living within the West Bank from Israelis — be they Arab, Christian or Jewish — is just that: a matter of citizenship, not of race.

Yes, there is discrimination in Israel, as there is in any nation. There is inequality in Israel, as there is in every nation. This is not a symptom of apartheid but rather the byproduct of a young democracy growing amid a decades-long conflict.

But here is the key: the only way for this growth to continue is through the types

of conversation that Apartheid Week does not leave room for. The goal of Apartheid week, as well as the greater Boycott Divestment and Sanction movement, is not to better the lives of Palestinians and Israelis, but rather to vilify the Jewish state — the only Jewish state — and to shut down any conversations that could lead to meaningful change.

It is easy to label; it is easy to shut out those with whom you disagree. As students who firmly believe in the power of discourse to effect change, we must challenge ourselves to do more than simply hurl harmful epithets. Only then will we be able to truly claim we are acting in the pursuit of justice, not for one people over another, but for all.

Itai Thaler is a senior who is majoring in English. He is vice president of Tufts Friends of Israel. He can be reached at Itai.

Thaler@tufts.edu.

Israeli Apartheid Week in retrospect

by Stephanos

Karavas

It is most fitting, in a most disturbing manner, that Israeli Apartheid Week at Tufts University should be inaugurated on the heels of breaking news that, over the past year, Israel has doubled its rate of settlement construction in the illegally occupied West Bank. According to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, 2,534 new housing units were begun in 2013, compared to 1,133 in 2012. Most major media outlets omitted this story from their headlines for March 3 of this year, and they could almost be forgiven for doing so. The story of Israel’s dismemberment of sovereign Palestine is one of the most tired news stories of our contemporary world. What has also become tired, almost desensitized, to the tragedy of Palestinian oppression is the collective global conscience of mainstream society. Israel has made routine out of subjugation and banality out of persecution. This status quo is utterly disgraceful and unacceptable.

This brings me to the main object of my commentary: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the context of the university campus. As an undergraduate at Tufts, I witnessed the transformation of the university campus into the seeming hotbed of debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Students for Justice in Palestine didn’t exist when I

began my studies at Tufts. Consequently, Israeli Apartheid Week didn’t exist either.

The responses to SJP that I perceived on the part of many so-called resident academics within various departments and the Institute for Global Leadership was that SJP had degenerated dialogue on the subject and threatened the empiricism of discussion. Let me affirm from a retrospective position as a recent graduate: this is pure propaganda. And it is intended to be a means of assassinating positive change that threatens to disrupt the heavily, unquestionably and unashamedly Zionist, and therefore bigoted narrative that predominates at Tufts.

One of my major regrets vis-a-vis my time spent at Tufts is that I was unwittingly complicit in the maintenance of the aforementioned status quo. As a co-president of Tufts NIMEP (New Initiative for Middle East Peace), I helped organize on-campus events under the banner of “non-polemical dialogue,” which, implicitly, must be more academic. The pervasive consciousness underpinning NIMEP’s functioning is that bias is bad and that neutrality is the true benchmark of scholarly pursuit. As far as argumentation, disputation, research and genuine learning go, there is no greater fallacy than such relativist vomit.

Polemical debate is the essence of disputation. It is the threshing floor of per-

Justin McCallum / Tufts Daily Archives

sonal opinion and conviction. The etymological origin of the word is “polemos,” which means “war” in Greek. If the university campus cannot constitute a battleground of ideas, it is not worthy of its name or function. Thus, it follows that the inherent assumption predicating “nonpolemical dialogue” is the effective castration of genuine learning. Don’t buy into it. The entrenched status quo wishes to appropriate and monopolize the parameters of campus debate accordingly, and through distraction, tautology and redefinition, attempt to subvert necessary controversy and argumentation by presenting a false dichotomy between academic and polemical disputation. Again, don’t buy into it, either subconsciously, as I did, or consciously. It is insidious usurpation and must not be condoned.

The conflict between Zionist and antiZionist narratives is, in fact, not a conflict at all. The oppressed and the oppressor do not engage in conflict. The colonized and the colonizer do not participate in equivalent adversarial struggle. The only time these two fronts meet each other in conflict is in rebellion. Israeli Apartheid Week should be assessed in this context. It is a noble pursuit of students within their limited means to recalibrate the parameters of “acceptable” disputation on campus and to combat the inherent bigotry of Zionism.

Historic Palestine is, and has always been, a pluralistic collection of societies.

