TuftsDaily11.17.14

THE TUFTS DAILY

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Monday, November 17, 2014

VOLUME LXVIII, NUMBER 47

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Cage Rage sees popular headliner, lower ticket sales

by Jei-Jei Tan

Daily Editorial Board

The fifth annual Cage Rage concert, featuring headliner MS MR and openers STRFKR and Gentlemen Hall, was held at Carzo Cage in Cousens Gymnasium this Saturday evening.

According to Concert Board Co-Chairs Matthew Marber and Kathryn Gibb, about 1,100 tickets were sold, as opposed to 1,350 tickets sold at last year’s event.

Gibb, a junior, attributed the lower ticket sales to the time conflict with many other events happening that night, including the sQ! show, the Tufts Symphony Orchestra concert and the Sarabande performance.

“Considering how busy the day was for the rest of the Tufts population, I think that the amount of tickets we sold was pretty impressive,” Marber, a junior, said.

Boston-area indie-pop band Gentlemen Hall opened the show. Even though there were fewer students at that point given the show’s early start time, the students who were there really enjoyed the band, according to Gibb. “[The band] loved Tufts too,” she added.

“Afterwards they were hanging out in the crowd during MS MR’s set, and it was really awesome.”

Marber noted that Gentlemen Hall had a flute player who started the show with a two-minute flute solo.

“It was the coolest thing I’ve ever heard,” he said.

The second opener, STRFKR, had a DJ set to do mash-ups of its own music and others’ music because some of the band members were not able to make it to the

concert, according to Gibb. She noted that she heard both positive and negative reviews of the performance, although she believed that overall the set did get better and still went well.

Annie Gill, a sophomore who attended the concert, said that she thought STRFKR was a little disappointing and that she wished they had played their own songs.

Sophomore Miranda Willson said she had bought tickets for herself and her brother, who was visiting over the weekend, especially to see STRFKR. They were both extremely disappointed by the set and left before it was over.

“There were just so many unfortunate things about this year’s [concert],” she said, adding that the security measures at the entrance were excessive and annoying.

MS MR, which Marber described as an “indie-pop-rock boom explosion,” was very well received.

“The crowd responded really positively to them, and we confirmed this by talking to the artists after the show,” he said.

Gibb added that the audience was singing along and clapping at the right times, showing that some of the students knew the songs well.

“MS MR did a great job,” Gill said. “Their

Evan Sayles / The Tufts Daily

Gavin Merlot and Rory Given of Gentlemen Hall serenade the crowd at Cage Rage on Nov. 15.

energy on stage was a lot of fun, and their performance was impressive.”

According to Gibb, MS MR had just finished a tour, and Cage Rage was its last show of the year “They were really excited to close it out with a college show,” she said.

Marber explained that the duo had met each other in college, and he noted that the group was used to performing in a college setting.

“The artists were all really cool,” he said.

“They were all really willing to talk to the student workers.”

Marber and Gibb estimated that there were about 40 student volunteers at the event. They helped with setting up the stage the night before and on the day itself, loading in sound equipment and lights, setting up pipe, drape, bike racks and dressing rooms and getting things that the artists needed, according to Gibb.

Gibb and Marber said that the day of the concert went smoothly. Everyone behind the scenes, including student volunteers, event staff and administrators from the Office for Campus Life, worked together fluidly without major issues.

Gill agreed, saying that the event ran smoothly, it was easy to enter and exit and most people enjoyed themselves.

“I definitely had a rage in the cage,” Marber said. “My mind was blown.”

Gibb added that both she and Marber have been on Concert Board since their first year at Tufts, but this is their first semester as co-chairs.

“I think it was an awesome experience to see what it’s like having more responsibilities,” she said.

NYT columnist analyzes Germany's Students launch Retire position in world affairs Ronald campaign

by Patrick McGrath

by Emma Steiner

Daily Editorial Board

Roger Cohen, author and journalist for The New York Times and International Herald Tribune, gave a lecture titled “Germany: 25 Years After the Berlin Wall” on Thursday in the Crane Room. His talk focused on the current state of Germany in world affairs to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Cohen began by discussing his family’s move to Berlin in 1998, noting that at the time, “the city was in flux.”

He explained that he was interested in the development of Germany and the policies of the new government after reunification between East Germany and West Germany in 1990.

Cohen underscored that Germany was in the midst of a “debate about normality” as it entered the last period of post-war development.

During the period, people discussed whether Germany could be normal or proud of itself again.

“There was a new confi-

Daily Staff Writer

Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily

Roger Cohen, a columnist for the New York Times Foreign Section, speaks during “Germany: 25 Years After the Berlin Wall” in the Crane Room in Paige Hall on Nov. 13. dence, a gradual shedding of the trauma,” he said.

After leaving Germany in 2001, Cohen returned to the United States to assume the position of acting foreign editor of The New York Times on Sept. 11, 2001. He noted that the increase in American insecurity post-9/11 came alongside the increase in security in Europe with a newly reunified Germany.

“The Berlin I knew that was a construction site has become the confident capital of the new Germany,” he said.

Patriotism, too, has been on the rise in Germany since reunification, Cohen added.

“Patriotism is not of the flag-waving kind that you see in the U.S., but it’s there and it’s real,” he said.

Inside this issue

see GERMANY, page 2

With a workshop on Nov. 4, Tufts Food for Thought officially kicked off its Retire Ronald campaign to end McDonald’s use of mascot Ronald McDonald as a marketing practice that targets children.

Sydney Giacalone, a Food for Thought member who led the initiative on campus, explained that the campaign, which is a part of a project first started

by Corporate Accountability International in 2010, is running in conjunction with a week of live action activities in Chicago. “[Corporate Accountability International's] idea is that [by retiring Ronald], fewer kids will associate McDonald’s with [a] fun and social experience,” Food for Thought President Ellie Doyle said. “Their hope is that even though McDonald’s won’t change its food, young kids won’t be hooked on it from a young age. A big part of what makes people eat McDonald’s, or any other fast food for that matter, is nostalgia.”

Giacalone, a sophomore, led the workshop earlier this month with Hanna Saltzman, organiz-

er of Corporate Accountability International’s Value the Meal campaign, to get students involved in the effort.

Food for Thought hosted a call-in on Nov. 13 and 14 in the Mayer Campus Center to put pressure on McDonald’s Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Peter Bensen, according to Tufts Sustainability Collective Co-Director Shelby Luce. Luce, a sophomore whose organization serves as Food for Thought’s umbrella organization, said that students made 30-second calls to Bensen, who is in charge of the company’s marketing strategy.

“It was really attacking him to show that he does have the power to make this kind of choice,” she said. “I think [Corporate] Accountability [International] thought that would really get a message across, if you had a ton of calls in one day and emails and postcards.”

Food for Thought members kept the call-in as a surprise when they advertised the gathering, according to Doyle, a sophomore.

She said it was necessary to keep see MCDONALD’S, page 2

Today’s sections

Concert Board implements new marketing strategy with Spotify for Cage Rage.

Netflix to tackle “A Series of Unfortunate Events” as next original series.

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

Monday, November 17, 2014

News

Visiting the Hill this week MONDAY

“STEM Lecture Series — Allan Collins” Details: Alan Collins, professor emeritus at Northwestern University, will present as part of the Tufts Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education Lecture Series.

When and Where: 3 – 4 p.m., Halligan Hall, Room 102 Sponsors: Tufts Center for Engineering Education and Outreach, Department of Education “Implications of the Bubble Economy” Details: Robert Ayres, economist and physicist, will discuss his new book on the relationship between economic instability and the economics of energy.

When and Where: 4 – 5:30 p.m., Mugar Hall, Room 231 Sponsors: Global Development and Environment Institute TUESDAY “The Local Welfare Consequences of Hydraulic Fracturing” Details: Christopher Knittel, William Barton Rogers Professor of energy economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Sloan School of Management, will present as part of the Department of Economics Seminar Series.

When and Where: 4:30 – 5:45 p.m., Lincoln Filene Center, Rabb Room Sponsor: Department of Economics “Gandhi and Islam” Details: Ramin Jahanbegloo, researcher at the French Institute for Iranian Studies and fellow at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies at Harvard University, will present as part of the Center for South Asian and Indian Ocean Studies Fall program.

When and Where: 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., Cabot Intercultural Center, Room 205 Sponsor: Tufts Center for South Asian and Indian Ocean Studies “Poet Ariana Reines” Details: Ariana Reines, poet and artist, will speak.

When and Where: 4 p.m., Fung House Sponsors: Center for the Humanities at Tufts “Human Space Travel: Where Have We Been? Where are We Going?”

Details: Frederick Hauck (LA ’62), a former astronaut, will discuss travel in space.

When and Where: 8 – 9:30 p.m., Ballou Hall, Coolidge Room Sponsor: Experimental College

WEDNESDAY “Tales from Timbuktu: Architectural Destruction and Iconoclastic Power in Modern Africa” Details: Michelle Apotsos (LA ’06), assistant professor of art history at Williams College, will speak as part of the Art History Lecture Series.

When and Where: 5:30 – 7 p.m., Fine Arts House Sponsor: Department of Art and Art History “Scientific Imperialism, British India and the Origins of the Moroccan Protectorate” Details: Edmund Burke III, research professor of history at the University of California at Santa Cruz, will speak.

