TuftsDaily04.24.2014

THE TUFTS DAILY

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Thursday, April 24, 2014

VOLUME LXVII, NUMBER 59

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

ICRC president addresses humanitarian protection

by Josh Weiner

Daily Editorial Board

Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), spoke about the current state of the organization and challenges facing the group's humanitarian efforts at the The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy's ASEAN Auditorium in the Cabot Intercultural Center yesterday afternoon. His lecture, entitled "New Battlefields, New Actors and New Weapons: Challenges of Humanitarian Protection in the 21st Century," coincided with the 151st anniversary of the foundation of the ICRC. "After 151 years, it's a good time to reflect on what the meaning was of the creation of this organization," Maurer said. "It was a major innovation in diplomacy and public policy in the 19th century. The foundation of ICRC has been a sort of threshold in which traditional charity has transformed into humanitarianism as a profession."

Maurer's presentation addressed the challenges facing the ICRC as it continues to operate on an ever-precarious global stage, especially in nations that have been overtaken by conflict in recent years, such as Syria.

"We see in Syria today ... a never seen before fragmentation of armed actors," Maurer said. "The necessity for the ICRC to engage with those actors has risen."

Maurer claimed that it has been even more challenging for the ICRC to carry out its humanitarian efforts in Syria now than it was during the height of the turmoil in Afghanistan in the previous decade.

"It is a landscape which is considerably different from

what we encountered 10 years ago in Afghanistan," he said.

"Thanks to the relatively structured membership of the Taliban, we were able to talk to the leaders and eventually find the means for some humanitarian space. It's much more difficult in a highly fragmented context like Syria."

According to Maurer, Syria is only one of many regions that the ICRC has had difficulty obtaining access to, especially as many parts of the developing world have been devastated by armed conflict and environmental degradation.

"The most critical crises with which we are dealing in the world are countries struck by poverty," he said. "These countries are also, most of the time, struck by climate change and exposure to natural disasters, which are of much less concern in industrial nations such as this one."

Maurer said that the ICRC must also be wary of new forms of technology that might disrupt its humanitarian efforts, particularly as cyber-influenced weapons and computer-managed warfare gain momentum in the outside world.

"The transformative impact of technology comes across the ICRC's agenda in two ways: What new weapons are there, and what battlefields are unfolding before us?" he said. "We see new actors coming to the battlefields and new forms of violence, which are oftentimes related to these developed technologies."

According to Maurer, it is important for the ICRC to find means of cooperating well with other humanitarian organizasee RED CROSS, page 2

Courtesy Ben Kaplan

Robert Joseph stands with his supporters and campaign staff just before beginning campaign week.

Robert Joseph elected TCU Senate President

by Stephanie Haven

and Justin Rheingold Daily Editorial Board

After a more than 12-hour delay, junior Robert Joseph was elected the next Tufts Community Union (TCU) President, defeating opponent Andrew Núñez, a junior. Joseph received 1151 votes, or 65 percent of the vote to Núñez's 35 percent and 627 votes.

"I am literally overjoyed, and just stunned by the love and support and caring of everybody at this school," Joseph said. "I really have to thank everybody on my campaign team, especially Ben Kaplan, my campaign manager, and I am overwhelmed just so much by all the love and support from my friends and everyone on the campaign who helped out. I really owe it to all of them — they kept me sane

over the last few months, and they kept me going, and they are a big part of why I ran ... I am so excited to continue working with everyone at the school, to start making positive changes and to start working with students to make strides toward a better school."

One thousand eight hundred and eighty-three students, or 32.5 percent of undergraduates, voted in the election — a significant decrease from last year when there was a 57.5 percent voter turnout rate. While turnout was the highest among freshmen, with 45 percent voting, 36 percent of sophomores, 35 percent of juniors and 24 percent of seniors also cast ballots. In addition to the votes allocated to Joseph and Núñez, 105 people voted to abstain.

"While we always hope for a higher turnout, the distribu-

tion of votes across classes is in line with past elections, and the overall turnout percentage was also in line with past elections and predicted by ECOM based on this particular election," members of the Elections Commission (ECOM) said in a statement released to the Daily.

Despite glitches in the voting system, VoteNet, and a delay in the release of final results, Dan Johnson, the chair of ECOM, said he does not foresee any future issues. Johnson explained that while there were initial concerns that students could have voted twice — once through the online system and once by email — ECOM was able to verify that there was only one vote from each student while maintaining anonymity. ECOM requested that students who see TCU, page 2

Courtesy Kate Sienko

International Committee of the Red Cross via Wikimedia Commons

Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, spoke yesterday afternoon at The Fletcher School as part of the Charles Francis Adams lecture series.

Tufts 180 Degrees Consulting hosted its end of the year celebration on Tuesday evening that was attended by trustees, Tufts administrators, alumni and students. Each team of consultants presented its work and the dinner provided a time for attendees to discuss the processes and laude each other’s accomplishments.

Inside this issue

Today’s sections

Tufts Alumnus Alexi Paraschos brings enthusiasm, activism to soul music.

‘Transcedence’ delivers ambitious yet glib rumination on human consciousness.

see WEEKENDER, page 5

see WEEKENDER, page 6

News 1 Features 3 Weekender 5 Editorial | Op-Ed 8

Op-Ed 9 Comics 10 Classifieds 15 Sports Back

2

The Tufts Daily

Police Brief Garden Shed Kegger Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) on April 21 at 12:25 a.m. received a call about loud music coming from 45 Sawyer Ave, the home of Alpha Epsilon Phi (AEPi). When officers arrived, they found approximately 100 people in the house drinking beer from plastic cups. When police turned on the lights, people dropped their cups and began to leave the house. Officers identified several underage students and the residents of the house. Police found an untapped keg, and they began to search for the tapped keg from which everyone had been drinking. The residents claimed there was no other keg. In the kitchen, police discovered a garden

shed, and inside the garden shed they found two more kegs, one of which had been tapped. The residents claimed they knew nothing about the garden shed or its contents. When the residents opened the refrigerator to show the police that it contained no keg, the police saw that the refrigerator had been completely emptied of all shelves and drawers, had a cinderblock on the bottom and had a lock on the door. The police inferred from these clues that the refrigerator usually housed kegs. All kegs were confiscated by TUPD, who traced them back to Hillsides Wine and Spirits. Police are now trying to trace the purchase of the kegs to the customer.

—compiled by Kathleen Schmidt

Caroline Geiling / The Tufts Daily

News

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Joseph hopes to work with Núñez in coming year TCU

continued from page 1

emailed in their votes provide their temporary username and password, as well, so as to ensure there were not two votes aligned with those login credentials.

ECOM stated that they were satisfied with the results.

"Despite these setbacks, we feel confident in validating the election after conferring with the TCU Judiciary, the TCU Senate, the Office [for] Campus Life, Tech Services and VoteNet," the statement said. "Having a normal distribution of votes through classes and an acceptable total turnout shows that the issues that some students were experiencing were not drastically affecting the outcome of the election."

Joseph said that, while the wait was frustrating, he is relieved that the process is over.

"It was the most anxious, nerve-racking 15 hours, possibly of my life," Joseph said. "Over the past week I've been telling myself, 'At least it will be over on midnight after the elections on Tuesday.' Of course, that proved not to be true, which was very frustrating. Right now, I think I am so incredibly relieved to be done with the campaign."

During the campaign, Joseph had emphasized his history of engaging with relevant student groups who may have been impacted by Senate resolutions.

He has worked with the Tufts Transit Coalition in fighting for the University Pass, which would enable students to ride the MBTA for free, and has met with the university's Department of Education to work toward the creation of an education major.

"Tufts is a relatively small campus, so Robert and I made the decision early on to have as many face-to-face conversations with students as possible," Kaplan told the Daily in an email. "Robert spoke with hundreds of students across campus about his platform, his values and his ideas to improve Tufts next year.

I credit our victory to the extraordinary work of our campaign team and Robert himself, who made sure to have as many meaningful conversations with voters as possible."

Both campaigns were fairly active on campus with "Núñez Now" and "Run with Rojo" signs dotting the library steps and campus walkways. While the influence of external factors, including Generic Candidate and the abstain campaign cannot be measured, Joseph was happy that neither campaign resorted to mudslinging.

"What I would like to think is ... we ran an incredibly positive campaign," he said. "We refused to bend to making any attacks or campaigning in any negative way. We really kept it on the positive side."

Johnson agreed that while there were problems with the voting system and external influences, both candidates ran fair campaigns.

"Other than the problems with the voting issues and some problems with Generic Candidate and the abstain campaign, the two campaign staffs themselves did a great job," he said. "They both performed very well at debates. It

was a very smooth campaign from both ... staffs. There were no issues with campaign violations."

Núñez said that he is still mulling his options and will decide in the coming days whether or not he will remain on Senate for the next academic year. He added that he is considering running for Diversity and Community Affairs (DCA) Representative of Senate's Executive Board, a position that is elected in-house.

"I've been in contact with people who have run for president in the past and who haven't made it, and [I am] just getting their experiences and trying to reach out and figure out what they decided to," Núñez explained. "I am heavily considering running for the DCA position. ... I think that with my very extensive experience with students of color, queer students and the perspective of marginalized students on campus, that that would be a very effective position for me to make sure that the experiences of those students are at the forefront of the conversation of Senate, as they often are not."

While he has not yet made a decision, Núñez said that the campaign provided him with additional perspective on how the student body views important issues.

"For me particularly, this campaign illuminated how race is still a taboo topic at Tufts and how we are still, as a community, unable to have those conversations that are so crucial and vital to our community," he said. "If I was DCA, my biggest goal would be to make sure that, at the end of the year when I leave, that there are a lot of changes made with regard to how we address issues of trans students, students of color [and] of queer students on this campus."

Regardless of his decision, Núñez emphasized that he has respect for Joseph and could foresee working together.

"Robert and I had a very amazing partnership throughout this whole campaign," he said. "There was no negativity between us in the whole campaign process, [but] a lot of the negativity came from outside sources. We have a lot of mutual respect for each other, so I don't think we would have a problem at all continuing with that partnership to better our Tufts community."

Joseph, too, emphasized that the campaigns had worked together and said he hopes to work closely with Núñez next year.

"I hope that he will stay on Senate," Joseph said. "He's an incredibly passionate guy who has some really awesome things he would like to do, and I hope he does stay on Senate."

Although Joseph is officially TCU president, the Senate will hold in-house elections for the committee chairmanships and executive board positions, including vice president, treasurer, parliamentarian, historian and DCA, this coming Sunday. Joseph said he is eager to get started with his new job.

"I will be starting this summer ... and I'll have plenty of time to start meeting with administrators," Joseph said. "I would like to work with student groups before then to try to use their input when I'm meeting with administrators this summer."

Red Cross leader discusses 21st century humanitarianism RED CROSS

continued from page 1

tions, even ones with which it has had disagreements in the past.

