TuftsDaily2012-11-07

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THE TUFTS DAILY

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TUFTSDAILY.COM

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

VOLUME LXIV, NUMBER 40

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Four more for Obama

Hannah Fingerhut Daily Editorial Board

President Barack Obama was re-elected for a second term of office yesterday, defeating former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney with a narrow lead in critical battleground states.

After a campaign focused on reviving the economy and rebuilding America, Obama was projected to win by CNN, ABC News, NBC News and Fox News when Ohio was called blue before midnight, pushing Obama over the 270 electoral votes needed to win the election.

“We’re all in this together.

That’s how we campaigned, and that’s who we are,” Obama tweeted before his victory was officially announced last night.

The victory was a result of Obama pulling ahead in close races in Ohio, Wisconsin, Colorado and Iowa to reach 303 electoral votes to Romney’s 206, according to CNN reports at press time.

Florida remained in deadlock as votes were counted throughout the night and remained undecided at press time.

Obama also won Michigan, where Romney was born and his father served as governor, and Massachusetts, where the former governor currently lives.

Despite an advantage in electoral votes, the popular vote remained tight, as Obama won the popular vote 50 percent to 49 percent, according to CNN at press time — a margin of roughly one million votes.

Obama’s victory is accompanied by key Democratic wins in Senate races across the country to maintain control of

the Senate, with Democrat Elizabeth Warren defeating Republican Senator Scott Brown in Massachusetts and Democratic Representative Joe Donnelly upsetting Tea Party candidate Richard Mourdock in the Indiana Senate race.

Winning 216 seats to the Democrats’ 159, the House of Representatives maintained a Republican majority, unofficial numbers projected by NBC and CNN at press time.

According to polling averages gathered by Real Clear

Politics throughout the campaign and projections leading up to Election Day, the presidential race was expected to be extremely close with a high chance of staying undecided far beyond Election night, depending on states like Ohio.

However, turnout proved to be in favor of the president, who took the clear majority in significant demographics including black, Hispanic, Asian, female and moderate see OBAMA, page 3

Warren defeats Brown for Students celebrate at Massachusetts Senate seat Election Night festivities by

Nina Goldman

Daily Editorial Board

Elizabeth Warren took the lead in a close race last night to unseat incumbent Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass., LA ‘81), bringing the Massachusetts U.S. senatorial seat back to blue.

At press time, Warren took the state with 53.9 percent of the vote. Brown has held the contested seat since Feb. 4, 2010, after winning a special election over Democrat Martha Coakley for the late longtime Senator Ted Kennedy’s seat.

The first female senator elected in Massachusetts, Warren is a Harvard Law Professor who has never held elected office. She is largely known for her work on consumer rights, which led to the creation of U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Warren referenced her seat’s former occupant in her acceptance speech,

affirming her commitment to upholding his legacy in the state.

“It was exactly 50 years ago tonight that Senator Ted Kennedy was first elected to the United States Senate,” she said.

“That night, 50 years ago, he said that he would dedicate all his strength and will to serve you in the United States Senate.

For 47 years, he lived up to that promise.

Tonight, I pledge to do the same.”

Warren also referred to Brown’s stated goals of uniting a bipartisan Senate as something she appreciated and wants to follow.

“We need leaders in Washington who are willing to break the partisan gridlock,” she said.

Brown, for his part, conceded with the promise of future political involvement.

“I’m going to still keep working for you, don’t worry,” he said. “Whatever the see WARREN, page 2

Inside this issue

by

Martha Shanahan

Daily Editorial Board

Students crowded around the Mayer Campus Center’s television screens and emcees during the Experimental College’s (ExCollege) Election Night Extravaganza last night, staring at Twitter feeds and reading assignments as they worked to keep up with both incoming results and their schoolwork.

All thoughts of today’s readings and classes were soon forgotten as friends and strangers rushed to embrace each other, high-five and shout refrains of “I’m so happy” when screens at the front of the room projected President Barack Obama’s win in the presidential election close to midnight.

University President Anthony Monaco planned to spend some time with students before heading home to watch the television coverage. Earlier in the day, he voted

alongside students at Gantcher Center, adding that despite living in England for many years, he is an American citizen.

Monaco enjoyed the opportunity to interact with students throughout the night.

“I was down at South Hall and they had an election party going on, so I got to meet the RAs [resident assistants] and some of the students there,” Monaco said.

He said that he was happy with the enthusiasm shown on campus for the election.

“It’s good to be here. The excitement is palpable,” Monaco said. “I did not expect to see so many people here, so it’s nice to see so many people out for the election.”

Tension dissipated as, one by one, screens throughout the Campus Center flashed states declaring Obama’s victory.

“I was worried earlier today. I’m from Ohio and I was not feeling good about my state,” see EXTRAVAGANZA, page 2

Today’s sections

Battleground states swung blue in last night’s election to clinch Obama’s win.

Students faced challenges at the polls while attempting to vote.

see ELECTION 2012, page 5

see ELECTION 2012, page 6

Election 2012 Arts & Living Editorial | Letters

1 9 12

Comics Classifieds Sports

13 15 Back

The Tufts Daily

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election 2012

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Tufts students campaign for Brown, Warren in senatorial race WARREN

continued from page 1

future holds, I am a fortunate man to be where I’ve been.”

The race, called at 9:47 p.m. by CNN, was close in part due to Brown’s moderate stance relative to many Republicans. Brown was named the Senate’s second-most bipartisan member of 2011, after Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), by Congressional Quarterly.

“It was just disappointing in general for the future of politics,” Ellie Monroe, a sophomore member of Tufts Republicans, said.

“It wasn’t just a loss for him, it was a loss for the moderates and the bipartisan-ness of Congress in general.”

However, the Washington Post cited Brown as voting with the majority of Republicans in the Senate 80 percent of the time, and some Tufts students felt that other issues outweighed Brown’s bipartisan credentials in the election.

“Scott Brown was somebody pushing for bipartisanship, but at this point in time other issues were just more important,” freshman Jeramey Evans, who attended the Extravaganza, said.

The candidates differ on several issues, especially taxes and immigration. Although Brown signed the Grover Norquist anti-tax pledge, Warren is a proponent of the Buffet Rule that would impose a 30 percent tax rate on millionaires. Also, Warren is in favor of the DREAM Act, which Brown opposes.

However, Brown purports to be a prochoice candidate, and Warren has said she will not approve a Supreme Court nominee who is against abortion rights.

The close numbers heading into the election led to strong voter turnout, with early reports indicating that it would exceed the record 3.1 million Massachusetts residents who voted in the 2008 presidential election.

Somerville’s voter turnout was around 71 percent, Somerville Patch reported.

“The precincts we voted at for Tufts had some of the highest voter turnout in the state,” Tufts Students for Elizabeth Warren Campus Coordinator Maggie Morrow, a sophomore, said.

The high turnout was reflective of the tight race, according to Associate Professor of Sociology Sarah Sobieraj.

“The incredible turnout within the state shows that people were aware of how close it was,” Sobieraj, an expert in politics and media, said. “It seemed the polls varied day by day.”

Warren and Brown were head-to-head in a University of Massachusetts, Lowell poll just days before the election, and the race has been a “hotbed of uncertainty,” unusual for Massachusetts, according to Sobieraj.

This led to an antagonistic vibe not found in most Massachusetts races, she said.

“I think it was fairly calm towards the end, but at the beginning it was fairly heated,” Sobieraj said.

Another indicator of the contest’s confrontational nature was the number and force of the campaign advertisements running in the state, which Sobieraj said made

Massachusetts feel like a swing state.

“I think residents were naive to that,” she said.

Tufts students on both sides of the aisle had been campaigning for months, and many went into the greater Boston area yesterday to sway voters. Bronwen Raff, president of Tufts Democrats and an intern for the Elizabeth Warren campaign since September, said she got an email at 1 p.m. yesterday emphasizing the closeness of the race and sent 40 canvassers to get last-minute votes.

“We’d been working all day on her campaign since 5 a.m.,” Raff, a senior, said. “We were working until the last 15 minutes.”

Morrow, who has been on the Warren campaign since January, said she felt the work of Tufts’ 27 Warren interns paid off.

“We worked so hard for so many months,” she said.

Although the race was close, the election of a Democratic senator was not unexpected considering Massachusetts’ history.

“It’s not a very surprising shift,” Sobieraj said. “Massachusetts has a long tradition of being a blue state.”

The other senator from Massachusetts, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), has held the office since 1985, and Brown’s assumption of Ted Kennedy’s seat was the first time it had gone to a Republican since John F. Kennedy took office in 1953.

“I think Elizabeth Warren is a return to a Ted Kennedy-type figure for the state,” Sobieraj said.

Raff said she found herself crying with other Warren volunteers when Warren’s victory was announced.

“The general reaction is amazing. Everyone is so excited,” she said. “It was incredible.”

Tufts students worked for a Warren win in ways beyond interning and canvassing.

“Everyone in my suite went insane when Warren was called, and we were all very involved in that,” Walker Bristol, a junior, said. “I changed my registration from North Carolina to Massachusetts to vote for Warren.”

With Warren set to take office Jan. 3, 2013, Tufts community members are looking toward her impact on students, the state and the country. Freshman Extravaganza attendee Sarah Vandewalle said she was happy to see a female senator for the state.

“I’m glad to see women Democrats coming to Congress,” she said.

While Sobieraj agreed that it is always good to have women and members of other underrepresented groups in office, she felt that Warren’s policies would not differ from those of her male colleagues in many areas.

“In terms of reproductive rights, because Democrats are largely prochoice, I don’t think there will be a radical difference,” she said.

Raff emphasized that she anticipates Warren’s election having a positive impact on Massachusetts and its communities.

“Honestly this can only bring good things,” Raff said. “It means a lot for students It means a lot for women.”

Virginia Bledsoe / The Tufts Daily

Students packed Hotung Café矬last night for the Experimental College’s eighth Election Night Extravaganza.

Students chant, cheer as election results announced EXTRAVAGANZA

continued from page 1

Austin Bening, a senior, said. “When Ohio came in and I got to color in my state [blue] ... I picked up another girl that I know from Ohio and told her, ‘This is Ohio.’ That’s pride.”

Efforts to maintain a bipartisan feel to the events were drowned out by an obvious preference for Democratic candidates and liberalchampioned ballot initiatives.

Cheers erupted when television networks called key states like New Hampshire and Colorado going to Obama, as well as when it was announced that Elizabeth Warren won the closely contested Massachusetts Senate seat with 54 percent of the vote over Scott Brown.

As Obama’s win in Pennsylvania was announced and cheers filled Hotung Cafe, ExCollege Associate Director Howard Woolf said he was pleased with the event’s turnout but wished the bias were less obvious.

