Partly Raining 75/70
THE TUFTS DAILY
Pre-orientation numbers hold steady by
Daphne Kolios
Daily Editorial Board
An estimated 717 incoming freshmen participated in one of the four pre-orientation programs offered this year, a stable number compared to last year’s 724 participants despite enrollment shifts within different programs, according to Office for Campus Life (OCL) Director Joe Golia. The current streamlined application allows students to rank preorientation programs in order of preference, so all students who wanted to participate in a pre-orientation program were able to do so, Golia said. “Anyone who wanted to do any [pre-orientation] program had the option to, because we still had space,” he said. However, some students who were only interested in attending one of the more popular programs may not have been able to because of capacity limitations, Golia added. Four pre-orientation programs were available to freshmen this year: Tufts Wilderness Orientation (TWO), Fitness and Individual Development at Tufts (FIT), Freshman Orientation Community Service (FOCUS) and International Orientation (IO). The Conversations, Action, Faith and Education (CAFE) pre-
TUFTSDAILY.COM
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
VOLUME LXIII, NUMBER 2
orientation program, which would have been in its fourth year, was not offered. Though CAFE was traditionally a small program designed to encourage dialogue, its low application numbers were the primary factor in its cancelation, according to Golia. CAFE was canceled after consultation with and approval from the chaplaincy. The decision was reached in January, University Chaplain ad Interim Patricia Budd Kepler told the Daily in an email. CAFE remains a student organization, and the possibility of its return as a pre-orientation program has not been ruled out. “The option is still out there, but the numbers were so low that, financially, it was not able to sustain itself,” Golia said. TWO, traditionally the most popular pre-orientation program, expanded in response to increasing demand to include three more trips this year, opening up 24 more spots for incoming freshmen, according to TWO Co-Coordinator Rachael Wolber (LA ’12). Of the 390 freshmen applicants, 45 were chosen for the waitlist and 239 total participated. Like last year, students were randomly selected for acceptance to TWO, she explained. see PRE-ORIENTATION, page 2
Where You Read It First Est. 1980
SigEp to remain houseless by
Melissa Wang
Daily Editorial Board
The brothers of Tufts’ chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) will remain without a house for at least another semester because the fraternity was unable to find the required number of brothers willing to transfer to a house from on-campus housing. The Office of Residential Life and Learning (ResLife) in early July offered the house at 92 Professors Row to the fraternity for the year. The house formerly belonged to the Sigma Nu fraternity, which will not be returning to campus for the 2012-2013 academic year, according to Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Su McGlone. McGlone said that she contacted the SigEp fraternity members in early July, offering the group the Professors Row house for a year if it could come up with 10 brothers to fill the 10 beds available in the building. ResLife hoped to free up that number of beds on campus because of a housing shortage in undergraduate dormitories, McGlone explained. After SigEp leaders produced a list of ten brothers, McGlone clarified that all the brothers had to be signed up
for on-campus housing, but SigEp came up with only six brothers who fell into that category, according to SigEp President Michael McCarthy. The offer was then rescinded three weeks after the initial proposal because they could not fill those four extra beds, McCarthy, a senior, said. “We were a little disappointed by that because the university claims to value Greek life, and from our standpoint it seems like they chose four extra beds for undergradu-
ates as opposed to 40 juniors and seniors who had been here and done philanthropy and had high GPAs to remain in Greek life,” junior Stephen Ruggiero, a brother, said. “It’s tough to ask brothers to leave a highly coveted on-campus house or room to move into a fraternity house which we don’t even know will belong to us yet.” The house at 92 Professors Row will instead be temposee SIGEP, page 2
Virginia Bledsoe / The Tufts Daily
SigEp will carry on without a house for at least another semester.
Students advocate shuttle service Tufts alum Blumstein to Union Square was ‘natural leader’ by
Phillipe Maman
Daily Staff Writer
Two Tufts seniors submitted a proposal this summer that suggested an expansion
of Joey shuttle service from its existing Davis Square route into another large commercial location in Somerville: Union Square. Students Amy Bean and
Sam Kronish submitted their proposal on July 9 during a meeting with Vice President for Operations
see UNION SQUARE, page 2
Justin McCallum / The Tufts Daily
Students have entered into talks with university administrators about a shuttle service that would extend the Joey route to Union Square.
Inside this issue
by
Martha Shanahan
Daily Editorial Board
Emma Blumstein (LA ’10), known for her unyielding stamina on the rugby pitch and celebrated by a wide circle of friends and family for her charisma and positivity, died June 12 in a bicycle accident in Brooklyn, N.Y. She was 24. At Tufts she confidently earned the respect and love of the Tufts women’s rugby team, whose players named Blumstein MVP after her sophomore year and thrived under her leadership as captain. She served as an anchor for the whole team, close friend and fellow rugby player, Alex Schuman (LA ’09) said. “She was definitely a natural leader, which was kind of funny because on the team she’s not the one that’s yelling at people to get in line,” Shuman said. “She was kind of quiet, [but] people just went to her for advice, they went to her when they needed help.” Blumstein came to Tufts from Brookline, Mass. She graduated in 2010 with a B.A. in English and a minor in Film Studies. Blumstein’s crowning as Homecoming Queen her senior year only made official what
those close to her were already sure of: that to know Emma was to love her. The rugby community eagerly supported her campaign – alumni cheered her on via Facebook and some even came back to Tufts to see Blumstein crowned. “Everyone just immediately felt like a family and felt together,” Schuman said. On a May 2008 road trip across the country, Emma joined her friend and Brookline neighbor Becca Russell-Einhorn in a quest to complete “research and development on anything that resides between two pieces of carbohydrates.” Calling themselves “Team Sandwich,” the pair drove from Claremont, Cal. to Brookline, consuming exclusively sandwiches for lunch, dinner and, if possible, breakfast. Between the Subway Footlongs, chili cheeseburgers and breakfast burritos, RussellEinhorn said she and Blumstein found friendly people and just enough trouble to make their road trip an adventure. “When you’re the kind of friend where you can be three feet away from each other for 12 days, that’s a different kind of see BLUMSTEIN, page 2
Today’s sections
This summer, Walter White may have finally broken bad in AMC’s hit series.
Varsity athletes test out the Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center for the first time.
see ARTS, page 5
see SPORTS, back
News Features Arts & Living Editorial | Letters
1 3 5 8
Op-Ed Comics Sports
9 10 Back
2
The Tufts Daily
News
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
CAFE canceled, other programs see boost in participation
SigEp brothers stay optimistic despite housing issues
Proposed bus route could increase volunteer, job opportunities for students
Blumstein’s friends, family share memories of time at Tufts
PRE-ORIENTATION continued from page 1
Approximately 195 students enrolled in FOCUS this year, roughly the same as last year, according to FOCUS Co-Coordinator Emma BloksbergFireovid, a junior. She said that 240 students applied, representing an increase over previous years. Students were selected on a first-come, first-serve basis. Though FOCUS hopes to expand its capacity in the future, the group was unable to do so this year. “Unfortunately, we didn’t have the logistical power to do it this year,” BloksbergFireovid said. “That was one of our goals for the program, but it just didn’t end up working out.” FIT enrolled 152 students this year, approximately 30 fewer than last year, according to Branwen Smith-King, assistant director of athletics. Despite the decrease, Smith-King explained that having fewer participants was not a downside since FIT is designed for mentorship. “I’m not really alarmed at that; I just think it’s just the way it is,” she said. “I think 152 is perfectly fine. It makes it more intimate, more personal.” IO this year hosted 130 students representing 35 countries, according to International Center Director Jane EtishAndrews. There is no cap on the number of participants, she added. Etish-Andrews felt that IO’s shift last year to the standardized application could have altered the program’s composition, potentially decreasing representation of the American citizens IO seeks to include.
UNION SQUARE
continued from page 1
Dick Reynolds. The route to Union Square, which is less than three miles from campus, would be either supplemental or combined with the Joey shuttle’s current Davis Square service, which has existed for over a decade. “We want Tufts students to know that Somerville exists beyond Davis Square,” Bean said. “The city of Somerville is a very interesting and diverse place, and we want the Tufts population to know that.” Located in the square are culturally diverse dining choices and many markets that include Brazilian, Korean, Indian, Italian, Portuguese, Haitian, Nepali, Bangladeshi and Pakistani options. The square also offers a wide variety of bars and music clubs, as well as the inexpensive grocery store Market Basket. “Tufts students, especially freshmen, don’t really know that much about the surrounding area,” Kronish said. “Union Square is a sort of hidden gem that we feel the Tufts community hasn’t really had an opportunity to explore extensively yet.” The shuttle would ease the commute for students who volunteer in Union Square throughout the week, Bean said. This includes 90 Tufts Peer Health Exchange and 50 Leonard Carmichael Society volunteers as well as 70 students who work at LIFTSomerville, a branch of a national non-profit organization that combats local poverty. Without the proposed Tufts service, it takes these individuals over an hour each way to travel from school to work, according to Bean. The square is currently inaccessible by train – the closest T stop is 1.5 miles away – and can only be reached by students via Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus lines. “With busy class schedules, in addition to other responsibilities on campus factored in, an extra two hours of commute time becomes very difficult, verging on impossible,” Kronish said. A shuttle to Union Square could also increase the number of volunteer
However, she noted that American citizens have continued to enroll in IO despite the streamlined application process. “We always get international students; they’re our primary constituents that we’re looking to bring. But we do get Americans who grew up overseas, or last attended high school overseas, and we get dual [American] citizens. We get students from other US territories and islands, and we also get Americans who have an interest in IO,” Etish-Andrews said. TWO and FOCUS participants received their keys and were able to move into their dormitories on the day of their arrival, rather than waiting until the general freshman move-in day as in years past. The decision to grant students access to their rooms before their pre-orientation program was based on concern over emergencies such as last year’s Hurricane Irene, families’ desire to help students with movein and an Athletics Department ban on sleeping in the gym, according to Golia. Student groups will no longer be able to sleep in the gym because of Athletics Department policy and damage incurred in previous years, he explained. In response to last year’s hurricane, TWO also added more first-aid requirements for its leaders and coordinators, Wolber said. Golia believes pre-orientation offerings were able to meet demonstrated demand. “We think we’re at a point in this university where we’re able to accommodate everyone within our four programs who wants to do a pre-orientation, based on our numbers,” Golia said. “Students might have different interests based on the four that we offer, but right now it’s less than a handful denied.”
