TuftsDaily12-06-2012

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thursday, december 6, 2012

VOLUME LXIV, NUMBER 57

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Senate works to extend CSL allows for religious exemption pass/fail deadline from nondiscrimination policy by

Patrick McGrath

Daily Editorial Board

The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate last week approved a project that would extend the university’s pass/fail deadline until 10 weeks into the semester for all students.

Senators Ethan Finkelstein, a freshman, and Jessie Serrino, a sophomore, submitted the project proposal.

The current pass/fail policy gives upperclassmen students until five weeks into the semester to choose to take a course pass/ fail rather than for a letter grade.

The Educational Policy Committee (EPC) earlier this semester approved a 10-week pass/fail deadline for freshmen, according to Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education Jean Herbert, a member of the EPC. She said the EPC did not vote to extend the deadline from five to 10 weeks for upperclassmen, as she had suggested.

“EPC made the recommendation to the faculty, and the faculty voted and approved that the pass/fail deadline would be extended for first-year students only to match the 10-week drop deadline that first-year students have,” Herbert said.

The senators hope to meet with members of the EPC, including Herbert, in the spring so that the extended deadline may be approved and implemented by next academic year.

Students showed interest in extending the pass/fail deadline when the initiative was proposed in a Senate survey sent out to students earlier this semester, according to Finkelstein.

“From what I understand from when I talked to the students, it’s definitely something students are more interested in

because they feel that the current deadline doesn’t give them enough time to realize how well they’re doing in a class to know if they want to take it pass/fail,” he said.

Herbert explained that there are advantages to extending the current pass/fail deadline.

“I don’t really like it when students withdraw from a course, losing the credit that they’ve spent a lot of time working on,” she said. “I think it just might help students stay in classes instead of withdrawing.”

Since midterms often do not happen until the eighth week of the semester, Herbert said, students have in the past petitioned for an extension of the pass/fail deadline. Students are surprised by the grade that they receive and learn that they are not doing as well in a certain class as they might have initially thought, according to Herbert.

“So the five-week deadline might be premature, in my opinion,” she said.

Herbert added that this is the first time a formal proposal to change the deadline for upperclassmen has been discussed among faculty members since they decided on the original five-week deadline.

David Hammer, professor and co-chair of the Department of Education and member of the EPC, expressed reservations about extending the pass/fail deadline for upperclassmen.

“I’m worried about how much many Tufts students play the game of trying to maximize a GPA rather than get a substantive education, and I’m a little bit worried that our tweaking and fiddling with rules like this see PASS/FAIL, page 2

Dental and Medical Schools offer combined degree

by Jennifer

White

Daily Editorial Board

The Tufts School of Dental Medicine and the School of Medicine have launched a new combined degree program in dental medicine and public health policy, which will enable current students to graduate with a joint Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) and Master of Public Health (MPH) degree.

“The great interest in the program reflects the need for public health dentists and Tufts’ emphasis on active citizenship,” Wanda Wright, assistant professor of public health and commu-

nity service at the Dental School and program director of the new DMD/MPH program, said.

The program focuses on providing comprehensive, interdisciplinary training to address dental health needs on a community-wide level through the development of policy and services aimed at oral health improvements, according to Mark Nehring, chair of the Department of Public Health and Community Service at the Dental School.

“The goal of the proposed combined DMD/MPH program see DENTAL, page 2

by

Martha Shanahan

Daily Editorial Board

A new university policy will allow student religious groups, including Tufts Christian Fellowship (TCF), to request University Chaplaincy permission for religious exemption from the university’s nondiscrimination clause in choosing their leaders when applying for Tufts Community Union (TCU) recognition.

The procedure was announced yesterday as an official resolution in the appeal case that TCF brought to the Committee on Student Life (CSL) after the TCU Judiciary voted in October to derecognize the group.

The new policy changes the guidelines for the Judiciary’s group recognition process to allow religious groups to argue for “justified departures from the Tufts nondiscrimination policy” in their leadership decisions for Chaplaincy-approved religious reasons.

The decision also allows TCF to remain “conditionally recognized” — without the rights to apply for TCU Senate funding — while it reapplies for recognition under the new guidelines within 60 days.

The CSL, chaired this year by Associate Professor of Biology Philip Starks and senior Rebecca Spiewak, is a body of faculty members and students whose responsibilities include hearing appeals of decisions handed down by the Judiciary.

The CSL was asked at the beginning of last month to hear and make a ruling in the TCF appeal case after the Judiciary removed the evangelical Christian group’s TCU recognition status because clauses in its

Daily File Photo

The CSL announced a new policy that will give student religious groups the opportunity to seek exemption from the university’s nondiscrimination policy. constitution violated the TCU Constitution’s nondiscrimination clause.

Its ultimate decision, over which the committee deliberated for the past month and released yesterday in an email to the student body, has two major clauses.

“The [Judiciary] followed its policy correctly in de-recognizing the TCF” The decision first affirms the Judiciary’s vote in October to strip TCF of its status as a TCU-

recognized group.

“Regarding the specific question of whether [TCUJ] acted inappropriately, we find no significant fault with the [Judicary],” the decision reads. “No human process is perfect, and while variation across decision processes should be minimized, it is our finding that the [Judiciary] followed its policy correctly in de-recognizing the TCF.” The Judiciary made the initial decision in September to see TCF, page 2

Tufts Libraries launches text-message service Tufts University Libraries has implemented a new service on their shared online catalog that allows users to have a call number texted to them when searching for books and other resources in the library.

Students can click the “Text to Phone” icon on the Tufts University Library Catalog page to receive the call number, location and title of the item in a regular SMS text.

The service works on all three of Tufts’ campuses, including in Tisch Library and the Lilly Music Library.

“The catalog is shared by all the Tufts libraries, so this feature is available to all Tufts students and faculty regardless of which campus they are on or which library they are using,” Director of Tisch Library Laura Wood said. “We love that undergraduates will benefit from this, but

Inside this issue

it is really for the entire Tufts community.”

The text message service has become standard in libraries at other universities, Wood added.

“Within the last two years, it has become a very popular and common feature because texting and smart phones have become so popular,” she said. “The concept really goes hand in hand with the technology.”

Systems Librarian at University Library Services Heather Klish, who coded and implemented the service, explained that the idea began when several Tufts librarians saw how well the service was working at other schools.

“We have a libraries-wide team. All of the Tufts libraries have representation on this team. [It’s] called the Discovery Platform Team,” she said. “We get together and discuss the features in the library catalog.”

The Discovery Platform Team decided to move forward with a text-messaging feature for the catalog, Wood said.

“Since the library catalog is shared, this is a core group of people who try to enhance the catalog, to add new features, to improve things that aren’t working very well and to make the library collections more usable,” she said.

Although Tufts Libraries initially introduced the service last year, it was removed from the system due technical issues, Klish said. The service was reimplemented at the end of last summer, she added.

“It really is a convenience feature,” Wood said. “It is something that is focused on making it a little bit easier to use the physical collections that we have.”

—by Rebecca Kimmel

Today’s sections

Students seeking polished papers are turning to online editing services.

Check out the top movies, albums and TV shows of the year.

see FEATURES, page 3

see WEEKENDER, page 6

News Features Weekender Editorial | Letters

1 3 6 10

Op-Ed Comics Classifieds Sports

11 12 13 Back

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News

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Dual degree program to produce leaders in dentistry, public health DENTAL

continued from page 1

Sofia Adams for the Tufts Daily

The Tufts Community Union Senate last week approved an initiative to change the pass/fail deadline from five to 10 weeks into the semester for all students.

Faculty to discuss pass/fail extension for upperclassmen PASS/FAIL

continued from page 1

sort of play into that game,” he said. “I’d rather students focus on the substance of what they’re learning in their courses and less on the GPA.” He believes that the pressure put on students to increase their GPA is responsible for these attitudes.

“I don’t think it’s the students’ fault, but

I think it’s a large systemic attitude and orientation, and I’m kind of reluctant to be participating in that,” Hammer said.

Hammer added, however, that he sees the advantages of the extension for freshmen.

“On the other hand, I think it’s a nice thing that will help freshmen stay in courses that they might otherwise drop because they’re worried about what it will do to their GPA,” he said.

is to recruit and retain a diverse and competent dental public health workforce that can help to reduce oral health disparities and improve understanding of the health care needs of disadvantaged populations,” he said.

Aviva Must, dean of the Public Health and Professional Degree Programs and chair of the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at the Medical School, said that the program combines the strengths of the two Boston campus schools.

“The DMD/MPH program brings together Tufts University School of Dental Medicine’s expertise in providing community-based dental education and Tufts University School of Medicine’s dedication to providing public health training to health professionals,” Must said.

The program gives students who are interested in both dentistry and public health issues the opportunity to earn the degrees in less time than it would take to successively enroll in two separate programs.

“The DMD/MPH program enables dental students to begin their MPH coursework during the first or third year of dental school and complete the degree with an additional one-half year or one year of study,” Wright said.

Nehring said that there was increasing student demand for such a program, which is the 14th combined degree program offered on the Boston campus, according to a press release.

The decision to implement the degree program was also influenced by rising awareness about inequalities in access to oral health care around the world, Nehring said, as well as a shortage of dentistry professionals with public health training.

The importance of merging dental and public health studies is underlined in a 2003 Report of the U.S. Surgeon General entitled “National Call to Action to Promote Oral Health,” which demonstrates that poor dental health is rampant among underprivileged populations. “[The report] highlighted the role of oral health as an essential component in overall health and urged public health professionals to increase affordability and accessibility of oral health care to underserved populations,” Nehring said.

Nehring added that Tufts is in the unique position of responding to this call to action.

“Tufts University, its dental school and its medical school all have mission statements [that] demonstrate a strong commitment to public health and community service,” he said.

Qualified candidates are invited to apply to the program after matriculating at the Dental School or during their second year at the Medical School, according to Wright.

Now in its first semester, the program has three students enrolled, but Wright said that she expects the number of participants to be between eight and 10 students in the future.

CSL reworks university’s nondiscrimination policy TCF

continued from page 1

put TCF’s recognition status on hold following the annual spring semester group recognition period.

During the process, by which the Judiciary reviews the policies and governing documents of all TCU recognized groups on campus, it found that a clause in TCF’s constitution requiring students assuming leadership positions to affirm their belief in a series of tenets called a Basis of Faith, or eight “basic Biblical truths of Christianity,” was exclusionary to students who do not hold these beliefs and violated the TCU Constitution’s nondiscrimination clause.

TCF made revisions to its constitution during the weeks that followed, but the revised version it sent to the Judiciary in October still contained faith-based requirements for leaders and was deemed to be in continued violation of the TCU Constitution.

Starks said that the committee had not found any fault with the Judiciary’s processes or standards and does not recommend any internal changes to the body.

“Justified departure” While the CSL upholds the Judiciary’s decision to de-recognize TCF and denied the group’s appeal, it simultaneously allows TCF to remain “conditionally recognized,” which does not constitute de-recognition but also does not afford TCF the same rights as a recognized group.

