2011-09-06

THE TUFTS DAILY

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tuesday, SEPTEMBER 6, 2011

VOLUME LXII, NUMBER 2

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Tufts launches Trunk to replace Blackboard Bianca Blakesley Daily Editorial Board

Tufts last month launched Trunk, the university’s new learning management system (LMS), as a replacement for the outdated Blackboard system in an effort to create a common LMS platform for all of Tufts’ schools.

Trunk was created on a platform called Sakai, an open-source software, which is used by over 350 schools of higher education internationally. The name “trunk” was selected through a naming competition held in November.

“Sakai is actually the underlying system, and Trunk is the brand name of Sakai,” Director of Educational and Scholarly Technology Services Gina Siesing said.

According to Siesing, this is the first time that Tufts has implemented a university-wide LMS. Trunk is currently in operation on the Medford campus, and other Tufts schools will make the transition in the coming months. In the spring, the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy will replace its current system, Angel, and use Trunk course and project sites instead, according to Siesing.Currently, the School of Dental Medicine, School of Medicine, and Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine schools still use the Tufts University Sciences Knowledgebase ( TUSK).

“The plan is to eventually try to have Trunk and TUSK integrated in some way … As of now, people in the health sciences school can use Trunk see TRUNK, page 2

Virginia Bledsoe/Tufts Daily

Multiple buildings across campus underwent renovations this summer, including Gifford House.

UIT, Facilities add campus improvements by

Corinne Segal

Daily Editorial Board

The Medford campus underwent major infrastructural improvements this summer, as University Information Technology (UIT) completed the installation of wireless Internet access in all residence halls, and the Department of Facilities Services oversaw $12.5 million of construction and renovations.

Wireless accessible in all dorms

UIT originally projected that the cross-campus wireless installation would be completed in Dec. 2012, but the project is running a full year ahead of schedule, Director of Communications and Organizational Effectiveness for UIT Dawn Irish said. By January, every building on the Medford, Grafton and Boston campuses will have wireless, she noted.

Wireless this summer was added to Hodgdon Hall, South Hall, Lewis Hall, Miller Hall, Tilton Hall, Stratton

Hall, Wilson House, Richardson House, International House, Arts Haus, Hillside House and Blakeley Hall, according to Irish.

Irish said that students always brought up wireless as a priority whenever UIT created student focus groups to discuss ways to improve the campus.

“We definitely know that wireless is extremely important to the students see CONSTRUCTION, page 2

DTD returns to 98 Pro Row

Matriculation 2011

by

Elizabeth McKay

Daily Editorial Board

Compiled by the tufts daily photo department

After a six-year absence, Tufts’ Delta Tau Delta (DTD) fraternity chapter will return to its house on 98 Professors Row this fall, while Tufts’ Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) fraternity chapter, which has lived there since 2007, has moved back to the chapter’s original house at 45 Sawyer Avenue.

This year will mark the first time the Beta Mu chapter of DTD has lived in the house since 2005, when the group lost university recognition and its charter after a near-fatal incident during a pledging event that involved alcohol.

DTD was officially allowed to return to campus during the 2008-2009 school year, though this is the first year that DTD has been allowed to occupy a house on campus due to university restrictions placed on re-chartered fraternities, according to DTD President Nathan Beaton, a senior.

Over 1,300 students gathered on the Academic Quad on Aug. 31 for the annual matriculation ceremony, kicking off their college careers.

New University President Anthony Monaco welcomed the class of 2015, saying, “We have chosen Tufts and Tufts has chosen us.”

Inside this issue

see FRATERNITIES, page 2

Today’s Sections

Tufts students travel to North Korea as part of cultural exchange.

Venture out and experience Boston’s majestic skyline from locations around the Beantown.

see FEATURES, page 4

see ARTS, page 9

News Features Arts | Living Editorial | Letters

1 4 9 12

Op-Ed Comics Sports

13 14 20

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Streamlined Pre-O application process meant larger pool by

Laina Piera

Daily Editorial Board

A new, streamlined application and payment process for freshman preorientation programs this year paved the way for an unprecedented number of applicants to some of the programs and less stress for the incoming students who applied, according to organizers.

In the past, each pre-Orientation program conducted its own application and payment process, each working independently of the others.

All five programs — Conversations, Action, Faith and Education (CAFE), Fitness and Individual Development at Tufts (FIT), Freshman Orientation Community Ser vice (FOCUS), International Orientation (IO) and Tufts Wilderness Orientation ( TWO) — this year joined to revamp their protocol under the supervision of the Undergraduate Orientation Office.

Incoming students applied online in May via the Connection 2015 website, an information portal for all incoming students. They were notified of their acceptance on June 15, according to Coordinator for Orientation and Administration Jamie Engle.

In another change, students were this year only allowed to apply to one program. Those who were not accepted into their first-choice programs were asked to rank their next-best choices and could fill in the open spots in other programs, according to Engle.

Engle said this system was an overall success in terms of allowing applicants admission to their second choice, if not their first.

“Very few students were not placed into a program of their second choice,” Engle said. “The only students who weren’t placed were those who were not interested in any other program.”

Once accepted into a program, the students paid their tuition online via credit card instead of using individual checks as they had done in previous years, a new feature that also helped to simplify the payment process, according to Engle.

The Undergraduate Orientation Office this year required the leaders of all of the programs to undergo an alcohol training session with Director of Alcohol and Health Education Ian Wong, a feature that some of the programs already included their training.

Partly as a result of these changes, and also because the program amped up its outreach and visibility efforts this year, FOCUS this year received an unprecedented number of applications. The program enrolled 201 students this year, up from 165 students last year, according to FOCUS co-Coordinator Mike Borys.

“I think the biggest part of it was us and the other pre-orientations being out on the Quad during April Open House publicizing our events,” Borys, a junior, said. “I think the ease of registration was something that led to an increase in attendance as well.”

TWO, the largest pre-orientation program, received roughly 70 more applications than last year, according to

courtesy Maddie Mayerson

FOCUS, along with other freshman pre-orientation programs, saw record numbers of applicants this year.

TWO co-Coordinator Louisa Bradberry (LA ‘11).

TWO used a lottery to pick its 216 freshmen from a pool of close to 400 applicants and was the only program to not use a first-come, first-served selection process. A waitlist of around 40 students was then also selected, according to Bradberry.

“I think people were definitely more exposed to all of their options because of the new application,” Bradberry said. “For example, we had about 10 to 15 international kids apply, which has never happened before, and I think that’s because the common application was sent to all of the Class of 2015. …

I also think there were more applicants to [TWO] itself.”

FIT and IO both received approximately the same number of applications as last year.

FIT enrolled around 180 students, according to Assistant Director of Athletics and FIT Coordinator Branwen Smith-King. IO enrolled approximately 118 students, International Office Director Jane Etish-Andrews, who

serves as the IO coordinator, said.

Unlike in years past, IO has now joined the other programs in charging a fee for participation, according to Etish-Andrews, who added that the extra money was necessary given the program’s expansion.

“We’re doing some nicer events that will now justify charging students a fee to come,” Etish-Andrews said. “Since we’ve become part of the package of what Tufts offers for pre-orientation programs, it would have been unusual that we would not charge.”

CAFE was the only program to have fewer applicants this year than last year and enrolled six students, down from nine last year, according to CAFE co-Coordinator Rebeccah Marrero, a junior.

Marrero said that while she was hoping for more applicants, she believes the program can still grow in the future.

“We were hoping to get about 15 kids this year, because we had been growing every year,” Marrero said. “It made sense that we would grow. I think with

AEPi and DTD prepare to settle into their new homes FRATERNITIES

continued from page 1

AEPi’s lease on the 98 Professors Row house ended in June, allowing DTD to move back into the house, which is owned by DTD’s alumni foundation.

AEPi’s return to 45 Sawyer will continue the fraternity’s decades-long history on Sawyer. During the time that AEPi occupied the space on Professors Row, 45 Sawyer was offered as an on-campus housing option.