“It’s wonderful. This is what we hoped for.

This is what happened four years ago,” he said. “My only regret is we really were trying to make this bipartisan, and obviously we have no control over it.”

Iowa, then Oregon, were called for Obama in quick succession. At almost 11:30 p.m. a disembodied voice came through the crowd from the front of Hotung’s main stage.

“Good news, everyone. We would like to announce that Obama has won Ohio,” the emcee said, as chants of “Four more years” and “Obama” overcame Hotung.

As the results of Massachusetts’ ballot initiatives came in — such as medical marijuana passing in a landslide — Jumbos in the Campus Center and online took the chance to discuss the issues with their peers and passers-by.

Shortly after the Massachusetts Senate winner was announced, the Tufts Republicans table packed up their signs and headed out the door.

“It’s disappointing,” Tufts Republicans executive board member Ellie Monroe, a sophomore, said of Republican incumbent Scott Brown’s loss. “But it was close. He can

come back in the future.”

Warren supporters high-fived and reveled in their candidate’s win.

“I’m so excited to see [Warren] heading to Washington,” senior Matthias Maier, who volunteered with the Warren campaign, said. “As a student I feel like Elizabeth Warren reflects my interests and she supports expanding student loans, which is very important to me as a student graduating with debt.”

Students moved throughout the Campus Center all night, buzzing with speculation and anticipation as they took in comedic analysis from political science professors like Dean of Academic Affairs James Glaser.

Student groups like the Institute for Political Citizenship, Friends of Israel and Students for a Sensible Drug Policy discussed issues related to the election. WMFO Tufts Freeform Radio hosts chattered into microphones broadcast throughout the Campus Center’s lounge area, bringing students and special guests like Monaco to the stage.

Television screens in Hotung blared the voices of CNN’s John King and NBC’s Brian Williams, oftentimes overpowering the night’s hosts — Tufts professors, administrators and students.

Late into the night, as the last results trickled in and campus settled into a post-election frenzy, the smartphones and laptops came back out. News anchors analyzed graphs showing voter turnout, some students slumped lazily in the lounge, sleeping or scrolling through their phones, while others stood on their toes on the Hotung balcony eagerly trying to catch results from each of the late-reporting states.

The staff at Hotung started work early in the evening, shouting out orders and rushing back and forth behind the bar to fill the coffee cups of wide-eyed poll watchers. Closing up the cafe at the end of the night, Hotung’s cashiers shut the gate around the bar and smiled to themselves as the crowd shouted, “Four more years.”

—Amelia Quinn and Jennifer White contributed reporting to this article

Dwindling Supreme Court approval ratings to depend on election A New York Times/CBS News poll conducted in June found that only 44 percent of Americans approved of the Supreme Court and how it has handled recent decisions, a drastic drop from the Court’s highwater-mark of 66 percent approval in the late 1980s.

Regardless of whether Americans approve of the Court’s decisions, this election cycle has affirmed just how significant an impact the Supreme Court can have on the lives of Americans. Perhaps the most influential recent decision in terms of the election was the nearly-2010 ruling in the Citizens United v. FEC case, which prohibited the restriction of campaign contributions from corporations and super political action committees (PACs).

The Center for Responsive Politics (CRP), a non-profit, nonpartisan research group, studies the effects of money and lobbying on American politics. According to research conducted by the CRP, super PACs have spent over $600 million this election cycle.

Professor of Political Science Kent Portney said that the changes created by the Citizens United decision reflect the Court’s important role.

“Americans have come to see the Supreme Court as an instrument for social change,” Portney said. This change, he argued, has shifted over time in its ideological slant.

“When I was [in college] the social change was liberal. It was focused on equal protection and equal rights issues,” he said. “In recent times that social change has been more conservative.”

Given the impact that the Court can have, it is important to reflect on how the president-elect will shape it.

“The question is how the Supreme Court [might] change in the next four years and in what direction might it change,” Portney said.

One change will likely be the retirement of one or more justices from the court.

Four sitting justices are septuagenarians, with 79-year-old Ruth Bader Ginsburg as the oldest.

“She hasn’t been in very good health,” Portney said.

The Court’s other relative-elders are liberal Stephen Breyer, conservative Antonin Scalia and occasional “swing vote” Anthony Kennedy. Given the Court’s current conser-

vative majority, any retirement could drastically alter its make up. Vacancies are filled by presidential appointment and Senate confirmation, giving President Barack Obama the potential to significantly alter the Court’s structure in the next four years.

During Obama’s first four years in office, he appointed two justices to the highest court: Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor.

Both women are among the Court’s liberal minority and indicate how he will treat future vacancies.

Obama’s potential appointments this term will be critical in how the Court handles future decisions, according to Portney. The most pivotal will be the Court’s handling of potential abortion cases and whether it upholds Roe v.

Wade, he added.

“It’s safe to say that there are four people who are on the Court right now who would be perfectly willing, if not eager, to find a way to overturn Roe v.

Wade,” he said.

He argued that the vacancy created by Ginsburg, who is pro-choice, would not alter the make-up of the court based on Obama’s decision.

“It’s a pretty safe bet that he’d choose somebody who’s pro-choice,” Portney said.

The liberal slant that Obama’s court would take could increase the already common complaints of court activism. Portney argued that too much hype is given to the debates between court activism versus strict constructionism, which is the belief in restricting the court to the views of the Constitution and its founders.

“Conservatives are willing to dispense with the idea of being non-activist when it serves their ideological purposes to be more active,” he said.

In any case, Portney said the next four years are likely to bring landmark decisions on not only abortion rights, but also issues like corporate influence and same-sex marriage. Still, he noted that it is difficult to determine exactly how these decisions will fall.

“It’s hard to predict what kinds of cases are going to come to the Court and how it might deal with those kinds of issues,” Portney said.

—by Jacob Passy

The Tufts Daily

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Obama re-elected, expresses hope for future of nation OBAMA

continued from page 1

voters, according to exit polls conducted by the New York Times.

The 2008 presidential election was particularly striking as a result of the enthusiasm of young voters, who chose Obama over Republican candidate John McCain by a margin of 66 percent to 32 percent, according to the Tisch College of Public Citizenship’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE).

With over 46 million young people eligible to vote in 2012, according to CIRCLE, 60 percent of 18 to 29 year olds voted for Obama, according to New York Times exit polls.

Obama delivered his victory speech from Chicago following Romney’s concession, thanking supporters at the rally for giving him the opportunity to continue to move our nation forward.

“The task of perfecting our nation moves forward. It moves forward because of you, because you reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression ... the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we are an American people and we will rise and fall together as one nation and one people,” he said.

With a first term marked by Obamacare, the removal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, economic stimulus and auto industry bailout, Obama declared that the best is yet to come.

He emphasized a stronger America and expressed optimism for progress

in creating jobs and security for the middle class.

“I’ve listened to you. You’ve made me a better president,” he said. “I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead.”

In a short speech presented from his headquarters after speaking to Obama on the phone, according to CNN News, Romney conceded early Wednesday morning.

“This is a time of great challenges for America, and I pray the president will be successful in guiding our nation,” Romney said.

Romney stressed the critical state that the nation is in, expressing hope that the government will abandon partisan bickering and reach across the aisles.

“I’m concerned about America. This election is over, but our principles endure. I believe the principles upon which this nation is founded are the only sure guide to a resurgent economy,” he said.

Obama reflected on his last four years in office to forecast the potential for progress that a new term will bring.

“That’s the country I’m so proud to lead as your president,” Obama said.

“Despite all the hardships we’ve been through, despite all the frustrations of Washington, I have never been more hopeful for our future, I have never been more hopeful for America, and I ask you to share that hope.”

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election 2012

Medford, Somerville residents head to polls Residents of Medford and Somerville yesterday joined Tufts students at the polls to cast their ballots, some waiting in long lines in order to vote.

Arthur Ramsdell, a Somerville resident, waited 90 minutes in line to cast his vote.

“I think it’s the biggest crowd we’ve ever had,” he told the Daily.

Adam White, a Medford resident, brought his infant daughter with him into the polling booth and voted because he believes it is part of his civic duty.

“It’s a surprising race, not that there’re too many surprises in the way the state’s going to go,” he told the Daily. “It’s an important part of what we’re supposed to be doing as the citizenry.”

Many voters said they were more concerned about voting for the six Medford and seven Somerville ballot initiatives than for the presidential candidates. Medford Resident Constance Schere cited Question 3, related to legalizing medical marijuana, as a high priority.

“Marijuana was really important. I know a lot of people who have suffered diseases in which case marijuana has helped them alleviate the pain,” Schere told the Daily. “A lot of people who are against marijuana don’t understand it because they haven’t tried it. They’re afraid. They think it’s a gateway drug. I think that hinders people from making an informed decision.”

Others were more concerned about

the way the candidates would represent them on hot-button issues.

Medford Resident Chandler Duncan, a Republican, voted for Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass., LA ‘81) with his wife, but could not support some of Brown’s voting record.

“We’re not real pleased with Brown,” Duncan told the Daily. “I don’t think he’s one of the better candidates that I’ve ever voted for. He supports Planned Parenthood, and he supports funding for abortion and contraception, both of which are things that I think my government shouldn’t be paying for.”

Somerville Resident David Courtney said he was so frustrated with the current crop of candidates that he abandoned both major parties and voted for Gary Johnson, the Libertarian presidential candidate. Courtney hoped that Johnson would garner at least five percent of the vote, allowing the Libertarian party to receive federal funding in upcoming elections and potentially ending the two-party system as we know it.

No matter their politics or priorities, residents shared excitement for coming to the polls.

“May the best candidates win who will take the best care of the needs of all of the people of the country,” Medford Resident Laura Punnett said. ―by James Pouliot ―Menghan Liu contributed reporting to this article

October 16

{

Obama

Second Presidential Debate

August 27-30

Republican National Convention

October 29

Hurricane Sandy (FEMA)

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) announced as Romney’s running mate

Romney -Graphs adapted from original published

by Real Clear Politics

Obama

October 22

October 3

August 11

Above, Real Clear Politics average polling data over the last six months graphed to demonstrate the neck-and-neck presidential race. Below, Romney and Obama were within one point of each other in the polls in the week leading up to Election Day.

September 3-6

{

Romney

Third Presidential Debate

First Presidential Debate

Democratic National Convention

Oct. 23 - Nov. 6

4

The Tufts Daily

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Captured: Election Day

Photos by: Virginia Bledsoe Justin McCallum Caroline Geiling Sofia Adams Nick Pfosi

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

The Tufts Daily

5

election 2012

— Hannah Fingerhut

Six swing states go blue to guarantee Obama’s victory by

Lily Sieradzki

Daily Editorial Board

Obama’s successful bid for presidency this fall depended on one crucial factor: his success in swing states.