"Finally, after 151 years in existence, we have come to realize that we are not the only actors in the field of humanitarianism," he said. "This is a field populated by the many."

Maurer expressed hope that the ICRC and its peer organizations would continue working to fulfill their humanitarian goals even in the face of adversity and modern-day obstacles.

"There are no fixed recipes as to how to respond to all those challenges, but I think, as usual, that there are elements which we will not depart from," he said. "[With] over 150 years of experience, we have discovered approaches which have

been extremely useful and helpful, and which we will rely upon in the future. But there are also issues for which we need to adapt and find different approaches."

At the end of his lecture, Maurer discussed the significance of his speaking at an institution such as The Fletcher School. He predicted that humanitarian and academic institutions will join forces on a series of important initiatives in the years to come, especially in the joint development of professional humanitarian workers.

"I see great potential for improvement of cooperation with international institutions like Fletcher," he said.

"Innovation, in all aspects, is something we hope that academic institutions can come forward with in dialogues with the ICRC."

Features

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tuftsdaily.com

Literary publications make new marks in politics, music

by Helen Schmidt Contributing Writer

Making the newest marks on the Tufts literary scene are PostScript and Melisma, a political journal and music magazine, respectively. While PostScript is breaking ground as a new politically-focused publication for independent opinions, Melisma was founded in 2004, but is recreating itself with a new emphasis on music. Both publications, however, seek to fill gaps in the literary scene that its members see at Tufts. "[PostScript] is a political magazine," Austin Berg, a senior and one of the founders of PostScript, said. "It came out of there not being any alternative political voice at Tufts besides dominant, 'progressive' discourse, and I think a lot of kids were frustrated by that — that they didn't have a place where they could voice opinions in a supportive environment."

While PostScript hopes to provide an environment for open political discussion, Melisma hopes to cover Tufts bands and the local music scene, according to Rebecca Sanai, managing editor of Melisma.

"The music scene at Tufts seemed to be dying down for the past few years," she said. "There were less shows on campus and fewer opportunities for student groups to get exposure. We wanted to showcase that Tufts really has an amazing music scene; although it's small, there are people who are interested. If we bring attention to it, it will only benefit the music community in general."

PostScript currently exists only as an online forum, but will be releasing its first print edition before the end of this semester. According to Berg, the articles featured in the magazine will focus largely on political discussion, aiming to establish the journal's presence on campus.

"We've got an article on tuition increases [and] there's an article on political dialogue at Tufts, which makes sense because it's the first issue of a publication designed to foster better political dialogue at Tufts," Berg said. "[There are] a lot of different perspectives. There's nothing specifically in this issue that would be called conservative; it's mostly independent [perspectives]."

Although the first issue of PostScript is still being assembled, Berg said he hopes the magazine will be successful on campus.

"I got good responses on the first article posted online on political dialogue at Tufts," Berg said. "So if the whole thing gets feedback as good as that, I'll be happy."

Berg also discussed his disappointment with the current status of the literary scene on campus.

"Kids are afraid to write what they feel because of how polarized things are about certain issues," he said. "I'm trying to fix that with [PostScript] ... I think that if you're able to create a well-respected political journal where different swaths of opinions are accepted, then there's not much need for other avenues to express political thought."

While PostScript is just picking up steam, Melisma has made a transition of focus. The magazine has narrowed down its previously broad emphasis on arts and culture to focusing strictly on music. Established in 2004, Melisma has gone through periods of success and struggle, and has changed how often it prints several times.

"I think it was very underground for a long time; not many people really knew about it," Mitch Mosk, the current editor-in-chief of Melisma, said. "It was run by small groups of people and small groups of friends."

One of the problems that limited

Courtesy Austin Berg

PostScript, a new publication, is trying to create a space for independent political dialogue. the success of the magazine over the years was the lack of focus, according to Mosk.

"Looking at previous issues, it sometimes ranged from being a 20-page magazine to an 80-page magazine," Mosk said. "We changed the title from being music, arts and culture to just [a] music magazine."

According to Mosk, Melisma staff members needed to carry out numerous changes to the magazine this year to rejuvenate its presence on campus.

"The executive staff determined that music, arts and culture were already covered by other publications," he said. "We wanted to really hone in on one aspect of the Tufts sphere that could not only be our niche, but also what we've covered so far — which is the Tufts music scene and the local music scene."

Another important aspect to reestablishing Melisma on campus was recruiting more writers, editors and publication designers, according to Mosk.

"When I became editor-in-chief this year, it was myself and two or three managing editors," he said. "Marketing is a huge thing. Nobody heard of Melisma last year. To most people, Melisma is a new magazine, but that's just not true. It's been around for 10 years. We put on a really big campaign to writers and staff members alike to say, 'Hey, this is a real thing and you're going to know our name.'"

Sinai echoed Mosk's emphasis on Melisma's outreach as being critical to its success.

"I'd say just the name Melisma is more well-known than it was before," she said. "We're working on getting a stronger community of writers, but it's hard because people don't know if they can write about music."

Her exposure to Melisma began during a campus-wide push to bring back the vibrant Tufts music scene of previous years.

"Last year, the former editor-in-chief gave a Tufts Idea Exchange talk on how the music culture at Tufts is dying," she said. "She got me in touch with the current editor-in-chief, and he asked me to write about a concert I'd been to ...

Our staff is growing, but it's still small ... There is a future for Melisma, it's not going to die next year."

Mosk reiterated Sinai's sentiments.

"For a small magazine, there is a lot of opportunity for growth," Mosk said.

"Our executive board is by no means full, nor is it fully defined."

While both publications remain at the forefront of their establishment — or re-establishment — on campus, they seek to further expand the literary scene at Tufts, which. According to Sinai, the literary community is making important strides for the student body.

"I think the magazines on campus do a great job of showcasing people's interests outside of academics," she said.

Courtesy Mitch Mosk

Melisma is reorienting its focus toward Tufts and local music.

Eva Batalla-Mann | Valuable Delusions

Low fidelity

S

ome people used to pride themselves on their record collections — and I guess some hipsters still do. The current substitute for this is the art of the Spotify playlist. I have friends that spend inordinate amounts of time perfecting their running playlist or the perfect pump-up-yet-still-somewhatmellow playlist for a Sunday afternoon.

You can capture a mood in a playlist and appeal to all the nuances of the human experience. This whole playlist phenomenon got me thinking about all the songs that have shaped me and defined eras in my life, and maybe what that playlist of my life would sound like.

The first time I remember having a visceral reaction to music was when I listened to Andrea Bocelli's "Con Te Partiró" (1995) for the first time. I think I was about five years old and it was like someone had reached into my chest and squished my heart. I was obsessed with the beautiful melancholy and catharsis of listening to sad music. My mom made a tape for me (yes, a tape) that just had that song on repeat. I listened to the tape every night, and cried. But don't get me started on the translated English version, "Time to Say Goodbye" because it doesn't even compare.

When I was six I was completely and utterly convinced that "Believe" by Cher (1998) was the best song in the entire universe. Literally ever. I listened to it so much that eventually my parents bought me a CD of the song over and over but with different remixes. It was as if I had died and gone to heaven. I think I spent a major portion of my childhood dancing to that song in my living room and trying to emulate Cher's brazen use of autotune.

There are some songs that you hear and you immediately get a sense of place or a feeling that can't be replaced by anything else. One song that captures the zeitgeist of my youth is "On My Own" (1986), the timeless Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald duet with sublime synth and lines like, "Now we're up to talking divorce and we weren't even married." You don't hear songwriting like that these days. I can't even count the number of times that my mom and I have belted this song in the car, simultaneously singing both McDonald's soulful baritone and Patti's nasally belt literally as loud as we could, even making sure to include her perfectly timed audible breath at the beginning of the song. This was played frequently on my favorite channel on our Sirius radio called "Soultown," hosted by the incomparable and smooth-talkin' Bobby Jay and his lady friend Wanda. I'm pretty sure that radio show single handedly got me through middle school.

When I'm feeling down, nothing lifts my spirits like Kirk Franklin's version of Bill Withers' "Lovely Day" (1977). This contemporary gospel version with his seventeen-voice choir, The Family, makes you feel good to the core. Franklin reinvented gospel music, adding humor and contemporary rhythms. The end product is a soulful celebration that can't help but turn around whatever is bumming you out.

I could go on and on about the songs that make up the soundtrack to my life. I could elaborate on the differences between the live and recorded versions of Barbra Streisand's "Stoney End" (1971), sing every line of Al Green's "Tired of Being Alone" (1971) — riffs and all — and I still melt every time I hear Donny Hathaway's "Song For You" (1971). But in the spirit of the Spotify playlist craze, I am in the process of compiling a big beautiful list of all the music that has made me who I am. I urge you to do the same.

Eva Batalla-Mann is a sophomore majoring in peace and justice studies and community health. She can be reached at Eva. Batalla_Mann@tufts.edu.

4

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Weekender

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Arts & Living

Alexi Paraschos blends pop and soul in solo career Alumnus talks Tufts, S-Factor, musical influences

by Brendan Donohue Daily Editorial Board

Weekender Sean Hagwell / Courtesy Alexi Paraschos

Paraschos served as one of the founding members of a cappella group S-Factor during his time at Tufts.

M

any Tufts students, alumni and parents believe that the liberal arts education offered here can help to propel students into the world of art and entertainment. Between the courses offered, and the wide range of extracurricular activities and real-world opportunities available, Jumbos have a unique opportunity to explore various pursuits and talents, as well as to learn from others with similar interests.

Alexi Paraschos (LA '09) is a testament to this. Paraschos is currently working as a solo artist in Boston. A founding member of Tufts' all-male a cappella group, S-Factor, Paraschos is a singer and educator whose music explores a blend of pop and soul; it is an homage to older styles like Motown and a welcome addition to the contemporary soul genre.

According to his website, Paraschos' "music ... not only sounds good, but feels good." The musician brings enthusiasm to his songs, allowing listeners to appreciate a style that is perhaps less prevalent today, but nonetheless has a timeless appeal. Paraschos writes about his passions: about love, social change and the courage and creativity of youth. He has worked as an educator in a number of schools in the Boston area and as a choral director, guiding his students towards their own musical dreams. Recently, Paraschos talked to the Daily about his enthusiasm for teaching, his love of music and his budding solo career.

S-Factor roots In his sophomore year at Tufts, Paraschos teamed up with some friends to help start S-Factor.

"It was kind of hard to believe I was one of those guys ... who came home [from college] and said, 'I started an a cappella group at my school,'" Paraschos said.

For Paraschos, S-Factor's founding was particularly notable. With its repertoire of music from the African diaspora, S-Factor introduced a new kind of sound to the Tufts music scene. S-Factor vocalists specialize in hip-hop, spirituals, gospel and Paraschos' own concentration, soul.