The reapplication process, should TCF choose to participate without making changes to its constitution, would allow it to work with the University Chaplain — a position currently held ad interim

by Rev. Patricia Budd Keppler — and the other chaplains who make up the Chaplaincy to develop a case for “justified departure” from the university’s nondiscrimination policy and bring that argument to the Judiciary.

“Any characteristic that deviates from Tufts’ nondiscrimination policies will need to be

described very carefully,” Starks said. “They’ll need to be described [and] justified to the Chaplain.”

This process of establishing justified departure from the policy would only be required of TCF if the group keeps the constitution’s wording as it is now.

TCF also has the option of removing the clause requiring leaders to hold specified religious beliefs, thus freeing it to apply for TCU recognition without approval for “justified departure” from the Chaplaincy.

Senior Jessica Laporte, a member of TCF’s leadership team, said that removing the clause or otherwise altering their constitution to avoid having to apply for “justified departure” through the Chaplaincy is among the options TCF will consider, but that the leadership team has yet to decide how it will respond to the decision.

“As of right now, we don’t have any specific plans,” Laporte said.

The new policy would allow TCF or any other religious group to attempt to prove to the Chaplaincy, and then to the Judiciary, that adherence to a particular set of religious beliefs is necessary as a criterion for leadership within the group even if the criterion violates the university nondiscrimination policy.

The university’s nondiscrimination policy reads as follows: “Tufts prohibits discrimination against and harassment of any [individual] because of race, color, national or ethnic origin, age, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and expression, including a transgender identity, genetics, veteran status ... and any other characteristic protected ... under applicable federal or state law.”

As part of the existing Judiciary recognition process, the Chaplaincy already reviews the constitutions of religious groups before they are allowed to apply for Judiciary recognition.

The CSL decision also emphasizes that any groups applying for recognition from the Judiciary must continue to adhere to the

university’s full nondiscrimination policy with respect to group membership.

Judiciary Chair Adam Sax, a senior, said that while it would be TCF’s responsibility to prove to the Chaplaincy that it deserves religious exemption, once it were to do so, the Judiciary would have the final say in their recognition status.

“If a religious group wants to implement this policy ... that group still has to be approved in the Judiciary to be a group in the first place,” Sax said.

If TCF successfully works with the Chaplaincy to establish a “justified departure,” they would fall outside the university nondiscrimination policy and be able to keep the Basis of Faith in its constitution’s leadership requirements. If the Judiciary does not find any other problems outside of that clause, Sax said that TCF’s application for re-recognition would likely be approved.

A unanimous vote According to Starks, the 12 voting faculty and student members of the CSL unanimously supported the decision’s two major judgments — both that the Judiciary was correct in de-recognizing TCF and that this new exemption policy would adequately fill the void in policy regarding religious groups’ leadership positions.

Although the Judiciary originally found TCF’s constitutional clauses for leadership in violation of the TCU Constitution — the governing document for the TCU government, including the Senate and the Judiciary ­— the CSL’s decision focuses only on religious groups’ relationship with the university-wide nondiscrimination policy.

The CSL combined the TCU Constitution and the university’s nondiscrimination policy in the interest of simplicity, according to Starks. While the TCU Constitution’s nondiscrimination clause is distinct from the university policy on discrimination, the constitution derives its language from Tufts’ policy, he explained.

“It all comes from the same tree,” Starks said. “The [Judiciary] policy cannot be in conflict with university policy.”

Should TCF choose to apply for re-recognition by the Judiciary and go through the process of justifying its deviation from the university’s nondiscrimination policy, the Judiciary will be expected to place an emphasis on clarity as it makes its decision, according to Starks.

“At that level, the [Judiciary] will be looking mostly for transparency and for whether or not that information is presented in a way that will be easily digestible by our student body,” Starks said. “The policy that we’re creating here really asks for transparency in any of these deviations from the nondiscrimination policy at Tufts.”

A reasonable expectation The new process for establishing “justified departure” is meant to serve as a compromise between the “reasonable” expectation that religious groups should be allowed to hold their leaders to certain belief standards and the university’s commitment to upholding its own policy of nondiscrimination, Starks said.

“In leadership positions, individuals are often required to be exemplars of a particular approach, and I think it’s natural then for a group built around a philosophy to expect that its leadership reflect that,” he said.

Laporte said that TCF is in favor of any decision that attempts to reach such a compromise.

“We appreciate that the [CSL] recognizes that faith-based groups may need the freedom to use faith-based criteria in its leadership selection in order to remain consistent with the mission and beliefs of their faiths,” she said. “We also appreciate the Committee’s desire to protect all students on campus by both affirming the nondiscrimination policy and defining its proper context and application for student religious groups.”

The process applies to any Chaplaincy-affiliated religious

group that seeks recognition or re-recognition from the Judiciary from this point forward.

If a religious group’s constitutional policy of selecting leaders based on religious doctrine is called into question by a member of the Tufts community or the Chaplaincy, however, it must receive approval from the Chaplaincy before it can apply or reapply for TCU recognition.

A chapter under fire The Chaplaincy’s list of recognized religious organizations includes TCF as well as 16 others, including the Muslim Students Association, the Catholic Community at Tufts, the Latter Day Saints Student Association and the Tufts Freethought Society, which describes itself online as a “community of atheists, agnostics, humanists, skeptics and friends at Tufts.”

Complicating matters is TCF’s dual role as a campus religious group but also as a chapter of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/ USA (IVCF), an evangelical Christian mission on college campuses across the United States.

The Basis of Faith clause in TCF’s constitution, the same clause that led to TCF’s derecognition in October, is derived from a similar clause on IVCF’s website that the national organization requires its chapters to retain in their constitutions.

IVCF provides religious resources, mentorship and financial assistance to its chapters, although members of TCF’s leadership have said that the IVCF’s influence over TCF is overemphasized and that TCF student leaders have the last word on all chapter policies.

Starks said the committee did not consider the relationship between TCF and IVCF in its handling of the case.

“The appeal that we received was very specific to our student body and our response is very specific to the student body,” Starks said. “I haven’t really taken into consideration the external organization. I’m very concerned about Tufts University.”

Features

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Faculty, students debate online editing resources

by Safiya

Nanji

Contributing Writer

Nearing the end of the semester, students turn to a variety of resources to complete final assignments and papers. Draft after draft, some may decide to seek out help beyond the offerings of the Academic Resource Center or, in some classes, the advice of their Writing Fellow.

As such, new online editing sites allow students to submit their essays online to a graduate student or professor and have their essays edited — potentially free of charge — without face-to-face interaction between the editor and the writer.

Though some see sites as a means to quickly finish assignments, others find that online editing services are not effective for students, rather an easy way out.

Freshman Josh Steinberg chose to forgo sending his essays to online sites.

“I would much rather take the time to sit down with a peer or visit the Writing Resource Center in order to edit my essay,” he said. “Submitting papers online to other resources complicates matters. Real-time feedback is important.”

Associate Director of Writing Resources at the Academic Resource Center (ARC) Kristina Aikens firmly believes that in-person tutoring is more effective than its online counterpart. “[Within the ARC], you meet one-on-one with a tutor, you can talk through ideas and concepts and, very importantly, ask questions if you don’t understand something,” she said. “The ARC tutors are ... not [only] there to correct mistakes. They look at the big-picture issues that students may be facing, in terms of their writing quality and style.”

Dean of Academic Advising and Undergraduate Studies Carmen Lowe said that online tutoring is associated with inherent limitations that can impact the quality of service that a student receives. “[Online tutoring] is not our preferred mode of providing tutoring services, and our

nina davari / tufts daily archives

Some students are forsaking on-campus writing resources for online editors. writing tutors have found it difficult to provide effective, focused writing guidance in such a way as to avoid re-writing the paper for the student,” she said. “It’s far easier to provide surface-level proofreading or editorial quick fixes online than it is to do what a good writing tutor does.”

According to Lowe, the ARC focuses on students’ long-term growth rather than strictly worrying about short-term results.

“At the ARC, our writing fellows and graduate writing consultants are trained to use a more comprehensive approach, which puts the writer in charge of his or her own writing and prevents the tutor from inadvertently writing the paper for the student,” she said.

“The ARC does not provide editorial services [because] Tufts’ writing tutors try to focus on patterns of grammatical error to help students learn how to edit their own work.”

Although this takes more time and requires more work on behalf of the student, perhaps resulting in submitted papers that are not

Campus Comment

perfect, Lowe said, in the long run, it’s a better way to learn English and develop your voice as a writer than to simply have someone correct your writing for you without guidance.

Freshman Vanessa Zhang agreed that direct, in-person contact with the individual reading her work is preferable.

“It is increasingly difficult to find sites that are both trustworthy and secure. Typically, essays are time-sensitive, and I think that although the process of submitting an essay online is much faster than making the time to visit someone ... in the long run, I’ll benefit more from getting that face-to-face interaction,” she said. “Also, I can ask questions and receive an immediate response if I need something to be clarified.”

According to Lowe, utilizing online proofreading services may not be the ideal option for students, but doing so does not violate the university’s Academic Integrity Policy.

“Students are free to seek out whatever proofreading help they can find, whether that’s seeking the help of a roommate, friend or a paid service,” she said. “For any course besides some expository writing classes, using professional proofreading services is not a violation of academic integrity, nor is incorporating the editorial suggestions of another person.”

Still, Lowe warned students to be careful about the extent to which they rely on the help of proofreaders or editors, whether inperson or online. “[If] the editor’s suggestions become so extensive that they essentially rewrite the paper or take on the task of thinking for the student, then should the student incorporate those suggestions, especially by accepting them electronically, that could be considered academic misconduct,” she said.

“Hiring a ghost writer or buying a paper from an online term-paper mill is a serious form of academic fraud, with suspension or expulsion as the consequence ... And, yes, Tufts students have been caught doing this, and they have been suspended.”

What is your take on the Committee on Student Life’s (CSL) decision?

“I believe Tufts institutions and organizations should be a reflection of the needs and diversity of the Tufts community, not carved out of the interests of the privileged. Student groups should be democratic. Student groups should evolve organically, where the leadership changes according to the needs of their constituents.

This new policy directly hinders that vision, and explicitly upholds the notion shown time and time again to be reprehensible, that religions should be excluded from indictments of intolerance. I came to Tufts looking for a haven for pluralism. With the CSL policy, this has been violated.”

- Walker Bristol, junior

“I thought it was handled in a very liberal arts manner. When I read it, I thought it was very funny and had a good laugh. I felt really sorry that the Tufts Christian Fellowship had to go through all of this.”

- Monica Weber, junior

“I believe that everybody on campus should have the freedom to be a part of any on-campus group that they want within reason. That being said, I think it’s also important to allow those with strict religious beliefs to practice and form a community without penalty.”

- Steph Fischer, senior

“Why is it the Chaplaincy that gets to decide if a group is justified in violating a nondiscrimination policy? That seems like a conflict of interest. Also, what’s the point in a nondiscrimination policy if it can be justifiably violated?”

- John Lapin, senior

“I believe that regardless of a particular religious sect’s interpretation of biblical text, Tufts should maintain what used to be, in my opinion, a completely antidiscriminatory platform. There are ways to uphold a religion’s dogma without excluding or discriminating against any particular individual based on their race, ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation, gender, nor gender identity, etc.”

