2011-11-08

Sunny 67/44

THE TUFTS DAILY

TUFTSDAILY.COM

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

VOLUME LXII, NUMBER 5

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Students demand and negotiate with administration for Africana studies department by

Matthew Thompson Daily Staff Writer

Following yesterday’s 42nd Black Solidarity Day Rally, students marched to Ballou Hall to present a list of their demands to university administrators, calling for academic equality for students of all social identities, as well as an independent Africana studies department.

Approximately 60 students occupied the office of Dean of Arts and Sciences Joanne Berger-Sweeney until University President Anthony Monaco, interim Provost and Senior Vice President Peggy Newell and Berger-Sweeney agreed to enter negotiations with the students.

Three student representatives deliberated for nearly two hours with the administrators, finally reaching a set of five points to which all consented, according to one of the student representatives and President of the Pan-African Alliance (PAA) Tabias Wilson, a junior.

The three administrators signed the agreement publicly in front of the occupiers following the finalization of its wording. The document includes a clause stipulating that Berger-Sweeney will ask members of the external review committee to consider releasing the entire Africana Task Force report with identifying information.

The document also guarantees that three tenure-track faculty members will be hired in the new

culture and identity program, and that Africana studies will be at the core of the new program. It says that it is anticipated that initial faculty appointments will contribute to the Africana studies track and ultimately create the foundation for a major in Africana studies.

Administrators also agreed to host an open meeting for students to voice their opinions about the working group to develop the culture and identities program. Two students from and by the Pan-African Alliance will also serve as representatives to the working group.

The compromise also promised that students would receive updates on the progress made on Berger-Sweeney’s five initiatives to foster diversity.

Wilson considers the document a win for students and was grateful for the administrators’ willingness to engage in reasonable negotiations.

The march succeeded a rally held earlier in the day on the upper patio of the Mayer Campus Center, which was characterized by speakers’ criticisms of Berger-Sweeney’s proposed race, ethnicity and identity program.

Before the rally began, signs and banners were displayed representing such indignation. One banner showed a bowl of fish labeled “Latino,” “Queer,” “Black,” and other traditionally underrepresented identities and was see SOLIDARITY, page 2

Josh Berlinger/Tufts Daily

University President Anthony Monaco meets with as many as two students a day to discuss the issues most important to them.

Gearing up for action, Monaco passes 100-day mark by

Amelie Hecht and Martha Shanahan Daily Editorial Board

After 100 days in office, University President Anthony Monaco is ready to switch gears.

Across all three campuses and at alumni events in Washington, D.C. and New York City, the University of Oxford transplant has filled his days over the past three months with a crash course in the art of listening.

He has listened to lengthy

Somerville officials consider rezoning Porter Square by

Gabrielle Hernandez Daily Editorial Board

Following a series of recent public meetings, the City of Somerville is in the process of finalizing plans to rezone Porter Square in order to allow for additional commercial land use.

The planned rezoning would scale back restrictions on commercial development on the Somerville side of Porter Square, which remains a primarily residential area, according to Adam Duchesneau, a planner with the City of Somerville.

“We think that it’s going to kick-start more commercial uses in the area,” Duchesneau told the Daily. “We’d like to see a lot more mixed-use development in the area.”

Rezoning, unlike general development, changes the regulations around which properties can and cannot build. The rezoning plans will maintain respect for “grandfathering,” so buildings constructed under previous zoning codes can stand as they did before the rezoning without needing to alter their operating procedure.

Buildings developed after rezoning will be held to new zoning regulation standards, according to Duchesneau.

“We really view this as an opportunity for residents in the area,” Duchesneau said. “If people don’t want to do anything with their property, they don’t have to, but there are some people looking to redevelop their property to bring in some kind of commercial use

or other structure to provide a mixed use to their property.”

The planning process for the rezoning of the area began after the 2010 completion of the three-year reconstruction of Somerville Avenue, which is one of the main roads bordering Porter Square. At that time, several local property owners proposed to build a hotel in the area, according to David Guzman, economic development specialist for the City of Somerville.

“We considered that it’d be a great opportunity to have a discussion with the community about the zoning uses of the community,” said Guzman.

The final plans were developed in keeping with a vision statement outlined after four public meetings between City of Somerville planners and Porter Square residents, according to Duchesneau. The vision statement calls for safe, pedestrian-oriented streets; an increase in mixed-use buildings; development of a bridge to allow pedestrian access over the Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority train tracks; and placing of arched gateways around the entrances to the area, he added.

Mixed-use buildings, or properties that have both commercial and residential uses, can be used to maximize the economic development of the Somerville side of Porter Square, according to Guzman.

“We conducted retail assessment, we identified sales generation, and tried to predict what would happen if more economic

Inside this issue

Facebook messages, to Tweets, to students and alumni who fill any empty time slots in his daily planner with personal meetings.

He has listened to crowds rallying outside his office in Ballou see 100 DAYS, page 4

Tufts benefits by staying out of international market by

Kathryn Olson

Daily Editorial Board

activity is conducted on the Somerville side, in terms of new jobs and new income for Somerville,” he said.

“The conclusion we found is that the Cambridge side is maximizing the space in the area, where the Somerville side is basical-

In the wake of the global recession, several American universities in recent years have been forced to close international branch campuses due to mounting financial costs.

Tufts is benefiting from its decision to stay out of the international branch campus market “boom” that characterized the last decade, during which numerous U.S. schools opened foreign branch campuses with the hope of generating additional revenue.

The Tufts University European Center in Talloires, France, which is the site of the sixweek Tufts-in-Talloires summer program, was established as a satellite campus in 1978 and thus is not considered a branch campus founded during the recent boom.

Tufts refrained from opening international branches over the last decade, refusing to fall into the “gold-rush” mentality that plagued other schools, according to interim Provost and Senior Vice President Peggy Newell.

“Tufts is very focused on maintaining a global perspective, but as I reviewed these offers — we were approached many times — at the end of the day, it didn’t make sense,” Newell said.

Universities opened international branch campuses in an effort to offer a taste of American education to students across the globe, according to Director of Educational Studies and Senior Fellow at the Nelson A.

see REZONING, page 2

see CAMPUSES, page 2

Daily File Photo

The City of Somerville is finalizing plans to rezone Porter Square in order to spark additional commercial development.

Today’s sections

Despite their small number, Mormons on the Hill are an active group with a presence.

Florence + the Machine releases its second album — a review.

see FEATURES, page 3

see ARTS, page 5

News Features Arts & Living Editorial | Letters

1 3 5 8

Op-Ed Comics Classifieds Sports

9 10 14 Back

The Tufts Daily

2

News

Police Briefs Pumpkins on High Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) officers at 11:15 p.m. on Oct. 31 found four students on the roof of Carmichael Hall.

The students were attempting to put a pumpkin on the roof. The officers identified the students and asked them to not climb on any other roofs.

“We believe they hit a few places first because there were pumpkins on other roofs,” TUPD Sgt. Robert McCarthy said.

Beer before liquor TUPD at 12:06 a.m. on Nov. 4 responded to a report of an intoxicated female student on College Avenue.

The student was found unconscious in front of the house at which she had been drinking. Tufts Emergency Medical Services, Somerville Police Department (SPD) and Cataldo Ambulance Service, Inc. responded to the scene.

She had a few beers and some shots of an unknown liquor, McCarthy explained.

The student regained consciousness and was transported to Somerville Hospital.

No more Kardashians A student at 10:15 p.m. on Nov. 4 reported his TV missing from his suite’s common room in Wren Hall.

He had last seen the TV at 11:45 a.m. The case is still under investigation, but there are few leads.

Check your locks twice A student at 6:40 p.m. on Nov. 6 reported two laptops stolen from a locker in the basement of Tisch Library.

Some books were missing as well.

When TUPD examined the locker, they concluded that it did not appear

to have been forcibly opened. The student recognized that the locker may not have been properly locked. The search for the laptops is still under investigation.

Shut up, Donnie!

TUPD at 8:30 p.m. on Nov. 6 received a report of an intoxicated City of Somerville resident located at the intersection of Curtis Street and Conwell Avenue.

SPD was already on the scene when TUPD arrived. Sgt. McCarthy said the man was considered intoxicated because he “was just being loud.”

Under further investigation, SPD and TUPD discovered the individual had a warrant out for his arrest. He was then placed under arrest by SPD and TUPD left the scene.

—compiled by Marie Schow

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

New plans for Porter Square REZONING

continued from page 1

ly residential in its nature. We want to change that to develop a framework for more commercial uses of that area,” Guzman said.

The gateways will give Porter Square a better sense of identity for residents, according to Duchesneau.

Plans for rezoning are currently being finalized in conjunction with the Somerville Mayor’s Office and will be sent to the Board of Aldermen, who will vote on the plans within the next few months, Duchesneau said.

If approved, the plan will go to a joint committee of the Board of Aldermen Land Use Committee and the City of Somerville Planning Board, who will submit any changes for further approval by the Board of Aldermen.

Alderman at Large and Chair of the Land Use Committee William A. White explained that the proposal will come before his committee, and that he plans to evaluate the proposal, weighing its possible positive and negative impacts on the community.

Tufts refrains from creating new international branch campuses CAMPUSES

continued from page 1

Rockefeller Institute of Government Jason Lane, who studies the topic.

Many universities sought opportunities to raise their global reputation but also capitalize on additional revenues, Lane said.

“They saw it as the next step in marking their global footprint,” he said.

Foreign governments underwriting international campuses are also eager to import Western-style college campuses as a means of “soft power” by which they can promote themselves on the international stage, according to Lane.

“It represents an opportunity for them to raise the profile of their education system and their country by associating themselves with high-level institutions,” Lane said. “This association legitimizes their own interests.”

In the years following the global financial recession, however, many universities have been forced to shut down their international campuses because costs grew too large and many governments had to cut their education spending, according to Lane. He said that the recession has brought to light the inherent risk of opening an international campus poses to universities.

“The most significant drawback is financial risk,” he said. “When presented with these opportunities, universities can become blinded by the hope of earning money, which is very difficult to do. Many have ended up losing money.”

Such was the case with Suffolk University, which last spring closed its branch in Dakar, Senegal, which was created in 1999, after losing approximately $10 million. George Mason University in 2009 closed its campus in the United Arab Emirates, which had been in operation since 2005. Dozens of other universities with international branch campuses have suffered similar fates.

While Tufts administrators were not primarily concerned with potential financial gains from opening international branch campuses, Newell said that the possible monetary gain never seemed to outweigh the risks. “[Then-University President Lawrence] Bacow made clear, and I agree, that we wouldn’t do it just for the money,” Newell said.