The 98 Professors Row house underwent extensive renovations this summer in an effort to restore the house to its original design, according to Beaton.

The restorations, financed by the Board of Directors of Delta Tau Delta Foundation of Tufts University, included new hardwood and carpeting, a redesigned basement, and an expanded foyer, according to Beaton. The house’s bathrooms were also revamped.

“Pretty much everything has been replaced or gotten a facelift in some way,” Beaton said.

Planning for the renovations involved examining archival photographs and drawings of the original building, Beaton said.

“The consensus was to restore the building architecturally and stylistically as close as we could to how it was originally when it was finished in

1936,” Beaton added.

The fraternity also hired two full-time chefs to prepare food in the house, according to Beaton. This change will make DTD the second Greek organization on campus with its own food staff, after Delta Upsilon, according to Director of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs Su McGlone.

The house on 45 Sawyer has also undergone renovation this summer, according to AEPi President David Reiff, a junior.

AEPi’s move from Professors Row to the smaller Sawyer location will mean that fewer brothers can live in the house.

The fraternity prepared for the downsizing by accepting a smaller pledge class last spring,

the changes and everything, that didn’t exactly work out. … I have faith that we can grow.”

Engle said that she is pleased with the outcome of the changes. “We think this was a positive experience for both incoming students and the pre-orientation programs,” Engle said.

Smith-King agreed. “I thought it was excellent,” she said. “It really helped us a lot the way the orientation office took care of all the registration and payment.”

Engle added that some groups of students have expressed interest in developing new pre-orientation programs, and the university is working on creating a pre-orientation advisory board with representation from all of the existing groups to make decisions about developing new programs.

“Pre-orientation programs come from people in the community who are interested in developing one,” Engle said. We’re creating a mechanism by which new pre-orientation programs can start, but at this point we haven’t made any decisions on that.”

according to Reiff.

Despite initial hesitation about moving out of 98 Professors Row, Reiff insisted that the fraternity members are excited to return to their old house.

“We’re very excited about it,” he said. “It’s where our chapter used to be and it’s suited for the types of kids that we are.” “[What] anybody [in a Greek organization] will tell you, is that the house does not matter, the group of people matters … and it makes the sacrifice of leaving the house really not matter at all,” he said.

McGlone offered her support to DTD during its return to its house.

“I plan on supporting them

during their transition back onto campus in any way that they need it,” she said. “Usually during a growth period the national organization and the campus would work together to provide support, and I plan on doing that.”

Despite the 98 Professors Row house’s central location on campus, Beaton insists that DTD will not be using the house as a recruiting point.

“I think it will probably have a bigger impact on our visibility on campus and how others perceive us, rather than how we perceive ourselves,” he said.

“We’re excited to be back on 98 Professors Row and to have that prominent place on campus,” Beaton added.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

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NEws & features

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Jumbos return from ‘fascinating’ 8-day trip to North Korea by

Martha Shanahan

Daily Editorial Board

For some students this summer, getting away from the bustle of the academic year meant finding an off-road beach house or a hammock in a tropical paradise somewhere. During the first week of June, a group of Jumbos took “getting away” a couple steps further, instead traveling to one of the most isolated countries in the world, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

In a rare — but increasingly manageable — opportunity for Americans to visit North Korea, six current and former Tufts students spent eight days learning and observing their way through the country on what they called a fascinating trip.

“The most surreal moment of my life was driving through the North Korean countryside listening to country music,” Emily Roston, a senior, said. There followed many more surreal moments for the students, but it all began here in Medford during last year’s Institute for Global Leadership (IGL)-sponsored Education for Public Inquiry and International Citizenship (EPIIC) colloquium.

“During EPIIC you’re given the opportunity to do research, and the idea was thrown around that we could possibly go to North and South Korea,” Alexa Petersen, a junior, said. IGL Director Sherman Teichman directed the group -- which eventually expanded to include alumni and other students not involved in EPIIC -- to the Pyongyang Project.

A Canadian non-profit, the organization focuses on facilitating exchange programs for both North Koreans and foreigners with the aim of encouraging academic and cultural interactions between citizens of North Korea and the rest of the world. It is able to host groups of tourists, or “academic delegations,” in the Tufts group’s case, because of partnerships and personal connections its leaders have developed with various institutions and officials in the country since the project’s founding in 2009.

“The whole idea of the organization is to have cross-cultural exchanges, so they’re trying to get Westerners to places that Westerners have never seen, and where [the people there] have never seen Westerners,” Bradley Harris, a junior who went on the trip, said.

The IGL funded around half of the Pyongyang Project’s fees for the trip, which also included visits to China and South Korea, under the condition that the participants complete a research paper before leaving and conduct research during their time in the region for another research project to be written upon their return.

After a briefing from Fletcher School

courtesy Alexa Petersen

The Pyongyang Project’s Michael Spavor, junior Alexa Petersen, junior Bradley Harris, sophomore John Kelly, senior Emily Roston, Chelsea Brown (LA ‘11), and Peter Radosevich (LA ‘09) visited the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea on a Tufts-based trip to both countries. of Law and Diplomacy Dean Stephen Bosworth, who is also the Obama administration’s special envoy on North Korea”He essentially just said ‘have fun, be careful. He was excited about the trip,” Roston said the travelers made their way to Shenyang, China for a brief orientation. Then, after a briefing on the restrictions surrounding their travel, the six students and alumni boarded a plane to Pyongyang.

This, Roston said, was the time she most acutely felt the magnitude of the uncertainty she faced in traveling to a country that has cultivated an aura of secretiveness and isolation from outsiders.

“A lot of people ask if you’re afraid going into the DPRK, or when you were there if it was scary,” Roston said.

“Honestly, as far as I’m concerned, the most terrifying moment of the entire trip was getting on the plane to go there just because you didn’t know what to expect.”

Once in the country, however, any fears were replaced by a sense of calm and security. “It was very oddly peaceful the entire journey,” Roston said. “I was very relaxed…there was no point

at which I was truly afraid.”

The Tufts group, like all other tourist groups that enter North Korea, was accompanied at all times by two English-speaking North Korean guides and transported to each destination on a bus by a single driver.

Pyongyang Project Korean Programs Director Michael Spavor led the students as they visited Pyongyang and several smaller towns surrounding the capital. Along the way they stopped at the typical sites visited by foreigners extravagant subway stops, monuments and, notably, the “International Friendship Exhibition Hall” in the Mount Myohyang biosphere reserve, which houses every gift ever presented to a member of North Korea’s leading Kim family.

“There was a whole desk set from France, a beautiful post-modern desk set in a glass case,” Petersen said, also listing off a roster of donations including a stuffed crocodile and a basketball signed by Michael Jordan, a gift of former U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright.

“We a saw a lot of very happy, colorfully dressed children, playing around

with smiles,” Roston said. “That was the first thing that hit me, it wasn’t monochromatic.”

“You think it’s all grey” Petersen said, “in your mind it’s like in black and white. And then you get there, and it’s probably the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. Driving through the mountains, it’s just gorgeous.”

Contrary to reports from many foreigners in North Korea that their visits appear staged to portray the country in a specific light, Petersen felt that that her experiences were largely genuine.

The students were lucky to see what they did, she said.

“It’s true that we were taken to the ‘touristy’ sites, but touristy sites in North Korea are wonders in their own,” she said. “They’re not…casual and boring. They’re, for us, a country that we otherwise would never have the chance to get a glimpse in, let alone be in. And so whatever site we were brought to we were fascinated by it.”

Harris and Roston agreed. “We drove all around the city, and we changed the places we were going on the fly,” Harris see KOREA, page 7

Medford campus saw significant construction and renovations this summer

CONSTRUCTION

continued from page 1

[and] it was extremely important to the rest of the community, so we prioritized it,” she said.