This year’s swing states included Ohio, Florida, Colorado, Virginia, Wisconsin, Iowa and New Hampshire. As a result of their unique demographic and partisan divides, they continued to be key battlegrounds for Romney and Obama throughout the campaign until late last night, when all seven of these states swung toward Obama by slim margins, although Florida’s electoral votes remain in the balance.

This particular group of highly contested states is strikingly similar to swing states from 2008, 2004 and 2000, although it excluded past swing states Pennsylvania and Nevada, which went blue, and North Carolina, which went red. According to Associate Professor of Political Science Deborah Schildkraut, swing states remain unpredictable for several reasons.

“A lot of it is, these states just happen to have the right mix of Democrat, Republican, white, nonwhite, different economic classes, that lead it to be this perfect storm of being a very close state [that’s] not easily tipped one way or the other,” she said.

Obama’s swing-state successes garnered him a total of 303 electoral votes, well over the total of 270 votes needed for a presidential win. Though Florida’s 29 electoral votes are up in the air as of press time, Ohio, with 18 electoral votes, proved to be a critical contributor to Obama’s electoral success.

Ohio and Florida both have been historically decisive in predicting the outcomes of presidential elections.

“What really makes a swing state matter so much is how close does it seem to be, and how many electoral votes does it have,” Schildkraut said. “With Ohio and Florida you have this combination where it really is a total tossup, and it’s a significant number of electoral votes, and that’s what really makes it crucial.”

CNN reported that Obama took 50 percent of the vote in Ohio with Romney trailing close behind at 48 percent, a margin of roughly 100,000 votes. Although Florida remained undecided at press time, Obama led Romney 50 percent to 49 percent, again with a slim margin of just 100,000 votes. However Ohio and Florida are only two of a whole slew of important divided states home to many Tufts students.

Ohio (18 electoral votes): 50 percent Obama, 48 percent Romney With an entrenched rural conservative population and a large urban Democratic bloc, Ohio truly is a swing state, leaning toward Obama in 2008 but supporting Bush in 2004 and 2000. According to Politico, Ohio has correctly picked the winning candidate in every presidential election since 1960.

Sophomore Gabe Rothman is from liberal Shaker Heights, just outside of Cleveland, Ohio. He voted absentee for Obama and explained the importance of voting in his state.

“Most of the blue is concentrated in the cities, and everything in between is red,” he said. “So basically it comes down to voter turnout in Cleveland and Columbus and whether it will outweigh the turnout in the rest of the state. It’s pretty important to get to the polls or send in a ballot if you live in one of those places.”

Schildkraut emphasized the significance of voter turnout in split states such as Ohio.

“In Ohio, both parties are strong, both parties have had governors, both parties have had senators, both parties have a significant presence in the state, so it’s really a matter of convincing people to vote,” she said. “And we know from decades of political science research that mobilization efforts and get out the vote campaigns work.”

The polls remained neck-and-neck up until Election Day and through election night.

Despite strong rural support for Romney, the federal bailout of the auto industry and Ohio’s recently improving economy gave Obama the slight but crucial edge in the polls.

Many Ohioan students reacted to Obama’s win in their home state with relief and jubilation.

“I’m so incredibly excited,” senior Rachel Rubin said. “This is my first time voting, and I got to vote for an important county in Ohio, and so it’s an amazing feeling because my vote actually mattered.”

Florida (29 electoral votes): 50 percent Obama, 49 percent Romney Made famous as a crucial swing state in the 2000 election, Florida continued to be a hotly contested battleground for Romney and Obama in 2012. Florida contains a large population of conservative retirees, as well as a large and traditionally Democratic Latino bloc concentrated in Cuban communities in southern Florida and Puerto Rican communities in central Florida. In 2008, Obama won

57 percent of Florida’s Latino vote.

Sophomore Emily Quigley is originally from Parkland, a town north of Miami. She spoke of the demographic and regional differences that divide Florida politically.

“I lived in the southeastern part of Florida, so I was surrounded by a lot more liberalminded people and Democrats, just being in the city and surrounded by a lot of Hispanic culture,” she said. “You can definitely tell as you move north that people are more conservative and Republican.”

Schildkraut cited Latino pollster Matt Berrato, who said that polls may have underestimated the Latino vote because of small sample sizes and lack of polls in Spanish.

“To the extent that he’s right, that might make Florida more likely to go Obama than the current assessment seems to suggest,” she said. “So it’s possible Florida is not as close as we think.”

However, the Latino vote gave Obama substantial gains over Romney in Florida.

According to the New York Times, exit polls in Florida reported 60 percent of Hispanic voters voting Democratic.

Senior Veronica Richter expressed feelings of pride and accountability to vote in Florida.

“From the start, I’ve always felt very responsible from the beginning of the election because Florida’s a swing state. My state counts and it was very important for me to vote in Florida,” she said. “Today, I called my entire family to make sure they were all voting, and the only reason some of them got out there was because I called them.”

Virginia (13 electoral votes): 51 percent Obama, 48 percent Romney Virginia has traditionally been a Republican stronghold, although Obama carried the state in 2008. Virginia has a deeply entrenched conservative population in its rural counties, as well as a Democratic base among government workers in the densely populated suburbs close to Washington D.C. This liberal voting bloc prevailed in giving Obama the lead.

Sophomore Carolyn Flax hails from the small town Winchester in northern Virginia.

She said that although her hometown is conservative, she hoped the state would swing towards Obama.

“It went blue four years ago, I’m hoping it’s going to happen again,” she said. “In my area, people care a lot more about the economy and people are definitely more conservative.”

Flax’s hopes were ultimately fulfilled, with the liberal suburban voting bloc carrying Obama’s lead. Exit polls showed the econo-

my as the principal issue in this election.

“I couldn’t be more excited, I’m so happy Obama is elected,” she said. “I’m disappointed that [my county] went red, but my town went blue by less than 150 votes, so that’s pretty cool that I made a difference there.”

Colorado (9 electoral votes): 50 percent Obama, 47 percent Romney Colorado proved to be a significant and highly contested swing state in the 2012 election, with Romney’s campaign investing significant resources there. Obama’s win in the state in 2008 was the first Democratic presidential win there since 1992. Colorado contains Democratic pockets in the urban areas of Denver and Boulder, with strong Republican sentiment in rural areas.

Sophomore Kelsey Howe, who is from the town of Montrose, interned for Obama’s campaign this summer as well as in 2008. She emphasized the importance of each every vote in Colorado’s tight race.

“Basically, the way that the voting works in Colorado, all of the voting cancels each other out,” she said. “So a vote for a Republican, you have to get another vote for a Democrat to make it cancel out.”

Howe was thrilled by Colorado’s contribution to Obama’s win and especially thanked the campaign members.

“It was too close to call for so long, but seeing those numbers in Colorado makes me feel a lot of solidarity with the team there,” she said. “I really appreciate all the work they did, they ran an intense campaign in Colorado and it really paid off. I’m really proud of everyone who’s on the ground there.”

Wisconsin, Iowa and New Hampshire Wisconsin (10 electoral votes): 52 percent Obama, 47 percent Romney Iowa (6 electoral votes): 52 percent Obama, 46 percent Romney New Hampshire (4 electoral votes): 52 percent Obama, 47 percent Romney These three swing states all were sizable wins for Obama. Students from these states, and all swing states, acknowledged the significance of their votes in Obama’s achievement of a second term.

“Being a voter in a swing state gives you a bigger sense of responsibility when voting,” said sophomore Marcus Hunter, who is from Wisconsin. “For me, I know a lot of people back home who feels the need to vote for the person who makes the best America, because they know it’s a big decision and whichever way Wisconsin goes can make a big difference.”

The Tufts Daily

6

election 2012

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Registration mishaps cause issues for student voters at Gantcher Center polling location by

Amelie Hecht

Daily Editorial Board

Many hopeful student voters, some attempting to participate in the democratic process for the first time, ran into problems casting their ballots at the Gantcher Center polling location yesterday.

Several students showed up at the center only to be told they were not on the records for that polling location, according to head of Tufts Votes Jacob Wessel.

Some were redirected to different polling locations in Medford or Somerville, while others, after calling the City of Medford, were still told their names were not at all on the city’s list.

The addresses of some Tufts dorms are ambiguous since they are not located on an actual street, and the addresses provided to Tufts Votes by the Office of Residential Life and Learning (ResLife) for a few buildings did not match up with those on the City of Medford’s list, according to Wessel, a junior.

“I do not know exactly why some students were not on the rolls,” Wessel said. “It may be that the City of Medford never received their registration form.

But definitely the address problem must have been a factor.”

Tufts Votes did its best to reconcile the differences between the two lists and register students at addresses recognized by the City of Medford, Wessel said.

“We found some of the addresses were wrong when we checked with the clerks of Somerville and Medford in October, and we corrected the addresses which we found to be wrong,” he said.

In the days leading up to the registration deadline last month, Tufts Votes urged students who had not received letters confirming their registration to call in to verify that their forms had been processed, according to Wessel.

He noted that when students arrived at the polls, many — most commonly residents of Hillsides Apartments — were unaware of the address at which they had been registered to vote, and their names were often hard to locate on the precinct list.

“We, using our list from ResLife, had Hillsides listed at 10 North Hill Road, whereas Medford considered Hillsides 0 North Hill Road,” he said.

President of Tufts Democrats Bronwen Raff, who was operating the Tufts Votes hotline, said that an overwhelming majority of the approximately 120 calls received yesterday were from students facing challenges voting at the Gantcher Center.

“We knew it was a problem early in the day when students were calling and blaming us for not registering them properly,” Raff, a senior, said. “But upon further investigation we realized it wasn’t necessarily our fault, but possibly a problem with the

City of Medford.”

Raff said she and other hotline operators tried to explain to confused students how to cast a provisional ballot, which is a ballot used to record a vote when a voter’s eligibility is in question.

However, according to Wessel, some voters whose names could not be found on Medford City Hall’s list were denied the right to cast a provisional ballot.

“It is my understanding, and the understanding of the lawyer serving as an observer from the Elizabeth Warren campaign, that anyone could cast a provisional ballot who expressed an interest in doing so and they did not need to be on the Medford City Hall list,” Wessel said.

Emotions flared, and occasional disagreements broke out between poll workers and student voters as well as between Tufts Votes volunteers and poll workers, according to Wessel.

“At times it got frustrating for the Medford poll workers to have to deal with so many requests for provisional ballots,” Wessel said. “It is unusual for people to have to deal with people who do not know their street address, but Tufts is unique because Tufts students who do live in dorms often do not know their address.”