When and Where: 6 – 8 p.m., Barnum Hall, Room 104 Sponsor: Middle Eastern Studies Program “South Asian Religions Panel” Details: Damanpreet Pelia, a senior, will talk about Hinduism, Islam and Sikhism, while peer leaders from each faith will share their experiences.

When and Where: 6:30 p.m, Start House Sponsors: Tufts Asian American Center, University Chaplaincy

THURSDAY “If Not Now, When: A Checklist for Change” Details: Robert Zemsky, author and researcher, will present the inaugural Rosemary Johnson Lecture.

When and Where: 3 – 4:30 p.m., Ballou Hall, Coolidge Room Sponsor: Associate Provost Boris Hasselblatt “Panel event on Contemporary Algeria & Tunisia” Details: A panel of experts will discuss contemporary issues in Algeria and Tunisia.

When and Where: 6 – 9 p.m., Barnum Hall, Room 104 Sponsor: Middle Eastern Studies Program “Ferguson Teach-In” Details: Tufts Center for the Study of Race and Democracy will host a series of discussions about racial and social justice and the relevance of the recent events in Ferguson, Mo. to local issues of poverty, unemployment and mass incarceration.

When and Where: 1 – 6 p.m., Terrace Room Sponsor: Tufts Center for the Study of Race and Democracy —by Patrick McGrath

Students aim to retire Ronald McDonald as mascot MCDONALD’S

continued from page 1

the call-in a secret until it actually took place, because it would have more impact as a surprise.

Corporate Accountability International Media Director Jesse Bragg explained that several protests have taken place in Chicago, and many advertisements, letters, emails and calls have been directed at Bensen.

“In Chicago, a group of dozens of moms, young people and community health advocates [rallied] in front of a McDonald’s,” he said. “There was an ad in a Chicago-area paper focused on the corporation’s CFO, Pete Bensen. He is in charge and designed the bottom line of the corporation, and he should be concerned when he sees the corporation continuing to ignore the problem of serious profit loss.”

Profit loss is a problem for McDonald’s, according to Giacalone, who said profits have suffered in recent months.

“Their profits this quarter went down 30 percent,” she said. “This is a loss they have never seen before, and it speaks to how the

public climate on what Ronald means has turned so negative.”

Bragg also underscored that Corporate Accountability International encourages McDonald’s to retire Ronald as a mascot because the marketing campaigns target children.

“I think that when we look at the fast food industry, it’s no secret that the vast majority of the food that it sells to people at every age is very unhealthy,” he said. “The reason we look at Ronald McDonald is because he is used to target children.

Targeting children is not only bad for kids’ health — it’s bad for business. McDonald’s has reported dismal earnings, and rather then addressing the source of the decline, which is their unhealthy food, it continues to target kids and sell unhealthy food.”

Doyle explained that using Ronald to target children causes them to associate McDonald’s with positive experiences. Once kids have this association, it can create a lasting and unconscious desire to eat fast food, she said.

Giacalone said that Ronald’s retirement will only happen gradually, and that the goal is not to change the actual quality of McDonald’s food.

She compared the effort to retire Ronald to Corporate Accountability International’s previous effort to end the use of Joe Camel, the cartoon icon of Camel cigarettes.

“The goal with Retire Ronald is not to try to get McDonald’s to change their food, because their brand loyalty rests on their unhealthy food … but once you get rid of that tool used to target kids, sales are so much less,” she said. “If you look at child and teen smoking rates in the U.S. after they got rid of [ Joe Camel], they are significantly less. It is a way of decreasing the consumption of an unhealthy product without actually changing the company’s identity.”

On campus, Food for Thought aims to increase action for food sustainability and corporate accountability, according to Giacalone.

“Tufts has a lot of programs and talk about sustainable food

Simon Burchell via Wikimedia Commons

With its campaign, Food for Thought hopes to counter the fun and social image that McDonald’s portrays with the use of its mascot Ronald McDonald. and never has really done a lot with it, so Food for Thought is really trying to bring the Tufts campus into a real national campaign that is dealing with the issues that we talk about all the time,” she said.

Bragg and Giacalone said they hoped Tufts’ efforts can be

a rallying cry for Boston to get more involved in the Retire Ronald movement.

“This is only going to help echo the call in Boston,” Bragg said.

“Every voice that gets involved amplifies it and makes it harder and harder for the companies to ignore that this needs to end.”

Cohen discusses the responsibility of Germany in the world today Germany

continued from page 1

Since then, Cohen underscored that German relations with the United States “have turned somewhat sour,” noting that the two countries are at the worst point in their relations post-World War II with the recent National Security Agency surveillance scandals. The right to personal privacy, as shaped by history, has become sacrosanct in Germany, according to Cohen. “[Edward] Snowden is probably more popular today among young Germans than [President Barack Obama],” he said.

Cohen noted that the shared value system between Germany and the United States was meant to be one of the bedrocks in their ongoing alliance, but their different views on security and the right to privacy have raised serious questions about the countries’ cultural coherence.

“So the United States and Germany are still, I think, looking for a way forward together,” he said.

Cohen emphasized that today, Germany will have to look at how to be a problem-solver, especially with the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine.

As Germany is the most powerful country in Europe today, this will prove to

be an important issue, but Germany has been wary of embracing the power and responsibility that it already commands, according to Cohen.

“No nation knows the giddying power of might better than Germany,” he noted. “So Germany’s discomfort is understandable.”

Since reunification, Germany has come together and rebounded because of factors such as its strong economic performance, political farsightedness and luck, Cohen added.

“There’s something really remarkable about this degree of German success,” he said.

In analyzing Germany’s success, Cohen underscored the degree of cataclysm in 1945, when Germany realized what it had reduced itself to; this awareness instilled a form of prudence and preparedness for its future.

“Knowledge of that trauma has helped the country move forward,” he said, also noting the importance of social democracy in Germany. “Germany today is a remarkable success story in social democracy.”

However, leaders now use Germany’s guilt as an excuse for laziness and withdrawal from world affairs, Cohen said, noting that Germany is now afraid of

using its power in the world today.

“The country kind of glided into this new role, this sudden acquisition of power, without any deep reflection or debate on what should be done with it or what it meant,” he said.

Cohen underscored that it is not a good thing if a country as powerful as Germany today retreats in a world that is increasingly unstable and unanchored due to the United States’ withdrawal.

Germany, however, has resigned itself to being a merchant state, he said, noting the indecisiveness about Germany’s role in conflicts such as Mali and Syria.

“So I think the country’s been searching for a kind of strategic coherence,” Cohen said.

Cohen added that, based on its powerful business relationship with China, Germany needs to use this special connection to coax China to play a greater role in the world.

“Germany has unique leverage over China that needs to be used,” he said.

Furthermore, Germany’s connections to Russia must be used to help work with the country as it turns further away from the West and Western modernity, Cohen explained, noting that it will fall on Germany to find a new relationship with Russia given

the danger of the current conflict in Ukraine.

Germany will also need to continue to champion the European project, pushing for more proactive rather than reactive policies and a more federalized structure to revive the euro as well as keeping the United Kingdom in the European Union.

“Germany is too big to hide today,” he said.

Germany must move past its aversion to war, militarism and global dominance that come from the the post-Nazi German psyche and “find a way to be strong without menacing,” Cohen noted.

He said that he has never felt so anxious about the state of the world in his lifetime, particularly given the weaker position of the United States in the world today.

“I argue that Germany must reach farther,” Cohen said. “It’s hard to do so, but it’s possible.”

According to Cohen, the challenges the world is facing today are enormous, including the conflict in eastern Ukraine, the rise of the Islamic State and an economically depressed Europe.

“If Germany does not take on its responsibilities, and we if we see this retreat from the United States, I think that [would be] extremely worrying,” he said.

Features

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tuftsdaily.com

Concert Board employs new marketing method for Cage Rage

by Yuki Zaninovich Contributing Writer

For some Tufts students, mid-November is a time full of hardships, as classes are in their home stretch before finals week and the Medford weather transitions into full-fledged winter. To brighten the mood, Concert Board hosted its signature fall music festival, Cage Rage, this past weekend. The line-up this year consisted of openers “Gentlemen Hall” and “STRFKR” and headliner “MS MR.” In preparation for Cage Rage, Concert Board employed a completely new marketing strategy this year: creating a Spotify playlist with an array of artists, and deleting a few from the playlist every day until only the three artists performing in the show remained. It also randomly selected 25 of the playlist’s followers to receive a free ticket to Cage Rage.

The idea to use a Spotify playlist as a marketing strategy first arose when senior Kurt Oleson, the Tufts Spotify representative, reached out to the club about potentially collaborating on promoting Cage Rage. Concert Board then decided to publicize the event through Spotify Sound Clash, a national college playlist competition in which the university whose playlist attracted the highest number of followers by Oct. 19 would win $5,000, according to Spotify. Though Tufts’ playlist did not win, the campaign served its publicity purpose, with the playlist topping 750 followers as of Nov. 13.

According to junior and Concert Board Co-President Matthew Marber, Concert Board believed that the Spotify playlist was a success due to its uniqueness and its ability to captivate students. Unlike past methods of advertising such as putting up posters, painting the cannon and making Facebook statuses, the continuously updated Spotify playlist had students constantly thinking about the event and its line-up.

“We’ve never done something like this before,” Marber said. “It’s different in that it engages people before they’re even [at Cage Rage]. It keeps them on their toes.”