Today, African music is still an important part of what makes S-Factor tick. According to freshman Jinhyun Shin, a current member of S-Factor, this type of music is also charged with emotional depth.

"We find the roots of African music, and that brings us closer together," he said. "African music has [a] kind of [special] sound."

This sense of community, however, is not limited to the members of the group. Shin notes that the songs themselves often create an inclusive musical atomsphere for the audience, as well.

"It provides a fun and unique experience for people who watch our shows and participate," Shin said of S-Factor's sound. "[When] we sing gospels or hymns, people can feel our hard work and brotherhood, he added. "Our goal [is for] our audiences [to] feel moved and united by the roots of our music."

Bringing back the human touch The emotional element of S-Factor's music is not just something that Paraschos helped to create while he was a student at Tufts, but also something he has incorporated into his career. Seeking to bring back the emotional range that drew him to soul music in the beginning, Paraschos takes issue with today's popular music.

"I think that, in general, [the] music that we listen to today, especially the mainstream stuff ... lacks any type of meaning, any type of bigger purpose," Paraschos said.

Despite this problem, he remains optimistic. Paraschos trusts that social media can re-focus public attention on artists making music for what he believes to be the right reasons. Paraschos sees sites like YouTube and Facebook playing integral roles in the careers of undiscovered artists who might not otherwise have a chance to share their work.

"Obviously, there are a lot of independent musicians and artists, and with Facebook and social media [in general], it becomes a lot easier to find people doing really great stuff," Paraschos said. "I'm trying to do that, trying to bring back that kind of music."

He credits Motown, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye for releasing high quality pop music "with a lot of significance behind it."

"Whether it was love songs or more socially conscious stuff, [their music] was meaningful, but also very popular," he explained.

Indeed, Paraschos' music is certainly socially conscious. While working as a paraprofessional and a cappella instructor at Fenway High School in Boston, he was inspired by his students' willingness to help their peers and better their school — even though these students did not directly reap the benefits. His song "Carry On," which includes lines like "We're still 'living for the city,' tell me 'what's going on?' / it 'makes me wanna holler' the way they spend the dollars," was Paraschos' musical reaction to the selflessness of his own pupils.

Working with kids Paraschos is currently working as a choral director and piano teacher at the Noble and Greenough School.

"I've always been [involved in education], even when I was at Tufts, even in high school," Paraschos said.

Paraschos' affinity for teaching, however,

does not limit his passion for music.

"While I was at Tufts, I did some summer programs that were through Harvard," he said. "In terms of [a] profession, I've always leaned towards education. In summer programs, it was teaching math and doing more academic-based content. Even then, I really enjoyed working with kids in whatever capacity that I [could]."

He notes that children possess the unique ability to enjoy what they're learning without feeling any intense pressure.

"They have a lot of energy, and they're not really worried about a lot of the things that, as we grow up and [become] adults, we become really conscious of," he said. "They're just really vibrant."

Paraschos is also an advocate of a blend of activism and compassion that he has branded "compactivism:" a way to use passion instead of contention to fight for a cause. This term, he claims, avoids the sometimes negative associations that come with the term "activist." By shedding those connotations, compactivism allows for a freer expression of one's beliefs and goals, according to Paraschos.

Going solo After releasing a single and EP in 2011, Paraschos realized early last year that it was time to do something bigger. He began recording tracks for his debut album, "Something Greater," which was released this past February.

"It was a lot of work," he said. "It was fun.

It was a really great experience, and the whole process took a little over a year probably."

"Now that the album came out, I'm looking [to book shows in the] ... spring and the summer."

Releasing his album is an accomplishment that Paraschos is particularly proud of.

Paraschos noted that he learned a lot about the recording process, and also enjoyed being able to meet many other talented musicians.

For him, the process of recording the album was educational — perhaps a fitting role reversal for someone who spends much of his professional life teaching.

To hear some of Paraschos' pieces, visit www.alexisongs.com or iTunes. You can also catch S-Factor's upcoming performance, "Never Too Much," tomorrow at 9:30 p.m. in Goddard Chapel.

Sean Hagwell / Courtesy Alexi Paraschos

Paraschos' debut album, 'Something Greater,' was released this past February.

6

The Tufts Daily

'Transcendence' reaches farther than it can grasp

by Kumar Ramanathan

Daily Staff Writer

In its first few minutes, "Transcendence" announces that somewhere in the near

Transcendence Directed by Wally Pfister Starring Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman, Paul Bettany future, all of our technology will fail. In the opening of this scifi film, cell phones lie strewn across the street and keyboards are used to prop up doors, as people gather around barrel fires.

It doesn't seem entirely bleak — people seem to be making do with whatever they can. But there is a pervasive, quiet sense that something has gone deeply wrong with humanity.

"Transcendence" then zips back several years, where we are introduced to our protagonists, a group of cognitive scientists and neuroscientists, led by Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp). They are less like scientists, however, and more like 21st century frontiersmen, hurtling forward in a quest to build a true artificial intelligence. Barely minutes after we've been introduced to them, the scientists are attacked by an anti-technology terrorist group known as RIFT. It initially seems Caster will survive his gunshot wound, but radiation poisoning in the bullet leaves him with weeks to live.

As he lies dying, his wife and partner Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) decides to save Will by uploading his consciousness into a computer using technology cobbled together from their work.

Will's consciousness is soon networked to the entire Internet and grows and builds in startling new ways. Soon, old enemies — his fellow scientists, the antitechnology terrorist cell and the FBI — find a common goal: to

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Weekender

Courtesy Peter Mountain / Warner Bros. Pictures

Rebecca Hall is the only actor who has the chance to truly shine in 'Transcendence.' stop Will and Evelyn before they us human? Where does identity come from? — but like any good are too powerful.

This is the first directorial sci-fi film, "Transcendence" feature from Wally Pfister, uses science to pose those quesa cinematographer best tions in new ways. known for his work on recent What "Transcendence" is not, Christopher Nolan films like however, is a thriller. Although "Inception" (2010) and “The the foreboding soundtrack sugDark Knight” trilogy. Nolan is gests something far more dralisted as an executive producer, matic and apocalyptic, the film and his clean, new age science barely scales up from the inifiction influence is present tial scenes of scientists working throughout. Where Pfister bor- quietly in their labs. There's no rows from Nolan in subgenre, gunfight or massive catastrohowever, he does not borrow in phe, and most of the action haptone: "Transcendence" is a sur- pens behind a screen or inside prisingly quiet, contemplative a small town. We know from the film, with barely any action set first scene that this story ends in a technology-less world, so the pieces.

As a piece of speculative fic- majority of the movie focuses on tion, "Transcendence" is com- exploring how this future came pelling, if unoriginal. It draws to be. The story unfolds rather from a wealth of ideas across than builds, inviting the viewer science and philosophy, incor- deeper and deeper into the chaos porating them in an accessible of the Casters' actions. way. Though some of the nuanc- While the subtle futuristic aeses are lost in the techno-babble, thetic of the film recalls Spike for the most part Pfister doesn't Jonze's "Her" (2013), its phiworry about explaining the spe- losophizing core finds a much cifics behind this technology. closer cousin in Ridley Scott's This is why, as a piece of science "Prometheus" (2012). Ultimately, fiction, the film excels. It imagi- "Transcendence" is more parnatively uses the possibilities able than anything. Its ambition offered by cutting-edge science oftentimes exceeds what this to ask deeper questions about admittedly short story is able to our humanity. These are not par- achieve, but in a cinematic world ticularly new questions — What where big questions are rarely is consciousness? What makes posed so explicitly, Pfister's bold-

Artsy Nugget

Bruce Springsteen celebrates Record Store Day with new EP This past weekend saw the return of Record Store Day, an annual event now going into its seventh year, which was founded in order to celebrate independent record stores. Each year, various artists and bands participate by selling special editions and exclusive vinyl releases. Joining the multitude of participating artists, veteran rocker Bruce Springsteen celebrated Record Store Day by releasing a brand new EP titled "American Beauty."

"American Beauty" comes just after a period of heavy activity for Springsteen, who released his latest album "High Hopes" in January and has continued to tour for the better part of the past two years. The four-track EP consists of outtakes from sessions of Springsteen's more recent albums, and many of these numbers seem like they would be

right at home on albums like "Magic" (2007).

The record opens with the titular track, on which Springsteen's vocals feature a slightly twangy inflection, and are buoyed by a sweeping arrangement. The other up-tempo song on the record is "Hurry Up Sundown," an infectious piece in the power pop style of writing that Springsteen has excelled at on recent albums.

The main highlight is the closer, "Hey Blue Eyes," a song that Springsteen said touches on the events of Abu Ghraib. Balancing a beautifully restrained melody with surprisingly dark and haunting lyrics, the song masterfully encapsulates how effective a songwriter Springsteen can be and is the most welcome surprise on "American Beauty."

—by Dan O'Leary

Kokalola via Flickr Creative Commons

Bruce Springsteen is continuing a career period of heavy activity with the release of his Record Store Day EP 'American Beauty.' ness is refreshing.

With a focus on such philosophical scope, most of the film's characters end up being narrowly and crudely defined, leaving some incredibly seasoned actors with very little to do: Paul Bettany and Morgan Freeman get only a few minutes to act as the conscience of humanity. Hall is the only actor to truly shine in the film, and her portrayal reveals her depth and nuance as an actress.

We know from the beginning that catastrophe is approaching,

but "Transcendence" makes that journey interesting. It is a journey that turns out to be startlingly human, startlingly ordinary and startlingly heartbreaking. Sitting somewhere between horror and tragedy, the film is a fascinating meditation on consciousness, the desire for power, the mirror our technology offers us and our relationship with the harmony of the universe. It never fully matches its ambition, but such earnest, bold science fiction remains worth watching.

Top 10 | Fan fictions to read instead of studying for finals The year is drawing to a close, and, for many of us, this means final papers, projects and exams. While winter fades gracefully away, the relentless force of procrastination has a firm grasp on the brains of all college students everywhere. And what goes well with procrastination, you ask? The only answer is fan fiction. A lot of fan fiction.

So, instead of emailing your TA to figure out what's going to be on the chemistry exam or revising your 20-page paper due tomorrow, you should probably check out these incredibly compelling stories written by the weirdos of the Internet. (All of these titles were found by the Daily Arts Department and copied verbatim from FanFiction.net. There are just some things we can't make up.)

10.) "Epic Pokémon Rap Battles"

by Blasty: "Just what it sounds like, Pokémon rapping against each other.

We need your suggestions!"

9.) "Why Sophie Made Her Choice"

by Marie S Zachary: Everyone knows you can't go wrong with fan fiction about "Sophie's Choice" (1982).

8.) "The Great Catsby" by Talent Hounds: "Think The Great Gatsby, except with dogs and cats!"