Representatives of Tufts’ Office of Community Relations came down to the polling location to check in with poll workers and thank them for their work,

sofia adams / the tufts daily

Ambiguous dorm addresses caused registration issues for students at the polls. according to Wessel, and employees from the City of Medford were involved throughout the day, attempting to help sort through the confusion.

“Everyone wanted this process to go well, but somewhere there [was] miscommunication about who could file provisional ballots,” he said.

By the time the polls closed, the tension had largely dissipated, Wessel noted.

“I believe at the end of the day, nearly every student who wanted to vote was given at least the opportunity to cast a provisional ballot,” Director of Community Relations Barbara Rubel said.

She explained that the university plans to put in place voter

registration measures to avoid similar issues from surfacing in the future.

“We have some work to do straightening out how our residential facilities list their addresses,” Rubel said. “A number of people have to put their heads together and prevent this kind of thing from happening again.”

Wessel noted that he is collecting stories from students who faced complications at the polls today in case of potential challenges to the precinct results.

“I would like to know everyone’s story in as much detail as possible so this won’t happen again, and so if anything can be remedied, I can make sure it is done,” he said.

Controversial issues appear on other states’ ballots Americans nationwide voted yesterday on ballot measures regarding contentious points such as same-sex marriage, affirmative action and marijuana legalization.

At time of press, Maryland, Washington and Maine were expected to approve measures legalizing same-sex marriage, and Colorado and Washington were projected to legalize possession of small amounts of marijuana.

If they do approve the measures, Maryland, Washington and Maine will become the first states to legalize same-sex marriage by a popular vote.

Washington’s legislature recently passed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, but opponents of same-sex marriage gathered enough signatures to put the measure on the ballot.

A similar issue happened in Maryland, where Question 6 asked voters whether to uphold the Civil Marriage Protection Act passed by the legislature. In Maine, a win for Question 1 would overturn the state’s ban on

gay marriage, which was enacted in 2009.

“It’s sad that it took this long — the civil rights movement is 50, 60, 70 years old, and we’re finally getting around to giving the same rights that everyone else has to same-sex couples,” Matthew Stofsky, a senior and Washington resident, said.

Minnesota also had a question on its ballot pertaining to the legalization of same-sex marriage. The state’s initiative, which did not pass, sought to amend the Minnesota state constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman. “[Minnesota’s initiative is] a constitutional amendment, which is really hard if not impossible to go back on,” freshman Julia Fowler, Tufts Queer Straight Alliance (QSA) treasurer, said.

All three ballot measures seeking to legalize same-sex marriage include protections for religious organizations and clergy, so they would not be required to perform same-sex marriages. “[If all three are passed, it] would be very

telling of what’s going to happen ... it seems like the general trend is more and more states are legalizing gay marriage, so if these three [were to pass], it might start a trend,” freshman Daniel Markbreiter, Tufts QSA’s freshman representative, said.

Oregon, Washington, Colorado and Arkansas voted yesterday on measures seeking to legalize marijuana, though Oregon’s and Arkansas’ measures appeared unlikely to pass at press time. The Arkansas measure, Issue No. 5, would legalize medical marijuana.

“I think having marijuana initiatives, particularly legalization passing, is sort of a sign to the federal administration and to other states that this is the [policy] that people on a basic level are moving towards,” junior Lauren Traitz, co-president of Tufts Students for Sensible Drug Policy, said.

Traitz said that she views states as a laboratory where new policies are tested, improved and demonstrated to the federal government.

“I think [the measure] gives legitimization to the medical marijuana field, which

I think is really important ... Medical marijuana will be used for legitimate reasons, and then people can have recreational marijuana,” sophomore Julia Wedgle, who voted in Colorado, said.

Elsewhere, in Oklahoma voters approved State Question No. 759, which prohibits special treatment or discrimination based on race or sex in public employment, education or contracts, essentially banning many affirmative action programs.

“My sense is that it doesn’t have a national importance ... Most states have already come to terms with how to deal with diversity, so a few states like Oklahoma and Texas are just still pushing back,” Professor of Political Science Kent Portney said.

The issue of abortion showed up on the Florida ballot with Measure 6, which sought to amend the state constitution to ban the use of public funds for abortions or for health coverage that covers abortions.

However, the measure did not pass.

—by Audrey Michael

Massachusetts voters examine three ballot questions

by Josh

Weiner

Daily Editorial Board

In addition to voting for public office, Massachusetts voters this year had three ballot measures to decide on concerning the statewide legalization of assisted suicide, medical marijuana and expansion of repair options for vehicle owners.

Question 1 was referred to on the ballot as the “Right to Repair Initiative.” This law grants vehicle owners and independent facilities the rights and information necessary to perform repair work on vehicles, which is currently restricted to authorized state dealers and repair facilities. It would give smaller garages the chance to do better business and operate on a wider basis.

Junior Nick Taylor, a registered Massachusetts voter, said he was unsure about Question 2, which would legalize assisted suicide, before the polls opened, but would vote in favor of the other two.

He expressed interest in Question 1, which passed by an 85 percent majority.

“The right to repair just makes sense from

my point of view,” Taylor said. “I think it levels the playing field for dealers everywhere ... It’ll be easier to go to a dealer that you can trust and know that you’re getting what you need from them. Plus, it supports local businesses — it increases the number of local garages where cars can be fixed, which will help them out a lot.”

Question 2 concerns the “Act Relative to Death with Dignity,” which would grant terminally ill patients in Massachusetts — people identified with six months to live or less — the right to receive a lethal medication from their own physician.

Tyler Maher, a sophomore, voted for all three ballot questions this year and expressed his support for Question 2.

“If someone’s been so reduced that they want to die, they should be able to die with dignity,” he said. “I don’t think a person should have to suffer, and I think it’s more merciful to allow them to choose their own life, especially because death is so personal.”

Sophomore Tom Mason chose to vote in favor of all three ballot questions but recognized that there may be some hesitation

among more conservative voters regarding Question 2.

“Anyone who identifies themselves as a practicing Christian, I expect would be opposed to this, as one of the tenets of Christianity is that suicide is a damning sin,” he said.

Nonetheless, Mason voted to support assisted suicide on Election Day. “I still believe it’s ultimately [the patients’] right to choose to end their own lives,” he said.

“While people who aren’t terminally ill should be advised against it, it should ultimately be their own decision.”

At press time, the measure failed to pass by a slim 51 percent majority. Junior Jamie Hoagland, a member of the Institute for Political Citizenship, said he was not surprised by this marginal outcome.

“It [was] going to come down to the wire,” he said. “It’s not really a partisan issue, and in the Commonwealth we have a lot of Catholics.”

Question 3, known as the “Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Initiative,” would make it legal for state doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes.

“We should be able to take advantage of its

healing power, and doctors should be able to prescribe it if they so choose,” Maher said.

“I say legalize it, as it gives the U.S. a huge taxable crop,” Taylor added.

After the marijuana initiative passed by a 63-percent majority, junior Lauren Traitz, copresident of Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP), expressed her excitement.

“I’m very happy about it,” she said. “I think one aspect of it is that movements like this [suggest] this growing trend among people in this state toward more liberal drug policies.”

“I think that when it comes to states versus the federal government, the states are better at representing the people ... and when we have ballot initiatives like this passing it sort of is a nice flag to the federal government,” Traitz added. “It reflects the desire of the people.”

SSDP co-President Allison Wilens, a junior, hopes this will generate more discussion about making marijuana legal for good.

“It’s really just looking like it’s going to be a conversation that politicians are going to have to have on a wider scale,” she said. “It’s an issue that people are taking seriously, and that’s what’s most exciting to me.”

The Tufts Daily election 2012

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

7

Campus Comment

Students in Hotung react to the results of the election “I’m very pleasantly surprised.

After 2000, I never thought that Florida would vote Democratic again. It’s a very happy moment.”

“For us [Tufts Republicans], it sucks that one of the more moderate guys is not going to be elected and the guy who wants compromise is not going to be elected, but you hope for the best with Warren.”

Michael Moore, sophomore

Ryan Grandeau, sophomore

“I was in the Women’s Center and people started to cry and then they stopped. I’m just so encouraged for the future of our country. I’m really excited, especially about the Marriage Equality Act.” Cammi Littlefield, senior

“I’m really proud of Iowa and glad they voted for Barack Obama. Unfortunately, I do often feel as if Iowa always goes to the politician with more money, and I don’t think that’s the right path for Iowa. I think that a third party would do a lot of good for the country and Iowans would benefit as well because it is a very conflicted state with problems on both sides. But I am very happy with the outcome.”

“I’m a Democrat, but I’m more down the middle. I enjoyed the victory, but I wasn’t overly cheerful. We have work to do.”

Kevin Campbell, junior

“I’m looking forward to four more years of Obama. I just think he’s a stronger candidate.”

Wesley Luna-Smith, junior

Kevin Hebard, junior

“I’m very happy because I think Elizabeth Warren was very vocal about standing up for the entirety of our society.”

Dan Teller, sophomore

Zeta Psi asked to remove Brown sign Zeta Psi fraternity on Monday was forced to remove a sign outside its house in support of Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass., LA ‘81) due to a university policy on banners.

According to Zeta Psi President Luke Sutherland, Tufts Republicans had contacted him and the fraternity over the weekend about hanging up a sign in support of Brown, who was a member of the fraternity while at Tufts. Tufts Republicans provided the group with the sign to coincide with the article about Brown published in the Daily on Nov. 5, titled “The long shot: Alum Senator Scott Brown reflects on Tufts experience.”

Sutherland, a junior, explained that he was receptive to the idea.

“I said we’d love to do it to support someone from our fraternity,” he said.

The sign was posted on the side of the house Sunday evening, according to Sutherland. Around 11:30 a.m. on Monday, a Tufts University Police Department officer asked the fraternity to take the sign down, he explained.

Co-President of Tufts Republicans Bennett Gillogly, who gave the fraternity the sign, was made aware of the situation.

“The Inter-Greek Council director got a call early in the morning by a student who complained about the sign for political reasons,” Gillogly, a junior, said.

Sutherland said the fraternity later received a call at around 4 p.m., after which the fraternity removed the sign.

He said that the brothers were unaware

of the banner policy beforehand.

“Even the guys who hadn’t been in support of putting up the sign were confused,” Sutherland said.

Gillogly added that Judicial Affairs Officer Veronica Carter also received calls about the sign. Gillogly said that the decision to take down the sign had been made by Carter based upon the school’s banner policy.

The rule is explained in the Tufts University Policy on Advertising/Posting/ Solicitation/Vending and Distribution section on the Office for Campus Life’s website. The relevant portion of the policy reads, “No banners may be posted on the exterior of any university buildings, including residence halls and fraternities and sororities.”