- Missy Philips, junior

“The decision sets a dangerous precedent for discrimination at Tufts. Specifically, it allows religious groups to prevent marginalized identities from attaining full membership under the guise of religious freedom. As it applies to TCF, it allows the group to bar queer folks from leadership roles under the false assumption that you can’t be gay and Christian.”

- Stephen Goeman, senior

Jacob Passy | A Bit Off

The sights unseen

A

s the great Theodor Geisel (better known as Dr. Seuss), says in his book “Oh, The Places You’ll Go!” (1990), “And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed).”

I cannot claim that I found utter and complete success in my journey this semester to find those places off the beaten path that few Tufts students explore.

At times, I probably talked of a place that more than a couple of Jumbos have ventured to since they arrived on the Hill.

More regrettably, I know there are places I’ve missed.

The worst part is, I don’t even know what or where these places are. We come to the Medford and Somerville community with only the knowledge gleaned from open houses, tours and overnight stays. In the end, there’s no guidebook to the local neighborhoods. The sights that locals see are difficult to catch a glimpse of, especially when the work piles on.

So, I cannot say I am the shining example to live by in the efforts to reconnect with these communities that border Tufts.

Even when I made it my job to visit these places at least once a week, it more often than not became just that: a once-a-week hassle that I had to grapple with, instead of a chance to enjoy myself. In the mix, there were always places on my to-do list that I never got to visit.

Take, for instance, the Royall House and Slave Quarters on George Street in Medford.

This colonial-era mansion housed many famous Revolutionaries, such as George Washington’s secretary, Colonel Richard Cary. The site is now a National Historic Landmark and houses the only surviving slave quarters in Massachusetts today. Its door closed in early November for the winter season, before I had a chance to go inside and view its great details, including a tea box that it supposedly from the same batch as those from the Boston Tea Party.

I was also never able to sample the delectable foods from Magnificent Muffin and Bagel Shoppe on Broadway in Teele Square. Those who walk by the take-out establishment in the mornings would recognize it by the long line that seems to perennially stretch out the door until it closes up shop at noon. While I can’t be certain, these long lines and the decent reviews on Yelp seem to suggest that their breakfast sandwiches are definitely worth trying — particularly for the cheap price.

And then there’s the Somerville Museum, the location that was always top on my list. Located on Central Street, off of Highland Avenue, this museum is only open Thursdays through Saturdays, and I never seemed to have a free moment on a weekend to make the trek. Had I done so, I could have seen the exhibition of photographs and art by Somerville resident John Superti in his gallery, “Three Paths to Italy,” which detailed his genealogy and Somerville’s connections to Italy. While the exhibit closed in early November, the museum is still a beacon for local culture and history, and I struggle to think of a better way to learn about our beloved home away from home.

So I may have never made it to these places and that is a shame. If I’ve taken anything away from this experience, it’s that it only matters if you try. We may only spend four years here at Tufts before we move away and onto potentially better places and things.

But in those four years, make that journey. Go to those places. Get off campus.

Don’t worry about success. After all, as Dr. Seuss inquires, “How much can you lose?

How much can you win?”I’d say you’ll win much more than you lose.

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

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Weekender

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Arts & Living

2012 : Weekender Feature

by Tufts Daily Arts Staff

T

an artsy retrospective

Daily Arts gives you a whirlwind tour of this year’s best.

he season of finals, snow, seasonal decorations and visiting relatives is upon us once again, which means it’s time to reflect on the cultural contributions of 2012.

Folks, it has been a good year. From testosterone-ridden blockbusters like “The Avengers” to the heartfelt whimsy of “Moonrise Kingdom,” the film industry has outdone itself in all genres. Television’s mini golden age continued this past year, with shows like “Girls” and “Louie” breaking new ground and sparking plenty of controversy along the way. Musical debuts from Frank Ocean and Alt-J were particularly strong standouts, while follow-up albums from The xx, Mumford & Sons and Tame Impala proved once and for all that strong beginnings don’t necessitate a sophomore slump.

Below, find the movies, TV shows and albums that the Daily deems the year’s best.

Movies

Courtesy FX Network

Louis C.K. displayed his strength as a performer in “Louie.”

TV

2012 will likely go down as the year of the cable drama. HBO, Showtime and AMC have all stepped up their game and created engrossing shows that keep viewers on the edge of their seats. These cable shows have found new ways to push the narrative boundary, altering how stories can be told and where they can go. They have created programs that are darker and more intense than shows used to be, much to the delight of discerning viewers. Hopefully they can find a way to one-up themselves next year, or at the very least maintain the high level of creative and dramatic tension they so effectively cultivated throughout 2012.

“Mad Men” With one of the deepest and most brilliant ensembles on television, it’s a no brainer that “Mad Men” made the list. With its perfect period design, riveting stories and powerful emotions, “Mad Men” will likely go down as not only one of the best shows of the year, but also one of the best shows of all time.

“Doctor Who” Continuing the tradition of melding fanciful and quirky childish humor with surprisingly dark plot lines, Doctor Who is still one of the best sci-fi shows. Ever.

“Homeland” Homeland’s second season struck a balance between answering the audience’s burning questions and maintaining a looming apprehension about what will happen next. As the audience continues to unlock the psychology of Nicholas Brody, the former marine-turned sleeper cell terrorist, “Homeland” never fails to mix political commentary with fascinating characterizations.

“Breaking Bad” Hailed by many to be the best show on television, “Breaking Bad” entered its final season this year, and once again Bryan Cranston awed audiences. The story of Walter White may be drawing to a close, but it has never been more thrilling.

“Louie” Louis CK is one of the most gifted comedians working today. His show, “Louie,” is an extension of his standup persona and worldview. It perfectly demonstrates just what a hilarious and insightful performer he is.

“Girls” Every episode of HBO’s “Girls” is like a finely crafted short story. Each is filled with true-tolife characters, hilarious moments and small instances of growth. It’s a show that’s both immensely enjoyable and touchingly honest.

“Downton Abbey” What started out as just another period drama quickly gripped the hearts and minds of Americans and Brits alike. “Downton Abbey” is outrageously successful and its extravagant, decadent look at life in the early 19th century continues to entertain.

“Parks and Recreation” Consistency is key, and while “Parks and Rec” may not be the funniest show on television these days, it provides a half hour of well-written comedy once a week and its cast is almost impossible not to fall in love with.

Nick Offerman’s Ron Swanson alone makes it worth watching.

“The Walking Dead” Expectations were high for AMC’s apocalyptic zombie series after a slow second season, but the cast and crew certainly delivered, carrying the premiere’s momentum through the finale. Violent, action-packed, well written — what more could one ask for from a TV show?

“The Voice” In a sea of post-”American Idol” singing show spinoffs, “The Voice” stands out above the rest. By pioneering the concept of “blind” auditions where the celebrity panel listens to contestants without looking at them, “The Voice” brings this reality TV genre back to its musical roots, and creates higher stakes and suspense. The all-star group of judges, including Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine, also increases the show’s credibility and relevance.

2012 brought every type of film to the big screen, but no matter the genre or audience appeal, emotional, characterdriven stories came to the forefront.

The blockbusters weren’t simply mindless, and the dramas weren’t simply sentimental. A slew of films managed to achieve this impressive fusion.

“The Dark Knight Rises” A stellar achievement as the third installment in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. Delivering both a darker side of the Dark Knight and a gripping plot, this film deserves to top all cinematic best-of lists of the year.

“The Master” Love it or hate it, Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest will stick in your head for weeks after you watch it. Stellar performances and a taut script that reveals a little more with each viewing make “The Master” as enigmatic as it is affecting — a genuine triumph from a director who is quickly establishing himself as one of the best of his generation.

“Silver Linings Playbook” Despite his reputation behind the scenes, David O. Russell has consistently produced genre-blending, thought-provoking films. With the faux romantic comedy, “Silver Linings Playbook,” he managed to do it yet again, creating a humorous, powerful piece, supported by the acting talent of Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.

“Lincoln” Humble and honest in the face of the massive moral questions and the gritty political minutiae it depicts, “Lincoln” paints a refreshingly realistic picture of America’s most admired president. A soft-spoken and poignant performance from Daniel Day-Lewis perfectly complements the supporting cast in a film that is far more concerned with delving into the complexity of Lincoln’s character than glorifying it.

“Skyfall” In the 23rd film of the Bond franchise, director Sam Mendes harkens back to the more “traditional” bond films of the ‘60s and ‘70s. Though many Bond

The Tufts Daily

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Asim Bharwani via Wikimedia Commons

Guus Krol via Flickr Creative Commons

Mumford & Sons lived up to the pressure from their debut album with “Babel.”

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Weekender

Christian Bale delivered a stellar performance as Batman in “The Dark Knight Rises.”

Music

2012 has been a big year for smaller indie bands hitting the big time, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for other genres to make it onto our best albums of the year. Because including ten entries is only a humble attempt to try to cover the incredible music that has been released this year, it is important to remember that, while the obvious choices like Grizzly Bear and Mumford & Sons made it, we must also think of those that have been left out. With music ranging from the awesome thrash metal of Lamb of God, to the wacky absurdity of Grimes and the ethereal pop of Bat for Lashes, this year’s list should be endless thanks to the prolific creativity of musicians everywhere.

“Channel Orange” — Frank Ocean “Channel Orange” feels like a gamechanger. Incredible vocals, intelligent productions and intricate lyrics make Ocean’s debut not only an amazing album but also the emergence of a true star.

“The Idler Wheel...” — Fiona Apple After a seven-year hiatus, Apple has returned with an extraordinary record. Her voice is still astounding and her lyrics are as shrewdly astute as ever. Per usual, this makes for one spellbinding album.

“Babel” — Mumford & Sons The British indie rockers continue to use banjos to great effect. Their 2012 album “Babel” lived up to the incredibly high expectations wrought by their extraordinary debut album “Sigh No More” (2009). “good Kid, m.A.A.d city” — Kendrick Lamar With his new release, Kendrick Lamar has crossed over from huge potential to legitimate talent. His dense lyrics and forwardthinking beats make “good Kid, m.A.A.d city” an album worth multiple listens.

Courtesty Dreamwork studios

Daniel Day Lewis is sure to be a top Oscar contender for his role in “Lincoln.” fans were unimpressed by 2008’s rather generic “Quantum of Solace,” “Skyfall” brings Q, M and gadgets back to the forefront. Daniel Craig is at his sultry, brooding best here, as stories from both Bond’s and M’s past return to haunt them in what is one of the most personal Bond films yet. Adele’s exquisite “Skyfall” theme song isn’t half bad, either.

“Moonrise Kingdom” This quirky film from Wes Anderson is so different from its contemporaries both in style and plot that it would have been impossible to exclude it from this list. The tale of a 12-year-old boy and girl who run away together in 1965 manages to cover heavy themes like teenage loneliness and young love in an endearingly lighthearted manner. The offbeat humor and nostalgic setting are also refreshing, making “Moonrise Kingdom” one of the most delightfully charming movies of the year.

“The Avengers” Combining the likes of Ironman, Captain America and the Hulk on screen seemed like an obvious formula for cinematic triumph, but with Joss Whedon at the helm, this summer’s “The Avengers” proved to be one of the

most successful and enjoyable superhero flicks in history.