Any ideology that operates in denial of this reality and that does not enshrine it in its laws and practice is necessarily prejudiced and illegitimate. As Israeli Apartheid Week continues, don’t make the same mistake I did and fall into the deception of “nonpolemical dialogue.” Only open conflict of ideas produces clarity, free from illusions and a false consensus. Speak truth to power at every possible opportunity and juncture, and resist the entrenched and intellectually stagnant status quo.

Stephanos Karavas (LA ’13) has served as co-president of Tufts NIMEP. He can be reached at sgkaravas@gmail.com.

It’s a lot easier for people with power to deny a reality than for those who live that reality. With class, racial and familial privilege comes the power to irrevocably deny what on the surface seems obvious to many people. As time progresses, I am finding myself more and more obliged to detect people wearing these goggles and a) ask them to take them off for just a second (like in this column) or b) attempt to smack them off of their faces (in conversation). The later one gets me a bit more heated than the first but nevertheless, helping people see the possibility of becoming more “politically erect” instead of the mindless, meme-ing politically correct young Americans we’ve been trained to be is something that keeps a pep in my step and a venom on my tongue that I’m not letting go of anytime soon. On a college campus like Tufts,’ where people’s presumed liberal politics translates into at best inaction and complacency and at worst an appropriation orgy that commandeers conversations to benefit the wearers of denial goggles, some of us find ourselves tasked with snatching them off.

It’s a matter of dignity.

Denial can take many forms, from not tackling an issue directly or honestly to simply not giving a damn.

So, who has their denial goggles on this week?

No need to fear, we’ve got plenty of fresh denial here: Barack Obama is in denial about the reality of persistent and powerful institutionalized racism in the “greatest country on Earth.” The “My Brother’s Keeper” initiative aimed at supporting Black and Latino boys and young men that I touched on last week is admirable, but stressing the importance of personal and parental responsibility isn’t enough when you have laws and policies that keep you in the place you’re so desperately trying to get out of. To be President of the United States, you first have to justify the placement of a permanent pair of denial goggles on your face for at least the next four years. I commend the president for stepping up to the plate, but because the pitcher is in large part the U.S. government, this can easily dissolve into a strike.

AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) is in denial about the force of generational change in attitudes and how long they can keep the elephant in the corner. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke on Tuesday at the AIPAC Policy conference, saying, “The Palestinians need to stop denying history.” I sincerely hope that the dedication and strength I see on this campus to end Israeli Apartheid is telling of a greater shift in refusing to accept this hypocrisy. Ironically, one of the AIPAC banners at the conference had a picture of one of my friends from the University of Pennsylvania on it, who happens to be black, embracing a Jewish man with the slogan “I am Pro-Israel, I am AIPAC.” I tried to smack his goggles off. He has yet to respond.

My friend is in denial about the overarching reality of white supremacy. On a banner, as an American, his brown body is progress — in the West Bank, as a Palestinian, his brown body is shark bait.

Too many of us are in denial about our power as individuals to make change by putting what’s important to us on the line for what we know is right. It’s simple: pretend that you can’t change the system, and then watch as the system changes you.

I am in denial about the likelihood of you taking your tightly twisted and safely secured denial goggles off — after all, the real world can be hard to look at sometimes.

And the good struggle continues.

Jonathan Moore is a freshman who is majoring in political science and American studies. He may be reached at Jonathan.

Moore581594@tufts.edu.

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Thursday, March 06, 2014

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SUDOKU Level: Spending less than an hour in Halligan to finish a midterm.

Late Night at the Daily

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Hu, Bloom head strong graduating class

WOMEN’S SWIMMING continued from back

a team at each meet, and walked away from each challenge knowing what we needed to do to prepare for the next.”

Due to the pool’s closure, only one meet was held at Tufts this season ­— a close, 163131 loss to Keene State on Nov. 23.

Head coach Nancy Bigelow’s team, despite its disappointing regular season record and finish at NESCACs, saw accomplishments in other areas.

“We set many goals at the beginning of the season, one of which was to defend our thirdplace finish at NESCACs,” senior tri-captain Laura Burns said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t accomplish that goal, but we reached many of our other team goals, like setting records in the weight room, increasing team cheering at meets and practice and strengthening our relationship with the men’s team.”

Tufts also had impressive performances in the pool this season from several individuals, whose efforts boosted the team’s morale.

Hu, one of the team’s most prolific breaststrokers and biggest point contributors this season, finished her Tufts career remarkably.

Though she began the season handicapped by a pelvis injury, she came back to lead the Jumbos for much of the season.

She finished her 2013-14 run at NESCACs by winning a conference title in the 50 breaststroke — setting school records in the 50, 100, and 200 breaststroke — recording national B cut times in the 100 and 200 breaststroke, as well as earning second place in the Senior High Point Award.