Carter was unavailable for comment.

Matt Berger, a Zeta Psi brother, said that he felt the decision was unfortunate in light of the upcoming election.

“We felt that it sent the wrong message that during the political election they would try to stifle political discourse, especially since the candidate is our brother,” Berger, a junior, said.

Sutherland said that a brother coming home from the library Monday evening found another sign in Zeta Psi’s front yard. The sign was previously used for a local ballot initiative but had been spraypainted on the back with the words “Scott Brown is Satan” and the number “666” in the middle.

kyra sturgill / the tufts daily

Zeta Psi was asked to remove a poster that violated Tufts’ banner policy.

Sutherland said his brothers were bothered by the sign.

“Everyone was upset because we were told we couldn’t put a sign up on our house and we broke a rule, and we complied with everything the school asked for,” he said. “It was very discouraging that someone would put that on our lawn.”

The fraternity is currently considering

its next course of action with regard to the sign, such as submitting a bias incident. Sutherland believes that if they do submit a bias incident, it could be among the first bias incidents based upon political discrimination. Sutherland said that the decision will be made when the brothers have the chance to meet after the election.

—by Jacob Passy

The Tufts Daily

8

election 2012

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Tufts Democrats and Tufts Republicans respond to election results Members of Tufts Democrats and Tufts Republicans reacted to the Massachusetts Senate race results as well as the presidential race results released last night. While the Tufts Democrats celebrated the wins of Elizabeth Warren in the Senate race and incumbent Barack Obama in the presidential race, Tufts Republicans were disappointed over Republican candidates Scott Brown’s and Mitt Romney’s respective defeats.

Tufts Democrats When Warren was announced victor of the Massachusetts Senate race, President of Tufts Democrats Bronwen Raff, a senior, said she felt ecstatic.

“First of all, the Warren win has been absolutely incredible,” she said. “I am so excited that that happened.”

When the presidential results were finally counted and Obama was officially declared the president for the next four years, members of Tufts Democrats rejoiced with many students in the Mayer Campus Center.

“We feel so good, the Campus Center is erupting and we’re so excited,” Raff said. “It was such a good call and it’s a clear-cut winner.

We were waiting for CNN to make it final and the Campus Center is screaming, they’re calling it stateby-state.”

Senior Maxine Builder, a member of Tufts Democrats, was initially concerned about reports of possible voting irregularities during the election. She was worried that Hurricane Sandy would affect the voter turnout in states such as New York because people would be confused about their polling locations.

Builder was much more confident with Obama’s chances after one of the first swing state’s results were announced as pro-Obama, even though she did not consider the result to be especially surprising.

Tufts Republicans When it was announced that Brown lost the Massachusetts Senate race, Tufts Republicans member Ellie Monroe said she was dissatisfied with the result.

“It’s disappointing,” she said. “I worked for the campaign through Tufts Republicans, and we did a lot of work for Scott Brown.”

Monroe believes that the Senate has lost a valuable member.

“I think it’s not only a huge loss for him but a loss for [the] Senate by losing one of [its] most moderate Republicans,” she said. “It sucks because the nature of politics will go very partisan instead of very bipartisan.”

She maintained hope for future elections.

“There’s always the next election,” she said.

“He can build up his base again.”

When the presidential results finally emerged

from NBC and then CNN, Monroe held hope that the projections would prove false. However, when the official results were released, Monroe said she accepted the defeat, complimenting Romney on his concession speech.

“I think things in the future will depend on the political climate four years from now,” she said.

“I thought Romney’s speech was good, especially when he was talking about the potential of the party, and bipartisanship and cooperation and tough times ahead. I’m disappointed that he lost, but we’ll move on.”

Tufts Republican member Jay Wong was not surprised by Obama’s win in Pennsylvania, one of the noted swing states.

“Pennsylvania has gone to [the] Democrats for something like the past four [elections], so you kind of have to consider that Pennsylvania was probably going to go to Obama,” Wong, a freshman, said.

Professors share their perspectives with national news sources In the months leading up to the election, Tufts faculty members provided sought-after expertise in interviews with prominent news sources such as USA Today and the New York Times.

“We spend a lot of time and resources building up a reputation in the media as a reliable source,” Peter Levine, director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) and director of research at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, said. “We have a press firm that helps us, and we issue very frequent press releases.”

Associate Professor of Political Science Richard Eichenberg said newspapers have a base of professors who can pro-

vide adequate information.

“Reporters go looking for what they consider to be authoritative reactions for their stories,” Eichenberg said. “My role is to comment as an expert.”

“They reach out to me,” Professor of Political Science Jeffrey Berry added. “I never contact them. When they’re doing the story, they look at recent stories that have run in other media outlets, so they see my name. It’s basically a snowball process, and it’s grown over the years.”

Over the past month, these three faculty members have spoken to the press on a variety of election topics. Berry has commented on the role of the Catholic Church in the election, while Eichenberg has discussed the role of gender, a sub-

Friday, November 6, 2009

THE TUFTS DAILY

ject that he also researches.

Levine has spoken to news sources about the youth vote, a subject he spends a lot of time studying.

“Young people ages 18 to 29 are a large bloc of 46 million eligible voters, larger than the senior population ... that could have a substantial effect on the outcome,” Levine wrote in an email interview to the Christian Science Monitor. “In 2008, if young voters had not supported Obama, he would have lost Indiana, North Carolina and Virginia.”

Berry said he strives to connect political science to the real world when talking to reporters.

“I hope that when people do call me that I give them objective analysis and

help to translate political science into English,” Berry said.

Levine said he pushes journalists to investigate other issues as well.

“Reporters want to know from us who young people are going to vote for,” he said. “We’re interested in deeper things, like how can young people be empowered, how can they be given attention by the campaign ... We were able to get the New York Times to write about young people who don’t go to college.”

“In short, we try to turn the story,” Levine added.

SPORTS

9

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Advertise with the Tufts Daily!

Web ads and print ads are available.

E-mail business@tuftsdaily.com

—by Alexandria Chu

Arts & Living

9

tuftsdaily.com

Theater Preview

‘Day Father’ explores memory, normalcy through childhood development by

Daniel O’Leary

Daily Editorial Board

This weekend will see the premiere of “Day Father,” the student-written fall major production for Pen, Paint and Pretzels, Tufts’ umbrella theater group.

The drama looks to complement themes seen in other Tufts productions this semester, such as “Our Private Lives,” and to set itself apart through its exploration of memory and morally ambiguous characters.

“Day Father” is directed by Junior Cole von Glahn, a drama major who has already been the lead or director for other Tufts productions. Von Glahn said that he started to become more attracted to directing than acting when he was in high school. He began to explore text analysis and how that affected the presentation of plays.

“It has to feel like writing a song or any of these other creation-based arts,” he said. “It’s just a lot of fun to take something in front of you and morph it and change it and think about ways other people have done it and mess with it yourself.”

Von Glahn went on to describe the process that led to the premiere of “Day Father” later this week: the play was first workshopped by senior playwright Lindsay Carpenter last year through

Tess Torregrosa for The Tufts Daily

see DAY, page 10

“Day Father” presents memory and childhood in a provocative, unusual light.

TV Review

New conflicts humanize ‘Downton Abbey’s’ characters by

Nayana Bijli

Contributing Writer

“Downton Abbey” portrays the lifestyle most people hope they could have if they lived in England a century ago.

Downton Abbey Starring Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, Jessica Brown Findlay Airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on PBS Decadent, stylish and high-class, the series oozes glamor and the special breed of romance found in films like “Pride and Prejudice” (2005) and “Wuthering Heights” (2012).

The period drama, which first aired in 2010, revolves around the high-class Crawley family and its opulent country mansion, Downton. Set in the early 20th century, the show centers on Downton’s inhabitants, including the Crawley family and the lives of its caretakers, including footmen, lady’s maids and more.

It encompasses serious explorations of the emotional issues that occur within the abbey, but also employs dry British wit through characters like the Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith).

Now in its third season, “Downton” has become increasingly concerned with the long-awaited marriage between Lady Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery) and Matthew Crawley and the looming financial troubles of the abbey. This marriage, see DOWNTON, page 10

Movie Review

‘The Sessions’ affirms hype

by Jaqueline

Noack

Daily Staff Writer

If awards are anything to go by, “The Sessions” is a unanimous hit: the film has already won both the

The Sessions Starring John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H. Macy Directed by Ben Lewin Audience Award and the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

This uplifting, heartwarming and often tear-jerking film opened in Boston last weekend.

In the film, Mark O’Brien is a poet/ writer who suffered from polio at a young age and is now confined to a gurney. He relies on an iron lung to breathe and has an assistant throughout the day. Already in his mid-thirties, O’Brien (played by John Hawkes) decides that he wants to lose his virginity before he dies. After receiving a blessing from his priest, Father Brendan, to commit this “sin,” he contacts a sex surrogate, Cheryl, played by Helen Hunt. Based on true events detailed in an article written by the real-life Mark O’Brien, this film explores one man’s joie de vivre, the complexity of human interaction and the great emotional power of a physically weak individual.

From the beginning, it is clear that “The Sessions” aims to be uplifting and joyous despite its relatively serious subject matter. Bright lighting, playful music and a relaxed Berkeley, California atmosphere accentuate its light, yet earnest tone.

O’Brien’s strong, magnetic personality immediately gains the sympathy of the viewer. His voiceover, a

Wikimedia Commons

The acclaimed period piece continues to be a hit.

see SESSIONS, page 10

Megan Clark | Where’s the Craic?

‘Waking Ned Devine’

W

aking Ned Devine” (1998) is a unique comedy that mixes slapstick silliness with reflections on the meaning of life, death and riches.

While “Waking Ned Devine” was actually produced in England and filmed on the Isle of Man, it is set in Tullymore, a tiny, coastal village in Donegal County. It also predominantly features Irish actors.

When Jackie O’Shea finds out that someone in his 52-person town has just won the lottery, he and his best friend, Michael O’Sullivan, set out to find the winner and ingratiate themselves with him or her. With the help of Jackie’s wife, Annie, they search high and low, dropping lots of money in the process. They are ready to give up when Jackie realizes that they have not yet spoken to Ned Devine, a frequent “lotto” player. He goes to Ned’s simple house and finds Ned clutching his winning lottery ticket, dead of shock.

Jackie, Michael and Anna’s attempts to get the money for themselves, and later to share the money with the whole town, drive the plot of the film.