The project to expand wireless access began in March 2009, according to Irish. This plan allowed UIT to install wireless in new places as well as upgrade UIT’s infrastructure over the course of the following three years, Irish said.

The installation process was generally smooth but certain buildings posed a challenge, Irish claimed.

“An aging campus is not the easiest place to install wireless,” she said.

“We’ve got a lot of buildings with thick brick facades and were built in a time when these things didn’t exist.”

Jeff Kosokoff, director of library services and information technology for The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, said that wireless installation was “problematic” in Blakeley Hall, which is a relatively “dense” building.

Facilities face-lifts In addition to wireless installation,

a number of buildings around campus received upgrades and repairs over the summer, according to Director of Facilities Services Bob Burns.

Construction costs for this summer on the Medford campus totaled $12.5 million, according to Burns. The university plans to spend $30 million in facilities and infrastructure upgrades between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012, he added.

The Mayer Campus Center received a number of improvements over the summer, including the replacement and upgrading of its air conditioning and heating systems, according to Burns.

Facilities also improved the fire alarm and sprinkler systems in the campus center and added new floors, carpets and paint to some areas, Burns said.

The entire floor on the first floor of the campus center is now on one level in order to be more wheelchairaccessible, Burns added. Facilities also improved several dorms such as Latin Way, where they renovated four suites to make them more accessible to disabled students.

The path outside Latin Way was also repaved and several bushes and benches were added to the landscape. “It was an attempt to improve the landscape and make it more attractive-looking,” Burns said.

The exterior stonework has been repaired on Bendetson Hall, as well as on Goddard Chapel. These repairs are designed to prevent rain from leaking into the buildings, according to Burns.

“The whole idea is to keep the water out so we don’t have rain damage,” he said. “If something between the brickwork is cracked, water would run into the building.”

Goddard received double-pane windows, which provide better insulation than the single-pane windows that the buildings previously had, Burns explained.

Facilities is also doing exterior renovation work on Capen House, which will continue into the fall, Burns said.

Anderson Hall received both internal and external improvements, according to Burns, including an upgrade to the laboratories in the basement of the building.

Facilities also created new bike shelters for the Tufts Bikes bike-share program. One bike shelter is located outside the lower level of the campus center, while the other is at the bottom of the steps outside of Tisch Library, Burns said.

Irish and Burns said that the best time to do construction on the campus is during the summer, when most students are absent.

“When the students are gone, we have to capitalize on the fact that the dorms are empty,” Irish said.

“We try to get all the [projects] that impact students, especially major dorms, done during the summer so those facilities are ready to go when everyone comes back to school,” Burns said. “We really can’t do a lot when classes are in session. It would be too disruptive,” he added.

This fall, Facilities will plan construction projects for next spring and summer, according to Burns. Meanwhile, UIT will continue to improve the wireless access in faulty areas in Fletcher, according to Kosokoff.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

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Tuesday, September 6, 2011

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New university-wide LMS debuts TRUNK

continued from page 1

specifically for the project sites,” Senior Faculty Development Consultant for UIT and Head of Communications for Trunk Rebecca Sholes said.

The new website features three major components that differ from its old counterpart: a customizable workspace, course sites and project sites, according to Sholes. “[Project sites] are sites that can be used to support any type of collaborative work,” Sholes said.

Anyone with Tufts credentials can create a project site, including staff, faculty, and students, and they can then grant access to these sites to those unaffiliated with the university, she noted.

Unlike Blackboard, Trunk is compatible with Student Information System

(SIS), and allows course sites to be automatically created as students register, Sholes said.

Students are able to use their Universal Tufts Login Name and password to access Trunk, according to Siesing.

“We can all use our Tufts username and password like we do for most of the applications at Tufts,” Siesing said.

“That’s a change from Blackboard, where people had their own unique username and password.”

Siesing said that information available on TuftsLife and in the Mayer Campus Center and other strategic locations around campus will help students learn how to use the new system.

She added that those implementing the system are actively working with the faculty to ensure a smooth transi-

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News & Features

tion.

“From the faculty side, we are making sure faculty are aware of how to publish their course sites so that students can see them,” Siesing said.

Sholes described Trunk as user friendly, and noted that a new website, Trunk Support, will help those in need of assistance navigating the system.

The process of conceptualizing a new LMS for Tufts began several years ago when Neal Hirsig, assistant director of instructional services at Information Technology Services, put forth a proposal for a new system, according to Siesing.

“In 2008, we got approval to go forward with strategic planning for the replacement,” she said.

The creation of a the LMS platform started in April 2010, according to Manager of LMS Services Janet Hill.

The university went through pilot processes and evaluated different systems after Blackboard went out of commission and selected Sakai last fall, Sholes noted.

Trunk will continue to extend its range of services in the future.

“We will be working on a project to deliver course evaluations and a project to pilot e-portfolios,” Hill said. “I’m excited about this. I think this is a critical piece of learning technology.”

Trunk has received favorable initial reviews from the professors who participated in training workshops, according to Siesing.

Over 320 of those who took part in the faculty workshops in May filled out evaluations.

“Their responses have been in the ninety percentile consistently,” she said.

Students on June trip to North Korea made “genuine” connections KOREA

continued from page 4

said. “We went to one restaurant and didn’t like it so we went to a different one. It wasn’t like they were constructing the city in front of us.”

“Some of the quotes…talk about it being a huge puppet show it wasn’t,” Roston said. “We drove across the countryside, we went to four or five different cities, we got lost once when we were on our bus, and we were literally driving through back roads. You can’t play-act an entire country.”

In addition to conversations about the situation in Libya and the finer details of Hanukkah between the students and their two Korean guides ”they were both very well educated men,” Harris said it was their interactions with the country’s citizens that largely formed the students’ views of the country.

“I think what we saw is what we saw,” Roston said. “When we went bowling as a group, we actually ended up…

talking to some of the other people… who were bowling there with their teens and family and friends and work groups. And so I think that the experiences that we had were as genuine as you can expect them to be.

“A lot of people do say ‘Oh, I saw only what they wanted me to see,’ but we made very genuine interactions with our two North Korean guides and our bus driver, who went with us everywhere,” Petersen said. “I think something that we all definitely took away from the trip is that it was kind of crazy how our countries could be so incredibly different but we could still make a really genuine connection among people.”

These connections, the trip’s participants agreed, were facilitated by their unique mindset as students.

“We went in with very deliberately open minds, and I think it completely changed our entire trip,” Petersen said. “I think that just having that openness, and being students and

being friendly and well-mannered for the most part…opened the most doors for us out of anything we could have done,” she added.

“Just to go in with this attitude that we were students and we were not there to fight for our country, we were just there to learn. When we talked to our guides or occasionally met someone else who spoke English…they would tell us their opinion or ask us our opinion, and would explain it to us. Whether that’s from nuclear weapons possession to the way they run their country, the fact that we went into the country with an open mind just humbled us to say that maybe before passing judgments we should get to know it,” Petersen said.

According to the students, the combination of this openness and the extensive research they did before arriving in North Korea helped them to absorb all that they saw and extract enough information to add to what they already knew.

“Basically, we’re smart students, and

we went in very educated in a very specific type of knowledge,” Roston said.

“We’re not naïve, and I think we got an incredible amount out of this trip. For all that it was a beautiful country and we ate incredible food, and met some really fantastically interesting people, we also came away from it with a much greater understanding of how the entire DPRK works.”

“We were only there for eight days and I wouldn’t begin to presume that by me going there I understand North Korea,” Harris said. “But we do understand it fundamentally better.”

Editor’s note— due to the nature of the Pyongyang Project’s relationship with North Korea and restrictions from the Tufts Institutional Review Board, the subjects of this article were hesitant to fully disclose to the Daily some of the details of their trip.

