TuftsDaily11.04.14

THE TUFTS DAILY

Mostly Sunny 58/48

TUFTSDAILY.COM

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

VOLUME LXVIII, NUMBER 39

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Students seek increased political participation

by Jei-Jei Tan

Daily Editorial Board

Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily

Tufts senior, Summer Morrill, received a $10,000 schlarship due to her interest and research on molecular biology and genetics.

Tufts student receives scholarship from Astronaut Scholarship Foundation

by Meagan Adler Contributing Writer

Tufts senior Summer Morrill was awarded a $10,000 scholarship from the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation by astronaut Kathyrn Thornton in an official ceremony on Oct. 17.

The Astronaut Scholarship is a tuition grant that was started by the Mercury 7 astronauts, a

group of astronauts who strive to fund college students interested in fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), according to Morrill.

“They really want to give [the scholarship] to people who are going to have long-term careers in research, which is what I plan to do after college,” she said.

Morrill explained that she thought she was going to have to

Students participate in second annual Ethics Bowl

by Aaron Pomerance Contributing Writer

Tufts’ second annual Ethics Bowl, a debate-style competition covering complex ethical issues, took place on Saturday in Miner Hall, with the final round of the event held in the Crane Room.

Tufts Department of Philosophy and the Experimental College cosponsored the event, according to Senior Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy Susan Russinoff.

She and two graduate philosophy students, Steven Norris and Gabrial Santos-Neves, coordinated the event.

“Everything went very smoothly on Saturday, and we were even ahead of schedule for most of the day,” Norris told the Daily in an email.

The event consisted of five teams with three to five members each. Each team has prepared since September to answer up to 15 real-world ethical cases, 10 of which were presented during the bowl, according to Norris.

He and Santos-Neves ran two drop-in coaching sessions per week to help the see ETHICS, page 2

graduate early, but the scholarship will give her the opportunity to finish off her senior year at Tufts.

According to Anne Moore, program specialist in scholar development at Tufts, Morrill was one of four Tufts applicants for the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, which see ASTRONAUT, page 2

In the lead-up to this Election Day, campus groups have been working hard to ensure that Tufts students are registered to vote and politically engaged.

Vo t e Ev e r y w h e re Ambassadors are part of an initiative of the Andrew Goodman Foundation to support voting rights on college campuses through spreading information and raising awareness about the importance of voting. The group has been active at Tufts since September, according to Vote Everywhere Ambassador Olivia Carle.

Vote Everywhere Ambassador Benjamin Kaplan said that the ambassadors’ goal was getting students registered to vote up until the registration deadline of Oct. 15, and from then on until Election Day, the focus shifted to getting students to actually vote.

Along with collaboration with other student groups, the Vote Everywhere ambassadors have worked under the banner of Tufts Votes, Kaplan, a sophomore, said. Tufts Votes is an official student organization through the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, which registers student voters every two years and encourages them to vote.

Tufts Votes is participating in Get Out the Vote activities today, Kaplan said, such as talk-

ing to students on campus and driving them to polling stations.

Carle, a sophomore, noted that there have been issues with getting students from Tufts to participate. Other problems stem from the fact that the campus and the surrounding residences lie in both the cities of Medford and Somerville — Carle said she had to travel to two different locations when taking the completed voter registration forms to the city halls.

Tufts is divided into two congressional districts, two state representative districts and four voting districts, Kaplan explained.

“Because campus is so divided along these lines, it’s just a logistical challenge for us to make sure that we’re giving students the right information about where they should vote,” he said.

Ellie Monroe, president of Tufts Republicans, said that the organization has been very active in this year’s election season.

“Alongside the Massachusetts Alliance of College Republicans, members of Tufts [Republicans] have gone down to the Cape to canvass for various candidates, phone banked on Saturdays for Charlie Baker, and have gone up to New Hampshire to rally for Scott Brown,” she told the Daily in an email. “We are looking forward to helping get out the vote tomorrow with Tufts see ELECTION, page 2

University celebrates official naming and opening of Pax et Lox Glatt Kosher Deli

by Melissa Kain Contributing Writer

Tufts Dining hosted an official opening and naming celebration for the Pax et Lox Glatt Kosher Deli last Tuesday to commemorate the addition of the new venue to dining options on campus. The deli supplements other takeout dining choices offered

by Tufts, such as Hodgdon On-the-Run and Hotung Cafe.

The celebration offered a sampling of foods, including hot hors d’oeurves and a variety of sandwiches and sodas offered by the deli, according to Lyza Bayard, marketing and communications specialist of Dining and Business Services. Students at the celebration got to taste pastrami, chicken salad and tofu sandwiches.

Bayard described the overall celebration as a success.

“The official celebration

see DELI, page 2

Inside this issue

Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily

The Pax Et Lox Kosher Deli recently celebrated its official opening.

Today’s sections

Unrecognized boxing club continues to thrive, seeks expansion

Volleyball team secures first place in NESCAC.

see FEATURES, page 4

see SPORTS, back

News 1 Features 4 Arts & Living 7 Editorial | Op-Ed 10

Op-Ed 11 Comics 12 Classifieds 15 Sports Back

2

The Tufts Daily

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

News

Kosher deli offers new food options for Tufts students DELI

continued from page 1

was based on … getting the name, getting the awning up and being able to have everything ready to roll,” she explained.

Although the deli has been open since last spring, it was not officially named until last week, Bayard said. A naming contest was run by the university, and more than 600 submissions were sent in to the contest.

“There was a whole panel of judges comprised of students, faculty and staff from Tufts that weighed in and narrowed down [the submissions],” Bayard said.

Jason Brillon, a junior, won the naming contest for the deli with the title “Pax et Lox.” According to Brillon, the name was inspired by other student-named locations on campus.

“Brown and Brew was actually named by a Tufts student … and that had the play on words of “brown and blue,” which is our campus’ colors,” he explained.

Brillon said he also wanted to raise awareness of the Tufts motto, “Pax et Lux,” through his name choice.

“It was a good opportunity to both make a fun pun about smoked salmon … and also shed light on one of our university’s sayings,” he said.

Brillon’s prize for winning the competition was having a sandwich named after him at the Pax et Lox deli, which he got to design over the summer. According to Brillon, the sandwich consists of some of his favorite ingredients, including chicken, roasted red peppers, sun dried tomatoes, spinach and a Dijon bistro sauce.

“I made a few different options … and then me and one of my best friends did a taste testing of them,” he explained.

The Pax et Lox deli offers glatt kosher lunch and dinner options four days a week, according to Bayard.

“The deli offers flavors that we haven’t specifically had on campus before, and it is really all about hot and cold sandwiches,” she said. “It is a tasty carry-out option.”

According to Bayard, the deli has been well-received thus far. Students have been enthusiastic about the size of the sandwiches and the options offered by the deli.

“From the day it opened, there were students lining up for sandwiches,” she said.

“We’ve heard incredible things about the

Morrill hopes to continue biology research ASTRONAUT

continued from page 1

is another prestigious STEM scholarship.

As a Goldwater applicant, she, along with one other applicant, was then nominated by the Tufts scholarship committee for the Astronaut Scholarship.

The two candidates then submitted an additional essay. “[Morrill’s] grades were off the charts,” Moore explained. “She had really innovative research. Her recommendations were like no other recommendations. She’s really made her value as a scientist colleague here clear.”

Morrill, who is a biology major and has been doing independent research in the Fuchs Lab since sophomore year, explained that she does molecular research and is currently doing an honors thesis in the lab. She is looking at characterizing large representative protein regions.

On campus, she is both a group and a one-on-one tutor for the Academic Resource Center, and is an executive board member on the planning committee for Relay for Life, Morrill added.

At the ceremony to present Morrill with the award, Interim Dean of the School Arts and Schools James Glaser gave an introduction, and Thornton, who has been to space on four occasions, presented the check to Morrill, according to Moore.

Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily

Former NASA Astronaut Kathy Thornton presents Summer Morrill with a scholarship.

“Thornton focused on her own experience of space travel and shared what it was like to be hurled into space,” she said.

Morrill explained that Thornton’s story resonated with her.

“I think the most meaningful part for me was hearing her story,” she said. “[Thornton] is the second woman ever

to be admitted into the space program, which just blows my mind. She never intended to go into the space program, which is kind of how I feel about research.

I didn’t think I was going to go into it, but applying to so many labs and scholarships has given me so many different opportunities.”

Ethics Bowl brings together students for second annual event ETHICS

continued from page 1

teams prepare their responses to cases they would be discussing at the Ethics Bowl, according to Russinoff.

The coordinators worked together to moderate the event, Norris explained.

“Professor Russinoff moderated a couple of rounds (including the final round), but otherwise all of our judges and moderators were graduate students that volunteered their time,” he said.

The winning team of this year’s bowl was The Goon Squad, made up of junior Dylan Phelan and sophomores Adam Plumer, Zachary Flicker, Phoebe Phuong and Jane Acker, according to Norris. The first place prize featured a custom-made coffee mug and the chance to represent Tufts at the Northeast Regional Ethics Bowl competition at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Conn. on Dec. 6.

Norris and SantosNeves explained that they first volunteered as judges and moderators in last year’s inaugural Ethics Bowl, which gave them insight into the preparation of the event for this year.

They added that the event had a very similar structure to the first Ethics Bowl — teams debated about real ethical dilemmas and defended their opinions with examples from

research and theories from both classic and modern philosophers. Both Norris and Santos-Neves emphasized that the event is not structured like that of a courtroom, but rather the debates are strongly theory-based.

