TuftsDaily11.10.14

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THE TUFTS DAILY

TUFTSDAILY.COM

Monday, November 10, 2014

VOLUME LXVIII, NUMBER 43

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Tufts Mock Trial places fourth at Great Mock Trial Invitational in D.C.

by Safiya Nanji

most individual awards of the entire weekend.

“Anna Lyons got two different awards,” he said. “She got an award for her attorney work and also got the highest ranked witness award in the entire tournament. Mandy Xu got the highest ranked attorney award in the tournament. Another senior, Benjamin Kurland, got a witness award also.”

Teleky added that because the team received an invitation to compete in the GAMTI only one-and-a-half weeks before the tournament, the Tufts team selected six experienced members to attend. The members that competed were senior Benjamin Kurland, junior Will Lorenzen, senior Mandy Xu, sophomore Zabir Islam, Teleky and Lyons, according to TMT External Affairs Officer Eve Feldberg, a sophomore.

The competition focused on the situation of a civil case, according to Lyons.

“One family was suing another,” she said. “There were two 11-yearold boys who had been home alone. They were playing together when they found a gun. The gun went off and killed one of the children. So, it’s one child’s parents suing the other child’s parents for their daughter’s death.”

Lyons noted that once the team enters the courtroom, they have to

Contributing Writer

Alonso Nichols / Tufts University

Zachary Smith, a doctoral student in chemistry, gives a presentation to Medford High School students during the Reverse Science Fair on Oct. 16.

Tufts and Medford High School hold science fair

by Arin Kerstein Contributing Writer

In a joint effort between Tufts and Medford High School (MHS) on Oct. 16, 10 Tufts graduate research students in the Departments of Chemistry, Biology and Biomedical Engineering presented their doctoral research projects to MHS students in the first-ever Reverse Science Fair.

The Tufts graduate students brought in posters and explained their projects to about 180 MHS students in the high school’s new lecture hall, according to MHS Chemistry Teacher Brian Mernoff (G ’14). The same graduate students are scheduled to judge the high school’s regular science fair on Feb. 26, he added.

Every class period, two MHS science classes signed up to attend the Reverse Science Fair, according to Mernoff. He said he encouraged his students to look at the projects that most interested them and to discuss them with the presenters. Students spoke with two graduate students for 15 minutes each.

“The idea wasn’t so much to get the students to understand everything that the grad students were presenting,” Mernoff said. “The big intention of the fair was to make a connection with a real scientist and see what it’s like to do [actual] research.”

The idea for the event was initially pitched by Mernoff and Professor see SCIENCE, page 2

Tufts Intersections Project fosters conversation

by Sophie Lehrenbaum Contributing Writer

The Tufts Intersections Project, a new initiative sponsored by the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service and the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate and Graduate Students, has been launched to facilitate conversations in safe spaces for students with meetings throughout October and November.

The Intersections Project is a series of discussion circles of eight to 10 students led by student, staff or faculty facilitators that seeks to establish comfortable environments and instill in students both the tools to actively contribute and to be receptive to different opinions regarding divisive topics, according to the website. “[We want students] to see that someone who believes the exact opposite [of you] is not wrong — it is just that they have a different experience than you,” Mindy Nierenberg, senior program manager at Tisch College, said. “We don’t have the tools that we need to take down that divide automatically when we have opposing points of view. This model helps provide you with the tools to do that.”

She and Laura Doane, associate dean of orientation and stu-

dent transition, worked together to launch Intersections at Tufts after attending programming by the Association of American Colleges and Universities. The national organization provided Tufts with a grant to fund Intersections as part of their overarching effort to advance student welfare by creating a more comfortable environment for interaction.

“People from all these different universities came together and discussed that … it’s very hard for people to have discussions across differences, whether it is around social identities, lived experiences, backgrounds of all kinds or just differences of opinion on different issues when people feel very passionate about them, ” Nierenberg said. “We decided to work with a group called the Public Conversations Project, which basically works … in communities all over the world to bring people together who have very diverging belief systems.”

The Public Conversations Project and Intersections are based upon a common framework that encourages individuals to come into discussions with the intent to better understand other peoples’ perspectives and how they came to formulate such perspectives, rather see INTERSECTIONS, page 2

Tufts Mock Trial (TMT) placed fourth out of 24 teams competing at the Great American Mock Trial Invitational (GAMTI), which was hosted by the University of Virginia in Washington, D.C. over the weekend of Nov. 1. The Tufts team finished with a score of 8.5 out of 12 and received the most individual awards of the entire weekend, according to TMT copresidents, seniors Anna Lyons and Nicholas Teleky.

TMT competed against teams from Pennsylvania State University, the University of New Mexico, the University of Illinois and Harvard University, according to Teleky.

“We did very well,” he said.

“There were three judges per round; each judge has their own ballot. In the first three rounds, we won according to each one of those judges, so all nine judges. One of the judges had us tying with another school, so we would count that as 8.5 wins.

And then in the very last round, we met the team that would go on to eventually win everything — Harvard. We lost all three ballots, but it was a really great round.”

Teleky explained that although the team did not win the overall competition, Tufts did win the

be in the right frame of mind for the case.

“You have to be in your own head and in the zone — like in an athlete kind of way,” she said. “We sort of have these rituals that we go through as a team. We get excited outside a courtroom because it does take a lot of energy to play these characters for three hours. We huddle together as a team and pump each other up. Then we go in.”

Teleky agreed that confidence is a major factor for the team’s results.

“A lot of it is really knowing that you know what you know before the round starts, ” he said.

“When you go into a round, one of the most important things is coming across as confident and polished. A lot of mock trial is thinking on your feet.”

TMT will be competing in two more prestigious competitions this fall. According to Teleky and Lyons, they will be sending two teams to California for the Beach Party, hosted by the University of California Irvine, and two teams to Connecticut for the Yale Invitational.

“Only the top 12 schools in the country for mock trial are invited to the Beach Party,” Teleky said. “This is the first year we got invited, so we’re excited to go.” see TMT, page 2

TCU Senate update The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate spent a large part of its weekly meeting on Sunday night hotly debating an appeal from the recently approved Tufts Thai Student Association for funding that the TCU Allocations Board had previously denied.

The Thai Student Association, which had asked the Allocations Board for approximately $60 to provide Thai tea in conjunction with a Thai Horror Movie Night, argued that because the tea constituted an element of Thai culture, it should be included in the funding TCU would provide.

Some senators expressed concern that the tea served as an incentive for students to attend the movie night, and pointed to the fact that TCU policy does not permit the funding of food incentives for student groups.

The Thai Students Association also requested funding to bring a Muay Thai martial arts instructor to campus in place of a Thai Food Night, for which it had previously requested funding.

After many rounds of debating, the Senate voted 17-8-1 to approve $710.05 in funding for the Thai Student Association out of over $900 that the association had originally requested, with TCU President Robert Joseph, a senior, abstaining. The funding includes the Thai tea and part

Inside this issue

of the cost for the Muay Thai instructor, but did not contain the cost of hiring the instructor for the event, as the Thai Student Association had not yet determined that exact cost.

Community Representative for the Asian American Center Betty Fong expressed her frustration with the Senate’s conduct of the appeals process, which was confusing for both the Thai Student Association representatives and for the representatives from United for Immigrant Justice, who observed the meeting. Fong, a sophomore, said she was also frustrated by a few racially insensitive comments made by senators, as well as senators interrupting and talking over one another.

The Senate also approved funding requests of $650 for Tufts Friends of Israel, $475 for Cheese Club, $270 for GlobeMed and $6,718.20 for the Crafts Center. All were approved with large majorities.

Earlier in the meeting, Senator Allison Aaronson, a sophomore, was elected diversity and community affairs officer to replace the former officer Andrew Núñez, who stepped down last month. She was the only candidate for the position who accepted her nomination.

In her acceptance speech, Aaronson testified to her goal

to serve as a translator for groups that have not had access to the Senate thus far.

Acknowledging her privilege, Aaronson said she wanted to advocate for and hear from less privileged voices on campus rather than advancing her own social justice agenda.

Joseph told the Senate about two new administration working groups focusing on alcohol and drug-use on and off campus. The first, chaired by Director of Health Education Ian Wong, is looking for first-year students to discuss the relationship between their first year and orientation experience and students’ introduction to alcohol and drugs at Tufts.

The second, chaired by Health Educator and Prevention Specialist Beth-Anne Farrow, is seeking upperclassmen to examine how students living off campus are thinking about drug and alcohol safety and how Tufts can ensure students’ safety in the off-campus drug and alcohol environment.

Senators also discussed upcoming speakers in the Senate, the state of alumni donations and the possibility of expanding the joint undergraduate-graduate programs.

—by Audrey Michael

Today’s sections

The City of Somervile is discussing plans to create more affordable housing for long-term city residents.

Christopher Nolan’s latest film, “Interstellar,” awes moviegoers with striking attention to detail.

see FEATURES, page 3

see ARTS, page 5

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

Op-Ed 9 Comics 10 Classifieds 11 Sports Back

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The Tufts Daily

News

Monday, November 10, 2014

Visting the Hill this week MONDAY Queer Bystander Intervention Workshop: Reducing Sexual Misconduct in the LGBTQ Community Details: Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Center Graduate Assistant Rachael Pozerski, Sexual Misconduct Prevention Specialist Alexandra Donovan and Shannon Regan from Lesley University will present a workshop on reducing sexual misconduct within the queer community.

When and Where: 12 – 1:15 p.m., Health Education Conference Room Sponsors: LGBT Center, Pen, Paint and Pretzels (3Ps)

Town Hall Meeting Details: University President Anthony Monaco will lead the first of three Town Hall Meetings with Provost and Senior Vice President David Harris, Executive Vice President Patricia Campbell and other university leaders for community members to discuss ideas and comments.

When and Where: 3 – 4:30 p.m., Cabot ASEAN Auditorium Sponsor: Office of the President

TUESDAY Advocates for Tufts ROTC: Veterans Day Ceremony 2014 Details: The annual Veterans Day ceremony will begin with the American flag being passed up the Memorial Steps by current Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) cadets and midshipmen and presented to Gregory Arabian (LA ’54) to recognize his service. After, there will speeches by Benjamin Sands (E ’54) and Interim Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences James Glaser, followed by a lunch buffet.