According to Marber, using Spotify as the primary outlet for publicity was not without its drawbacks: While having the playlist online kept students engaged for longer periods of time, it also restricted the number of students it could reach, since it relied so heavily on the use of social media. “[Our] only main approach of promoting the playlist was through social media, and you can’t reach as large a target audience with just social media, because it’s sort of limiting,” Marber said.

Another concern was how little student input was involved in the deci-

Alexandra Magnani / The Tufts Daily

Tufts students Matt Marber and Kat Gibb plan Cage Rage logistics on Oct. 30. sion-making process for choosing artists. According to junior and Concert Board Co-President Kathryn Gibb, artists had to be contacted several months in advance for them to feasibly perform at Cage Rage, forcing Concert Board to plan Cage Rage over the summer when getting feedback from students was difficult.

Though it was necessary, some students outside the group were frustrated by this lack of input.

“It really would be nice if [Concert Board] took student input into consideration,” senior Maddy Ball said. “It would be cool if there was some way for the rest of the student body to get involved. It’ll help [Concert Board] better act on what the student body has to say.”

Other students noted that the selection of artists over the past few years has not necessarily reflected the interests of the general student body.

“The choices are definitely a bit more [indie], so the music might not be as accessible to a large portion of the Tufts population,” senior Anne Donovan told the Daily in an email. “However, if one of your favorite random [indie] groups gets picked … then that’s exciting for you … I wish that Cage Rage could have been a bit more mainstream names, but I can understand saving the hype for Spring Fling.”

Despite the lack of considering student opinion, Concert Board went through an extensive decision-making process before ultimately settling on the three artists for this year’s Cage Rage. In May, the club compiled a list of approximately 100 artists that they could potentially request, according to Marber. After deciding on the balance of openers, headliners and local bands they wanted

to bid on, Concert Board began to narrow down its list based on its budget constraint for the event.

However, the budget wasn’t all that Concert Board had to keep in mind. Due to the busy schedule of the artists, availability was a huge factor in the decisionmaking; some luck was necessary for Concert Board to schedule its desired artists, according to Gibb.

“It all comes down to luck,” Gibb said.

“That they’re willing to play the show, to play with other artists, etc. — in the past, [we have] missed getting an artist by merely hours, because it is such a timepressured business and industry.”

According to Gibb, Concert Board opted for “Gentlemen Hall,” “STRFKR” and “MS MR” due to two key aspects shared by the groups: the ability to perform live shows well, and the ability to mix music with other bands’ music effectively. Concert Board wanted to make sure not only that the artists’ music was good, but also that they could put on shows that were captivating for the audience. They found that the artists’ ability to incorporate others’ tunes would be a decisive factor.

“Artists that can combine their music with music from other artists … will make the concert feel current and fresh,” Marber said.

Another appeal of the three chosen groups was that they had all already performed at major music festivals this year, such as Coachella, Boston Calling and Bonnaroo, which made this year’s Cage Rage more prestigious.

“We really wanted artists with name recognition,” Marber said. “We’re very happy to say that we [had] three high caliber artists coming this year for Cage Rage.”

Evan Sayles / The Tufts Daily

Seth Hachen of Gentlemen Hall plays his synthesizer and sings during Cage Rage on Nov. 15.

Lex Erath | Sugar & Spice

CleverDog

I

f you’ve ever read “S&S” before, you’ll know that I am of course an eternal optimist, and that this column has always been a ray of unadulterated positivity brightening up your otherwise dreary Monday morning. Maybe you’ve even marveled at my endearing tendency to think the best of people, or perhaps you’ve chuckled at my dogged determination to make this world a better place. (If so, you’ve grossly misunderstood the entire point of this column, and I suggest you drink another cup of coffee before proceeding, as otherwise you may continue to miss The Entire Point.) Quite honestly, I would love to begin everyone’s Monday with a glowing review of a new Hodgdon burrito or a warm-and-fuzzy anecdote about the innate goodness of Tufts students.

But, alas, that just doesn’t seem to be in the cards, and today, I have a topic so red-hot spicy that you’ll be lucky the steam coming out of your ears doesn’t set off the three nearest fire alarms, as well as half of Latin Way’s.

Now that we’ve weeded out the casual skimmers and the kind-hearted people looking to pick up some training tricks for their new puppy, it’s time to get down to the nitty-gritty.

To explain — I live in an off-campus house, and since the notoriously unreliable Tufts wireless doesn’t really extend that far, my house pays for its own WiFi. This is the norm on our street, so if you open your laptop more than ten different possible networks will pop up and you’ll have to select your own. And even though I’ve set my own as the default dozens of times, my computer loves to jump on my neighbor’s guest network, CleverDog_Guest. When this happens, my computer will load everything extremely slowly or just randomly close the internet sites I’m using. But it’s not just when I open my computer for the first time; sometimes I’ll happily be coasting along on my own reliable WiFi, and then suddenly I’ve added thirteen green peppers to my Instacart shopping cart because I’ve had to refresh the damn page over and over — CleverDog will somehow sneak onto my laptop and ruin everything. And for whatever reason, CleverDog seems to have singled me out to plague; no one else has this problem, but my housemates can attest to frequently hearing “EFF YOU, CLEVER DOG!” as I discover, yet again, the reason my computer is loading so glacially.

And, unfortunately, CleverDog WiFi is, indeed, named after my neighbor’s dog.

I have never seen said dog, but I picture it as one of those supremely ugly, furless creatures. I also really hope CleverDog has a real name as well, because from the sounds of my lovely neighbor screaming at it 24/7, the dog is anything but intelligent. CleverDog is also a huge fan of incessantly yapping in the early hours of the morning, and often employs intimidation tactics by fixing casual passersby with a beady-eyed stare from hell. For my part, I often lay in bed at night fantasizing about innovative ways to dismember and kill the little devil (I’m always taking suggestions!).

Since my hatred is rarely so concentrated, I wouldn’t be surprised to discover CleverDog keeled over in the driveway, struck down by the pure force of my abhorrence. Of course, I’m no superhuman, and do not (yet) wield the power to smite those I dislike (if I did, the world would be a much less populated place). So for now I must endure, but if anyone’s asking, I know nothing about the tiny grave on Prez lawn. See you 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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THE BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT PRESENTS THE BARNUM MUSEUM LECTURE 2014

“Population genomics of birds: applications to conservation, hybridization and natural selection by pathogens”

SCOTT EDWARDS Harvard University

Friday, November 21st, 2014 Barnum 104 4:00p-5:00p Reception will follow seminar.

Arts & Living

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Album Review

Azealia Banks showcases tremendous talent on debut album 'Broke With Expensive Taste'

by Veronica Little

Daily Editorial Board

Known for her brash social media presence and devil-may-care attitude, Azealia Banks has spent the past three

Broke With Expensive Taste Azealia Banks Prospect Park Records years fostering a bizarre persona in the hip-hop scene, all the while garnering a serious cult following. Amid nasty record deal feuds and fearsome Twitter battles, Banks has finally managed to release her debut album, “Broke With Expensive Taste.” Set to be released countless times over the last three years — a belated follow up to Banks’ breakout smash single, “212” (2011) — fans and critics alike were skeptical that “Broke With Expensive Taste” would ever materialize. Finally, however, Banks’ debut was released on Nov. 6 in an unprompted and almost secretive fashion. Though some say her release mirrors Beyoncé’s recent self-titled attempt — a coy, overnight media ploy — Banks’ release seems much more spontaneous. After such a sordid experience in the public eye and

The 405 (Music & Art) via Flickr Creative Commons

“Broke With Expensive Taste” displays the musical diversity and talent of rapper and singer Azealia Banks. with the music industry, an overnight release seemed to be the only way for Banks to regain some credibility as an artist. Offending many and never apologizing, Banks’ controversial persona has

dominated the publicity storm that has surrounded her — her music often falling on deaf ears as a result. see AZEALIA, page 6

TV Review

'Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee' goes down like a stale cup of joe

by Nika Korchok

Daily Editorial Board

For a show supposedly featuring intimate discussions with famous comedians, host Jerry Seinfeld spends an awful

Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee Starring Jerry Seinfeld, Amy Schumer, Kevin Hart, Dick Corcoran Seasons 1-5 online at comediansincarsgettingcoffee.com

lot of time talking only about the cars he drives on “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” (2012 – present). Granted, the web series literally follows Seinfeld as he picks up comedians in various automobiles and takes them for coffee to ask them questions ranging from, “What was the first bit you did on stage?” to “What was an early time you got in trouble?” But the viewer has to wonder, is this “Top Gear” (2002 – present) or a

web talk show with comedians as the sole guests? Perhaps, most confusingly, it is a little bit of both.

Now in its fifth season, the show seems to be picking up about as much steam as the broken-down Ferrari that Seinfeld used to pick up Amy Schumer on their way to Short Stop Diner for a cup of coffee. The third episode of the current season follows the two on the show’s typical formula: pick up comedian, chat, get coffee, continue to chat, have the urge to laugh alongside a laugh track and feel a little bit hollow and lost when none is provided. At five minutes into the episode, Schumer and Seinfeld were still not drinking coffee and knocking back hilarious repartee. Instead, Seinfeld compares the car’s creaky transmission to his digestive tract after a meal of Mexican food. (Did that once pass for funny on “Seinfeld” (1989 – 1998), or was the audience’s laughter then as forced see COMEDIANS, page 6

Dennis Van Tine/ABACAUSA.COM

Jerry Seinfeld tries too hard to be funny, accidentally squelching the organic comedy of his web series, “Comedians.”