“Safety Not Guaranteed” This cute sci-fi-romantic-comedy is filled with enough interesting plot developments and fully realized characters to make even the most cynical viewer smile.

It proves that a well-written script, solid directing and a talented cast is all it takes to make a truly excellent movie.

“America” — Dan Deacon Deacon delivers an album as massive and complex as its title, crafting soundscapes that segue from industrial howls to soothing synth balladry with surprising fluidity. The full breadth of Deacon’s talent, which dabbles in noise rock and classical composition with equal aplomb,

is on full display here.

“Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!” — Godspeed You! Black Emperor Since its inception in the mid ‘90s, Godspeed You! Black Emperor has impeccably crafted a genre for itself with its mix of ambiance, unconventional instrumental work and otherworldly spoken word samples. “Allelujah! Don’t Bend! Ascend!” proves that, somehow, Godspeed! has only gotten better at miraculously turning so little into so much.

“Coexist” — The xx Jamie XX’s sparse and infectious beats are reason alone to love The xx’s sophomore effort. Throw some lovely harmonies and heartrending lyrics on top of them, and it’s a record that’ll please old and new fans alike.

“Shields” — Grizzly Bear After the success of its meticulous yet helplessly catchy “Veckatimest” (2009), Grizzly Bear had pretty big shoes to fill.

Thankfully, its follow up was just as finely wrought as its predecessor, delivering the same imaginative songwriting and production we’ve come to expect without any sense of redundancy. “Shields” shows the band at its most mature — assured of its identity, yet never comfortable enough to rely on cliches of its own invention.

“An Awesome Wave” — Alt-J Only having released its debut album earlier this year, Alt-J is already becoming widely recognized on the British festival circuit and radio waves. With a unique brand of “folktronica,” it spans the genre gap of folk and electronic music seamlessly.

“Lonerism” — Tame Impala At once unabashed pastiche and a forerunner of pop culture, something nostalgic and something groundbreaking, Tame Impala has returned with its second record to the delight of psychedelic fans everywhere. The band has only improved with time -— lush soundscapes wrap around Kevin Parker’s vocals, and barreling drums and guitar always manage to pick things up when they inevitably, wonderfully get carried away.

“Cabin in the Woods” The perfect blend of Whedon’s whimsical farce and self-aware horror tropes, this film delivered one of the most awesome scenes in history to involve creatures, elevators and a lot of blood.

“Argo” The tense, edge-of-your seat thriller about the 1979 Iranian Hostage Crisis had viewers biting their nails and holding their breath the film’s two full hours.

With a ludicrous plot based entirely upon historical events, actor-directorproducer Ben Affleck couldn’t have dreamed up a better story, even if he tried. Indeed, when every single audience member lets out a collective sigh of relief during the credits, you know this movie has to be good.

aktivioslo via Flickr Creative Commons

Frank Ocean’s major label debut was a game changer in the music world.

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weekender

Thursday, December 6, 2012

What’s Up This Weekend Looking to make your weekend artsy?

Check out these events!

and more. (Tonight at 8 p.m. in Distler Performance Hall. Admission is free.)

School for Lovers: An Evening of Opera Scenes: The Tufts Opera Ensemble presents an evening of fully staged opera scenes with a piano accompaniment. The performance will feature scenes from works including “The Magic Flute,” “West Side Story,” “The Marriage of Figaro”

Bare Bodkin presents: Play by Play: Student theater group Bare Bodkin will hold its annual 10-minute play festival this weekend. “Play by Play” will feature eight original works performed, written and produced entirely by students. (Friday at 8 p.m. in Balch Arena Theater. Admission is free.)

S-Factor presents: “Man Down”: A cappella group S-Factor will present its final show of the semester this weekend with “Man Down.” The concert promises to be an enjoyable evening with many audience favorites. (Saturday at 7 p.m. in the Alumnae Lounge. Admission is free.)

Tap Ensemble presents: “Tap Gone Wild”: Tap Ensemble, Tufts’ tap-dancing group, will

present its end-of-semester show this weekend. The show will also feature guest performances by sQ!, Tamasha and B.E.A.T.s.

(Sunday at 4 p.m. in Sophia Gordon Hall Multipurpose Room. Admission is free.)

—compiled by the Daily Arts Department

TV Review

‘Always Sunny’ draws laughs, but shows its age by

Dan O’Leary

Daily Editorial Board

Still on its ever-descending moral downward spiral, “The Gang,” as they’re known, from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Starring Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney Airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. on FX is back for an eighth season on its FX hit series. The owners of the run-down Paddy’s Pub in Philadelphia continue to brainstorm get-rich-quick schemes and make ethically questionable decisions. Each of these scenarios plays out with raunchy humor, ensuring that the show still gets laughs this far into its life. Although “Always Sunny” still delivers comedy, primarily thanks to the strong performances by its actors, the single-camera show is beginning to reveal its age with a stale structure and format.

Much of the comedic strength of “Always Sunny” lies in the performances by the main cast members, who have had seven seasons to develop their characters and perfect their comedic timing with their fellow actors. They all display a hilarious level of narcissism and vanity, but each character has found a specific niche on the show. Yet, though they have managed to differentiate themselves from one another, they still manage to complement each other perfectly when acting in groups. That is one of the major strengths of “Always Sunny”: the potential to pair nearly any of the main characters together without it ever feeling flat.

Frank (Danny DeVito) and Charlie (Charlie Day) remain one of the show’s best comedic foils as the two men are essentially in a rat race to the bottom in terms of living in squalor. Dennis’ (Glenn Howerton) sociopathic tendencies have become even more pronounced this season, making him so delusional that it’s even more hilarious to watch him to attempt to manipulate Dee (Kaitlin Olson) and Mac (Rob McElhenney).

Where the series is beginning to show its cracks this season, however, is in the formulaic nature of its setup. A perfect example of this is the second episode of season eight, “The Gang Recycles Their Trash.” The premise of the episode is one that has been repeated many times on “Always Sunny”: The Gang sees an opportunity for easy money and derives a shoddy plan to capitalize on this, which inevitably fails.

The unique aspect about this episode is that the writers acknowledge that this plot is basically recycled material. They throw in numerous references to past lines and setups from previous episodes that are a treat for longtime viewers to pick up on. For example, the setup in the back alley behind the bar is an exact copy of the opening of the “Dumpster Baby” episode, something that is explicitly pointed out by Dee when she says, “I think that you guys have done something like that before.”

Even though this episode is cleverly selfreferential, it’s still indicative of one of the problems “Always Sunny” is running into: We’ve been here before, and the setups are beginning to feel rather tired. This leads the show to feel derivative at times, and it gives off the feeling of diminishing comedic returns every time it covers old ground.

Despite this, “Always Sunny” has still managed to come up with some innovative episodes this season. “Maureen Ponderosa’s Wedding Massacre” serves as a great parody of horror tropes and found-footage style movies, with the gang fending off a “zombie” apocalypse at the wedding of recurring character Liam McPoyle (Jimmi Simpson).

Courtesy of Patrick McElhenney / FX

The Gang gets analyzed by a therapist in one of the season’s best episodes.

And the highlight of the season comes in “The Gang Gets Analyzed,” an episode that finds each character in a therapy session that is both hilarious and revealing. Each session shows just how truly depraved each character is, with character traits like Dee’s constant need for approval and Mac’s overcompensating masculinity being explored

through the lens of an outside character.

Times like this is when “Always Sunny” works best, contrasting The Gang to normal outside characters to demonstrate just how twisted their world is.

It’s worth noting that despite the structural flaws becoming more apparent, “Always Sunny” remains a show that is well

worth watching. Quotable lines and zany antics are still in abundance, elevated by the great performances and interactions of the cast. Even though some of the scenarios might be getting old, there are still enough laughs to be had in each episode to make a weekly trip to Paddy’s Pub worth your time.

The Artsy Jumbo

Senior Chloe Rotman explores sketch comedy Sketch comedy has been a constant part of Chloe Rotman’s life at Tufts. She is currently the president of Major: Undecided and has been a member of the group for four years. A senior majoring in Child Development, Rotman said the group provided an alternative option for performing after doing theater in high school.

“In high school, I did a lot of plays and musical theater, and I got to college and decided that that wasn’t necessarily what I wanted to put my time into,” she said.

“So I looked around for other alternatives and I found Majors. I loved that it gave me a chance to perform — and perform often — and [I] also just fell in love with the people and the community. The comedy community is fantastic here.”

Major: Undecided is a sketch comedy group that features sketches written, produced and performed by students. In addition to helping oversee the rehearsal process and PR for Major’s shows, Rotman also writes and performs in the sketches.

Rotman initially focused on performing over writing in the past, but this year she is writing more for the group.

“In the past, I’ve done more performing than writing ... I write a lot, but it took me a long time to get comfortable with writing dialogue and writing sketches,” she explained.

Rotman looks to hopefully continue her work in sketch comedy after graduation.

Ideally, she would like to go to Chicago and take classes with The Second City improvisation group.

You can catch Rotman “Major: Undecided Presents: A Parfait of the Tartist as a Young Flan,” which takes place tonight at 9:30 p.m. in Barnum 008.

—by Dan O’Leary

Ashley Seenauth / the Tufts Daily

Thursday, December 6, 2012

The Tufts Daily

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Album Review

Mae Humiston & Sara Gardner | Let’s Talk About Food

Eating for life

T

Nathan Ng via Flickr Creative Commons

Solange Knowles goes for a zen vibe and hits it out of the park on her latest album, “True.”

Solange’s ethereal latest album, ‘True,’ floats through its seven tracks

by Joe Stile

Daily Editorial Board

It’s not easy being a musician when your sibling is one of the most beloved performers of all time.

True

Solange Knowles Terrible Records Solange Knowles, Beyoncé’s younger sister, struggled with her first two releases, as she could never quite escape the comparisons to her acclaimed sibling.

Her earlier records, “Solo Star” (2003) and “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” (2008) came off as slight and anonymous. While their Motowninfused pop sounds were fun, it all felt rather voiceless.

Solange’s latest EP, “True,” has the sonic unity and fresh perspective that will really get listeners excited about her.

The seven-track album is full of oddly bouncy beats and seductively wistful singing.

These ditties have an ’80s or “Off the Wall” (1979) vibe that’s hard not to bob along to.

The songs wash over the listener with their gleeful repetitions and airy sound.

British producer Dev Haynes co-wrote the entire album with Knowles, which gives the record its unity and shows just how much can be gotten out of this particular style of music.

While Solange isn’t the greatest technical singer, her vocals fit wonderfully on these laid-back dance tracks.

She sounds like Jessie Ware in a lucid dream, which nicely floats around the listener’s ears.

The opener, and first single, “Losing You” is infectious in its world-music sound yet the darker lyrics, combined with Solange’s superbly resigned voice, prevent it from feeling generic.

It’s the kind of song that the listener will be pleasantly humming all day.

The song’s strange beat is also so far removed from any of today’s hit songs that it feels organic and unmanufactured in comparison.

Knowles isn’t trying to chase trends with her refreshing new release.

There is a zen ambiance to “True.”

It’s unafraid to use simple and constant beats and plain coos throughout the songs to hypnotic effects.