When and Where: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Memorial Steps and Coolidge Room, Ballou Hall Sponsor: Advocates for Tufts ROTC

You Be the Judge: Case Studies of Child Abuse Details: West Virginia Circuit Court Judge Tod Kaufman (LA ’75) will host a dinner and discussion, followed by a “moot court” style discussion of child abuse.

When and Where: 6 – 8 p.m., Chase Dining Room, Carmichael Hall Sponsor: Experimental College

Wellington Burnham Lecture Series 2014: Monetary and Fiscal Policies and the Labor Market in the Eurozone Details: Sir Christopher Pissarides, 2010 Nobel Prize in Economics Laureate, will present a lecture on the state of economy in the Eurozone.

When and Where: 4:30 – 6 p.m., 51 Winthrop St. Sponsor: Department of Economics

WEDNESDAY Freedom of the Press in Latin America: A Conversation with Boris Muñoz Details: Boris Muñoz, Venezuelan journalist and former fellow at the Neiman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University, will discuss press freedom in Latin America.

When and Where: 12 p.m., Paige Hall, Terrace Room Sponsor: Tufts Latin America Committee

THURSDAY The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA): Why the IAEA Won the Nobel Peace Prize Details: A group of panelists will discuss the topic moderated by Michael Glennon, professor of international law at The Fletcher School.

When and Where: 6 – 8 p.m., Cabot ASEAN Auditorium Sponsor: The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy Tufts Amnesty and SWAT Present: SLAMnesty Details: Spoken word artists will host an open mic night to highlight human rights issues.

When and Where: 8:30 p.m., Paige Hall, Terrace Room Sponsors: Spoken Word Alliance at Tufts, Tufts Amnesty FRIDAY Love146 presents: Audrey Morrissey Details: Audrey Morrissey, associate director at My Life My Choice, will speak about commercial sexual exploitation in Boston and her journey from a sex worker to a survivor to a leading activist.

When and Where: 12 – 1:30 p.m., Paige Hall, Crane Room Sponsor: Love146 Tufts Chapter From Messiah to Shaman: Miyazaki’s Nausicaä and the Politics of Life Details: Susan Napier, professor of Japanese literature and popular culture, will present a faculty talk.

When and Where: 12 p.m., Eaton Hall, Room 124 Sponsor: Center for Interdisciplinary Studies

SATURDAY On the Air: Careers in the Media Details: Tufts alumni will share their knowledge and advice in a half-day conference about careers, jobs and internships in the media industry.

When and Where: 8:30 a.m., Cabot ASEAN Auditorium Sponsor: Tufts Career Center Tufts AAA and SAPAC Present: #ItGetsBitter – a spoken word show by DARKMATTER Details: Tufts Asian American Alliance (AAA) and South Asian Political Action Committee (SAPAC) present DARKMATTER, a trans South Asian art and activist duo, for a spoken word poetry session.

When and Where: 6 p.m., Sophia Gordon Hall Multipurpose Room Sponsors: Tufts AAA, SAPAC, Asian American Center, LGBT Center, Peace and Justice Studies, South Asian Literary Arts and Music, Tufts Association of South Asians, Consortium of Studies in Race, Colonialism and Diaspora, International Relations Program Trans* Day of Celebration ft. DJ BATTYJACK Details: The event will celebrate trans experiences and identities on an intentional and intersectional dance floor.

When and Where: 9 p.m., Paige Hall, Crane Room Sponsors: Brown Blue and Queer, Queer Straight Alliance, Tufts Voices for Choice (VOX), LGBT Center, Women’s Center, Leonard Carmichael Society HIV/AIDS Initiative, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Intersections Project provides safe space for students to share opinions INTERSECTIONS

continued from page 1

than coming into conversations with a predetermined agenda to solely convey their own points, according to Nierenberg.

She noted the two disparate forms of dialogue as “questions of inquiry,” which come from a place of seeking to comprehend another person’s opinions and thoughts based on a genuine interest in their point of view, versus “questions of rhetoric,” which are meant to sway others’ beliefs and can promote argument.

Nierenberg explained that the facilitators themselves were trained by professionals over a two-day period on how to navigate conversations by employing different techniques detailed in the Public Conversations model. The process of recruiting facilitators began in early spring, with potential facilitators submitting short essays to Tisch College.

“Then recruiting faculty, staff and students who might [have liked] to facilitate these dialogues … met with the college transition

TMT wraps up competition in Washington, D.C. TMT

continued from page 1

According to Lyons, TMT is composed of a group of 35 to 40 students who are divided into four teams, which are reshuffled throughout the year.

“In the fall, we are unstacked — we have about the same level of teams all around,” Teleky said. “We do this because we don’t have coaches — we’re entirely student run. This lets the newer, less experienced members learn from the older, more experienced members. Then, in the spring, which is the competitive season for Nationals, we stack the teams A, B, C and D … putting the most experienced people with the most experienced people to see how far we can go.”

Teleky and Lyons will graduate this May after being involved with TMT during their entire time at Tufts.

“We’ve both been involved with this since freshman fall,” Lyons said. “We’ve both been on the same team. We’ve kind of grown up through the program together, and I think we’re hoping to leave the program in the best possible shape. We want to give them the best possible chances for growing their talent.”

advisers through a group interview process,” Doane said. “Through the group interviews themselves, the people who were interested in participating sort of shifted our goals and intents even just through the questions they were asking.”

Doane further explained that her office did not expect student facilitators to already possess the skills required to traverse and lead these conversations-in-the-round in accordance with the Public Conversations model, but the desire to do so and the recognition of the model’s import were requisite traits in facilitators. “[We looked for] a real willingness to listen and learn from others’ perspectives and experiences rather than having sort of an agenda going in, which is a very natural human way to approach a dialogue,” she noted.

Senior Mahlet Meshesha, a co-facilitator of the program, explained that the questions she presents to the discussion circles are intentionally broad in order to be inclusive to the widest number of perspectives.

She detailed a number of rules that are

instituted during the program in order to put students at ease, such as “step, up step back,” meaning each individual should be cognizant of how much they are contributing to a discussion and ensure that they are not dominating conversation in a way that stifles group participation.

Meshesha also mentioned how each discussion circle strives to create a “safe enough” environment, recognizing that it is unrealistic to expect students to feel completely comfortable in their surroundings, yet hoping to surmount any discomfort or trepidations by creating a respectful and nurturing environment.

“I personally signed up because I don’t feel like there are a lot of safe environments at Tufts, and, as a senior, when I was at that training, I think that was the only time I have ever felt like I’ve been in a safe environment on Tufts’ campus,” she said. “The fact that I’ve gone four years and I’ve only experienced that once here is not a good thing.”

Meshesha acknowledged that the program is still in its pilot phase and saw these first

Tufts sponsors Reverse Science Fair

SCIENCE

continued from page 1

of Chemistry Charlie Sykes, who both sought to increase engagement between Tufts and MHS, according to Mernoff. He said that they discussed the idea this past summer with Medford Public Schools Science Coordinator Rocco Cieri, and later brought it to Tufts Chemistry Outreach Assistant Karen O’Hagan, who reached out to graduate students to volunteer to present their projects.

O’Hagan said that outreach programs like this one are important for both the graduate students and high school students because they remind the researchers that others are excited about the work they are doing.

“In all of the outreach programs, we see a renewed energy in the graduate students,” she said.

According to Mernoff, although participating in the annual science fair used to be required for just MHS first-year, this year the requirement shifted so students in every grade level participated. He said he hopes that the Reverse Science Fair invigorated interest in the high school students to begin their projects.

Mernoff explained that after leaving the science fair, his class wanted to keep discussing the projects and expressed interest in future opportunities in scientific research, and that he heard similar responses from

other classes at MHS. He and O’Hagan said they want to expand this event to occur over a two-day span next year so that more MHS students can benefit from the experience.

“I think it showed them the real connection and application of what we ask them to do,” Mernoff said. “[High school students] see on [graduate students’] posters that they have the exact same steps and organization of their projects. It’s the exact same thing but even more drawn out over several years, even. I think they’ll really see going into this [next] science fair how closely connected the science fair is to the real world.”

According to Mernoff, the nature of the Reverse Science Fair allowed the graduate students to practice presenting to an audience who did not have expertise in that area.

“It was nice to see them trying to figure out [how much detail to share], and as the day went on, the grad students actually growing in being able to communicate much more clearly to high schoolers what they were doing, using language they would understand,” he said.

Amanda Aldous, doctoral student in the Department of Chemistry, presented her work on inducing constraints on peptide sequences to the MHS students.

“Normally when you’re presenting your research, you’re getting more blank stares and people are more ‘judge-y,’” she said.

months as a trial period to work out its kinks before the program can reach its full potential.

“We haven’t [had too many participants] because there have been some issues with publicity … we haven’t had a lot of traction,” she said. “I think it sounds great in theory to most people — like this is something [they] would like to do — but when [they] have to weigh that against doing homework or working or whatever, it can be pushed to the back burner.”

The program was intended to serve as a pilot and then become mandatory for firstyears during orientation to foster an environment where students can feel safe, speak their minds and embrace for the next four years, according to Meshesha.

This week marks the final discussion group of the semester, with a focus on “Flourishing and Thriving.” The circles will be meeting at locations across campus on different dates at different times in an effort to increase studentconvenience. Sign-ups are available through the Tisch College website, and all students are encouraged to join in on the conversations.

“You usually have a lot of faculty or higher-up people who are questioning you on very specific details, but the students were just really interested. We had their full attention.”

Aldous said that when she began listing her failures in response to a question over the challenges she has faced in her research, one student seemed surprised that she had run into so many obstacles.

“It was kind of an interesting interaction because you could tell that they didn’t realize that what you end up presenting on is a very small fraction of what you actually did,” she said. “I’d like to think that as they are doing their science fair projects, it’s not all gonna work the first time around and they’re gonna have to try something different were they to notice that their hypothesis was wrong, and kind of understanding that that’s OK.” Aldous said she is hopeful about the impacts of the event and is looking forward to seeing results when she returns to MHS to judge the science fair in February.

Mernoff added that he was delighted with the outcome of the first Reverse Science Fair.

“It was beneficial for both the high schoolers and the grad students,” he said.

“Both of them learned something. The high schoolers learned what it’s like to be a scientist, and the scientists learned how to present to a general audience.”