“Waking Ned Divine” treats death with both dignity and humor. At first, Jackie is shaken by how unfair it is that Ned, the simple, poor fisherman, died before he could collect his lottery winnings of about seven million pounds. Then he has a dream in which he and Ned are traveling in a rowboat, floating in a golden sea. Throughout the dream, Jackie is very impatient and nervous, but Ned repeatedly assures him not to worry, the tide will take them where they want to go. When Jackie asks where that is, Ned says, “into the light.” It is a beautiful metaphor for death and the afterlife, and it represents the calm, kind composure that Ned displayed all his life. It is also what inspires Jackie’s ridiculous scheme to inherit the childless Ned’s money — a scheme that involves the hilarious character Michael pretending to be Ned. Later, when Jackie and Michael bring the rest of the town in on their plan and decide to split the money equally among all its members, the townspeople rejoice at Ned’s death. However, they also celebrate his life. They insist on holding a funeral for him, which becomes a reflection on life, love and friendship.

When the man from the lottery office shows up at the funeral, Jackie, who is giving Ned’s eulogy, is forced to pretend the funeral is for someone else. He begins to give a eulogy for Michael. He reflects that Michael was his best friend but he should have told him more often and continues to innumerate the ways in which Michael has shaped his life. Jackie says it would be interesting to hear your own eulogy and reflects on how sad it is that we do not say what we should until our friends are already dead. Sitting in the front row, listening to his own eulogy, Michael’s eyes well up with tears.

While it has its dramatic moments, “Waking Ned Devine” is also full of slapstick humor and silliness, including the image of a buck-naked Michael speeding through the mountain streets on his motorbike in an attempt to beat the lottery man to Ned Devine’s house.

What I love above all about “Ned Devine” is that it all works out in the end. The lottery man never catches the townspeople in their deception. None of the townspeople inherit the seven million pounds that could change their lives — potentially for the worse — but they all carry on a little bit spiritually richer thanks to Ned Devine.

Join me next week as I review “My Left Foot” (1989), starring Daniel Day-Lewis.

Megan Clark is a junior majoring in history. She can be reached at Megan.Clark@ tufts.edu.

The Tufts Daily

10

Arts & Living

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

3Ps’ latest production portrays family’s struggle

DAY

continued from page 9

Bare Bodkin, Tufts’ experimental theater group. Carpenter later approached von Glahn to see if he would be interested in proposing the play as the 3Ps’ major production for fall 2012. After the proposal was successful, von Glahn spent the summer doing prep work and research for the production.

“Day Father” centers on the family of Anna (Leah Bastacky), a young girl living with her parents who are referred to as Mother (Imogen Browder) and Father (Drew Page). The family, originally from a small farming village, decides to move to the city in order to pursue Mother’s artistic aspirations, but this does not work out as planned. The tension rises and Mother begins an affair with a man named Z (Artoun Festekjian) and starts to treat him like a second father for Anna. Anna considers him to be her “day father,” which leads to the title of the show. Von Glahn said that the show explores what it is like for Anna to grow up thinking that having two fathers is normal, and the play follows her from when she is five to 16 years old.

The memory aspect of the drama comes into play with Jason (Max Greenhouse), a character with an unknown connection to the family whose narration frames the show. Von Glahn said that the audience is essentially viewing Jason’s memories, and that this informs a lot of the design decisions for the show.

“I love memory pieces. I think memory is a really fun thing to put on stage because you’re giving such an abstract concept a very concrete definition,” said von Glahn. “You’re able to watch someone’s memory, which is not

Tess Torregrosa for The Tufts Daily

The latest 3Ps production examines an unusual family structure and its impact on a child’s development. something you get to do [normally]. So I think it provides a lot of opportunity for really complex design ... everyone’s done a really good job of finding artistic ways to represent things as though we were seeing a memory.”

These various aspects of the show are brought to life by the five-person cast of “Day Father,” which spans freshmen working on their first Tufts produc-

Optimistic ‘Sessions’ rises above heavy plot SESSIONS

continued from page 9

poetic internal dialogue that follows him throughout the film, presents his vulnerability in a way that only the audience can know as he makes a concerted effort to appear confident to those around him. This all changes when he meets Cheryl, his sex surrogate. Throughout their sessions, she eases his anxiety and guides him through sexual understanding.

These sessions parallel O’Brien’s “confessions” with Father Brendan, who is played by the always-delightful William H. Macy. Given that a gurney cannot fit into a confession booth, their conversations take place before the altar. The absurdity of a man on a gurney describing explicit sexual details to a priest in the middle of a church accentuates O’Brien’s conviction and exuberance, but more importantly shows his incredible ability to confide in and befriend the unlikeliest of people.

It would be unfair just to say that John Hawkes delivers a tremendous performance, as he does much more than that.

He has an astounding ability to transcendentally convey his emotions through only his face and his voice, something that is taken for granted by most actors. His fear, pain, anger, joy and ecstasy are all powerfully portrayed in an incredibly natural manner.

There is a fine line between empathetically appreciating a struggling character and pity-

ing him, but Hawkes does a remarkable job of not doing the latter. Amazingly, Hawkes was so devoted to this role throughout production that he must now physically pay for his complete embodiment of O’Brian: his chiropractor told him that during the filming his organs began to migrate because of the positioning of his body on the gurney.

Although Hawkes’ portrayal of O’Brien is the winning performance in “The Sessions,” Helen Hunt should not go unnoticed. After her successful acting career in the ’90s, she went practically unnoticed for the first decade of the 2000s. Though I was initially hesitant to see her in a lead performance in 2012, I found myself pleasantly surprised by her incredibly honest and natural portrayal of Cheryl in “The Sessions.” The relationship between Cheryl and O’Brien is at first awkward and uncomfortable, but as a professional, she finds ways to ease him out of his negativity. Throughout the film, the two characters develop an attachment that is at times too strong, leaving both of them confused and wanting more.

The central theme of sexuality in this film results in frequent nudity, yet these scenes never come across as explicit or overwhelming. “The Sessions” is a meditation on intimacy and human connection, both physically and emotionally. As Father Brendan says, the film is about “a dynamic voice in a paralyzed body.”

tion to senior Leah Bastacky.

Exploring the characters of “Day Father” was a highlight for the cast, though Bastacky said that playing Anna at different ages was both rewarding and challenging.

“From an acting perspective it’s ... probably the most challenging role I’ve played in a long time, and it’s really cool because, [since] it’s the world

premiere, we’re able to create these characters and infuse them with who we think they are,” said freshman Imogen Browder.

Von Glahn hopes the characters’ moral ambiguity will challenge the audience, making it difficult to identify their motivations. Von Glahn also thinks that the play will provide an interesting look at how people

construct their own realities, as most characters’ ideals are rarely realized. All of these aspects combine to make “Day Father” an evocative piece.

The show is running in Balch Arena Theatre at the Aidekman Arts Center from Nov. 8 to Nov. 10 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $7 and can be purchased at the Balch Arena Box Office or by calling 617-627-3493.

Season three of ‘Downton Abbey’ brings marriage, financial woes DOWNTON

continued from page 9

which seemed inevitable from the start, is definitely the freshest feature of the new season. Finally uniting the pair was a good decision on writer and creator Julian Fellowes’ part. The first few episodes have also started laying the foundation for the juicy and convoluted plots that “Downton” is known for.

In this latest season, the owner of the mansion, Lord Crawley, must also handle a bankrupt business and the stresses of managing Downton, a place that carries more meaning than the average house. Aside from serving as a symbol of respect and tradition, the abbey employs and is an important source of income for many. With this financial cri-

sis at hand, Crawley must decide between maintaining Downton and selling it. Forcing the uppercrust Crawleys to endure the commoner’s financial struggles will inevitably make the characters feel more human and relatable.

While Lord Crawley is occupied with his own dilemma, his daughter, Mary, and son-in-law, Matthew, embark on married life together and the family’s staff downstairs faces a number of its own troubles.

The story surrounding Anna Smith, lady’s maid to Cora Crawley, is not nearly as exciting. It deals with the consequences of the imprisonment of John Bates, Anna’s husband and Lord Crawley’s former valet.

Unfortunately, this storyline is starting to stagnate: Bates is in

prison, Anna is left alone and the plot seems stuck.

Fortunately, the same cannot be said for the rest of the show’s arcs and characters. With the eldest and youngest Crawley daughters married, the middle daughter, Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael), moves forward in her relationship with an older gentleman, Anthony Strallan (Robert Bathurst).

Though it is moving slowly, the show’s new season does not disappoint. How the Crawleys will deal with the new economic situation is a question yet to be answered: Will they lose the abbey and all it stands for? With trouble ahead for the Crawleys and their servants, it’s safe to say the drama within “Downton Abbey” is still going strong.

Wikimedia Commons

The popular British show has returned with a third season that shows a new side of the Crawley family.

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THE TUFTS DAILY Rebecca K. Santiago Editor-in-Chief

Editorial Ben Kochman Falcon Reese Managing Editors Jenna Buckle Executive News Editor Shana Friedman News Editors Lizz Grainger Stephanie Haven Amelie Hecht Daphne Kolios Patrick McGrath Laina Piera Martha Shanahan Melissa Wang Jenny White Menghan Liu Assistant News Editors Melissa Mandelbaum Audrey Michael James Pouliot Josh Weiner Hannah Fingerhut Executive Features Editor Jon Cheng Features Editors Amelia Quinn Derek Schlom Lily Sieradzki Emily Bartlett Assistant Features Editors Alexandria Chu Jacob Passy Melissa MacEwen Executive Arts Editor Kate Griffiths Arts Editors Alex Hanno Joe Stile Matthew Welch Alex Kaufman Assistant Arts Editors Dan O’Leary Caroline Welch Jonathan Green Bhushan Deshpande David Kellogg Seth Teleky Yiota Kastritis Peter Sheffer Denise Amisial Jehan Madhani Louie Zong Keran Chen Nicholas Golden Scott Geldzahler NewtonPortorreal

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Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Editorial

Cautious optimism in Obama’s second term

After a long, challenging campaign against a well-funded opponent and with a struggling economy fo fix, Barack Obama was elected to a second term as President of the United States last night. In his second term, Obama will tackle issues including a domestic unemployment crisis, America’s role in the Middle East, possible Supreme Court justice nominations and execution of health care and immigration reforms. Obama began to address these issues during his first four years at the helm, but failed to live up entirely to the message of hope and change that he conveyed throughout his 2008 campaign.

It is our hope that the president’s re-election will allow for more cooperation across the aisle, something that was difficult in recent years with Obama’s re-election campaign looming. The national sense of frustration with the country’s slow progress will hopefully be abated by Republicans working together to a larger extent with Democrats and jumping on board with many of Obama’s progressive policies.