“Because I broke my pelvis this fall, I wasn’t going into the season with too many expectations,” Hu said. “I wasn’t even sure if I’d be able to finish the season, so I am thrilled with the way I ended my season and my swimming career. I swam best times in my main events and got to swim on four relays at NESCACs.” Throughout the season, the team’s diving contingent consistently scored. Senior Sami Bloom and freshman Kylie Reiman were dominant in the first half of the season.

Together, they took first place in every diving event the team competed in until the MIT Invitational on Dec. 6 and 7, and continued to contribute this semester.

Like last year, the graduation of this year’s

Aaron Leibowitz | The Fan

senior class will be a significant loss to the team. Nevertheless, this year’s leaders are confident that the rest of the team will be able to carry the team forward and bring Tufts back into contention as one of the top teams in the NESCAC. “There is no doubt in my mind that the young talent on the team will step up next year,” Hu said. “The team dynamics will definitely be changing, but that happens every year, and I am excited to see the juniors really step up as leaders on the team next year.”

With the addition of a strong freshman class, coach Bigelow and the Jumbos are optimistic about their prospects for next season.

“I am very excited for our team’s potential next season,” said Burns. “We have some fresh recruits coming in that will bring speed and energy, but also this year’s freshmen will have a year under their belts so they can push their training and set targeted goals. I also believe that the team leadership will be very strong next year, and that they will set a precedent for intensity in the pool and camaraderie out of the water.”

Jumbos hopeful for big duo down low in 2014-15 SABETY

continued fromb back

the honor for the third-straight year, following Palleschi and Ferris in 2011-12.

In a way, the mentoring may have been as valuable for Palleschi as it was for Sabety.

“Hunter needed Tommy as much as Tommy needed Hunter,” Sheldon said.

“Because Tommy needed to stay connected.”

The value of the pairing showed, as Palleschi’s spirit didn’t waver — even in the face of surgery.

“He is one of those guys who never gives up,” Sheldon said. “You know, it’s like, ‘Yeah, I had heart surgery, but I’m still going go support my team.’ He was in the hospital, and I went to visit him the next day after [the

Williams game]. He goes, ‘Yeah, I watched the game yesterday.’ That’s crazy to think that, the first thing was, ‘Oh, Mom, bring my computer, I [have] to watch this game.’”

After a season of mentoring and watching, it’s understandable that Palleschi would be itching to get out on the court again. Now, thanks to a recent heart surgery, what was once thought to be a career-ending injury may have been just a temporary roadblock on the path to a prolific career.

“He wants to play, and he can’t do anything for 12 weeks; he can’t even drive,” Sheldon said. “Twelve weeks doing nothing and then he’s going to try and come back.

I don’t think he’ll be wholly back until the

second half of next year. He wants to be ready to go Nov. 1. But it’s going to be great.

I wouldn’t want to play us, because I don’t know how you [would] stop it.”

With a strong mentor-player relationship leading to a breakout season for Sabety this season, one can only wait in anticipation for what a player-player relationship between the two big men would bring the program in the future.

“I looked at it more as a little brother who you try to help out and try to always improve,” Palleschi said. “For that, I tried looking at him as the little brother that I never had to help work on his game. And then next year, I’m looking forward to try to play with him — on the same team.”

Elephants in the Room Favorite moment of the season

Jenny Hu Senior Women’s Swimming and Diving

When [head coach] Nancy [Bigelow] took us to McDonald’s after NESCACs

Thing I’m looking forward to most in the offseason

Reading

This season was...

Spring break plans

Bittersweet and gone too soon

Roadtripping down the east coast with with my two best friends

George Pantazopoulos Junior Hockey

Winning the last game of the season against [Bowdoin] was an awesome end to our senior’s career.

Finding out which company thinks I’m qualified enough to work in their cubicle as an intern

Johann Schmidt Senior tri-captain Men’s Swimming and Diving

Walking out to “Hey Now” and “Timber” during NESCACs

Getting huge at the gym! Eat. Sleep.

Lift. Repeat.

Uhhh-maze-inggg!

But actually, the best season so far

Our two “must wins” to end the season against Colby and Bowdoin to make the playoffs

Working on my game and getting better

Full of ups and downs, and was a learning process

Stephen Haladyna Sophomore Men’s Basketball

A learning experience for all of us

Going to the Bahamas with some friends

Nationals!!! Indiana, here we come!

Nothing too exciting. Just hanging with friends from home in Hamilton, Mass.

PHOTOS COURTeSY TUFTS ATHLETICS

Measure everything

I

f you thought the biggest baseball move of the offseason was the Mariners’ signing Robinson Cano, think again.