and job opportunities for the entire student body, Kronish said. From the Community Action Agency of Somerville to Somerville Community Access Television, Union Square houses several local companies that are eager to increase their involvement with Tufts students, Bean said. “We talked to several non-profits and small business owners in Union Square who all said they would love to have Tufts volunteers,” she said. “There is a lot of excitement from the existing organizations who don’t currently have volunteers from Tufts.” Allowing students to explore more parts of the area could also be of monetary benefit to local businesses, Bean said. Because it is the middle of the fiscal year, the bus service cannot begin until at least 2013, Reynolds said. Logistics such as the bus schedule, an estimate of ridership and the size of the bus have to be finalized before the service can be incorporated into the next budget. “We will have to come up with a way to fund this new shuttle once we know what the costs are for the schedule that works best,” he said. Beyond meeting with Reynolds, Bean and Kronish said they have also discussed the initiative with University President Anthony Monaco. Monaco has helped the students develop a blueprint for a bus service that would be useful to all members of the Tufts community. To increase student support for the proposal, Bean and Kronish in June created a Facebook group called Tufts Transportation to Union Square. The page has generated approximately 227 likes since then. In order to raise student awareness and potentially get more students on board with the plan, Kronish and Bean will advertise at the Student Activities Fair on Sept. 11 and will be posting flyers around campus, Kronish noted. Though the specifics are far from finalized, Bean and Kronish hope that the end result will be a feasible way for students to explore an underutilized area.
SIGEP
continued from page 1
rarily converted into transfer student housing, McGlone said. SigEp has gone without an official house on campus since a group of senior brothers inflicted significant damage to its previous 114 Curtis St. residence during Senior Week in May 2011, according to McCarthy. The group has since paid off all of the debt for the damage caused, but the company that owns the house, Walnut Hill Properties, refused to keep the lease with the brothers. “We basically did what the university asked of us to get into good standing with them, because they understood that the kids who were still here were not the ones responsible,” Ruggiero said. Ruggiero said that many brothers were disappointed the deal did not work out and that having a house greatly improves a fraternity’s social presence on campus, especially in terms of recruitment. “What freshman wants to rush or pledge a fraternity or sorority without a house?” he said. “It’s something visible, something people can see. It’s our own, it’s a place for us to go and it kind of defines who you are.” Because the lack of a house led to low recruitment numbers last year, almost all of SigEp’s brothers are upperclassmen who naturally would have less interaction with freshmen than sophomores would have with first-years, Ruggiero added. Following the revocation of the housing offer, SigEp brothers, alumni
BLUMSTEIN
continued from page 1
friendship,” Russell-Einhorn said. In Memphis, they misplaced their car and found only the unsympathetic local sheriff’s department to turn to for help. As Team Sandwich drove around town in a police cruiser with an officer in the front seat, searching for the parking garage where they had left the car, Blumstein turned around from the front seat and looked at her friend. “She just looks at me and says, ‘I think we’re in the movie ‘Superbad,’” Russell-Einhorn said. “It was the most stressful thing turned into the funniest part of the trip.” “I was freaking out, but she was so calm,” she said. “Her personality was very go-with-the-flow and very chill about things. She was the person who could calm down other people. She was attuned to that.” Rebecca Spiewak, a senior and member of the rugby team, remembers Blumstein as a mentor and said that as captain, Blumstein was able to put her teammates at ease even with a sport as daunting as rugby. “She was also so hilarious [that] it would have been difficult not to love being around her,” Spiewak told the Daily in an email. In a 2008 Daily article about making plans for marriage during college, Blumstein spoke about her wish for a steady family life without the need for legal validation.
and parents of brothers sent emails to various members of the administration voicing their need for a house and general love for the fraternity, according to Ruggiero. Though the email campaign was not successful in overturning the decision, McGlone said that the great sense of brotherhood that those emails displayed reinforces her opinion that SigEp does not need a house to succeed on campus. “The energy behind their emails, the energy behind why SigEp is important to them and how it has helped to shape their Tufts experiences, none of that had to do with the house,” she said. “It had to do with the fact that they’re a group of brothers who have shared values, and those values have helped them conduct themselves in the rest of their lives at Tufts. If they can take that energy and really drive home with that, I think they’re going to be really successful.” McCarthy remains optimistic about the group’s chances for a house and believes that the setbacks may benefit the fraternity in the long run. “You sort of have to be optimistic in this situation,” he said. “I think that even though this has been a pretty big negative for us, it also presents us with an opportunity to recruit brothers who really want to be involved in Sigma Phi Epsilon not necessarily because we have a house, but because they want to be a part of the brotherhood and all of the good things that we’re doing. We very well could come out of it stronger than we entered it.”
“I do not need a ring or the American government to tell me that my relationship is validated in their eyes,” Blumstein told the Daily. “I do want a relationship similar to marriage, though – one with a continuous partner.” “She just made everyone have fun in life, like a significant amount of fun,” Russell-Einhorn said. “She set the standard for cool without trying. Or pretending not to care, at least.” Blumstein lived in San Francisco following graduation, then returned home to Massachusetts before moving to Brooklyn. She had been taking classes to prepare for the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and working to save money for graduate school. She was killed in June in an accident with a vehicle while she was riding her bike. No charges have been filed against the driver. In an obituary on the Levine Chapels website, her family wrote, “Emma was a wonderful person. Her extremely broad group of friends from every part of her life saw her as warm, considerate, loyal, supportive, fun and very funny with her quirky sense of humor. She was the best companion, buddy and confidant.” Blumstein is survived by her parents, Steven and Mona, and a sister, Alyssa. If you have memories of Emma Blumstein that you would like to share with the Daily, please contact us at editor@tuftsdaily.com.
Courtesy Alex Schuman
Emma Blumstein with her parents following her Homecoming Queen win in 2009.
Features
3
tuftsdaily.com
Kyra Sturgill / the Tufts Daily
The Tufts Quidditch Team received the New Organization of the Year Award last spring.
Awarded organizations back, ready for the new year Student Organization Awards recognize groups on campus for commitment, passion by
Alexandria Chu
Daily Editorial Board
Strong groups of passionate students across campus reflect the variety of interests that can be found at Tufts. Tufts has more than 300 student groups, most of which will be showcased at the Student Organizations Fair on Sept. 11. Last April, the Office of Campus Life (OCL) bestowed the 2012 Student Organization Awards to nine of these groups. Director of the OCL Joe Golia was especially proud of the nomination process and excited to spotlight the hard work of Tufts students. “There’s a committee that’s put together including TCUJ [ Tufts Community Union Judiciary] students and staff,” Golia said. “Anybody has an opportunity to nominate a group for a specific award.” The Tufts Quidditch Team, the Tufflepuffs, was presented the New Organization of the Year Award. The award was especially thrilling for the team considering their newly recognized status. “It was our first-ever award,” co-manager Howie Levine, a senior, said. “We were hoping for it, but we were shocked. We had been around since 2009 unofficially, so we were pretty excited to get some recognition for all the hard work that we’ve been doing.” The Tufflepuffs’ official designation as a student organization – as opposed to a club sport – has come with more than one perk, including the opportunity to utilize space to which club sports do not typically have access. “At the end of last year, we practiced on the President’s Lawn right behind [President Monaco’s] house,” Levine said. “He came out and watched the game. His kids sold concessions, and people sat on the hill to watch.”