President Obama’s commitment to economic stimulus and investment, including his American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, should effect improvement to America’s infrastructure and investment in

alternative energy sources. Our overall economic outlook remains optimistic, with a growing housing market and manufacturing sector, as Obama enters his second term. The president’s plans to continue investing in and seeking to improve education in community colleges are empowered by his re-election. Obama is also in a prime position to incorporate postelectoral bipartisan pragmatism to tackle our debt-ceiling negotiations as America approaches the so-called “fiscal cliff” at the end of next month.

On social issues, the president will likely have the opportunity to appoint justices who will preside over the legalization of gay marriage in the Supreme Court, the preservation of a woman’s right to have an abortion guaranteed in Roe v. Wade and the full implementation of his landmark achievement, the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, which will hopefully begin the process of cutting costs and improving nationwide health insurance access.

We expect that Obama will continue to support Planned Parenthood and measures for equality for women in the workplace. Sensible and inclusive immigration reform will also undoubtedly be on the agenda.

On the foreign policy front, the president will face an increasingly

tense situation in the Middle East, which includes nuclear negotiations with an uncooperative and hostile Iranian regime. He will also have to address the economic troubles in East Asia, particularly China. The president’s facility in international diplomacy will be tested, but he is capable of bringing his calm and belief in international cooperation to a field in which America has struggled in recent years.

Obama’s victory was hard-fought and split the country nearly in half based on, as of press time, the popular vote count. However, we should still carry our hope for real change — the platform that carried Obama to his post four years ago. Fulfilling these goals was a challenge throughout Obama’s first term.

But in re-electing Obama, progressive solutions to the issues of health care reform, gay rights, a better economy, a future for students and the average American, green energy innovation and immigration reform have all been supported and encouraged.

Though Obama’s next term is sure to bring heavy challenges, his victory speech indicated his determination to keep the country moving forward, progress that we cautiously hope will come in the next four years.

Denise Amisial Cartoonists Editorialists

David McIntyre Executive Sports Editor Aaron Leibowitz Sports Editors Ethan Sturm Kate Klots Zachary Kliger Alex Baudoin Jake Indursky Assistant Sports Editors Andy Wong Marcus Budline Virginia Bledsoe Caroline Gelling Oliver Porter Ashley Seenauth Kyra Sturgill William Butt Lane Florsheim Meagan Maher Gabriela Ros Clarissa Sosin Andrew Schneer

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correction P.O. Box 53018, Medford, MA 02155 617 627 3090 FAX 617 627 3910 daily@tuftsdaily.com

In the Nov. 5 article “The long shot: Alum Senator Scott Brown reflects on Tufts experience,” the fall of Brown’s sophomore year was incorrectly referred to as the fall of 1978. In fact, the fall of Brown’s sophomore year was the fall of 1979.

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.

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One 6 br apartment. Two baths.

Very convenient to school.

Washing machine and dryer in unit. Call 617-448-6233

4 bedroom apartments for rent on Ossipee road. Available June 1, 2013. Good Condition. Walking distance from campus. Call Maria (781) 942-7625.

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For rent- 4 bedroom apartment Teele ave, Somerville. Available June 1, 2013. $2800 plus utilities.

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Eisenberg finishes 7th at season-opening tournament MEN’S FENCING continued from back

last collegiate tournament.

“The Fall Invitational marked a terrific start to our tournament season, and it was great to see the competition we’ll be facing again later this winter and into the spring,” Eisenberg said. “Even without our coach being there with us, we came out strong and had a productive day.”

Also competing in epee were sophomore Robert Ruenes and junior Evan Moulson, who finished in 46th and 59th places, respectively.

Meanwhile, the Jumbos finished admirably in the tournament’s foil competition, as junior Carter Casey led the way for Tufts with a 33rd place finish. It was difficult for the majority of competing schools to place well in the Invitational’s foil competition, as eight of the top sixteen fencers, including the winner, came from fencing powerhouse Sacred Heart University. Tesser finished 58th for the

Jumbos out of 79, with junior Taylor Malone coming in right behind in 59th.

Following his performance, Tesser noted ways in which he would like to improve for future tournaments.

“I’m very proud of [Casey’s] performance, and while [Malone] and I had an off-day, sometimes you get placed in a tough pool,” Tesser said. “Personally, I’d like to work on internalizing the training I do so it’s more accessible when in a bout.”

In what came as the final event of Saturday’s Invitational, the Sabre competition marked a terrific end to the Jumbos’ experience in Northampton.

Sabre captain Eli Kohlenberg, a junior, finished 11th overall for the Jumbos, with James Keifner and Derrick Kane coming in behind at 28th and 67th, respectively, out of 85. Eisenberg was very impressed with the performances of all sabre competitors, especially Kohlenberg. “[Kohlenberg] had a great day, and

it was unfortunate that he missed the top eight by a single point,” Eisenberg said. “His final bout was a nail biter, but we’re all still proud of his performance nonetheless.”

Although it is a club sport, the squad practices three times a week for two hours at a time, and players are also encouraged by captains and their coach to practice on their own at a local fencing club.

Above all, Tesser believes that with continued preparation, the team will only improve for future tournaments, which will take place in January and February following a return from winter break, plus the USACFC Nationals in April.

“In the heat of the moment, you’re running on adrenaline, so it’s important to learn to keep a sound mind,” Tesser said. “As a team, we’re getting techniques down well, and I definitely think we’ll be ready to incorporate our moves into competition bouts come January.”

Lillard exceeds all expectations with Portland INSIDE THE NBA continued from back

in the lane. His playmaking for others has also flourished with an increased role in ball handling. Harden’s hot start has led to the whole team playing well, and the Thunder will regret letting the Beard go.

Honorable mention: Carmelo Anthony, Glen Davis Best start for a rookie Did anyone think that Damian Lillard

of the Portland Trailblazers would be this good to start the season? Many questioned using the sixth overall selection on Lillard, who played college ball at tiny Weber State. One thing scouts all agreed on was that Lillard can flat out score, but some wondered if he could keep up the production against quality opponents and players in the NBA. So far the answer is a resounding yes. Besides a rough outing against the Mavericks, a very stingy defensive team,

Lillard has scored at least 20 points in his first three games. He has shown that he can get in the lane as well as knock down the mid-range shot coming off of screens.

But Lillard is also a willing passer, dishing out at least seven assists in those games.

Showing the poise of Chris Paul when he first entered the league, Lillard is out to prove that this hot start and his high draft selection aren’t flukes.

Honorable mention: Anthony Davis, Jae Crowder

Permit process complete on project that originated in the 1980s SAILING

continued from back

“All the powerhouse teams around us have really nice facilities,” he said. “We finally got to the level of the other schools in terms of equipment.”

In addition to having a better viewing area for the regattas Tufts hosts, the team will also make use of the extra space on a daily basis.

As the colder months roll around, the team is looking forward to a central meeting place away from the elements.

For Legler, the open space upstairs will be the most useful because it will allow for extra coaching time by giving the whole team a place to gather at the end of every practice.

“Frankly, the benefits are pretty big,”

26:23

Senior cross country runner Sam Haney’s time in the eight-kilometer Eastern College Athletic Conference Championship race at Williams College last weekend. Haney led the field of 287 runners, and helped the Jumbos to a fourth-place finish in the competitive race, which was eventually won by Amherst. In the home stretch of the race, Haney out-ran two opponents to secure the No. 1 spot, earning himself NESCAC Performer of the Week accolades for the effort.

$25,000

Amount Los Angeles Lakers guard Steve Blake was fined for using inappropriate language towards a fan in the final seconds of a Nov. 2 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. After the fan called out to Blake, saying, “You need to knock down those open shots,” Blake exchanged words with the fan and continued to address him after fouling out of the game.

The Lakers have disappointed to start the season, posting just a 1-3 record thusfar in the early going of the basketball season.

Legler said. “In the old boathouse, we couldn’t do any sort of debrief. People would come in and just leave. With the new boathouse, the team will come in, put boats way on the first floor, change in the second and be ready for video on the third floor for a 15-minute debrief each day.

Besides the benefits to the team, with the dedication of the boathouse to Bacow comes another addition — the New England Freshman Championship trophy will be proudly displayed in the boathouse, complete with all of the names of the athletes who have won it since the ‘40s. So Bacow’s name will be not only on the boathouse, but also on the trophy inside from his time as a sailor at MIT.

DAILY DIGITS

1

courtesy ken legler

Construction on the new boathouse has commenced.

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New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan’s ranking in the category of most overrated coach in the National Football League, according to an anonymous midseason poll of 103 NFL players from 27 squads. Over a third of players polled voted Ryan into the No.1 spot. Players polled credited their votes by explaining that Ryan’s coaching style is “over the top,” and has resulted in very little postseason success even while he projects limitless confidence to the media.

Years since the men’s soccer team last received an NCAA Tournament bid. The Jumbos, who lost in penalty kicks to No. 1 seeded Williams in last Saturday’s NESCAC semifinal, received an at-large bid for the field of 62 on Monday. The team will face Vassar on Saturday evening at Brandeis University in first-round competition. The bid demonstrates a marked improvement in the last three seasons under coach Josh Shapiro. In 2009, the Jumbos went 2-10-2 prior to Shapiro taking over.

3

414

Number of NESCAC squads receiving bids to the field of 24 for the 2012 NCAA Div. III field hockey tournament. The No. 7 Jumbos, who fell to No. 6 Bowdoin 4-1 in last weekend’s NESCAC semifinals, are joined by the Polar Bears and by the No. 1 overall seed Middlebury, which rounds out the conference’s representation in the tournament. The Panthers used a comefrom-behind performance to outlast Bowdoin in one-on-ones in Sunday’s NESCAC finals, securing the nation’s top spot.

Passing yards thrown by Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer in a 42-32 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Palmer went 39 for 61, airing the ball out for four touchdowns, including one to fullback Marcel Reece, who finished the day with 95 yards on eight receptions. However, Palmer also threw three interceptions, allowing Tampa Bay back Doug Martin to capitalize for 251 rushing yards and four touchdowns of his own in the Bucs’ victory.

Ethan Sturm | Rules of the Game

The power of MVP

E

very dorky kid has those video games that define their childhood.

For some, it’s The Legend of Zelda.

For others, Super Smash Bros. was their cup of tea.

Well, as an aspiring sports fanatic, my early teenage years were defined by EA Sports’ MVP Baseball.

MVP Baseball was incredibly ahead of its time in terms of sports simulations.

Maybe it was the hitter’s eye that allowed you to pick up a pitch out of the pitcher’s hand, or the realistic way you had to flick the control stick to go with an outside pitch or pull one on the inside corner.

Perhaps it was the way you could use the c-stick to make diving stops in the field or carefully stretch your lead before breaking for second. Or it could have just been that while every other player in the game was real, Barry Bonds was replaced by a white guy named Jon Dowd.