In this way, Solange is the R&B answer to Sky Ferreira.

Even the album’s shorter tracks like “Looks Good with Trouble” make an impact with their sweetly layered vocals, echoes and come-hither tones.

The songs are all seductive and fun, with just a tinge of melancholy to them that makes them resonate emotionally.

“True” at times feels like a modern interpretation of the 1970s quiet storm genre.

The songs on “True” go along at their own slowly mesmerizing pace and never bother with bombast and gimmicks, preferring instead to stick to deeply personal lyrics and spellbinding vibes.

The album does falter, if forgivably, along the way. The song “Some Things Never Seem to F--king Work” has an incredible melody, magnificent synths and first-rate lyrics.

It stumbles when Dev Haynes starts speaking Knowles’ lines in an awkward mix of spoken-word poetry and bad rap, which ends up bogging down an otherwise delightful and well-structured song.

Dev Haynes’ vocals also end up interfering with another crucial part of this album — its smoothness.

That blip aside, all the songs seem to flow into one another without major hiccups.

It’s the kind of album that a listener can leave on as it slowly and surely unfolds itself in one long statement.

Many of the songs deal with Knowles’ acceptance and ruminations on a dynamic relationship that seemed to be equal parts love and pain.

This thread throughout the EP is another aspect that helps “True” sound so united and cohesive.

While these lyrics and ideas can be obscure at times, they’re always fresh in a way that is sure to keep the listener’s interest.

Knowles has stated that this EP is going to be a forbearer for her next album, which is tentatively scheduled for sometime next year.

The graceful textures of “True” make that a very wise decision. With this release, Knowles has finally come into her own with a personal statement fans are going to love.

Top 10 | Favorite Hughs In light of Hugh Hefner’s impending marriage to the 26-year-old model Crystal Harris, there’s obviously a lot of love for Hughs going around. “Hugh” may not be a particularly common name, but we can easily list a few good representatives. Below are 10 of the Daily Arts Department’s favorite Hughs.

8. Hugh-lett-Packard: For putting a human face on an anonymous electronics super-corporation.

10. My cousin Hugh: When one of our editors visited him in Canada, he put the cow milking machine on their finger and it turned red. Awesome.

5. Hugh Laurie: Who could ignore everyone’s favorite quip-whippin’, medicalmystery-solvin’, grizzled teddy bear of a doctor.

9. Hugh Grant: Everyone’s famous bumbling, prominently-toothed Brit deserves a place on our list, albeit a rather low one.

4. Hugh Jackman: Gene Hackmann jacked Hugh Jackman’s jean jacket (now say that five times fast), and he responded

7. Hugh O’Brian: He’s so darn statuesque!

6. Hugh Hewitt: Just to prove conservatives can score big in the Top 10.

with such magnanimity we had to put him up here.

3. Hugh-guenots: For their heroic resistance to the religious persecution of the monarchies of 16th century Europe.

2. Martin Scorse’s “Hugh-go”: A charming film, a charming name and a charming spot on the list.

1. Hugh Hefner: Because he’s such a G, ya fool!

—compiled by the Daily Arts Department

his is goodbye, dear reader. We’ve had a good run. Shall we reflect on the times we’ve had?

Over the course of the semester, we’ve explained some of the issues raised by the food movement including resource-intensive production, fossilfuel gobbling transportation, unequal access, consumption and wasteful disposal. We’ve also touched briefly upon the role of food in our culture and society. In roughly 600 words per week, we have tried to give you the tools and resources to start changing your place in the food system. Remember to compost, consider getting a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) share, hit up your local farmers’ markets, take a food-focused course, try growing some food of your own and, please, start talking about food to your friends, family and cafeteria providers.

It’s this last point that is most valuable, especially in an institution of learning like Tufts. The food system is something we are all a part of, but a large number of people do not necessarily benefit from the way it is now.

The food system is applicable to almost any major. Peace and justice studies student? The food system is rife with inequality, racist policy, exploitation and cultural stigmatization. Working on environmental issues? The practices of the industrial agriculture model are some of the most destructive and harmful procedures being done on the earth, and their continuation will almost certainly leave future generations worse off. Interested in economics or political science? Since food is a basic human necessity, the ability to control it is a potent source of power. Exploring the power relations and their manifestation in the market and around the globe is a great exercise in thinking about global economics and policy. Engineering student? Where do you think all the science, tools and infrastructure used in agriculture come from?

It is useful, then, to consider where or how food systems studies can fit into your academic and social life. You don’t have to write every paper or do every project on food, but by giving it at least a moment’s thought, you can train yourself to be more aware of the all-reaching nature of the food system and its puppeteers. None of us want cancer and almost all of us enjoy a little escape to the woods, a trip to the farmers’ market and a home-cooked meal. By paying attention to issues raised by the food movement, such as knowing what is in our food, how workers are treated or what pesticides farms have sprayed beside our homes, we come closer to ensuring that we, our friends and our families can enjoy food in safer ways.

Our aim has not been to scare you, but rather bring your attention to some of the big issues at hand. At the moment, it is easy for us, as privileged students, to eat food without really considering the back-story. Though it doesn’t seem like this now, these problems are pressing. As time goes on, food prices are expected to rise, famines will strike and you won’t be able to eat bacon. Paying attention now, asking questions and demanding change may help alleviate some of the future damage. All it takes are simple changes in our food habits to propagate widespread change.

It’s been a pleasure to share with you all our knowledge on the food system.

And on that note, good luck with finals!

Try to keep your stress eating healthy — or even better, local and organic!

Sara Gardner is a freshman who has not yet a declared a major. She can be reached at Sara.Gardner@tufts.edu.

Mae Humiston is a senior majoring in anthropology. She can be reached at Mae. Humiston@tufts.edu.

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

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

Editorial | Letters

Thursday, December 6, 2012

editorial

CSL resolution unfairly prioritizes one fundamental right over others In an email sent to the Tufts community yesterday afternoon, the Committee on Student Life (CSL) announced that it had crafted a new policy allowing for all student religious groups (SRGs) going forward to “justify on doctrinal grounds any departures from Tufts’ nondiscrimination policy ... that their leadership positions require.” This was in response to the Tufts Community Union Judiciary’s ( TCUJ) derecognition of Tufts Christian Fellowship ( TCF) in October due to “concerns that the TCF’s criteria for leaders violated Tufts University’s nondiscrimination policy.” In the future, the University Chaplain will review submitted proposals for exemption, and if approved, the SRG in question will be allowed to apply for recognition from the Judiciary — with any faithbased leadership criteria intact.

The CSL has emphasized that this new policy is meant to strike a bal-

ance between encouraging an atmosphere in which the university’s nondiscrimination policy can be upheld and providing — right protected by that nondiscrimination policy. Yet the CSL’s policy, rather than promoting religious freedom, promotes religious exceptionalism. It serves as a loophole that essentially invalidates the nondiscrimination policy — we do not discriminate at Tufts, except when we do — and sets a dangerous precedent that may, down the road, allow for sidestepping of that policy.

The university’s nondiscrimination clause prohibits discrimination against individuals based on a range of attributes, such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and, of course, religion. This policy is meant to not only create a harassment-free environment in which those of any identification are free to thrive, but also to encourage a diversity of experiences and voices on campus. But

by establishing an avenue through which only SRGs can seek exemption from this policy, the CSL is conferring priority to a single group protected

by Tufts’ nondiscrimination clause. It establishes that religious freedom is a right that holds priority over the right to freedoms that any other group protected by the clause could claim. In effect, the same rules no longer apply to those claiming that right.

Discrimination based on faith does not constitute a justifiable departure from the university’s policy when it elevates the status of religious freedom on this campus above all others.

Regardless of TCF’s individual situation, providing for the possibility of an exception to a nondiscrimination policy is fundamentally antithetical to the purpose of a nondiscrimination policy. If this resolution is to be made permanent, then the university must seriously reconsider defining itself as a progressive institution.

workers so they pay them fair wages, offer them fair benefits and make sure Tufts stays a positive working environment.

2. Make your rage sustainable. Talk to other students, especially underclassmen who have more time at Tufts to make noise about these kinds of issues.

While students aren’t smearing feces on the walls every day, there are many other issues we should raise our voices about, and solidarity is a full-time job.

3. Talk to workers on campus! Just saying hi makes a big difference and many workers love when students introduce themselves. Keep talking to them, get to know them, ask them about themselves and tell them about yourself. Build relationships. Ask them what you can do to make their jobs easier. Many Tufts workers speak Spanish, Portuguese or French. Don’t be afraid if your language skills are imperfect — there are still ways

you can communicate.

4. Hold your peers accountable. Don’t let someone walk away from a mess — help each other clean it up. Remind each other of the importance of respect.

5. Make sure your janitors know their hard work is appreciated. Make a holiday card. Organize your floor to make one together.

6. It’s shocking that this needs to be said, but please, please don’t smear your feces on the wall.

These suggestions are by no means an exhaustive list. Talk to us, talk to your friends and, above all, remember that there are many people who work hard, day in and day out, for us to get the educational experience we are privileged to receive. Respect goes a long way.

Denise Amisial

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Letter to the Editor Dear Editor, Yesterday, the Daily published an article about a recent incident in Carmichael Hall in which fecal matter was smeared on a bathroom wall and one of our janitors was forced to clean up the mess.

Many students were outraged to hear about this, and have asked us, the members of Tufts Labor Coalition, what they can do to support janitors and other Tufts workers. Here is a simple list of suggestions for students to help make Tufts an inclusive, supportive community for all, including the workers on this campus.

1. Write to President Monaco — a letter, email, and/or public Facebook post — asking what he plans to do about the Carmichael incident, and say you will refuse to give future alumni donations to a school that doesn’t value its workers.

Keep the administration accountable to

Sincerely, Tufts Labor Coalition

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

In the Features article “Tufts Free Compliments helps promote positive psychology on Facebook” published on Nov. 30, Marc Finder (A ‘11) was identified as the founder of Tufts Free Compliments. In fact, he and Lori Lichtman (A ’10) are co-founders.

The Tufts Daily is a nonprofit, independent newspaper, published Monday through Friday during the academic year, and distributed free to the Tufts community. EDITORIAL POLICY Editorials represent the position of The Tufts Daily. Individual editors are not necessarily responsible for, or in agreement with, the policies and editorials of The Tufts Daily. The content of letters, advertisements, signed columns, cartoons and graphics does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Tufts Daily editorial board.

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Thursday, December 6, 2012 Op-Ed

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As the current chairs of the Committee on Student Life (CSL), it is our responsibility to expand upon the Tufts Christian Fellowship (TCF) appeal of their derecognition by the Tufts Community Union Judiciary (TCUJ), and the resulting policy changes pertaining to leadership criteria in student religious groups (SRGs) that were adopted by the CSL. At the outset, we must mention that as members of the CSL, we are privileged to serve the Arts, Sciences and Engineering (AS&E) student community at Tufts, and we view safeguarding a welcoming environment on campus to be our primary mission.