In addition, the group hopes to both carry on old traditions and add new ones this coming semester. “We have Saturday practices where our whole team comes together,” comanager Tori Manogue, a sophomore, said. “We also want to reach out to other colleges.” According to Levine, the team is looking to get more students playing through the intramural league. “We’re totally changing intramurals this year and the way they work,” Levine said. “They are really becoming the backbone of the Quidditch program, and we hope to get people to start their own intramural teams as well. This will also be the first year [that] we have players from all four years.” Levine and Manogue believe this new arrangement will accommodate the group’s growth. It will also cater to both those who want to be more competitive and those who just want to play for fun. The Tournament Team, for example, will train for the Quidditch World Cup – a two-day, international tournament involving 100 teams – at which the Tufflepuffs placed second in 2010. The Tufflepuffs also work with local children at the Boys & Girls Club in Medford on a weekly basis. “Last year, it was our first semester of Quidditch,” Levine said. “I think it’s the first program of its kind in the world … Kids that don’t really like sports can still enjoy Quidditch, and it ties in [well] with getting kids to read.” The team is always open to welcoming interested students. “We love new people and we’re all about having fun,” Levine said. “Everyone’s free to come to our Saturday practices at noon on the Res Quad.” The Leonard Carmichael Society (LCS) is similarly ready to offer a variety of new experiences for Tufts students
this fall. They were awarded the Jumbo Award – also known as the Campus Community Award – last spring, which recognized their numerous contributions as a service group. “We provide a connection to others and help put people together with similar passions and interests,” Co-President Zachary Michel, a junior, said. “Our program is a reflection of a Tufts student’s interests and community needs.” With 30 different programs under their umbrella, LCS works to address a variety of areas of community service. “We just added four new programs this summer,” Co-President Shayna Schor, a junior, said. “And, we have five different subcommittees [for the programs] of Health Issues, Hunger and Homelessness, Literacy and Education, Special Needs and Youth Mentoring.” Michel and Schor are ready to continue their group’s nearly sixty-year-old legacy at Tufts, and look forward to making LCS even more accessible to students. “Our main goal is to make sure people know about LCS as much as possible,” Michel said. “We want to address different segments of the Tufts community and make it really easy for everyone to get involved.” To this end, they have created a LCS Viewbook highlighting each organization. Even with a group of over 1,000 students and 85 staff members, LCS welcomes more involvement. “LCS is an inherent part [of ] what it means to be a Jumbo,” Schor said. Tufts Mock Trial (TMT) has also been recognized by the OCL. External Affairs and Public Relations Officer Nicholas Teleky, a sophomore, is excited for the new academic year and thankful for his group’s first Student Organization Award: the Dot McAveeney Legacy Award. “We were thrilled especially because
this award doesn’t only recognize our current efforts throughout this year, but also the efforts, struggles and successes of our alums over the past nine years,” Teleky said. TMT has expanded in record time thanks to strong foundations. “Two years ago, we were ranked 46th in the country [and] last year, we came in ninth,” Teleky said. “We started as barely a single team that competed at one tournament. Since then, TMT has become one of the largest, most intimidating programs in the country that, each year, fields four teams of six to ten members, ... sends teams to regional tournaments and has earned a bid to the National Championship Tournament.” This fall, TMT hopes to obtain two bids to the National Championship Tournament. They will also continue their unique practice of mixing seasoned and new debaters. “We do not stack our teams … meaning that each team has the same amount of skill,” Teleky said. “At the Opening Round Championships, our ‘A’ team earned a bid to the National Championship, while our ‘B’ team got an honorable mention. A lot of programs only have a couple stars that help propel a team forward. But with our ‘A’ team and our ‘B’ team both being successful, TMT has shown that all of its members are excellent.” Yet this is not the only aspect of TMT that is unique. “We’re student-run and don’t have an attorney coach, unlike almost every other competitive program in the country,” Teleky said. This year, TMT will present a side of a civil case involving an individual that has sued a diving company for the wrongful death of his spouse, acting as both witnesses and lawyers.
The Tufts Daily
4
advertisement
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Make Your Health Center Stage
Visit us on Broadway Looking for a way to make sure you and your family stay healthy? Hallmark Health Medical Associates in Ball Square offers a group of four family medicine physicians completely dedicated to your long-term health and well-being. We’re located at 645 Broadway. We offer dedicated, individualized care for all ages. Our ability to coordinate all your healthcare needs, from routine exams to managing your specialty care appointments means we’re your center for total, longterm health and well-being. Now, with this kind of holistic approach to your care, don’t you feel better already?
Dr. Parra Tomkins
Dr. James Bath
Dr. Leanne Lee
Dr. Eva Zasloff
For an appointment, call us at 617-625-0006
Arts & Living
5
tuftsdaily.com
TV Review
Fall promises a variety of new TV shows by Joseph Stile
Daily Editorial Board
Every fall, television networks unleash a plethora of new shows in pursuit of ratings and critical acclaim. Last year’s “New Girl,” “American Horror Story” and “Homeland” were all big hits for NBC, FX and Showtime respectively. The many new shows premiering this September and October will attempt to recreate that magic. On Sept. 11, NBC will debut its new comedy, “The New Normal.” Ryan Murphy, the man behind many well-liked shows including “Glee” and “Nip/Tuck” (20032010), created this family comedy that centers on a gay couple and their surrogate mother. Sharp wit and an atypical family dynamic give this comedy the potential to be both hilarious and a conversation starter. Fox’s “Ben and Kate” also promises to be a smash family comedy. Premiering on Sept. 25, this quirky half-hour show looks to mix both laughs and heart. The show is about two very different siblings, free spirited man-child Ben (Nat Faxon) and the hardworking Kate (Dakota Johnson). The comedy looks to match the tone of Fox’s hit show “New Girl,” which would make “Ben and Kate” an excellent potential companion piece. “The Mindy Project” is another new Fox comedy being released this fall. Mindy Kaling, former writer and star of the American version of “The Office,” is this rom-com’s creator, producer and star. Premiering on Sept. 25, “The Mindy Project” con-
cerns a female doctor struggling to maintain her career aspirations and romantic dreams. “Mindy” continues last year’s trend of comedies by and starring female comedians. Matthew Perry is another former sitcom star returning to network television. On Sept. 11, his new comedy-drama “Go On” will air on NBC. The show attempts to find humor and pathos from stories about group therapy. The pilot episode previewed this summer to great reviews. “Go On” isn’t NBC’s only new show; the network is also premiering “Chicago Fire” on Oct. 10. “Chicago Fire” is produced by “Law & Order” creator Dick Wolf and follows the lives of Chicago firefighters and their families. The drama features former “House” (2004-2012) star Jesse Spencer and former “Sex and the City” (1998-2004) actor David Eigenberg as two of the firefighters. Science fiction fans will most likely love NBC’s “Revolution.” Premiering on Sept. 17, the pilot episode is directed by the acclaimed director of “Iron Man” (2010) and follows a small group trying to survive in a future without electricity. The show appeals to the diehard fans that made “Heroes” (20062010) and “Lost” (2004-2010) such big hits, and is even produced by “Lost” creator J.J. Abrams. CW’s “Arrow” is also trying to gain a strong science fiction following. Airing on Oct. 10, “Arrow” is based on the DC comic book character The Green Arrow. The serial drama will combine fantasy,
action and science fiction elements. Considering the enormous success of summer hits “The Avengers” and “The Dark Knight Rises,” it seems likely that “Arrow” will find success on the small screen. CBS’s “Elementary,” which premieres Sept. 27, looks to present a modern twist on classic Sherlock Holmes mysteries. The show will take place in America, and Dr. Watson (Lucy Liu) has been changed to a female character. It’s been just over two years since the BBC did a modern retelling of Sherlock Holmes with the critically acclaimed “Sherlock” series, so viewers will certainly be tempted to see how the two shows compare. CBS is also premiering “Vegas” this fall. Airing on Sept. 25, “Vegas” is a western set in 1960s-era Las Vegas that focuses on a policeman’s interactions with a newly arrived mobster. Film star Dennis Quaid and Emmy-winner Michael Chiklis star in this period piece. Historical dramas such as “Mad Men” and “Boardwalk Empire” have been critical darlings, and “Vegas” looks to join them with its high-caliber cast. Finally, “666 Park Avenue” is a promising ABC drama beginning this fall. Based on Gabriella Pierce’s novels, the show follows a Manhattan couple whose neighbors might be possessed by a demon. HBO struck gold when it adapted books into its hits “True Blood” and “Game of Thrones.” ABC is hoping for similar success. Only time will tell which of these shows will find an audience and which will be canceled, though
Kiki Maraschino Via Flickr Creative Commons
Mindy Kaling’s“The Mindy Project” is one of fall’s promising comedies.
