TuftsDaily11.03.14

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THE TUFTS DAILY

TUFTSDAILY.COM

Monday, November 3, 2014

VOLUME LXVIII, NUMBER 38

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Tufts study underway to improve learning spaces on campus by Daniel Bottino

will help inform future planning for Tufts’ learning spaces. “What is learned from [the study’s] engagement strategies will help Tufts both use its spatial resources more efficiently and guide investment in our classrooms and learning spaces,” Snyder told the Daily in an email. Stanley explained that the study’s definition of a “learning space” goes beyond solely the ordinary classroom, instead including any space on campus where teaching and learning can possibly occur. She added that there are about 250 such spaces. Information on these spaces will be gathered in three separate phases, according to Stanley. The first phase, which took place in August, involved a survey of Tufts’ learning spaces carried out by an outside consulting firm, Biddison Hier, Ltd. “[This] was a survey to make sure the data we have on these spaces is accurate, and actually there was some tweaking, although I would say our data are pretty good,” Stanley said.

Daily Editorial Board

Nicholas Pfosi for USA TODAY

Trick-or-treaters stopped by Springfield Street in Medford this Halloween to visit the elaborate haunted scene that resident Jack McGlashing and his neighbors constructed as part of an annual tradition.

ACURA conference hosts annual meeting by Kathleen Schmidt Daily Editorial Board

The Association for College and University Religious Affairs (ACURA), a national collegium made up of chaplains, deans and directors of religious and spiritual life in higher education, held its annual conference at Tufts last week from Sunday, Oct. 26 to Tuesday, Oct. 28. ACURA is an interfaith association that includes representatives from many institutions, including major research universities as well as prominent small liberal arts colleges, according to Tufts University Chaplain Reverend Greg McGonigle. McGonigle explained that the purpose of the annual meeting is to build professional connections and share resources, recommended practices and ideas. Attendees worked together to think about the role of spiritual and ethical life in higher education and to explore some of the most pressing issues facing higher education today from the perspective of spiritual life.

This year’s ACURA conference was one of the best attended in the organization’s history, with over 80 leaders of spiritual life from campuses across the country in attendance, according to Director of Religious and Spiritual Life at Vassar College and ACURA President Reverend Samuel Speers. Leading up to the conference, Speers said he was looking forward to seeing how Tufts’ hosting of the conference would impact the discussions and topics. “We really enjoy having the host campus shape the direction of that particular year’s gathering,” Speers said. “We get to learn about the remarkable work that happens on a wide array of campuses, and it’s different on each campus, and this year we get to see how the chaplaincy at Tufts is working to engage with the wider university community.” Conference attendees took part in panels and discussions on topics such as “Active Citizenship, see ACURA, page 2

Kaberuka speaks about inclusive growth in Africa by Patrick McGrath Daily Editorial Board

President of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Donald Kaberuka presented a lecture on economic growth in Africa, titled “Inclusive Growth: Ensuring Prosperity Reaches Africa’s Bottom of the Pyramid,” at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Cabot ASEAN Auditorium on Oct. 30., sponsored by the Institute for Business in the Global Context (IBGC) and the Africana Club. Bhaskar Chakravorti, senior associate dean of international business and finance and executive director of Fletcher’s IBGC and Council on Emerging Market Enterprises, introduced Kaberuka.

Chakravorti explained that Kaberuka is in his second term as president of the AfDB, and started his role in 2005. A native of Rwanda, Kaberuka served as the country’s minister of finance and economic planning and oversaw a number of economic reforms in the years after the Rwandan Civil War, including the assurance of the National Bank of Rwanda’s independence, Chakravorti added. Kaberuka’s lecture focused on the issue of inclusion in the process of economic development across Africa so that all people benefit from economic growth on the continent — one of two primary objectives outlined in see AFDB, page 2

The Tufts administration is currently in the process of conducting a Learning Spaces Planning Study, which aims to gather data on possible improvements to the university’s learning spaces on the Medford/Somerville campus. Director of University Space Management and Planning Lois Stanley and Dean of Student Services Paul Stanton, both of whom are members of the study’s steering committee, explained that the study is primarily focused on understanding and improving the status of Tufts’ many learning spaces. “We want to understand our inventory [of learning spaces] in terms of its condition, location, technology [and] furniture,” Stanley said. “We want to understand how these spaces work in depth, and then we are seeking advice from our expert consultants on how to better manage this incredible asset.” Vice President for Operations Linda Snyder said that the study