7.) "A Mary Sue comes to Hogwarts"

by Ham12: "Just a silly little story where a Mary Sue comes to Hogwarts."

6.) "Vanished" by tdubb28: "This is about the movie taken."

5.) "iEscape" by PurpleFlower17: "Sam Puckett would have never guessed she'd have an addiction that's killing her softly. Will she overcome it, or will the darkness take over?"

4.)

"When Words Become Superfluous" by asteroidbuckle: "Drake and Josh have done a lot of things, but they haven't kissed."

3.) "Jack in a Box" by Minnelli2007: Another amazing choice by a FanFiction. net user: fan fiction about the movie "The Hurt Locker" (2008). Nice.

2.) "Mermaid Tails of Love and War" by NiatheWickedLover: "There are three things you can't do as a mermaid princess. One, you can't eat with your fingers. Two, you can't go anywhere unescorted. And three, you can't fall in love with the prince of your enemy country!"

1.)

"POOH GOT SHOT" by SasuNarufan4ever: "A crack fic about Pooh getting shot, and bees stealing his honey ... Warning: if u love pooh, u might not want to read this.

Just sayin ... But of course you can still read it!"

—compiled by the Daily Arts Department

Courtesy Peter Mountain / Warner Bros. Pictures

Johnny Depp stars as Dr. Will Caster in director Wally Pfister's 'Transcendence.'

Thursday, April 24, 2014

The Tufts Daily

Nash Simpson | Throwblack Thursday

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

Check out these events!

Tufts Jazz Orchestra: "Speak No Evil" The Tufts Jazz Orchestra will perform a concert tonight featuring pieces by Ella Fitzgerald, Russell Ferrante, Aretha Franklin and others. The concert will include performances by guest artists Bill Lowe on trombone and Scott Aruda on trumpet. (Tonight at 8 p.m. in Goddard Chapel. Admission is free.)

Kiniwe: "Adzogbo" The Tufts African music ensemble Kiniwe will perform "Adzogbo" this weekend, featuring

songs, dancing and instrumental music from the Ga and Ewe traditions of Ghana. Kiniwe will also be joined by the Agbekor Drum and Dance Society, the Baobab Youth Group and guest artist Saeed Abbas. (Friday at 8 p.m. in Distler Performance Hall. Admission is free.)

Tufts Tap Ensemble presents: "Tapping Through Time" The Tufts Tap Ensemble will present their spring show, "Tapping Through Time," this weekend. In honor of the group's fiveyear anniversary, there will be an opportunity to win baked goods and prizes

during the show. (Sunday at 4:30 p.m. in Barnum 008. Admission is free.)

Tufts Film Series presents Outdoor Movie: "Up" Tufts Film Series will have their annual outdoor screening this Monday, showing the 2009 Pixar film "Up." In addition to showing the film on a large inflatable screen, there will be popcorn and cotton candy machines, and an ice cream truck. (Monday at 7:30 p.m on the Res Quad. Admission is free.)

—compiled by the Daily Arts Department

Theater Review

Courtesy Stratton McCrady Photography

Strong acting and impressive set design bolsters ASP's production.

Medford actors perform Shakespeare comedy Rocky start, strong finish characterize ‘As You Like It’

by Priyanka Dharampuriya Contributing Writer

Actor's Shakespeare Project (ASP) in Medford, Mass. continued its 10th Anniversary Season with a performance

As You Like It Directed by Robert Walsh Actors’ Shakespeare Project

191 Highland Avenue, Suite 2B, Medford

of "As You Like It" (1603), perhaps one of Shakespeare’s most well-known comedies.

The play follows the love story of Rosalind (Brooke Hardman), the daughter of an usurped duke, and Orlando (Jesse Hinson), a young man cheated out of his father's fortune by his calculating brother. When Rosalind is exiled by her uncle, she disguises herself as a man named Ganymede and flees to the Forest of Arden with her cousin, Celia (Mara Sidmore), and the court jester, Touchstone (Paula Plum). As Ganymede, Rosalind tells Orlando she can cure him of his lovesickness and tutor him in the ways of love. Here, the story unfolds amidst the usual quips and tomfoolery that characterize a Shakespearean comedy, ending with song and dance in a quadruple wedding.

The performance starts slowly. ASP mostly plays the lines straight, but many interpretations of Shakespeare's scenes seem darker than intended for a comedy. There are two excellently executed fight scenes in the first act, for example, but they seem out of place and almost too intense for what the play promises. The humor in the first act is almost nonexistent, with the only chuckle-worthy lines coming from the bubbly interactions between Rosalind and her cousin and companion, Celia. Their on-stage chemistry is a good balance between thoughtful and theatrical, both entertaining the audience and revealing the close relationship between the characters. While the conversations between Orlando and his brother Oliver (Johnnie McQuarley) are also engaging, most of the first act is carried by Rosalind, Orlando and Celia's performances.

Many of the actors deliver their lines in the classic Shakespearean fashion.

Unfortunately, this elevated style feels forced and awkward. The show is also double-cast for many roles, and multiple

actors seem better suited for one of their parts than the other. This double casting also sometimes makes the entrance of new characters confusing (though it undoubtedly adds to the comedy).

Furthermore, some of the male characters, like Touchstone, are played by female actresses, which changes the tone and the nature of some of the humor in the play.

Thankfully, in the second act, the show improves considerably. We get to see more of Rosalind as Ganymede interacting with Orlando, and the two develop superb stage chemistry, engaging in flirtatious banter.

Hardman's performance as Rosalind is also above average; she does a thoughtful and thorough job of fleshing out one of Shakespeare's few three-dimensional female characters.

The set is also worth mentioning. The stage uses mirrors to play with light and shadow in a wonderfully whimsical way

7

Weekender

that lightens the tone of the show. This staging also enhances the confusion that crop ups in the second act. While the set remains simple, the colors, mirrors, small stage and careful angling are used in a way that both is visually appealing and makes sense in the context of the story.

With all of these changes, the play becomes what we expect of a comedy. Light, witty and engaging, "As You Like It" is as much an escape for the audience as the Forest of Arden is for the characters. By the time Touchstone delivers Shakespeare's famous line, "All the world's a stage, and the men and women merely players," the audience truly believes it.

Ultimately, the play's second half makes up for a slow first act and concludes a charming, entertaining comedy. Though it has its slow points, ASP's interpretation is certainly worth a watch.

Courtesy Stratton McCrady Photography

ASP showcases the wit and drama of one of Shakespeare's best plays.

Paint

T

yler Perry has become a household name in the eight years following the release of "Madea's Family Reunion" (2006). His films have collectively grossed around $700 million worldwide. As a result, the actor/director/producer/screenwriter/ playwright/Mr. I-seek-no-help-eventhough-I-clearly-need-it, has created an ever-expanding empire around his name. Although Perry has his share of haters, he remains one of the wealthiest men in Hollywood.

I choose to watch Tyler Perry movies whenever they come out, not because I've enjoyed his past work, but because I hope that whichever one I'm watching will finally be the first good Tyler Perry movie. So far, I've always been disappointed. However, a glimmer of hope keeps me going back to the theater — even though I know I'll probably shake my head while Perry makes a profit from people like me and continues to defile the art of filmmaking.

One day, he'll come up with something good ... one day. Wait, who am I kidding? Let's consider the far more likely scenario. Perry will never ever make a good, critically acclaimed film.

Not because he can't — who am I to judge that — but because he has no incentive to do so. You know what they say: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." He's already made hundreds of millions of dollars from movies that suffer from bad acting, lazy writing and oversimplified cinematic dogmas.

So what do people like about the parasitic piece of blockbuster garbage that is your average Tyler Perry film? For one, people laugh. Perry, if nothing else, is a master of slapstick comedy. He essentially floods his films with easy comedic fodder, like stereotypical characters and eccentric line delivery.

In addition, he has established for himself a particular audience whom he never fails to satisfy. I would describe this niche audience as a conservative black Christian one. He's created a pseudo-monopoly by attracting fans that are perhaps less inclined to go out to watch typical Hollywood movies. To these fans, Perry's movies collectively serve as a reflection of their own personal lives and experiences, something no other Hollywood movies can offer.

Perry doesn't try to surprise his viewers. He uses film to confirm alreadyestablished beliefs by delivering public service announcements from the perspective of black church politics. In taking that simplistic approach, he often demonizes characters that don't fit in the paradigm of the culture that he chooses to represent. He oversimplifies black culture as a whole and ultimately fails to realize that there aren't always quick solutions to problems that arise in black families and communities.

The politics of Perry's movies work to normalize values that are detrimental to the otherwise improving dynamic of the conservative black Christian doctrine.

For instance, he resorts to punishing the villains in movies like "Temptation" (2013) by simply giving them HIV. This directly counteracts attempts to raise HIV awareness and to decrease discrimination against black homosexuals.

Perry is currently a highly visible, and therefore influential, black American filmmaker in terms of the ease with which he can launch and complete the process of making and releasing a movie. This power comes with a social responsibility to create content that is both uplifting and concordant with current national politics of acceptance.

By disregarding this, Perry does more harm than good to his black fans. He must be stopped! But between now and whenever that happens, I will sadly keep watching what Spike Lee describes as "coonery baffoonery," and I'll talk about how awful it is every time I do. Such is the life of your typical Tyler Perry hater.

Nash Simpson is a senior majoring in English. He can be reached at Nash.

Simpson@tufts.edu.

8

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THE TUFTS DAILY Caroline A. Welch Editor-in-Chief

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Executive Arts Editor Arts Editors Assistant Arts Editors

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Editorial | Op-ed

Editorial

Administration must help amend problems with elections The TCU presidential election concluded yesterday after more than a 12-hour delay in the release of results due to some technical problems experienced by the TCU Election Commission (ECOM). Students voting off-campus (via wireless networks other than tuftswireless) had difficulties submitting their votes, and students were required to use a temporary username and password to log into to VoteNet. ECOM eventually decided to call the election in favor of Robert Joseph, explaining that neither of the issues were significant enough to drastically affect the election's outcome. The delay, along with a low voter turnout, nonetheless cast doubt on the election process itself.

The commission conducted TCU Senate elections two weeks ago, seemingly preparing itself sufficiently for a larger-turnout presidential election.

However, the transition from Webcenter to iSIS took place in between the Senate

and presidential elections, creating an entirely new system for ECOM to work with on election day.

The lack of sufficient communication between ECOM and Tech Services definitely impaired the electoral process for Tufts students and exemplifies a lack of institutional support from the university for the undergraduate student government. The university should ensure its students feel like they are being represented in their student government, something that is difficult to maintain if they are discouraged from voting.

The need to use a temporary username and password in order to login to VoteNet created an additional barrier that likely turned some students away from voting. In an election that historically suffers from low turnout, even one extra step in the voting process can discourage students from participating. Last year's TCU presidential election had a 57.5 percent voter turn-

out rate — a far cry from this year's turnout rate of 32.5 percent.