Russinoff said that the coordinators and the two departments had no trouble attracting a good group of participants this year. There were no prerequisites required to participate in the bowl, but professors in the Department of Philosophy gave their students an incentive for participating in the event — students could participate or volunteer as extra credit or in place of an assignment, according to Norris and Santos-Neves.

Norris approximated that about 20 to 25 percent of the competitors would be returning from last year’s event. The School of Engineering was also represented in this year’s event, fielding teams that would provide a different perspective to the ethical issues presented, according to Norris and Santos-Neves.

They noted that the teams are judged on the presentation of their argument and the evidence they use to support their views on the issue at hand.

“Teams must demonstrate their ethical approaches and schools of thoughts during the debate,” Norris said.

Santos-Neves added that judges look for convincing and inclusive arguments, in which the team covers all of the issues presented in the case.

The coordinators hope that this kind of experiential learning will help students navigate their way through the variety of difficult issues they will face in the future, according to Russinoff.

“This is a great opportunity to introduce undergraduates to thinking critically about the complexities of ethical problems,” she explained.

Norris and Santos-Neves added that one of their mutual goals for the event was to “encourage intermingling between graduate and undergraduates outside of the classroom.”

Norris said that he hopes that a new crop of graduate students will get involved and take on a more active role behind the scenes, as he and Santos-Neves have done this year.

“Overall the 2nd Annual Tufts Ethics Bowl was a tremendous success,” Norris said. “Now we’re turning our attention towards preparing a team for the regional competition in December, and then [Santos-Neves] and I will be running the New England High School Ethics Bowl here at Tufts in February.”

flavors, the options, the size of the sandwich … it’s done really, really well.”

Brillon emphasized his own fondness for the deli and the sense of community that it can bring to students who want to have kosher options on campus.

“I like that there’s an opportunity for students who keep kosher or have some sort of dietary restriction concerning meat to have an option on campus so they can go grab food and then take it to go and eat with their friends, so it provides a more inclusive community for Tufts,” he said.

Bayard added that the deli has been in the works for a number of years.

“We’ve wanted to do this for years, so we’re excited that we could make it happen,” she said.

Moore underscored the importance of having female participation in this kind of research.

“For it to be a female astronaut presenting the award and to have Morrill winning it is such an exciting thing to see,” she said.

“It is so exciting seeing innovative research being done by women.”

Morrill explained that she is interested in studying genetics and molecular biology, particularly as it applies to human disease, and that she is currently applying to graduate programs in molecular and cancer biology.

“The reason why I chose [those graduate studies] is because I am really interested in cancer research,” she said. “My mom is actually a breast cancer survivor.”

Morrill highlighted Moore’s role in helping her throughout the process. “[Moore] is amazing, and has helped me through all of this,” she said. “She listened to my essay and gave me advice. She is a great resource.”

A student from Tufts has won the Astronaut Scholarship every year since 1994, according to Moore, who added that Tufts arranges many other prestigious scholarships such as the Rhodes Scholarship, the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, the Udall Scholarship and the Harry S. Truman Scholarship.

“The way I think about it is that if you are interested in a career in academia, my job is to help you find ways to get there faster and more successfully,” she said.

Campus organizations make final push for Election Day

ELECTION

continued from page 1

Votes and watching the victories of Charlie Baker for Mass. Governor and fellow Tufts alumni in neighboring New Hampshire, Scott Brown and Marilinda Garcia.”

Senior Sam Kelly, co-president of Tufts Democrats, said that for today’s elections, their focus has been on campaigning for Martha Coakley as the next governor of Massachusetts.

“She’s the only candidate that’s focused on our interests,” Kelly said.

He added that they have been hosting different kinds of programming to generate involvement.

“We’ve had a great series of events all trying to get our membership on campus excited for Nov. 4,” Kelly explained.

These events include discussions about various topics, such as Hillary Clinton’s potential 2016 candidacy, a meeting with the chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party about the party’s visions and goals for the year and a meeting with candidate for State Representative Christine Barber.

Kelly explained that it was incredibly challenging to register students to vote because of the complicated systems that were in place. For example, Tufts and the City of Medford disagree about the addresses of certain dorms, which makes registering from dorms difficult.

Students also struggle with voter apathy. Because it is not a presidential year, the elections are not being talked about as much, Kelly noted.

“A part of our main goal is to make sure that students are engaged in the

midterm election and realize that midterm elections do matter,” he said.

According to Kelly, Tufts Democrats will be volunteering with Tufts Votes and encouraging students to vote regardless of their political affiliations.

Carle added that by voting, students could have a voice not only in who is elected but also in what that person eventually does.

“To get engaged in the political process is to say that I have a stake in where I live … and I can try to make some change that I think is fitting,” she said.

According to Carle, there are certain pockets of students on campus that are very politically involved and certain pockets that are very involved in activism.

“Sometimes the two overlap, but not always,” she said.

Kaplan emphasized the role that voting can play in furthering activist goals.

“I think it’s very important that the activist idea of creating change and the electoral idea of creating change come together,” he said. “Activism without electoral participation is useless, and electoral participation without activism is hollow, but when you combine [them] you get real change.”

Carle explained that Tufts Votes was an existing structure from previous years with a name, logo and website that the Vote Everywhere ambassadors used to support their cause.

Kaplan characterized Tufts Votes as a broad-based non-partisan coalition that brings together different groups and gets students engaged.

“Our goal is … to show that Tufts can be a voice in our community,” he said.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

The Tufts Daily

3

Advertisement

Tufts Programs Abroad 2015-16 Upcoming Informational Pizza Parties

Tufts in TĂźbingen:

Thursday, November 6th at 6:00pm Dowling Hall, Room 745A

Tufts in China:

We l l i n g t o n B u r n h a m L e c t u r e S e r i e s 2 0 1 4

Monetary and Fiscal Policies and the Labor Market in the Eurozone

Wednesday, November 12th at 6:00pm Dowling Hall, Room 745A

Sir Christopher Pissarides

Tufts in Ghana:

Thursday, November 13th at 6:00pm Africana Center (Capen House)

Awarded 2010 Nobel Prize in Economics

Regius Professor of Economics, London School of Economics, Professor of European Studies, University of Cyprus, Chairman of the Council of National Economy, Republic of Cyprus, and the Helmut & Anna Pao Sohmen Professor-at-Large, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Professor Pissarides specializes in the economics of labor markets, macroeconomic policy, economic growth and structural change. He was awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Economics, jointly with Dale Mortensen and Peter Diamond, for his work in the economics of markets with frictions. He became the first European economist to win the IZA Prize in Labor Economics, sharing it with his collaborator Dale Mortensen. He has written extensively in professional journals, magazines and the press, and his book Equilibrium Unemployment Theory, which revolutionized the economics of unemployment, has been translated into many languages.

Tufts in Paris:

Tuesday, November 18th at 6:00pm Dowling Hall, Room 745A

Applications due Feb. 2 (Oxford: Dec. 1) http://uss.tufts.edu/studyabroad

November 12, 2014 Economics Department Tufts University Braker Hall 8 Upper Campus Road Medford, MA 02155 ase.tufts.edu/economics

4:30—6:00 pm 51 Winthrop Street Hall *reception to follow lecture

PHIL 0020

An Introduction to Civic Studies: Theories for a Better World TR 10:30-11:45 | No prerequisites Tisch College and the Philosophy Department of the School of Arts and Sciences invite you to register for this engaging spring seminar course, which offers engaging dialogue about building better societies and the role of individuals and small groups in creating, nourishing, and sustaining good communities. Through the study of a diverse range of philosophers and social theorists as well as real-world examples, the course will explore contrasting conceptions of active citizenship. Taught by Peter Levine, Tisch College Associate Dean, the course will consider relevant facts (empirical evidence), values (ethics), and strategies. No prerequisites.

activecitizen.tufts.edu

Features

4

tuftsdaily.com

Photos by: Ari Schneider Nicholas Pfosi

Boxing club thrives despite lack of university recognition

by Becca Leibowitz Daily Staff Writer

“I wanna see you shift your weight.

Point your back foot, try to roll your shoulder up to your chin,” senior Merek Johnson said.

First-year Haley Pogachefsky adjusted her motions to follow Johnson’s advice. “There you go, perfect.”

These are Tufts students, and this is boxing practice. Technically, however, the Tufts Boxing Team does not exist.

“Five years ago, three sports came over to [the Tufts Athletics Department from the Tufts Community Union (TCU)]: taekwondo, shudokan, and boxing,” Assistant Director of Athletics Branwen Smith-King said. “They came over to us for a lot of different reasons, primarily because [TCU] didn’t feel like they should be approving sports. Approving sports clubs should be in conjunction with athletics because it affects our resources, our facilities and of course money … and so we agreed to take those three sports under our wing, and so they got a two-year grace period.”

Following this two-year period, in the spring of 2013, Johnson — who was a sophomore at the time — was called into the athletics department and was told that it would be boxing’s last year as a club sport.

“Athletics never approved boxing as a club,” Smith-King said. “About 15 or 20 years ago students came to us twice to ask if we had a boxing club … We had an athletic committee at the time that didn’t approve it for the same reasons why we don’t approve it now — because of health and safety.”

Smith-King elaborated that the health and safety concerns were largely due to the university’s resources.

“We don’t have athletic trainers for many of our club sports,” she said. “We don’t have the resources to be able to feel that we can safely oversee a sport like boxing.”

The boxing team, in its current form, cannot use the Tufts name or use athletics department facilities, according to

Smith-King. But that hasn’t stopped them from continuing to do what they love.

“When I joined the club [in the spring of my first year], kids would come in, mostly guys, headphones plugged in, hit stuff, but it was kind of solitary, and since then it’s become a little more social … and that’s one motivating factor

[for continuing to box],” Johnson said.