Arts News

Netflix announced new original series based on Lemony Snicket's famous books

by Drew Robertson Daily Editorial Board

Another Netflix original is set to join the ranks of critically acclaimed and ravenously consumed series such as “Orange Is the New Black” (2013 – present), “House of Cards” (2013 – present) and “BoJack Horseman” (2014 – present).

The company will adapt the delightfully morbid and macabre children’s books franchise “A Series of Unfortunate Events” for the small screen, a Nov. 13 press release announced.

After hitting the movie theaters a decade ago next month, Lemony Snicket’s beloved Baudelaire orphans

— Violet, Klaus and Sunny — promptly disappeared from the pop-culture landscape. The 2004 film was a modest-to-mediocre hit compared to expectations and, despite buzz, there was no sequel. Furthermore, author Daniel Handler, pen name Lemony Snicket, seemed to accept that yesterday’s tweens — that’s right, those awful millennials — had left the orphans behind, and began to publish new works under his familiar alias.

“I was ready to abandon the Baudelaire orphans, but I wasn’t ready to abandon Lemony Snicket,” Handler said, perhaps with a hint of humor, in a 2012 interview with the New York Times.

Still, whether Handler is ready or not, the Baudelaires are making a comeback. Though the release date for this series is currently unknown, fans and critics of the series may well wonder, “Why now?”

Netflix Vice President of Original Content Cindy Holland hinted that the decision to bring the series back to life has more than a little to do with nostalgia.

“On the search for fantastic material that appeals to both parents and kids, the first stop for generations of readers is ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events.’ We are proud to start work on a series for a global audience that see UNFORTUNATE, page 6

Helen Schmidt | Around the Book Block

When to stop reading a book

B

ooks are awesome. There are millions to choose from every time you feel the inclination to curl up under a blanket with a cup of coffee and read. However, not every book is a masterpiece, and not every book speaks clearly to each of its readers. One person may relate to every situation, while another person can’t even begin to understand where the author is coming from. We’ve all been there, wondering if it’s worth our time to continue reading a book that is so far out of our realm of experience, that it can’t even communicate simple ideas.

Fear not, dear reader, for I am now here to help you! I’ve been in this situation many times, so here are my best tips for when it’s time to put down a book.

1. It’s just not holding your interest: Now I’m not saying this is where you can give up on books that begin slowly or take the time to set up plot points and develop characters. I believe you must wait at least until the halfway point to make the final judgment on your interest level. I’ve read quite a few books that start off horribly dry, only to discover a complete turnaround after trudging through a few chapters. Books sometimes don’t start very wildly, but that’s purely because they, like a lot of other things in life, need a little time and patience to develop. Waiting and understanding the decision to include seemingly pointless details will greatly increase your appreciation when those details are used to twist the plot later on.

2. Someone else told you to read it and it’s not something you would’ve picked up on your own: This is slightly more complicated. I’ve been recommended dozens of books that I never would’ve dreamed of discovering on my own and seen them become favorites. However, if a book is recommended to you, or if you decide to read it purely to stay with popular trends, it’s best to examine what you want to get out of reading the book. Reading something just to say you’ve read it is fine, but if in the process the book repulses you or you can’t understand why someone else would read and recommend this, put it down. It’s far better to discover your own favorites and not base your reading decisions on the experiences of others.

3. It’s too far out of your comfort zone: Now, allow me to contradict myself. I’m a big believer that books should disturb us, change us and surprise us. Our goals in reading should be to discover the hidden parts of ourselves, not to reaffirm what we already know. Some books, while they’ve been downright uncomfortable to read, have really influenced how I think and some of my actions. One such book is “American Psycho” (1991) by Bret Easton Ellis. For anyone picking it up, my words of advice are these: Don’t read it while you eat, and don’t read this book around other people. It’s a horrifying story describing the psychopathic tendencies of a man working on Wall Street, and it took a lot of determination to finish it. Now I am always on the hunt for books that have the power to induce such strong emotions. In some — but not all — cases the reward of forcing yourself to step way outside of your comfort zone is worth it.

I’m quite picky and determined to finish a book, so I often wait until all three conditions apply before deciding to put down my book. It’s always disappointing when a book lets me down, but on the bright side, then I have time to read another one.

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 17, 2014

New Netflix series could restore franchise after failed film adaption UNFORTUNATE

continued from page 5

already loves the books,” Holland said.

Well then, nostalgia and predictable business tactics it is.. As Holland indicated, Netflix seems to be taking advantage of the fact that a large portion of its target audience is familiar with, and even fond of, Lemony Snicket and “A Series of Unfortunate Events” — which includes books published from 1999 to 2006. But can it take that to the bank? If the 2004 film — which condensed the plots of the first three books into a modest 108 minutes — is any indicator, wide-scale recognition does not guarantee that these orphans will be moneymakers.

After all, “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events” had a total domestic gross profit of around $118 million, a measly sum compared to box office revenues generated by “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” the same year, or even 2005’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” both of which brought in over $200 million domestically. And presumably, the Baudelaires were better known and more popular in the mid-2000s, when the kids that grew up with the books were closer to the series’ intended age range, than they are today.

Undoubtedly, the new series will be as much of a risk for Netflix as a departure from the edgy, adult-oriented programming that has characterized previous hits like “Orange Is the New Black” and “House of Cards.”

However, it seems that Netflix will be looking to right some of the movie’s wrongs in its treatment of Handler’s work.

In her review, New York Times movie critic Manohla Dargis criticized “Lemony

PHOTOGRAPH VIA PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

“Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events” flopped at the box office in 2004, but will hopefully reconnect with fans as a Netflix original series.

Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events” for its cluttered and awkward screenplay. This after Handler was infamously fired as the project’s screenwriter … despite the fact he had already written eight drafts of the script. For Dargis, at

least, the result was a movie with “grievous” faults, lacking “the author’s sense of whimsy (or irony).” Perhaps in an attempt to avoid this kind of creative bungling, Handler will be an executive producer of the Netflix series.

With Handler at the helm, twentysomethings who loved the series in simpler days of braces and Floam can remain optimistic that “A Series of Unfortunate Events” will be resurrected again, with all the charm and chills of the original books.

Seinfeld’s web series draws star comedians but struggles to establish structure

COMEDIANS

continued from page 5

as Schumer’s feels now?) Seinfeld asks Schumer what she thinks of him, a question prompted by his arrival in a car that sounds so horrible it may in fact kill them. She replies, “Oh my god, I had so much respect for you, like, an hour ago.”

Us too, Amy. Us too.

Cheesy big band music plays as a soundtrack while the comedians are forced to interact with each other in this most treacherous environment: real life. One can’t help but feel for Schumer; as a performer, even on downtime, there is now the added pressure to play off of the secondrate energy that Seinfeld is doling out.

Slow shots of coffee beans being ground, espresso being made and various food preparation tasks being executed are interspersed throughout the conversation, images reminiscent of “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” (2006 – present). Guy Fieri, please come and help Jerry Seinfeld.

It must be really difficult for a comedian to figure out what to do with his life after realizing that all of his jokes were vacuum sealed and packaged into nine seasons of “Seinfeld,” preserved for any viewers living under rocks.

Other comedians featured on the show, such as Aziz Ansari in season four and Tina Fey in season three, shine even against

the dimmer switch known as Mr. Seinfeld.

“Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” is not a stand-up routine, and thus should not be treated, or executed, as such. Ansari and Fey understand the limits of a web series that ranges between six-minute and 18-minute long segments of conversations over coffee.

The comedy flows best when it is honest and organic, like when Ansari talks about the struggles of first doing open mics on the stand-up comedy circuit. Natural conversation allows everyday moments to bring in genuine comedy, without the necessity of assisted laughter via a laugh track.

In contrast, the humor fails like a broken sunny side-up egg when Seinfeld tries to use coffee time to present shticks on those pesky little every day struggles that are supposed to be relatable, but really feel like scenes from “Seinfeld” that were left on the editing room floor. Perhaps the failure of “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” lies not in its premise, one that is original enough to reel in audiences, or in its dialogue, which is entertaining enough to remind viewers why they like their favorite comedians, but in the uncertainty of the show’s presentation. While Seinfeld treats each episode as a chance for him to present new material to a semi-reluctant fellow comedian who just wants to enjoy his or her coffee, other guests seem to enter the show with a “Comedians are just like us!”

David Shankbone via wikimedia commons

Seinfeld tries, and fails, to create a chuckle worthy show. mentality and try too hard to be funny about everyday mundanities. Only the true comedic geniuses know that the funniest pieces of life come when you aren’t trying so hard, and unfortunately that’s something Seinfeld has yet to realize.

“Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” is available on its website, comediansincarsgettingcoffee.com. All five seasons of full-length segments, as well as “Single Shot” segments, are currently streaming for free.