Despite these unfortunate obstacles, Tufts undergraduates still need to take more ownership of their student government and get involved in their most important elections. The TCU Senate's primary responsibility is to allocate student activities funds, and students should play a more active role in deciding where their club funding is going.

ECOM should work with the administration in the next year to ensure that voter turnout is higher in the coming years by making certain all of the technical problems are straightened out prior to the election and planning for possible server errors in advance.

By alleviating these technical problems and eliminating the temporary username and password required by VoteNet, ECOM can restore confidence in its election procedures, and ensure free and fair elections in the future.

Executive Sports Editor Sports Editors

Op-Ed

Assistant Sports Editors

Justice for janitors: demand an end to contract violations and mistreatment

by Rae Axner

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The Tufts' janitorial staff is in a precarious, and often confusing, position.

I would like to clear up the situation, in hopes of paving the way for further student and administrative action on behalf of the Tufts janitors.

Because the janitors are not directly employed by Tufts University, but through a subcontractor, DTZ/Unicco, the daily realities of their working conditions are at the mercy of this contractor. They are not afforded the same standing as direct Tufts employees.

Fortunately, as members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 32BJ, as they explained to us, Tufts janitors have some protections through a hard-fought contract, such as a required level of full-time employment across the staff, specific payment methods and more. Unfortunately, DTZ has continuously violated this contract since they took over custodial operations at the beginning of 2013.

In our experience, when such concerns have been brought to the attention of President Anthony Monaco, Executive Vice President Patricia Campbell and Vice President of Operations Linda Snyder, they have expressed sympathy for the janitors' situation. However, this sympathy has not taken form as action. As indirect employers, Tufts administrators have repeatedly ignored their responsibilities in ensuring that their hired contractors treat workers on Tufts campuses well, or even abide by their legal contracts. Members of Tufts Labor Coalition ( TLC) believe otherwise.

We believe that it is the responsibility of the Tufts administration to ensure that workers on this campus are treated fairly, regardless of who directly employs them. Ultimately, it is Tufts' money that reaches — or fails to reach — the janitors. As students we also have a responsibility to demand that our tuition money goes towards supporting workers who make our time here possible, rather than lining the pockets of the corporate middle man.

Three pressing issues are currently at stake for the janitors, two of which are direct contract violations.

First, as reported to us by the janitors themselves, fewer janitors are currently classified as full-time workers than their contract calls for. Right now, only 58 percent of janitors are full-time employees, while the contract binds DTZ to employ 75 percent of the jani-

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.

tors full-time and to aspire to employ 90 percent full-time. It is our understanding from conversations with the janitors that DTZ has been manipulating the janitors' schedules in order to refrain from classifying more as full-time. For example, they will work full-time hours for two weeks, then have their hours cut for one week, so as to never accrue the scheduling necessary to be classified as fulltime. Similarly, when full-time janitors leave Tufts, DTZ does not always fill those positions, instead opting to split that workload between several parttime janitors. Full-time classification is vital to workers' livelihood because it affords job security and important benefits such as health insurance.

Second, the janitorial staff explained to us that DTZ has not been following the specific payment methods as prescribed in the contract. The most recent problem that has come to light is the following: The contract states that janitors should be paid with individual weekly checks during their paid vacation time, rather than one composite check for the entirety of their vacation. While this seems like a minor difference, it was a hard-fought specification in their contract. Getting paid for vacation time with a larger composite check ends up meaning that the janitors have more of their total pay taken out as taxes. As we understand, the DTZ manager on Tufts’ campus acted swiftly to try to correct this, but his superiors at corporate DTZ would not comply. This is indicative of problems that have occurred repeatedly with DTZ corporate and payment headquarters in the past. It has been extremely difficult, if not impossible, for janitors to obtain pay accidentally taken out of their paychecks. These are claims that should be routine and easily fixed.

Third, the janitors told that us over the past several years they have acquired larger and larger workloads. They have been forced to take on responsibility for cleaning more space and buildings, often in less time and with fewer co-workers. Weekend hours were cut drastically, meaning that cleaning up on Monday mornings is an even more arduous task. Often, janitors are responsible for three, four or five buildings every day. DTZ does not maintain staff available to cover the ground of janitors who take a sick day, so entire buildings are routinely added to a janitor's daily load. This

results in increased work strain on the janitors. The janitors explained that they are instructed implicitly and explicitly that they must sacrifice quality in order to clean the buildings they are assigned. Tufts janitors take pride in their work, and asking them to compromise in this way devalues what they do. Furthermore, our living conditions suffer. When students notice that their dorms and academic buildings are dirtier than they should be, they often choose not to complain because they worry it will reflect poorly on the janitors. In fact, the opposite is true.

Until the student body makes a fuss about these trends, DTZ will continue to cut corners. It is quite likely that DTZ is employing fewer janitors for fewer hours than necessary in order to cut their costs, keeping more of the overhead from the fixed amount that their contract with Tufts provides.

The mistreatment outlined above cannot be tolerated. Contract violations can be legally addressed, but legal recourse will take exorbitant amounts of time to create change.

In order to ensure that the voices and concerns of janitors at Tufts are heard, taken seriously and addressed quickly, Tufts administrators must reconsider their responsibility and role in ensuring that janitors — and all workers on Tufts campus — have their needs met and contracts fulfilled. Yesterday, Tufts janitors, students and faculty joined together to tell the Tufts administration to "clean up their act." We delivered demands to President Monaco at Ballou Hall, requesting that by the end of this semester the administration release a statement of support and a concrete plan for resolving these issues.

Members of the Tufts Labor Coalition have always been grateful of the widespread support from students on Tufts campus. We hope that this information provides a foundation for further action in support of our janitors. Share this information with your friends.

Ask the janitors working in your dorm about their work, or better, about their lives. Be part of a cultural shift to recognize Tufts janitors as indispensable members of the Tufts community.

Rae Axner is a senior majoring in American studies. She is vice president of the Tufts Labor Coalition. She can be reached at rae. axner@tufts.edu. Tufts Labor Coalition can be reached at tuftslabor@gmail.com.

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Thursday, April 24, 2014

The Tufts Daily

Op-Ed

Why did Tufts give a platform to a dictator?

by Alex Gladstein

On Tuesday April 22, Tufts University gave a very warm welcome to Rwandan President Paul Kagame. Fletcher Dean Stavridis and President Monaco told a packed Cabot Auditorium audience that they were "thrilled" and "honored" to have His Excellency on campus to discuss Rwanda's road to recovery 20 years after the horrific Tutsi genocide.

On an official event webpage, Kagame was described as Rwanda's first democraticallyelected president, a United Nations leader and a statesman setting his country on a course of "reconciliation, nation building and socioeconomic development."

After a 20-minute lecture by Kagame, Tufts officials posed three pre-selected questions, and he was able to answer four more from the audience. It was, by any measure, a wonderful event for the Rwandan leader, who had ample time to tout his achievements with regard to economic growth, private investment, ethnic harmony and the cleanliness, efficiency and stability of his country's cities.

When finished, he received a standing ovation, and Dean Stavridis thanked him amid photo-ops for a "candid and wonderful" conversation. Tufts' public relations office released a statement saying that the university was "pleased that the event was wellattended and the audience fully engaged."

The question is: how many of the organizers or audience members knew that Paul Kagame is a murderous dictator? Before you turn away in disbelief, consider the following facts.

Despite Tufts officials' claims, Kagame is no democrat. He won his first election in 2003 with 95 percent of the vote, in a contest where critics said the opposition was "virtually excluded from campaigning." During his second election in 2010, Kagame jailed political rivals and shuttered critical newspapers en route to winning 93 percent of the vote. As The Guardian observed, "opposition groups have been excluded, journalists have been intimidated and dissenting voices have been silenced, sometimes violently." A former party official in exile was shot in the stomach after voicing criticism of Kagame. Meanwhile, a critical journalist was killed, and a deputy leader of an opposition party was found beheaded. One opponent, Victoire Ingabire, was arrested soon after launching her campaign. She is still in prison today.

Once Rwanda's liberator, Kagame has spent two decades building a harsh authoritarian regime, working hard to consolidate power and extinguish dissenting voices. He operates a police state using the national army and his political party, the Rwandan Patriotic Front. According to Susan Thomson, a Rwanda expert at Colgate University, "The RPF saturates every aspect of life in Rwanda ... they know everything: if you've been drink-

ing, if you've had an affair, if you've paid your taxes." Reporters Without Borders calls Kagame a "predator of the press," while Human Rights Watch has observed "a longestablished pattern of assassination and attempted assassination of Rwandan government critics." Freedom House designates Rwanda with its lowest freedom ranking, on par with Iran and Zimbabwe and worse than Burma and Russia.

After taking power, Kagame orchestrated massacres of Hutus in Rwanda and in neighboring countries. In a vivid recent report The Wall Street Journal describes how, in the chaos after the 1994 genocide, Kagame's army "conducted its own mass slaughters across Rwanda, rounding up unarmed Hutu civilians by the thousands and machine-gunning them." In 1996, Kagame started a war with neighboring Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The International Rescue Committee estimates that more than five million people have died as a result of this military campaign. I'll repeat: five million people.

Remember Tufts' official campus statement about Kagame being a U.N. leader?

Well, a U.N. investigation found that his army and allies "killed tens of thousands of innocent refugees" in the Congolese jungles, while pillaging a fortune in gold and other precious metals. According to a 545-page report, "the majority of the victims were children, women, elderly people and the sick, who were often undernourished and posed no threat to the attacking forces." Columbia University professor Howard French claims that Kagame's campaigns against Rwandan and Congolese Hutu have killed as many as 300,000 people.

In 2012 the head of the U.S. war crimes office warned Kagame that he could face prosecution at the International Criminal Court for arming rebel groups in the Congo.

Again, an official in the Obama administration has suggested that Kagame has committed war crimes. The U.N. has also presented detailed evidence that Kagame was financing M23, a particularly notorious death squad founded by Bosco Ntaganda. Nicknamed "The Terminator", Ntaganda is a warlord on trial in The Hague, where witnesses testified that he personally used child soldiers and ordered troops to rape and kill civilians.

Despite all of the widely-available evidence, President Kagame did not have to face a single question at Tufts' April 22 event about human rights, attacks on dissidents, massacres or his support for armed groups.

To the great disgrace of Tufts alumni, parents, donors and current students, the administration chose to genuflect before a man who should have been taken to task.

When Columbia University hosted Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the school as an institution made it categorically clear that the Iranian leader was there to be heard

in the spirit of a lively debate that did not exist inside the dictatorship of Iran, and the school's president sharply challenged Ahmadinejad on the controversial human rights issues. Despite the fact that Kagame stands accused of a much larger number of deaths than Ahmadinejad, Tufts made no such statement. Instead, anyone in the audience at Cabot would have had to figure out Kagame's crimes on their own, given that pre-event materials portrayed him as a democratic hero.