TV Review
‘Breaking Bad’ has never been so good by
Alex Hanno
Daily Editorial Board
It’s probably not fair to say that “Breaking Bad” is undisputedly the best show on televi-
Breaking Bad
Starring Bryan Cranston, Anna Gunn, Aaron Paul sion. After all, you could technically dispute it. You’d just be wrong. The fifth and final season of AMC’s critical hit reached new heights this summer, somehow topping last year’s mindshattering finale. Viewers were left wondering where creator Vince Gilligan would take the show after Walter White (Bryan Cranston) “defeated” the infamous villain and drug lord Gustavo Fring (Giancarlo Esposito) and admittedly, some of us were worried. Much of the show’s gleam came from having a truly evil villain to root against. Let’s face it: Longtime fans will never look at a box cutter the same way because of him. Of course, there was no need to worry. Gilligan found a new villain, an even better villain, a villain that audiences have wanted to hate for years, but never had the chance to until now. He found Walter White. With the words “say my name” ringing in our ears, making spines tingle and selfish grins appear, Walter, aka Heisenberg, came full circle, taking on the mantle of meth drug lord he’s
Irmin Wehmeier via Flickr Creative Commons
A talented cast and careful dialogue make “Breaking Bad” gripping. secretly sought for so long. Gilligan has said more than once that his idea for “Breaking Bad” was to “take Mr. Chips and
turn him into Scarface,” and this season he finally managed to do it. At the beginning, Gilligan’s
goal seemed like some absurd fantasy. Walter was a polite chemistry teacher, a loving father and a loyal husband that
only wanted to take care of his family. Yet after five seasons of see BREAKING BAD, page 6
The Tufts Daily
6
Arts & Living
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Music Review
Dan Deacon creates diverse musical soundscape in ‘America’ by
Matthew Welch
Daily Editorial Board
It’s hardly surprising that an artist as omnivorous and broadly talented as Dan Deacon would end up tackling huge
America Dan Deacon Domino topics with his work. His latest album, simply titled “America,” is a crackling, rich ode to the varied geographies and political leanings of the United States. All of Deacon’s skills as an instrumentalist, composer, engineer and electronic musician are on full display in “America,” proving his reach rarely exceeds his grasp. Though there are moments when the album gets bogged down by its sheer ambition and Deacon’s penchant for dense, multilayered arrangements, the album makes for some of the most thought-provoking music of the year. More so than any previous Dan Deacon record, “America” catalogues the artist’s numerous musical passions. Deacon’s ventures as a curious electronic dabbler and a composer of concert music are brought into full harmony. Abrasive, wailing synthesizers comingle with quirky string arrangements and playful marimba lines. Propulsive drumming and delicate glockenspiel trade off with gusto. “America” brings so much to the table that it takes several listens to parse Deacon’s challenging but always compelling tracks. The album opens with a full display of force. “Guilford Avenue Bridge” greets the listener with throbbing, grating sound waves that shift and morph as Deacon processes them through various effects. Heavily layered drums quickly join the fray to give the track a manic groove. Just as all these rhythms and percussion build to a frenzied climax, Deacon wisely reduces them, leaving the listener with a few cathartic synth pads and electronic blips. “Guilford” epitomizes Deacon’s rich structural sensibility, one that allows him to pit various ideas against each other in a constantly shifting and engaging soundscape. “True Thrush” makes for a great follow up to the album’s chaotic opener. Lush synth chords stammer out a stilted beat that is quickly smoothed out against various percussive sounds and Deacon’s expansive, multitracked vocals. Though
weeklydig via Flickr Creative Commons
Deacon’s “America” succeeds with stimulating, synthetic sound. Deacon’s lyrics are barely discernible, the sheer depth of the vocals’ production gives them a quality more akin to a string section or synthesizer than a human voice. As Deacon lays out broad melodies over a bed of trilling synths and booming percussion, one can’t help but be reminded of other tracks that put rhythm at the forefront. LCD Soundsystem’s “Get Innocuous” and Talking Heads’ “The Great Curve” both appear as forerunners to Deacon’s approach. “America’s” middle is the mellowest portion of the album, and is bookended with more dissonant, experimental tunes. “Prettyboy,” the album’s fourth track, is probably the least compelling on the album. Though its complacent harmonies and soothing synthesizer work may be a welcome break for a listener going through the entire album in one sitting, it doesn’t stand out as a track that needs much attention on its own. Deacon pares back the driving rhythms that abound elsewhere on the album,
making “Prettyboy” a little less exciting than the “America’s” other offerings. The four-part “USA” suite that ends the album is clearly its centerpiece. While the first half of the album favored heavily processed acoustic and electronic sounds, the “USA” suite brings Deacon’s skills as a composer of concert music to the fore. The first movement, “USA I: Is a Monster” opens with a gloomy duet between two cellos, which gradually brightens up with the addition of bucolic French horn arrangements. Of course, it isn’t too long before Deacon throws a monkey wrench into the classical gears. Buzzing synth waves and tribal-sounding vocal chants quickly give the track an unexpected dimension. The second movement, “USA II - The Great American Desert,” opens with random synthesizer blips and fuzz before a grinding beat comes in. Marimbas and gamelan-style percussion eventually emerge from the haze of electronic drones as Deacon takes the track in
a totally unexpected direction for the movement’s close. The sly, delicate rhythms of the conclusion are reciprocated in the following movement, “USA III: Rail,” which boasts pizzicato string playing and sheepishly stuttering horn arrangements. The track eventually leads into the most consonant moment of the album, as Deacon brings spare drum beats together with grandiose string arrangements and triumphant brass flourishes. In a playful gesture, Deacon ends “America” with the same grinding, industrial texture that opened the record. Though the final movement, “USA IV: Manifest,” is one of the album’s shortest tracks, it manages to bring much of the album into a quick summation, rattling off little ideas that were present more fully in previous tracks. There’s hardly a more suitable way to conclude the record. “America” is certainly one of the most compelling listens of the year so far.
‘Breaking Bad’ season five continues to thrill BREAKING BAD
continued from page 5
meticulous plot development involving a cancer diagnosis, tested pride, death threats and simple greed, this transformation was really the only outcome that made sense. So, a man audiences once loved slowly fell, becoming nothing more than a monster in the end, a monster that isn’t willing to let anything get in the way of his “empire.” And we’ve looked on, enjoying every wicked second of it. Three Emmys later, audiences still have Cranston to thank for this. His performance as Walter White has been brilliant, making the ludicrous idea of a high school teacher “breaking bad” to cook meth seem all too believable. Since then, his evolution into Heisenberg has been so fluid that viewers have never had to question his actions. That’s simply how “Breaking Bad” works; there are no loose ends. Everything makes sense. Every character has a motive, and every motive is backed by logic. Season five hasn’t differed from this formula in the least as it brings us, for example, an entire episode dedicated to the destruction of a laptop that could have incriminated Walter and his partner Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul). It’s all in the details, and they never miss any. While the formula hasn’t changed, this season has taken the show in a new direction. As Walter put it, without Gus around “there is gold in the streets, just waiting for someone to come and scoop it up.” That’s exactly what he’s done. Now Walt is king, and with this role has
come a whole new slew of troubles for him that have had viewers speechless, unknowingly clenching their fists by the end of every episode. He couldn’t have done it without fellow cooker Jesse, though, and the fixer Mike Ehrmantraut ( Jonathan Banks). The performances from Paul and Banks have been just as important in this season as Cranston’s, bringing a sense of morality to the madness that surrounds Heisenberg. Jesse’s evolution into an emotionally shattered man, desperate for a life of peace, has compelled viewers over the years and this season leaves us with a Jesse that has all but lost himself in the wake of Walt’s actions. As for Mike, seeing his role expanded has been a guilty pleasure. Never has a character been so simultaneously cold blooded and heartwarming, all while remaining so realistic. This genius comes together thanks to the consistently polished scripts that the “Breaking Bad” writers continue churn out. Many procedural shows on TV today suffer from overused, bland and unspecific scripts, but “Breaking Bad” is anything but. Some of the lines seem so simple, but in reality are worded perfectly, and with the powerful actors they have delivering them, there couldn’t be anything more captivating to watch. It all ends next summer, when season five picks back up and brings us to a conclusion viewers can only guess. If you’re not a fan yet, start streaming Netflix and catch up. By the time you hear the words, “I won,” you’ll agree it was for the best.
Jay L. Clendenin via MCT
Gilligan will direct “Breaking Bad” in another great season.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
The Tufts Daily
Advertisement
7
The Tufts Daily
8
THE TUFTS DAILY
Editorial
Rebecca K. Santiago Editor-in-Chief
Editorial Ben Kochman Falcon Reese Managing Editors Jenna Buckle Executive News Editor Shana Friedman News Editors Craig Frucht Nina Goldman Lizz Grainger Stephanie Haven Amelie Hecht Daphne Kolios Patrick McGrath Laina Piera Rachel Rampino Corinne Segal Martha Shanahan Melissa Wang Jenny White Sharon Lam Assistant News Editors Melissa Mandelbaum Audrey Michael James Pouliot Josh Weiner Hannah Fingerhut Executive Features Editor Jon Cheng Features Editors Amelia Quinn Derek Schlom Lily Sieradzki Emily Bartlett Assistant Features Editors Alexandria Chu Jacob Passy Melissa MacEwen Executive Arts Editor Kate Griffiths Arts Editors Alex Hanno Joe Stile Matthew Welch Alex Kaufman Assistant Arts Editors Dan O’Leary Caroline Welch Gerardo Zampaglione Jonathan Green Bhushan Deshpande David Kellogg Seth Teleky Yiota Kastritis Ard Ardalan Devon Colmer Louie Zong Jyot Singh
Editorial | Letters
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
SigEp’s housing crisis will have a widespread impact
This year, the house previously belonging to Sigma Nu at 92 Professors Row has been temporarily designated housing for female transfer students. Over the summer, Tufts offered the house to Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp) under the condition that 10 of its brothers would already be signed up for on-campus housing. The fraternity was unable to meet these requirements, resulting in the house going to transfer students. Campus culture will suffer from this housing decision. The student body at large would be better served by utilizing the house as a fraternity – as it has been in the past – rather than as a house for transfer students. SigEp’s lack of an official house has ramifications for both the fraternity and for Tufts’ Greek life as a whole. Greek houses are extremely important in the cultivation of a strong Greek community. They increase the social presence of fraternities and sorori-
ties by making them more visible on campus, and they foster a sense of community among those involved in Greek life. This sense of community is especially important during recruitment, when rushers use the houses as meeting points. The lack of a house also factors into the development of a strong, close brotherhood or sisterhood. Members of a fraternity or sorority will forge relationships regardless of the presence of an official house, but the existence of one greatly facilitates the creation of these bonds. The impact of this decision also resonates among other members of campus. Houses are a place where all freshmen, regardless of their intentions regarding Greek life, can socialize. For freshmen who choose to rush, they are a place where new members can become comfortable with their new brothers or sisters and become members of the larger Greek commu-
nity at Tufts. Without a focal center where they can interact with and get to know their potential brothers and sisters – or even just friends – it only becomes more difficult for freshmen to develop a real sense of belonging. There is no doubt that the brothers of SigEp will remain a close-knit brotherhood and that the transfer students at 92 Professors Row will have an opportunity to become integrated into the larger Tufts community. In fact, programming geared toward achieving that end – respectively, for both Greek life and transfer students – guarantees that both will develop tight bonds. Considering that, making a housing decision that would more positively impact the larger Tufts community, rather than smaller niches, should be the priority. Because SigEp would use the house to strengthen both their own brotherhood and campus Greek life, awarding it to them would have made that positive impact.