Features

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tuftsdaily.com

Somerville responds to affordable housing crisis, urges Tufts to build more on-campus housing

by Jake Taber

In the coming weeks, the City of Somerville will be considering measures aimed at curbing one of its most pressing issues: a dwindling supply of affordable housing for its lower and middle-class residents, Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone announced on Oct. 15.

Gentrification and a hot local real estate market have been driving up Somerville’s housing and rental prices for years, putting some locals at risk of being priced out of their neighborhoods, according to the realestate website trulia.com. Mayor Curtatone has charged a new committee, called the Sustainable Neighborhoods Working Group, with creating a long-term plan for the construction of enough low-cost housing to weather the coming economic and demographic changes.

Somerville Ward 5 Alderman Mike Niedergang is one of the committee’s co-chairs.

“I think there’s now a consensus in Somerville that we face an affordable housing crisis,” Niedergang said. “The mayor’s been saying for a while now that … we want development, but we don’t want to lose our soul.”

Mayor Curtatone presented the plan to the Board of Aldermen’s Housing and Community Development Committee, which Niedergang chairs.

“We don’t want to become a community — that may still be a wonderful community — but, say, just has upper middle class wealthy people living here,” Niedergang said. “One of the great things that people love about Somerville is the diversity of the population, and not just racial diversity, but economic diversity; we have carpenters, tradespeople, house cleaners, doctors, lawyers, bankers, all living together, in many cases, right next to each other.”

‘A Hot Market’ One of the major contributors to rises in costs for long-time residents, Niedergang said, will be the coming extension of the green line through Somerville.

“Especially once the green line comes in … there’ll be a lot more gentrification than we’ve already seen, which is almost hard to imagine,” he said. “There’s almost six green line stops coming in, and the green line extension will go through the heart of the city, and there’ll be massive development and tremendous increases in housing values and rents.”

House flippers — investors who capitalize on the upward-trending prices by buying houses and reselling them for a profit — are compounding the issue, according to an Oct. 11 article from the Somerville Times.

According to Niedergang, who is himself a homeowner and has been contacted by house flippers, these speculators often outcompete lower-income buyers looking for housing.

“This is America, this is capitalism, it’s perfectly legal, but … basically, these people are making money on the fact that our community is a desirable place for people to live,” he said. “Lots of people want to live in Somerville now — [the house flippers] haven’t done anything to make that happen.”

The working group is considering instituting a transfer tax: a tax on the sale of a property that decreases as the property is owned for a longer period of time. For example, a homeowner who sells after living in a house for five years might pay no tax, while one that sells after just six months might pay five percent. The tax would discourage speculators from competing with lower-income residents, and, if passed, would help fund the other affordable housing measures.

Katjana Ballantyne, Somerville’s Ward 7 alderman, is also on the committee. She told the Daily that housing is just one part of an affordability question that should be approached from multiple angles.

“In terms of the initiative, I think the more affordable housing that we can develop in the city is a good thing,” Ballantyne said.

Daily Staff Writer

“Another big way … to address the affordability in Somerville and other communities, is … to diversify our tax base; we’re heavily reliant on our residential tax base.”

Ballantyne explained that one way to diversify the tax base would be to further develop commercial office space. This development would be beneficial because it would not only create more employment opportunities, but it would also tax these businesses are taxed at a higher rate than residents, she said.

“I saw that — I’ve lived here 21 years — that pricing was going up on housing every year,” Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily Ballantyne said. “I didn’t Somerville is considering several affordable housing measures. see, necessarily, that salaries were going up at the same rate, so I got Ballantyne stressed the importance of involved early on to understand that there’s this discussion. a lot of things that deal with affordability. “We have an organization, or a comIt’s a complex issue, it’s not a single story … pany, that operates here, and part of this business model is ‘we offer education, we housing is one of the issues.”

Somerville’s Sustainable Neighbourhoods offer classes and we offer housing,'” she Working Group is due to submit specific rec- said. “In terms of housing, if they decide ommendations for the affordable housing to increase [enrollment], unless they talk to the community about it — you know, plan in the spring of 2015. what are the impacts to the community,

Affordable Housing and Tufts: The Off- we have no idea.”

According to Tufts’ Director of Campus Housing Issue Tufts’ off-campus residents are tied up Community Relations Barbara Rubel, howwith affordability problems as well. As rental ever, the conversation between the univercosts also continue to rise, off-campus living sity and Somerville has been limited. will become a less viable option for some “We’ve just begun a discussion with upperclassmen. According to Niedergang, Somerville about off-campus housing however, increasing housing affordability in response to the proposed ordinance for students is not one of the committee’s around legal occupancy,” Rubel said in an email to the Daily. “The discussion may main priorities.

“My own goal — and I’m not entirely sure ultimately include other related issues, but how this will work out — is that the people right now the focus is on that question who will benefit from subsidies and from … Two aldermen have talked about the affordable housing that the city builds at its desirability of more on-campus housing own expense will be people who have made as part of the discussion, but at this point a commitment to this community — people there hasn’t been any discussion of the city who have been here for a while, or who are and university working together regarding in some ways committed to staying here,” student housing.”

Niedergang said. “If that includes Tufts stu- In an email to the Daily, Tufts Director dents, that would be fine, but my sense of Residential Life Yolanda King addressed is that many Tufts students will only be the university’s plans for the construction here for a few years, and I personally don’t of more on-campus housing for underthink that the city wants to invest money in graduates.

“The School of Arts and Sciences and people who are not going to be staying.”

Tufts’ off-campus housing, in fact, is School of Engineering Strategic [Plan] is only making the affordability issue worse. to place a high priority on addressing stuNiedergang explained that the high number dent housings needs and making more onof student renters per property are driving campus beds available to our students,” King said in the email. “My office currently up rent in West Somerville.

“If four students can live in an apart- provides a great deal of information to stument and pay $750 each, that’s a lot of rent dents who are looking at off-campus apartto get; that means you can buy a place for ments regarding safety, what to look for more money than you would otherwise, in leases, subletting, zoning, making sure because the rental income is so strong,” students are aware that four occupants [are Niedergang said. “It’s driving up hous- permitted in apartments] in Somerville ing prices and it’s driving up rent, so it’s and three in Medford apartments, etc.” crowding out people who can’t afford to Off-campus students don’t just increase rental costs, though; Ballantyne told the pay that kind of money.”

The solution from Niedergang’s perspec- Daily that noise, crowding and waste have all been issues in neighborhoods with stutive is more on-campus housing at Tufts. “[It would] reduce the demand and reduce dent renters. the price of rent in the West Somerville “I believe there were incidents, espearea,” he said. “I believe that the city’s been cially in the last month and a half, that urging Tufts to build more dormitories for a have been a little bit egregious,” she said. “I understand that Tufts has contributed a lot long time.”

Ballantyne’s ward borders the Tufts cam- to the city … but if you look in your backpus, and contains most of the properties yard, the neighbors in ward seven have rented by students. She, like Niedergang, been unhappy.” believes Tufts should house more students In particular, Ballantyne mentioned sevon campus, but said that communication eral incidents of noise complaints, as well between the city and the school on the issue as one case in which students’ trash was somehow blown out onto the street. She has been relatively one-sided.

“Whatever [Tufts'] internal plan is in emphasized that Somerville residents are terms of their long term goals, their stra- not simply oversensitive — incident reports tegic goals in educating students or taking are more likely due to the frequency of on more students or taking on more rev- transgressions. enue, hasn’t been shared with Somerville,” “I would say that the neighbors are not Ballantyne said. “I, as an alderman, have unreasonable people,” she said. “They’re asked for an institutional master plan which very nice people, they’ve lived there for … would also include the goals of what the decades ... and they’ve all been young at one enrollment is or how the population is to time ... I would say that it sounds like it’s the frequency of the issue.” grow, but I haven’t received anything back.”

Lex Erath | Sugar & Spice

Procrastination

I

mentioned last week that I usually restrict myself to topics about which I know everything, and then put my money where my mouth is by discussing coffee in the greatest detail.

Today I’ll talk about something almost as far up my alley, but I’ll be doing it quickly, as this column is due in 48 minutes: procrastination.

Unlike nature (read: outside), which I unabashedly despise, procrastination is one of those things I actually do have a love/hate relationship with.

I love putting off my lab report till Monday, because then I can spend Sunday night with a bottle of red wine and “Scandal” (2012-present). But then I hate myself on Monday when I’m racing the clock to figure out if my 384 percent error is because I’m really bad at calculations or just really bad at the physics lab itself.

I know I’m not alone in this respect, which got me thinking some deep thoughts about why we all procrastinate, anyway. (Bet you didn’t think today’s S&S would be full of introspective musings — ha! I cannot be predicted.) The thing is, I can probably watch “Scandal” in the next 48 hours; it’s just a question of if I do it before or after my work. If I watch it before, I’ll probably have these tiny feelings of guilt. More importantly, Netflix will sneakily start playing the next episode the second I avert my eyes to check Instagram, so there’s a more than decent chance I’ll get sucked into the rabbit hole of “Did you enjoy this?

We have some recommendations for you…” It’s sort of the TV equivalent of when you’re researching a paper about the Civil War and keep clicking on random links and eventually end up on Wikipedia reading about the endangered gooty spider and exactly what is being done to protect it; what’s more, you will care about said gooty spider. A lot.

But armed with the knowledge that two-thirds of Psych 1 has given me (what more does a girl need?), I think I’ve figured it out, at least in my own case. See, I like to pretend I’m a badass. I engage in a number of questionably safe but really fun hobbies (motorcycle riding, boxing, etc.) More tellingly, I drink my coffee black as my heart and dark as my motives. In other words, I like a little excitement in my life. Where’s the thrill in handing in your paper the day before it’s due? It’s infinitely more exciting to finish your problem set seven minutes before it’s due and then attempt to break the sound barrier as you sprint uphill to turn it in. Extra points if the TA coming to collect them is approaching right as you skid breathlessly around the corner, and triple points if you box them out to get yours on top of the pile at exactly 11:59:59 EST. In fact, I train specifically to make sure my last-minute sprint is the absolute speediest it can be. This is of course the only reason I go to the gym.

So if I assume I’m a stereotypical Tufts student (not sure how I feel about that? Don’t think I’m awake enough to figure it out), I can extrapolate my own psychological diagnosis to all of you. Turns out we all just want a little more excitement in our lives, or maybe just one more tidbit to throw in casual conversation when we’re stuck making small talk.