“The sport itself I think is really fun, it’s incredibly dynamic, it’s very difficult, it’s a tremendous workout if you keep up with it.”

Due to its unrecognized status, the group occasionally changes location for its practices. On Sunday, Oct. 26, prac-

tice was held outdoors. Upon arriving to practice, each boxer put on his or her hand wraps.

“When you squeeze [your hand] it should feel like you’re holding a roll of quarters,” Johnson said to new members who asked him for help putting theirs on.

When the club was cut Johnson bought all the boxing gear from the athletics department, and now he brings it to practice for the unofficial club to use.

During the Oct. 26 practice, the group split up into pairs to run mitts where one member holds the mitts while the other punches them. The communication between each pair was evident: discussion, advice and laughter filled the crisp fall air as the boxers concentrated on the exercise.

“This semester we’ve kind of had a different plan of attack, and we want to start promoting it a little more socially,” Johnson said.

Sophomore Derek Fieldhouse, who began boxing last year after watching boxing videos on YouTube and becoming interested in the sport, has taken the lead in the unofficial club’s new social campaign, posting in Tufts groups on Facebook, spreading the word about the club’s existence and telling others about how they can get involved.

“I really like the team because we’re a really small group, and so we’re pretty social,” Fieldhouse said. “It’s fun to get together, talk to people, ask how their day is going … It’s a good study break in a sense; you can be doing work really hard and then be like, ‘Oh, I need to go hang out with some friends and work out at the same time,’ because no one likes to work out alone.”

Just as the team has evolved over time, Johnson has come a long way since joining as a first-year..

“The first practice I had [in my first year] actually was more of a workout, and it was really grueling, and I came back [and] I guess maybe that time I felt like I had something to prove,” he said. see BOXING, page 5

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

The Tufts Daily

5

Features Stina Stannik | A Jumbo in Ghana

Missing SIS

Group looks to grow base, increase campus presence BOXING

continued from page 4

To d a y, a c c o rd i n g to Fieldhouse, Johnson is the most experienced boxer in the unofficial club. His role involves teaching those with less experience, includ-

ing Fieldhouse, who worked with Johnson two or three times a week last year to improve his boxing ability.

“Boxing is one of those sports where it’s really passed down from one person to the next,” Fieldhouse said.

“Merek taught me and now I teach others, and then in a few weeks or months they’ll start teaching others as well. It’s really interesting to see this ancestry … Merek taught me this, I modified it a little, and someone else is changing it now.”

For Johnson, teaching is one of the best parts of being part of the group.

“I love to teach, so getting new people is really fun for me, especially just starting off on the basics,” he said. “This semester we’ve had some huge practices when like ten new kids show up, and it’s fun and super rewarding for me to work with that many people at once, and I’ve learned a lot from that. And that’s also pretty empowering, to work with so many new people and manage a group like that.”

One of the challenges that the unofficial club faces is the general public’s negative opinion of the sport of boxing.

“I don’t think boxing has a great perception in the public eye,” Johnson said. “In general, it’s seen as kind of thuggish or violent.”

Fieldhouse agreed, adding that this shouldn’t have to be the case.

“Boxing is put in a pretty bad light, honestly,” he said. “A lot of people see it as an incredibly aggressive sport where you just punch someone in the face.

That is a big part of professional boxing, but on an amateur level … we look more for the technique side of boxing, and it’s actually very technical.”

In the future, the unofficial club hopes to get the recognition that would allow it to wear Tufts’ name, give it access to Tufts athletic facilities and enable it to formally reach out to other students.

“It does seem unfair that there are [other] sports [at Tufts] … where there’s liability,” Johnson said. “It doesn’t seem very equal to eliminate boxing.”

Smith-King is not ruling out the potential for boxing’s return as an official Tufts club someday.

“Things change, and if we were able to get resources and get a full-time trainer, I would revisit it, no question,” she said. “But that’s unlikely to happen right now.”

For now, the unofficial club is looking to grow its base and increase its presence on campus.

“... it was really grueling, and I came back [and] I guess maybe that time I felt like I had something to prove.”

Derek Fieldhouse Sophomore “The school has a job, in my mind, to really meet the wants of students, and if the want is big enough or if the want is truly there I feel like the school will do something about it,” Fieldhouse said.

“Hopefully through continued outreach, through people’s friends, through just word of mouth, we can grow enough and gain enough committed members that we can go back to [the administration] and say … there’s a very large number of us that really want this to happen. What can we do with [the administration] to make this happen? So I think that’s where we’re headed.”

I hear that course registration for the spring semester starts this week.

I’m studying abroad again next semester so I won’t be joining you for that fun process, but it takes me back to my own comical registration process here in Ghana — a veritable scavenger hunt which, believe it or not, made me miss iSIS (or I guess we’re back to SIS). The University of Ghana is one of the premier universities here, and it’s modernizing quickly. Still, registration revealed one of the ways in which it is struggling to catch up.

For starters, please be grateful for those course handbooks which list every course. UG has those too — except it only publishes them every couple of years, and they list all courses that might, maybe, possibly be offered.

My initial list of courses totaled about 20, since I knew many wouldn’t actually be available.

Our registration was further complicated by a strike by the university’s faculty. Usually, academic departments will post final course offerings on their bulletin boards right before registration. (Again, nothing online — you have to physically go to each department to check the listings. And Tufts has spoiled us: On a normal-sized campus, such an undertaking is an hours-long workout.) With the strike, many departments chose not to put up their offerings. So we went into registration unsure of which courses would actually be available.

It gets better. Technical limitations and the unpredictability of power and WiFi made online registration impractical in the past. This was one of the first years that UG had online registration, which represents great progress … except that when we tried to register, something in the portal was broken. We could get a few steps into the process before being told we didn’t have clearance to register. They tried to fix it, but we were eventually asked to simply write down our course requests — the staff would input them manually later. Again, we still had NO IDEA what courses were ACTUALLY being offered.

It was sometime around this point when it all became comical to me.

We ended up having an interim period of classes while the strike wound down. These classes were arranged especially for international students, so most of our course requests didn’t matter. Once the strike ended and more courses became available, I chose to stick with most of the courses I had already started during the strike. The challenge here, though, was navigating timetables. At Tufts, you’re given the time slot for courses up front (everyone knows which time period the J+ block is, right??). For our registration in August, we went to each department to look at the timetables. Most students at UG only take courses in the department in which they are pursuing a degree, so overlap is impossible. But for international students like myself who are sampling from multiple departments, I had to make impossible choices, like between Studies of African Poetry or Philosophy of Development.

Finally, the online portal worked and we entered our course requests. We also had to submit several hard-copy forms to the International Programmes Office AND visit each department to register with them. This whole process probably ended up taking three or four weeks — at the time of our first dance class assessment, there were still people who weren’t officially enrolled in the class.

It sounds messy — and trust me, it felt messy — but it was a great lesson in dealing with the realities and limitations of the university, and it ultimately was just pretty funny. But I swear, I’ll never complain about SIS again.

Stina Stannik is a junior majoring in peace and justice studies. She can be reached at Stina.Stannik@tufts.edu.

6

The Tufts Daily

Advertisement

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Meet the Judge Cosmology for the Curious Prof. Alexander Vilenkin PHY 0008

TRF 12:00 – 12:50 pm

Explores recent developments in cosmology. Big bang and cosmic inflation; dark matter and dark energy; cosmic strings and extra dimensions; anthropic reasoning and the multiverse. The questions to be addressed include: How did the universe begin? How will it end? Why is it expanding? Are there parallel worlds? Because of remarkable recent progress in cosmology, we now have answers to these questions that we have some reason to believe.

An Informal Talk/Lunch With

Judge Tod Kaufman

Prerequisite: No background in physics or math is assumed beyond elementary high school math.

This course is applicable to the Natural Sciences Distribution Requirement, but not towards any major or minor in Physics or Astronomy.

A’75 About His Career in the Law

Professor Alex Vilenkin is one of the world’s leading figures in theoretical cosmology, the author of more than 230 papers and an inventor of the theory of the “multiverse” – that ours is just one of a constantly growing infinity of universes. He is the author of Many Worlds in One, a popular exposition of current cosmological ideas, and he has appeared on PBS’s Nova and been profiled in many popular science magazines.

Student comments:

“totally blew my mind.”

“An awesome experience learning from a brilliant professor … I LOVED it.”

“In one word FASCINATING.”

Monday, November 10th at noon in Rm 012, The Campus Center RSVP to excollege@tufts.edu

VOTE

TODAY!

Polls are open from 7am-­‐8pm

Free rides to the polls leaving from the Campus Center

Questions? Problems? Call (978)-­‐600-­‐VOTE or e-­‐mail TuftsGOTV@gmail.com

Visit this website to check your voter registration status: http://tinyurl.com/TuftsVotes

Arts & Living

7

tuftsdaily.com

Gallery Review

MFA and SAC celebrate Halloweekend

by Priyanka Dharampuriya Contributing Writer

There is no wrong way to celebrate Halloween in college. Some carve pumpkins (or put them on rooftops), others take trips to Salem, trick-or-treat at President Monaco’s house or attend campus parties.

While art galleries are perhaps not the first places a college student thinks of while planning their Halloween weekend, both the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Tufts University Art gallery hosted successful, but very different, Halloween events this past weekend.

On Thursday, Oct. 30, the MFA opened its doors to college students from the Boston area for its annual event “MFA After Dark.”