The burden for holding Kagame accountable was to be shouldered by two students, both who had the courage to criticize a powerful world leader, face to face. One, a Tufts undergraduate, challenged Kagame on the Rwandan educational system, where teachers have been arrested for not following the "official" government version of the genocide which downplays the deaths of tens of thousands of Hutus. Another, a Fletcher student, asked what Kagame had to say about rumors of him running for a third term, which would violate the Rwandan constitution. Kagame quickly brushed off the first accusation as a media fabrication, and charmed the audience by laughing off the second question, along with the moderators and everyone else in the room.

Of course, it is likely that Kagame would have never agreed to come to Tufts if the agreement had included focused criticism on his human rights abuses. In an attempt to bring big issues and big global players to campus, Tufts officials instead made an intellectual sacrifice and allowed a dictator to be whitewashed. The result was a terrific opportunity for Kagame to gain international credibility at a highly-respected institution in a format he knew he could control and spin for a positive outcome.

Filip Reyntjens, a Rwanda expert and professor of African Law and Politics at the University of Antwerp, has stated that "there is overwhelming evidence of responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity" against Kagame. In a 2013 interview, Reyntjens said that Kagame's crimes "rank with those perpetrated by former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein or Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir." For all his "vision and ambition," he said, Kagame is "probably the worst war criminal in office today."

And yet, this man was presented to the Tufts student body as a role model. For that, the president and trustees of Tufts owe the campus community a detailed explanation.

Alex Gladstein (LA '08) is director of institutional affairs at the N.Y.-based Human Rights Foundation and vice president of strategy at the Oslo Freedom Forum. He can be reached at alex@humanrightsfoundation.org.

Off the Hill | University of Houston

Bomb threat jokes do not fly with American Airlines

by Amber Hewitt The Daily Cougar

If you have a Twitter, Facebook or Instagram account, you've surely seen some questionable posts. Most posts are generally mild, but sometimes the freedom of social media is abused.

There are countless stories about wrongdoings online, from negative messages to inappropriate photos to cyberbullying. The power of social media has grown significantly in recent years. Many sites, such as Twitter, have become news sources and means for companies to be in touch with consumers.

A 14-year-old girl from the Netherlands, who calls herself Sarah, clearly did not realize the scope of social media's influence when she tweeted a bomb threat "joke" to American Airlines on Sunday.

"Hello my name's Ibrahim and I'm from Afghanistan. I'm part of Al Qaida and on June 1 I'm gonna do something really big bye," the tweet read, according to USA Today.

American Airlines replied to the girl informing her that they "take these threats very seriously" and her IP address would be forwarded to the FBI.

Her account has since been removed, but the exchange set off a news storm. The exchange attracted attention mostly because of the foolishness Sarah demonstrated.

Despite Sarah's arrest, her actions have started a trend. Dozens of Twitter users have tweeted bomb threat jokes to American Airlines, according to the Washington Post.

Presumably, those individuals would have understood the negative impact of their messages. They meant to be funny, but no one is laughing.

Most Twitter users seem to forget people can see each tweet they send out into the world. First, people were sharing what they had for dinner that night, and now it has become a dangerous weapon.

Tweeting bomb jokes disrespects victims.

For ignorant teenagers to be insensitive is disgraceful. If enough jokes are sent out, people will become desensitized to threats, and the serious issue will become less important.

According to the Washington Post, airlines are using social media to increase effective communication with their passengers.

Flooding their notifications with clutter makes communication more complicated.

Passengers appreciate the almost instant responses to flight issues. Airlines now use

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Op-Ed

social media, which is "unrivaled in its efficiency," said Sprinklr Chief Executive Ragy Thomas, according to the Washington Post.

Not only are bomb threat jokes inconsiderate, they interfere with communication and cause panic. Safety is an airline's top priority, and for teenagers to compromise the comfort of others for a laugh is unacceptable.

"We take security matters very seriously and work with authorities on a case by case basis," said American Airlines, according to the New York Daily News.

I'm not a proponent of governments monitoring Internet activity, but if that's what it takes to make people take what they post online seriously, then perhaps there should be a mandate in place.

People need to be better educated about the seriousness of bomb threats. Young people should also be aware of the massive impact of social media.

There are consequences for social media blunders. What you post online could either lead to an arrest now or come back to haunt you in the future. Just imagine a job interview where your future boss reads all your tweets and Facebook statuses to you.

Be careful online, or "tweeted a bomb threat to an airline" might end up on your resume.

Jonathan Moore | Politically Erect

Race in a race When I host two prospective students today for Jumbo Days, I will try my best to be honest with them about what my Tufts experience has been up until now and what they're getting themselves into.

Whenever I use that phrase, "getting themselves into," people look at me with a sideeye and question whether or not I want to be here, or if I want to dissuade students from coming to Tufts. Truthfully, I love being a student at Tufts. The work of making this place feel like a home is rewarding and, as the Presidential election showed us, a never-ending journey. However, a conversation that I'll have with my baby Jumbos, just as if I were a student at any other college or university, will not omit the realities of what life at Tufts is like for many historically marginalized and oppressed peoples. These are the same conversations I have with my friends here in Dewick or in my dorm room, my friends back home, my family and, yes, prospective students I come into contact with.

This week, I was pushed to places, mentally and emotionally, that I had not visited in my entire life. I initially believed (naively so) that this election would somehow magically be shielded from the miseducation and misplaced vitriol that floods politically competitive environments, whether they are a college campus or an entire nation. And it was ... until the last day, Tuesday, when the temporarily infamous "Generic Candidate," who had up until then remained satirical at best, introduced a concept into the election vis-à-vis his online pulpit: whiteness.

By posting a screenshot of a salient tweet from candidate Andrew Nunez about the suspicion that should be raised when faced with an all-white group of people with a 'moral' cause, a box of worms was opened. Unfortunately, many white Tufts students reacted like three-year-old children and played with the worms like toys, rather than pausing to self-educate or contemplate what was happening.

Andrew's mere acknowledgment of race as an actual thing — a living, breathing dynamic "thing" — was labeled "divisive" and attacked for speaking a truth that students of color are coerced on a daily basis to ignore and run away from. His willingness and desire to help lead conversations on campus that interrogate and break apart issues of race, whiteness, gender and privilege translated into his very humanity, in the span of a few Facebook posts and tweets, being questioned and belittled. Right in front of my eyes, I bore witness to internalized racism, misogyny and blatant bigotry disguised as sarcasm and "inclusivity" being spewed from students who call this campus home. This is what happens when oppressed people speak up. This is what happens when patterns go unchecked and racial rancor goes unquestioned. I had not felt less at home here than I did that night.

Experiences like these are essential to personal and political growth because they reflect a reality that is often hidden from us in our day-to-day lives. The erasure of lived experiences and the intrinsic role identity and background plays in the lives of Tufts students is not something many people of color are unfamiliar with — Tuesday merely echoed our daily struggle of being expected to educate white people while simultaneously defending our existence to them. If this sounds exhausting, it was. I cried a bit Tuesday and I wasn't even running for anything ... I did feel like I was running, though. I'm still not sure why.

These are the things I will share with my prospective students during Jumbo Days.

Unless, that is, they are white. Then I'll save my breath.

Jonathan Moore is a freshman majoring in American studies and political science. He can be reached at Jonathan.Moore581594@ tufts.edu.

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

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The Tufts Daily

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Comics

Doonesbury

Crossword

by Garry Trudeau

Non Sequitur

by Wiley

Tuesday’s Solution

Married to the Sea

www.marriedtothesea.com

SUDOKU Level: Living with your parents again over the summer.

Late Night at the Daily

Thursday’s Solution

Caroline: “Usually, when he’s acting up, I unplug him.”

Want more late-night laughs?

Follow us on Twitter at @LateNiteAtDaily

Please recycle this Daily.

Thursday, April 24, 2014

The Tufts Daily

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SPRING FLING 2014! Please Read: Dear Students, As Spring Fling approaches, we write to notify you of some important information and encourage you to enjoy the day’s events in a safe and responsible way.

Gates open next Saturday at 11:30 am and the concert starts at 12:00 noon. Tickets are required for entry, are non-refundable and cannot be replaced or exchanged. As always, there is no re-entry. Entrance gate is at Ballou Hall, enter from Academic Quad only.  Water and pizza will be provided throughout the day, but no bags, food, or beverages will be permitted at entry.  No alcohol will be permitted into Spring Fling. Event staff, TUPD, and local police will monitor entry points, the concert grounds and the surrounding area. Overly intoxicated individuals will be denied entry or removed from the event itself with no re-entry.  You are responsible for the behavior of your guests at all times.

If you choose to drink at any time during the weekend, remember to use common sense. Drink in moderation and know your limits. Please do not hesitate to ask for assistance from TEMS or TUPD if you or someone you know needs help. Take care of yourself – take care of your friends.

Finally, please remember to maintain the respectful conduct we all expect from one another at any other time. Your cooperation will be much appreciated and will help you and others enjoy the day.

Thank you, Mary Pat McMahon, Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman, Dean of Student Leadership Joe Golia, Director of the Office for Campus Life David McGraw, Assistant Director of the Office for Campus Life, Concert Board Advisor All information on Spring Fling, Ticket Distribution and the Social Policy can be found on the Office for Campus Life Website. ocl.tufts.edu

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Thursday, April 24, 2014

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The Tufts Community is invited to the

16 Annual Graduate Awards Ceremony Friday, April 25, 2014 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Distler Performance Hall, Granoff Music Center A reception follows the ceremony.

We are delighted to announce this year’s award winners: Faculty Teaching & Mentoring Award Professor Peggy Cebe, Physics & Astronomy Assistant Professor Thomas Vandervelde, Electrical & Computer Engineering The Robert P. Guertin Student Leadership Award Marcy Ostberg, Urban & Environmental Policy & Planning

The Rob Hollister Award for Community Service and Citizenship Anthony Adrian, Philosophy

Graduate Alumni Awards Outstanding Career Achievement Award Stacy Klein, Drama & Dance Bonnie Schnitta, Mechanical Eng. Outstanding Service Award Michael McLaughlin, Music Matthew Lyman, Electrical & Computer Eng.