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Arts & Living

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Seeking the perfect skyline beyond the library roof

CREATIVE COMMONS

From Jamaica Plain to the Prudential Center, several places offer a beautiful view of Boston’s skyline. by

Charissa Ng

Daily Editorial Board

There’s a reason every tour of Tufts’ campus ends on the Tisch Library roof. The view from the top of the library offers one of the best and most convenient panoramas of Boston. But for those ambitious Tufts students who are determined to renew — and fulfill! — their yearly resolutions to “get off campus more and

explore Boston before classes get too crazy,” why not check out the city skyline from someplace new?

Peters Hill at the Arnold Arboretum Anyone looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city needs to visit Harvard University’s Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain. Spanning 265 acres of some of the finest shrubbery and famous woody plants around,

the Arboretum is open year-round from sunrise to sunset. One of Boston’s gems, the Arboretum is a beautiful green sanctuary that is the ideal spot to meander along tree-lined paths and grassy meadows.

Make the climb up to the peak of Peters Hill, which at 240 feet has one of the most interesting views of Boston. The green treetops of the Arboretum juxtaposed with the buildings of the Boston skyline make for quite

Album Review

a memorable vista.

Although the Arnold Arboretum at the Orange Line’s Forest Hills station is about an hour from Tufts, the unbelievable landscape of Peters Hill is well worth the trip. Admission to the Arboretum is free year-round.

see SKYLINE, page 10

Gallery Review

MFA showcases artistic discourse

BY ANNA MAJESKI Daily Editorial Board

The Monet/Lichtenstein exhibit now at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) through Sept. 25 examines

Monet/Lichtenstein: Rouen Cathedrals At Gallery 154, through Sept. 25 Museum of Fine Arts Boston 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston 800-440-6975

amazon.com

The tracks from ‘Tha Carter IV’ rely on overtired rap cliches without the Lil Wayne-spin his fans have come to expect.

‘Tha Carter IV’ fails to live up to predecessors

by Joseph Stile

Daily Editorial Board

From the mid to late 2000s, Lil Wayne represented an unstoppable force in hiphop music. He released an extraordinary

Tha Carter IV Lil Wayne Young Money, Cash Money, Universal Republic

amount of material, including many critically acclaimed mixtapes and the Grammy Award-winning “Tha Carter III” (2008).

No other rapper seemed as hungry or as talented as Lil Wayne.

Unfortunately, Lil Wayne’s music fell on the backburner in 2010, when he spent a year in jail for weapons and drugs charges. This forced hiatus placed an enormous amount of pressure and hype on the next installment of his hugely popular “Tha Carter” series. To his fans’ disappointment, “Tha Carter IV” may not have been worth the wait.

The album opens with a short song, simply titled “Intro,” which showcases — or intends to showcase — Lil Wayne’s freeassociation rapping. While Wayne does make some decent puchlines in the song, such as “Hear no evil, see no evil/ Helen Keller,” the track is not nearly as rapid-fire quick or as clever as his earlier material.

Sadly, this lack of originality and punch carries through the rest of the album.

The lack of inspiration in this album is tangible in tracks like “Blunt Blowin” and “Megaman,” which are packed with talk see WAYNE, page 10

the relationship between renowned Impressionist painter Claude Monet and Pop Art icon Roy Lichtenstein.

The two artists belonged to different artistic generations and never met in person, but their work scales temporal difference by creating an artistic conversation that shrinks the decades separating their careers.

The MFA’s exhibit consists of 10 paintings: five from Monet’s series of the Rouen Cathedral (1893-94) and a set of five corresponding paintings by Lichtenstein: “Rouen Cathedral (Seen at Five Different Times of the Day) Set III” (1969). Monet’s paintings are part of a series he painted in a studio across the street from the Cathedral.

His almost neurotic examination of the building — he completed over 30 paintings — renders it at many different times of the day, in almost every possible light.

Lichtenstein’s series respects Monet’s approach. He created five different panels whose variations in light and tone mimic those seen in Monet’s canvases. Lichtenstein even preserved the angle of Monet’s original composition, recreating the exact perspective used by the Impressionist master.

The gallery space is structured to highlight the active dialogue between the two artists by placing Monet’s five canvases on a wall opposite Lichtenstein’s. This offers visitors a see MONET, page 10

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Arts & Living

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Off-campus spots offer picturesque views of the Boston skyline SKYLINE

continued from page 9

The Charles River Esplanade With quaint sailboats bobbing along the water, the Esplanade in the Charles River Basin is the perfect place to spend a day strolling around and taking in the spectacular Boston and Cambridge skyline. Unlike some of the other places on this list, this spot offers prime people-watching opportunities.

For the more adventurous, outdoorsy types, the Esplanade is a great place to kayak, windsurf, bike or canoe around the river. While the paths along the river are always closed to cars, from the last Sunday in April through the second Sunday in November, Memorial Drive is also closed to vehicles from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Boasting hourly water-activity rentals at the Charles River Canoe & Kayak and an impres-

sive 18-mile bike path that goes along both sides of the river from the Museum of Science to Watertown, the Charles River Esplanade has something for everyone.

To get to the Charles River Esplanade, take the Red Line to Charles/MGH and follow the footbridge over Storrow Dr. in the direction of the river.

Piers Park With perfectly green grass and a scenic overlook of downtown Boston, Piers Park in East Boston puts the Boston Public Garden to shame. Situated on 6.5 pristine acres, the $17 million newly renovated Piers Park was designed specifically with the area’s community members in mind. Locals always know best, so check out this neighborhood favorite and take in the incredible waterfront views of the city along the park’s 600-foot pedestrian

promenade.

Pack a picnic for a low-key date and check out one of the two main pavilions made for sightseeing, or relive your childhood with the entire landscape of Boston at your feet as you sit on a swing in the playground.

And what would a trip to the pier be without some sailing? The Piers Park Sailing Center offers sailing lessons every day from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Piers Park is open daily from 9 a.m. to sunset. To get to Piers Park by T, take the Blue Line to Maverick Square.

The Prudential Skywalk Observatory Located on the 50th floor of the Prudential Center, the Skywalk Observatory offers visitors an amazing 360-degree panoramic view of the city from the second-tallest skyscraper in Boston. Spend the afternoon window-shop-

ping in the Prudential Center and then hop on an elevator to the Observatory for some quick sightseeing.

At 749 feet, the Skywalk now offers one of the nation’s highest panoramas since the observation deck in the John Hancock building closed after Sept. 11, 2001. This bird’s eye view encompasses sights including Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Boston Common and Downtown Boston. Plus, for the Tufts nerd in all of us, the Pru offers a free audio tour about the sights you see as you make your loop around the Observatory. Sure, it’s one of the more obvious tourist attractions, but everyone’s entitled to be a tourist once in a while.

The Skywalk Observatory is open from March to October from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. from Nov. 1 to March 28. Tickets are $11 with a college I.D. and $13 for adults.

‘Tha Carter IV’ lacks the originality of earlier material WAYNE

continued from page 9

about weed, money, promiscuous ladies and other rap cliches.

Without Wayne’s trademark wit, wordplay and metaphors, listeners are left with tired topics and standard rap.

In Wayne’s previous album and magnum opus, “Tha Carter III,” his passion and vivacity drove his album far above his competitors’.

In that album he yells, “I’m the best rapper alive” numerous times and seems genuinely determined to prove it. He is unafraid to address controversial issues like his outrage over the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina. In that album’s “Tie My Hands,” Wayne uses a simple beat to let the lyrics come through, ingraining the track with his deep connection to New Orleans and pain over the tragedy.

It’s a song only Lil Wayne could have made and the depth and originality that set that track apart are largely absent in “Tha Carter IV.” After spending a year in prison, Wayne shouldn’t be wanting for inspiration, either. Though his time behind bars could have offered him an opportunity to reflect further in his writing, Lil Wayne barely mentions his prison sentence. By sidestepping this major experience in his life, he also sidesteps the possibility of making a more fascinating and meaningful album.