“We didn’t go and seek out opportunities. We asked ourselves why such a branch would be beneficial to our programs. In truth, most opportunities I looked at, I was not convinced that they would have been highly lucrative.”

Both Newell and Lane noted that ensuring the quality of branch campuses, the availability of faculty and student interest in the host country presents significant risks in opening international campuses.

“How can you ensure the quality of its programs? Are they going to be of the same caliber? For many of those institutions, if they had sufficient faculty, they would have created their own institutions,” Newell said. “The last thing you want is to close something down. I never saw something that was a great opportunity for Tufts.”

International branches have been branded as opportunities to bring higher education to students in countries across the globe, Lane explained, but many universities have in reality been more interested in revenue generation.

“Universities have a definite interest in providing services to the developing world,” he said. “The question is how can we do that in a sustainable way that is beneficial to both the home and host country?”

“Opening an international campus is extremely expensive, and unless you are willing to pour a lot of money into it, universities must find another way to forward this goal.

They must ask themselves, ‘Is this economically feasible?’ The reality is that many institutions can’t afford it,” Lane said.

Newell added that while Tufts does not seek to open new branches abroad, the university is committed to mutually beneficial relationships with other countries, stressing Tufts’ commitment to international education and research.

She noted the Tufts School of Medicine’s 35-year relationship with the Christian Medical College/Vellore District in Tamil Nadu, India, which allows medical students to do rotations at the hospital there.

“It’s a wonderful experience for the students, but it is also helpful to the hospital which is often understaffed,” she said.

Newell also highlighted The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy’s Global Master of Arts program, which allows students to take classes online and then meet up to discuss the material abroad.

Newell and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education and Director of Programs Abroad Sheila Bayne said that Tufts’ lack of international branch campuses does not undermine the university’s philosophy of global education, which places a high emphasis on programs abroad.

“Our programs are important because Tufts is a global institution,” Bayne said.

“The world is becoming smaller and smaller. Even if you don’t go out into the world, the world is coming to you, and we try to prepare students for that.

Ryan Boyle via Flickr Creative Commons

Suffolk University is one of many schools across the country that have been forced to shut down their international branch campuses due to financial challenges.

Kyra Sturgill/Tufts Daily

Junior Kristen Ford was part of yesterday’s Black Solidarity Day Rally, after which students marched to Ballou Hall to present a list of demands to university administrators.

Students take control of ‘own education’

SOLIDARITY

continued from page 1

captioned, “The Comparative Race and Ethnicity/Identity Studies Program fishbowl — Please place all ‘others’ here.”

Another summed up its message with the phrase “Eurocentric Curriculum.”

PAA Vice President Jameelah Morris kicked off the event at noon, with a speech evoking the event’s theme, “Occupy Your Mind.”

“We call for all in attendance to question yourselves and all the gaps in your understanding of the world and the people around you,” Morris, a junior, said.

“So equip yourselves with the knowledge necessary to make change. After all, isn’t knowledge power?”

PAA Secretary Brianna Atkinson offered the audience a brief history of the annual event.

“It is celebrated each year on the Monday preceding Election Day in protest of injustices and in recognition of the power and influence of the black community,” Atkinson, a senior, said. “Traditionally, this is a day in which people of African descent and supporters throughout the country abstain from participation in social, political and economic affairs of the nation.”

Black Solidarity Day first started at Tufts in response to the lack of an African-American society and an Africana studies department, according to Wilson. “[An Africana studies department] is something we’re still fighting for 42 years later,” he said, explaining that the proposed program was an insufficient substitute for a full Africana studies department.

Wilson pointed out hypocrisy in portrayals of diversity on campus.

“According to a 2006 study by The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, Tufts boasts one of the largest gaps in white-black graduation rates among top schools,” Wilson said.

“While 92 percent of [white] students will

graduate in six years, 20 percent of black Jumbos will not. This is a net decrease in graduation of 2 percent since 1998.”

He believes there is no clear public evidence of improvement to these numbers.

“Receive these words as an obituary for complacency on our campus,” he said.

Natasha Wilson, a Ph.D. candidate from New Orleans studying white-black feminist theory, discussed the concept of black solidarity and the relationship of the associations of “whiteness” and “blackness” with racism.

“Loving blackness is a mandate for anyone who wants to be in solidarity with black folk,” she said. “We have to have a different association of blackness in our mind. It can’t be that association that I read to you from Webster’s Dictionary.”

George Davis, a former professor in the Experimental College, responded to students’ anger with the proposed program by calling on them to organize their education themselves rather than waiting for administrative action.

“What we’re doing is waiting for someone to give something to us again,” Davis said.

Jamarhl Crawford, an organizer of Occupy the Hood, reiterated Davis’ assertion that black people must claim their studies for themselves instead of accepting the lies they are told about their history before change is given to them by someone else. He also emphasized that white people also have been lied to about their histories.

“There is one people who has less of a grasp on their history than black people and that’s white people, because in America what has happened is that, while black people were lied to and told that we were inferior, white people were lied to and told that they were superior,” he said.

Crawford then called on the students to organize a “focused and direct attempt to make this administration do what the students have now demanded.”

Features

3

tuftsdaily.com

Faith on the Hill: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

by Victoria

Rathsmill

Daily Editorial Board

In the past year, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has hit two stages in big ways: the U.S. political arena and Broadway. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has tentatively addressed his relationship with the Mormon faith in the Republican primary race at the same time as audiences on Broadway flock to the smash hit “The Book of Mormon.”

On the Hill, members of the Tufts Mormon community take a personal and community-based approach to the faith. Every Tuesday night, the Tufts Latter Day Saints Student Association (LDSSA) — a group of seven students — meets at the Interfaith Center where they pray, talk, laugh and catch up on each other’s weeks.

The church as a whole encourages a special time set aside every week when families or young singles get together for communal spiritual thought and an opportunity to relax and socialize.

In addition to Tuesday night meetings, every Sunday, the LDSSA attends a local congregation, or what the LDS Church calls a ward. The Tufts group attends a ward in Cambridge, bringing them together with undergraduate students from schools in the Boston area, including Harvard, MIT and Boston University.

LDSSA co-leader Kismet Lantos-Swett, a senior, explained that the LDS church is a Christian organization, but that it differs from other Christian churches in several important ways.

“Jesus Christ is the center of our church,” she said. “In that respect we are a Christian church, because we believe that he was our savior, atoned for our sins, and came to save mankind.”

“However … we are different from other Christian religions because of our history,” Lantos-Swett said.

“One of the big things that makes us different than other Christian denominations is we believe that Jesus Christ and God have always called prophets to teach his plan and gospel,” LDSSA co-leader Jeffrey Torruellas, a senior, said.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints became an official organization in 1830. Mormons believe that in 1820, a 14-year-old boy named Joseph Smith from New York had a revelation.

“We believe he saw a vision of God and his son Jesus Christ, who told him to organize the Church,” Lantos-Swett said.

According to the beliefs of the LDS Church, Smith was told to restore Christ’s original church, which had fallen away since his death and the death of his apostles.

“We hold the leaders of our church as prophets and apostles, and we believe that they do receive revelations for church members in these modern days. Many other Christian religions believe that the Bible has been closed, that all the scriptures have been closed, but we believe that they are open and in action,” LantosSwett said.

A community on the Hill Lantos-Swett compared the group members to brothers and sisters from the same family who, despite being different in many ways, share a united experience.

“It is a wonderful thing to know that there are a few people in the Tufts community who have similar experiences to me, and who I can relate to on this level,” Lantos-Swett said.

“We get together and try to support each other in academic and social issues, and be the support for each other that our families are at home,” Torruellas said.

For two freshman members of the group, Kyle Duke and Mara Lemesany, the active LDS community has been a significant part of their social lives in their first semester at Tufts. Though small, the

Scotts Tingley /Tufts Daily

The small Mormon community at Tufts comes together through prayer and relishes a campus that challenges their faith. group has been welcoming, they said.

“I knew we would have a small group of LDS students, and I am perfectly happy with it,” Duke said. “It is important for me to have other LDS members that go to Tufts and to know that there are others that have the same beliefs and standards I do. Socially, we have our own clean fun. We are like our own small family here at Tufts.”

“Because there are only seven of us, everyone is a core member,” Lemesany said. “In a way, I like that more than a larger group because we have the opportunity to become a close-knit community,” she said. “Finding a campus with other LDS students was a priority for me when looking at colleges, because that kind of connection provides a one-of-a-kind support, understanding and strength.”

Members with a mission In addition to the seven members on campus, two Jumbos are currently far from the Hill in Chile and Hungary participating in one of the most recognized features of the LDS Church: a mission of up to two years to share the gospel of the church away from home.

Currently, more than 50,000 members of the LDS Church from the ages of 19 to 25 are serving missions throughout the world. A missionary’s work, Lantos-Swett said, includes proselytizing as well as community service.

“You are interacting with the community, and trying to teach them about the Mormon church, and how it has been a significant change in your life as a missionary, and how it can make a change in the other’s life,” she said. “We just feel we have a great message to share with the world, one that can bring a lot of happiness.”

Two of Lantos-Swett’s brothers have gone on missions to Hungary, and another to Italy. She said she plans to go on a mission after she graduates.

“It is sort of a way to completely give up your time and energies to serving the Lord. It is a very physical and literal testament of your faith that you are willing to go and do this,” Lantos-Swett said. “For me, it’s something from a very young age that I knew I was going to do.”

Torruellas went on a two-year mission to Ecuador between his freshman and sophomore years at Tufts.

“For me, it was a great, life-changing experience in more ways than I can say,” he said. “It strengthened my knowledge of the truthfulness of the church, and I was able to help a lot of people spiritually and temporally through various service projects. It definitely strengthened my faith,” Torruellas said.

Daily prayer Their faith is a part of everyday life for

the members of Tufts LDSSA. “We believe in keeping a close connection with God, and believe we can have his spirit with us to accompany us throughout our day, Torruellas said.

“We pray and read scriptures every day to keep ourselves close to God, and to have his spirit to guide us in our daily decisions.”

“I pray at various points in the day,” Lantos-Swett said. “Prayer is a very comforting thing, and a way to communicate with God and gain a sense of peace.” The Bible and the Book of Mormon, LantosSwett said, are also a large part of her worship routine.

“It serves as a guidepost to what I’m doing, and if I am feeling as if I am making good choices,” she explained.

“Sometimes it’s a censure, and the lessons I learn remind me I can do better, be more thoughtful, kinder and less selfish.”