This past weekend, at the eighth annual MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference at Hynes Convention Center, MLB Advanced Media changed the game.

If you’re a baseball purist who prefers ERA, batting average and RBI, this is not for you. If you’re a baseball nerd, a math geek or some combination of the two: welcome to heaven.

MLBAM introduced a new play-tracking system that measures every movement on the baseball field. The system, which does not yet have a name, combines camera and radar technology to collect massive amounts of data. The camera component records each player’s position 30 times per second, while the radar component records the flight of the ball 20,000 times per second.

For the 2014 season, it will run in three stadiums: Miller Park in Milwaukee, Wisc., Target Field in Minnesota and Citi Field in New York. The plan is for all 30 parks to have the system installed by the 2015 season.

Player evaluation metrics have come a long way over the past decade. Consider the latest fad in all-encompassing offensive stats, wRC+, which looks at a hitter’s total offensive value and adjusts it to the league average while also accounting for ballpark factors. It’s complicated and brilliant and will drive a purist mad.

But MLBAM’s technology takes it to the next level. The reason it’s such a big deal — other than because it’s really cool — is that it has the potential to remove results from the equation. This might sound strange, but think of it this way: It essentially eliminates luck as a factor in evaluating players.

For fielders, the technology shows how efficient a player’s routes are, how fast his reaction times are, how fast he moves at top speed and how quickly he accelerates.

For hitters, it shows the velocity and launch angle of the ball leaving the bat, as well as at what point a player makes contact. For baserunners, it shows whether a player is rounding the bases at optimal angles.

Casual fans — and even some die-hards — may feel like this is information overload. That’s understandable. But like it or not, this system will change the way those who make baseball decisions — managers, general managers, Hall of Fame voters, etc.

— do their jobs. It will improve their ability to determine what makes a great ballplayer.

As for scouts and baseball traditionalists, things won’t get easier. Teams will hire fewer scouts and more math geeks. That’s sad for scouts. But we should celebrate accuracy and truth whenever we can get it.

The truth is beautiful.

Former general manager Jim Duquette put it this way to MLB.com: “You can start to take the subjectivity that is given to you by the scout and blend it with raw data now, and come up with a truer picture of evaluating a player. So when you take that data and compare it to others in the game, you can really find out if that position player is the best at his position.”

MLBAM has not revealed to what extent fans will have access to the new information. If it is open to the public, it will be confusing at first. Certainly, it will be more difficult to evaluate a hitter’s batted-ball speed and launch angle than it is to simply look up his home run and RBI totals.

But we should embrace the change. Topnotch evaluation tools enhance, not take away from, our understanding and appreciation of the greatest game on Earth.

Aaron Leibowitz is a senior who is majoring in American studies. He can be reached at Aaron.Leibowitz@tufts.edu.

Sports

12

tuftsdaily.com

Men’s Basketball

Sabety leads Jumbos with Palleschi’s mentorship Freshman steps in to shoulder responsibility with Palleschi sidelined by

Alex Schroeder

Daily Editorial Board

Freshman Hunter Sabety was at the free throw line with three seconds to go in his team’s NESCAC quarterfinal matchup against Williams. The Jumbos trailed by one. Sabety swished the first. He missed the second.

The Jumbos went on to lose by 10 points in overtime, ending their season one free throw away from an upset.

“Basketball: it’s a game,” Sabety said, recalling the moments after the Jumbo’s last game of his rookie season. “It’s competitive ­— you want to win always, but it’s a game.

[The Williams game] really came down to the last second. I missed a free throw, but got us into OT, and we ended up losing. It happens, but you move on.”

Sabety, a 6’8”, 240-pound freshman from Long Island, N.Y., was the statistical leader in three categories, averaging 14.8 points per game. He also reeled in 158 rebounds and blocked 67 shots over the course of the year.

“I went and saw him play, and you know, when you see him play, you have to love him,” head coach Bob Sheldon said of his initial experience with Sabety. “He’s athletic, he can run, he can do everything. We started recruiting him right away.

We just stayed on him.”

Things turned out well, both for Sabety and Sheldon. The Jumbos returned to the NESCAC playoffs for the fourth-straight season this year — despite several injuries throughout the season, the most shattering of which changed the team dynamic in a way no one was prepared for.

“He knew he was going to come in and play, and play right away,” Sheldon said. “I think he wanted to play with Tom [Palleschi], too, and have two big guys, and really try to make a mark.”

Caroline Geiling / The Tufts Daily

Freshman Hunter Sabety benefitted from last year’s off-court relationship with sophomore Tom Palleschi hopes to continue the relationship on the court next year.