More social than spooky, this early evening provided a unique opportunity to kick off Halloweekend with style. Different parts of the museum housed the night’s special features, including popular local folk-rock band Grey Season, a photo booth and even some free gelato. Many of the museum’s galleries were open for students to browse, including the temporary Francisco Goya exhibition and the MFA’s Egyptian mummies exhibit, both Halloween-appropriate selections.

The event’s only weakness lay in the sheer number of attendees. Unfortunately, many of the attractions involved waiting in long lines. However, these lines did provided ample opportunity to appreciate the creative costumes of the local students.

According to the MFA’s website, costumes were optional but encouraged, and the night drew a group dressed as a chess set, another dressed as the MBTA and many variations of rainbow fish getups. Many used the MFA courtyard as a gathering place, talking and enjoying the live music. Over the course of the evening groups passed through freely, and people stayed for varying amounts of time depending on their availability and interest level.

If nothing else, “MFA After Dark” provided a late-night opportunity to explore the MFA. The event had a relaxed, laidback feel, with a solid but not overwhelm-

Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts

Live music and free food made for a memorable night at the MFA’s pre-Halloween celebration. ing number of pre-planned activities. The appeal of “After Dark” was the opportunity to explore the museum, chat and possibly catch up with friends from other schools.

The true attraction was not so much the galleries themselves as the feeling of being in the museum after closing, with friends, in costume. Overall, it seems that “MFA After Dark” will remain a popular option for artsy students as part of their Halloween weekend celebrations.

The next evening, a little closer to home, the Tufts Student Advocacy council hosted a Halloween party in the Art Gallery and Remis Sculpture court. The event featured an open bar for those over 21, food and live music. Tufts band Shark Saddle performed and provided an upbeat, exciting musical backdrop for the event. While attendees had the option to explore the art galleries, the hub of activity was definitely located in the sculpture court, where people convened, chatted and compared costumes. Notable

costume appearances of the evening included the Sexy Sax Man, an umbrella jellyfish and a giant cardboard shark, among others.

While it was designed on a smaller scale, the SAC party had the feel of larger, allcampus events like Fall Gala and Spring Fling. This event was also open to all Tufts students, and had a more intimate feel than “MFA After Dark.” While it was wonderful to be able to visit the Tufts galleries, they were a less integral part of the event than at the MFA. Instead, the SAC event’s focus was on socializing, with the art galleries open and available to look at as a bonus option. The evening was also full of photo ops, and even included a photo booth. Later into the night, the SAC party also hosted a costume contest and raffle.

Both the MFA and SAC offered an interesting change of pace from traditional Halloween offerings, and their programs are well worth keeping in mind this time next year.

TV Review

'Jane the Virgin' is refreshing smash hit for CW

by Greta Jochem Daily Staff Writer

The premise of The CW’s new show, “Jane the Virgin,” sounds more like a daytime soap opera than a popular network’s newest dramedy. Jane Villanueva (Gina

Jane the Virgin Starring Gina Rodriguez, Justin Baldoni, Brett Dier, Andrea Navedo

Airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on The CW Rodriguez) finds herself accidentally artificially inseminated … that’s when all hell breaks loose.

Due to her mother’s teenage pregnancy and her religious family, Jane promised her grandmother she would remain celibate until marriage. Living with her Hispanic family and working as a waitress at a hotel — all the while studying to be a teacher — Jane is a happy-go-lucky goody two-shoes dating a police detective, Michael Cordero (Brett Dier). Then she goes to the hospital for a regular checkup where her doctor, upset after learning she was cheated on, accidentally impregnates her instead of giving her a pap smear. To further complicate things, the sperm was intended for a high-powered business associate’s gold-digging wife, whose ploy is to stop her husband from divorcing her so she can keep his money while cheating on him with his best friend. As if things weren’t complicated enough, that very same businessman, Rafael Soldano (Justin Baldoni), had a brief fling with Jane years ago, and is now the owner of the hotel where she works. Oh … and he recently recovered from cancer, so the

sperm used to inseminate Jane was his last chance at ever having a child. Dizzy?

Confused? You’re not alone.

While it may sound like “Jane the Virgin” is nothing more than a far-fetched soap opera disguised by its 9 p.m. time slot, the show has garnered surprisingly high praise — Rotten Tomatoes awarded it a 100 percent and The Daily Beast called it “CW’s Best Show Ever.” Pinpointing the source of its success is difficult, but when it comes to series doused in plot-twists, it all depends on the execution — and here “Jane” does quite well.

Neither solely a comedy nor a drama, “Jane the Virgin” successfully blends the two together. Knowing when to focus on one over the other is a delicate balancing act, yet the show’s writers strike a good equilibrium, keeping viewers both interested and chuckling. Though the humor is slightly subdued and not overly forceful, viewers are sure to find themselves laughing.

The show also incorporates voiceover narration and on-screen text introducing characters, devices rarely successful in most shows. Surprisingly, “Jane the Virgin” uses the techniques sparingly and skillfully, and even better, these choices feels neither overbearing nor random. Additionally, the show sprinkles in bits of Spanish — filtering in from conversations between Jane and her family or telenovelas on TV. This adds an interesting layer to the show while interweaving Jane’s Hispanic heritage throughout the pilot.

Given the show’s title and subject, its biggest risk seems to be making “Jane” all about our main character’s purity and goodness. For many shows with a “virgin” figure, or characters with any

trait deemed abnormal by society, the unusual identifying marker becomes his or her only identity, making for a trite, one-dimensional role. Jane, however, is portrayed as more than her level of sexual experience; of course her virginity is explained in the beginning, but it doesn’t become her defining characteristic. Rather, Jane is down to earth and relatable. She feels like a real person — partially due to the writers, but also largely to Gina Rodriguez’s performance.

Rodriguez’s rendering of Jane is so skilled that viewers will find themselves laughing, crying and smiling with her. In a marketplace overflowing with seriously flawed characters like Walter White in “Breaking Bad” (2008-2013), Hannah Horvath in “Girls” (2012-present) and Don Draper in “Mad Men” (2007-present), a genuinely likeable lead feels refreshing. “Jane” proves that, contrary to the recent rash of love-to-hatethem characters, an entertaining show can still have a good person as its lead.

At the end of the day, we watch television for entertainment. It’s the perfect escape largely because it is more interesting than everyday life. By this logic, a show with crazy twists and turns should be optimal. The problem is that so many times these shows — like soap operas — are crippled by random storylines and poor acting, and must rely solely on the drama to keep viewer interest, until they ultimately end up feeling unbelievable.

Luckily, “Jane the Virgin” incorporates the drama with comedy worthy of a soap, while managing to keep the show both believable and wildly entertaining. It’s safe to say that once you lose your “Jane the Virgin” virginity, you’ll keep coming back for more.

Vincent Carbone | Media & Me

Should we hate 'Hatred'?

H

ey everybody. This is usually the part of the column where I make some kind of silly, zany remark to grab everyone’s attention. This week, for reasons that will soon become very apparent, I’ve decided to take a more serious tone.

I’ve never been one for trigger warnings.

I’ve always thought they mute a conversation before it ever gets a chance to happen.

But in today’s case, because of the sensitive nature of what I’ll be discussing, I’d like to make an exception. So here goes: Today, I’ll be talking about an upcoming video game called “Hatred.” It is a game that is slated for release on Microsoft Windows in 2015, and centers around the concept of mass killings. The player takes on the role of a nameless murderer, and is tasked with killing as many innocent bystanders and police officers as possible before they are gunned down by the police.

Advertisements from the game’s creators describe it as a “genocidal crusade.”

The game has recently attracted a lot of attention because of an extremely graphic teaser trailer that was posted online by the developers, a company called Destructive Creations. It depicts the game’s protagonist preparing an arsenal of weapons while narrating about his hatred for the world, and how he wants to “put in the grave as many as [he] can.” It then proceeds to gameplay footage, which shows scenes of the player character stalking victims in public places and then graphically executing them.

Many online video game reviewers and blogs (both professional and amateur) were quick to condemn the game’s trailer. Complaints included the grisly subject matter of the game and an overreliance on shock tactics, as opposed to any innovation in the game’s design. One blogger noted that beyond the controversy and the excessive bloodshed, there is little to distinguish “Hatred” from any other isometric shooter on the market.

Destructive Creations has stated that “Hatred” is intended to serve not just as a game, but as a political statement, too.

Specifically, they intend to use it to comment on the recent trend towards political correctness in games development, and to rebut the polite, colorful tone that the gaming community has begun to adopt because of the increasing recognition of video games as a legitimate art form.

Now I would like to state, for the record, that this company is entirely within its rights to publish this game. While it is true that freedom of speech isn’t as absolute as most people believe (do a quick Google search on “obscenity laws” to find out more about that), this game clearly falls under the category of artistic expression. It is as legal to make a game about mass killings as it is to make one about the war in the Middle East, or World War 2, or invading Aliens.

But the question we should be asking here is not if the game should be legal. It doesn’t have to be illegal to release this game, for us, as consumers, to make it go away. Part of living in a society that guarantees freedom of speech is accepting that the same laws that protect progressive, world-changing ideas also protect hateful, disgusting schlock. But in that same vein, part of living in a free market means that we, the masses, can dictate what does and does not succeed economically.

This game is going to get made. We can’t, and shouldn’t, legally stop that. But we can send a strong message with our wallets.

Don’t buy “Hatred.” Don’t give them ad revenue on YouTube by watching the trailer. Just let this game fade into obscurity.

Destructive Creations want to use “Hatred” to send a message. Show them that you don’t support it.

Vincent Carbone is a senior majoring in biology. He can be reached at vincent.carbone@tufts.edu.