Of course, “The Carter IV” is not entirely without redeeming qualities. One of the better songs on the album, “Nightmares of the Bottom,” lends a glimpse into Wayne’s mind as he raps about the difficulties of being at the top of the game and trying to stay there. The song has a simple yet catchy beat and an extremely relaxed flow. Some verses even reveal some doubts Wayne

IMDB.com

Fans may not find the boundary-pushing tracks of earlier material on “Tha Carter IV,” but key moments save the album from failure. has about the life he has created for himself, like when he says, “I’m a gangster by choice/ Hope my sons choose wiser.”

Surprisingly, the standout track on “Tha Carter IV” is more in line

with the work of Wayne’s protege, Drake. The R&B-infused ballad “How to Love” is Wayne at his smoothest and most mature. Wane mostly croons on this track, and his suaveness and a little audio pro-

cessing combine forces to create a solid love song. The track is effortless and subtle, and shows a side that Wayne rarely shows. It’s a risk, but it pays off big.

“Tha Carter IV” will not go down

as Wayne’s greatest accomplishment, but the album still has a few quality tracks, and it’s worth a listen. After all, even when Wayne is off his rap game, he still hovers near the top.

Monet and Lichtenstein exhibit depicts Rouen Cathedral through two artistic lenses MONET

continued from page 9

physical expression of this artistic conversation and forces them to look at the works in groups.

In the middle of the rectangular gallery, museum-goers can often be seen turning their heads from one wall to another, and through their glances they can appreciate both the similarities between the pieces and the differences. Though the format and subject matter create a sense of shared artistic experience, the ways the artists depict the subject matter are completely different.

Monet’s canvases are a tribute to the transformative power of light — carving the effects of sunlight and shadow on stone through paint. Lichtenstein’s technique, however, could not be further from the tactility and texture of Monet’s. Although his five panels show a similar shift from the bright light of the height of day to the murky effect of evening, Lichtenstein transforms Monet’s characteristic brushstrokes into the Benday dots of popular comic strips.

The paintings are restricted to two or three colors at a time: yellow and white, red and

The Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Lichtenstein’s pieces revere Monet’s work while sneaking in subversive undertones. yellow and an almost indiscernible royal blue and black. Lichtenstein’s canvases are as much a re-examination as they are a tribute.

However, this exhibit examines a conversation between eras as much as between

artists. Monet’s tribute to Rouen Cathedral was an engagement with the great Gothic cathedrals of France’s past. By taking up where Monet left off, Lichtenstein links Gothic, Impressionism and Pop Art, all of

which were pivotal periods for Western art.

Both painters were at the forefront of their respective movements, which both sought to destabilize a comfortable perception of art. The cathedrals of the Middle Ages became representations of a French golden age, monuments to a by-gone and uncomplicated era.

By choosing Rouen cathedral, Monet both expropriated and placed himself within the Western tradition he was also transforming. At the same time, Lichtenstein’s nod to the master both expresses an appreciation of Monet’s work and makes a bold, subversive statement: the hegemony of the Impressionist movement within the art world looms large, and Lichtenstein’s pop-ified Monet pieces bemoan this as much as they concede to its importance.

The similarities and differences between Monet’s and Lichtenstein’s series encourage a dialogue that is more multi-dimensional than straightforward. The complications in resolving the relationship between the two help to embody a tension in the work of both artists, whick engender rebellion as they nod to tradition.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

The Tufts Daily

Arts & Living

11

The Tufts Daily

12

THE TUFTS DAILY

Editorial | Letters

EDITORIAL

The last straw

Carter W. Rogers Editor-in-Chief

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

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

It’s no secret that WikiLeaks is one of the most controversial organizations in the world. “We publish material of ethical, political and historical significance while keeping the identity of our sources anonymous, thus providing a universal way for the revealing of suppressed and censored injustices,” reads the first paragraph of the group’s website.

While the idea of bringing injustices that are typically swept under the rug to light sounds noble, WikiLeaks’ recent actions have, more than ever before, highlighted the group’s recklessness and hypocrisy.

The latest WikiLeaks scandal involves the release of around 250,000 dispatches from the U.S. State Department. Unlike previous controlled releases, these documents are unredacted and therefore contain the names of informants that provided the information to U.S. diplomats.

WikiLeaks chose to publish the trove of documents online in searchable format after it apparently lost control of a file containing the unredacted cables.

Many of the informants mentioned in

these releases live under hostile governments across the globe and they and their families are now in danger. People could be imprisoned or killed as a result of this release, if they haven’t been already.

By releasing the identity of informants, WikiLeaks is being counterproductive to its agenda of promoting openness because current and future informants now have a very compelling reason to stop informing. The fact that WikiLeaks itself relies on anonymous informants for its information, yet is careless with the identities of others’ informants, is especially hypocritical.

WikiLeaks claims that The Guardian, a British newspaper, provoked it into releasing the documents when it published one of WikiLeaks’ passwords as a chapter title in its book about the organization. WikiLeaks is now pursuing legal action against The Guardian, saying the newspaper violated a secrecy agreement.

The Guardian says it was told the password was only a temporary one and would be deleted soon.

Whose fault the leak is is largely irrelevant now that informants have been exposed.

What matters is that WikiLeaks was foolish to play fast and loose with such a sensitive cache of information in the first place.

For a group that claims to have such a noble cause, WikiLeaks seems not to have shown even a shred of concern for those whom its actions have harmed. The group seeks to help people by exposing lies, forcing governments to become open, yet it doesn’t seem to give a thought to the consequences of its actions.

WikiLeaks has become progressively more unstable, an unsettling development for an organization that has the ability to impact world politics so greatly.

Now, all five of the news organizations WikiLeaks once worked closely with — The Guardian, The New York Times, German magazine Der Spiegel, Spain’s El Pais and France’s Le Monde — have denounced their former partner. Thanks to a reckless leak of its own, WikiLeaks is more isolated than ever.

louie zong

Executive Op-Ed Editor Op-Ed Editors Cartoonists Editorialists

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BUSINESS Laura Moreno Executive Business Director P.O. Box 53018, Medford, MA 02155 617 627 3090 FAX 617 627 3910 daily@tuftsdaily.com

Off the Hill | University of Central Florida

Make textbooks affordable to all

by the

Central Florida Future Editorial Board Central Florida Future

As we all get our fall semester started, there’s one website looking to prey on students that are having a hard time affording their textbooks.

A new website, LibraryPirate, has sent letters to several news outlets calling on students to make digital scans of their printed textbooks and post them for free online, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. This site is a copycat version of another site, Textbook Torrents, which was shut down nearly three years ago by publishers for illegally selling e-textbooks, according to the Chronicle.

The online trading that LibraryPirate is asking students to engage in violates copyright law, but that has not stopped people from contributing pirated versions of e-textbooks to the site’s directory. The site now has 1,700 textbooks which are organized and searchable, according to the Chronicle.

The founder of the website has chosen to remain anonymous for fear of legal action against him, but he hopes that his efforts have an impact on the cost of e-textbooks,

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.

which he finds to be unfairly high, according to the Chronicle.

“I want to bring about permanent changes to the textbook industry,” he said. “The exorbitant price of a textbook shouldn’t hinder students’ ability to do well in a class,” he added. “I believe there is a moral objective at play here.”

Sites such as these get attention and notoriety specifically because textbook costs are spiraling out of control. According to one survey, released Tuesday by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, seven in 10 college students said they had not purchased a textbook at least once because they found the price to be too high. Not buying the textbook often leaves the student with the less desirable option of borrowing a book or sharing one with another student.

According to the survey, 78 percent of those students who reported not buying a textbook said they expected to perform worse in that class, even though some borrowed or shared the textbook.

Students should not find themselves having to borrow textbooks for a class or having to share them with another student. Sharing a textbook creates an inconvenience for the students sharing it, because now they have to

coordinate their schedules and work around each others’ time to complete homework and study for assignments.

Another practice, known as “bundling,” or packaging a textbook with CDs and passcodes that get lost or expire, also makes textbooks more expensive to obtain. This leaves students often having to pay for a CD that they may not need to use for their class. This increases textbook expenses for students.