The LDS Church’s Word of Wisdom guidelines — which forbid caffeine and alcohol, include a strict law of chastity and encourage modest dress — poses challenges to students who choose to study at a school like Tufts. Indeed, many Mormon students choose to go to a school like Brigham Young University (BYU), where over 98 percent of students are members of the LDS Church.

Both Torruellas and Lantos-Swett, however, said that the challenge of attending a liberal arts college rather than an institution like BYU has increased their conviction in their beliefs.

“It’s not so much hard in that there [are] external pressures from members of the college community; I’ve had only positive experiences with others,” LantosSwett said. “But the fact you are different is more of a challenge. You are constantly reminding yourself why you’ve made those decisions. It’s good to be reminded of your convictions and have them put to the test, because it gives you a firm foundation for your moral standing and code of conduct.”

Torruellas agreed that Tufts provides an environment that exposes him to beliefs that contradict his faith — and teaches him how to learn from it when this happens.

“For me, I preferred to come here to experience a greater diversity of opinions and thoughts,” he said. “Our beliefs are challenged more often, and this is a good thing for me, because it continuously forces me to examine my beliefs.

It has actually strengthened my faith,” Torruellas said.

“In an environment like BYU, it is easy to take what everybody’s saying and roll with it,” he said, “but here we have to take the responsibility on ourselves and investigate. If we are going to be strong in our beliefs, we really have to know them — if not they will always be challenged.”

Kacey Rayder | Insult to Injury

Doorway dilemma

H

i, readers! I hope you’ve all enjoyed your week, and if, like me, you have no class on Fridays, you’re looking forward to your day off today. My topic for this week is a matter of common courtesy.

I’m referring to holding doors. Not just holding doors, though, but thanking someone else when they hold a door open for you.

This may not seem like a huge deal, but once you start noticing it around campus, I assure you that you won’t be able to stop. There have only been a few occasions when I’ve held a door open for someone — or a group of people even — and that person has thanked me for holding the door. No, this doesn’t mean holding the door only for old people, professors or someone carrying a large and heavy-looking box. I’m talking about holding the door for the person behind you, or the person coming through the door in front of you, or pretty much anyone about to move through the door you’ve just opened.

It doesn’t take a whole lot of time to nicely hold a door, and if you really have to be somewhere, you can always pass the door-holding duties to the person behind you — if you’re holding the door for a large group. Just don’t abruptly leave and slam the door on someone as they’re walking through.

It seems like the words “please” and “thank you” have nearly vanished from use in today’s society. I’d also be inclined to add “you’re welcome” to that list. As a child, I didn’t get anything I asked for unless I used the “magic word” — also known as “please.” Are people not teaching their kids manners anymore? Or are we just deciding, now that we’re in college, that we’ve outgrown the use of “please” and “thank you?” You’re never too old to be polite, and when someone holds the door for you it’s just plain nice to say thanks.

Likewise, when you happen to be holding the door for someone and they thank you, it’s also polite to say “you’re welcome.” Passing through doors these days is largely a silent matter, devoid of polite exchanges between door-going people.

I’d like to challenge everyone on campus to be more polite when they hold doors and to appropriately use the words I’ve listed above. I’ll try to keep an eye out to see if campus politeness, relating to doors, has increased or — dare I say it — decreased after this article is published. Hopefully, I’ll be seeing the former.

I’d also like to make sure I give attention to those people who sometimes get into a zone while they’re walking and fail to really notice that anyone is behind them when they open a door.

Obviously if someone is a few feet behind you, you have no real excuse not to notice them — you’re basically slamming the door you just opened into their face if you don’t make at least some effort to hold it. If they’re reasonably far away, though, I’ll cut you some slack. It’s always polite to wait a minute and hold the door for that person walking at an awkward distance behind you, but if you’re late for class or have some other obligation, you might not be able to take those extra seconds away from your walking time.

And just remember, if you hold the door for someone and they neglect to thank you, it is always acceptable to loudly yell “you’re welcome” for all in the surrounding area to hear.

Kacey Rayder is a junior majoring in English. She can be reached at Kacey.

Rayder@tufts.edu.

4

The Tufts Daily

Features

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Monaco enters 100th day in office having learned valuable lessons 100 DAYS

continued from page 1

Hall calling for improved treatment of the university’s janitorial staff and to neighborhood residents at Community Day. His inbox has become flooded with suggestions and concerns about everything from women’s studies to Facebook pictures glorifying the use of alcohol, from issues of inclusion and the racial climate on campus to capital investments in the university’s lab sciences facilities.

It’s an experience, he says, that has both confirmed much of what he anticipated coming into the job and shed light on sensitive issues that run deeper through Tufts community than he could have imagined.

His challenge is to craft a course for the university that addresses the innumerable and often contradictory views of a diverse community.

“All through this I am always trying to synthesize all the information,” he said in a recent interview with the Daily. “I’m using the perspective of what I heard from others to focus and also change how I might approach the whole way forward strategically.”

After all this listening, though, the university president is ready and eager to use what he has heard and begin crafting what will be the tangible impact he has on Tufts during his tenure.

“Listening is good,” he said. “But you need to start doing something.”

Learning from the past Diving into one of the biggest responsibilities that comes with the post — attracting funds from alumni donors — has not posed any great challenge for Monaco.

Fundraising was one of his primary duties as pro-vice-chancellor for planning and resources at Oxford, a position that charged him with capital development in addition to strategic planning and student enrollment.

“It’s a large part of the [president’s] job, obviously, to bring in the funds for financial aid, for capital projects, for programs for faculty,” he said, explaining that at Oxford he was only responsible for raising capital funds, but that the experience has been valuable as he now deals with the responsibility of fundraising for a wider variety of projects.

“I have tried to spend my time in the last three months getting to know our major donors and making sure they get to know me personally and understand my background and where I am coming from and what kind of things I would like to achieve for Tufts together with them,” he said.

While Monaco must wait to develop stronger relationships with donors before expecting major contributions, he feels a certain sense of urgency. Soon, he hopes to begin attracting funds for financial aid and faculty support and plans to make them top priorities.

“It’s not going and asking them for money at this stage, obviously, but I think some of the things that are early wins [and] will always be important are things like financial aid, or the programmatic support of faculty,” he said.

“The big lab complexes we need time to develop our thoughts on … there’s different velocities at which these things travel and the financial aid to me is something that we shouldn’t lose any momentum on from the previous campaign.”

Addressing the undergraduate community On issues affecting undergraduate student life, making the switch from a focus on listening to bringing about tangible change is easier said than done.

The learning curve for any new president is a steep one, but this is especially true for a Delaware native who has spent the past 20 years across a pond that is wider than he expected.

Nowhere has Monaco been more rudely awakened to the reality of the social differences spanning the Atlantic than by the rampant abuse of alcohol among undergraduate students on the Hill. Above all else, he said he has been appalled by the images on Facebook depicting out of control binge drinking and stories of emergency room visits after nights of excessive underage liquor consumption.

Monaco was cautioned by former University President Lawrence Bacow about the prevalence of underage drinking at Tufts — “Larry warned me, he warned

me in black and white,” he said — but he was still shocked upon his arrival on the Hill.

“I think it’s because I’ve been in a different environment for the last 20 years,” he said. “When I went to university we never went out and bought a bottle of vodka and set up shots — I mean, we could drink back then because the drinking age was 18, but it was all a little beer and wine — it wasn’t this culture of binge drinking … that, to me, was a real eye-opener that things had changed.”

Monaco has tackled this critical issue head-on, setting up an alcohol steering committee to coordinate preventative efforts that he hopes will ameliorate what he sees as a danger to students’ health and safety. He has also taken a personal interest in the students he has found posting incriminating pictures “glorifying” alcohol use on Facebook, calling them into his office to better understand their motivation and to warn them of the dangers of binge drinking.

Another, less visible, example of an area where Monaco has found easy solutions harder to come by than he had hoped, is in the arena of diversity. He was surprised to learn — from both students and faculty — about the deeply rooted feelings behind calls for greater social and academic inclusion and integration of people of all identities on campus.

“Sometimes you enter into a situation and you think the solution … is simple and you feel that you’ve seen through it because you’ve seen it before,” he said.

“But then you enter a new community and you realize how complex that issue might be.”

“I think the diversity issue is probably a very good example of where — not that I oversimplified — but … I didn’t realize how deeply people felt,” he said.

This prompted him to organize a diversity council to analyze the current campus climate before taking any major steps towards altering it.

“It was important to make sure that we just didn’t rush [in] … without making sure that we had heard different opinions,” he said. “That’s also what made me decide not to rush any kind of report and recommendation into implementation without allowing the broader Tufts community to reflect on that.”

Monaco said one concrete way to move forward on diversity at the front end would, again, be an improvement in the university’s financial aid offerings.

“I don’t know if we’re as competitive as we think we are against our peer institutions in being able to offer very good [aid],” he said. “If you’re not as competitive as the other institutions, then they take students away from us that we would prefer to come to Tufts.” Needblind admissions is “a big ask,” though, and one that may need time before it can become immediately feasible.

In that vein, Monaco said that he is also considering revising the orientation and pre-orientation processes and addressing concerns about administrative policy, and curricular offerings.

“There’s a lot we have to get through,” he said.

Bringing it all together Though he has expressed confidence in his achievements — “I haven’t had anyone personally criticize me,” he said — Monaco foresees challenges in working across campuses to solve some of the world’s most pressing issues in areas like health, the environment and human rights.

“How do you break down the barriers of traditional departments when the big problems that we are facing in society really do require interdisciplinary crossschool activity? Do you create [a] new lab complex, which allows the different disciplines to come together, or do you just expect people to collaborate at a distance?

I think that’s a big challenge.”

Monaco plans to address these questions through a series of meetings with key faculty and department heads to discuss an effective approach at all levels.

According to Monaco, transforming the study of a specific area — the study of cancer or neuroscience, for instance — into a cross-university affair is “at the moment … financially modeled, and that’s the obstruction.” This merits a shift in ideology, he said.

“It should be academically modeled and the finances should follow. We want

to turn that around and think about ways of showcasing a program in neuroscience or a program in cancer [so that] students see that on the web and want to come here because the opportunities are across the whole university.”

A family affair On a shelf in Monaco’s office is a framed photo of his wife, Zoia, and his three sons.

It’s a reminder that the past 100 days have gone by while the rest of the Monaco family has stayed in England and out of the picture except for the occasional visit — and a lot of phone time.

“I think we miss each other a lot, but we’ve been doing a lot of Skyping,” he said.

The family will be together when Monaco goes to Europe for work at the end of the month and during a planned winter holiday ski vacation. “They’re enjoying the back and forth,” he said.