8

The Tufts Daily

Advertisement

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

The Tufts Daily

9

Advertisement

PICTURE THE MODERN

DISCUSSION SECTIONS & BOSTON FIELD TRIPS

INT R OD UCT ION TO

WORLD ART II TEAM-TAUGHT: Learn from numerous department specialists in art and architecture, from Impressionism and Cubism to Modern and Contemporary movements, spanning the globe from Europe and the Americas to Asia and Africa, from the eighteenth through twenty-first centuries.

THIS SPRING: FAH2 NO PREREQUISITES • OPEN TO ALL • FRESHMEN WELCOME MONDAYS & WEDNESDAYS, 10:30-11:20 (E BLOCK)

our contact (617) 440-7361 or

bostonburgerco.com

our hours FOR MORE INFORMATION SEE WWW.ASE.TUFTS.EDU/ART

our location 37 davis square somerville, ma 02144

mon - wed:

11 AM to 10 PM

thurs - sat: 11 AM to 11 PM sun: 12 PM to 8 PM

10

The Tufts Daily

THE TUFTS DAILY

Editorial

Keep Menino’s spirit alive

Alexander J. Schroeder Editor-in-Chief

Editorial

Justin Rheingold Lily Sieradzki Managing Editors

Patrick McGrath Executive News Editor Daniel Bottino News Editors Jenna Buckle Abigail Feldman Shana Friedman Nina Goldman Dana Guth Stephanie Haven Alexa Horwitz Audrey Michael Kathleen Schmidt Jei-Jei-Tan Denali Tietjen Melissa Wang Sarah Zheng Jessica Mow Executive Features Editor Maya Blackstone Features Editors Hannah Fingerhut Charlotte Gilliland Kendall Todd Jake Taber Shannon Vavra Sophie Dasinger Assistant Features Editors Mengqi Sun Drew Robertson Veronica Little Dana Guth Nika Korchok Timothy Charouk Abigail Feldman Charlotte Gilliland Grace Segers

Executive Arts Editor Senior Arts Editor Arts Editors Assistant Arts Editors

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Editorial | Letters

Boston mourns the passing of its beloved former mayor, Thomas Menino.

Menino, who served the city for 21 years, died on Thursday morning at the age of 71, less than a year after he stepped down after his fifth term and announced his cancer diagnosis.

The funeral Mass was held yesterday in Hyde Park, where Menino was born and raised, after a funeral procession that visited all of Menino’s favorite Boston sites. On Sunday, thousands of people came in the cold rain to see his casket.

Menino was a prolific politician among his peers, but first and foremost a man of the city and its people.

Menino was both Boston’s longest serving and first Italian mayor.

He was known for his endearing thick Boston accent, big heart and dedication to the small details of daily life

in Boston. According to the Boston Common, Menino left office with a 74 percent approval rating among city residents, and nearly half of those residents claim to have met him personally. According to Tufts Political Science Professor Jeffery Berry, Menino’s beloved status stemmed from “a combination of competence and a demeanor that evokes every man.”

Menino was a charismatic leader who prioritized making concrete improvments to Bostonians’ way of life. He once said that “visionaries don’t get things done.” This pragmatic outlook, which helped pioneer the drastic development of the Seaport district in South Boston, earned him the nickname of urban mechanic.

Menino championed LGBTQ rights, famously refusing to attend Boston’s

St. Patrick’s Day Parade when it barred pro-LGBTQ groups and instead cjoosing to march proudly in the Boston Pride Parade.

Menino also came out strong for his city in its time of crisis. In the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, Menino, who had been hospitalized three days earlier for a broken leg, checked himself out early to support his city. At an interfaith service, he stated: “We are one Boston. No adversity, no challenge, nothing can tear down the resilience in the heart of this city and its people.”

This quote encapsulates Tom Menino’s charismatic and gritty spirit.

This election season, we hope that all contenders will strive towards Menino’s legacy of commitment to his people and love for his city.

TY ENOS

Alex Connors Executive Sports Editor Marcus Budline Sports Editors Sam Gold Jake Indursky Alison Kuah Tyler Maher Jorge Monroy-Palacio Maclyn Senear Jason Schneiderman Chris Warren Steven Hefter Assistant Sports Editors Wil Glavin Annabelle Roberts Susan Kaufman Ruchira Parikh Olivia Montgomory Ray Bernoff Amy Bu Keran Chen Jehan Madhani Ty Enos Jennifer Lien Nicholas Golden Bailey Werner Naomi Ali Chloe Perez Nicholas Pfosi Evan Sayles Annie Levine Ethan Chan John Hampson Matthew Schreiber Christie Wu Maya Blackstone Alexander Knapp Kelly Fahey Caroline Ambros

Executive Op-Ed Editor Op-Ed Editors

Cartoonists

Editorialists

Executive Photo Editor Photo Administrator Sports Photographer Senior Staff Photographers Staff Photographers Stock Image Editor Social Media Editor

Rachel Sheldon Executive Multimedia Editor Blair Nodelman Senior Multimedia Editor Aastha Chadha Multimedia Editors Ethan Chan Jade Chan Kristie Le Tanay Modi Nimarta Narang Josh Podolsky Grace Segers

PRODUCTION

Andrew M. Stephens Production Director

David Westby Executive Layout Editor Betsy Allman Layout Editors Hannah Fingerhut Kathy Lu Montana Miller Reid Spagna Noah Habeeb Executive Copy Editors Reena Karasin Aastha Chadha Copy Editors Nina Goldman Sophie Krakoff Julia Russell Rachel Salzberg Jei-Jei Tan Yan Zhao Arthur Beckel Assistant Copy Editors Andrew Kager Serena Kassam Caroline Watson Nitesh Gupta Executive Online Editor Qinyue Yu Marketing Director Richard Yuxuan Zhang Strategy Manager Caroline Talbert Media Coordinator

BUSINESS Daphne Wu

Executive Business Director Li Liang Receivables Manager Chris Chininis Ad Diresctor Jade Chan Ad Managers Kristie Le Tanay Modi Yiran Xu Ariel Gizzi Joshua Morris Amanda Saban P.O. Box 53018, Medford, MA 02155 617 627 3090 FAX 617 627 3910 daily@tuftsdaily.com

Off the Hill | Wake Forest University

Voting is a vital necessity in a democracy

by Colby Moore Old Gold and Black

Apathy has become somewhat of a buzzword in recent years, but the true consequence of an apathetic population is a society that is inefficient in solving any of its problems.

Apathy, and the ensuing lack of participation in our elections and political process, will result in a government that is neither effective nor representative of the citizens of our state.

If you continue to defer to others’ decisions as to who represents us in our government, it becomes that much harder to convey your beliefs to our elected officials.

Likewise, when certain groups within the population at large do not participate in the political process, the elected officials tend not to represent the true population.

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.

Too often when young people, women, minorities, etc. do not turn out to vote, they are underrepresented in our elected officials. It is imperative that every diverse corner of our population is represented in our decisionmaking bodies, so that every citizen can have their opinion heard in debate and ensure that our elected officials do the best job they can.

Many claim they do not agree with either party or do not want to “encourage either candidate” with their vote, but not to vote is to allow other people to choose without having any say in who the elected officials are.

You may not agree with a candidate on every issue, likely you won’t, but not voting because of disagreements with candidates is the equivalent of allowing someone else to make

an important life decision for you.

Many of these elected officials will make extremely important decisions that can either positively or negatively impact your life. You would never allow a bunch of strangers to decide where you live or what job you are going to take after graduation, so why would you allow them to decide who represents you?

So whatever your reasoning is behind picking a candidate in an election or going to the polls, the most important thing is that our elected officials hear your voice. Voting is an important constitutional right and a civic duty that we must responsibly exercise.

This fall early voting lasts until Nov. 1, and Election Day is Nov. 4, so please make sure our elected officials truly represent all of us.

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, November 4, 2014 OP-ED

The Tufts Daily

Making Greek life accessible

by Zach Zager

This semester, the first of my sophomore year at Tufts, has helped put my time at Tufts in perspective. In particular, I have come to appreciate everything that makes freshman year special. Last year, I explored many different types of classes, even taking an ExCollege course my first semester. I also I had the opportunity to work for an NGO. Perhaps most importantly, I made meaningful new friendships. While everyone’s freshman year is different, it is vital in shaping the remainder of one’s time at Tufts.

An especially memorable aspect of freshman year is going out on the weekends. After a long week of hard work and many hours spent in Tisch, going to a party can be one of the best ways to enjoy quality time with friends. While partying can bring people together, I could not help but notice all throughout last year that something was missing. Something was keeping the Tufts party scene from the being the inclusive community that it should be — not all of the fraternity houses at Tufts are handicap accessible. Despite the many efforts Tufts takes to promote inclusivity, the lack of handicap access to each of Tufts’ fraternity and sorority houses is abhorrent.

Whether cognizant of their biases or not, refusing to give the entire Tufts community access to these organizations clearly reflects an ableist agenda. The administration is harming not only the physically handicapped, but also Tufts’ Greek community and the student body as a whole.

While obviously not for everyone, going out can be one of the most memorable parts of coming to college. Wandering around campus searching for a party with all of your new best friends provides a sense of freedom. First-year students,

thousands of dollars for charity, create lifelong relationships and form a crucial part of Tufts’ social scene. Impeding any student from benefiting from what Tufts’ ten fraternities and four sororities have to offer is unacceptable. While the damage done to handicapped students is clear, it is important not to forget that the lack of access hurts the fraternities as well. The fraternities are always looking for new members who they think will positively contribute to their brotherhoods. The brothers of any of Tufts’ fraternities may be missing out on their next great president due to this lack of access. Adding handicap access to all of the fraternity houses would allow participation by students who previously had none. A more inclusive Greek community is a stronger Greek community, and one that is more inclined to contribute to the Tufts community as a whole.