The Public Interest Research Group has found textbook costs to typically be comparable to 26 percent of tuition at state universities and 72 percent of tuition at community colleges, according to the Chronicle.

These types of expenditures create a situation that is unsustainable for the average student. The end result is that many students find themselves having to share a book with a classmate and split the cost, or not get the book at all. Some professors will allow students to continue to use older editions of textbooks, but that is not always the case.

Students should not have to go without a textbook due to lack of affordability. Our public universities, in concert with the government entities that provide funding for them, must look for ways to make textbooks more affordable for students.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters must be submitted by 4 p.m. and should be handed into the Daily office or sent to letters@tuftsdaily.com.

All letters must be word processed and include the writer’s name and telephone number. There is a 450-word limit and letters must be verified.

The editors reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, space and length.

ADVERTISING POLICY All advertising copy is subject to the approval of the Editorin-Chief, Executive Board and Executive Business Director. A publication schedule and rate card are available upon request.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

The Tufts Daily

Op-Ed

13

Welcome, Class of 2015 by

Tomas Garcia

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Welcome to Tufts, Class of 2015! I’m proud to be able to call each and every one of you a fellow Jumbo.

Beginning college can be a stressful period in life — truly striking out on your own independent path for the first time. The faces and names all blur together, classes can overwhelm, and sometimes you can’t help but wonder just what you’ve gotten yourself into.

You’ve gotten yourself into one of the finest academic institutions in the country. You’ve gotten yourself into one of the most caring and comfortable communities that I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. You’ve become a Tufts Jumbo.

What does that mean? Jumbos look out for each other, Jumbos respect each other, and Jumbos challenge one another to strive for greatness. What it boils down to, I suppose, is don’t sweat the details. Don’t worry about not getting into that class you wanted. Don’t worry about club tryouts or finding your way around campus. Things have a habit of working themselves out and you can always turn to a fellow classmate, upperclassman or professor should you need a hand. This is Tufts; they’ll be more than willing to help.

So now that you’ve arrived on the Hill, what should you do with your time?

Join a club such as a dance group, choir ensemble or culinary society, or even run for a spot on the Tufts Community Union Senate to learn all that Tufts has to offer and meet new people. My closest friends now as a senior are the same people I sat next to nervously at general interest meetings as a freshman. As a corollary to that…

Attend other clubs’ events on campus. This is something that I didn’t do enough of my freshman year, and I regret it completely. With such a diverse array of people and talent,

these events are the perfect way to spend a weekday or weekend night. From a cappella shows to dance performances to after-hour lecture series with professors, there is always something happening on the Hill.

If you don’t feel like staying at Tufts, head into Boston. Check out the Boston Symphony Orchestra, visit the Museum of Fine Arts or go see a concert or show in the Theater District. Boston is a fantastic city with an incredibly rich history and culture.

Get out there and explore.

Study hard. Remember, you are here to develop and grow. Sure, a lot of learning will take place outside of the classroom, but why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of the world-renowned professors on campus?

Without a doubt, this is one of the greatest opportunities you will ever have to learn from the best and the brightest across all disciplines.

As a side note, don’t just go to classes. I highly recommend also attending professors’ office hours as a way to get to know them and find out more about their specific area of research.

Better still: Ask the professor if they’d like to grab a coffee at the Tower Café. The coffee will be free for the both of you and the conversation that much better for it.

At the end of the day as you’re settling into your dorm rooms and getting used to walking to Davis Square and back, just remember that the hard part is over. You’re here. You are a Tufts Jumbo. You all came here for different reasons, but the important thing is that you all came to the same place. I know I am not alone in saying I look forward to meeting and learning from each and every one of you.

Let’s put a light on that Hill. Welcome to Tufts, Class of 2015!

Tomas Garcia is a senior majoring in international relations. He is the current president of the Tufts Community Union Senate.

Daily File Photo

An Englishwoman abroad by

Tai Frater

I have just arrived freshly scrubbed and clear-headed in the United States, ready to start a graduate degree at Tufts.

Despite having flown nearly 4,000 miles from my native London, I am confident that fitting in should be easy. After all, I am from a Western culture permeated with American fashion, music and consumables. Indeed, were it not for this fashion influence, our British boys might still be wearing their trousers over their underwear rather than perched below their buttocks wedges. If I were a student of physics, I might be tempted to examine this gravity-defying fashion statement further, but I digress.

My point is that culture shock is rarely expected when you move from one Westernized country to another, ones that share broadly similar language and values. But the devil is in the details, as they say, so let’s examine those often confusing little details.

Firstly, your dates are quite clearly the wrong way around. The 27th of August is 27.08.11, not 08.27.11 — that is just crazy and counterintuitive to my British mind. This has led to extreme difficulties when completing almost any university or immigration forms.

Without fail, I always have to pause and cognitively override my natural instinct and muscle memory to fill in a date.

Obviously the net effect of this is that I look like a complete idiot who has no clue what the day is, or worse, my own birthday. I found this especially embarrassing under the glare of a supposedly welcoming customs official — “And you’re going to college, sheesh!”

Your floors are an additional source of confusion to the weary British traveler, though on this one I’ll admit that America may have the more logical method. Where is the ground floor? On arriving in my dorm, I was informed by a helpful roommate that my room was on the first floor and proceeded to march upstairs with all my luggage before realizing my mistake and slowly descending the stairs red-faced.

Other linguistic problems emerge from the concept of roommates. Here I feel we are at an advantage — the British term “housemate” or “flatmate” is surely more descriptive than the American “roommate.” I know American housing

MCT

errs on the more generous side than ours, but it is still a leap of faith to imagine rooms accommodating tens or hundreds of students.

Other differences have been much more refreshing. Take for example the strict policy of “carding” all for alcohol. Although I am assured this policy applies to octogenarians and freshmen alike, as someone in her (cough) 30s, I still find it reassuring to be requested for identification. Otherwise how could I have had the opportunity to giggle coquettishly at the hunky barman — until he inevitably looks at my ID and clocks me for being the old bat I am?

On the subject of drinking culture, you guys seem to have a lot more balance than us Brits. Going out for a drink here appears to be a literal term — not an invitation to sink at least 10 or 12 pints in two hours, as it would naturally be infered in the United Kingdom.

A more sensible attitude to drinking

is especially evident in the glory of the sunshine. Despite the gorgeous weather, the green spaces are thankfully clear of pasty male British torsos with one Frisbee, 40 cans of lager and two packets of crisps having an (ahem) “picnic.” Other differences have been equally refreshing — the Orientations have been punctuated with wit, pride and a sincerity that surely would be coupled with cynicism and eye-rolling in the United Kingdom. Yet there are no feedback forms. Britons would be slackjawed in astonishment wondering how you could possible deliver high-quality events without some sort of feedback sheet filled with scrawled meaningless drivel by students desperate for their lunch break.

Speaking of lunch, the food out here has been a welcome surprise. I must admit that due to America’s “larger than life” international reputation, I had some nagging worries that the

only salad I would see would be inside a burger bun. However, the food has been almost unanimously outstanding — fresh, delicious, varied and healthy, with seafood being a particular highlight. I am greatly looking forward to indulging further in the U.S. culinary palate.

So, all in all, with some tentative first steps I am slowly assimilating in to American culture and way of life.

Nevertheless, if you see me on campus struggling to complete a form or looking in vain for my class on the wrong floor, please stop and help me out.

Such amicability is something your culture is known for and I would expect no less from my American brethren.

Tai Frater is an exchange student from London pursuing a post-graduate degree in occupational therapy.

The Tufts Daily

14

Comics

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Doonesbury

Crossword

by

Garry Trudeau

Non Sequitur

by

Wiley

Married to the Sea

www.marriedtothesea.com

SUDOKU Level: Attending one of the Daily’s General Interest Meetings

Late Night at the Daily Wednesday’s Solution

Carter: What’s the blue in that picture?