“I will make the effort” Monaco says he has worked to demonstrate a commitment to accessibility and openness and that he believes his efforts have been well-received.

“The feedback I have gotten so far from individuals is that they appreciate the efforts I am making to get to know the students, the trustees, all of those kind of listening things.”

“I think it was important for me to do that, not just come in and launch a bunch of initiatives without talking to anyone. I feel that I have accomplished what I had hoped to in the first three months to reach out to four different constituents or stakeholders: the faculty, the students, the staff and the alumni and trustees to gather that kind of perspective before you go ahead and try to… get momentum going behind new initiatives.”

Monaco’s assistant, Elise Renoni, is working to teach him to say “no,” he explained.

“I will say yes to anything,” Monaco said, “in the sense that … I will try to see the play on Saturday night even if we have the trustees meeting all day.

If it’s raining, I still go down and watch the sports events with my umbrella. I will make the effort because I think the students and the faculty here deserve that from their president.”

Josh Berlinger/Tufts Daily

Monaco was inaugurated as the university’s 13th president last month.

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Arts & Living

5

tuftsdaily.com

Album Review

Alexandria Chu | Hit Li(s)t

With strong vocals, Florence + the Machine’s sophomore album has plenty to offer by

Beat feminist

L

Kate Griffiths

ast week, we touched upon the diverging philosophies of the ’90s and ’60s.

In earlier weeks, we’ve looked at ’80s excess and ’70s artistic endeavors. This week, let’s venture even earlier to a memoir of a strong woman who lived through turbulent times. Here’s our book at a glance…

Author: Hettie Jones Title: “How I Became Hettie Jones” (1990) Number of Pages: 239 in the 1996 Grove Press Edition Contender: Amiri Baraka (AKA LeRoi Jones)

Daily Staff Writer

Anyone who had doubts about the sophomore album of Florence + the Machine can breathe freely. Frontman

Ceremonials Florence + the Machine Island Florence Welch and her band’s newest contribution, “Ceremonials,” is a grand, sweeping gesture of an album.

“Ceremonials” shows off Welch’s chillingly powerful vocals and allows her band to demonstrate its orchestral abilities.

If listened to in one fell swoop, the album recalls the uplifting joy of “Lungs” (2009) with interludes of much darker, haunting melodies. The first single, “Shake It Out,” is a blissful celebration of independence; Welch practically bursts, “And I am done with my graceless heart/ So tonight I’m going to cut it out and then restart/ ’Cause I like to keep my issues strong/ It’s always darkest before the dawn/ Shake it out!”

The next song changes the tone of the album entirely. “What the Water Gave Me” starts with a haunting guitar and is later layered with Welch’s quiet voice. The song builds up slowly, until — in typical Florence style — it explodes into a medley of harps, drums, tambourines and her immense,

MCT

‘Ceremonials’ highlights Florence Welch’s haunting voice. ever-present vocals. This song marks most definitively the change of style Welch has adopted for “Ceremonials,” and this more epic, sweeping vibe exudes from each song.

The whimsical days when Welch frolicked barefoot in fields wearing long, flowing white dresses in the music video for “Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)” are over; she has matured and become the complete master of her

voice. The Florence Welch of 2011 prances around on stage in personally tailored Gucci dresses, but she describes her style as “scary gothic bat lady” and channels her idol, Stevie Nicks, shockingly well.

“Ceremonials” definitely possesses a more bittersweet tone than Florence + the Machine’s debut. “Never Let Me see FLORENCE, page 6

TV Review

Danes excels in ‘Homeland’

by Joseph Stile

Daily Editorial Board

Many shows have tried to depict the United States’ war against terrorism, but few have been able

Homeland

T. Charles Erickson/Huntington Theater Company

‘Before I Leave You’ takes as its canvas the changes that occur later in life.

Theater Review

‘Before I Leave You’ considers eccentric relationships by

Priyanka Dharampuriya Contributing Writer

“Before I Leave You,” a Cambridgebased drama penned by local playwright Rosanna Yamagiva Alfaro, is

Before I Leave You Written by Rosanna Yamagiwa Alfaro Directed by Jonathan Silverstein At the Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA through Nov. 13 Tickets $25

advertised as a “love story for grownups.” This tagline, however, risks

Starring Claire Danes, Damian Louis, Morena Baccarin, Morgan Saylor Airs Sundays at 10 p.m. on Showtime

oversimplifying the show, which is a story about aging, families and broken relationships — with only a hint of romance mixed in.

The play begins at what seems like a family dinner table. However, audiences quickly learn that the scene is actually set in a Chinese restaurant. The “family” at the table is composed of two middle-aged professors, Koji (Glenn Kubota) and Jeremy (Ross Bickell); Koji’s painter wife, Emily (Kippy Goldfarb); and Jeremy’s freeloading sister, Trish (Karen MacDonald.) The characters interact, bicker and argue just as a family would.

These dinner-table conversations

to build the nervous tension of Showtime’s “Homeland.” Based on the popular Israeli show, “Hatufim” (2009-2010), the series follows CIA operative Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) as she investigates Sergeant Brody (Damian Lewis), whose loyalties may have shifted during the eight years in which he was held hostage in Afghanistan. The rest of the CIA and the entire nation see Brody as a great American hero, but Mathison suspects he may be an alQaida agent, and foresees possible destruction.

The show draws some inspiration from “The Manchurian Candidate” (1962) and Fox’s “24” (2001-2010), though it takes more of a psychological approach to a familiar story.

The Emmy-winning Danes makes Mathison appear to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown every time

see BEFORE, page 6

see HOMELAND, page 6

When I was little, my father wrote a script for my Beanie Babies. Basically, a snake fell for an octopus in Paris, but a “Beat” kangaroo complicated matters along the way. I asked my dad what a Beat was and why the kangaroo only spoke in rhyme. My dad explained that Beats were people in the ’50s who wore black and enjoyed poetry. That’s a toned-down, kidsavvy understatement.

I’m no authority on the Beat Generation, all my knowledge having come to me through Professor Ronna Johnson’s “Topics Lit & Culture: Writing In the Beat Generation” class.

But, to me, the Beats of the Beat Generation were the original hipsters. They did wear black and frequent coffeehouses where they shared their poetry with one another. And, they also were free spirits — participating in excess and alternative lifestyles, as well as philosophizing on the state of human relations. They enjoyed Eastern religion and rejected consumerism. They came onto the scene after World War II and were personified by writers like Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs. Hettie Jones gives a fresh perspective on the Beats in her memoir, “How I Became Hettie Jones.”

There’s no doubt that many of the Beats’ works are column-worthy. However, I chose Jones’ story because it’s particularly special.

With women during this generation already placed under strict gender constructs, it would be difficult and rare for a woman to join the Beat “club.” I guess today’s examples would be trying to play football as a girl, or joining the cheerleading team as a guy: sort of rough. Yet, Jones married a Beat and wrote poetry, even starting and becoming editor for the literary magazine “Yugen” with LeRoi Jones.

“How I Became Hettie Jones” is interesting in that Jones was close to the Beats and people like Ginsberg, Kerouac and her husband, LeRoi Jones. However, beyond this superficial name-dropping level, the memoir is an interesting perspective on the feminist movement. It proves the difficulties for women and their struggle for rights in an era that is not so far gone.

Jones’ memoir is also interesting for its discussion of experiences as being part of an interracial couple. It relates how she was verbally threatened when with her AfricanAmerican husband. After having children, she realized they too might have to face a world that she never inhabited. Even her own husband fell for social constructs in their later divorce. This kind of prejudice is thankfully mostly unfamiliar to us. I doubt your significant other being of a similar race rates higher above them being interesting or considerate, etc. It’s eye-opening to look back and witness Jones’ consistent struggle to find an identity under forced racism and sexism.

However, this memoir points out how much further we need to fight against complacency and for equality in everyone’s own futures. In this way, it’s an important book for all of us to read. In a university with specific clubs or institutions for every kind of individual, it is amazing that we are able to celebrate humankind in all our varying ways. Yet, at the same time, it’s important not to be divided among these lines.

A current teacher at The New School in New York City, Jones and her resulting memoir are fascinating and thought-provoking. Though her book can occasionally be heartbreaking and painful to read, Jones shows us the courage one needs to pursue their passions.

Alexandria Chu is a junior majoring in English. She can be reached at Alexandria.

Chu@tufts.edu.

The Tufts Daily

6

Arts & Living

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

‘Homeland’ keeps viewers entertained HOMELAND

continued from page 5

T. Charles Erickson/Huntington Theater Company

The plot of ‘Before I Leave You’ is anchored by the conversations and interactions between its characters.

‘Before I Leave You’ incorporates local feel BEFORE

continued from page 5

anchor the play as it nosedives into more complex and abstract territory.

“Before” offers audiences a spread of health problems, infidelity and, eventually, true love — or something like it.

The set obtains an academic, quaint tone from the stacks of bookshelves in the background, as well as a surreal quality from its constantly shifting colors. The aesthetics in “Before” highlight the dreamy and subtle depth with which the piece tackles its nebulous themes.

Theme, rather than plot, binds “Before” together. While each scene could stand as a vignette in its own right, together, the scenes explore the confusion of growing old together — and growing old alone. The thought of death shadows the entire show and places a dark lens over Koji’s and Emily’s marital problems and Jeremy’s failing health. Though a little heavy, the plot stays interesting as charac-

ters voice their various opinions on Jeremy’s issues, and on Peter (Alexis Camins) and Koji distancing themselves from the family.

But, time and time again, “Before” does not take itself seriously enough.

Koji has multiple epiphanies about his Asian heritage — a vague term that leaves audiences wondering what exactly he means by Asian and the substance of his realizations. The romantic plot twist at the end is overworked and a little forced with raunchy humor that doesn’t seem to fit the rest of the play. “Before” doesn’t need a happy ending, and it could very easily have ended on its penultimate scene.

The play’s local flavor, however, does add something extra. “Before” is very obviously a play written in close proximity to Boston; it’s rife with college professors, references to places in Cambridge and a gag about getting an apartment in Somerville.

The quality of each actor’s individual performance varies by scene.

Camins is awkward in one-on-one exchanges but has a great group dynamic. Goldfarb is quiet and easily lost among the other actors, but her demure performance seems to stay true to Emily’s character. MacDonald’s character, Trish, is delightfully irritating throughout the play.

However, the relationship between Jeremy and Koji steals the stage. Their obviously close friendship, and the confusion that arises between them, is something anyone with a best friend can relate to. More satisfying still is how much their final discussion reveals about Koji’s character, when the audience that has been determined to like him for so much of the play then feels personally betrayed.