Controversial artist, Azealia Banks, finds success in debut album AZEALIA

continued from page 5

Happily, for both Banks and fans of music everywhere, “Broke with Expensive Taste” is a total hit. With layered tracks, nasty lyrics and infectious percussion, the album showcases Banks at her very best: sexy and casual, uninhibited and dominating. “212,” the breakout single that captured the imaginations of many, offering a fresh and shocking perspective in hip-hop, managed to fundamentally carve out its own tiny corner of the music world. A harsh invective against the traditional patriarchy of rap culture, “212” catapulted Banks to the fore of a new and burgeoning music scene. The attention she received for “212” was well deserved, leaving listeners anxious for more from the then-twenty year old.

Though a late response to the early attention, Banks has managed to use “Broke With Expensive Taste” to carry the torch of her breakout single.

Musically, the album is diverse and experimental. Juxtaposing songs that could find a happy home on the top 40 against deeply experimental house-electro jams, “Broke With Expensive Taste” is an eclectic mix of sound and styles.

The album, multifarious and strange, works for one simple reason: the music is insanely good.

Notable tracks on the album abound, but a few standout songs are worth mentioning here. If there can be said to be a successor to “212,” it is the album’s opening track, “Idle Delilah.”

Though boasting a noticeably more subtle vibe than “212,” “Idle Delilah” also features unique percussion and artful production.

Another great track on the album is “BBD.” An acronym for “bad bitches do it,” “BBD” is a visceral track with a deep bass and an infectious hook. Banks’ verses on this track, sexual and unrestrained, are comparable to her most tal-

ented contemporaries. Throughout the album, Bank’s rapping harkens, not only to female rappers like Missy Elliot and Lil’ Kim, but also to the male heroes of today’s hip-hop world: Kanye West and Jay Z. What puts Banks over the top, however, is her enviable vocal talent. On track after track Banks spits poison to a contagious beat, and then ropes listeners into an enchanting lull with her smooth and seductive singing voice. The track that encompasses all of Banks’ skill is “Yung Rapunxel.” Released in March of 2013 to a lukewarm response, “Yung Rapunxel” finally finds its audience on “Broke With Expensive Taste.”

Ultimately, Azealia Banks is the artist to watch in the hip-hop world. Bouncing back from countless embarrassing situations, Banks has shown herself to be a dynamic and talented musician. She is proof of the fact that what’s most important for rap artists is that their music is good — it’s as simple as that.

Suzan / pa Wire / abacapress.com

Banks defies her controversial public figure with amazing debut album.

Monday, November 17, 2014

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BY THE WHOLE PEEING STANDING UP THING. BUT I TAUGHT HIM TO THROW A STICK AND NOW HANGING OUT WITH HIM IS THE BEST PART OF MY DAY. — EINSTEIN adopted 12-09-10

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Lend a hand, lend an ear

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Monday, November 17, 2014

EDITORIAL | Op-ED

Walking through the Mayer Campus Center, one would typically see the usual cast of characters: group project assemblies merging tables near Hotung Cafe, bundled up crowds waiting for the Joey away from the cold and ambling students standing in line for their caffeine fix from The Rez. This past Thursday and Friday, however, a handful of fully dressed clowns were added to the mix.

These students in costume — rainbow wigs, red noses and all — were not there for the entertainment and laughs that clowns usually aim to elicit. Instead, they were there with a less humorous agenda: to rally for the “retirement” of Ronald McDonald from advertisements in an effort to stop McDonalds’ commercial targeting of children. This initiative was brought to Tufts’ campus

by Tufts Food for Thought, who joined as a supporter of the project started by Corporate Accountability International in 2010. Corporate Accountability

International, the same organization that worked to remove Joe Camel from Camel cigarette advertisements in 1994 and subsequently changed the social climate toward and prevalence of youth smoking, intends to push McDonalds away from the use of advertisements that aim to hook children on unhealthy foods early on in life. In setting up tables in the Campus Center, Tufts Food for Thought’s goal was to enlist the support of the greater student body in calling the chief financial officer of McDonald’s and voicing its concern with the company’s marketing tactics.

The students, clad in clown attire, tried to prompt conversations with passersby by questioning how they felt about the infamous mascot. Although the clowns were hard to ignore, their pleas for 60 seconds of attention were still met with countless shrugs of indifference. And while everyone does “have to get to class” sometimes, there is something to be said

about how students choose to be a part of the campus activist climate. Tufts University is inarguably comprised of a very passionate student body, and hardly a week goes by during which a rally, information session or demonstration is not held in support or in protest of one cause or another.

And while there is merit in having one cause to believe in and support wholeheartedly, walking by other students whose causes presumably do align with your own may be a missed opportunity.

It is easy to assume that campaigns for environmentalism are only the responsibility of those involved with campus sustainability, without realizing that environmental health is intimately linked to disproportions of social and human health disparities. Every call for change is multifaceted, and before deciding that someone else’s cause for concern does not inspire you to personally lend a hand, it’s important to first lend an ear.

Jehan Madhani

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Off the Hill | Wake Forest University

Social media facilitates unhealthy comparisons

by Katie O’Reilly Old Gold and Black

It is essential that college students minimize their use of social networking sites every once in a while to experience life without constantly staring down at a screen and comparing themselves to essentially everyone they have ever known.

Social media undoubtedly has the powerful capability to connect old and new friends, family members and everyone in between, but constant connection creates this enormous force of comparison and, ultimately, dissatisfaction.

Yet, it is really important to recognize the fact that social media is one-dimensional. Most people, particularly college students, are likely to only post or share the positive events in their lives, which in turn makes someone’s life as it is por-

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.

trayed through Instagram, Facebook or Twitter seem perfect.

These event and life-sharing sites are, therefore, unrealistic. Despite this disconnect from reality, it is not uncommon for someone to step away from social media for a minute and experience an overwhelming feeling of dissatisfaction. It is quite easy to compare your life to your friends and peers and somehow feel like you could be doing so many better things.

And that may be true, but you can’t make your life better by scrolling through the photographic journals of others. Regardless of the fact that, yes, it does keep the world connected, it can become a very passive way of viewing life. Instead of doing something ourselves, we may be caught up in looking at what others are doing.

When we actually are living or doing something noteworthy, we are worried about sharing our pictures to

show the rest of the world, “Hey look, I am okay, I do interesting things too!”

We college students cannot spend some of the most vital years of our life glued to our social media accounts.

Yes, it is a great tool to stay connected and up to date, but it is also just as important to step away and experience the refreshing feeling of a walk from class without scrolling through your Twitter or Instagram account.

It can feel quite peaceful. And you are more likely to feel content with your own life, because you are not constantly looking at the living of others.

It can feel great to just soak up the moment and not worry about taking a picture to show everybody else; if you want to take a picture, take it for yourself.

Do not worry about what anyone else might say or think about it. Put down your phone and take a social media hiatus: You just might be surprised at how happy you feel.

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Monday, November 17, 2014 Op-Ed

The Tufts Daily

A new approach to Middle East peace

by Keren Hendel and Josh Zoland There is one essential word that has been lacking from recent dialogue at Tufts on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This single word is the greatest question on the minds of Israelis and Palestinians: peace. What everyone — students, activists and governments — must ask is how do we achieve peace?

Recent events at Tufts, including the petition launched to cancel Lt. Col. Dr. Shamir-Borer’s lecture at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and a call for boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) undermine our ability to discuss peacemaking on the Tufts campus.

It is only possible to build peace when the two parties in question will listen to each other. Circulating a petition to prevent an expert on both international law (Lt. Col. Dr. Shamir-Borer holds a master’s degree in International Legal Studies and a Doctorate of Law from New York University) and Israeli military practices the right to speak at Tufts stifles discussion on the peace process. If students at Tufts University refuse to allow the presence of an Israeli official on campus, how can we expect Palestinians and Israelis to sit down at the same table to negotiate a resolution to the conflict?

A mutually negotiated two-state solution is widely accepted as the only viable resolution. A peaceful existence between Israelis and Palestinians demands both a secure Jewish State of Israel and an independent State of Palestine. Politics and morality dictate the need for negotiations to ensure mutual recognition, security and freedom. “Pro-Israel” and “pro-Palestine” are not mutually exclusive. To be pro-peace, it is crucial to support both Israelis and Palestinians in their goal to live as neighbors in a tumultuous region.

This summer’s conflict in Israel and Gaza highlighted the necessity for a permanent, peaceful two-state solution. A child should never be forced to live in a bomb shelter, and a mother should never fear being killed in her home surrounded by her children. What occurred this summer was and remains a tragedy for everyone. Between July and August, Hamas fired over 4,500 rockets toward Israel from Gaza. Of those, 875 fell inside Gaza, often killing Palestinian civilians. Israel responded to Hamas’ rocket fire with aerial attacks, which killed both Hamas fighters and Palestinian civilians. General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, reported that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) “did some extraordinary things to try to limit civilian casualties.”

By making phone calls in Arabic, dropping warning leaflets and roof-knocking (creating a warning blast on the roof of a targeted building) the IDF risked losing its targeted terrorists in attempts to protect Palestinian civilians.

By placing rockets inside schools and hospitals and by continually violating cease-fires, Hamas put Palestinians directly in the line of fire and prevented negotiations for peace. By building terror tunnels into Israel, Hamas diverted crucial resources from Gazan civilian projects and instigated an unnecessary conflict. In its official charter, Hamas calls for the destruction of Israel, and explains, “[Peace] initiatives, and socalled peaceful solutions and international conferences are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement.” Hamas, by its nature, does not promote a two-state solution. In order for the violence to end, Israelis and Palestinians must

find a way to negotiate a solution, one that recognizes the legitimacy and security of both peoples. Hamas, an internationally recognized terrorist organization, does not have a role in a peaceful future.