This issue is not merely a moral issue, but a logistical one as well.

Students living in one of Tufts’ Greek houses who suffer a debilitating injury during the year should still be able to access their room. Few issues on campus are as important as allowing access to all of Tufts’ resources for all students. How can we celebrate Jumbo pride when Tufts is not even entirely accessible to all Jumbos? I call on the adminKtims via wikimedia commons istration to establish a committee place where all students, regardless of dedicated to improving access to all sex, race, weight, gender, political beliefs, of Tufts’ facilities, particularly focusing eye color, ethnicity, height or physical on Tufts’ fraternities and other special capabilities should be able to feel com- interest housing. Even simple steps, fortable. Students should be able to get such as adding ramps to all of the Greek the most out of Tufts that they can in houses, would be a dramatic improvement on the current situation. their four short years here.

Tufts’ Greek community forms a significant part of the student body.

Around a quarter of students are affili- Zach Zager is a sophomore who has not ated with a Greek organization. Tufts yet declared a major. He can be reached fraternities and sororities raise tens of at zachary.zager@tufts.edu. finally free from the rules imposed on them by their parents, get to set their own personal rules and boundaries for the first time. However, this is not the case for all students. Those who are physically handicapped do not get to experience the same freedom. They may be free from their parents, but they are still bound by the impediment they possess. I refuse to believe this is just. Tufts should be a

OP-ED

So, why take time off?

People have approached me and asked me why I’m taking a gap year from Tufts. If you even bother to read this, then you have probably considered taking time off from school for yourself. More and more often, students are taking semesters off from college to purposefully enhance their lives and their college education. Students are taking time off to work, volunteer, study and travel. Students are taking time off when they see the chance — whether before college or somewhere in their college years, whether one semester or a full year.

If you need more encouragement, check out The Princeton Review’s book “Taking Time Off” (2003), where students from various backgrounds offer stories of what they did during their time off and what it meant to them further down the road.

People ask me whether taking time off is right for them. I don’t know.

However, if you do choose to go on sabbatical from school, here are my five tips to enhance your the experience: 1. Explore the gap-year scenario.

Allow yourself to explore a gap year plan. Think about how it would help you (defining career path, trying new things, etc.) as well as how it could hurt you (not graduating with friends, delaying work, etc.). Look at the idea through a wide-angled lens, taking the long-term benefits into consideration.

Don’t let your emotions get in the way of your dreams. The dean of Harvard told the New York Times in 2001, “Most students would be better off if they

by Erica Rigby

were able to get some perspective on themselves, their lives, what they hope to accomplish.” Universities support students who take time off from school.

If you receive a financial aid package and intend on taking one or more full semesters off, there is very little impact on financial aid eligibility, as the aid is put on hold until the student returns. For more information on student loans and leaving mid-semester, contact the financial aid office to see how a gap year would affect you.

2. Get your family on board.

This is important, as much as the decision to take time off from school seems like a great way to thread reallife experience into your college studies. For some students, the pressure from parents or guardians to stay the course with school is strong, and for good, complex reasons. Get clear with yourself about your goals for the time off. Make a plan, present it and address their concerns. Be specific and be confident, even if you aren’t sure of the details. Make it clear you’re going back to school.

3. Crowdsource for inspiration.

Once you get your family on board and you are making steps toward planning your gap year, dedicate your energy to hearing people out. If you give them the chance, you’ll discover that everybody dreams about what they’d do with more free time. Ask people what they would have done if they had taken time off. Their hindsight and experience is valuable. Indulge them. And another thing — later on, when you are structuring your gap year month to month, these family, friends and community will be more willing to

11

Op-Ed

come to your side having been included in your decision-making process when it comes time to making these dreams a reality.

4. Give yourself permission to fail.

There’s a saying that goes, “Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.” Moderate your expectations and you will be pleased enough.

Make a plan, mark your calendar and spend what money you can spare… expecting yourself to make mistakes every single step of the way. The road less traveled has as many ruts and potholes as the road oft traveled. If you find yourself lost, remember you are still in the comfort of your university — your friends, professors and the Career Center.

5. Make it official.

When you have explored a gap-year scenario, received your family’s support and are ready to take the plunge, it is time to tell Tufts you’re going off the radar. To inform your university of your personal leave of absence, allow for time out of your day to do the following procedure: 1) Log on to the Internet.

2) Enter SIS. 3) Select the drop-down menu called “Request.” and 4) Click on “Leave of Absence.” Bingo. There you go, champ, you did it in under two seconds. Now log off. Bravo. Within a week expect an automated email from Student Services confirming your dean has been notified. You’re good to go.

You can hit the ground running.

Erica Rigby is currently taking a year off and will return as a senior next fall. She can be reached at erica.rigby@ tufts.edu.

Henry Jani | Reply All

Put some Windex on it

D

ear Clean Freaks, Don’t worry, I’m not here to criticize your “irrational” obsession with sanitation. I swore that I would never become one of you after living with my mother — who vacuums the walls of our house just for fun — for 18 years.

But upon arriving at college and suddenly being confined to a sardine can-sized living space, I’ve noticed that she’s definitely left an imprint on me and my cleanliness standards, making a lot of college situations noticeably grody.

For example, dorm floors. Normally, outside of a college setting, life is spread out across many rooms and spaces. But here, everything ends up in one room, on cold, hard, linoleum tiles, where nothing can be hidden. Dust, tape, take out menus, Dewick cookie crumbs, bacon bits, tears — but most importantly, hair. From eyelashes to PPPs (possible pubic pieces), dorm room floors garner unidentifiable clumps like none other. Thus, vacuuming has become my favorite sport as of late. Nothing is more satisfying than sucking up rogue hair and other miscellaneous floor droppings. I even vacuumed my dorm hallway for the hell of it the other day. It was wild.

Dorm bathrooms are another territory that tend to terrify those who prefer cleanliness. Everyone is familiar with the no touching policy: flushing the toilet with your foot in some sort of acrobatic manner; holding the door handle with your pinky and on the lesser-touched bottom half; writhing in anger when the hand soap dispensers don’t work. All of these issues are only exacerbated in college, where every bathroom is essentially a public restroom.

The cleaning staff does a good job, but only to an extent. Showers will always have random hairs and disturbing amounts of PPPs. Just remember to wear your flippy floppies around all the time and you’ll steer clear of lurking bacteria. If the grossness becomes too much, go the slightly sassy and humorous anonymous letter route.

For example, “Dear residents of (specific hall floor), please remember to put the toilet seat up before peeing. The wet look only works on hair.” Or maybe even “Don’t dump food or other large items down the drain. Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes are no longer ‘great’ when they are floating around in pool of water and old toothpaste. Frigg off Tony the Tiger.”

Living in close quarters with other people also warrants the fast and furious spread of germs, viruses and sicknesses galore. As the talented Mr. Kanye West once said in his “The New Workout Plan” (2004), “cover your mouth up like you got SARS” people. I’m taking inspiration from Japan and many other Asian cultures, where wearing a mouth mask is both a preventive method against sickness as well as a fashion statement. They’re the perfect barrier against projectile sneeze spittle and other airborne illnesses. And you can tell everyone you’re just trying out for Grey’s Anatomy. Watch out Sandra Oh. And coming off the last point, dining hall violations must be avoided. I know, I know — it’s a pain using a spoon to pick up some grilled cheese in a tray while a line of judging people wait impatiently behind you.

But using your hands is not the answer.

Struggle through and keep things clean.

Also, last week I saw someone drop half a hash brown on the floor and then proceeded to motion as if he or she was about to put it back in the tray. Whoever you are, HOW IN THE HELL DID THAT SEEM LIKE A GOOD IDEA? Just keep it clean, bud.

So while I haven’t started Cloroxing everything in sight just yet, I just may be getting there. Gonna go scrub my hands with bleach right quick. See you bitties.

Best, Henry

Henry Jani is a freshman who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at henry.jani@tufts.edu.

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

12

The Tufts Daily

FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 4, 2014

Crossword

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Doonesbury

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

ACROSS 1 Makeup or final 5 Olympics segment 10 Elaborate dance 14 Golf clinic topic 15 “The Lincoln Lawyer” actress Marisa 16 With 41-Across, plant source of cosmetic additives 17 Rowboat pair 18 Hot-looking dude 20 GPS part: Abbr.

21 Yeses in Congress 22 Labor day arrival?

23 Powerful engine 25 650, to Augustus 26 Unsavorysounding Cajun side 31 Does a general’s job 35 “Be that __ may ...”

36 Work in the cockpit 38 __-de-sac 39 Maker of the Air Max athletic shoe 40 Rich cake 41 See 16-Across 42 Extremity sporting a ring, maybe 43 Lyricist Johnny 44 “Terrible” ruler 45 Come next 47 Taiwanese LPGA star who is the youngest golfer to win five major championships 49 ’60s militant campus gp.

51 Fax button 52 Slacks measure 55 It’s cut before dealing 58 Most like it hot 60 Nook Tablet rival 62 Angler’s artificial fly, e.g.

63 Monogram ltr.

64 Yippies cofounder Hoffman 65 Major exporter of handmade carpets 66 “What did I __ deserve this?”

67 Takes a chance on

Comics

by Garry Trudeau

Non Sequitur by Wiley

By C.C. Burnikel

11/4/14 Monday’s Puzzle Solved Monday’s Solution

68 Country, and word that can be appended to the three-letter ending of 18-, 26-, 47- or 60Across DOWN 1 Self-perceptions 2 One of Superman’s powers 3 Bombing attacks 4 AWOL pursuers 5 Online marketplace for handmade goods 6 Cast a ballot 7 Flightless birds 8 Actor Beatty 9 Like a mouse 10 Confuse 11 A, in radio code 12 Pork cut 13 Pre-Easter season 19 Ben or Sam 21 “__ luck?”