So there you have it: the human psyche, decoded by yours truly. Now, I’ve got some “Scandal” to catch up on, but I’ll see you all next week.

Lex Erath is a junior majoring in economics and biopsychology. She can be reached at alexandra.erath@tufts.edu.

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Arts & Living

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Offbeat

Amy Poehler's sincere new memoir offers humor, inspiration

by Grace Segers Daily Editorial Board

Amy Poehler’s new book, “Yes Please,” is refreshingly honest, raw, hilarious and even inspirational.

Yes Please

by Amy Poehler HarperCollins Publishers

Hitting shelves on Oct. 28, “Yes Please” is not a traditional memoir, but rather a hodge-podge collection of personal essays, stories about her career and the people with whom she has worked and snippets of life advice. While the pages are sleek and shiny, stuffed with photographs from Poehler’s own life, the messages she gives the reader are genuine and down-to-earth. In “Yes Please” Poehler reminds both fans and critics that she’s just a middle-class Boston — OK, technically Newton — girl who worked very hard for many years and used her strengths to succeed. In doing so, the book attempts to convince readers that Poehler is just an ordinary woman. But while her humanity and her struggles are highlighted, the pithy and creative ways with which Poehler talks about adversity are nothing short of extraordinary.

Upon completing “Yes Please,” readers will feel as if they have just finished a heartfelt conversation with a close friend, one full of laughter but also full of real emotion. Poehler’s sensitivity and comedic timing, which shine so brightly onscreen, translate just as well and even more intimately on the page. Her divorce from her husband of 10 years, actor Will Arnett, is not discussed in detail, but is a specter that hovers over much of the book.

This bit of personal history brings pathos to Poehler’s stories as she discusses the difficulties she has dealt with over the past few years and the emotions she has experienced. Yet on a different note, her recollections of her two sons, Archie and Abel, provide a gentle warmth and humor. Poehler neither looks for pity in this book nor begs for praise. She is just telling her story and grounding it in the facts of her life.

If readers are picking up “Yes Please” to read about Poehler’s experiences in the world of improv, her years on “Saturday Night Live” (1975 – present) or “Parks and Recreation” (2009 – present), they will not be disappointed. The author devotes pages to discussing the ups and downs of her career, and the people she has met along the way. Poehler recollects stories about different SNL hosts in one chapter, and completely dedicates another to describing her brilliant

Offbeat

AOL On series offers inside look at New York City Ballet

by Grace Segers Daily Editorial Board

Netflix, Amazon and Hulu are today’s go-to sources for unconventional, original media available for online stream-

city.ballet.

Starring Sara Mearns, Ashley Bouder, Chase Finlay, Troy Schumacher

Season 2 available now at AOL On ing, but AOL On’s series, “city.ballet.” is a great reminder that these three sites don’t have a monopoly on compelling internet television.

Produced and narrated by Sarah Jessica Parker, “city.ballet.” is back for a second season, released last week.

The first season is mostly available on YouTube, but, for now, the second season can be watched directly on AOL. The show is a docuseries that follows the New York City Ballet (NYCB) company, which performs at Lincoln Center in Manhattan. Diehard ballet fans and casual watchers alike will be able to appreciate this show, which offers an inside look into the world of professional ballet. The episodes of both seasons are very short — none are over ten minutes — so binge watching this delightful show is incredibly possible.

The first season of “city.ballet.,” released last year, truly set the stage for the show by delving into every aspect of the company, following different dancers in the roles of apprensee BALLET, page 6

David Shankbone via Wikimedia Commons

“Yes Please” explores many of Poehler’s professional relationships as she traces her rise to comedic prominence.

“Parks” co-stars and her relationships with them. These hilarious tell-alls are filled with positivity, and it’s comfortsee POEHLER, page 6

Movie Review

'Interstellar' stuns with visual and emotional depth

by Kumar Ramanathan Contributing Writer

For a film about space, “Interstellar’s” long first act has a very earthly setting: an arid, generically midwest-

Interstellar Directed by Christopher Nolan Starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain ern, desert-like farm. Upon entering the film, viewers find themselves in a near-future reality where an unnamed blight has destroyed most crops, and in which humanity has retreated to a mostly agrarian society. Here, former astronaut Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is a disgruntled but responsible farmer whose daughter Murph (Mackenzie Foy, Jessica Chastain) ages considerably between Cooper’s space missions. Cooper’s family stumbles upon hints of a secret NASA mission to travel through a wormhole to discover potentially habitable alien planets. Cooper’s former mentor, Professor Brand (Michael Caine), enlists him on the mission along with Brand’s own daughter (Anne Hathaway). From there “Interstellar” — which was released on Nov. 5 — launches into a wild adventure across worlds and time.

Director Christopher Nolan’s ninth feature-length film, “Interstellar” is a paean and an homage to epic space-travel sagas of old, invoking the vast, ambitious storytelling of classics of the science-fiction genre such as “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) and “Solaris” (1972). All of the greatest hits are here: worm-

Kent G Becker via Flickr Creative Commons

The AOL On series is a behind-the-scenes look at the pressure and beauty that come with ballet.

see INTERSTELLAR, page 6

Helen Schmidt | Around the Book Block

A picture is worth a thousand words

H

ello literature lovers! It’s been a long week at the tail end of a long month, and I’m sure everyone is still rattling from the aftershocks of midterms. The only things getting me through it all are numerous — yet massive — cups of coffee and the books I’ve been reading to balance the madness. I’ve been experiencing an exploratory phase in my literary endeavors recently, and instead of discussing previous favorites, I’m going to write about a genre completely new to me: graphic novels.

Even when I was in elementary school, I didn’t want to waste time with books with pictures because I wanted to jump ahead and challenge myself with chapter books.

I was shopping for books a few weeks ago, and while browsing, I happened upon an interesting book called “The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil” (2014). I was intrigued by the summary on the back; it described a society obsessed with neatness until becoming overrun by one man’s out-of-control beard. I hesitated at first to buy it as it was a graphic novel, and I wasn’t entirely sure I’d enjoy reading it. I took the risk though, and decided to try it out.

Now, for those of you who know me, you probably know where this is going.

I devoured the book in one day, and couldn’t stop talking about it. I’ve already coerced four others into reading it, with each of them returning it to me the following day, exuberant about their reading experience. The complex story line and underlying messages far exceeded what I was expected from a book that was about 80 percent pictures. I was blown out of the water; I’d never realized how much can be said through the combination of words and pictures. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words, and graphic novels are therefore able to say so much while appearing to say so little.

I’m now in the middle of reading another graphic novel; this one called “It’s a Good Life, If You Don’t Weaken” (1996).

While formatted and presented similarly to “The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil,” the experience reading this one is very different. It follows a man, Seth, who becomes curious about Kalo — an enigmatic cartoonist. Seth juxtaposes his own life with the mysteries surrounding Kalo. It’s amazing the freedom each graphic novelist has, not only with his or her word selection, but with the pictures as well. Most authors must rely on the limited selection of words in the language they’ve chosen, arranging them in just so many variations.

Graphic novelists have the added ability to accompany words with pictures, and vice versa. The world of visual arts expands far beyond the limitations of written word.

By combining both of them into the same story, graphic novelists can tell stories that other types of writers cannot.

I was skeptical at first that graphic novels would be too similar to comic books.

Although those are another delightful experience, they are entirely separate from literature. Instead of focusing on intense fight scenes, graphic novels combine intricate drawings and precise prose to capture the experiences of people. They’re very intimate in that way, providing actual windows into the world of the novel. I’ve mentioned before that I dislike when I’m provided with imagery and unable to formulate my own representations of characters or scenery; however, in the case of graphic novels, the detail added by the purposeful drawings creates a deeper storyline that I could not have come up with on my own.

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

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Arts & Living

Monday, November 10, 2014

‘City.ballet.’ follows professional NYCB dancers BALLET

continued from page 5

tice, corps de ballet dancer, soloist and principal dancer. Of these categories, principal dancer is the highest rank, and the competition for this position can be fierce. However, “city.ballet.” truly shows the ways in which New York City Ballet is a family, as these dancers spend the majority of their lives working together. The first season highlights the difficulties for performers in each of the ranks within the company, while offering glimpses into the lives of individual dancers.

Meanwhile, the second season takes the opportunity to delve more deeply into the stories of specific dancers, and also to show the work of ballet masters and choreographers. “City. ballet.” films principal dancers Sara Mearns, Ashley Bouder and Chase Finlay in a case study style, allowing them to expound upon their personal lives and struggles. When watching a ballet, it is easy to forget that the stunning, ethereal creatures on stage are actually human. These dancer-specific vignettes remind the viewers of the hard work and sacrifice that goes into a career as a professional dancer, as well as the talent, training and finesse required. After watching these dancers transition in and out of various romantic relationships as they laugh, cry and

grow, it is easy to feel close to them.

“City.ballet.” is filmed very intimately, so both the stress of dancing and the beauty of the art form is captured on film. It is almost a personal viewing experience, one that will make the viewer feel attached to the dancers as people and eager to see them perform on a real stage.

It is also fascinating to see the work of choreographers in the second season, as “city.ballet.” takes an in-depth look at the works of Peter Martins, Ballet Master in Chief for NYCB, and Troy Schumacher, a newer choreographer and NYCB dancer. It is particularly interesting to watch Schumacher as he creates his first ballet for NYCB dancers, and to see the creative development of a piece from a simple idea to a onstage performance. One can’t help but root for Schumacher and his dancers to succeed in creating something entirely new and beautiful, as the viewer feels privy to some secret process while they watch the dancers rehearse and perform.

“City.ballet.” is a unique show that removes the distance between the average viewer and the ballet company, revealing the athleticism and humanity that define exceptional dancers. The dancers develop onscreen as characters would in a scripted show, but the viewer is reminded that these are real people just doing their jobs as best as they can

Via Paul Kolnik

“City.ballet.” follows dancers in every role with the New York City Ballet company, from apprentice to principal dancer.

— and learning from the experience.

Hopefully the audience of “city.ballet.” will learn from the New York City

Ballet company as well, and develop an appreciation for the beauty that comes from sacrifice, hard work and passion.