Petitioning for the cancellation of Lt. Col. Dr. Shamir-Borer’s lecture and calling for BDS only harm prospects for peace through a two-state solution.

Leaders of the BDS movement have routinely failed to recognize the right of the State of Israel to exist and have failed to support the two-state solution. By boycotting Israeli businesses and academic institutions, the BDS movement condemns interaction between Israeli and Palestinian civilians and their political leaders. Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has urged the international community not to boycott Israel, because a boycott contradicts the PA’s recognition of Israel.

The BDS movement places one-sided blame, and does not encourage Israelis and Palestinians to come to the negotiating table.

Dialogue at Tufts and beyond should focus on genuine conversations and meaningful debates. We should focus on negotiations toward a two-state solution, which will inevitably involve compromise by both parties. Rather than silencing the discussion of peace at Tufts, we must champion it.

Keren Hendel is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. She leads the Tufts American Israel Alliance and can be reached at keren.hendel@tufts.edu.

Josh Zoland is a junior majoring in International Relations. He is co-president of Tufts Friends of Israel. He can be reached at Joshua.zoland@tufts.edu.

Off the Hill | University of Southern California

After midterms, failure to compromise will be lethal

by Nathaniel Haas The Daily Trojan

On Wednesday, Nov. 5, The New York Times sent the following breaking news alert via its mobile app: “Obama and GOP Speak of Cooperation.”

Beyond the utterly sad implication that politicians deciding to (heaven forbid) cooperate with one another warrants the title of “Breaking News,” the story that ran not just in The New York Times, but in all major news outlets, is correct factually — President Barack Obama and the GOP did speak of cooperation. The truth is, however, that it won’t be Obama and the GOP cooperating. Love ’em or hate ’em, the midterm election results will likely cause the Democrats in Congress to cooperate with the GOP. The difference is more significant than you might think.

Last week, I took a more pessimistic perspective: “The next two years will be a repeat of the last two: the only difference will be that Republicanauthored legislation will be getting shut down instead of Democratauthored legislation,” I wrote.

I was perhaps too cynical in my approach. Though the American people should not expect a fireworks show of political genius over the next two years, it is fair to say that I underestimated the potential and motivation of both parties, for two reasons. One deals primarily with the Republicans, and the other with the Democrats.

But first, the facts: In the House of Representatives, Republicans expanded their majority by 13 seats, a number expected to shrink to 10 after races that are still too close to call. In the Senate, Democrats lost their majority, with the Republicans expected to hold a 52-45 lead.

When it comes to newly and already elected Republicans in both cham-

bers, the reason they will reach across the aisle over the next two years doesn’t boil down to one sentence or even one word. It boils down to one number: 2016.

I wrote last week that a large (24) number of Republican-occupied seats are up for election in 2016, compared to just 10 Democrat-occupied seats, and that across the board, those elections take place in more Democratfriendly states. Though I’m almost certain that Republican Party leaders did not read my column last week, what is certain is that they are aware of these numbers. They are also aware that, collectively, the approval rating of the current Congress stands at 14 percent, making it less popular than used car salesmen, colonoscopies and Nickelback.

With control of both houses, the Republicans must be careful over the next two years to distance themselves from these negative numbers if they wish to insulate themselves from a rather grim 2016 electoral map. They must recognize that the only way to do this is to do exactly what they have not done while in the minority in the Senate for the last eight years: reach across the aisle to convince the American people that they are not the Congress that was less popular with Americans than an operation that sticks a tube up … well, you know.

The Republicans must be bipartisan despite some in the party who view the 2014 midterms as a clear mandate, a repudiation of Obama and a message to seize back control of Washington from the destructive behavior of Democrats.

They should temper this urge because this midterm electorate is far more conservative than electorates in presidential election years. The gap between voters under 30 and over 60 was the widest in 10 years, and though seniors

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Op-Ed

made up 37 percent of people who voted, young people made up just 12 percent. If Republicans interpret this as an excuse to hold more votes to defund Obamacare and debate policies more about a political statement than helping the American people, woe be unto them when Hillary Clinton and the Democrats clean their House, pun intended, and Senate in 2016.

For the Democrats, things are slightly more complicated. A very morose President Obama, speaking at a press conference Nov. 5, lamented that he heard the message sent by American voters. For many Democrats in the House and Senate, the President’s policies — including the rollout of Obamacare — were largely to blame for their defeat, something they have publicly acknowledged. In fact, Nov. 4, 2014, not the next inauguration on Jan. 20, 2017, might go down as the day Obama functionally left office, and the day the reins were passed to Hillary Clinton.

In terms of power dynamics, it is said that the party out of power is more motivated than the party in power. With a Republican Congress now and no more elections, Obama is a lame duck largely out of power with no chance for pushing an agenda (save for foreign policy), and the future of the Democratic Party now lies not with Obama, but with Democrat leaders in the Senate and House who have to save face for 2016 and beyond. It is those leaders, and not President Obama, who will truly be more likely to compromise with the Republicans, and who now have a good reason to do so: motivating the base for the 2016 elections.

If either party refuses to move to the center and compromise, it’ll have to enjoy listening to Nickelback on the plane home, while The New York Times breaks the news that it’s been voted out of office.

Adam Kaminski | The Cool Column

(Visual) note taking

I

f there has ever been a great dichotomy among college students, it might as well be the difference between those scrupulous, frantic note takers and the cool, platonic listeners. I, for one, have long been a loyal note taker, and I credit this decision to my high school calculus teacher and his vaguely racist jokes that prompted, dare I say required, transcription.

This contrast may even be tantamount to the differences between those who pee in the shower and those who don’t. A bold proposition, I know. But as I lay in my bed, wondering how I’d pull off another column this week, I started to question how different the two positions really are.

When you’re being tested on facts, figures and equations, I’d imagine the difference is stark. Details are essential, and I’m not sure I’d leave them up to memory — even the memory of an elephant.

When you’re not being tested, however, or when you are but not really because it’s a final “quiz” complementing a final paper, details become much less important than overarching concepts. Unless spelled out explicitly, these are more difficult to grasp immediately and require some thought, some turnover of words — from jargon used in class to one’s own vocabulary. In these circumstances, the difference between note taking and listening may be minute.

My question crystalized: Does taking verbatim notes facilitate the acquisition of novel concepts?

I was further fueled by the observation that, although note taking seems to keep students engaged in the classroom, it is in no way a prerequisite for attention, and I often ignore my notes postclass anyway. I rarely make the effort to read them over — maybe just once or twice when I’m referring to information for a paper or showing friends a vaguely racist joke the professor made.

And how could anyone forget Plato’s disdain? “Every serious man in dealing with really serious subjects carefully avoids writing,” he thought. Thank god someone wrote this gem down.

Disregarding Plato, to test my question and my learning process I pledged to take fewer verbatim notes. But this wasn’t enough. I also decided to try to accentuate the pros of note taking (keeping records to which you can refer) while diminishing what I think are the cons (the incapacity to analyze and interpret for yourself the information you’re copying).

To do this I channeled my inner artist. Well, my inner doodler.

Although Google spits in my face by telling me a doodle is nothing but a “rough drawing made absentmindedly,” I don’t think this is a fair assessment. In fact, according to the Chicago Tribune, doodling may be comprised of an instinctual visual language and even spark creativity.

This would be an interpretive, albeit difficult, method of note taking. I’d leave class with a unique and creative exploration into the concepts we discussed. My notes would be something I could refer to, and something more my own than regurgitated professor ramblings.

This was the plan, and this was more or less the outcome. Not audacious enough to test the power of the doodle on STEM classes, I started in the humanities and used stick figures, arrows, shapes, diagrams, flow charts and anything a pen could scribble that was not predominantly letters to convey intelligible meaning. Considering I understood about three-quarters of what I’d written, I’d judge that my base jump into doodling was a success.

This doesn’t mean that verbal note taking, even verbatim note taking, is a poor method. My adventures doodling do, however, highlight ways to think critically in the classroom. Whether you’re scribbling stick figures, simply listening to those dulcet tones or transcribing bad jokes, as long as you’re thinking, you’re probably doing well.

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

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

10

The Tufts Daily

FOR RELEASE NOVEMBER 17, 2014

Crossword

Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle

Doonesbury

Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis

ACROSS 1 Physicist for whom a speedof-sound ratio is named 5 Steamers in a pot 10 Post-WWII commerce agreement acronym 14 Toast topping 15 Lose one’s cool 16 Eight, in Tijuana 17 __ and rave 18 Stars, in Latin 19 What winds do 20 Book spine info 22 Acid indigestion, familiarly 24 Snigglers’ catch 26 Not feel well 27 Serious play 28 San Francisco transport 33 Daring 34 Ottoman governors 36 Chip away at 37 Prefix with lateral 38 Auto wheel covers 40 Fishing tool 41 Henry or Jane of “On Golden Pond” 43 Kal Kan alternative 44 0 45 Area where goods may be stored without customs payments 47 Oozy stuff 49 NRC predecessor 50 Scotch __ 51 Go-between 57 Performed without words 60 Mesozoic and Paleozoic 61 More pathetic, as an excuse 63 Four-legged Oz visitor 64 No longer here 65 Pacific, for one 66 Russia’s __ Mountains 67 “Puppy Love” singer Paul 68 Campground sights

Monday, November 17, 2014

Comics

by Garry Trudeau

Non Sequitur by Wiley

11/17/14

By Timothy L. Meaker

69 War journalist Ernie

Saturday’s Solved FRIDAY’sPuzzle Solution

DOWN 1 Satirist Sahl 2 Jai __ 3 Stripe that equally divides the road 4 Detective’s breakthrough 5 Tax season VIP 6 Mascara target 7 Start the poker pot 8 Actress Sorvino 9 Sacred Egyptian beetle 10 Male turkey 11 Rights org.