ruth tam
Executive Op-Ed Editor Op-Ed Editors
Assistant Op-Ed Editors Cartoonists Editorialists
David McIntyre Executive Sports Editor Aaron Leibowitz Sports Editors Ethan Sturm Kate Klotz Zachary Kliger Alex Baudoin Jake Indursky Assistant Sports Editors Andy Wong Marcus Budline
Virginia Bledsoe Caroline Gelling Oliver Porter Ashley Seenauth Kyra Sturgill William Butt Lane Florsheim Meagan Maher Misako Ono Gabriela Ros Clarissa Sosin Andrew Schneer
Executive Photo Editor Photo Editors
Assistant Photo Editors
Staff Photographers
Jodi Bosin Executive New Media Editors Brionna Jimerson Justin McCallum Menghan Liu New Media Editors Brett Yarnell
PRODUCTION Alyssa Kutner
Production Director Elliot Philips Executive Layout Editor Jen Betts Layout Editors Matthew Cardarelli Gabrielle Cella Sarah Davis Shoshanna Kahne Sarah Kester Adrian Lo Danny MacDonald Reid Spagna Nina Goldman Executive Copy Editors Drew Lewis Lauren Greenberg Copy Editors Adrienne Lange Patrick McGrath Lauren Schonberger Samantha Carle Assistant Copy Editors Olivia DelloStritto
George Brown Executive Online Editor Darcy Mann Online Editors Daniel Kotin Executive Technical Manager
BUSINESS Christine Busaba Executive Business Director Simmone Seymour Advertising Director Li Liang Receivables Manager Shang Ming Wu Sales Director
P.O. Box 53018, Medford, MA 02155 617 627 3090 FAX 617 627 3910 daily@tuftsdaily.com
from the Editor-in-chief
Welcome back, Jumbos! To the Class of 2016, welcome! To the rest of our readers, welcome back, and yes, the Hill has always been this steep. As you embark on your second Target run of the week, we’ll be settling in, too, and printing on alternating days for the first two weeks of school. The paper will return to its regular schedule by Sept. 17 – The Tufts EveryOther-Daily would allow us editors our recommended eight hours a night, but it doesn’t sound as good. In the meantime, pop over to our blog, JumboSlice, and follow us on Twitter @TuftsDaily to keep up-todate. Much as we love print, we know it’s a little 1999, and we have big plans for our online channels this semester. By the way, if you’d like to partake in those lofty goals or the paper in general, you’re more than welcome to jump in. Whether you’re a freshman, senior, seasoned journalist or publishing-naif we promise there’s a role for you somewhere in this organization. Our spec-
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.
trum spans writing, editing, photography, layout, cartooning, videography, web, tech and business. Don’t see your interests reflected there? We’ll carve a role for you. Classes are just beginning, but we’re already on the hunt for Features, Arts, Op-Ed and Sports columnists. If you have a niche interest, be it sex, cricket or anything in between, contact us at daily@tuftsdaily.com to learn more about submitting a column. Or maybe you hate the Daily, think we’re covering all the wrong stuff and wouldn’t use our paper to line a birdcage. That’s cool, too; write a Letter to the Editor and tell us why. We can’t promise we’ll invite you over to dinner, but we are well aware that any publication worth its salt thrives on constructive criticism. As for the rest of you, if you find yourself feeling strongly about a Tufts phenomenon that crops up as the semester progresses, consider submitting a piece to our Op-Ed section.
If it’s a non-academic brainteaser you seek, we’ve got Sudoku. If you want to fold this thing up accordion style and make a fan out of it, go right ahead – it’s been a hot summer – but maybe humor us and skim the front-page headlines first. My point is this: We strive to carry the campus conversation, but it’s hard to do that all by ourselves from the windowless basement of our Curtis Hall office. We might be the ones eschewing free time, Senior Pub Nights and our circadian rhythms to put the Daily together, but at the end of the day, it’s your paper, not ours. This publication thrives on your readership, your input and your voices. So check out this issue, give it some thought and reach out with your feedback. We’re ready to hear from you. Sincerely, Rebecca Santiago Editor-in-Chief
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.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012 Op-Ed
The Tufts Daily
9
Op-Ed
Defund InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Today by
Brandon Archambault
As a Christian and a Tufts student, I am calling for the immediate de-funding of the so-called Tufts Christian Fellowship ( TCF), a chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/ USA (IVCF). IVCF continues to promote anti-gay hate speech while acting as the oversight advisory for TCF’s funding, taken from the Student Activities Fee. This is unacceptable. Last October, I was threatened by an employee of IVCF. They told me to be careful about whom I complained to, because “the last time this happened it cost everyone a lot of money, and we had to get lawyers involved.” The phrase “the last time” was in reference to 11 years ago, when Julie Catalano (LA ’01) was forcibly removed from her exec-board position for refusing to condemn her own sexuality. IVCF acquired a lawyer, one David French, to defend TCF. The Tufts Community Union Judiciary (TCUJ) allowed the latter to defend TCF against Catalano, who had no legal counsel of her own. TCF was allowed back on campus through an agreement that they abide by the statement, now in Article IV of its constitution, required by the Judiciary and following Chaplaincy for recognition of any religious group: “In conformance with Tufts University policy, TCF pledges to adhere to all University regulations. TCF does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, national or ethnic origin, age, sexual orientation, disability or an individual’s previous affiliations in criteria for membership, assignment of voting privileges or rank” (emphasis mine). This is deliberately ambiguous. Students and IVCF leaders alike have denied to me that this clause exists, that it applies to religious groups, that it applies to them specifically or, if all of the above are true, instead assert that these rules should no longer apply to them.
As IVCF New England Regional Director Chris Nichols told me in Nov. 2011, if a gay person was elected to an exec-board position, refused to resign and IVCF could not otherwise compel them, then “IVCF would not continue its relationship with that chapter.” On Dec. 7, 2011, then-director of the Tufts’ IVCF chapter, Ms. Alexandra Nesbeda, was quoted in a Daily article as saying that any queer relationship – no matter the kind, amount or lack of sexual play – is, by definition, “unchaste.” Among other IVCF rhetoric and publications (such as “A Parent’s Guide to Preventing Homosexuality”), this statement is in line with IVCF’s Chapter Leader’s Handbook, which reads: “Is it ok to have a homosexual encounter? [...] A Christian says no.” Ms. Nesbeda’s callous admission alone should have resulted in an immediate severance of relations between Tufts and IVCF. Are we surprised, then, at how doggedly IVCF refuses to compromise? Why TCF has no elections? As Alec Hill, President and CEO of IVCF has written, the recognition of IVCF chapters as student groups has been challenged or revoked at 41 (!) different colleges in the 18 months leading up to February 2012 alone in light of intransigent, harmful practices such as these. To those who believe IVCF’s censorship, lying and bullying has a right to the Student Activities Fee, remember that the necessary corollary of free speech is accountability. Since when was freedom of religion a “Get Out of Jail Free” card that excused bigotry? Since when was an organization like IVCF given the permission to speak for evangelical Christians such as myself? Consequences too long deferred are no different from consequences avoided. It is long past time to force the administration’s hand on this; it is long past time to end meetings with unwilling liars who argue in bad faith; it is long past time to tolerate – that word the intolerant hate so much – self-
righteous pontificating that says: “Yes, we will use your buildings and your money, and we will not treat you as an equal. Because we are religious.” As am I! Let me be clear: I am not suggesting censorship of those who say these things under cover of religion. But I am pleading for accountability – and consequences. I encourage everyone to talk to the student leaders and to the IVCF representatives and to pay as much attention to what is said as to what is not. (Do they answer the complaints? Do they avoid them? Do student leaders and members themselves feel bullied by IVCF? Do they support it uncritically?) Can anyone seriously defend that we supply money – and buildings and resources – to an organization that promotes hate speech? Your money, my money and every Student Activities fee paying LGBTQ student’s money go to fund this. Are we swayed by the deceitful, gussied-up drivel that “same-sex behavior is not same-sex orientation?” ( Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said no; see the end of this op-ed.) Do we accept the dual standard required of LGBTQ students that they condemn their sexuality and become celibate, as if a student group had a right to make demands of anyone’s sexuality? Again: Their right to abusive, anti-gay propaganda ends at my and my fellow students’ wallets. By no means is everyone in or affiliated with TCF guilty of even passively supporting IVCF’s hate speech. Many have made themselves visible as allies of the queer community, and some have outed themselves (then just as soon left). Many have been shut down, turned away and finally left in frustration. Many more have made clear that, whatever their own opinions are, they are far from comfortable with the present arrangement. This year, there are different (unelected!) student leaders; one of the last year’s IVCF staff members has moved to a different state. But as long
as IVCF is bullying and silencing, I expect no better from the new execboard it appointed. IVCF will not change, but its employees can leave. They must be de-clawed, de-armed and de-funded; IVCF’s jurisdiction cannot apply here. They have talked a big talk of “reconciliation,” of victim-blaming, without apology, without a shift in the dynamic of power, without creating a safe space in a place that has none. Enough. A word on why the Tufts Coalition Against Religious Exclusion retracted our complaint to the TCUJ: We feared then, as we do now, that IVCF will use the same bullying tactics and outrageous lies that they used 11 years ago; that they used at 41 different campuses in the 18 months before last February; that they use while fighting any person, religious or otherwise, who has opposed and will oppose them, as they used on Julie Catalano. So I conclude: The persons at Tufts with the authority to act must act, and now. I invite everyone to read up on the 2010 Supreme Court case Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, which Alec Hill has publicly condemned as damaging to his organization’s litigation-happy tactics and to decide for yourselves whether or not the Court’s decision applies here; whether or not Tufts’ government funding is now in danger of being revoked. TCF must be defunded and derecognized immediately, until it permanently severs, or is made to permanently sever, relations with its authoritarian, deceitful, proselytizing parent corporation, IVCF/USA. Nothing less will do.