Nolan’s newest film shows human strength, vulnerability

INTERSTELLAR

continued from page 5

holes, interstellar travel, snarky robots, prolonged hibernation, the bending of time, ice planets and mysterious alien life forms. Despite self-consciously placing itself alongside science fiction giants, “Interstellar” also finds surprising cousins in more intimate films like “Sunshine” (2007) and “Moon” (2009), where space serves as a dreamlike canvas for stories that probe human conflict and tragedy.

Much of the hype surrounding “Interstellar” has been focused on the involvement of theoretical physicist Kip Thorne and the use of his scientific work as storytelling inspiration.

Thorne and producer Lynda Obst were friends of Carl Sagan, who himself famously ventured into science-fiction filmmaking with “Contact” (1997).

The seeds of “Interstellar” came from Thorne and Obst’s desire to create a film that puts science at the core of a plot, and it shows; in terms of plot and character and visual storytelling, this is a film that finds respect and awe for scientific endeavor.

As scientifically oriented as “Interstellar” is, the film is also deeply spiritual and uses science as a tool to discover the philosophical questions about humanity and life that epic science fiction has classically confronted.

The awe of black holes and wormholes

is intricately tied to the awe and tragedy of humanity; every look forward into the future is coupled with a look back into our past.

Nolan has said that he hopes this film will inspire and encourage human spaceflight. With that goal in mind, “Interstellar” begins with Earth on the brink of an apocalypse, where humanity has lost the desire to explore, living only for immediate survival. There is a childlike love of outer space in this film, and Nolan’s emotional treatment of it is the antithesis of last year’s “Gravity.” Whereas the latter used the vastness of space as a source of fear and represented it as an enemy to be fought, “Interstellar” looks at space and finds endless potential.

Across its many acts, “Interstellar’s” consistent attention to visual detail and restrained bursts of awe and wonder are refreshingly delightful in an era when blockbusters often bombard the eyes with too much, and arthouse films offer them too little. Notably, this marks Nolan’s first collaboration with cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, who is known for shooting much more intimate films such as “Her” (2013), “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” (2011) and “Let the Right One In” (2008). His attention to human storytelling proves useful here, rooting its broad scope in a handful of human characters.

Alas, “Interstellar” is perhaps the

worst culprit yet of Nolan’s perennial flaw as a filmmaker, namely his tendency to avoid character development to make time for plot, thematic commentary and visual storytelling.

But, like in his other films, this flaw never becomes fatal. There is hardly a moment in “Interstellar” that feels wasted. Every pause on the landscape of some alien planet, every aerial shot of cornfields, every scene that dwells on the vastness of space feels calculated. The film often avoids losing itself to this flaw through its fantastic cast.

Hathaway and Chastain in particular take lightly written characters and infuse them deftly and powerfully with meaning, underwriting the emotional resonance of the entire film.

This is a film that confidently situates itself alongside epic science fiction classics, but also bears all the hallmarks of a Nolan film. It is a little overexcited, albeit visually striking, and at once deeply spiritual and technical, not to mention filled with a sense of grandeur. Bursting at the edges with ambition, some viewers may feel that “Interstellar” tips over into being pretentious. It might — but if audiences give Nolan a chance to share the obvious enthusiasm he has for this material, “Interstellar” will reward them with a powerful sense of awe.

Adapted from Lionel Hahn / AbacaUsa.com

Anne Hathaway’s superior acting lends a welcome element of humanity and emotionality to the film.

‘Yes Please’ inspires and entertains POEHLER

continued from page 5

ing to know that the casts of her shows are just as close and familial as the characters they play.

Occasionally there are guest writers in “Yes Please,” including a chapter written by Seth Meyers and several footnotes by “Parks” co-creator and head writer Mike Schur. These literary cameos are hugely entertaining, and also a testament to Poehler’s warmth and humanity, as they expound upon their relationships with her. Meyers’ chapter, which appears early on in the book, is particularly touching. It describes a friendship between the two that is heartwarming and real, and the reader feels fortunate to have insight into such a positive relationship between these two masters of comedy.

In “Yes Please,” Poehler offers advice based on her own life experience. This advice is sometimes dark and edgy, almost bitter, particularly when it deals with divorce. Other times her wisdom is simple and whimsical, such as in the chapter where she writes as

a 90-year-old version of herself giving advice to her younger incarnation. There are many little inspirational phrases scattered throughout the book, written in bold lettering on colored pages. “Nobody looks stupid when they’re having fun,” encourages one phrase on a yellow background.

“Figure out what you want. Say it loud.

Then shut up,” advises another on a red background.

Even the title is a form of both advice and inspiration. Poehler writes early in the book that “Saying ‘yes’ doesn’t mean I don’t know how to say no, and saying ‘please’ doesn’t mean I am waiting for permission … it is not about being a good girl; it is about being a real woman.” By writing this book, Poehler is encouraging her readers to take a stand, to fight to achieve their goals, and to say “yes please” to every opportunity. It’s a message not easily forgotten. This book informs and inspires, and reminds readers that — as role models go — Amy Poehler is one of the greats.

David Shankbone via Wikimedia Commons

Poehler brings her vibrant humor to the printed page in her new memoir.

Monday, November 10, 2014

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Monday, November 10, 2014

editorial | op-ed

Editorial

Intersections Project teaches the importance of respectful, inclusive discussions

As kindergarteners, students are taught a few essential rules in an effort to maintain order in the classroom. Among these are: “raise your hand,” “use indoor voices” and, perhaps most importantly, “treat others the way you want to be treated.” As children grow and mature, the rules by which they govern their lives are, naturally, reevaluated and refined, but it is often those same principles that allowed for a peaceful classroom of active learning that remain at the core of what is necessary to facilitate the workings of a diplomatic greater society. The Tufts Intersections Project recognizes just that.

Intersections, which was established on campus this semester, is comprised of a series of discussion circles of eight to 10 students, led by a facilitator, that aim not only to construct comfortable and safe environments for dialogue, but to educate the students involved on how to

partake in and contribute to discussions about controversial topics, all while being receptive to a wide range of opinions and perspectives. Students inherently have strong positions on certain issues, and often discount their classmates with different views. Intersections aims to minimize the influence of these personal opinions when students first bring them into a conversation by encouraging them to enter discussions with the intentions of better understanding others’ perspectives and how they came to be formed.

Intersections seeks to provide students with the tools to use the skills they have learned in the series of discussion circles to participate in and enable conversations in the greater campus community and beyond. The commendable goal is to teach students to be active facilitators of dialogue about divisive topics in a way that does not divide those partaking

in the discourse — a skill that is crucial not only in a university setting, but in a world where a diverse array of opinions and perspectives are the encouraged and unavoidable norm.

One of the privileges of being a member of the Tufts University student body is getting the chance to live and learn with a group of more than 5,000 individuals who are passionate about a wide range of topics and issues. In combination with the diverse catalog of relevant courses and learning opportunities available to students, Tufts’ campus is an environment in which discourse can be found within a wide spectrum of perspectives and ideas, and education is not limited to academic curricula.

The Tufts Intersections Project works to facilitate learning in this campus-wide “classroom” in a way that is all-inclusive, respectful and safe for all voices.

Jehan Medhani

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Off the Hill | University of Mississippi at Oxford

Dressing down the gender binary

by Morgan Philley The Daily Mississippian

“Some Like It Hot” (1959). Tyler Perry’s Madea. Even the Disney classic “Mulan” (1998). The ever-popular “man in a dress” gag has been a comedic staple for longer back than I care to trace.

If a director or writer is scrambling to toss in a surefire laugh, a man in a dress never fails.

We’ve all fallen for it: the laughable sight of a tall, broad figure with a gruff voice and hairy knees poking out from underneath a skirt. We all love to laugh, and we’ll take any excuse to get our jollies. But it’s worth examining exactly why we think the idea of a man wearing culturally designated female clothing is so knee-slappingly hilarious.

America’s gender binary sets up some very clear rules for what clothing is acceptable for what gender. Men can wear pants, suits, tuxedoes, boxers.

Women wear skirts, blouses, dresses, high heels, pantyhose. Given the cultural recognition they receive, nonbinary people wear invisibility cloaks.

These rules are not hard and fast in all directions, as women wear pants all

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.

the time now. Sure, in the ’20s and ’30s people threw up a stink about it, but we’re much more advanced than that now, right? We’ve moved on from such primitive, puritanical understandings of clothing.

Except that we haven’t. Not at all.

That’s why the man in the dress is still a hilarious trope.

It’s okay for women to dress “like men” because, in America, there’s nothing wrong with being masculine. In fact, we tend to regard masculinity as the normal or neutral. That’s why people in pants and shirts are considered androgynous, while those skirts or dresses aren’t. But there’s nothing inherently masculine or feminine about pants or skirts; they’ve just been imbued with particular cultural understandings.

The cultural understandings we’ve given to “male” clothing are positive, though. A woman in a suit isn’t funny because she, in the popular view, isn’t “degrading” herself the way a man in a dress is. A man wearing a dress is seen as forfeiting his masculinity for the clearly lesser femininity. Men in dresses are only funny because we think that a man should never stoop so low as to

wear feminine clothing.

Culturally indoctrinated misogyny: It’s hilarious!

Now, I’m not demanding that every man on campus immediately run out and start buying and wearing dresses. (Even though, personally, I think it would be good for every man to wear a dress at least once. It’s a piece of clothing, it’s not going to bite you.) But I am asking us to examine a comedic device that not only degrades women but also reinforces the absolutely incorrect and harmfully transmisogynistic idea that trans women are really just “men in dresses.”

Besides, if a man wants to wear a dress, so what?

To quote comedian Eddie Izzard when asked about wearing women’s clothing, “They’re not women’s clothes.

They’re my clothes. I bought them.”

If the clothing belongs to you, and you’re a man, then it’s a man’s dress.

Women wear women’s dresses, and nonbinary people wear their dresses.

Of course, if you’re a man, and you’re wearing a woman’s dress, give it back to her. It’s wrong to steal, and she’s probably been looking all over for it.

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Monday, November 10, 2014 OP-Ed

You are working out at the gym. You hear a loud noise. The person on the treadmill next to you has collapsed and is lying on the floor. You are the first to the man’s side and you realize he is unconscious, not responding to your calls. Would you know what to do next? When this happened in the spring of 2005 in the Tufts fitness center, one of our fellow students immediately started cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and helped saved that man’s life.