Alyssa: The sky?

Please recycle this Daily.

The Tufts Daily

15

Sports

YOU

JUMBO WANTS TO JOIN THE TUFTS DAILY! Come to one of our General Interest Meetings: Monday, September 12 at 9:30 p.m. in Braker 001 or Wednesday, September 14 at 8 p.m. in Braker 001 Potential writers, editors, photographers, graphic designers and technology experts welcome!

16

The Tufts Daily

Sports

The Tufts Daily

our location

our contact

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(617) 440-7361 or

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our hours Football sees fresh coaching lineCoaches

continued from page 20

2010 NFL preseason before being cut, is Boston College’s all-time leading receiver with 2,459 career yards and second all-time with 181 receptions.

While with the Eagles, Gunnell played under Civetti, who worked as an offensive assistant coaching the wide receivers for two seasons at Boston College. “This is my first time ever coaching, so I’m just trying to learn,� Gunnell

said. “I’m happy coach Civetti brought me in so I have the opportunity to coach good guys like this. A lot of the guys I see here remind me of the guys I used to see at BC.�

Mike Daly, the men’s lacrosse head coach, also moved from coaching special teams to the defensive line.

Rob Velasquez, a three-year graduate assistant coach with the defensive line, was promoted to full-time in the offseason and took over leading the offensive line.

17

Sports

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Loss of Updike leaves big void VOLLeYBALL

continued from page 20

games,� Spieler said. “It’s not easy, but we have the talent to do it and we can definitely do better than last year.�

The 2011 squad, though, for all its promise, will be tested early and often, as the schedule features several difficult conference games within the first two weeks of the season. One of those is a clash with Williams on Sept. 17; the Ephs took Tufts to a fifth set last year in a very competitive match.

Additionally, beginning with the Sept. 30

game at Bowdoin, seven out of nine games on the calendar will be against NESCAC opponents, making the first two weeks of October a make-or-break time for the Jumbos this season. “We’ve trained all summer to get into the best shape possible, because it’s like our preseason,� Spieler said. “Hopefully our team is deep enough that we can just rotate people in if we get tired. It’s actually a good thing to have so many games in a row, because we can get into a good rhythm and really play our best.�

The Tufts Daily

18

Sports

Field Hockey

Field Hockey enters season ranked No. 6 in the nation Returners ready to replace two leading scorers by

CLAIRE KEMP

Daily Editorial Board

The women’s field hockey team said some undeniably tough goodbyes in the spring. After the end of last season, the Jumbos were left with five holes in the starting lineup — including their two leading scorers and a chunk of their penalty corner team. But the Jumbos are getting ready to debut a new squad with a lot of fresh faces ready to prove themselves on the attack, along with a backbone of veteran defenders.

Perhaps a new offense is just what this team needs. NESCAC opponents have focused on defending Tufts’ all-time leading scorer and two-time Player of the Year Tamara Brown (LA ’11) for the past three years, and by the end of last season, it began to look like they’d found Tufts’ Achilles’ heel. But this year the rest of the conference should have more trouble predicting who the passes are going to or who’s going to take the shot.

“It’s exciting because there’s so many opportunities for people to step up,” senior co-captain defender Taylor Dyer said. “The other team doesn’t know who we are or what to expect from any one player. I think that will be good because it will be very difficult for them to take any single player out of the game.”

One thing the Jumbos’ opponents will try to take out of the game is Tufts’ defense — but that won’t be easy. Three returning starting seniors will anchor the backfield. Marianna Zak will return in goal for her fourth season, boasting a 0.73 goals-against average from last year.

Dyer, a returning All-American, and her left-side counterpart Sarah Cannon will be Zak’s next line of defense and should continue to lead their teammates from the back line.

“Our experience playing together in the backfield is going to be really valuable to us,” Dyer said. “Because we are really familiar with the system we play and where people are supposed to be, it will make it easier for people stepping into new roles and new positions.”

Moving up, Cannon’s sophomore sister Emily will return to the midfield with the stick skills that earned her a starting spot as a freshman. Juniors Rachel Gerhardt — who returns from the injured list after

New unity will define the Jumbos CIVETTI

continued from page 20

in. And I think it’s really worked. As a senior, I haven’t felt this in a preseason yet, so it’s really exciting to have him in here.”

Most of Civetti’s practice plans stem from his days under Tom O’Brien at both North Carolina State and Boston College. For five seasons, Civetti worked under the longtime collegiate coach as a graduate assistant, and he even returned to Raleigh, N.C., on Nov. 28, 2009, to help the Wolfpack for one game after an illness on the team’s staff.

“None of this is my stuff; I’m just following the blueprint of someone with a lot of experience in Coach O’Brien,” Civetti said. “The guys at N.C. State, the coaches at Boston College — those men — they made me.”

Civetti joined Samko’s staff at Tufts in 2008 and served as the Jumbos’ offensive coordinator for three seasons, helping guide a record-breaking passing game last season. When Samko left, Civetti took over recruiting duties until he was promoted to interim head coach on Jan 3. He remained the offensive coordinator and also coached the quarterbacks.

Assuming full control of a college program is a different animal — Civetti’s last head coaching gig was on the freshman team at Milton High School — but his Div. I experience has laid the groundwork for tackling the challenge.

“I think he’s started to bring a new identity, understanding how we’re trying to change the tone of Tufts foot-

Daily File Photo

Tufts split its two matches with Bowdoin last season, including a 3-0 shutout that marked the only time the Jumbos failed to score. also earning the start as a rookie — and Liza Wetzel and Kelsey Perkins will all join Cannon as experienced half-backs.

On attack, the lineup is more flexible.

But there is no lack of talent to fill the offensive voids. All-New England senior co-captain midfielder Lindsay Griffith will return to her inner forward position with the field sense that made her an integral playmaker for the last two seasons. Juniors Lia Sagerman, Kayla Murphy, Missy Karp and sophomore Chelsea Yogerst will also share time in front of the goal. Sagerman has consistently produced since her first year, and her speed will be an asset on the wing while Murphy will also contribute experience since returning from an ACL tear that cost her the spot in the middle

of last season.

“I’m looking forward to a new style of play,” Griffith said. “I think we became predictable in the last few years and new talent, new skills and new players are challenging us to develop a new system of attack. Hopefully it will work in our favor when we come out against our NESCAC rivals.”

On Saturday, Tufts will host the season opener on Bello Field and hope for revenge against the one team all of the Jumbos are focused on — Middlebury.

Last year, the Jumbos met the Panthers in their season opener, too, and came out handily on top 3-0. But the Panthers adapted and knocked out Tufts 3-2 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament,

sending the Jumbos home before the Final Four for the first time in two years.

“We definitely have last year on our minds,” Dyer said. “Middlebury is going to be a good team, definitely a skilled team, so we’re not going to take them lightly. We’re going to come out firing.

We’re just excited to play because it’s a chance to set a good pace and start the season off on the right foot.”

“We have a bad taste in our mouth from that last game,” Griffith added. “But whether it’s Middlebury or any other team, we’re going to come out fired up and ready. Any time you lose the game before you’re going to come out pissed off. It’s a new year … a new team … but it’s the same goal.”

SAILING

Sailing looks to return as national powerhouse After the Tufts co-ed sailing team floundered at last spring’s ICSA Sailing Dinghy National Championship, finishing 17th out of 18 teams, the team heads into the fall 2011 season revved up and ready to make up for last season’s disappointment.

“We did not perform at all at nationals; we did pretty terribly actually,” junior tri-captain William Hutchings said. “And like in any sport, if you don’t perform at the top event, it’s a huge letdown.”

Though last year’s season ended on a low note, the preparation for Nationals was much more successful.

“We had a pretty good season leading up to [Nationals], showing good results in both fleet and team racing.