Brandon Archambault is a senior majoring in child development and international literary & visual studies, and a member of the Tufts Coalition Against Religious Exclusion (Tufts CARE).
Off the Hill | University of Illinois
Recent legal decision in Apple v. Samsung limits marketplace competition, hurts consumers
by
Daily Illini Editorial Board Daily Illini
The Apple v. Samsung verdict was a big win for Apple, but it was a loss for consumers. During the trial, Apple argued that Samsung had violated several of its patents, including those covering the iPhone’s design, rounded-square icons and “pinch to zoom” technology. In his closing arguments, Apple attorney Harold McElhinny pointed to documents he said showed Samsung’s panic after the iPhone came out, according to The Verge. McElhinny said Samsung officials met with Google officials, who said Samsung phones were too similar in design to Apple’s, but Samsung officials did not change the design. Lawyers for Samsung disagreed and said design for Samsung phones predated the release of the iPhone. Samsung attorney Charles Verhoeven said: “It could change the way competition works in this country. Rather than compete in the marketplace, Apple is seeking to gain an edge in the courtroom.” The jury agreed with Apple and said Samsung violated six patents. Samsung said it would appeal and criticized the decision, saying it would decrease competition in the market and be worse for the average consumer. According to Businessweek, Apple on Monday listed eight Samsung smartphones it wants banned in the United States: Galaxy S 4G, Galaxy S2 AT&T, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S2 T-Mobile,
Galaxy S2 Epic 4G, Galaxy S Showcase, Droid Charge and Galaxy Prevail. U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh had already banned the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and said it violated a design patent. The patents violated by Samsung, according to the jury from the case, ranged from software, to aesthetics, to outer shell design. Apple’s double-tapto-zoom function when viewing documents worked similarly to Samsung models. Additionally, the “bounceback” feature that happens when users scroll beyond the edge of a page was mimicked. The third feature copied from Apple by Samsung was the ability of Apple products to read multi-finger touches; previously devices could only read single-touch commands. The icons on several Samsung phones, most notably the phone and clock buttons, were both similar in shape and design. Apple had patented the overall shape of earlier generations of the iPhone, most notably the rounded back of the white iPhone. Lastly, the iPhone’s black-colored, round-edged, square design had protection under Apple’s patents. The consequences of this landmark verdict are numerous, and many future innovations in the way of smartphones, not to mention consumer choices, are sure to be affected by this decision. Though not the explicit point, the most immediate and literal translation of the trial will mean that smartphones and tablet computers will need to start looking different to avoid backlash from Apple. But thinking honestly
MCT
and practically, how many ways can a phone look? A rectangular phone with rounded edges is ergonomic and utilitarian. It fits into hands and slips into pockets. Any other shape would be senseless, and any other edge seems to be going backward. True, as simple as the design protected may be, it is the property of Apple. But because Apple was able to win out as it did, consumers will probably see less product design cross-
over, meaning fewer cheaper models of products. The other five patent violations, which are slightly more understandable, still point to a regression in smartphone technology. Although we don’t understand several of the intricacies of patent law involved in the case, we do know it’s bad news for consumers. When Apple has a legal monopoly over intrinsic aspects of smartphone design and technology, consumers lose.
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.
10
FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 4, 2012
The Tufts Daily
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Crossword
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
ACROSS 1 Banned chem. contaminant 4 Confess 9 Pie-in-the-face sound 14 __ Na Na 15 “One of __ days ...” 16 Break down over time 17 ’60s-’80s Bosox star 18 Talk big 19 Cattle breed named for an English county 20 Socioeconomic tension 23 Get well 24 Dawdler who prefers to remain horizontal 27 Skinny guy’s nickname 32 Modern recording device 33 Take exception 34 Toast starter 35 Spot for a peel 38 Wages sans overtime 41 Grammy-winning Dr. 42 Big name in trading cards 44 YouTube shorts 46 Dalmatian’s dinner, perhaps 47 Informative stroll through the forest 52 Auto racing safety device 54 Pulitzer-winning author James 55 “Same here,” and what might be said about the start of 20-, 27-, 38- or 47-Across 60 Stimulate 62 Bonkers 63 Colony member 64 Like intense pain 65 Change one’s pants? 66 Cardinals’ home: Abbr. 67 Young cardinal’s call 68 Warehouse supply 69 Digit with a ring, maybe
Comics
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Doonesbury
by
Non Sequitur
9/4/12 Metriculation Puzzle Solved DOWN Monday’s Puzzle Solved 1 Intimidates, with Tuesday’s Solution “out” 2 Swiss Alps abode 3 Mideast market 4 Wagering venues, briefly 5 “__ Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” 6 Uncluttered 7 Pre-1991 atlas abbr. 8 “Downtown” singer Clark 9 Swamp plant 10 Church dignitary 11 One of an amorous pair 12 Big fuss (c)2012 Tribune Media Services, Inc. 9/4/12 13 Decimal base 21 Tried to avoid a 50 Simple shelter 35 Symbol on tag 51 Stovetop pot Texas’s flag 22 Martini liquor 53 Censor’s sound 36 Golfer’s shirt 25 Always 56 Religious sect 37 Sewn-on 26 Two capsules, 57 Film director ornamentation say Preminger 39 Not sing. 28 Cardinals’ beaks 58 Fraction of a min. 40 Hair dryer? 29 Show for early 59 Geeky sort 43 Contaminate risers, briefly 60 NCAA’s __-12 45 Do in, as a fly 30 Urban transport conference 47 “Stillmatic” rapper 31 Build 48 Big game venues 61 “__ bin ein 34 Overblown publicity Berliner” 49 Horrified By Gail Grabowski and Bruce Venzke
Married to the Sea
THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME
by David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek
Unscramble these four Jumbles, one letter to each square, to form four ordinary words.
©2012 Tribune Media Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
USISE KNYSIN
www.marriedtothesea.com
Find us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/jumble
MOROT
ACTPUE
SUDOKU Level: Pie.
Now arrange the circled letters to form the surprise answer, as suggested by the above cartoon.
Print your answer here: Yesterday’s
Garry Trudeau
(Answers tomorrow) Jumbles: SHIFT EXACT GENTLY FORGOT Answer: The male retriever thought that the female retriever was — FETCHING
Late Night at the Daily
Rebecca: “God, Falcon, we can’t just switch personalities. You’re funny. I’m not supposed to be funny, I’m supposed to be quippy. There’s a difference.” Want more late-night laughs? Follow us on Twitter at @LateNiteAtDaily
Please recycle this Daily.
by
Wiley
The Tufts Daily
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
11
Sports
Inside NFL
Patriots, 49ers cream of the 2012-13 NFL crop by Jake Indursky
Daily Editorial Board
It’s that time again: summer is coming to an end, which means it’s time to fire up the flat screen, break out the wings, and settle in for another great football season. Below is a guide through the unmarked and treacherous terrain of the NFL, make sense of what is sure to be another exciting year.
AFC Preview: When talking about the AFC, the conversation usually begins and ends with the New England Patriots. The Pats have been to the Super Bowl five times in the past eleven years and look poised to continue their dominant run this year with the same unstoppable aerial attack led by future hall-of-fame quarterback Tom Brady. This year, though, the Pats feature a revamped defense after using every pick in the draft this year outside of the seventh round on defensive players in an effort to shore up a massive bugaboo for the team. Their draft consisted of two first-round selections who will immediately make an impact in the front seven: defensive end Chandler Jones and linebacker Dont’a Hightower. If the Patriots’ defense can improve and the offense sustains no major injuries, then New England’s current favorite team should continue to roll on. However, the AFC is not short on firepower after the Patriots. The consensus AFC South division winner, the Houston Texans, look to be the biggest obstacle in the Patriots’ path to another Super Bowl trip. The Texans boast one of the strongest running games in the league, as Arian Foster and Ben Tate cut through the holes opened up by the best the zone-blocking scheme in football.