12 Son of Odin 13 Chrysler __ & Country 21 Nightmare street of film 23 Mah-jongg pieces 25 “Elephant Boy” actor 27 Blood bank participant 28 Washer phase 29 Manager’s “Now!” 30 Early computer data storage term

Married to the Sea

©2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC

31 Be wild about 32 Update, as a kitchen 33 Physically fit 35 Israeli diplomat Abba 38 Brownish-green eye color 39 Blog update 42 Scrolls source 44 “Pipe down!”

46 Spotted wildcat 48 Hightail it

11/17/14

51 Million: Pref.

52 Golfer’s choice 53 Unpleasantly moist 54 Medieval spiked club 55 Prayer finish 56 “No ice, please” 58 And others: Lat. 59 Clinton’s 1996 opponent 62 BP checkers

THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME

by David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek

INVEG ©2014 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved.

TIVDO FAYTES PARTUB

www.marriedtothesea.com Find us on Facebook http//www.facebook.com/jumble

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

SUDOKU Level: Going into a Thanksgiving dinner-induced coma.

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

Print answer here: Saturday’s

(Answers tomorrow) Jumbles: FLUID PINCH EXOTIC BEMOAN Answer: The repairman was single and his customers wanted to — FIX HIM UP

Late Night at the Daily

Friday’s Solution

Betsy: “Did you just almost run over me?”

Please recycle this Daily.

Monday, November 17, 2014

The Tufts Daily

11

Sports

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Tufts returns three NCAA qualifiers MEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING continued from page back

Taking Schmidt’s place and leading the Jumbos on the diving board this season will be sophomore Matt Rohrer, who finished 10th in both the one- and three-meter events at the NCAA Championships last season to cap off an impressive first-year campaign.

Also returning this year after competing at the NCAA Championship are Winget and sophomore William Metcalfe. After breaking no fewer than three school backstroke records at the NESCAC Championship meet, Winget made the final in the 100 backstroke at the NCAA meet and broke his own record to place 16th, earning him an All-America Honorable Mention. Metcalfe, capping off a strong first season, also broke a school record in the 200 fly to place 19th.

“Finishing 19th at nationals was huge for us last year,” junior tri-captain Cam Simko said. “It’s the first time we’ve been ranked top 20 in the nation in a really long time, and we did that with only four guys representing us at nationals. Our end of the year goals as a team are to get more guys qualified for nationals and more A-final performances at NESCACs.” The Jumbos will have more weapons than just the three returning NCAA qualifiers when they square off against the Panthers and the Owls next weekend. Captaining the team alongside Winget this year will be Simko and senior Mike Napolitano, both of whom swam national B cut times at NESCACs in the 200 butterfly and 500 freestyle, respectively.

Junior Anthony DeBenedetto, who was the school record holder in the 200 fly before Metcalfe’s NCAA performance, will also be returning, as will sophomore Luca Guadagno, who swam a B cut time in the 400 IM at NESCACs. Of course, the large and talented first-year class will undoubtedly bolster the roster of upperclassmen. According to Winget, it’s too early in the season to be able to really predict exactly how the first-years will transition to college-level competition, but those to watch this season will include breaststroker Morgan Ciliv, distance freestyler James McElduff, IM swimmer Zach Wallace, sprint freestyler Lorenzo Lau and middle-distance freestyler Neil Spazzarini.

And, of course, another bright spot this season will be having a home pool to swim in. Last year was marred by the discovery of a large crack in the base of Hamilton Pool over winter break, which closed the pool for maintenance for the entire second half of the season.

Although both the men’s and women’s teams were able to practice at nearby Malden and MIT facilities at off-hours, the lack of a pool was certainly more than an inconvenience and definitely a morale dampener as they were unable to host any home meets. It’s not clear how significant a role this played in the Jumbos’ training, but having Hamilton Pool fully functional this season can only be a boon.

“I don’t want to make the crack in the pool an excuse for our swim season last year,

Luke Machamer | Back Around the Horn because we still swam faster and dove better than we did in 2012-2013,” said Simko.

“Having to commute to other pools in order to practice was definitely exhausting and several guys—including myself—were burnt out by the end of the season. [But] that just makes me wonder how we would have finished if the pool problem didn’t exist, and gets me excited knowing that this year we have the resources necessary to have an even better season.”

Last year’s season may have been a relatively successful one, ending with the team’s best finish at the NCAA Championships since 2010, but that doesn’t mean the Jumbos are content. This year Tufts is looking to at least get back to the top three in the NESCAC, which would mean beating out an always solid Conn. College team, but the Jumbos are confident about their prospects.

“I 100 percent think the team can improve,”Winget said. “While we graduated a big senior class, we brought in a stellar freshman class, and they are already stepping up in a big way for the team. This should lead to positive results for the team because we filled some holes we had last year.”

“We graduated a class of 12 seniors last year and welcomed a class of 20 freshmen,” Simko said. “No one can replace the class of 2014, but we still have the numbers that we want. Tufts Swimming and Diving is a young team full of ambitious new faces and determined returning athletes—only good things can happen by mixing the two.”

Fans use WAR to evaluate players, but what do teams use?

INSIDE THE MLB

continued from page back

lation comes close to approximating how many more wins a player provides his team than a replacement-level player. Since WAR encapsulates a player’s production in terms of the value he provides to his team more directly than any other statistic, it is a statistic on which it would be reasonable for teams to base their contract offers. Another way to think about using WAR to predict free agent contracts is the idea that teams have to buy wins, and WAR is the best proxy available to evaluate how many wins a player adds. Thus, from a fan’s perspective, we can estimate how much money players should be making in any offseason by just looking at WAR. In his article “Methodology and Calculation of Dollars per WAR,” economist and sabermetrician Matt Swartz estimated the dollars per WAR point for free agents since 1985. From these estimations, it is pretty apparent that the amount players get paid in terms of WAR production over time is highly dependent on the year. Dollars per WAR point can be approximated by a quadratic time trend. Using this trend to extrapolate results for 2015, free agents should be getting paid approximately $8.2 million dollars per WAR point on average this offseason.

To understand the scale of WAR points, consider this range: Mike Trout, the American League MVP, led all players with a 7.8 WAR in 2014, and Corey Kluber, the AL Cy Young, led all pitchers with a 7.3 WAR, while a league average player produces approximately 2 WAR in a season. This means that Trout added approximately 5.8 more wins to the Angels last year than a league average outfielder would have and 7.8 more than the replacement outfielder. So, if Trout went on the free agent market today and was expected to produce at the same level as he does already, he would be expected to be worth about $64 million per year, while a league average player can be expected to be worth $16 million every year of his contract, assuming that his production level stays constant.

In reality though, $8.2 million is just an expected average. Individual players can get very different deals. For instance, better players tend to have higher dollars per WAR value. When considering only players who received qualifying offers in the last two seasons, the average dollars per WAR point rises

Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times

AL MVP Mike Trout led all players with 7.8 WAR this season. to $10.7 million. This may seem a bit counterintuitive; if the price of a win for a team is approximately $8.2 million, why would a team pay an average of $10.7 million per win for a player? The reasoning behind this is that WAR points across the league are a scarcity, so any player that gives a team the ability to store a lot of wins at one position demands a premium, while in reality, having everyone on your team producing 1 WAR is equivalent to one player producing 9 WAR and the rest producing 0. During any one offseason, it may be hard for a team to find enough 1 WAR players. By having the 9 WAR player, a team does not need to rely on the talent that is available in the market at any particular time.

More generally though, there are reasons beyond rational economics for why player contracts differ from the $8.2 million dollars per WAR framework. The dollars per WAR model is exactly that, a model. Teams have much more information available to them than fans do. With thorough scouting reports, better data

and medical reports, teams can make more informed decisions than fans can by just using a simple model looking at one statistic. For individual cases, WAR may not be telling the complete picture.

Running a baseball team is not like running a fantasy baseball team. General managers make informed decisions based on hundreds of hours of evaluations from all parts of their baseball operations and scouting departments.

The media will criticize contracts this offseason, often as a result of specific contracts deviating far away from the $8.2 million dollars per WAR figure. However, we have to remember that the public knows so much less than individual teams, and a deal that may look ridiculous today could be the deal that looks brilliant a year from now. Predicting future performance has a margin of error associated with it, and it is likely that a team, with more information and better experts, gets it right more often than the public.

Why PFT Commenter is Actually Good

T

he thing about bad things is that they are, almost always, bad. But what if something was so bad that it was, in some barely explicable way, good?

What if, by being so incredibly stupid, you could unlock new levels of enlightenment?

Well, my faithful, beautiful readers, let me tell you a thing or two about internet troll persona PFTCommenter.