Graduate Student Photo Contest 1st Place - Dimitra Pouli, Biomedical Eng. 2nd Place - Laura Read, Civil & Env. Eng. 3rd Place - Sara Manteiga, Chemical & Biological Engineering

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

School of Engineering

Outstanding Academic Performance, Master's level Rachel Kelly, Music

Outstanding Graduate Researcher, Doctoral level

Outstanding Academic Performance, Doctoral level Christine Lattin, Biology

Outstanding Graduate Researcher, Master's level

Outstanding Contribution to Undergraduate Education Sara Hasselbach, English Nathaniel Delaney-Busch, Psychology

Kathy Ye Morgan, Biomedical Engineering Charmian Wu, Bioengineering Outstanding Contribution to Engineering Education Carolyn Talmadge, Civil & Environmental Engineering Aaron Tietz, Computer Science

Departmental Awards The Gordon Institute Outstanding Student Award in Engineering Management Jennifer Braggin The Bekenstein Family Endowment Award in Occupational Therapy Megan Gately Melanie LaFavre Katie Mifsud Emily Zeman

The Greisen Award in Occupational Therapy Amy Fleischer

Sarah Plummer Memorial Prize in Classics and Classical Archaeology Matthew Kelley

The Marjorie B. Greene Award in Occupational Therapy Leslie Armstrong Rhonda Saad Graduate Prize in Art and Art History Laura Beshears

Professor Kalman A. Burnim Prize for Scholarly Excellence in Drama and Dance Michael Morris

Graduate Student Council Awards Outstanding Faculty Contribution to Graduate Education Ellen Pinderhughes, Child Development Modhumita Roy, English Outstanding Graduate Student Organization Tufts English Graduate Student Organization, TEGO

Outstanding Graduate Student Contribution to Undergraduate Education Lara Hwa, Psychology Amanda Sullivan, Child Development Diego Millan, English Kelly Sullivan, Biomedical Eng.

Graduate Student Council Service Award Administration: Bruce Reitman, Dean of Campus Life and Leadership Graduate Student: Jennifer Nguyen, President of the Graduate Student Council

Graduate Student Research Competition Award Recipients Fall 2013 Daniel Afergan, Computer Science Daniel Barch, Psychology Kelly Beagan, Biology Gina Choi, Art History Santosh Kumar Choudary, Chemistry Sarah Gaither, Psychology Kelsey Graham, Biology Lydia Harris, Studio Art Kyle Jewhurst, Biology Colin Johnson, Child Development Patrick King, Drama & Dance Emily Pitcairn, Biology

Phillippa Pitts, Art History Chao Ren, History Amy Smith, Psychology Jingjing Zhang, Chemistry Spring 2014 Joy Ajayi-Carrier, Biomedical Eng. Matthew Applegate, Biomedical Eng. Naomi Berlove, Psychology Mariah Contreras, Child Development Amanda Franklin, Biology Brett Gallo, Music Lindsay Hinzman, Psychology

Laura Jasinski, Urban & Environmental.

Policy & Planning Anna Murray, Civil & Environmental Eng. Marcy Ostberg, Urban & Environmental Policy & Planning Clinton Perry, Psychology Julia Pilowsky, Biology Tiffany Pounds-Williams, Drama & Dance Anna Sagal, English Samantha Snyder, Psychology David Wong, Mechanical Engineering Jing Zhu, Civil & Environmental Eng

Thursday, April 24, 2014

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Open Invitation Thesis Exchange

Friday, 25 April 2014 Chase Dining Room 8:30 to 4:15 8:30 – 9:00 Continental Breakfast & Welcome Jeanne Marie Penvenne & Drusilla Brown 9:00 – 9:45 Panel One – The Challenges of American Education Faculty Chair, Steve Cohen Presenters: William Rutherford, Eloise Libre, Kayla Fory 10:00 – 11:45 Panel Two – China & Africa Faculty Chair, Michael Beckley Presenters: Hiram Reynolds, Yunmo Ben Wang, Shane Goetz, & Hope Schaitkin.

Noon – 12:30 Lunch Celebration Brief Remarks by Dean James Glaser 12:30 – 1:30 Panel Three – Exploring Urban Areas Faculty Chair Stephen Bailey Presenters: Alex Wallach Hanson, Emily Caplan, Zara Juneja 1:45 – 2:45 Panel Four – Presidency, Supreme Court and Gender in Politics Faculty Chair, Natalie Masuoka Presenters: Shayna Schor, Caroline Howe, & Anika Ades 3:00– 4:15 Panel Five – Political Thought and Theory in the U.S. and Europe Faculty Chair, David Art Presenters: Michael Latimer, William Rose, Austin Berg, & Paul Celentano

You asked and we listened!

Registration for

Fall Experimental College classes

will now take place in

EARLY JUNE An email will be sent early summer to all students with an exact iSIS registration date and time.

Questions? Call us at 617-627-3384 or email us at excollege@tufts.edu

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Thursday, April 24, 2014

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Sports

Housing New 4 BR blocks to Tufts on Capen Street - Available June 1, 2014. Totally renovated apt features modern kitchen and bath, W/D in unit, two porches, off-street parking, Flat Screen TV for $3,000/mo. NO FEE. Contact Mark @ 617-413-2435 or markgrassia@comcast.net

classifieds policy All Tufts students must submit classifieds in person, prepaid with check, money order or exact cash only.

All classifieds submitted by mail must be accompanied by a check. Classifieds are $20 per week or $4 per day with Tufts ID or $30 per week or $8 per day without. The Tufts Daily is not liable for any damages due to typographical errors or misprintings except the cost of the insertion, which is fully refundable. We reserve the right to refuse to print any classifieds which contain obscenity, are of an overly sexual nature or are used expressly to denigrate a person or group. Questions? Email business@tuftsdaily.com.

Aaron Leibowitz | The Fan

Reflections

I

Annie Levine / The Tufts Daily

The women's track and field had a successful weekend at MIT in preparation for the NESCAC championships this weekend.

Jumbos ride wave of momentum heading into NESCACs WOMEN'S TRACK continued from back

our 4x100 team," Cuervo said.

Although MIT practically swept the field events, the Jumbos still had a number of great performances. Freshman Keren Hendel, who has already cemented herself as one of the greatest pole vaulters in Tufts history, took fifth in the pole vault with a jump of 10' 11 3/4". In the throws, sophomore Robin Armstrong again displayed her power as Tufts' top long thrower with a fifth-place

finish in the discus and a fourth-place finish in the hammer throw.

"I think it would help us a lot to be confident [in thinking] that we are talented enough as a team to do some really great things," Harvey said. "It's also important to trust the work we have been putting in since the fall."

Though team score was not kept at this meet, it served as a dress rehearsal for the most important meet of the year for the Jumbos: the outdoor NESCAC championships. The defending NESCAC champions

Tufts prepares to defend NESCAC title MEN'S TRACK

continued from back

best runners from all divisions in the Northeast. Tufts sent five runners to the meet, all of whom posted excellent times.

Sophomores Mitchell Black and Veer Bhalla ran the 800-meter in a very fast and deep field of just under 75 runners. Black finished in 15th place with a time of 1:50.89. It wasn't Black's fastest 800, but it was good enough to qualify him for the NCAA Championship meet, and stands as the fastest 800 time recorded by a Div. III runner this season. Bhalla placed 24th with a time of 1:52.64, which puts him as the eighth-best 800-meter runner in Div. III this season.

Tufts' distance runners had three very strong races in three separate events.

Senior tri-captain Ben Wallis joined Black in qualifying for the NCAA Championship meet, placing 16th in the 3000-meter steeplechase with a time of 9:01.46. The time is Wallis' career best, and currently ranks third in Div. III. Senior tri-captain Jamie Norton recorded a time of 3:50.59 in the 1,500meter, breaking the school record that has stood since 2009. Norton's performance won 26th place at the meet, and ranks seventh in Div. III this season.

Rounding out the day, senior Andrew Shapero competed in the 5,000-meter, finishing 46th with a time of 14:46.77.

This performance is a career best by more than 12 seconds for Shapero, and ranks him in the top-40 runners in Div. III this season.

The Jumbos also had a few athletes compete at home, as Ellis Oval played host to the Tufts Last Second Decathlon on Thursday and Friday. With only nine athletes from the region competing, junior Allan Yau led the Tufts squad with a second-place finish. He accrued 5,177 points during the two days, finishing 915 points out of first place. Yau was remarkably consistent, finishing second despite placing better than third in only two of the 10 events. He won the pole vault with a jump of 10' 10" and placed second in the 110-meter hurdles with a time of 16.81. He placed either third or fourth in five other events, solidifying his spot near the top of the leaderboard.

Yau was backed by sophomore Alex Karys and freshman Dan Camilletti, who finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Karys scored 5,140 points, and Camilletti earned 4,758.

The decathletes, as well as the runners that competed in the Larry Ellis Invitational, will rejoin the rest of the

hope to retain their title this weekend at Colby College.

"This was a small meet, so it was a good tune-up competition for NESCACs because it is exactly how the meet will be next week," Cuervo said. "Having only to travel to MIT perhaps added to the extra rest and tapering that we begin this week as we head into the meet."

"I think if we bring positive energy and confidence to NESCACs, then we will be happy with our performance because the talent is definitely there," Harvey added.

Tufts squad on Saturday for the NESCAC Championships at Colby.

For freshmen like Usoff, this will be their first experiences in a high-pressure, high-stakes collegiate meet.

"I think the biggest setback that I have to overcome as a freshman is that I have no real championship meet experience," Usoff said. "In all of the meets leading up to NESCACs, the team score hasn't really mattered, and I haven't been in a meet where my individual performance affects the outcome of the team. I haven't had to deal with this added pressure that my non-freshmen teammates certainly have, so I guess mentally I really don't know what to expect."

Luckily for the Jumbos, there are plenty of athletes on the squad with experience performing well in big meets. Tufts is the defending NESCAC champion and has a real chance to repeat this season.

"Perhaps the most exciting element is knowing that, for many of these guys, they've barely scratched the surface of what they'll do in the postseason," St. Pierre said. "Really, nothing drastic is going to change as we prepare for NESCACs: hard work as always. It's just another business trip; we've put in the work and are ready to cash in. Simple as that."

Jumbos walk-off twice on Saturday against Mules BASEBALL

continued from back

Tufts its second walk-off win of the day.

Before their wild wins on Saturday, the Jumbos were able to secure an easier victory on Friday, when Slinger threw

eight innings, giving up just one run on five hits to pick up his NESCAC-leading seventh win in a 10-1 romp.

Tufts will continue conference play against Bowdoin this weekend with a three-game series in Brunswick, Maine.

"Obviously finishing the weekend with a sweep was great, but it does not change our mindset for the upcoming games," Sbily said. "Our job is to treat every game the same and bring the same intensity and effort every day."

'm graduating soon, and lately I've been wondering whether I'm about to leave the Daily sports section to clean up my mess. I'll explain.

At the Daily, I've had opportunities to do legitimate journalism. I've interviewed players and coaches, sat in press boxes and taken bus rides to many of the NESCAC schools (go to Big G's Deli near Colby). I've written about national champions, marathon runners and game-winning shot-makers. I've interviewed Steve Tisch and Mike Aresco and Tony Massarotti.