We often examine AS&E policy and evaluate what can be done to better reflect the diverse needs of our community. Some issues that the CSL has addressed in the past, such as determining how long Disciplinary Probation II (Pro II) remains on a transcript, are less challenging than others. Upon receiving the TCF’s de-recognition appeal, we understood that our decision would be immensely impactful. As part of our review process, CSL engaged stakeholders, read submitted documents, scanned national solutions to similar issues and framed a result honoring Tufts’ integrity.

This has taken time, but anything less would be disrespectful.

Upon reviewing the TCF’s constitution, the TCUJ determined that the Basis of Faith clause, to which all leaders of TCF must adhere, violated Tufts nondiscrimination policies. The TCUJ subsequently de-recognized the TCF. This decision triggered an essential debate regarding leadership criteria in SRGs. As our community is intimately aware, Tufts has the dual mission of protecting both a diverse student body and a dynamic spiritual life on campus. Tufts students are known for fostering a rich spiritual community, where anyone is welcome to join any SRG they choose. This will never change.

The same degree of openness has not always been present regarding SRG leadership, and it was this reality that influenced the TCUJ to derecognize the TCF. The CSL, in reviewing the TCF appeal, has found that the TCUJ acted appropriately in their de-recognition decision given that Tufts University policy was silent on leadership criteria for SRGs. This case, however, alerted the CSL that this silence created a policy void. In response, the CSL has crafted a new policy that fills this void. We understand the importance of explaining the logic behind the SRG leadership policy change, and gladly share our reasoning with you now.

Religious faith is fundamental to the identity of some, much like gender or sexual orientation. In fact, these characteristics are so fundamental that all three are protected under Tufts nondiscrimination policy. The leaders of SRGs are considered the exemplars of the core religious beliefs of that group’s particular religion. Their job is to not only guide the SRG itself, but also to teach and model their faith for others within it. As such, we viewed this case not as an issue of freedom of religion but rather one of finding a balance among various protected aspects of one’s identity.

Following this perspective, the basis for the new SRG leadership policy is twofold, focusing on transparency and justification. Under the new policy, SRGs must be open and explicit about their religious beliefs and practices. The Tufts community is particularly interested in transparency in relation to the nondiscrimination policy. Specifically, if a religious doctrine requires departure from Tufts nondiscrimination policy, then it is incumbent on the SRG to highlight the conflict between the two and show how it affects the group’s choice of leaders.

This transparency will be beneficial to everyone, especially to potential SRG members. Each year, dozens of newcomers join SRGs without knowledge of the groups’ official beliefs and practices.

With the appropriate descriptors and the explicit nature in which each SRG must now lay out its leadership requirements, we hope to avoid the confusion and frustration sometimes experienced by those working their way up their SRG hierarchies.

However, even if departure from Tufts nondiscrimination policy is transparent, not all deviations may be acceptable. SRGs will need to justify, on religious doctrinal grounds, any departures from Tufts nondiscrimination policy required for their leadership. The University Chaplain will now be charged with the responsibility of evaluating the legitimacy of the justification, and the TCUJ will be charged with the responsibility of ensuring plainspoken transparency. Placing the power of approval for religious justification with a central university-wide religious authority at Tufts provides an added dimension of knowledge, legitimacy and fairness to this new policy.

We feel that doctrinally justified, transparent and explicitly stated differences between SRG leadership policy and Tufts policy provide the “truth in advertising” necessary to simultaneously protect a diverse student body and all religious organizations on campus. We recognize that this is undoubtedly a controversial issue at Tufts that has substantial implications on an individual, organizational and campus-wide level. Whether or not you agree with the decision of the CSL, we hope you understand our reasoning and intent. Our goal is to foster and protect cherished diversity here at Tufts, and we believe this new policy helps meet this goal.

Levinson

While perusing the Tufts Daily in the run-up to Thanksgiving break, I stumbled upon an op-ed that I found troubling, entitled “Mashed potatoes, hummus and settler colonialism.” This piece offended me both as an American, and as a Jew, as not only did the author call into question the morality of Thanksgiving, but he then proceeded to reject the right of Jewish self-determination. Unwelcomed in the United States, and accused of crimes against humanity in Israel, I felt marginalized. I felt vulnerable. I felt more like the “wandering Jew” than I ever have before.

Allow me to elaborate. Growing up, there were two holidays in my parents’ house that warranted the greatest celebration. Twice a year, friends and relatives from hundreds of miles away gathered and reveled in each other’s company.

These two holidays were Thanksgiving and Passover, and to me, they were the most important days of the year. They both celebrate the values of freedom, community and, above all, gratitude and appreciation for the good in our lives. In my home, we sit around the Thanksgiving table and extend thanks to all those who have enriched our lives. At Passover we sit around the same table and sing “Dayenu,” a Jewish anthem for giving thanks for all the miracles God bestowed upon us when liberating us from Egypt and delivering us to the land of Israel.

Matt Parsons, the author of the op-ed “Mashed potatoes, hummus and settler colonialism” published Nov. 19, dismisses the positive values espoused at Thanksgiving celebrations across the nation as promulgations of “settler colo-

nialism,” implying that all individuals reveling in Thanksgiving Day festivities are perpetuating the crimes of their colonial ancestors. The author goes on to warn of a pernicious plot by Israel and her supporters to commit the identical crime today, in the heart of the Middle East. His evidence?

Tufts Friends of Israel’s (FOI) “A Taste of Israel” event.

FOI’s event was exactly as it sounds — a tour of Israel’s ethnic and cultural diversity, experienced through the various foods found within the small Middle Eastern state. It was in no way exclusionary. FOI did not claim that the delectable foods offered at the event were the sole property of Israelis, nor that they do not exist in neighboring lands. In fact, the fliers advertising the event and signs placed next to each dish at the event explicitly stated the countries and cultures of origin, listing dishes such as “Moroccan salad,” “Yemenite jachnun” and “Bedouin baklava.”

In his piece, Parsons does not once mention Israeli settlements in the West Bank, or other incursions across the Green Line — impediments to peace that need to be addressed and overcome. Instead he implies that “settler colonialism” extends to the entirety of the State of Israel and to the dream of Jewish self-determination itself. To transform an event intended to promote understanding and cultural awareness into a vehicle for rejecting the legitimacy of a state that millions call home is a cruel perversion of the very liberal values that Thanksgiving and Passover embody.

I find it curious that Parsons bequeaths North America to the Native Americans, yet makes no mention of any historical Jewish connection to the land of Israel. For

Walt Laws-MacDonald | Show Me The Money!

We’ll be fine...

B

two thousand years, Jews the world over would end their Seders with the refrain “next year in Jerusalem.” At my Seder you will hear the same. This is not the call of settler colonialists. The British do not end their meals with cries of “next year in New Delhi.” This is the call of an ancient people desiring nothing more than the right to gather and give thanks in peace in their ancestral homeland. Does the fact that Roman “settler colonialists” exiled us two thousand years ago alter the moral paradigm within which we operate? Is there a period of exile after which a people lose their right to their historic home?

While I do not agree with every policy of the state of Israel, much as I disagree with many of the policies of the United States, I do not deny either country’s right to exist. A label of “settler colonialism” is tantamount to a stamp of illegitimacy. The views expressed in Parsons’ op-ed fly in the face of a century of international recognition of the Jewish ancestral connection to the land of Israel. Israelis don’t need hummus or pita to feel like Israel is their home.

The vast majority were born there, hold no other citizenships and have no ties to other lands. They are the living, breathing realization of a two-thousand-year-old dream. They carry that heritage with them every day of their lives. I shudder to think compassionate, well-meaning individuals wish to deny either Israelis or Palestinians the right to self-determination in the form of two states for two peoples, living side by side in peace and security.

efore we all recede — if you haven’t already — into the usual pre-finals state of coffee-rage-depressionrepeat, I’d like to give you all one last look at the outside world. As the semester draws to a close, the world seems a drastically different place from when we first arrived on campus, with wide eyes and skinny quads.

Europe has fixed itself — psyche! We have a new president — psyche! We finally have a fiscal cliff deal — psyche! People have finally gotten over the whole “bias at Tufts/bias is stupid” debate — psyche!

Alright, so maybe things haven’t changed as much as I thought. Still, the past few months deserve a recap, and hopefully I can give you some talking points for the holidays. We all have that one uncle who just loves to talk about economics. Someday I will be that uncle.

And my nieces and nephews will love me for it. Psyche!

First and foremost, the Fiscal Cliff.

As I mentioned in a previous column: huge deal. Still, huge deal. As expected, Congress is using this as an opportunity not only to take shots at each other, but also to undermine any sort of confidence the American economy has mustered in the past few months. Way to go, Congress.

Really nailing it with this one. I mean, maybe you can outdo the debt ceiling debacle.

But seriously. The Fiscal Cliff is incredibly important. If Congress cannot come up with an agreement — which, as a reminder, means that spending will decrease and tax rates will increase — it will not only curtail domestic growth, but also show that even when it is most needed, “bi-partisanship” is not a “thing.”

Do I have faith in Congress? Yes. The markets expect some sort of deal, and it appears that Congress really is making progress. If, however, we fall off the cliff, the road to recovery will be that much longer and treacherous. The deal doesn’t have to be perfect — and trust me, it won’t be — but for the sake of the economy and, more importantly, confidence in the economy, we need some sort of concrete plan.

Secondly, the world is not going to end.

It just isn’t. Also, Dec. 21 is my first day of winter break, so that would be a total bummer.

So what’s the good news? Germany approved the most recent Greek debt deal just a few days ago, giving Greece’s economy nearly $60 billion in rescue loans.

Greece is certainly not out of the woods yet — and I’m beginning to doubt that it ever will be — but the rest of the Eurozone is taking crucial steps to make sure it sticks around.

Everyone’s — and by that I mean the crazy people that like to wake up at 4 a.m. to buy a blender — favorite shopping day came off as a modest success, as Americans are back to spending freely again. Although sales were down about two percent from Black Friday last year, the number of shoppers hit an all-time high, as Americans seemed unaffected by the Fiscal Cliff talks.

So I guess that’s a good thing.

Most importantly, the economy seems to have stabilized in the past six months.

Volatility has dipped to half of its 2011 levels, and unemployment has dropped below eight percent. We no longer have to worry about who will lead the country next year, and — once we’re done not falling off the cliff — Congress will have an opportunity to actually get something done... I hope.

So after finals, relax Jumbos. Catch up on some sleep, maybe work on your resume. The world is your oyster — for the next four weeks.

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

Walt Laws-MacDonald is a sophomore majoring in quantitative economics. He can be reached at Walt.Laws_MacDonald@tufts.edu.

Philip Starks is an associate professor in the Department of Biology. He can be reached at Philip.Starks@tufts.edu.

Rebecca Spiewak is a senior majoring in international relations and psychology.

She can be reached at Rebecca.Spiewak@ tufts.edu.

In response to ‘settler colonialism’

by Jonathan

11

Op-Ed

Balancing religious diversity and nondiscrimination

Philip Starks and Rebecca Spiewak

Op-Ed

The Tufts Daily

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

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Garry Trudeau

Non Sequitur

Married to the Sea

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SUDOKU Level: Relating to anyone who says, “I’ll have a decaf, thanks”

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Thursday, December 6, 2012 Housing 4 bedroom apartment available June 2013. Parking, yard, laundry & huge basement. $3000.00/month.