24 Suffix with kitchen 26 “Inferno” poet 27 Hourly charge 28 Old piano key material 29 About, in dates

Married to the Sea

©2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

30 Moth-__: tattered 32 Pet detective of film 33 “Hungry Like the Wolf” rockers 34 “Hit the road” or “hit the books” 37 Actress Hatcher 41 Workbench clamp 43 Reward for a hero 46 At ease with

11/4/14

48 “Shame on you!”

50 Eyeliner problem 52 “Just joking” 53 Boy, in Bogotá 54 Bad mood 55 “That’s mine!”

56 ’70s-’80s heartthrob Estrada 57 So-so grades 59 Curve in the road 61 G-man’s org.

62 “__ Abner”

www.marriedtothesea.com

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.

©2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved.

GLICO CAMSTO

WYRIEN

Yesterday’s

“

Level: Finding your polling place.

Now arrange the circled letters to form the surprise answer, as suggested by the above cartoon.

”

-

Answer here:

SUDOKU

Check out the new, free JUST JUMBLE app

BADIE

(Answers tomorrow) Jumbles: MONEY MOGUL OCTANE ODDITY Answer: The poorly made abacus couldn’t be — COUNTED ON

Late Night at the Daily

Monday’s Solution

Drew: “I hope to procreate.”

Please recycle this Daily.

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

The Tufts Daily

13

Advertisement

TERIYAKI HOUSE Tues – Thurs 11:30am-10:00pm Fri – Sat 11:30am-11:00pm Sunday 12:00pm-10:00pm

HOP IN! Exclusive 10% off Dinner for Students!

Take Italian Next Spring!

Italian 0001A, M 9:30 am TTH 10:30 am Italian 0001B, MW 3:00 pm F 2:30 pm

Dine-in or Pick-up only 868 Broadway Somerville, MA 02145 617-764-3151 teriyakihousesomerville.com

Portuguese Program

Department of Romance Languages

No more Portuñol: It’s time to learn PORTUGUESE!

Portuguese for Spanish Speakers Spring 2015 POR 23- POR for Spanish Speakers I (Block H) POR 24- POR for Spanish Speakers II (new course) (Block C)

14

The Tufts Daily

Advertisement

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

The Tufts Daily

15

Sports

Wanted

$$SPERM DONORS WANTED$$ Earn up to $1,500/month for less than 5 hours’ time.

Help families through California Cryobank’s donor program.

Apply online: SPERMBANK.com

classifieds policy All Tufts students must submit classifieds in person, prepaid with check, money order or exact cash only.

All classifieds submitted by mail must be accompanied by a check. Classifieds are $20 per week or $4 per day with Tufts ID or $30 per week or $8 per day without. The Tufts Daily is not liable for any damages due to typographical errors or misprintings except the cost of the insertion, which is fully refundable. We reserve the right to refuse to print any classifieds which contain obscenity, are of an overly sexual nature or are used expressly to denigrate a person or group. Questions? Email business@tuftsdaily.com.

Sam Gold | The Gold Standard

A costly gamble

O

Evan Sayles / The Tufts Daily

Senior middle hitter Isabel Kuhel jumps at the net in a 3-0 win over Wesleyan on Oct. 10.

Jumbos secure top seed for NESCAC tournament

VOLLEYBALL

continued from back

Tufts dominated Hamilton on both sides of the net, outhitting the home team .225 to -.033 in kill percentage and running up sizable advantages in blocks (14 to 2) and digs (56 to 47).

First-year Katie Kim paced the offense with a match-high 10 kills without an error in 17 attempts, resulting in a stellar .588 hitting percentage. Kuhel

anchored the defense, leading all players with 10 blocks, while Baum recorded a team-high 14 digs and 31 assists. Hopper and fellow senior tricaptain Jessica Ingrum were major contributors on both sides of the net with eight kills and 10 digs apiece.

“It feels great to be in the top [NESCAC] spot coming out of this weekend,” Kuhel said. “I really think the team earned it by playing consis-

tently good volleyball … and I think we proved what we are capable of.”

Tufts will host the NESCAC tournament this weekend, and will begin play against eighth-seeded Trinity at 5 p.m. on Friday. The Jumbos hope to ride their momentum to their firstever tournament title, and will have the benefit of playing on their home court, where they are a perfect 7-0 this year.

Jumbos hope for at-large bid to NCAA tournament

MEN’S SOCCER

continued from back

but the rebound from the save landed at the feet of first-year forward Graham Koval who took advantage of the open net and put the Camels up 1-0. “[Conn. College] has been the only team we’ve really gotten down to early in the game,” sophomore forward Nathan Majumder said. “Props to them for coming out intense and scoring on us both times early, and I think the first time we responded really well immediately. It was pretty soon after they scored, the first time we played them, that we got a couple goals back. [That response] really shifted our motion level, and the tone of the game in our favor, and [on Saturday] it went into the half and we were still down 2-0.”

Part of the difficulty that the Jumbos faced in mounting a comeback was the weather, which consisted of heavy rain throughout the game and winds reaching 30 miles per hour. For a team like Tufts that is built to keep the ball on the ground and play through opposing teams instead of over them, a wet field can make a major difference. However, the Jumbos were reluctant to put too much emphasis on the weather’s impact. “[ Weather] shouldn’t have been [a factor],” coach Josh Shapiro said. “We beat them in the same conditions a month earlier ... It doesn’t necessarily help us, those kind of conditions, but a good team has to be able to win in those conditions, and certainly a team that wants to advance through New England. Good teams don’t need to

make excuses, you just need to handle your business, and handle the details well, and we didn’t.”

While Tufts was able to score two quick goals the first time around, the team did not seem to have the intensity on Saturday that it had displayed all season long. Instead, the Jumbos found themselves in an even deeper hole after the Camels scored a second goal at the 29-minute mark.

The play started when sophomore midfielder Pat Devlin took a shot from the top of the 18 that was blocked.

However, the Jumbos failed to clear the ball, and Devlin was able to grab the rebound and send a nice pass to Hlinomaz on the lower right side of the box, who then deposited the ball past Greenwood to make it 2-0.

“We just didn’t come out with intensity, and we were kind of complacent at the beginning,” Majumder said. “It might have been thinking that we were the No. 1 seed, and we deserve to be here … but obviously with the NESCAC being as strong as it is, you have to treat every game the same, and I think we came out too soft, and before we knew it we found ourselves down 2-0.”

However, if there was a team that would be able to mount a second-half comeback, it would be the Jumbos, who are loaded with weapons from front to back. And in the final 45 minutes, Tufts played the kind of soccer that it had played all season, outshooting Conn. College 13-7 and keeping the ball on Conn. College’s half of the field nearly the entire time.

The Jumbos finally broke through in the 70th minute, when senior co-cap-

tain forward Maxime Hoppenot was dragged down in the box trying to run onto a through ball. Tufts was awarded a penalty kick, and Majumder nailed the PK to the left side of the goal to cut the lead to one.

“We got one, but it was kind of a race against the clock to see if we can get that second goal before the game ends, and unfortunately we weren’t able to,” Majumder said. “It’s not like we weren’t generating opportunities … and the ball wasn’t really leaving their half.”

Tufts had some additional good looks before the end of the game, but a combination of no-calls on chippy defense in the box and mishit balls left Tufts short of scoring a second goal.

“Certainly when you look at the second half, we created enough opportunities,” Shapiro said. “At the end of the day, you don’t want to leave it in the referee’s hands, and you can’t put yourself in a 2-0 hole in a playoff game and expect to come through.”

The loss leaves the Jumbos far short of their expectations heading into the NESCAC tournament, but the team still has a chance for one more run in the NCAA tournament, if they are able to secure an at-large bid.

“If we do get another opportunity, we want to be as well-prepared as we can possibly be,” Shapiro said. “I think when we huddled up after the game, and you look around at everyone’s faces, nobody looked like they were done. I certainly don’t feel like I’m done this year. We want to continue to play and play in big games, and represent the university and the jersey well.”

f all the topics in sports this week to write on, the one that came way too close to materializing in this column was the return of Mark Sanchez. In true Sanchez fashion, when Nick Foles was knocked out of the game by Texans linebacker Whitney Mercilus, he mustered a halfway decent performance en route to a 31-21 victory. It was a heady flashback to a bygone era, when the Jets ponied up to the tune of 58.25 million dollars over five years, an exorbitant sum of money for the apotheosis of mediocrity. Surely talking heads will debate his resurgence throughout the coming week — need I add to the cacophony?

A piece on Sanchez would have been cheap satire, which is why I have awarded this slot instead to the NFL for the second straight week. Sanchez is a semi-washedup playboy; the NFL is Bush the younger’s “Mission Accomplished” speech incarnate.

On Oct. 24, the NFL — along with four other sports leagues — finally received a favorable verdict: an injunction, issued by U.S. District Court Judge Michael Shipp, against “sponsoring, operating, advertising, promoting, licensing or authorizing a lottery, sweepstakes or other betting, gambling or wagering scheme based, directly or indirectly (through the use of geographical references or otherwise), on one or more competitive games in which amateur or professional athletes participate, or are intended to participate, or on one or more performances of such athletes in such games.” Suffice it to say that Judge Shipp doesn’t have the lay of the land.