Stanley noted that this survey added data Tufts did not previously have access to, such as whether rooms were air-conditioned or contained clocks. The second phase consisted of a series of 14 focus groups conducted on Oct. 22, 23 and 24. According to Stanley, these involved graduate and undergraduate students, administrators and faculty from different schools and departments. Although findings from the focus groups have yet to be analyzed systemically, Stanley and Stanton noted that there were a few preliminary issues which appeared in multiple focus groups. Among these was a general dissatisfaction with the condition of classrooms in the basement of Jackson Gym, which were described by focus group participants as “abominable,” according to Stanley. “[Jackson Gym] is first of all an old building, and it’s a basement, which means [it has] dampness see SPACES, page 2

TCU Senate Update During a relatively brief Sunday night meeting, the Tufts Community Union Senate (TCU) approved funding for five different clubs and listened to a report on new clubs on campus. TCU Treasurer Adam Kochman, a junior, began the Treasurer’s Report with a request for funding from the Tufts Association of South Asians (TASA). The group requested a total of $17,570, out of which the Allocations Board recommended giving $15,180. The recommended cuts to the funding request came partially from dance competition application fees that TASA had requested. Kochman explained that TASA had not yet been accepted to the competitions, and the Senate did not feel comfortable betting money on whether or not TASA would be accepted. Although many senators were concerned by the large sum of money, other senators pointed out that TASA is not a singular group, but rather a large umbrella group. The Senate eventually approved the sum of $15,180 by a vote of 19-2-6. The next funding item on the agenda was a request from the African Students Organization for $117.04. The money will cover the registration of an individual student from the club to attend a business forum at the Wharton School of Business in Philadelphia. The Senate approved the funding by a vote of 28-0-1. The Art History Society requested a total of $126.25 for Tufts Catering expenses, which was approved by acclamation.

Inside this issue

The Senate next considered a request from Tufts Campus Hope, a Seventh-day Adventist group at Tufts. The group requested $2,814.60 for three students to attend a conference in Phoenix, which will focus on missionary work. The Allocations Board suggested that the airfare for the students should be covered, but the food should not be funded by TCU, cutting the funding request to $2,694.60. The Senate passed this revised figure by a vote of 28-1-0, with TCU Senate President Robert Joseph, a senior, voting against the motion. Finally, the Senate considered a request of $1,900 from the Pan-African Alliance for honoraria for two guest speakers. However, Kochman announced that one of the speakers had canceled, cutting the funding needed down to $1,450. The remaining speaker will be Acklyn Lynch, associate professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore. The Senate passed the honorarium for Lynch by acclamation. As the final part of the Treasurer’s Report, Kochman noted that before the meeting’s expenditures there had been $140,000 left in the supplementary funding budget for the rest of the year. He explained that if this funding ran out, he may have to shift some of the surplus money into the supplemental fund. However, Kochman emphasized that he would prefer not to take this step. Kochman also touched on the Student Support Fund,

a new fund whose purpose is to aid students who are financially unable to pay personal contributions for clubs of which they are members. Kochman said that he was glad to see the fund being used, but he would also like knowledge of its existence to become more widespread. The meeting next moved on to a report on clubs which have been recently recognized. According to Sophia Gomez of the TCU Judiciary, the French Club and the Tufts Historical Review were recognized by the judicial body. However, Gomez, a first-year, explained that the request for recognition by the Ski and Snowboard Club was tabled due to liability issues. Finally, the Country Swing Dance group was recognized, pending the approval of Joe Golia, the director of the Office for Campus Life. Gomez added that the TCU Judiciary is in the process of adopting stricter bylaws in order to restrict the number of new groups which can be recognized. She explained that this was due to an overabundance of student groups on campus, which made funding unsustainable. The meeting concluded with the Senate discussing plans for an election to replace former TCU Senator Andrew Núñez, a senior, who has resigned from the Senate. Joseph explained that the election for the vacancy will take place at the beginning of the spring semester. —by Daniel Bottino

Today’s sections

Bernadette Peters delivers stellar performance in Distler Performance Hall.

Tufts football preserves undefeated record at home with win over Colby.

see ARTS, page 5

see SPORTS, back

News 1 Features 3 Arts & Living 5 Editorial | Op-Ed 8

Op-Ed 9 Comics 10 Classifieds 11 Sports Back


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