Further up the field, wide receiver Andre Johnson and tight end Owen Daniels provide two big-time targets for quarterback Matt Schaub, who was not available for the playoffs last year due to injury. Finally, the Texans bring back a staunch defense that won’t miss a beat despite losing defensive end Mario Williams to free agency. Led by Pro Bowl cornerback Johnathan Joseph and a medley of passrushers, the Texans look poised to make another run deep into the playoffs. If you’re looking for a sleeper special, look no further than the Kansas City Chiefs. Sometimes a laughing stock and a perennial bottom dweller in the AFC West, the Chiefs finished a solid 7-9 last season, and appear to be on the upswing. The offense is not sparse in the talent department: running backs Jamal Charles and Peyton Hillis can both be pro-bowl caliber, and wide receivers Dwayne Bowe and Jon Baldwin provide athletic targets for quarterback Matt Cassel. The real key for the Chiefs is their young, fast defense. Third-year safety Eric Berry is a star in the making and OLB Tamba Hali anchors a stellar core of linebackers. The Chiefs are in a difficult division with the Chargers, Broncos, and an underrated Raiders squad, but expect them to make some noise out west. AFC East: Patriots AFC North: Ravens AFC South: Texans AFC West: Chiefs Wild Card: Steelers, Bills Conference Champion: Patriots NFC Preview: The NFC is filled with gunslingers in every division, which gives the Green Bay Packers a distinct advantage by having the best one in the game with Aaron Rodgers. The Packers have surrounded Rodgers with downfield
talent, like wide receivers Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson and tight end Jermicheal Finley, who are all more than capable of hauling in all of Rodgers’ bombs. What hurt the Packers last year, though, and eventually derailed their Super Bowl hopes, was their league-worst defense, as the Pack finished dead last in passing yards allowed (299.8) and 27th in rushing yards allowed (97.4). The bend-don’t-break strategy led Green Bay to a 15-1 record in the regular season, but in the playoffs, Green Bay’s defense couldn’t cut it against Eli Manning and the New York Giants. With all the preseason hype once again surrounding Green Bay, it’s easy to forget that the Giants are in fact the reigning Super Bowl champions. New York seems to find ways to win the games it has to and appears to have the necessary components for another championship run. Eli Manning has answered every question and possesses a clutch gene that is essential for quarterbacks in the pressurefilled playoffs. The Giants pass rush, however, is what sets them apart, and in today’s highflying game, getting to the passer is the key to slowing down opposing offenses. The three-headed behemoth of Osi Umenyiora, Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul at defensive end is absurdly talented. All three ends are some of the best at their position, and constant rotation keeps each of them fresh. The Giants only had a 9-7 record in the regular season last year, but the parity in the NFC leaves it wide open, and there are a multitude of teams with high-powered offenses that seem like viable Super Bowl candidates, whether it be New Orleans and Drew Brees or Atlanta and Matt Ryan. Or perhaps a different NFC East team can challenge the G-men, likely Tony Romo’s Cowboys or
MCT
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith will be looking to lead his team back to the NFC championship game, where they fell to the eventually Super Bowl champion New York Giants last season. Michael Vick’s Eagles. But the one team that stands apart from the rest is the San Francisco 49ers, who came within a muffed punt of getting to the Super Bowl last season. The 49ers ‘calling card is their defense, which finished 2nd in points allowed per game, 1st in rushing yards allowed, and 4th in total yards allowed last season. Patrick Willis, a oncein-a-generation linebacker, is the unquestioned defensive and team leader and will be surrounded by familiar faces this year, as all eleven starting defenders return for San Fran. The Niners also have the talent to compete offensively, with a receiving core led by young guns Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis. Those two will
pair with Frank Gore, who has been the team’s ever-consistent running back for the past seven years, and will continue his role as the featured back in a successful ground attack. The play of quarterback Alex Smith will separate this year’s 49ers from last year’s, and if the improving QB can continue to protect the ball while leading the offense, San Francisco could be in position to make a leap into the upper echelon of the NFL. NFC East: Giants NFC North: Packers NFC South: Saints NFC West: 49ers Wild Card: Eagles, Bears Conference Champion: 49ers Super Bowl Champion: Patriots
Editors' Challenge | Week 1 Welcome to the first day of classes, sports fans! There are so many great things that come along with the first day, like moving in and going broke at the bookstore, but what we love most about the first day is all the wonderfully strange habits of the newest Jumbos, the freshmen. For the first round of Editors’ Challenge we at the Daily Sports Section take a trip back to what we were like freshman year and reveal our first NFL picks of the season. Who will take the Ed’s Challenge Crown? One favorite is our fearless leader, David “SmartAleck” McIntyre. He never fails to raise his hand in class, and is always the one everyone is telling to shut up. Next is Ethan “Neck Lanyards” Sturm, who is prepared for every situation and doesn’t care what people think about his unstylish ways. While his boldness is admirable, it might backfire and leave him reeling at the bottom of the standings, as everyone knows that one needs the cool demeanor of former Daily Sports editor and now Washington Post sportswriter Alex “Prepre-professional” Prewitt in order to excel in the art of picking. Meanwhile, there’s former exec Aaron “Too cool for school” Leibowitz, who plans on using his experience and savvy to excel in this year’s standings. Although his haughty attitude and bluster might intimidate less confident sports editors, the smart money is on his picks crashing and burning by week 8, as the pressures of freshman year make his picking mind go insane with worries about finals and sophomore year housing lottery numbers. Unlike Sturm and Leibowitz, Zachey “Where am I?” Kliger is completely out of his depth, and has already lost his away among the myriad of NFL picking options. While he might find his way by week 4, it may already be too late to recover in the standings, similar to way that a freshman finally figures out where the dining hall is only to also discover that they rotate the same menus every two weeks. Then, there’s Kate “Frat Parties” Klots, the lone female of the group and coincidentally, the David Dallas at NY Giants Indianapolis at Chicago Philadelphia at Cleveland N. England at Tennessee Atlanta at Kansas City Jacksonville at Minnesota Washington at N. Orleans Buffalo at NY Jets St. Louis at Detroit Miami at Houston S. Francisco at Green Bay Seattle at Arizona Carolina at Tampa Bay Pittsburgh at Denver Cincinnati at Baltimore San Diego at Oakland
NY Giants Chicago Philadelphia New England Atlanta Jacksonville New Orleans Buffalo Detroit Houston Green Bay Seattle Carolina Denver Baltimore San Diego
Ethan
Zachey
Aaron
person most likely to head out and enjoy the fine establishments of Professors Row. Hopefully, she won’t suffer the fate of Claire “22-year old freshman” Kemp, a former party-loving sports editor whose uninhibited lifestyle left her in the cellar in many an Eds’ Challenge. Alex “You pledging, Bro?” Baudoin is a strong contender, and after eating lots of free chicken wings at fraternity recruitment events, he thinks that he’s become a real football fan. Little does he know, though, that pledging is still to come, and that the more senior members of the section will lock him in the Daily offices all weekend before they let him surpass them in the standings. Then there’s the newbies: Marcus “Dewick is so good” Budline, Andy “Scared to party on weekdays” Wong and Jake “Fall Ball is the best night ever!” Indursky. All three are new to the Sports masthead, and accordingly they have a lot to learn about the way things work around here. With luck, though, they might rise to the top of the standings despite their inexperience, ― the equivalent of locking lips with a hot senior at a “super cool” house party. Last and certainly least among Sports staff “members” is Ben “Sloppy Sandwich” Kochman, whose bumbling ways have served to annoy and amuse the Sports editors for years. The fact that he’s not even on the Sports staff any more is all you need to know: before asking you where the party’s at or stumbling back confused to his room to make a grilled cheese before the party even starts, he’ll pick all the road teams one week and the teams with the “cooler” jerseys the next. Yep, he’s really doing this – we thought we got rid of him by shipping him off to the Managing Board, but boy, were we wrong. Guest-picking this week is Jonathan “Foreign transfer student” Green, who has come from the strange lands of the Op-Ed department to try to assert himself as a top-notch NFL prognosticator. While his different “cultural perspective” might give him a slight advantage, there’s a chance he thinks we’re talking about soccer here, in which case he may end the week 0-0.