If a show is measured by how much you think about it afterwards, “Before I Leave You” has succeeded in every way possible. It aptly tackles personal issues and asks questions that it doesn’t answer. Overall, “Before” is not a must-see, but it’s far from painful theater.

‘Ceremonials’ features extravagant anthems for Florence + the Machine fans FLORENCE

continued from page 5

Go” is a melancholy ballad that, while certainly exhibiting some excellent ’80s-themed drums, is ruled entirely by Welch’s voice once again. In comparison to that, “Breaking Down” is a confusion of uplifting, jovial melodies tied together with dark lyrics such as, “Even when I was a child/ I’ve always known/ There was something to be frightened of.”

“Lungs” made it pretty clear that Welch has the voice to belt out power ballads left and right, but “Lover to Lover” demonstrates other aspects of her vocal range that had yet to be showcased. As her vocals lilt up and down, the backing piano adds a jazzy element to the song that is completely new for the band.

Welch’s background as the daughter of an art historian, and her subsequent fascination with all the tragic and epic elements of the human story, are extremely evident in her music. “Seven Devils,” an evocative song, exposes Welch’s obsession with these themes. She sings, “Holy water cannot help you now/ See I’ve had to burn your kingdom down/ And no rivers and no lakes can put the fire out” over a sinister melody.

JessicaSarahS via Flickr Creative Commons

Although each track on ‘Ceremonials’ has something to offer, the additional bonus tracks feel like overkill.

On “Heartlines,” the band for once overshadows Welch’s voice with a pervasive drumbeat, while “Spectrum” is a fast-paced feel-good tune that could help anyone perk up. Finally, “Leave My Body” is a grandiose expression of freedom and also the point in the album where interest might wane.

The major problem with

“Ceremonials” might just be that it is slightly too long.

Although the band clearly masters their niche-sound, after 12 tracks it is hard to face four more — including additional bonus tracks — without feeling like the over-the-top sound, so enticing just six tracks ago, is a little too much.

However, if utterly extrav-

agant anthems are your jam, then this album is a goldmine of beautifully ostentatious tracks. “Celebrations” features the type of music that would be playing in the background of a really dramatic moment in someone’s life. That considered, “Ceremonials” is a fitting title for this excellent follow-up album.

she is on screen. Danes’ stellar acting adds immense tension to many scenes; she takes seemingly simple tasks and makes them monumental in magnitude and scope.

Mathison secretly takes anti-psychotic medication and always seems to be one mistake away from being fired, and “Homeland” uses both of these dramatic hinges to its advantage.

It becomes hard for viewers to distinguish between her believable delusions and actual threats that only she notices. This ambiguity paints Mathison as a microcosm for the larger struggle with terrorism — her intense paranoia makes it difficult for her to sort out genuine from delusional concerns.

Most of the magnetism of the show lies in its uncertainty. Like its characters, “Homeland’s” viewers are engrossed in the process of figuring out what is really happening and what is fear-based conjecture.

Danes’ stoic performance and the superb scripting of Mathison’s character sell this ambivalence extremely well. Mathison’s disposition is dichotomous: She flips out at little details, yet manages to keep herself grounded and understandable. The way she bounces between two extremes prevents “Homeland” from being just another cheap thriller. Danes has the ability to keep her character strong even when she is about to break down, which stops her from being a weak wreck and instead makes her slightly scary. The viewer can tell Mathison will go far to do what she believes is right, despite the daunting obstacles standing in her way.

The series has few special effects — don’t expect a lot of explosions with this show — and the plot never ventures into spy novel territory, either.

“Homeland” is more of a thinkingperson’s show — the kind of program that puts character depth and ethical questioning above adrenaline-pumping action.

Brody’s actual story — much of which is creepily shown through Mathison’s illegal surveillance of Brody’s home and family — offers intriguing family drama and a portrait of a soldier trying to reintegrate into civilian life. In the eight years that Brody has been gone, his wife has started another relationship, his son has grown up with no memory of him and his daughter has had a hard time adjusting to her father’s presumed death. Now that he’s returned, the family has an even more difficult task of reacquainting themselves with someone they all said agonizing goodbyes to already. Brody’s family — and “Homeland’s” audience — is left wondering if it is possible to pick up where they left off.

This dynamic plays out nicely in the relationship between Brody and his wife, Jessica (Morena Baccarin), when the couple has sex for the first time since his return. The experience is awkward — Jessica seems to not really know if Brody is still the man she fell in love with before, and Brody tries to forget the physical torment he faced as a prisoner. It is almost painful to watch as these two desperately try to reconnect and end up feeling farther apart instead.

Even more disconcertingly, the viewer knows Mathison is watching Brody and his wife’s sex scene voyeuristically from her surveillance monitor.

Mathison quickly slips into obsession about learning the truth about Brody — so much so that she seems to pose a greater threat to society than the questionable Brody himself.

The quiet sense of menace that lurks through almost every scene of this brilliant new show makes “Homeland” an edge-of-your-seat thriller. The show is filled with gritty and realistic details, and yet it is still hard to tell exactly where the show is going to go next. A television thriller with top-notch acting, suspenseful atmosphere and a thoughtful plot, “Homeland” should capture the attention of many viewers.

The Tufts Daily

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

7

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8

THE TUFTS DAILY Editorial Niki Krieg Adam Kulewicz Managing Editors Amelie Hecht Executive News Editor Kathryn Olson News Editors Laina Piera Corinne Segal Saumya Vaishampayan Bianca Blakesley Assistant News Editors Gabrielle Hernandez Brionna Jimerson Elizabeth McKay Marie Schow Minyoung Song Mahpari Sotoudeh Martha Shanahan Executive Features Editor Jon Cheng Features Editors Maya Kohli Amelia Quinn Falcon Reese Derek Schlom Victoria Rathsmill Assistant Features Editors Margaret Young Rebecca Santiago Executive Arts Editor Zach Drucker Arts Editors Anna Majeski Charissa Ng Joseph Stile Matthew Welch Ashley Wood Melissa MacEwen Assistant Arts Editors David Kellogg Bhushan Deshpande Seth Teleky Anna Christian Devon Colmer Westley Engel Louie Zong Craig Frucht Jonathan Green Michael Restiano

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Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Editorial

On satellite campuses, Tufts gets it right

Carter W. Rogers Editor-in-Chief

Editorial | Letters

Compared to other major research universities, Tufts boasts a modest list of satellite schools abroad, with just a single foreign campus: the facility in Talloires, France, which hosts an annual summer abroad program.

That may not accord Tufts the international cachet of, say, New York University, which currently operates satellite campuses in 13 cities worldwide, including Buenos Aires, Argentina; Paris; Tel Aviv, Israel; and Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

But it has saved Tufts from pouring millions of dollars into foreign campuses that end up getting shut down, a fate that a growing number of universities have shared since the start of the global economic crisis.

Too often, the development of a satellite campus does little to enrich the university other than by bringing in additional revenue — and even that is far from guaranteed. Nearby Suffolk University recently closed its campus in Dakar, Senegal, which cost the university $10 million during its 12-year existence. Schools throughout the

United States have closed satellite campuses over the last four years after suffering similar losses, sometimes — as in the case of George Mason University’s campus in Ras al Khayamah, UAE — less than a year into the program’s inauguration.

Even when these campuses work out, it’s hard to see how they translate into direct benefits for students on the home campus.

Opening satellite campuses requires the risky investment of millions of dollars, but in practice, they usually amount to little more than beefed-up study abroad facilities.

Tufts, whose study abroad programs are routinely ranked among the nation’s best, is proof that living on a satellite campus is not necessary for a successful experience studying in a foreign country. In fact, studying at a foreign university and living among foreign students is likely a more valuable experience because it leads to more immersion in a foreign culture.

The disadvantage is that not operating satellite campuses prevents Tufts from

enrolling students in foreign countries, as some universities do. Still, enrolling an entire graduating class of students abroad is not necessary to becoming a “global” university. That goal is better reached by enticing foreign students to come to the United States to study at Tufts and by funding research trips abroad for undergraduate students.

Tufts is successful on both these fronts.

Around 170 students — or 13 percent — of the Class of 2015 came from foreign nations. And the Tufts Institute for Global Leadership sponsors students to travel all over the world on research trips. Recent destinations have included North Korea, Vietnam, Brazil, Kuwait, China, Sri Lanka and many others.

The money for these trips might not exist if Tufts had chosen to invest in foreign satellite campuses in search of global prestige, and the trips benefit the student body far more than would an abandoned campus on the other side of the world.

conversation on best practices in the campus media. The event will take place tomorrow, from noon to 1:20 p.m. in Lane Hall, room 100.

Several representatives from the Daily will be in attendance, and we will attempt

to address any concerns raised. We invite those who have expressed concerns about this aspect of our coverage to attend.

Sincerely, Carter Rogers Editor-in-Chief

wes engel

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Letter from the editor Recently, there has been controversy surrounding the Daily’s coverage of issues related to sexual assault.

In light of this, the Dean of Student Affairs Office and the Media Advocacy Board are co-sponsoring a community

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Judge who beat daughter should be punished by

The Daily Cougar Editorial Board The Daily Cougar

A Texas judge is in trouble after a video of him allegedly beating his teenage daughter was posted on YouTube. The video, posted by daughter Hillary Adams, allegedly shows County Court-at-Law Judge William Adams cursing, screaming and whipping the then-16-year-old girl repeatedly.

According to Hillary Adams, the video is seven years old. And in a statement made to KRIS-TV, Hillary says that she wants her father to seek help.

William Adams, a Rockport, [Texas] resident, confirmed that he was the person in the video and told KRIS that “I have not done anything wrong other than discipline my child” and that “my life’s been 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.

made very difficult over this child.”

The video shows Hillary’s mother and Adams being verbally abusive, and Adams excessively beating his daughter with a belt. Hillary was beaten because she had downloaded games and multimedia content on the family computer — something apparently forbidden in the Adams household.

“Obviously it is a very disturbing video.

We in my office as well as everyone on earth is taking a look at it, at this time,” said Aransas County Attorney Richard Bianchi to the Express-News.

We at The Daily Cougar are not experts in parenting; however, recorded footage of a government official issuing excessive corporal punishment to a defenseless child is disturbing.

Even if the incident happened more than five years ago, that should not take away of the severity of Adams’ actions.

Some may argue this is a case of an abused child seeking revenge against her father by sabotaging his career — others may say it is a legitimate cry for help.

Regardless of why the video was posted and heavily circulated on the Internet, Adams deserves some type of punishment.