Sophomore forward Tom Palleschi, the Jumbos’ former NESCAC Rookie of the Year, was the fourth-leading scorer from the 2012-13 season. Unfortunately, the opportunity for the big men to team up was lost early in the season — just a month before the team’s first game — as Palleschi found out that he has a hereditary heart condition, sidelining him indefinitely.

“No one really knew,” Sabety said. “We did preseason, me and him playing alongside each other, and we were supposed to be like a four and five combo. It would’ve been unbelievable. He was a really good passer, [a] really good player overall and really would’ve helped us out this year. But, I think it wa right before the season started,

he went for a check-up and they found out he had these issues and couldn’t play this season. We were all devastated.”

The Boston Herald covered the story first; it was published just two days before Tufts tipped off in New York for the first game of the 2013-14 season. Palleschi could not play due to the risk that his heart rate would rise too much. On the cusp of a breakthrough season, just after the Jumbos had reached the NESCAC semifinals the year before, Sabety was left to assume Palleschi’s role.

Sabety had chosen Tufts over numerous — 18, to be exact — other scholarship offers from across all divisions of NCAA basketball.

The choice worked for him as a

pathway to receive an education he would not have had access to without basketball.

“Academics really comes first and you have to at one point say, ‘I’m not [going] to the league. I’m not doing something like that. You have to get an education that you can use later on in life to excel,’” Sabety said. “Basketball [is] fun and all, but I really used it as a stepping stone to get into a school that I wouldn’t normally have been able to get into.”

Little did Sabety know that he would be the focal point of the Jumbos’ offense and defense — especially at the beginning of the season when the Jumbos’ leading scorer from last season, junior Ben Ferris, was sitting out with an inju-

ry. Though it was clear that Sabety would play a role in his first year on the team regardless of injuries, the size of his impact was a surprise.

While Sabety was doing the majority of the work at the center spot throughout the year, Palleschi had a definite presence. In fact, his 6’8” frame, similar to Sabety’s, could be seen before every game beginning at the end of the handshake line when starting lineups were announced. And then, throughout the game, he was always there, highfiving when timeouts were called or giving instructions to Sabety when he was on the sideline.

“We told Tommy that we wanted him to be Hunter’s mentor,” Sheldon said. “I think it really helped Hunter a lot, because we’re going to tell him stuff, but this is somebody who literally last year had gone through everything that Hunter is going through right now.

Tommy talked to him during practice — you know, ‘You should do this, you should do that.’ And we had Tommy sit down and watch film with him and point out stuff that he should do. It was just another voice to give Hunter, but a voice from experience.”

Palleschi accepted the responsibility with confidence and vigor.

“I felt my role was being the big guys’ coach and helping out the bigs as much as possible,” Palleschi said. “Growing up, I’ve always played basketball, and if there’s one thing I can understand and speak fully about, it is basketball and the post position that I’ve done my entire life.”

Palleschi was there to instruct and assist Sabety on the way to his stellar first-year season. Sabety is certainly among the top candidates for NESCAC Rookie of the Year, though Williams’ Duncan Robinson may make it hard for Tufts to take see SABETY, page 11

Women’s Swimming and Diving

Team takes positives from challenging season by

Maclyn Senear

Daily Editorial Board

The women’s swimming and diving team ended its season two weeks ago, taking seventh place at the NESCAC championships at Williams College, and finishing with a 1-4 record in dual meets and an 0-2 record in their only tri-meet. The team came off of a 2012-13 campaign where they took third at the NESCAC championships.

With the NCAA Div. III championships two weeks away, Tufts will not compete, as the only Jumbo who qualified — senior Jenny Hu — decided not to attend. Her 104.01 time in the 100-yard breaststroke would have seeded her 10th in the nation.

The Jumbos couldn’t repeat last season’s success. Hindered by the loss of a number of their strongest swimmers and divers in last year’s graduating class, and by the closure of Hamilton Pool in January, the team had to drastically alter its training regimen in the second half of the season.

The team relocated practices to the facilities at MIT and the Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden and held practices as early as 6 a.m. and as late as 9 p.m. Given these difficulties, many members of the team are satisfied with the results of their season.

“One of the goals we set as we went into the season was putting in a better effort at dual meets,” senior tri-captain Emma Van Lieshout said. “Though our record this season might not completely show this, we were very pleased with how we did collectively as see WOMEN’S SWIMMING, page 11

Caroline Geiling / the Tufts Daily

Senior Jenny Hu recovered from an early season pelvis injury to claim the NESCAC title in the 50 breaststroke.