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Undefeated start continues as tough battles loom WOMEN’S BASKETBALL continued from back

defense because we know that with strong defense, our offense will come. If shots are not falling, we can always rely on our defense to pick us up.”

Tufts raised the intensity on both ends in the second half.

In particular, the Jumbos dominated Emerson in the paint, grabbing 42 rebounds for the game to the Lions’ 34. In addition to Barnosky, sophomore center Hayley Kanner grabbed eight boards of her own, and the Jumbos tallied 10 second-half turnovers and turning them into eight points to pull away from Emerson.

Junior guard Liz Moynihan also provided a nice spark off the bench, scoring thirteen points and grabbing six boards. But the real story of the game was how the Jumbos managed to maintain a comfortable lead even when their offense wasn’t flowing.

“The great thing about this team is how we are not onedimensional,” freshman guard Michelle Wu said. “When we’re not playing well offensively, we can get rebounds, force turnovers, play good defense and still do things to win games.”

Still, as the season progresses and the Jumbos face tougher competition, much of the focus remains on improving execution on the offensive end.

“I think we will become more comfortable reading one another offensively with more practices and time,” Morehead said.

“We know that this is the one part of our game that has really been lacking.”

Tufts will have Wednesday

off before returning to action against Mass-Boston at home on Thursday. The Jumbos will then head to Bridgewater State on Saturday for the biggest clash of their season to date.

The Bears are 5-1 to begin the year, with three wins against NESCAC teams.

After the matchup with the Bears, the team enters a 23-day hiatus. The key during this time off will be to stay focused, both mentally and physically.

“This team has great chemistry this year,” Wu said. “We are comfortable with each other, and we want to keep that going moving forward.”

As phenomenal as the Jumbos’ start has been, players and coaches know that this first part of the season pales in comparison to the test they will receive at the end of the winter break, when they start to see NESCAC competition and try to make a run into the NCAA’s.

In particular, the team will have to get through four tough NESCAC games in just four days starting on Jan. 4. Those matchups against Williams, Middlebury, Bowdoin and Colby will certainly be season defining, and will provide a challenge to both the stamina and mental fortitude of the veteran Tufts team.

“We know that the season is only going to get tougher,” Morehead said. “But I am confident that this team is ready for the challenge.”

Meanwhile, the most difficult game Tufts is likely to face will come much later in the season, on Feb. 2, when the team will face a difficult road battle with No. 9 Amherst.

Will Butt / The Tufts Daily

Senior co-captain forward Scott Anderson (52) scored 20 points as freshman guard Steve Haladyna pitched in 16 from the bench as Tufts got back to its winning ways against Plymouth State.

Two non-conference games remain before three-week break MEN’S BASKETBALL continued from back

did take a step in the right direction.

“There were some lapses,” Anderson said. “We probably played 26, 27 minutes the way we wanted to play. But I think overall it was a positive game.”

Still, for the Jumbos, there is

work to be done.

With two non-conference games remaining this week before a three-week hiatus, the Jumbos would like to start their NESCAC schedule on Jan. 4 with a winning record.

After a tough stretch that included back-to-back losses against national No. 18 MIT,

who were ranked No. 1 at the time, and No. 17 Illinois Wesleyan, Tufts will host a subpar Lesley squad tomorrow before visiting 3-3 Suffolk on Saturday.

“We definitely need these ones,” Anderson said. “These two games coming up can’t be taken lightly.”

Editors' Challenge | Week 14 It’s the final Eds’ Challenge of the year, sports fans. After this week, a champion will be crowned. Can you feel the playoff intensity? Can you feel the magic?

Fireman Ed sure can. Let’s just say there are no winners in this one. It’s a battle of bumbling idiots — bad NFL pickers and worse NFL quarterbacks — scrapping it out for pride and absolutely nothing else.

Zachey “Mark Sanchez” Kliger has a slim lead atop the Eds’ Challenge depth chart, but for the love of God, can someone take his spot already? Like a NASCAR driver waiting to make his move, David “Greg McElroy” McIntyre is on his tail, trailing him by just three games heading into the last week. McIntyre has proven himself as a leader, and with the season winding down, he’s simply waiting for someone to give him another shot.

Ethan “Tim Tebow” Sturm is the third wheel. For the love of Jesus, can someone explain what he’s doing here? With two broken game-picking index fingers, let’s just say it’ll take a divine intervention for Sturm to win it all.

In fourth place is Alex “Rex Ryan” Baudoin, who remains optimistic about his chances despite having no chance whatsoever. Baudoin has fought his way to the top half of the standings, which matters about as much as the Jets fighting their way from 4-7 to 5-7.

Meanwhile, Andy “Mike Tannenbaum” Wong is perhaps the biggest bumbling idiot of all. After a 6-10 effort last week, Wong is struggling to explain what went wrong. He still Zachey 123-53 OVERALL RECORD 10-6 LAST WEEK Denver Denver at Oakland Buffalo St. Louis at Buffalo Dallas Dallas at Cincinnati Cleveland Kansas City at Cleveland Tennessee at Indianapolis Indianapolis Chicago Chicago at Minnesota Philadelphia at Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Baltimore at Washington Washington Atlanta Atlanta at Carolina NY Jets NY Jets at Jacksonville Pittsburgh San Diego at Pittsburgh San Francisco Miami at San Francisco Seattle Arizona at Seattle NY Giants New Orleans at NY Giants Green Bay Detroit at Green Bay Houston at New England New England

has faith in his guys, he says. So does Tim Tebow.

Aaron “Woody Johnson” Leibowitz once had a handle on this whole situation, but now he’s watching from the middle of the pack, wondering why he got into the picking business in the first place.

Watching it all unfold from seventh place has been Marcus “Mike Francesa” Budline.

He’s pretty much just sat there and bashed everyone else for being awful at picking, even though he’s never “done” anything, per se, in his entire life.

Someone with a bit more credibility is Jake “Joe Namath” Indursky, though he’s kind of a jerk. The former champion is lying in a pile of money, criticizing his fellow editors and making brash picks all at once. The result? Eighth place heading into the final week.

Near the bottom of the standings, Kate “Antonio Cromartie” Klots can’t keep track of enough of the players to tell you their names — nor can she get quotes from them. Heck, she’s not even trying anymore. That’s how dire this is.

Ben “Shonn Greene” Kochman is in last place, and his only saving grace is that he’s still ahead of his baby bro, guest picker and TCU Senator Adam “Bilal Powell” Kochman, on the picking depth chart.

Fasten your seatbelts, everyone. It’s going to be a week of bone-crushing picks and spine-tingling copy edits. No matter what happens, the Jets will lose.

Ethan David Alex Andy Aaron 115-61 120-56 112-64 109-67 109-67 10-6 11-5 6-10 10-6 10-6 Denver Denver Denver Denver Denver St. Louis St. Louis Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Cincinnati Cincinnati Cincinnati Dallas Cincinnati Cleveland Cleveland Cleveland Cleveland Cleveland Indianapolis Indianapolis Indianapolis Indianapolis Indianapolis Minnesota Chicago Minnesota Chicago Chicago Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Philadelphia Tampa Bay Washington Washington Washington Baltimore Baltimore Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta NY Jets NY Jets NY Jets Jacksonville Jacksonville Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh San Francisco San Francisco San Francisco San Francisco San Francisco Seattle Seattle Seattle Seattle Seattle NY Giants New Orleans NY Giants NY Giants NY Giants Green Bay Green Bay Green Bay Green Bay Green Bay Houston Houston New England New England New England

Marcus Jake Kate Ben GUEST 108-68 108-68 103-75 101-65 Adam 9-7 11-5 6-10 6-10 Kochman Denver Denver Denver Denver Denver Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo Buffalo St. Louis Cincinnati Dallas Dallas Dallas Dallas Cleveland Cleveland Cleveland Cleveland Kansas City Indianapolis Indianapolis Indianapolis Indianapolis Indianapolis Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Washington Washington Washington Washington Baltimore Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta Atlanta NY Jets NY Jets NY Jets NY Jets NY Jets Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh San Francisco San Francisco San Francisco San Francisco San Francisco Seattle Seattle Seattle Seattle Seattle New Orleans NY Giants NY Giants NY Giants New Orleans Green Bay Green Bay Green Bay Green Bay Green Bay New England New England New England New England New England

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER, 2012

TCU NEWSLETTER SENATE UPDATE

Senate has been very active this semester! We’ve passed resolutions calling for improvements to Africana Studies and pedestrian safety on the Medford/ Somerville campus. Senators are currently pursuing a variety of campus improvement initiatives: installing more benches and outdoor study areas, working alongside the Gordon Institute to strengthen Entrepreneurial Leadership Studies (ELS), and exploring the possibility of establishing the Tufts Fleet Van Service. Furthermore, the Education and Policy Faculty Committee recently approved an extension of the pass/fail deadline for freshmen; barring any major objections, this change will go into effect shortly. Finally there are a number of ways for you to get your voice heard: there will be two open forums for students to express their opinions on distribution requirements and issues pertinent to culture, ethnicity, and community affair. The specific details will be published on Facebook and Twitter when they become available.

For more information, follow Senate on Twitter @TCUSenate, and “like” the TCU Senate Facebook page.

If there are any changes you’d like to see made at Tufts, email Senate at tcusenate@tufts.edu, or voice your opinion at the TCU Senate Weekly Meetings’ Open Forums that take place in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose Room at 7pm every Sunday.

APPLY TO THE TUFTS ELECTION COMMISSION

FAN THE FIRE

Do you want to get involved in TCU Government without having to see your name on a ballot? Want to make $500? Well, then you should apply to be a member of the Tufts Elections Commission (ECOM)! You can download the application here, at http://ecom.tufts.edu/Documents by clicking “Ecom Application.” Applications must be submitted to tcusenate@tufts.edu by 5pm on Monday, December 10th.

Fan the Fire events have come to an end for this semester. For updates,“like” the Fan the Fire facebook page, tweet @TuftsFanTheFire, or visit their website at www.gotuftsjumbos.com/tufts_info/Fan_The_Fire/ where articles about different teams, their players, and their involvement in the community will be published in the lull periods between future events!

Watch out for the news, and GO JUMBOS!

Please email Senate with any questions you have!

TUFTS FUN FACT The first building to be built on Tufts campus was Ballou Hall. It was initially all of the following: classrooms, administrative offices, dormitory, dining hall, and chapel.

Programming Board Presents: UPCOMING EVENTS

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Attention All!

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The Tufts Daily

Thursday, December 6, 2012

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Sports Brian Tan | Now Serving

QB Chaos

I

MCT

Rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III has used his accurate passing and blinding speed to turn the Redskins’ offense around after years of mediocrity.

Griffin leads Washington back to relevancy INSIDE NFL

continued from back

feature read options out of the shotgun, play action passing out of a single back set, and complicated option passing routes that even veteran NFL quarterbacks often struggle with.

To be fair, RGIII still has his flaws, though there are not many of them.

Mainly, Griffin needs to consistently slide when running to cut down on the hits that he takes. He also often holds the ball too long, though he has only taken 25 sacks this season, ranking him in the

middle of the pack among quarterbacks.