Even with the rapid response of Tufts Emergency Medical Services (TEMS) and Tufts University Police Department (TUPD), immediate CPR performed by a bystander helps make the difference between life and death. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), immediate CPR can double or even triple a victim’s chance of survival.

The AHA reports that 92 percent of cardiac arrest victims die before getting to the hospital. You can take five minutes from your day to learn CPR and help lower that statistic. It can take only three minutes to learn, and it’s as easy as stopping at the TEMS table in the campus center midday on Monday, Wednesday or Thursday.

CPR in real life is not what it looks like on TV or in the movies. When performing CPR, you are circulating the blood through someone’s body for them, breathing for them and, in some cases, shocking them with electricity with the hope that their heart will restart. The

techniques and details of CPR are constantly being researched and improved, but its significance for the survival of sudden cardiac arrest victims remains paramount.

CPR helps keep someone alive, but what’s often needed is an electrical shock, or defibrillation, to help the heart reset.

Early defibrillation by an automated external defibrillator (AED) is vital in patients surviving and making a full recovery. When TEMS responds to an asthma attack, allergic reaction or traumatic injury, we are bringing medical equipment and expertise that can help make a difference. However, with sudden cardiac arrest, you can help make that difference before we get there.

Both TEMS and the TUPD carry AEDs with us, but AEDs are also available in the Campus Center, fitness center and in many other places you may not have realized.

Next time you are at the airport or in the supermarket, notice that AEDs are in public places and are there for you to use.

Bystander CPR helped make the difference in the spring of 2005. In the other cardiac arrests that have occurred on campus since 2005, and in the almost 30 years TEMS has existed, it is rare that bystanders performed CPR before TEMS arrived. You can help change that and maybe save a life.

This week, around the country, collegiate Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agencies, just like TEMS, are celebrating National Collegiate EMS Week, modeled after National EMS Week in May, sponsored

by the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and endorsed by Congress. Schools in almost all 50 states will educate people about their respective EMS agency by teaching CPR and first aid and raising awareness about health and safety on campus.

At Tufts, we value active citizenship, everybody doing their part to make the world a better place. To that effect, TEMS is striving to get as many members of the Tufts community trained in CPR as possible. You can take one of our CPR classes and become certified in CPR, or you can learn hands-only CPR in less than three minutes.

Come visit us in the Campus Center on Monday 1:30 - 2:30 p.m., Wednesday 10 11 a.m. or Thursday 11 - 1 p.m. and learn a lifesaving skill in less than three minutes.

Or just come say hi to some dedicated EMTs. If you or your club, team, fraternity or sorority wants to learn CPR, contact us at tems@tufts.edu.

Anyone can learn CPR, and everyone should. It is a skill that will last you a lifetime, and will go beyond our time at Tufts. I urge you to do your part to make the world a safer place and potentially save a life. The power is, quite literally, in your hands.

This past Thursday, Tufts Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) launched a campaign for the cancellation of Israeli Defense Force (IDF) Lt. Colonel Eran Shamir-Borer’s lecture “Legal Challenges in Asymmetrical Warfare: the case of Operation Protective Edge.” Hosted by the Fletcher School’s International Security Studies Program, this talk obviously struck a chord in the Tufts community and beyond. At the time of this op-ed’s publication, over 1,300 have signed an online petition requesting that Tufts President Anthony Monaco cancel the event.

Not all, however, have cheered Tufts SJP’s actions. Those opposed have put forth an array of arguments, ranging from refuting SJP’s description of the IDF’s actions during last summer’s Operation Protective Edge, to questioning the group’s tactics in responding to the event. While the former argument is vital in understanding SJP’s raison d’etre, the latter argument strikes at the very heart of the nature of these Palestine solidarity movements in the United States and their chosen strategies.

Critics have accused SJP of stifling free speech on Tufts’ campus. After all, it’s no secret that just about anything emanating from a representative of the Israeli Defense Forces will not align with SJP’s fundamental tenets. Tyrion Lannister once observed, “When you tear out a man’s tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you’re only telling the world that you fear what he might say.” Does SJP’s request therefore reflect a fear that it cannot effectively counter what Shamir-Borer will put forward in his lecture?

Or is the reasoning more complex?

Although I have no doubt that our convictions differ on nearly every other current and historical aspect of events in Palestine, I wholeheartedly agree with Shamir-Borer’s description of the situation as “asymmetrical.” This description, however, extends beyond the realm of warfare and permeates the entirety of the Israeli-Palestinian question. The IDF’s modern killing machines crush often unarmed Palestinian targets, while at the same time Zionist institutions in the United States enjoy huge budgetary, political and technical advantages when compared to student organizations such as SJP. Simply extracting “warfare” and brandishing it as unique in its asymmetry allows Zionists to disassociate Palestinian militancy from its root causes: occupation, expulsion and subordination. Despite the already considerable resource gap in the PR department,

Israel itself has conflated the military and propaganda aspects of the issue when it has seen fit to silence those who prominently oppose its policies. The assassinations of Palestinian writers and intellectuals such as Ghassan Kanafani and Kamal Nasser provide two examples of a consistent policy of violently targeting Palestinian narratives.

Now wait a minute, didn’t Tufts host an SJP conference just weeks ago?

Yes, Tufts hosted the national SJP conference “Beyond Solidarity” from Oct. 24 to 26. Fundamental differences, however, separate these events, and thus necessitate different responses. In one case, a student organization — SJP — hosted a conference, while in the other, a university institution, namely the Fletcher School, will welcome a Lieutenant Colonel. Not once during “Beyond Solidarity” did the speakers in any way justify military aggression, while the title of the Shamir-Borer event directly implies the goal of his lecture: to outline the legal cover for Operation Protective Edge, the IDF aggression this past summer that killed over 2,000 Palestinians, nearly 500 of them children. Mari Matsuda, a lawyer, activist and professor at the William S. Richardson School of Law observes in her book “Words that Wound” (1993) that “there is a cost, a burden and price paid for the epidemic of assaultive speech on our campuses, and the cost is paid disproportionately by historically subordinated groups.” I personally hail from a Palestinian-American family of which I will become the fourth member to graduate from Tufts in the spring. The invitation of an IDF officer stands as an affront to the commitment my father, mother and uncle have shown to the “values” of their alma mater, as well as the personal experiences and histories of other Palestinian members of the Tufts community.

By allowing one of the universities’ most prominent institutions to host an IDF Lieutenant Colonel, Tufts implicitly endorses the legitimacy of the IDF self-justification and wraps it under the guise of “academia.” The notion of “academia” resonates with many as impartiality: It implies that Lt. Colonel Shamir-Borer will approach the massacre in Gaza as someone who has objectively studied the events of this past summer and their legal implications. This perception could not be a further distortion of reality. ShamirBorer is paid to defend IDF actions, period.

Finally, as a Palestinian solidarity group, SJP chooses to align its actions with Palestinian civil society’s 2005 call for boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS).

Adam Kaminski | The Cool Column

To feel like laughing

T

Inspired by similar strategies against the apartheid South African regime, BDS provides peaceful international repercussions to Israel’s continued transgressions against basic human rights. We can in no way exclude this call from certain spheres, such as academia, under the pretext of keeping them “neutral ground.” SJP, therefore, grounds its appeal for cancellation in the Palestinian Call for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI). Under its guidelines for the international academic boycott of Israel, PACBI states: “Anchored in precepts of international law and universal human rights, the BDS movement, including PACBI, rejects on principle boycotts of individuals based on their identity (such as citizenship, race, gender or religion) or opinion. If, however, an individual is representing the state of Israel [including the Israeli military] or a complicit Israeli institution (such as a dean, rector or president), or is commissioned/recruited to participate in Israel’s efforts to ‘rebrand’ itself, then her or his activities are subject to the institutional boycott the BDS movement is calling for.”

By no means does SJP aim to “silence” anyone’s speech. It has not asked, nor never will ask, for the metaphorical ripping out of Shamir-Borer’s tongue and of those who propagate similarly violent ideals. Free speech is an essential right at Tufts and in the U.S., a right not often afforded by Israel to Palestinians and others who criticize its policies. Tufts must therefore take all possible steps toward leveling the discourse that surrounds Israeli aggression, not exacerbate its grossly asymmetrical nature. Nor can we deny or understate the weight of any university and its institutions in connoting discourse. Wrapped in the protective blanket of the Fletcher School, ShamirBorer suddenly seems much less “IDF” and much more “impartial,” an adjective that distorts his background and his positions long before he arrives on campus.

SJP bases its call for cancellation neither on Shamir-Borer’s religion nor his nationality. Rather, the group has targeted his lecture because of his position as the IDF’s legal advisor during Operation Protective Edge. Shamir-Borer explicitly represents the institution of the IDF, and giving him a platform at Tufts legitimizes and normalizes its war crimes.

o a physiologist, it’s the stimulation of the zygomatic major muscle coupled with the constriction of the larynx via the epiglottis. To a psychologist, it’s a social bonding behavior men use to pursue women. To a comedian, especially in Barcelona, where comedy clubs have started charging customers per laugh using face recognition software mounted to the backs of seats (I kid you not), it’s a paycheck.

What do these three perspectives have in common? They each describe what a lazy instant messenger might name “haha,” what someone on a safari might call maniacal hyena sounds: laughter.

Although laughter is multifaceted, holding a variety of meanings and serving a variety of functions, its integration into daily mundanity seems uncontroversially integral to a healthy and robust life. I’d be scared to imagine a world without Monty Python’s Flying Circus (1969-1974), Louis C.K. or Youtube goldmines full of wonderful people doing wonderfully questionable things.

To limit laughter to the realm of comedy, silly youtube videos and troupes who survive on it, however, would be incredibly mistaken. In a study conducted by Robert Provine, a neuroscientist at the University of Maryland, he found that only 10 percent to 20 percent of laughter followed a joke. This is good news for those of who can’t deliver a punchline, who fall down and call it a comedy bit.

Provine concluded that “laughter is primarily a social vocalization that binds people together. It is a hidden language that we all speak.” It looks like my quest to become bilingual will be easier than anticipated.

Additionally, according to Provine, females laugh 126 percent more than their male counterparts in conversation, and speakers laugh 50 percent more than their audiences.

These statistics are nothing new.

Psychologists have long considered laughing a benefit to mental and physical health, and have acknowledged its grounding in important social behavior.