For those unfamiliar with PFTCommenter, he is an anonymous presence on Twitter and several sports blogs such as SBNation.com and KissingSuzyKolber.com where he delivers blistering hot sports takes. His name means “Pro Football Talk Commenter,” a reference to idiot contest-esque commenter culture on the ProFootballTalk website. PFTCommenter delivers nothing but the stupidest, most offbase commentary on the NFL and occasionally other sports. His vitriol is the type one would expect from the average uninformed yet overconfident internet sports commenter. His tweets and longer form articles drip with spelling mistakes as well as references to “grit,” “lunchpails” and “intangibles.” He’s consistently supported the Redskins, their offensive name and their incompetent owner.

He recently called for the Dolphins to re-sign Richie Incognito. He’s also the best thing to happen to sports media in a while.

Some might say that PFTCommenter is a troll, and they would certainly be correct.

But in the current sphere of sports journalism, I’d like to think of him as an archetypical trickster. He meddles with and imitates several football writers and personalities such as CBS’s Pete Prisco and Sport Illustrated’s Peter King. For example, PFTCommenter writes a weekly column that runs on SBNation titled the “Monday Morning Bowel Movement”, a direct reference to Peter King’s long running “Monday Morning Quarterback.” Every iteration of the Monday Morning Bowel Movement comes with ridiculous recurring segments, such as the Joe Flacco Elite-O-Meter. The Flacco Elite-O-Meter is a jab at ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski for the career invalidating move of ranking Flacco as the fourth best quarterback in the NFL in 2013. When it comes to his Twitter, PFTCommenter will often retweet the genuine work of a professional sportswriter and have it blend in perfectly with his own nonsense. If it weren’t for the accurate spelling, “Love Nick O’Leary. No gloves, just old school like his gramps the Golden Bear” could have been a PFTCommenter piece and not a real-life tweet by sports radio host John Middlekauf. PFTCommenter has developed his style as a conglomeration of the most tough guy, sensationalist sports opinions. His continued echoing of and toying with sportswriters has done a lot to show that professional journalists and not just casual fans are capable of this level of terrible opinion.

Tricksters can be cunning or foolish, and it only takes a cursory glance at his work to make clear that PFTCommenter operates with the latter. I assume that the person who runs the PFTCommenter account isn’t an idiot, a racist, a drunk, or anything else characteristic of his online persona. Hopefully PFTCommenter’s perfect encapsulation of all those things brings enlightenment to the world of sports media. He consistently shows that sensationalism is no longer just for homers; it’s also common practice by many professionals. The fact this old boys’ club mentality is held by both PFTCommenter and serious journalists can only help to scare these writers into being smarter. When there is no discernible difference between a guy actively trying to be an idiot, and another guy actively trying to perform his job as an NFL commentator, that has to be an impetus for some change… right?

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

Sports

12

tuftsdaily.com

Volleyball

Tufts splits NCAA Tournament games

by Tyler Maher Daily Editorial Board

The Tufts volleyball team won its first game in the NCAA tournament since 2011 over the weekend, scoring a first-round vic-

VOLLEYBALL (22-9 Overall, 9-1 NESCAC) at Hoboken, N.J., Saturday Tufts Clarkson

15 20 25 22 — 1 25 25 22 25 — 3

at Hoboken, N.J., Friday Springfield Tufts

12 11 15 — 0 25 25 25 — 3

tory over Springfield College before bowing out after a hard-fought second round loss against Clarkson University.

“We went into this weekend knowing the importance of these matches as well as knowing the mental and physical challenges we would face and have to overcome,” coach Cora Thompson said. “I was extremely proud of our team for battling with two tough opponents. Our team controlled the tempo of both matches, and really kept the pressure on Springfield and Clarkson by challenging them defensively with our offense.”

Making their seventh NCAA appearance in program history, the Jumbos traveled to Hoboken, N.J. for the Stevens Regional.

Tufts was eliminated after Saturday’s second-round loss to Clarkson in four sets.

Tufts did not get off to a good start, dropping the first set 25-15. The Jumbos played better in the second set, posting their highest hitting percentage of the match at .269, but still lost 25-20. Tufts avoided the sweep with a 25-22 victory in the third set, only to be eliminated in heartbreaking fashion after narrowly losing the fourth set by the same score. The fourth set was equally close, tied at 19-19 before Clarkson closed it out with a 6-3 run.

Tufts fell to Clarkson for the second time this year, with the other loss coming on Sept. 5 at the Colorado Classic. The Jumbos played better this time around, but it was not enough to overcome the No. 15 ranked Golden Knights. Senior tri-captain Isabel Kuhel and sophomore Elizabeth

Evan Sayles / The Tufts Daily

Junior setter Kyra Baum sets the ball to senior middle hitter Isabel Kuhel in the team’s 3-2 loss to Williams in the NESCAC Championship Final on Nov. 9.

Ahrens combined for all 12 of Tufts’ blocks, posting six apiece. Junior Carolina Berger helped anchor the defense with a teamhigh 19 digs, while classmate Maddie Kuppe paced the offense with 12 kills.

“Berger did an excellent job leading our defensive effort, especially against Clarkson, who challenged us consistently,” Thompson said. “I was also very proud of our blockers, who forced Springfield and Clarkson to change up their offensive plans in order to stay in the match with us. Our block has been huge all season.”

The Jumbos started the weekend strong with a three-set sweep of Springfield College on Friday, exacting revenge on the team that eliminated them from the

second round of NCAAs in 2011 and beat them most recently at the MIT Invitational in September. This match proved much easier for the Jumbos, who won each set with a double digit margin of victory and nearly doubled their opponents’ point total (75 to 38). Tufts statistically dominated Springfield, outhitting the opponents .344 to -.048 and totaling more blocks, digs and aces en route to a quick victory.

Kuhel and fellow senior tri-captain Hayley Hopper — Tufts’ two representatives on the All-NESCAC first team and American Volleyball Coaches Association’s All-Region team — were both in top form. Kuhel recorded 12 kills, a match-high, in 17 attempts

Men’s Swimming and Diving

without making an error, good for a lofty .706 hitting percentage. She notched the gameending kill, her sixth of the third set, in addition to leading both sides with three blocks and three service aces. Hopper had 11 kills in 24 tries for a .292 hitting percentage. They were aided by Kuppe, the third Jumbo in double-digit kills with 10, and junior Kyra Baum, who compiled 32 assists.

“This weekend was so exciting for TUVB, and we loved the high energy competitive volleyball all weekend,” Ahrens said.

The Tufts team, which finished second in the NESCAC after losing the championship game to Williams, won 13 of its last 15 games to end the season with a NESCACbest 22-9 record.

Inside the MLB

Jumbos gear up for big season at Hamilton Pool How do free agents get paid?

by Maclyn Senear Daily Editorial Board

The 2014-2015 men’s swimming and diving season kicks off Saturday, and the Jumbos are eager to start off strong and sweep their season-opening trimeet for the third straight year.

This year, Tufts will face off against Middlebury in the opener, a team that Tufts has handled easily in each of the last three years.

The third team in the meet will not be Conn. College, as usual, but instead a Keene St. team that has given Tufts significant trouble in the last two seasons.

Part of what has made Keene such a challenging early-season opponent in the past, and will make them challenging again on Saturday, is that the Keene team can start training with its coaches in September, whereas Tufts, limited by NESCAC rules, can’t start until Nov. 1.

“Keene State is an extremely talented team, and they are not to be taken for granted at any point in the season,” junior tri-captain Michael Winget said. “As a swim team we love to swim against them early in the year because they push us to swim faster. That’s mostly what we try to get out of

by Morris Greenberg Daily Staff Writer

a total of 35 points for the team. A seven-time All-American with six individual NESCAC diving titles (three in the one-meter and three in the three-meter), Schmidt is one of the most decorated Jumbos to ever wear a Tufts uniform, and he will be sorely missed this year.

Now that the MLB offseason has begun, many fans anticipate that their teams will sign players to large contracts. It is an exciting time of year; fans can forget about their teams’ terrible 2014 seasons and hope that they get the right players for 2015. Of course, many teams will fall short of meeting their fans’ lofty expectations for the offseason, but most fans will never know the methodology behind the decisions that their teams make. The first step is understanding how players get paid in today’s free agent market.

Wins Above Replacement (WAR) is the go-to statistic for the sabermetrically inclined fans. WAR holistically measures player performance (including hitting, defense and baserunning performance) to estimate how many wins a player contributed to his team above the lowest value of production a team can tolerate. There are certainly flaws with WAR, the largest of which is that there is no standard formula, so different publications all calculate WAR in different ways. Still, each calcu-

see MEN’S SWIM AND DIVE, page 11

see INSIDE THE MLB, page 11

Tufts Daily Archives

Tufts swimmers prepare for a race during the team’s 122-178 loss to Keene State on Nov. 23, 2013. this meet. This is our first [trimeet], so guys just want to see where their times are and how their technique is feeling.”

Last year’s team rode a 4-3 record in head-to-head meets into the NESCAC Championship meet, where Tufts placed fourth out of 11 teams behind the perennial conference-topping duo of Williams and Amherst

and third place Conn. College.

Tufts then sent a pair of swimmers and a pair of divers to the NCAA Championships in March who racked up 50 points for Tufts to earn the team 19th place in the nation.

At that meet, Johann Schmidt (LA ’14) earned his second NCAA one-meter diving title and placed fourth in the three-meter to score