But we’re wanting more this year,” ball,” said first-year defensive assistant Rich Gunnell, who played under Civetti at Boston College. “Just from being here a month I can already see that change happening. He’s always looking out for his players, so I can see that now and I could see it back then when he used to coach me.”

Everything, from the material to the intangible, seems different. Recruiting, according to Civetti, will focus more on specific needs, and coaches attended dozens of camps this summer. The Jumbos have new practice jerseys, more meetings and longer practice sessions, structurally organized like O’Brien’s.

Players aren’t allowed to remove their chin straps during practice, except during water breaks. They run everywhere,

Hutchings said.

The team hopes to improve by building on last season’s triumphs and learning from its failures.

“It’s tough to be 100-percent happy about a season like that, but we did our best and I think we made a lot of great strides during the season,” junior Jack Carter said.

Led by Hutchings, senior tri-captain Massimo Soriano and junior tri-captain Natalie Salk, the team has high hopes for the upcoming season, with the goal of qualifying for nationals in co-ed fleet racing, women’s fleet racing and team racing. Though most races use dinghy boats, the fall season also includes events in sloop and laser races.

Though the incoming freshman class is not as big in size as last year’s class, hold conditioning drills at the end of their intensely spirited practices and, last week, became the fourth Tufts program — men’s lacrosse, women’s soccer and ice hockey are the others — to undergo Judgment Day: the intense, Marine-run leadership and conditioning program.

“All I know, the staff, we’re just pointing the boat in the direction and these guys are doing it on their accord,” Civetti, a 2001 Trinity graduate and an All-American offensive lineman for the Bantams, said. “ T h e y ’r e deciding how far we’re going to go [and] at what speed. Within the structure of the program, it’s their team. They’re the ones who are making it. We’re just the guys blowing the whistles and calling

the team welcomes a talented group of approximately 15 newcomers.

“We’re going to be pushing the freshmen really hard to see who’s going to be ready to hit the ground running and help us out on day one,” Carter said. “At the same time, we’re having our veterans train hard. A lot of us have been working really hard over the summer, competing on our own.

We’ve improved a lot and I think we’re going to impress a lot of people this year.”

The team remains under the direction of coach Ken Legler, who is entering his 32nd season at Tufts and has coached 19 team and individual national champions.

—by Ann Sloan the plays.”

Nonetheless, it’s all adding up to an atmosphere ripe with what senior linebacker Nick Falk called “the most selfless mindset of looking at things” he’s ever seen on a football team — a strong statement coming from an ROTC cadet.

Following Saturday’s practice, Civetti broke into a slow trot outside the field, an act that at once defined his personal mentality and that instilled within his new team.

“If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to have to do this walk-jog,” he said. “I ask the kids to run off the field, and it’s only fair that I do it too. I hold them accountable, so I have to do the same for myself.”

The Tufts Daily

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INSIDE Field Hockey 18 Sailing 18

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Football

Football

New coach, new attitudes

Increased intensity marks the beginning of the Jay Civetti era by

Alex Prewitt

Daily Editorial Board

David Lloyd’s explanation for the football team’s new mentality is historical and simple: the Greek ethos.

“For the Spartan warriors, their shield was more important than the spear,” said Lloyd, a senior left tackle.

“You lose the spear, you get a slap on the wrist. You lose your shield, it’s punishable by death, because you punished your teammates. That’s the attitude we have. My brothers, on the offensive line, defense, everybody: They’re more important than any-

thing.”

Whatever new mindset the Jumbos have adopted — be it Spartan or Medfordian — has coincided with the promotion of interim head coach Jay Civetti, who took over shortly after Bill Samko stepped down in December following 17 years of leading the program.

With the season-opener at Hamilton less than three weeks away, players are pointing to increased accountability, intensified workouts and more bonding opportunities as a sign of an attitude shift for a team coming off its worst season since 1996.

To close Saturday night’s practice, Tufts’ first upper-pad workout of the season, the Jumbos lined up on the edge of Bello Field. In unison, the players removed their chin straps and placed their helmets on the goal line, creating a graveyard of white headgear as, together by class year, they marched forward.

“We look to the warriors on our right and our left with everything we do,” Lloyd said. “Basically every play, it’s for everybody else around us, and that’s the concept Coach Civetti’s brought see CIVETTI, page 18

New hires, internal restructuring for coaching staff by

Alex Prewitt

Daily Editorial Board

Interim head football coach Jay Civetti isn’t the only old face in a new place.

An internal restructuring of coaching positions, as well as several outside hires, has strengthened the football team’s leadership corps and has Civetti raving about the program’s enthusiasm.

“Thank goodness for these guys,” Civetti, who also became the new quarterbacks coach along with his promotion, said of his staff. “That’s why the challenges that initially existed — when he first became interim head coach in January — dissipated. The staff, the kids just love them. These guys are awesome.”

Kevin Farr was hired as the defensive backs coach in April, replacing Pete Carmichael, who retired after three years with the Jumbos, taking with him 45 years of professional and Div. I experience.

Then again, Farr’s pedigree is hardly lacking. He spent the past nine seasons as the defensive coordinator for Saint Lawrence University, where he helped lead the Saints to the 2010 Liberty League Championship and a first-place ranking in four defensive categories.

Farr is also the special teams coordinator for Tufts.

Rich Gunnell also joined Civetti’s staff as a defensive assistant for his first coaching gig after a pro career that never fully materialized. Gunnell, who played for Kansas City during the

Courtesy Don Megerle

New football head coach Jay Civetti brings a wealth of experience to his post, having played in the NESCAC and coached at the Div. I level.

see COACHES, page 17

Volleyball

Jumbos look to best last season’s by

David McIntyre

Daily Editorial Board

Coming off a season where they reached the finals of the NESCAC championship and qualified for the NCAA tournament, the women’s volleyball team will be looking to climb to even greater heights this year with a squad that will feature just three seniors.

It will be a difficult task, though, to improve their results, especially considering that the team finished with an impressive 7-3 conference record and lost three seniors to graduation, most notably star outside hitter Caitlin Updike (LA ’11), who was named an American Volleyball Coaches Association Honorable Mention All-American for her standout performance last season.

However, the team is confident that the current members of the squad can step up and fill the void left by last year’s graduates.

“She (Updike) was obviously a great player, but we also have a great class of new freshmen,” senior outside hitter Cara Spieler said. “We have eight new members of the team, and there are some great outside hitters and some really tall girls, and they’ll be able to step up as the season goes along and as we get better as a team.”

The Jumbos could have had an even better season last year had they not lost several in-conference nail-biters late in the season.

In particular, the five-set loss to Bowdoin on Oct. 13 was especially heartbreaking, considering that Tufts won the first two sets and

lost the fourth set 25-22. If they had won that game, the Jumbos would have finished second in the conference instead of tying for third place, an outcome that would have given them an easier route in the conference tournament.

“This is a new team,” said junior setter Kendall Lord, referring to some of the struggles in close games last year. “It’s also a young team, but it doesn’t look like it.

We just have a bunch of amazing freshmen and I’m so excited to get to play with everyone and establish the team unity we need to win.”

But last year’s disappointments aside, Tufts knows that it will need a new source of offensive firepower after the graduation of Updike, who led the team with 421 kills and 4.05 kills per set, despite missing a portion of the season due to injury. The Jumbos will also be without the services of graduated seniors Nancy Shrodes (LA ’11) and Kelly Engelking (LA ’11), who contributed 206 and 87 kills, respectively.

However, despite the losses, a strong core team remains, including senior libero, Audrey Kuan, who led the team in service aces last season. Kuan is also the executive online editor of the Daily.

Lord compiled an impressive 946 assists, and Spieler, who was second on the team, tallied 267 kills.

“I think the goal for this team is to host and win NESCACs, make it to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament and win at least 30 Lane Florsheim/Tufts Daily

see VOLLEYBALL, page 17

Junior setter Kendall Lord will be tasked with creating opportunities for a talented group of first-year outside hitters.