But this week, my laughing tract, the neural circuit in my brain Dr. Provine suggests engenders laughter, was stifled by life’s somber realities. It was the sorrowful, sobering stifling one feels at a Relay for Life vigil, a memorial service or a family member’s funeral. Remorse trumps jubilation, and respect trumps laughter.

It’s typical, then, not to mix or exchange the two seemingly antithetical emotional expressions (smiles and tears) out of fear of being disrespectful, looking obtuse or revealing that your emotions differ from someone else’s. If muted smiles and dampened laughter do exist, they’re probably apologetic and brief. Safe and uncontroversial, such responses feel intuitive, but is this the best way for everyone to work through whatever sorrowful, sobering feelings they have?

The evidence suggests not. Different people have different ways of channeling and working through difficult feelings, and the methods people do employ are largely culturally defined. An Irish wake, for example, starkly contrasts with what the New York Times describes as the Ghanaian “over-thetop” funeral. Ghanaian ceremonies last entire nights and include drinking, dancing and “window-rattling music.” What an alternative.

Neither ceremony is more correct, but the differences do illustrate how scattered the human attempt to express and live with emotion is. Is it more proper, more respectful, to hang your head in solemn remembrance or dance and laugh in celebration of an impactful and cherished life? Expressions that are antithetical in one culture aren’t necessarily antithetical in another.

One can laugh in times of jubilation, in moments of joy untainted by melancholy, just as one can laugh in memory of a transient, great thing. Laughing is more versatile, arbitrary and expressive than strictly mournful ceremonies, sitcoms and comedy troupes give it credit for.

Hani Azzam is a senior majoring in international relations. He can be reached at Hani.Azzam@tufts.edu.

Adam Kaminski is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at adam.kaminski@tufts.edu.

Ayal Pierce is a senior majoring in computer science. He is executive director of TEMS and can be reached at Ayal.Pierce@ tufts.edu.

Boycott, divestment and speeches?

by Hani Azzam

9

Op-Ed

The power is in your hands

by Ayal Pierce

Op-Ed

The Tufts Daily

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

10

The Tufts Daily

FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 10, 2014

Crossword

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

DOWN 1 Put into office 2 Insignificant 3 Japanese cartoon style

Monday, November 10, 2014

Doonesbury

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

ACROSS 1 Digital periodical, briefly 5 Part of CBS: Abbr.

9 Comics title character who married Irving 14 Kitchen floor covering, in Kent 15 __ Ness monster 16 Earth pigment 17 Sooner State city 18 Architectural Scurve 19 Rays of light 20 Taking the top spot 23 Roman fountain 24 Volcano in Sicily 25 “What’s happenin’?”

28 In the least favorable case 31 Brit’s “Bye-bye” 32 Cleopatra’s undoing 35 Slim and muscular 36 Annie with a gun 38 With 40-Across, remaining focused 40 See 38-Across 41 Gold purity measures 42 Brother of Cain 43 Item in a P.O. box 44 This, in Seville 45 Fed up with 48 For what reason 49 Capricorn’s animal 50 Creates 54 Betting it all 58 “Hot corner” base 60 Cowboys quarterback Tony 61 R&B singer India.__ 62 Exposed 63 Explorer __ the Red 64 Reject as false 65 Brass or bronze 66 CPR pros 67 It’s a long story

Comics

by Garry Trudeau

Non Sequitur by Wiley

11/10/14

By Teresa Colby

4 Premium chocolate brand 5 Walk laboriously, as through mud 6 Quotable Berra 7 The stuff of many postcard photos 8 Burglaries 9 Hooded snake 10 King beaters 11 “It’s not true!”

12 Pants bottom 13 Decade tenths: Abbr.

21 Knucklehead 22 Chanted 26 Sch. with a Chattanooga campus 27 Subscriptionbased home entertainment 29 Churchill of the United Kingdom 30 Charity’s URL ending 31 Fight stopper, for short 32 Cockeyed 33 Hidden supply 34 Free-spirited socializer 37 Poise 39 Former NBA center __ Ming

Saturday’s Solved friday’sPuzzle Solution

Married to the Sea

©2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

40 U.K. award 42 Painting or sculpture 46 “No argument from me” 47 Electrical capacitance units 49 Dizzy with delight 51 Divided country 52 Barely managing, with “out”

11/10/14

53 Parting words, perhaps after the visit suggested by the starts of 20-, 38-/40- and 54Across 55 Twistable cookie 56 Fail to mention 57 Mythical birds 58 TV schedule abbr.

59 Actor Holbrook

THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME

by David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek

www.marriedtothesea.com

Unscramble these four Jumbles, one letter to each square, to form four ordinary words.

©2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved.

USISE DEYMAR FRIDAA

SUDOKU

Check out the new, free JUST JUMBLE app

LEEBV

Level: Fulfilling your natural sciences requirement with Wanderers in Space.

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

A: Saturday’s

(Answers tomorrow) Jumbles: ONION MOMMY INDIGO EXCEED Answer: When they found gold in the cavern, the owner of the land said — MINE, MINE, MINE

Late Night at the Daily

Friday’s Solution

Andrew: “I have a dark past, what can I say?”

Please recycle this Daily.

Monday, November 10, 2014

The Tufts Daily

11

Sports

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Jumbos fall in NESCAC semi-finals, hope for at-large NCAA bid FIELD HOCKEY

continued from back

The team was ranked eighth in the country going into Saturday’s matchup, and the NESCAC generally sends at least three teams to the tournament, so the Jumbos still have a strong possibility of receiving a bid.

“It was a really hard loss for us,” Keenan said. “We went into that game knowing that we had a chance at winning it, and with really high hopes. I thought that we played really well, and everyone on the team played their hearts out.”

The history between the two teams going into the game ran deep. Bowdoin and Tufts, the last two NCAA champions, have been at the top of the NESCAC for much of the last decade, and have carried on a bitter rivalry. The Polar Bears, however, were 6-0 against the Jumbos in all-time NESCAC tournament play going into the weekend, and had just steamrolled the Jumbos 4-0 the week before in the final game of the regular season.

But Tufts learned from that loss, and after getting revenge against Amherst in the quarterfinals, got off to a strong start in the game against Bowdoin. The Jumbo attack immediately put pressure on what has been a staunch Polar Bear defense this season, a defense that had only given up six goals through 16 games.

That early pressure paid off just 2:50 into the match on the game’s first penalty corner, during which junior midfielder Dakota Sikes-Keilp received the ball off of a give-and-go in the circle and ham-

mered it home to do something that only two other teams this season have done: take the lead against the high-powered Polar Bears.

Though they did not score again, the Jumbos kept the pressure on throughout the first half and kept the Polar Bears in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable position. It looked as if Bowdoin might tie the game when the team earned a penalty stroke after Sikes-Keilp’s goal, but Keenan denied Bowdoin junior Rachel Kennedy, the NESCAC’s leading scorer.

“We played them previously, and we were able to pinpoint their top offenders,” senior defender Colleen Golja said. “Obviously Rachel Kennedy was one of their leading scorers, so we worked really hard to deny her the ball, block out passes, that was really effective for us.”

Both teams traded scoring opportunities for the remainder of the half, but the Jumbos managed to go into the first whistle still up 1-0.

“We came out in the game really strong, and that kind of took them off guard, because we were so determined to win, so determined to just go after them and play attack,” said Keenan. “And I think they obviously made the necessary adjustments [in the] second half, which we couldn’t quite keep up with.”

Bowdoin made those adjustments quickly and responded early in the second half. The Polar Bears earned another penalty stroke a minute and a half

after the restart, and this time Bowdoin’s Colleen Finnerty slipped it past Keenan for the score.

Tufts was mostly able to handle the renewed Bowdoin onslaught, but in the 50th minute Mettler Growney notched Bowdoin’s second goal. The Jumbos had the Polar Bears’ attackers covered, but Growney fired a hard ball with an unusual spin that bounced off sticks and legs into the back of the net.

With 20 minutes remaining, both teams kept battling, as the Jumbos refused to concede with just a one goal deficit. Tufts’ defense, anchored by Keenan in net, kept the team in the game and continued to deny Bowdoin’s attempts.

It seemed as if the Polar Bears might secure the win when they earned a third penalty stroke with under five minutes to play, but once again Keenan came up with a big save and denied Kennedy for the second time.

In dramatic fashion, the Jumbos earned a penalty corner just before the final whistle, but they were unable to capitalize on their final scoring opportunity as time expired, and the Polar Bears celebrated their narrow victory.

“I don’t think there’s anything more we could have done,” Golja said. “I think everyone played their best. The defense had goal line saves, and the offense was getting shots off. We [even] put an extra forward in for the last five minutes.

They’re a good team, and we’re a good team, and it was a tight game that could have gone either way.”

Despite the loss, such an impressive performance against arguably the best team in the nation bodes well should the Jumbos compete in the NCAA tournament later this month. Sikes-Keilp, the team’s leading scorer from last season who didn’t notch her first marker this year until midway through the season, now has five goals and has become another potent offensive threat alongside sophomore forwards Dominique Zarrella and Annie Artz.

Keenan has been a stalwart in the cage all season long, ending her NESCAC career with the 13 saves, including two of three opponents’ penalty strokes.

“It sucks to end your career, and I’m still pretty upset about that, but it was nice to have such a good game,” said Keenan. “I just wanted to do everything I could to keep our team in it, give us the best chance we had at winning, and my teammates were there for me every minute of the game. Those two penalty strokes came because my defenders were doing everything they could to keep the ball out of the cage, which is awesome and I love them for that.”

Keenan, Golja and fellow senior cocaptain Brittany Norfleet certainly hope this won’t be the end of their season.

With Bowdoin losing in the NESCAC Championship game, clearly no team is invulnerable. The Jumbos could easily find themselves deep in the NCAA tournament in a matter of weeks, where they would look to get back at the Polar Bears and perhaps a few other NESCAC rivals.

Annie Levine / The Tufts Daily

The Jumbos’ pack of junior Lily Corcoran, first-year Margo Rashba and first-year Evie Heffernan work together during the NESCAC Championship meet at Middlebury College on Nov. 1.

Top seven Jumbos prepare for NCAA Regional Championship

WOMEN’S XC continued from back this was the first race that I felt that I started to reach my potential again.”