Still, there is no denying that RGIII is already one of the league’s best players and that he will likely continue to haunt NFC East defenses for years to come. For the first time in years, the Washington Redskins finally got it right.

Elephants in the Room What you want for Christmas

Anthony DeBenedetto Freshman Men’s Swimming

New clothes.

I need a new winter jacket

Amelia Rapisarda Senior Women’s Swimming

A massage

Scott Anderson Senior Men’s Basketball

A job

Favorite holiday song

Place you wish Favorite winter you were going What you would item of clothing over winter break replace NQR with

Jingle Bells

The girls are going to Puerto Anything with a Rico; it’d be cool A polar plunge to go outside hood of the country eventually

“All I Want for A HogwartsAlready going to My Tufts Christmas is You” Puerto Rico with style schoolwide

by Mariah Carey swimming parka the swim team! holiday feast

Rudolf the Rednosed Reindeer

My peacoat

Hong Kong

Naked Quad Walk

photos courtesy tufts athletics

t’s the most wonderful time of the year. NFL teams are in the middle of playoff hunts, college football bowl games are about to begin, the NBA is in full swing and college basketball is already in its own world of chaos.

It seems like years ago that the Arizona Cardinals, who are now 4-8, were sitting pretty with a 4-0 record. The number one overall pick in last year’s draft, Andrew Luck, has been mighty impressive in leading a Colts team that was 2-14 a year ago to a 8-4 record with playoff aspirations. But back where Luck went to college, at Stanford University in Northern California, is an NFL team with one of the more distinctive quarterback controversies in recent memory.

The story of Alex Smith, the draft bust, is a well-known one. Drafted first overall out of Utah before Aaron Rodgers in 2005, Smith never led the 49ers to a winning record in all his years of starting.

That is, until Jim Harbaugh made the short drive to leave Stanford and begin coaching the 49ers in 2011.

Right away, Harbaugh took the 49ers from 6-10 to 13-3. Behind the league’s best defense, Smith played very efficiently all year and won a thrilling game against the Saints in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. This season, Smith continued his impressive efficiency. He has even put up numbers that prove him to be more than just a “game manager”— the ultimate backhanded compliment for a quarterback who has a great defense playing behind him and whose main job is to hand the ball off.

Then, a week after he won the Offensive Player of the Week award by completing 18 of 19 passes with three touchdowns, Smith suffered a concussion and had to sit out the next week.

Enter backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick, a 6-foot-5, 230-pound, second-round draft pick, who ran a 4.53 40-yard dash and can throw a baseball 95 mph. Kaepernick led the Niners to a 32-7 Monday Night Football win over the Chicago Bears. He posted impressive numbers, showcasing his athleticism and big arm.

The next week, Alex Smith was healthy and ready to play. But Harbaugh declared that he was going to go with the “hot hand at quarterback,” which meant Kaepernick was starting again.

Kaepernick won his next start against the Saints, but lost this week against the Rams.

But is it unfair that Smith lost his starting job because of his injury? He didn’t do anything to lose the job, yet he has not gotten the chance to win the job back since his concussion.

It is obvious that Kaepernick possesses the big-play ability that could be enough to push the Niners over the edge and into the Super Bowl. Smith apparently lacks the explosiveness and exciting possibilities that Kaepernick brings to the table.

Personally, while I agree that it stinks to be Alex Smith right now, Kaepernick is the dynamic the 49ers need if they want to go all the way. As much as I respect Alex Smith — all past failures were forgiven after the dramatic win against the Saints last January — all he can and should do now is support Kaepernick and be the best backup quarterback in the league. Harbaugh has been more willing to take chances with Kaepernick at the helm, and whatever bumps and bruises they suffer now will hopefully be smoothed out come playoff season in January.

Having a quarterback controversy like this is never great. Yet as the 49ers look at their division rivals in Arizona and see that the Cardinals are starting Ryan Lindley right now, it sure seems like there are worse problems — or quarterbacks — the 49ers could have.

Brian Tan is a sophomore who is majoring in Economics and Chinese. He can be reached at Brian.Tan@tufts.edu.

Sports

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tuftsdaily.com

Men’s Basketball

Freshmen shine as Jumbos stop skid by

Aaron Leibowitz

Daily Editorial Board

For coach Bob Sheldon, recruiting players who can make an immediate impact is MEN’S BASKETBALL (4-5, 0-0 NESCAC) at Plymouth, N.H., Tuesday Tufts 37 42 Plymouth St. 25 38

— 79 — 63

becoming a habit. Last year, it was C.J. Moss and Ben Ferris.

This year, it’s Steve Haladyna and Tom Palleschi.

Nine games into their freshman season, Haladyna and Palleschi look right at home in brown and blue. On Tuesday night, they helped the Jumbos snap a three-game losing streak with a 79-63 win at Plymouth State.

Haladyna, a self-described slashing small forward who has become a super-sixth man much like Ferris was last year, scored 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting, his third doubledigit scoring effort and the third time he’s played more than 20 minutes.

“I’m definitely embracing the [sixth man] role,” he said.

“I’m just trying to come off the bench and bring energy.”

Meanwhile, the 6’8”, 250pound Palleschi made his first start Tuesday and was omnipresent, matching a seasonhigh six points and adding seven boards, four assists and three blocks. “[ Tom’s] been doing a bunch of everything,” senior co-captain forward Scott Anderson said. “We don’t need a guy who’s gonna get 15-20 points. ... Tom coming in and getting seven rebounds is a huge help.”

The freshmen’s big performances came at a crucial time for the Jumbos, who improved to 4-5 and bounced back from three straight nonconference defeats.

In a game of runs against the Panthers of the Little East Conference, the Jumbos

pulled away late with a 14-4 burst in the second half to take a 13-point lead, which they protected for the final eight minutes.

Tufts shot a season-best 53 percent from the field and made a season-high 28 free throws, making 23.

The Jumbos were paced by Anderson, who had a gamehigh 20 points and a teamhigh six assists.

Thanks to Anderson, Palleschi and senior center Matt Lanchantin, who was quiet Tuesday but is still averaging over five points and five rebounds, the Jumbos have developed a surprisingly formidable frontcourt after losing Alex Orchowski (LA ’12) to graduation.

On Tuesday, they were able to work the ball into the post against a smaller Panthers lineup, something they hope to do more often when the opportunity presents itself.

“We don’t usually get a lot of mismatches down low, but [Plymouth State] was small,” Anderson said. “We definitely have to exploit those mismatches when they’re there.”

In the backcourt, depth continues to be Tufts’ biggest asset. Ferris, Moss, Haladyna, junior Kwame Firempong and junior Oliver Cohen are all averaging five-plus points, allowing different players to steal the spotlight on different days.

On Tuesday, Haladyna was the one with the hot hand.

He’s becoming an integral part of Tufts’ rotation.

“I’m really comfortable playing with these guys and the offense,” Haladyna said.

“Coach [Sheldon] gives us a lot of freedom to make plays on our own, and we’re all really unselfish. We’re a wellbalanced team.”

In their five losses so far, the Jumbos have struggled to play 40 minutes of consistent basketball. The team was not perfect on Tuesday, but Tufts see MEN’S BASKETBALL, page 13

Women’s basketball

Will Butt / The Tufts Daily

Graduate forward Kate Barnosky scored a season-high 21 points as Tufts continued its red-hot start to the season with an easy win over Emerson College.

Tufts improves to 7-0 with win over Emerson by

Zachey Kliger

Daily Editorial Board

The No. 10 women’s basketball team continued its perfect season on Tuesday, blowing out WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (7-0, 0-0 NESCAC) Boston, Mass., Tuesday Tufts 24 37 Emerson 15 28

— 61 — 43

Emerson College on the road, 61-43. Graduate forward Kate Barnosky led the squad with a season-best 21 points to go along with nine rebounds, and another strong defensive effort propelled the Jumbos to their sixth doubledigit victory of the year.

The Jumbos were sluggish coming out of the gate and were unable to execute their plays on the offensive end. Emerson held Tufts to a meek 24.2 percent

shooting from the field in the first half. But, as usual, the Jumbos’ intensity on the defensive end kept them in the game. They held Emerson to a season-low 15 points in the opening frame, on just 22.2 percent shooting.

“Defense is still a big point of emphasis this season,” sophomore guard Kelsey Morehead said. “We take pride in our see WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, page 13

INSIDE NFL

Redskins finally get it right in drafting RGIII by

Matt Berger

Senior Staff Writer

When the Washington Redskins traded three future first-round picks and one future second-round pick to the St. Louis Rams in order to select quarterback Robert Griffin III in this year’s draft, many experts chastised the decision, calling it another dumb transaction made by an organization known for mishandling the draft.

But this move was different. At the time, it was a worthy and calculated gamble for a team that had been stuck in the basement of the competitive NFC East.

Now, as Griffin has put up one incredible performance after another in his rookie season, it appears that the Redskins have executed one of the greatest draft heists in recent NFL history.

Griffin has been nearly flawless this season, almost single-handedly leading a bad team to an impressive 6-6

record. He ranks third among NFL signal callers in quarterback rating, ahead of names like Tom Brady, Matt Ryan and Drew Brees; sixth in completion percentage, ahead of Schaub, Dalton, and Eli Manning; and fourth in total QBR, ahead of Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers and Drew Stafford.

And because it needs to be said again, RGIII is doing this in his rookie season.

In fact, put Griffin on a team with better offensive skill players to complement him, like the New England Patriots with Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez or the Houston Texans with Arian Foster and Andre Johnson, and it’s safe to say that his numbers would be even better at this point. He would probably be one of the leading candidates for NFL MVP. What is it about Griffin that makes him such a unique quarterback who can fluster even the league’s best defensive units? The answer is that RGIII is the first NFL quarterback in recent memory

to combine four crucial characteristics typically possessed by elite signal callers: accuracy, arm strength, elusiveness and intelligence.

Many NFL experts point to accuracy as the best way to predict whether or not elite college quarterbacks will pan out in the NFL. In his senior season at Baylor, Griffin completed 72.4 percent of his passes to lead all NCAA passers.

This season, RGIII has completed 67.1 percent of pass attempts despite a lackluster Washington receiving corps that has been prone to drops all season.

Besides Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers, it’s hard to find a more consistently accurate passer in the NFL. Griffin has also put his arm strength on display with several perfectly thrown long balls that usually end up as touchdowns. In his debut game against the Saints, Griffin heaved the ball nearly 50 yards downfield to connect with receiver Pierre Garcon for an incredible 88-yard score.

RGIII’s most notorious trait is clearly his ability to run as well as any quarterback in the league. In fact, he leads all NFL quarterbacks with 714 rushing yards so far this season.

But here again, Griffin is unique, as he can not only run past defenders with his speed — like Michael Vick or Cam Newton — but he can also keep plays alive and elude blitzers in the pocket with his mobility — like Ben Roethlisberger or Tim Tebow.

Oftentimes, these wild scrambles turn into huge completions for RGIII and the Redskins.

And finally, RGIII has already demonstrated maturity well beyond his years in leading an NFL offense as a rookie quarterback. Observing Griffin’s ability to master numerous formations, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has really opened up his playbook this season.

Shanahan has designed game plans that see INSIDE NFL, page 15