Kate
Alex
Marcus
Andy
Jake
Ben
NY Giants NY Giants NY Giants NY Giants NY Giants NY Giants NY Giants NY Giants Dallas Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadelphia New England New England New England New England New England New England New England New England New England Atlanta Kansas City Atlanta Kansas City Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta Kansas City Kansas City Minnesota Jacksonville Jacksonville Jacksonville Minnesota Jacksonville Minnesota Minnesota Minnesota New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans New Orleans Buffalo NY Jets Buffalo Buffalo NY Jets Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo NY Jets Detroit Detroit Detroit Detroit Detroit Detroit Detroit St. Louis Detroit Houston Houston Houston Houston Houston Houston Houston Houston Houston Green Bay Green Bay San Francisco San Francisco Green Bay Green Bay Green Bay San Francisco Green Bay Seattle Arizona Seattle Seattle Seattle Arizona Seattle Seattle Seattle Tampa Bay Carolina Carolina Carolina Carolina Carolina Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Carolina Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Denver Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Denver Pittsburgh Denver Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore Baltimore San Diego San Diego San Diego San Diego Oakland San Diego San Diego Oakland San Diego
GUEST JonathanGreen NY Giants Chicago Philadelphia New England Atlanta Jacksonville New Orleans Buffalo Detroit Houston San Francisco Seattle Carolina Denver Baltimore San Diego
Sports
12
INSIDE NFL Preview 11 Fitness Center 11
tuftsdaily.com
Women’s Soccer
Jumbos look to ride defense further into NESCAC playoffs by
Ethan Sturm
Daily Editorial Board
For two years in a row, the women’s soccer team has faced the lottery of a penalty kick shootout, and found itself on the wrong end of the proceedings. Heartbreak in two straight NESCAC Championship Quarterfinals, both to lower-seeded teams, has toughened the squad. Entering the new season, leaving things to chance again is simply not an option. In fact, scenarios involving penalties are simply not acceptable, even in practice. “One of the things we’ve been doing in practice is that when we play games and they end in a tie, there is a punishment,” senior tri-captain Phoebe Hanley said. “We cannot accept a tie this year, we need to have more goals than the other team; it needs to be a win.” The team’s determination to avoid penalty kicks is just a small piece of a complete outlook shift amongst the coaching staff, the captains and the players. Facing a four-year stretch without a trip to the NCAA tournament, the Jumbos’ longest since at least 1999, it was time to draw a line in the sand. “We met with [Coach] Martha [Whiting] a week before the season to discuss what we wanted and what she wanted, and she said that it’s awesome to have a team that absolutely loves each other and has a great time, but there’s a time where you have to sacrifice hard work for fun,” said senior tri-captain Alyssa Von Puttkammer, who took a penalty kick in last year’s shootout. “There’s definitely been a change in tone to the season, and we are just as much on board with it as Martha.” The effectiveness of such a major system overhaul likely had much to do with the leadership structure of the team. With only three seniors – Hanley, Von Puttkammer and tricaptain Rachel Aronchick – the squad values individual drive just as much as seniority, resulting in a network of leaders that spans ages and class years. “Everyone on the team has something to offer as a leader,” Hanley said. “We had a freshman starting at center back last year, we’ve had juniors in the goal, and those are posi-
Alex Dennett / THE Tufts Daily
The women’s soccer team has adapted a new, tougher attitude after falling in the NESCAC quarterfinals in penalty shootouts in each of the last two seasons. tions that have to be loud and lead despite not being seniors. There definitely is a little extra to do as a captain, but everyone on the team really shares the responsibility well.” But a mentality change won’t be enough to singlehandedly earn the Jumbos a much-coveted conference title, especially not in a league as strong as the NESCAC is this year, with three teams ranked in the top 15 nationally in the preseason. Tufts will also need to rely heavily on its defense, which has become a hallmark of the school’s success. The Jumbos have been in the top three in goals allowed in conference play in each of the past three seasons, and have translated those numbers into top four performances each year. This year’s defense is a mix of new faces and old. Sophomore Catharine Greer – who stands as one of the tallest players on the squad at 5-foot-10 – will remain as a stalwart center back for the Jumbos after starting every game in her first season. She’ll be teamed up in the middle with junior Bizzy Lincoln and freshman Nicole Campellone, both of whom are expected to see playing time. On the outside, junior Blair Brady will likely return at right back, while junior
Sophie Wojtasinski, a speedy winger as a freshman who missed much of her sophomore year due to injury, has been taking reps at left back, where she will likely be able to push up into the attack when the Jumbos are in possession. While this Tufts backline is just as potent as any that the team has sent out in recent years, the key in the early weeks will be for them to mesh as a unit. “We definitely have some new players [on defense], which is always interesting, because we have to work extra hard on getting our formation down and having the way we move feel natural,” said Hanley, who is expected to split time in goal with junior Kristin Wright for a third season. “We still have a really, really strong center back and some really speedy players coming out on the outside, so as soon as we go over those tactical steps at practice, it’ll be second nature.” Aronchick will be tasked with giving the backline cover as the holding midfielder in the team’s usual 4-3-3 formation, while Von Puttkammer will be working with sophomore Carla Kruyff to pull the strings of the Jumbos’ offense as attacking midfielders. Kruyff, a new
addition to the team after an injury ended her freshman season before it began, is expected to have an immediate impact as a starter. Up top, players and positions remain more fluid. Tufts has struggled to find the back of the net at times in recent years, failing to score for six consecutive hours of play at the end of last year’s season. The search for a solution became even more difficult when junior Maeve Stewart, who has topped the team in goals in each of her two seasons at Tufts, went down with a season-ending injury during the squad’s first practice. “We’re taking little pieces of Maeve and putting them off on other people to step up,” Aronchick said. “It’ll be a lot of the younger players that will be stepping up to fill her shoes.” Two key players in filling Stewart’s role will be speedy 5-foot-3 sophomore Alina Okamoto and powerful 5-foot-9 junior Anya Kaufmann, who offer two very different threats for opposing defenses. Coach Whiting has also experimented with some of her veteran defensive players up top, including Greer and Brady. But regardless of who ends up in the front line, the most valuable players will be those that make their opportunities count. “Offensively, we have been working on a lot of patterns, playing into and out of the forwards’ feet, so hopefully the attacking center mids can feed off of that and we can get a lot of good balls into the box that we can put a foot on to get more goals,” Aronchick said. “But overall, we just need to take more shots. We’re sometimes open and we give the ball away to our other players; we’re too nice. If we shoot more, the goals will come in time.” It will be trial by fire for this young team, as it heads north to take on No. 8 Middlebury in its season opener on Saturday. The Jumbos have had success against the Panthers in recent years, beating them 3-0 two years ago and drawing them 2-2 this past season. Any points would be considered an impressive feat against such a highly-ranked team, yet the Jumbos seem unfazed by the task. “My only expectation is that no one leaves anything on the field,” Von Puttkammer said. “We go, and we play hard. We’re going to work our butts off for it.”
Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center
New athletics center receives rave reviews by
Aaron Leibowitz
Daily Editorial Board
When Andrew Rayner visited Tufts as a football recruit four years ago, he liked most of what he saw: a strong academic school located right outside Boston. But the athletic facilities – well, they didn’t exactly blow him away. “I liked the facilities, but it was similar to high school,” said Rayner, a Needham, Mass. native who now is a senior offensive lineman for the Jumbos. “I visited other schools and they had nice weight rooms, big locker rooms.” Ultimately, after weighing his options, Rayner chose to wear the brown and blue. If he were going through the process today, though, it would have been a no-brainer. “I would’ve committed the second I saw the locker room if it was like that when I was coming,” he said. Rayner is not the only one who’s giddy about the brand new Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center, which opened to athletes on Aug. 15 and opened to the general population on Sept. 1. The three-story, 42,000-squarefoot project set between the Gantcher Center and Cousens Gymnasium has wowed players and coaches alike. “I’ve been around some [Div. I] facilities, and I think this is comparable,” said secondyear head football coach Jay Civetti, who has coached at Boston College and North Carolina State. “I don’t think there’s anybody in the league, or anybody in the general recruiting world that we go against, that has a facility quite like this.” Across the athletics community, the new facilities have made one thing clear: Tufts has made athletics a priority.
“I think that the minute you walk through the door, the impression is that Tufts really cares about and respects our student athletes and how hard they work on and off the field,” volleyball coach Cora Thompson said. “I think that’s one of the most important things that we want to convey.” The lower level of the building includes six new locker rooms – three men’s and three women’s – whose use will be divided among several teams. That marks a drastic change from last year, where varsity locker rooms were spread amongst facilities all over campus and did not have nearly the amenities of the new gym. When asked to compare these locker rooms with the ones the team used last year, Civetti could only laugh. “There is no way to compare the two,” he said. In the past, Rayner explained, the football players had to take turns getting changed in front of their lockers due to lack of space. Now, there’s more than enough space – and some room for luxury, too. “We have f---in’ TVs in the locker room now,” Rayner said. “It’s ridiculous.” The lower level of the building also features a sports medicine facility with a taping area, a rehab area and a “hydro room,” which includes a 15-person cold pool and a sixperson hot tub. In other words, Div. III athletes will be receiving Div. I treatment. “I think one of the nicest sports med places I’ve ever seen was when I was at NC State,” Civetti said. “I’ll be honest with you – this is comparable to some of the [Div. I] facilities I’ve seen.” The new facility will also make it easier for teams to hold meetings and film ses-
Virginia Bledsoe / THE Tufts Daily
The new Tisch Center will provide state-of-the-art locker rooms for varsity teams as well as a brand new workout space for the entire Tufts community. sions. Previously, sessions often took place in Halligan Hall, which housed the coaches’ offices as well as the Departments of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering. Rayner noted that the offensive linemen would sometimes have to cut their film sessions short when a class needed the space. That will no longer be a problem, as the new athletics center features several team meeting rooms, as well as projectors in some of the locker rooms. In addition, the coaches’ offices are now located on the top floor of the new building, rather than in Halligan. “[Before], we had primarily our athletic wing and engineering had primarily their engineering wing, but our offices were interspersed,” Thompson said. “It’s gonna be nice
to finally have a home that is all ours.” The coaches aren’t the only ones who now have a space all to themselves. On the ground floor of the building is a new fitness center, which will be utilized primarily by non-athletes. Meanwhile, athletes will continue to work out in the Lunder Fitness Center which was previously shared between teams and the rest of the student body. Now, athletes will have a workout space to call their own – not to mention state-of-theart locker rooms and meeting rooms – and a whole new reason to fall in love with the brown and blue. “Tufts is a place people just want to come, regardless,” Civetti said. “Now, you have something like this – it’s a dangerous combination in the athletic recruiting world.”