This past summer, the NFL became the first major sports league to foray into sponsoring fantasy sports, a latecomer to the cash cow popularized by ESPN and Yahoo and CBS, when it established pay-to-enter leagues in 43 states. Although mostly legal under federal law, participation in fantasy leagues can constitute a misdemeanor in some states; riskier formats can violate both state and federal law.

Their legality can be dubious, but the NFL has never shied away from profit, as befits its nonprofit status.

While it has embraced online gambling, the NFL has continued, however, to resist its old-fashioned counterpart. Hence Judge Shipp’s decision. The underpinning of the NFL’s case against traditional gambling is a vague notion called “irreparable harm,” which is not defined, either by the NFL or anyone else. This is what the NFL asserted in its brief, and what Judge Shipp subsequently reaffirmed. Still, we might infer what “irreparable harm” means — substantial financial loss for the league and missing out on profits, for example — and, in fact, its subjective definition is intentional. The difference between online and offline gambling, however, is another matter altogether.

Its reluctance to define “irreparable harm” is strategic. By abstaining, the NFL has more leeway in court to couch its argument in legalese. The NFL has caved to the allure of fantasy sports, tantamount to online gambling. By contrast, it has an adversarial relationship with offline gambling, which is rooted in no more than misconceptions and a lack of foresight.

Since the NFL is winning in court, if it wanted to, it could have its name plastered on gambling parlors across the country and open up yet another revenue stream. This would not eradicate illegal betting, but it would at least monetize all legal betting.

There would be a disincentive to being sanctioned by the NFL, but if a parlor wanted to run a legal operation, it would have to abide.

Either a parlor bears the NFL logo, or else it forfeits its legality.

One would think that the NFL would readily exchange legal fees for additional revenue.

Apparently not.

Sam Gold is a senior majoring in religion. He can be reached at samuel_l.gold@tufts.edu.

Sports

16

tuftsdaily.com

Women’s Cross Country

Men’s Soccer

Tough day leads to fifth place at NESCACs

by Chris Warren Daily Editorial Board

The women’s cross country team went into Saturday’s NESCAC Championship at Middlebury College ranked 11th nationally and third in the NESCAC, behind only two formidable squads in Middlebury (U.S No. 3) and Williams (U.S No. 7).

However, the Tufts team did not look like the powerhouse it has been all season, stumbling out of the gates and finishing fifth with 126 points, behind winners Middlebury (38 points), runners-up Williams (47 points), U.S No. 21 Amherst (108 points) and unranked Colby College (121 points).

Conditions were cold and windy at the very tough and hilly course, so fast times weren’t expected. Up front, junior co-captain Audrey Gould battled with Middlebury senior tri-captains Alison Maxwell and Summer Spillane. In the end, Maxwell eventually pulled away for the individual NESCAC title, winning by over 15 seconds on the six kilometer course in 22:16.8.

Spillane was second with a time of 22:33.0, just surpassing Gould at the line, who placed third in 22:33.6. Junior Olivia Beltrani was a minute behind Gould, placing 26th overall in 23:37.7. Sophomore Alice Wasserman finished just under the 24 minute mark in 23:58.2, taking 35th overall. First-year Sara Stokesbury made her debut in the varsity squad by placing fourth for the Jumbos, running a PR 24:00.2. Sophomore Kelly Fahey rounded out the scoring for the Jumbos, placing 41st overall with a time of 24:14.9, while sophomore Sam Cox was right behind her, placing 42nd in 24:15.3.

The Jumbos’ pack racing strategy did not fare well in the race, as more than a minute separated their first and second runners. This season the Jumbos have averaged just over a one minute split between their one and five runners. In the Open New England XC Championships three weeks ago at Franklin Park, the Jumbos kept their one through five split to an even minute in the 5k race.

“It was definitely one of our most challenging races by far, which was mostly a result of weather conditions we had never seen before as well as some tough hills,” senior Meghan Gillis, who placed seventh for the Jumbos in a time of 24:27.8, said. “We know this is a team that can do much better than fifth place.”

Although the results were not as the Jumbos had hoped, Stokesbury’s race was a bright spot.

“My experience was awesome,” Stokesbury said. “I felt great when I was running, and definitely had my best race of the season. In high school my state meet was extremely hilly, so this course was manageable for me.”

As for strategy, Stokesbury explained that she didn’t have much of a plan for the meet.

“Going into the meet, I didn’t really have a strategy,” Stokesbury said. “I was so excited to have the opportunity to run that I just wanted to go out and push myself throughout the entire race and to try to use the tough course to my advantage.”

Although the Jumbos did not fare well in the competition, Stokesbury still said they handled it as best as they could.

“Going into the race, we knew that we needed contributions from everyone on the team, and we got just that,” Stokesbury said.

The Jumbos have their sights set on the ECAC meet next weekend at Westfield State and the NCAA Div. III New England Regional meet in two weeks at Williams. If the Jumbos want to qualify for Nationals, they will need to make sure they run well in the next few weeks. However, this is a squad that has already proven to the nation that it deserves to be placed among the best, and has proven that it is capable of responding well to adversity.

“The plan is to regroup, focus on what every individual needs and go into this weekend with a solid plan of how we are going to perform,” Gillis said. “I think in the next couple of weeks we’re going to see a lot of breakout races in wake of a disappointing NESCAC finish, and we will be ready to prove that we are better than fifth at ECACs and Regionals.”

Annie Levine / The Tufts Daily

Olivia Beltrani sprints to the finish at the NESCAC Championship meet at Middlebury College on Nov. 1.

Evan Sayles / The Tufts Daily

First-year defender Matt Zinner carries the ball toward the edge of the 18-yard box in Tufts’ 2-1 loss against Conn. College on Nov.1.

Camels upset Jumbos in first round of playoffs

by Jake Indursky Daily Editorial Board

As the rain came down, so too did the men’s soccer team’s chances at winning its first-

MEN’S SOCCER (10-2-4 Overall, 7-0-3 NESCAC) at Kraft Field, Saturday Conn. College 2 Tufts 0

0 1

— —

2 1

ever NESCAC championship.

Before Saturday, the Jumbos appeared to be primed for a title-run. Led by a domi-

nant senior class, the Jumbos had not lost a game in the NESCAC. They were first in the NESCAC in goals scored and goals allowed, and they had home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

But Conn. College came to Kraft Field on Saturday, and immediately erased what Tufts had been building all year with a 2-1 upset over the top-seeded team in the tournament.

The two teams had already matched up once before during this season, with the Jumbos soundly defeating the Camels 3-1 in Connecticut.

But in both games, it was Conn. College that struck the first blow only minutes into the game, with the team’s goal on Saturday coming just five minutes in.

Sophomore forward Weller Hlinomaz brought the ball down the left side of the field in the Jumbos’ territory and sent a cross into the box to junior forward Matthew Bitchell.

Bitchell took a low shot that skidded across the wet turf and forced sophomore keeper Scott Greenwood into a diving save, see MEN’S SOCCER, page 15

Volleyball

Tufts finishes first in NESCAC

by Tyler Maher Daily Editorial Board

Needing to win both of its weekend games to guarantee its first NESCAC title since 2009, the Tufts volleyball team succeeded with a pair of road wins to close out the regular season. Tufts rolled over Hamilton and Middlebury to improve its conference record to 9-1 and secure first place in the NESCAC. The 19-7 Jumbos, who haven’t lost since Oct. 4, rode a 10-game win streak through the end of the season.

“Clinching this weekend was certainly a wonderful tribute to all of their hard work and dedication thus far,” coach Cora Thompson said. “I was extremely proud of our team for battling with two tough opponents. Our team controlled the tempo of both matches, and really kept the pressure on Hamilton and Middlebury by challenging them defensively with our offense.”

Tufts clinched the top seed in the NESCAC tournament with Saturday’s four-set win at Middlebury. The Jumbos got off to a fast start in the first set, scoring six of the first nine points en route to

a 25-16 victory. The Panthers started the second set strong with five of the first six points, but then unraveled, allowing the Jumbos to put together a momentum-shifting run in which they scored 12 of the next 15 points. Tufts cruised from there, winning 25-13.

Middlebury won the third set 25-20 to stave off defeat, and was neck-and-neck with Tufts in the fourth set, as the two teams split the first 34 points with neither side leading by more than three. But the Jumbos put the match away with a strong finishing kick, going on an 8-2 run to earn the 25-19 win. They were led offensively by senior tri-captain Hayley Hopper and junior Maddie Kuppe, who tallied 17 kills apiece. Junior Kyra Baum racked up 48 assists, and senior tri-captain Isabel Kuhel chipped in with 11 kills to go along with two solo blocks and five block assists. Kuhel was aided defensively by junior Carolina Berger’s match-high 20 digs.

Thompson was pleased with her team’s defensive effort against the Panthers, particularly Berger’s. She also credited Tufts’s block defense, which led the NESCAC with 2.3 blocks per set this year.

“Defensively, we did a nice job keeping ourselves in system, allowing us to run our offense the way we wanted to run it,” Thompson said.

“Carolina Berger did an excellent job leading our defensive effort, especially against Middlebury, who challenged us consistently. I was also very proud of our blockers … Our block has been huge all season, and they are only getting stronger.”

Tufts trumped Hamilton on Friday night, winning the match in three straight sets.

The Jumbos jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the first set and never looked back, cruising to a 25-15 victory. The Continentals took their only lead of the match in the second set, going up 6-5 early on, but the Jumbos fought back to tie the score at 10-10 before pulling away with a 7-1 run.

Hamilton rallied to bring the score to 23-20, but Tufts finished off the set with an unassisted kill from sophomore Elizabeth Ahrens and a service ace from Berger. The third and final set was a repeat of the first, with the Jumbos winning by an identical 25-15 score. see VOLLEYBALL, page 15