There are some who would argue that spanking is an appropriate way of disciplining a child, but those who do usually are not captured on camera. This video shows a man who is in charge of delivering justice administering something far from that.

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The Tufts Daily

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

9

Op-Ed

Tufts, make good on promises of cultural heterogeneity, internationalism by

Erik Antokal

Let me make myself clear before I begin to more deeply explain my frustration: I am upset with the academic departments at Tufts for their failure to offer sufficient courses on LatinAmerican history, political science and other disciplines.

Before I introduce myself, I want to point out an aspect of Tufts culture with which I feel most prospective students and incoming freshmen fall deeply in love, regardless of their background, their interest and their intended major: the Tufts rhetoric.

It is comprised of, among many facets, international focus, tolerance of other world views and a balanced battery of both curricular and extra-curricular programs that are designed to grow active citizens. In most respects, Tufts does a fantastic job of fulfilling these claims about its ethos; I have been privileged to have such engaging experiences in my classes and extracurriculars.

I’ve realized, however, at one of the final junctures in my Tufts career, Tufts has — in this case — failed to fulfill the reputation that the university expounds.

My name is Erik Antokal, and I am currently a first-semester senior here at Tufts, pursuing a double major in Latin American studies and community

health, in addition to pre-med requirements. Before this semester, course variety in Latin American studies had been fairly adequate, although more choices would definitely have been appreciated in the context of my perennially tight schedules.

However, I was stunned by the lack of course offerings for this spring’s Latin American history and political science courses. Because the courses typically offered were not, I am being forced to change the curriculum of my major in order to graduate. Of the 30 regionspecific classes offered by the history department, only one focuses on Latin America. Worse, this class is introductory; there are no intensive courses. In political science, one of the 10 regionspecific courses (PS 138) focuses in some significant part on Latin America.

These departments, especially history, provide important foundations for young students’ interests and have a powerful influence on their college careers. How does Tufts expect to back up its wide claims about internationalism and cultural heterogeneity while excluding a diverse and turbulent region of 580 million people?

This represents a critical lapse, not only in Tufts’ adherence to its own principles but also in its commitments to its areas of study. Without the courses

Walt Laws-MacDonald | Show Me the Money!

to incite interest in Latin America, the current lack of understanding will surely continue. Even as you read, the Africana studies program is being cemented, and Tufts will soon be faced with the challenge of providing sufficient classes to sustain the major of Latin American studies. I am fully in favor of the Africana studies program, but I ask that you, the Tufts administration, consider your commitments to sustaining the majors you already offer.

The solution is simple for both administrators and students. Administrators: Offer more classes about Latin America and other non-western regions. I understand that bringing in new faculty or preparing existing faculty to teach a new class is an intensive process, so although it would be greatly appreciated, I am not expecting you to change your course offerings for my last semester. But quite frankly, I do expect you to provide educational opportunities that reflect the values for which Tufts, and especially Tufts students, hold such fondness. And to those students, I ask only that you speak up. If you have similar concerns, simply voice them, as I have here.

Erik Antokal is a senior who is majoring in Latin American studies and community health.

Off the Hill | Dartmouth College

Too fast, too furious

by

David Brooks

On the night of Dec. 14, 2010, Agent Brian Terry of the U.S. Border Patrol was conducting an operation in the desert near Nogales, Ariz., with three members of his team when they came upon a group of five suspected illegal aliens armed with AK-47 variants. Tragically, in the resulting firefight, Terry was fatally wounded. As he lay there bleeding out in the cold winter air of the high desert, Brian Terry looked at his friend and fellow agent and confided, “I can’t feel my legs.” Those were the last words he uttered. Two of the three rifles recovered from the encounter were traced to an ill-conceived operation conducted by the U.S. Justice Department known as Fast and Furious. The Justice Department, with support from President Barack Obama, has consistently tried to cover up the details of Fast and Furious in a stark divergence from the clear and transparent government on which the president campaigned.

In the fall of 2009, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF), with authorization from the Justice Department and the cooperation of several other agencies, began Operation Fast and Furious with the goal of uncovering the nexus of guns shipped into Mexico. During the operation, ATF agents were under strict orders not to interfere with gun buyers, instead allowing guns to transfer into the black market and Mexico.

This resulted in highly sophisticated guns, including high-powered sniper and assault rifles, being sold to criminals on both sides of the border. During Fast and Furious, over 2,000 of these weapons made their way to the Mexican cartels, enough to outfit almost two Marine Corps infantry battalions.

ATF field agents strongly objected to the practice, but were told to “get with the program” by their superiors. As guns began to turn up at crime scenes, Fast and Furious supervisors responded to this with “giddy optimism.”

However, the level of violence soon began to get out of hand. March 2010 was the most violent month in Mexico since 2005, with 958 people killed and 359 firearms purchased.

Fast and Furious was clearly fueling The Dartmouth

mct

a drug war in Mexico so ubiquitous and so violent that it threatened to topple the government. Between November 2009 and February 2011, 122 weapons were recovered from 48 different crime scenes. Guns transferred during Fast and Furious were used in the murders of Terry and a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, the high profile kidnapping, torture and murder of a Mexican attorney and an engagement with the Mexican military resulting in an emergency landing of a helicopter. Of the estimated 2,500 guns funneled into Mexico, only about 700 have been recovered.

For all of this, Fast and Furious produced only 20 indictments related to the relatively minor charge of submitting false information on the required paperwork to purchase a firearm — not the more serious charges of weapons trafficking.

In the ensuing investigation, the Justice Department sought to shield internal documents from Congress. At a congressional hearing, Attorney General Eric Holder claimed that he had “probably heard about Fast and Furious for the first time over the last few weeks,” but documents were later uncovered that showed Holder was sent briefings on Fast and Furious months earlier. [Department of] Homeland Security

Secretary Janet Napolitano claimed that she has never spoken with Holder about Fast and Furious despite admitting that at least twice her ICE agents had been asked to stand down to allow ATF to facilitate trafficking across the border.

How did an operation involving cooperation from five different federal agencies under three different federal departments escape the attention of the heads of those agencies and Obama? The lack of concern shown by Obama about an operation that could severely strain U.S. — Mexico relations and hamper U.S. foreign policy strains credulity. However, the biggest question remains — how was this operation supposed to work anyway? I have yet to see a reasonable explanation as to how the failure to track purchased weapons until they end up at their very predictable crime scenes would reveal any new information about weapons trafficking.

Obama had promised that his administration would represent transparency in stark contrast to the previous administration. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. And the questions remain — questions that the Border Patrol agents who served alongside Brian Terry, his family, and the Mexican and American people deserve to have answered.

The S and what?

U

nfortunately, I’ve had the following conversation several times over the past few days, due to no one’s fault but my own: “Did you read my column?”

“No. What was it about?”

“The S&P’s rally last week.”

“What’s the S&P?” The point of “Show Me the Money!” (in addition to referencing a great movie) is to literally show you the money — that is, to explain where all the money is. So, what exactly is the S&P? The S&P 500, or simply S&P, is a stock index comprised of 500 companies.

People use indexes to get a general feel for the market — similar to the “How Good America Feels” index mentioned in last week’s column, but with concrete numbers to back it up. You’ve probably heard of the Dow Jones industrial average (Dow), the S&P and perhaps even the NASDAQ; these indexes are meant to be used as general market thermometers, while others focus on a certain sector or industry. To simplify the concept, let’s stick with the S&P. The S&P, like all indexes, cannot be traded; it’s simply a number, an economic bellwether. S&P stands for Standard & Poor’s, the large credit rating firm that downgraded the U.S. debt over the summer. Just like with their credit ratings, Standard & Poor’s has no direct interest in how well or how poorly the S&P does. They represent a third party that can give an accurate reading on market conditions. Investors use the S&P’s large sample size to understand larger market trends, and they often set their benchmark return rates based on how well the S&P does.

The S&P 500, like its name suggests, is backed by 500 publicly traded stocks. The Dow contains only 30 stocks that are generally thought of as safer “blue chip” companies. While the Dow only contains familiar companies like McDonald’s or Johnson & Johnson, the S&P contains these companies in addition to a long list of smaller, more niche stocks, like Noble Energy or SanDisk.

Though larger companies carry more weight in the index, the S&P is essentially the sum of the stock price of every one of the 500 companies. Each swing in any one of the 500 companies’ stock prices will affect the index.

But what if one S&P company, like the Gap, decides to buy another, like Abercrombie & Fitch? The S&P 500 would become the S&P 499, and the index would have a sudden drop in value.

Indexes like the S&P avoid problems like this by creating a “divisor” to keep the index’s price steady. If Standard & Poor’s decides to alter the list of companies, they adjust the divisor so that the index’s value after the change is the same as its value before. Other major events, like splits, mergers and the issuing or repurchase of shares will also result in an adjustment of the divisor.

So, why does the S&P fluctuate so much? Let’s say that Suave (a sub-division of Unilever) makes a new shampoo that not only leaves your hair silky smooth, but also turns it a sickening shade of green. Suddenly Unilever has a PR disaster on its hands, and investors sell their stocks. While Johnson & Johnson shares fall 30 percent, the S&P falls maybe 1 percent.

Though their underlying values take some more time to understand, indexes serve the less-financially-literate well by combining the number of complex factors and equities into a simple, easy-to-read number. I hope I have cleared up some of the smoke-and-mirrors of stock indexes, but please feel free to drop me an email.

Walt Laws-MacDonald is a freshman who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at Walt.Laws_MacDonald@tufts.edu.

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

The Tufts Daily

10

Comics

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Doonesbury

Crossword

by

Garry Trudeau

Non Sequitur

by

Wiley

Tuesday’s Solution

Married to the Sea

www.marriedtothesea.com

SUDOKU Level: Finding enough gold lamé to rival the Snitch

Late Night at the Daily

Niki: “We just might have to Google Image ‘booty tooch.’” [later...] “ ...It’s very suggestive. It’s like a thrust!”

Please recycle this Daily.

Monday’s Solution

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

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Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Ten Years After 9/11: Discussion and Dialogue

WHEN: Tuesday, November 8 6PMͲ7:30PM

WHERE:

205 Cabot, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy

Tufts University

WHO:

Professor Ayesha Jalal, Tufts University

Professor Rajini Srikanth, Univ of MassͲBoston

Naila Baloch, Muslim Chaplain, Tufts University

Priya Murthy, SAALT

Student perspectives

CoͲsponsored by South Asian Americans Leading Together and the Center for South Asian and Indian Ocean Studies, Tufts University

America prides itself as being a land of justice and equality. Over the past 10 years, however, many communities that call America home have been targeted through unfair policies and xenophobic rhetoric. Let us raise our voices to return to an America that is true to the ideals of fairness, diversity and integrity – An America for All of Us http://is.gd/america4all | america4all@saalt.org

Introduce new Jumbos to the Tufts Experience Applications Due 2/3

Innovative and Energetic Leaders Needed to Coordinate Orientation 2012!