Whatever it was, it had me hooked. I would go through entire seasons — all 162 games — in a couple of months. I’d get tossed for arguing a call even though it had no effect on the actual outcome of the game. I’d commentate on the Cy Young race, or play a game with my friends where we’d snake draft four teams each and then build a team out of the best players.

EA Sports is famous for its soundtracks, and thanks to the hours I put in to that game, I still have every word of every song encoded in my head, from The Bravery’s “Honest Mistake” to Louis XIV’s very odd “Finding Out True Love is Blind.”

What’s amazing is how well it’s held up to the passage of time. Sophomore year, a friend of mine had a Nintendo GameCube on campus and we decided to give it a whirl. As I dominated him with my secret weapon — Zach Greinke’s 50 mph curveball, which no one can hold off of when it drops out of the zone — I was amazed by the fact that I didn’t feel like I was playing a game from six years earlier, a time before Twitter or Facebook.

Of course, the reason I had to be playing a game that is now more than seven years old is because Major League Baseball pulled the rug out from under EA Sports, signing an exclusivity deal with TakeTwo Interactive, makers of the 2K Sports games. 2K was never able to live up to MVP Baseball — I never bought a single one — and baseball video games were relegated to a spot far behind Madden and FIFA. But finally, after years and years of darkness, there may finally be a light at the end of the tunnel. The exclusivity agreement expires in 2012, opening the door for EA Sports to move back in on the baseball video game market. EA has only become more powerful since 2005, and you would have to imagine they have the resources to get back in the game.

The only question, it seems, is whether they’d want to. And, on that note, I will desperately plead that they do. The next generation of sports gamers deserves a chance to play an MVP game, and I wouldn’t mind getting back into baseball gaming either. The nostalgia market would undoubtedly boost sales — I’ve been dropping MVP Baseball casually into conversations today, and the reactions have been incredibly positive — and, by adding baseball back in, EA Sports would complete its stranglehold on the sports video game market.

I’m currently a senior in college. In six months, I will be a college graduate.

Please, EA Sports, give my childhood one last spark of life. Jon Dowd and I will both be eternally grateful.

Ethan Sturm is a senior who is majoring in biopsychology. He can be reached at Ethan.

Sturm@tufts.edu or @esturm90.

Sports

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tuftsdaily.com

Sailing

After decades of work, sailing boathouse begins construction New structure to be named after former President Bacow by

Claire Sleigh

Contributing Writer

The original Tufts sailing boathouse was an antique in every sense of the word. Built in 1948 and featuring three rooms for storing boats, the old boathouse wasn’t given a bathroom until 1960 or proper plumbing until the 1990s. This week, construction workers are breaking ground on the new Larry Bacow Boathouse.

The first thing to go is the bathroom.

From there, two levels will be added to the preexisting boathouse, which will triple the area athletes, coaches and spectators have at their disposal. The second floor will have a locker room and additional repair space. The top floor will have a main room for the team to gather together after practice, an office, a kitchen, a conference room and a library, not to mention an outdoor deck area that will stretch the length of the boathouse.

For coach Ken Legler, who came to Tufts to coach over 30 years ago, the boathouse has been a long time in the making.

“It took kind of forever,” he said. “I came here in the fall of 1980 and the undergrads were already working on fundraising to make this happen.”

A long time coming Thursday’s practice started out normally for junior tri-captain Will Haegar. That is, it was normal until Legler motored up in the middle of practice from a meeting and blasted on his whistle to bring the boats together.

All Legler had to do was throw his arms in the air, a piece of paper clutched in his fist, for the team to know that the permits for the boathouse had finally come through.

“We all started clapping and couldn’t help but smile,” Haeger said. “It was a really cool moment for us.”

But the project’s approval was the result of decades of hard work and frustration.

Although fundraising started in the ’80s, keeping pace with inflation proved to be a hard task for the fundraisers. They chose to build a new-and-improved plumbing system first, which, according to Legler, would have cost twice as much if it were built today.

More ambitious plans for the boathouse have been in the works ever since former President Larry Bacow put his support behind its construction.

Bacow, a sailor himself when he was a student at MIT, has always placed a strong emphasis on athletics. Upon leaving the university in August 2011, Bacow channeled many of the unmarked gifts he had received into the boathouse fund.

According to Legler, once the staff found out that Bacow was behind the project they knew it would be finished — it was just a question of when. This proved to be an important turning point: Tufts sailing has had the money to build the boathouse for the past year, but building permit complications have gotten in the way. “[It was a] full year of delays on the permits,” Legler said. “Every time we solved one issue it would lead to another.”

All of that changed last Thursday, when Legler was in Boston at a sailing-related hearing. He received word that the building permits had finally come through. From Boston, Legler used every means of transportation at his disposal, finally motoring up to the boats on the Mystic Lake to stop practice and announce the good news.

“I waved my hands and everyone knew,” he said. “This time it’s for real. The boating construction company shows up this week to begin work.”

From bunker to glass castle For the athletes, the new boathouse will make their Tufts sailing experience a lot more comfortable. According to senior tri-captain Natalie Salk, one of the most exciting addi-

Courtesy Ken Legler

The sailing boathouse was state-of-the-art in the 1960s, but the concrete structure has worn down and will soon be replaced by the Larry Bacow Boathouse. tions of the new boathouse will be the locker room, where athletes can store wet and bulky gear instead of stashing it at home.

And for freshman Claire Brodie, who has raced for five years but never sailed anywhere with locker rooms, the new boathouse will provide a welcome change. For freshmen like Brodie, who will be able to use the new boathouse for the next three years, the timing of the permit is fortuitous.

“The one we had was fine, but this [new] one has a lot more space,” she said. “It will be nice to have a bathroom and somewhere to change.”

Although Legler can’t be sure when construction will be completed, particularly due

Inside the NBA

First reactions to a young NBA season Anthony, Knicks impressing as Nash-less Lakers tumbling by

Cameron Yu

Senior Staff Writer

It’s only a week into the new NBA season, yet there are already major storylines that grab our attention. Here are some kneejerk reactions to some of the standouts in the early season.

Biggest surprise This one has to go to the New York Knicks, especially Carmelo Anthony.

Throughout the offseason, many pundits left the Knicks for dead, mainly citing Anthony’s leadership ability or lack there-

MCT

James Harden has had an exquisite start with his new team, the Houston Rockets, after being traded by the Oklahoma City Thunder just before the season started.

of. But after a summer playing in London with the Olympic team, he returned with renewed focus and motivation. He also came back noticeably leaner, making for a more agile offensive weapon. Known for his strength and his incredible faceup game, Anthony’s newfound quickness adds another dimension to his already loaded arsenal of attacks.

Melo is leading by example this season, and the team has responded thus far. He has been more active in grabbing rebounds and creating havoc on the defensive end, a part of his game that has earned sharp criticism. His added hustle has led to the team winning the turnover margin in each game they played. The team has also shown the ability to play incredibly unselfish team ball, leading to wide open three point looks for knockdown shooters like Steve Novak and Jason Kidd. Their ability to get open shots off beyond the arc has led to a team 3-point shooting percentage of .453 and is the major reason for the Knicks’ 3-0 start.

Honorable mention: Dallas Mavericks, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ (without Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love) 22-point second-half comeback vs. the Nets

Biggest disappointment Who but the Los Angeles Lakers? This one is a no-brainer. The Lakers made some of the biggest moves this offseason, trading for Dwight Howard, the best center in the league, and two-time MVP Steve Nash. More hype was building as the Lakers revealed the team would run the flashy Princeton Offense. The team seemed poised to return to the NBA Finals.

Fast forward two months and Lakers seem to have a better chance of landing in the draft lottery than the NBA finals. Before a win over the woeful Detroit Pistons, the Lakers were 0-3 and were outplayed in

each of their games. The lack of on-court time for the starters has shown, as they clearly haven’t clicked on offense yet.

But this lack of chemistry has also transferred to the defensive end as well, exemplified by the team allowing 92 points to Portland after three quarters.

This should be unacceptable after acquiring Howard, a three-time recipient of the defensive player of the year award. This lack of chemistry also takes a hit as Nash would be ruled out over what the Lakers are calling “a minor fibula fracture.” No timetable has been set for his return, but every game he misses is valuable time missed for the whole starting unit.

Honorable mention: Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers at home

to potential weather complications, there is still a hope that the boathouse will be completed in time for the seniors to make use of it during the spring.

The boathouse will be particularly useful during competitions because it will provide more viewing places for opposing teams and parents. Currently, the only place for coaches and teams to watch races is on what Salk describes as a “concrete bunker” and what Haegar calls a “bomb shelter.”

With the new construction, Haegar is looking forward to welcoming visiting teams to the improved venue. see SAILING, page 15

Men’s Club Fencing

Club fencing team performs well in first tournament by

Andy Linder

Contributing Writer

Best start for a player James Harden was put under a huge spotlight after his surprise trade from Oklahoma City to the Houston Rockets.

The fact that he was able to put up such big numbers with all eyes on him makes his start even more remarkable. Making a name for himself as the sixth-man getting starter’s minutes for the Thunder, many people wondered how he would handle being the leader of his own team at such a young age.

What we have seen are his skills on full force. In his first game as a Rocket, Harden dominated the game with 37 points and 12 assists. His next game was even better in terms of scoring the ball — 45 points while missing only 5 shots. His fluidity and silky smooth moves in the lane are things of beauty to watch, especially now that he’s bringing the ball down the court more often. It’s almost a guarantee that he will get to the line anytime he draws contact

While Tufts students have recently been closely following NESCAC playoffs in a wide variety of fall sports, the Tufts Club Fencing Team quietly kicked off its 2012-2013 campaign this weekend.

On Saturday, the team journeyed to Smith College in Northampton, Mass. to participate in the New England Intercollegiate Fencing Conference (NEIFC) 2012 Fall Invitational.

The Jumbos competed in all three fencing weapons — foil, epee and sabre — at the tournament. Foil attacks with the tip of the weapon and targets the torso, while epee uses a similar, but heavier weapon, to target the entire body. Sabre, though, is a slashing weapon that targets everything from the waist up, excluding the hands.

Although coach Louise Klann did not attend the tournament, the Tufts squad was ready to display its talents at the first tournament it has competed in since United States Association of Collegiate Fencing Clubs (USACFC) National Championships in April.

“Going into the Invitational, we felt pretty strong,” foil captain Randy Tesser, a junior, said. “We achieved many of our preseason goals in practice, so spirits were high.”

The Jumbos placed highest in the Invitational’s epee competition, as epee captain Mark Eisenberg, a senior, finished at an impressive seventh out of 89 competitors. Eisenberg was thrilled that his yearlong preparation had paid off, given such a long hiatus since his

see INSIDE THE NBA, page 15

see MEN’S FENCING, page 15