I've also made people mad. I quoted an athlete dropping an F-bomb, which caused the Athletics Department to face-lift its media policy. I wrote a feature story on the football program, with quotes from players, coaches, administrators and alumni, that made people super mad.

Now, there are some in the Tisch Sports and Fitness Center who cringe when they hear my name. That's a bit sad, I suppose, but it's not the end of the world. I told a story that I felt was important for Tufts students to hear. I took a risk. I grew as a journalist — and, yes, I alienated some people. If you write, not everyone is going to like what you say. That goes with the territory.

What's more important to me is that, going forward, other aspiring sports journalists feel comfortable choosing Tufts over Northwestern or Syracuse or BU. Tufts — and the Daily in particular — has a remarkable track record of producing successful sportswriters. There are plenty of reasons, including our location near Boston and our journalist-friendly CMS program — not to mention the dedicated students who have somehow kept an independent, daily newspaper at a 5,000-student school afloat.

But Tufts' status as a great place to pursue sports journalism is not inevitable. In the NESCAC — where there are no PR teams acting as intermediaries between the press and the athletes, and where the only incentive to talk to the media is to get a little on-campus exposure — we rely heavily on the coaches and players. Without them, we can't get quotes. And without quotes, we're screwed.

I learned that lesson the hard way this spring. I burned the wrong bridges, and let's just say I was very much without quotes.

On the one hand, ensuring that Tufts remains a space for serious sports journalism means continuing to pursue serious stories. Athletics at Tufts should be fun, but even a Div. III athletics department wields a great deal of money and power. Part of a journalist's job is to question those with money and power.

On the other hand, we shouldn't be grilling Tufts athletes. They're students. We should speak to them professionally, but also openly, as peers. Part of what makes sports writing at Tufts fun is that there are not 100-foot walls between us and the athletes. Leave the walls to the professionals and the Div. I programs.

Certainly, I'm not naive enough to think that anything I did in four years could shake the foundation of the Daily sports section. But I do think it's important to appreciate the way it has been, and to work hard to keep it that way — even if that means cleaning up a mess some other dumb sportswriter made.

Looking back, my decision to come here instead of going to journalism school should have been a no-brainer. Here, I'd find BEATs, American studies and the best people around.

And here I'd find the Daily, where I'd pour my heart into covering teams, pursuing stories and writing this column. Next year, and in the years that follow, I know others will carry the torch.

Aaron Leibowitz is a senior who is majoring in American studies. He can be reached at Aaron.Leibowitz@tufts.edu.

Sports

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tuftsdaily.com

Baseball

Tufts sweeps weekend en route to seventh straight win

by Maclyn Senear Daily Editorial Board

It was a long weekend for the baseball team, as Tufts played five games in four days at Huskins Field in Medford. The team defeated conference-rival Colby on Friday, 10-1, before pulling off two walk-off wins against Colby in its doubleheader on Saturday. Tufts also took both games in its doubleheader against UMass Dartmouth on Monday, 9-3 and 3-0.

The wins bring Tufts' record to 25-2 overall and 6-1 in conference play, with eight games remaining.

Junior Tom Ryan took the mound in game one on Monday, and he held the visiting Corsairs to no earned runs. His teammates staked him to an early 2-0 lead, but UMass took advantage of a pair of Tufts errors and a passed ball to push three unearned runs across the plate in the fourth and fifth innings to take the lead.

The Jumbos responded in the bottom of the fifth after three Corsairs' errors and four walks, using two-RBI base hits from junior first baseman James Howard and junior designated hitter Bryan Egan to score seven times. The Corsairs were unable to respond, and Ryan preserved the 9-3 lead to close out the game.

Sophomore Andrew David started game two for the Jumbos, hurling six shutout innings and allowing only four hits. David was pulled in the top of the seventh after walking the lead-off batter, but freshman right-hander Speros Varinos came on to

Matt Schreiber / The Tufts Daily

Sophomore shortstop Matt Moser was rewarded for his performances on the mound and at the plate this weekend with a NESCAC Player of the Week award. retire the next three batters and pick up his second save of the season while ensuring David's third win.

Senior catcher Nick Cutsumpas, who played both games, provided the Jumbos' offense in game two, driving in all three runs. Cutsumpas finished the day 4 for 7 with four RBIs. Egan also did his part as well, going 4 for 5 with three runs and a pair of RBIs. Over the weekend, Tufts' series with Colby proved to be far more dramatic, with both teams

fighting for positioning in the NESCAC East standings.

In game one of Saturday's doubleheader, freshman Tim Superko gave Tufts 5 1/3 strong innings, allowing two runs on six hits, but was equaled by sophomore Soren Hanson, who threw eight innings of two-run ball, while striking out 12.

With the game tied at one in the fourth, sophomore shortstop Moser hit a go-ahead solo home run, but the Mules came back to tie the game in sixth. Moser was not limited

Men's Track and Field

Jumbos perform well across multiple weekend meets

by Alex Connors Daily Editorial Board

The men's track and field team was split between three meets over the weekend: the last competitions before the NESCAC Championship this Saturday.

The majority of the squad traveled to MIT on Saturday for the Sean Collier Invitational. Named in honor of the MIT police officer who was killed last April, the meet featured teams of all divisions from across New England.

The best performance at the meet for the Jumbos came from the 4x100-meter relay team. Consisting of senior Graham Beutler, freshman Blake Coolidge, sophomore Bryson Hoover-Hankerson and senior Andrew Osborne, the squad won with a time of 43.41 seconds.

Junior thrower Brian Williamson had a solid day in the pit, placing in the top-five in three events. He placed third in shot-put with a throw of 49' 11 3/4", fourth in the hammer throw with a toss of 172' and fifth in discus with a heave of 131' 5". Classmate Atticus Swett had a similarly strong performance, finishing in the top six in the same three events. His discus throw of 139' 11" earned him third place, while his shotput of 47' 10 1/2" earned fourth place and his hammer throw of 142' 10" earned him sixth.

Back on the track, junior

Joseph St. Pierre placed well in two events, finishing third in the 800-meter with a time of 1:58.67 and fourth in the 1,500-meter with a time of 4:02.04.

"We've got great talent up front, but experience has proven depth to be just as integral in the building of a championship team," St. Pierre said. "[The] Sean Collier [Invitational] gave us the chance to fine-tune the team and really give us the chance to set some great times and marks so as to prove that we can compete in any event against any team come postseason."

Another athlete competing in multiple events, freshman Nick Usoff, showed off his versatility,

placing third in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 56.38, and fourth in javelin with a throw of 174' 04". "[I'm] really happy with how I did," Usoff said. "I executed my race plan well in the 400-hurdles and came close to my personal best, and my throw moved me up to second seed in the javelin going into NESCACs, which is a lot higher up than I expected going into the season."

A few Jumbo runners broke away from the rest of the team to instead compete at the Larry Ellis Invitational at Princeton on Friday. The meet featured the see MEN'S TRACK, page 15

Annie Levine / The Tufts Daily

The men's track and field team divided itself over three meets this past weekend and finished with several top scores in Div. III.

to the plate on Saturday, and came into relieve Superko in the sixth, pitching four and two thirds scoreless innings and only allowing one hit as the game went into extra innings.

After setting down the Mules in order in top of the 10th, Moser sent a fastball left up in the zone by senior Dakota Rabbit to left center field, scoring senior second baseman Tim Mitropolous and winning the game.

"I knew the pitcher had been around the zone most of the game, so I was just looking for a

pitch early in the count I could drive to the middle of the field," Moser said. "When I'm up at the plate I try to focus on just that at bat and treat it like any other, but there's definitely a little added motivation when you know you can help yourself and the team at the plate late in a game."

For his performance over the weekend Moser received NESCAC Player of the Week honors, becoming the second Jumbo to be recognized this season following junior pitcher Kyle Slinger last month.

Game two on Saturday proved to be just as hard-fought. Both Tufts senior co-captain Christian Sbily and Colby junior Greg Ladd threw complete games and were dominant on the mound for their respective teams, but Sbily got the upper hand with his three-hit shutout.

"I really felt that I was effective because I was able to locate my fastball well, first and foremost," said Sbily. "I was then able to keep their hitters off balance with my curveball, and I was able to get them to swing at fastballs early in the count to generate outs."

In the bottom of the seventh, with the game tied 0-0, Egan led off for the Jumbos with a double down the left field line. Freshman outfielder Harry Brown came in to pinch run for Egan and, when center fielder Cody McCallum tried to lay down a sacrifice bunt, Ladd fielded it and tried to throw Brown out at third. The throw hit Brown and rolled into foul territory, allowing Brown to score the winning run and give see BASEBALL, page 15

Women's Track and Field

Regular season comes to close at MIT

by Chris Warren Daily Editorial Board

The women's track and field team travelled south on Saturday to MIT's Harry G. Steinbrenner track for the first annual Sean Collier Invitational.

The Tufts sprinting squad had a strong day, with a particularly solid performance in the 100meter dash. Sophomore Alexis Harrison, who ranked in the national top-25 in the indoor 60-meter dash, continued her impressive career in the 100meter dash by winning the event with a time of 12.49. The Jumbos also received top-10 finishes from junior Christina Harvey, who finished sixth, sophomore Marilyn Allen and senior tricaptain Anya Kaufmann, who tied for seventh. Allen came back later in the day to take second in the 100-meter hurdles, with a time of 14.70. In the same heat, senior Jana Hieber placed third, running a time of 14.90.

Harvey, Kaufmann, freshman Bianca Rescalvo and Harrison later came back as a unit in the 4x100-meter relay to take second place, running a new season-best and ECAC-qualifying time of 48.77.

Around the oval, the Jumbos placed a slew of middistance runners in the top six of the 800-meter. Junior Isa Cuervo led the mid-dis-

tance women with her fourthplace finish in 2:20.15. Junior Lauren Gormer was slower out of the third heat, but her time of 2:20.18 was impressive nonetheless. Sophomore Sydney Smith crossed the line right behind Gormer, running 2:20.41. 5,000-meter specialist sophomore Audrey Gould moved down in distance to race the 1,500-meter, and, after a strong start, finished in second place with an ECAC-qualifying and new personal-best time of 4:48.08.

In the 5,000-meter, the Jumbos placed three women in the top four. Senior Abby Barker took top honors in the race with a time of 18:08.74. Senior Lauren Creath and sophomore Michelle de Mars were third and fourth, respectively, running times of 18:37.42 and 18:58.65. Senior tri-captain Laura Peterson also had an impressive day in the 3000-meter steeplechase, placing second at 11:24.88. She was followed by sophomore Olivia Beltrani who placed third, and freshman Lindsay Atkeson, who placed fourth.

"Our steeplechasers [Peterson, Beltrani and Atkeson] all had pretty stellar performances, putting them in competitive positions for the meets to come, as did Alexis [Harrison], Audrey [Gould] and see WOMEN'S TRACK, page 15