Positions in Major Events, Leadership, Training and Academic Programs, and Logistics & Communications (3 Full-Time Paid Summer Positions…June, July, August)

more information &application at: http://studentservices.tufts.edu/orientation or stop by Campus Life in the Campus Center.

The Tufts Daily

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

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Sports

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

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Low-pressure ECACs help Jumbos perform at their best Women’s XC

continued from page 15

into the top 25. Monroe led the way, placing 22nd in 24:08. Right behind Monroe was senior Sadie Lansdale, who ran 24:10 in her final meet, and junior Evelyn Orlando in 24:19.

“I felt probably the best I’ve felt all season. I just had my eyes set on the Colby girls the whole time and that was a good thing to shoot for,” Orlando said.

“The race got out a little slower than usual, but that ended up working in our favor, because personally I just worked up the whole time and mentally felt a lot better.”

Rounding out the scorers for the Jumbos were juniors Lydia Jessup and Mary Sypek. They finished 44th and 49th, respectively, in 24:50 and 24:53.

Senior Kelsey Picciuto was right with Sypek, placing 50th in 24:53. Senior tricaptain Caroline Melhado was seventh for the team, finishing her cross country career with a 25:40 run, good for 79th place.

“We were all really happy with it,” Monroe said. “We are a much better as a team that were last year, and it was really nice to see that manifest itself this weekend.”

In the middle of the two highestpressure meets of the season, carrying momentum from their fourth-place NESCAC performance into the Regional meet will be the real focus, as the team’s top seven will be aiming for a top-five finish. At the same time, the ECACs were the second seven’s final race of the year and they have goals of their own

Daily File Photo

Junior Melanie Monroe led the way for Tufts, finishing the 6,000-meter course in 24:08, good for 22nd place overall.

that they want to achieve.

In certain respects, the lack of pressure allows Jumbos competing at ECACs to have great performances.

Without the burden of needing to perform at a high level, the team is able to enjoy the race and use positive energy in its favor.

“I think the person who finished behind me, Sadie Lansdale, had a really great last race,” Monroe said. “She had a really big PR, but we all ran really well.”

“It was an emotional end for the few seniors we had, but it was great for us to place third on their last race to have something to show for it,” Orlando added.

With several Jumbos having great performances on Saturday, the momentum is certainly there and bodes well for the Jumbos competing next weekend. The fact that the Jumbos have a great group of runners just behind the top seven, who have been pushing the top girls to improve each week, is a sign that all the pieces are in place for a strong close to the season.

“Our finish shows that our second seven is literally right behind our first seven, so there’s no divide. It’s just a continuous string of talent this year,” Orlando said. “That’s why our workout groups have been so close and everyone has been training together, which is great.”

The Jumbos will compete next weekend in the Div. III New England Regional Championships hosted by Bowdoin College, where they hope to secure a bid to the National Championships a week later.

Tufts’ second team shows depth MEN’S XC

continued from page 16

tions, only two Jumbos ran times faster than Haney and McCauley in 2010, a promising statement about the strength of the team this year.

“Our finish basically says that we’re the second-deepest team in New England and the whole ECAC, and that should build confidence for the top seven since our second seven had a bunch of guys [whose times would have finished] 35th to 70th at Regionals [in 2010], so our top seven guys should be ahead of that,” grad student Jerzy Eisenberg-Guyot (LA ’10) said. “All seven runners could potentially be All-Region next weekend.”

Senior co-captain Scott McArthur was the next Jumbo across the line in 27:00, good for 16th place. Eisenberg-Guyot was three places back with a time of 27:07.

“Our plan was to get out near the front and pack up and run together, and we executed it perfectly,” Haney said. “We got out well, and Jerzy, Scott and I ran as a pack for most of it until the last mile, and then Jake caught me right at the end and we finished together … Jake really had the stand-out performance of the day.”

The race capped off McArthur and Eisenberg-Guyot’s careers of suiting up for Tufts cross country.

“It’s important for me to keep things in perspective. I was out all of junior year because of injury, and then last year, I was coming back pretty slow, but I made really big strides from that this year. I was faster than I ever was before,” Eisenberg-Guyot said. “I think I am going to gain on that

in track, because every season coming back from junior year, I’ve been a lot stronger.” “[Scott] toughed it out well.

He’s been dealing with injuries in the latter part of the season,” Eisenberg-Guyot said. “He got out and ran aggressively, leading Sam [Haney] and me for a while and holding us together, which was good to see. He had a good race and he still ran faster than he ever did on that course before, even though he hasn’t run much the last two weeks because of injury, which is impressive.”

Rounding out the scorers for Tufts was junior Luke Maher in 26th place with a time of 27:29.

Just two seconds back was sophomore Benji Hansen in 29th, and the final Jumbo was freshman Sam Garfield in 44th.

The team hopes to carry this positive energy over to next weekend, when the top seven runners will duke it out with the rest of the region for a shot at a NCAA Championship berth.

“We were hoping to get some momentum going into regionals for the top seven, and we did that really well as far as our attitude and aggression in the race,” Eisenberg-Guyot said.

“Having a positive attitude and momentum is really important going into regionals, especially after a pretty disappointing finish at NESCACs.” “The team has a lot of momentum right now,” Haney added. “On Friday the top seven all ran a really good two-mile workout, and that pumped us up for Saturday, and I hope our performances will pump them for next Saturday and they will run really well and hopefully go to nationals.”

DAILY FILE PHOTO

Senior co-captain Scott McArthur placed 16th at ECACs, helping the team earn second place overall.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

The Tufts Daily

15

Sports

Sailing

Tufts wins Hap Moore Team Racing Trophy

The Tufts co-ed sailing team continued the season’s success this weekend, winning the annual Hap Moore Team Racing Trophy hosted by the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. The Jumbos finished the weekend with a 13-2 record, narrowly defeating second-place Boston College.

The event included 11 teams and featured three different two-man boats.

The Tufts boats consisted of senior skipper Massimo Soriano with junior crew Madeline Luce, sophomore skipper Will Haeger with sophomore crew Paula Grasberger and junior skipper Will Hutchings with senior crew Reeves Bright.

Tufts won nine of 10 races in the roundrobin format regatta, its only loss coming against Conn. College. Alongside Boston College, Roger Williams, Brown, Navy and the University of Vermont, the Jumbos were among the top six teams to make it into the second round. Boston College also posted a 9-1 record in the first round, but the Jumbos beat the Eagles in the head-to-head race, securing a first place lead going into the second round.

“We were really happy that we didn’t lose a race to two of the top schools, Roger Williams and BC,” Soriano said.

“We managed to sweep them whenever we raced which was a huge confidence by

Ann Sloan

Daily Editorial Board

booster for us.”

Tufts posted an impressive 4-1 record in the second round of the regatta. The Jumbos lost just one race to Brown, earning them a 13-2 overall record for the weekend. Boston College’s two losses were against Tufts and Brown. Roger Williams came in third with 11 wins and four losses.

“We’ve always known we were pretty fast in terms of our boat speed. We’ve sailed this season pretty well at Coast …

We’ve been really excited to see where we’d come in team racing wise,” Soriano said. “Hap Moore had a bunch of big schools, but not necessarily the best teams in New England. And we fielded our best teams and were able to come out on top and that felt pretty good.”

The Hap Moore Trophy is different from other fleet racing courses that Tufts has participated in.

“The emphasis is setting picks and blocking the other teams from slowing down your own teammates and ideally crossing the line in a 1-2-3 finish,” Soriano said.

According to Soriano, Boston College, Roger Williams and Brown — the second, third and fourth place teams, respectively — were each missing one of their key players, meaning they were only fielding two out of their best three teams.

Boston College was missing senior Annie Haeger, sister of Tufts junior skip-

per Will Haeger, who was busy winning her third ICSA Women’s Singlehanded National Championship in Chicago.

The victory continued the success for Tufts in races hosted by the Coast Guard Academy as the squad also finished second out of 20 teams in the Danmark Trophy on Oct. 1-2.

The Jumbos’ freshmen also had success this weekend, winning the intersectional at Bowdoin thanks to a collective team effort.

“It was actually a really tight race, even though there were only six teams, and the weather was spectacular,” freshman Alec Ruiz-Ramon said of the intersectional at Bowdoin. “After the first day, we were tied with Roger Williams, but by the end of the second day, we won by six points over Vermont. It was a great way to end the season as freshmen, and we’re looking forward to watching the other teams race next week.”

Tufts sophomores Eliza White and Solomon Krevans finished first at the Crews Regatta hosted by Boston University, four points ahead of second place Brown.

Next weekend, Tufts will race in the Atlantic Coast Championship at MIT. “If we all sail like we have been throughout the season, it’s unlikely that that positioning will change. We’re in a good place going into the rest of the season,” Soriano said.

COURTESY ADAM WEISMAN

Tufts won nine out of 10 races at the Hap Moore Team Racing Trophy this weekend.

Women’s Cross Country

Jumbos finish third at ECACs

Strong performance gives Tufts momentum for NCAAs by

Connor Rose

Senior Staff Writer

A week after the NESCAC Championships and a week before the Div. III New England Championships, it would have been easy for the women’s cross country team to enter the ECAC Championships with low energy and a lack of focus. However, the squad changed that attitude this year by placing third in the meet at Williams College, three spots better than last season’s performance.

The team toed the line in Williamstown, Mass., this weekend in a meet that is typically reserved for the

second seven runners as the top seven rest in preparation for the Regional meet the following weekend. With great talent in the field and momentum to be gained for the team looking ahead, the Jumbos saw no reason to risk a letdown.

“It’s not as pressured, but it’s still an important meet. Nationals still look at this meet,” junior Melanie Monroe said. “Our top seven isn’t there, so we were free to move around in the field.”

Middlebury dominated the field, placing four women in the top five — with only Emily D’Addario from William Smith in third place to break up the string of Panthers. Middlebury

won the meet with just 25 points, and Panthers senior Claire McIlvennie captured the individual title, completing the 6,000-meter course in 22:33.

Williams filled the next five spots behind Middlebury’s pack, with their runners finishing sixth through 10th.

The Ephs ended up with 40 points.

With those two teams taking most of the top individual spots, the last spot on the podium was wide open. Tufts took advantage, earning third place with 162 points.