Coach Kristen Morwick will now have a tough decision, as she needs to choose who the seventh runner will be for the NCAA Regional Championship meet next week. The top seven currently consists of junior co-captain Audrey Gould, sophomore Kelly Fahey, junior Olivia Beltrani, sophomore Alice Wasserman, junior Michele de Mars and first-year Sara Stokesbury, who proved herself to a strong hill runner last week at the NESCAC Championship meet. A number of factors will need to be accounted for in Morwick’s decision for a seventh runner, as she may look for someone who has shown consistent improvement over the last few weeks, or else someone she thinks could attack the hills at Williams and surprise other teams with a strong performance.

“Regionals is a very different race, but we are excited for it since we have raced well on the course,” Kimball-Katz said.

“We are going to need seven runners that day who are ready to be confident and competitive on a tough, hilly course.

I’m proud to say we have more than seven runners ready to do that, which makes the decision on who to race a bit more difficult.”

The Jumbos will be looking to earn a bid to the NCAA Div. III National Championships, which take place in Mason, Ohio in two weeks. After a stumble at the NESCAC Championship meet, they are currently ranked sixth in the region, but hope to bounce back to the No. 3 regional standing they have held all season.

As for the departing Kimball-Katz, she expressed gratitude for her experience on the cross country team.

“My goal was to run happy for my last race ever, and I did,” she said. “I don’t feel sad about the season ending; I’m more focused on how lucky I have been to be on such wonderful teams in the 12 years I’ve competed in cross country. Cross country teams are families that you can always come back to or reunite with later in life, so I know it’s not really over.”

Sports

12

tuftsdaily.com

Field Hockey

Tufts falls to top-ranked Bowdoin in NESCAC semifinals

by Maclyn Senear Daily Editorial Board

The Tufts field hockey team had a chance to be a great Cinderella story, one about unexpectedly taking down

FIELD HOCKEY (12-5 Overall, 6-4 NESCAC) at Brunswick, Maine, Saturday Tufts Bowdoin

1 0

0 2

— —

1 2

the perennial favorite on its own turf in a dramatic postseason run to the Championship. Unfortunately, that was not the story that prevailed when the final whistle blew Saturday afternoon on a chilly Ryan Field in Brunswick, Maine.

Tufts fell to the host, Bowdoin, in a tough 2-1 loss in which Tufts, the NESCAC’s No. 5 seed, gave the defending national champions a run for their money in semifinal play. Tufts looked nothing but impressive in the matchup, becoming just the third team to lead Bowdoin at any point in a game all season and stifling one of the nation’s top offenses with a careerhigh 13 saves from senior co-captain goalkeeper Bri Keenan.

With the win, the Polar Bears advanced to their fifth consecutive

Christie Wu / The Tufts Daily

Junior forward Hannah Park tracks after the ball during a 4-0 win over Wesleyan on Bello Field. conference championship game, but failed to pick up their seventh title in ten years with a 2-1 loss to Middlebury on Sunday. The Jumbos, meanwhile, await the announcement of the field

for the NCAA tournament later this month, to which they hope to receive an at-large bid. see FIELD HOCKEY, page 11

Women’s cross country

Jumbos place fourth at ECAC Championship

by Chris Warren Daily Editorial Board

On Saturday, members of the women’s cross country team traveled west to Stanley Park in Westfield, MA for the annual ECAC Div. III Championship. Since the ECAC meet takes place the week before the NCAA Div. III Regional meet, most of the top squads rest most, if not all, of their top seven, and instead race their second seven runners (eight through 14).The Jumbos placed fourth overall in the race with 109 points, behind winner Williams (48 points), University of New England (60 points), and Middlebury (85 points).

Stanley Park is a very flat course consisting of a number of field loops as well as a circuit through trails in the woods.

Temperatures on Saturday were in the low 50s, and the ground was hard due to a lack of recent precipitation, setting the stage for some fast times.

2

Tufts’ rank in the NESCAC for total attendance at football games this season. The Jumbos averaged 2,930 fans per home game for its four games at Zimman Field this fall. The team’s total season attendance of 11,721 was second in the NESCAC, behind only Amherst’s conferenceleading total of 14,610.

.303

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton’s completion percentage aginst the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 6, 2014. In the nationally televised Thursday Night Football game, Dalton completed just 10 of his 33 passes for a total of 86 passing yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions. Dalton’s Bengals lost the game by a score of 24-3.

“The course was mostly nice and flat, except for a few tough hills,” sophomore Samantha Cox said. “But there were a lot of loose rocks and roots, so a lot of people fell.”

Cox led the way for Tufts with her 15th place finish over the six kilometer course with a time of 22:57.83. Junior Lily Corcoran was 10 seconds away from Cox, finishing in 19th with a time of running 23:07.93. The firstyear duo of Evelyn Heffernan and Margot Rashba crossed the finish line next, with Heffernan posting a 23:12.73 for 22nd and Rashba following closely with her 23:17.36 time for 23rd. Sophomore Lindsay Atkeson, who missed most of the season due to injury, laced up her spikes for the first time since Williams’ Purple Valley Classic in September and ran 23:29.13 for 30th to round out the scoring for the Jumbos. Seniors Meghan Gillis and co-captain Caroline Kimball-Katz’s XC careers came to end yesterday in solid fashion, as Gillis ran 23:34.64 for 34th and Kimball-Katz ran 23:44.07 for 41st.

DAILY DIGITS 871

Total all-purpose yards gained by running back Zach Trause for the Tufts football team this season. Trause gained 247 rushing yards on 75 carries and 176 recieving yards on 23 catches, and added on 157 yards in his eight punt returns and 291 yards in his eight kickoff returns. In addition, Trause totaled nine touchdowns on the season.

9

Goals scored this season by sophomore forward Dominique Zarella for the Tufts field hockey team. Her nine goals are the most on the team, and she also finished with a team-high 21 points and three game-winning goals.

Her 29 shots on goal in 36 total shots gave her a .806 shot on goal percentage, which was the highest on the team for players with more than two shots on goal.

“Our team had a fantastic race yesterday that showed how strong our second pack of runners is,” Kimball-Katz said. “All seven of us finished within 50 seconds of each other and placed in the top 50 of the race. Both of those results were goals of ours going into the race, and we totally pulled it off.” “[The] ECAC [Championship meet] definitely showed that we are a talented team,” Cox added. “If our second seven can perform that well, it shows us that we, overall, can compete at a high level.”

In terms of strategy, Cox said that she approached the race conservatively.

“I went out slower than I have been for the first mile, then pushed the second mile, and really just tried to hold on during the last mile,” Cox said. “I just picked a girl in front of me and said, ‘Okay, I’m going to run with her now,’ and that really worked out for me.

I am very happy about my performance, and see WOMEN’S XC, page 11

138.8

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo’s season-high Total Quarterback Rating in Sunday’s victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Romo played despite dealing with two small fractures in his lower back.

Seemingly unaffected by the injury, Romo played his best game of the season in the 31-17 victory, completing 20 of his 27 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns.

8

The length of the losing streak that the New York Jets snapped on Sunday with a 20-13 victory over the Pittsburg Steelers. Quarterback Michael Vick only completed 10 passes, but managed to throw for 132 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 39 yards on the ground. The Jets defense recovered two fumbles and intercepted two passes to help the team improve to 2-8 this season.

Luke Machamer | Back Around the Horn

Much ado about ombudsmen

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his week I learned what the word “ombudsman” means. An ombudsman is an official who investigates maladministration, and perhaps unsurprisingly, ESPN has one. They’ve actually had several ombudsmen, and the current one, Robert Lipsyte, published a piece last Tuesday. Lipsyte’s latest article is titled “Probing the gray areas of ESPN’s journalism,” and it discusses some of this column’s favorite motifs. If you’ve ever read my column, you’ll find the ombudsman blog over on ESPN’s webpage worth your time. It is good to see that ESPN is asking itself the same questions that many consumers of sports media are asking. However, Lipsyte’s takes tend to be soft, and can read pro-ESPN in a way that makes me a little suspicious of all this ombudsman business.

In his article, Lipsyte opens by talking about interactions he had with ESPN executives at the beginning of his term. Apparently, two different ESPN executives told Lipsyte that asking “conflict of interest” type questions with regard to the role of journalism in ESPN’s business model wouldn’t be worth his time. Thankfully, Lipsyte was persistent enough to work past the advice of those two gentlemen. For example, Lipsyte points out that ESPN has spent more journalistic energy on the NBA’s handling of former Clippers owner Donald Sterling than it has on the NFL’s struggle with concussion-related health issues. The first storyline portrays a league and its commissioner in a positive light, whereas the second storyline does the opposite. As long as ESPN exists, there will be questions about which stories are easiest to get green-lighted and which stories do the least to annoy ESPN’s business partners.

Lipsyte does a good job of highlighting that problem.

When it comes to suspensions of ESPN staff, Lipsyte falls a little flat. He has written about the Bill Simmons suspension in the past, but for some reason he brought it up again in his article on Nov. 4. Lipsyte continues to defend ESPN’s suspension of Simmons on the basis that Simmons did not have sufficient evidence to call NFL commissioner Goodell a liar. The more you examine that claim, the harder it becomes to believe. Other pieces on ESPN have accused the NFL of “a pattern of misinformation and misdirection,” making the exact same point. There seems to be enough evidence about the NFL’s mismanagement of the Ray Rice case where calling Goodell a liar has some root in truth. Therefore, the suspension of Bill Simmons for his rant was due to Simmons’ insubordination, not his journalism. Lipsyte’s suggestion of the opposite is a bit unsatisfactory; it makes ESPN look like they are doing a good job of holding their journalists to standards, and does some to distract from the concern about standards at an institutional as opposed to an individual level. For someone who claimed at the beginning of the article to be interested in exploring ESPN’s conflict of interest, it is strange that Lipsyte does not identify the Simmons suspension as part of that bigger problem.

As a whole, the concept of an ombudsman at ESPN is still a bit foreign to me.

I’ve been going to ESPN’s website every day since I was in fourth grade, and until recently I had never come across such a feature. I suppose it is a sign that more people care about the legitimacy and quality of sports content, which is something to be happy about. Let’s continue to follow Robert Lipsyte’s investigations to make sure he is asking hard questions and not existing simply as a more subtle ESPN yes-man.

Luke Machamer is a junior majoring in economics. He can be reached at lucas. machamer@tufts.edu.