The Jumbos’ front pack ran very well for the team, with three women sliding see WOMEN’S XC, page 14

Alex Prewitt | Live from Mudville

The Paterno Problem

A

few weeks ago, at the climax of the epic Boston Red Sox collapse, I wrote about the scapegoat, about the social tendency to heap blame onto an individual to absolve ourselves of any wrongdoing. With historical origins dating back to biblical times, this most clearly manifests itself in coaching firings and departures, specifically that of Terry Francona. The Red Sox needed someone to denounce for the slide and the clubhouse mess. Fans needed someone to shoulder blame upon. Upper management needed to save face.

This is all well and good. We’ve accepted this as a commonplace repercussion of failure. Coaches are expendable, figureheads who fill out the lineup card so the real money-makers can take the field.

At the professional level, this is undoubtedly the case. Carl Crawford had a subpar year, but he still raked in money in ticket sales and jersey sales. He’s the talent, Francona is not.

But at the collegiate level, the demarcating line between expendable figurehead and irreplaceable talent becomes less clear.

Most college football programs have one or two big names — at least those known to a national audience — and that’s it.

Programs are built around coaches, not players, because the latter last only for a few years. Nick Saban. Urban Meyer. Les Miles. Bob Stoops. Mack Brown. These are the stable faces who lead the revolving door of players.

This dynamic is what makes the recent scandal surrounding Penn State so incredibly fascinating, not to mention nearly impossible to predict.

If the allegations are true, there’s no debate that what occurred in Happy Valley was horrific and unbelievably illegal. There’s no defending former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who was arrested on 40 charges Saturday, including felony sex crimes against children.

Nor is there really any defense for Penn State athletic director Tim Curley and university vice president Gary Schultz, who have been charged with felony perjury in their grand jury testimony, as well as failure to report Sandusky’s behavior. Both vacated their positions late Sunday after an emergency meeting of Penn State’s Board of Trustees.

That is not the intriguing part of the story.

That is the saddening tale of an alleged child predator. What’s so fascinating is where Nittany Lions coach Joe Paterno fits into the equation.

Paterno is the face of Penn State and, quite possibly, college football in general.

He was born in 1926, which made him an adolescent during the Great Depression, and yet he still directs one of the game’s most historic programs.

Well, maybe not for long.

The calls have come in. Paterno is said to have testified before a state grand jury that he knew of the allegations and informed Curley, but took no other steps to alert authorities. National columnists are calling for his ouster. He’s just as culpable as anyone else. Joe Paterno would not be a scapegoat. It would be justifiable, because he is directly to blame for this not coming out sooner.

All signs point to a total house cleaning. Curley and Schultz will be gone; that much is certain. But the burning question is whether Paterno stays, retires or is unceremoniously fired. Paterno is a legendary coach and an even better person, but this ridiculous don’t ask, don’t tell policy billed as camaraderie is a colossal black mark on Penn State, college athletics and sports in general.

If we are to assume that Francona was culpable for his team’s failings to win, then why not hold Paterno to the same standards for his personal failings to police his staff?

In fact, why not hold him to higher standards? This is about the safety and health of children. Not mere winning and losing.

Alex Prewitt is a senior majoring in English and religion. He can be reached on his blog at http://livefrommudville.blogspot.com or followed on Twitter at @Alex_Prewitt.

Sports

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INSIDE Sailing 15 Women’s XC 15

tuftsdaily.com

VOLLEYBALL

Middlebury bumps Tufts from NESCAC Tournament Jumbos face Roger Williams in NCAA first round Friday by

David McIntyre

Daily Editorial Board

Coming into the NESCAC Tournament, the volleyball team felt confident about its chances after a 24-4 regular season VOLLEYBALL (9-1 NESCAC, 25-5 Overall) at Brunswick, Maine, Saturday NESCAC Semifinal Tufts Williams

25 25 23 16 15 — 3 10 14 25 25 10 — 2

at Brunswick, Maine, Friday NESCAC Quarterfinal Tufts 24 25 21 26 Middlebury 26 20 25 28

— 1 — 3

that included nine wins in the conference — good enough for the No. 2 seed.

But the Jumbos failed to meet expectations on Saturday, dropping a close fourset match to the Middlebury Panthers.

Tufts narrowly made it to the semifinal matchup with Middlebury, as a spirited effort from Williams almost sent the Jumbos home in the first round. The Jumbos blew a two-set lead but were able to right the ship and emerge from the quarterfinals with their third win over the Ephs this year. Freshman Kelly Brennan led the way for the Jumbos, posting 13 kills and 14 digs as Williams was eliminated in the quarterfinals for the first time in its NESCAC era.

“I’m really proud of the win against Williams, because they definitely came back and played their best against us, which always seems to happen,” senior tri-captain Lexi Nicholas said. “But we were able to keep our energy up and finish the match strong.”

The real action came against Middlebury on Saturday, as the Jumbos took on a Panthers squad that they blew out of Cousens Gym in straight sets on Oct. 8. This match was close from the very start, and Middlebury eked out a 26-24 win in the first set to take the early advantage.

“I don’t think we started off as strong as we could have,” Nicholas said. “But that being said, they were playing on top of their game, and it was so close that it could have gone either way.”

Scott Tingley/Tufts Daily

Junior Kendall Lord set the Jumbos up with 52 assists in the semifinal match with Middlebury, but they could not put the Panthers away.

Tufts fought back immediately, taking the second set 25-20 thanks in large part to the efforts of senior tri-captain Cara Spieler, who finished with a match-high 19 kills. But the Panthers responded once again, turning the match into a

Top 10 candidates to be Kim Kardashian’s next husband Kim Kardashian goes through athletes like Justin Verlander goes through Major League lineups. First, she was dating Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin. Next, it was then-Saints running back Reggie Bush. Now, she’s chewed up and spit out the Nets’ Kris Humphries after just 72 days of matrimony, and Bush might be back in the picture. That got us thinking, so we at the Daily came up with our list of athletes that she may sink her teeth into next.

6. Devin Hester: Because she likes a quick return, and he can certainly keep up.

10. Alex Rodriguez: It would make the lives of the paparazzi so much easier if they didn’t have to follow these two around separately anymore.

3. Nyjer Morgan: Who wouldn’t look forward to the following sound bite: Reporter: “How do you feel about marrying Kim Kardashian?” Nyjer: “F--k YEAH!”

9. Brett Favre: Word on the street is that he’s already texted in his application…

2. Darren Sproles: After all, he already does a better job in Bush’s position that Bush ever could himself. A serious upgrade for Kardashian.

8. Tiger Woods: If they can get the knot tied quickly enough, she can help him improve his play at the President’s Cup and then be all set for Thanksgiving to, um, hit.

7. Charlie Sheen: He’s basically a baseball player, and everybody likes winning.

5. Curtis Painter: Painter may seem like a bit of an outsider in this group of superstars, but apparently Kardashian likes useless athletes on really, really bad teams.

4. Tim Tebow: If she can’t take his virginity, no one can.

1. LeBron James: He doesn’t know the first thing about loyalty anyway.

— compiled by the Daily Sports Department

seesaw battle as they took the third set 25-21, putting themselves one set away from the NESCAC final.

“All the sets were so close, and they battled really well, but we did too,” Spieler said. “So it came down to the

little things in the end, and unfortunately we weren’t able to win those key points.”

The lack of that killer instinct was particularly evident in the decisive fourth set. Tufts had a 22-19 advantage and even managed to get a set point, but Middlebury rallied, eventually taking the set 28-26 and saddling the Jumbos with a heartbreaking end to one of their strongest NESCAC campaigns in recent years.

Middlebury’s victory can be attributed to its balanced attack, as two of the squad’s outside hitters, sophomore Megan Jarchow and senior Jane Handel, finished with 13 kills apiece. Although Tufts had the upper hand in most of the statistical categories, the Panthers’ cohesion and communication were the keys to their success.

“Their outside hitters were having a great game, so we had to adjust our blocking,” Spieler said. “But no one on our team had a bad game, we just didn’t play together as well as we could have.

Middlebury played really well as a team, but we were super bummed to lose the match because we did play well.”

The Panthers went to the NESCAC finals to try to defend last year’s NESCAC title against Bowdoin, but they ended up losing to the Polar Bears in straight sets as the Maine school captured its first-ever conference championship.

Ironically, Bowdoin — which was Tufts’ toughest rival all season — ended up doing the Jumbos a favor, because their victory improved Tufts’ strength of schedule and meant that the Polar Bears would receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

That result, coupled with others elsewhere in New England, landed the Jumbos an at-large bid and a firstround matchup with Roger Williams, a team Tufts has not faced in at least 10 seasons. The Hawks are an impressive 28-3 this fall.

“The bid [was] really up to chance,” Nicholas said. “But we had a strong schedule and even with the loss we were still [ranked] fourth in the region.”

While Tufts will not be one of the favorites next weekend, the team is grateful for the opportunity to compete in the NCAA Tournament.

“The results [Saturday] went as well as they really could have, because Bowdoin, Springfield, and UMass all won,” Spieler said. “We had a strong schedule, which helped us, so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY

Tufts earns second at ECAC Championships

Haney and McCauley earn All-ECAC honors by

Lauren Flament

Daily Editorial Board

The men’s cross country team earned second at the ECAC Championships on Saturday, placing its four runners in the top 20 — even without its top seven runners on the line. The finish was the best performance by the Jumbos since they took home the championship title in 2004.

While the top seven prepared for next week’s NCAA Div. III New England Championships, it was the second seven that toed the line this weekend at the championship hosted by Williams College at Mt. Greylock High School in Williamstown, Mass.

Williams took the crown on Saturday with a score of 44 points, placing four runners in the top 15, including third, fourth and fifth places. Like Tufts and many of the other top schools in the conference, it was Williams’ second seven runners that

suited up. The Jumbos finished with 77 points, with Middlebury behind in third with 102.

The Jumbos were led by junior Sam Haney, crossing the line in seventh place among the 300-man field in a time of 26:40 on the 8,000-meter course.

Second for the Jumbos was sophomore Jake McCauley in ninth with a time of 26:43. After struggling with injuries since he arrived at Tufts, the race showed McCauley coming into true form. By finishing in the top 15, Haney and McCauley earned all-ECAC honors.

The impressive top-ten finish by the pair is even more striking when put in the perspective of last year’s NCAA Div. III New England Championship run on the same course. Haney’s time would have placed him 35th, the last All-Region spot, and McCauley’s time would have placed him 37th. Though under different condisee MEN’S XC, page 14