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THE TUFTS DAILY

TUFTSDAILY.COM

Monday, April 11, 2011

VOLUME LXI, NUMBER 45

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Spring Fling, still dry, made shorter with one fewer act by

Corinne Segal

Daily Editorial Board

Aalok Kanani/Tufts Daily

Following the precedent set last year, Spring Fling will again be a dry event but may be even shorter this year, as the university cuts the number of headlining acts from three to two.

The decisions to shorten the program, planned this year for April 30, and prohibit alcohol both stem from recommendations made by last year’s Alcohol Task Force, a group composed of students, faculty and staff to explore possible changes to Spring Fling. Dean of Student Affairs Bruce Reitman chartered the group in the fall of 2009 follow-

ing a mass casualty incident that took place at Spring Fling the prior year, in which the number of patients exceeded the emergency services available.

Concert Board had explored three bands — RJD2, The Roots and Biz Markie — to play the event, but dropped Biz Markie from the lineup in March in order to comply with the university’s recommendation to shorten the length of the event, according to Concert Board co-Chair Kelsey Schur, a junior. The concert has traditionally started at around noon and lasted five hours, according to Schur. Doors this year will open at noon; see SPRING FLING, page 2

Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) spoke on youth and women in politics and her political career at the inaugural lecture of the Alan D. Solomont Lecture series.

In inaugural lecture, Pelosi addresses budget, leadership by

Michael Del Moro Daily Editorial Board

Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) visited the Hill for a conversation on public service Friday, addressing negotiations over the federal budget and stressing the important role of women in politics.

The talk, the inaugural event in the Alan D. Solomont Lecture series and part of celebration of the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, occurred during the final stages of congressional negotia-

tions on how to cut spending in order to prevent a government shutdown.

That Friday evening, Congress agreed to cut an estimated $38 billion from the federal budget through fiscal year 2011, which begins Sept.

30, in order to avoid a government shutdown.

Republicans had requested $100 billion in budget cuts that congressional Democrats saw as excessive, Pelosi said.

“When you go … to $100 billion, you’re talking about hurting the see PELOSI, page 2

Dilys Ong/Tufts Daily

Alcohol will again be barred from Spring Fling on April 30 following the recommendation last year from the Alcohol Task Force.

Student group to lobby TCU Senate for fiscal responsibility

Hordes hit the Hill for Holi

by

Brent Yarnell

Daily Editorial Board

Meredith Klein/Tufts Daily

Students assembled Sunday on the Res Quad to celebrate Holi, the Hindu festival of colors. Holi welcomes the arrival of spring and celebrates the triumph of good over evil. Check out Jumbo Slice at blogs.tuftsdaily.com for additional photos.

Inside this issue

A new group will lobby the Tufts Community Union ( TCU) Senate to consider costs when it allocates funds and works with the administration.

A group of seniors and alumni in March founded “The Student Activity Fee is Too Damn High Party” (SAF2DamnHigh); the name is a reference to “The Rent is Too Damn High Party,” a political party popularized by the party’s founder Jimmy McMillan, a 2011 New York gubernatorial candidate.

According to SAF2DamnHigh cofounder and Alumni Coordinator Chris Snyder (LA ’11), who graduated in February, the party aims to pressure the Senate to reconsider how it prioritizes its allocation of students’ money.

Snyder said the party, through lobbying and the endorsement of TCU Senate presidential candidates, will focus on the ways in which the Senate uses funds from the Student Activities Fee. The fee this academic year is $288 per year per student.

“If you ask Senate, ‘What are your priorities?’ they’ll say, ‘I don’t know; whatever it was last year,’” Snyder said.

“Senate is not focusing on how much these things cost.”

Snyder said SAF2DamnHigh also has plans to pressure the Senate to consider

costs when it lobbies the administration to finance improvements to student life.

“Senate asked the administration to fund the campus center lobby renovations; they asked the administration to fund a new campus kitchen,” Snyder said. “Senate never asked, ‘How much does this cost?’”

TCU Treasurer Kate de Klerk praised SAF2DamnHigh for drawing attention to the need to examine the Senate’s budget allocations.

“It is very important for Senate to question why they fund the things that they do … because it is very easy to get wrapped up in precedent and lose sight of the bigger picture,” de Klerk said in an email to the Daily. “There is so little turnover on Senate from one year to the next and the reasoning behind certain decisions is forgotten.”

Senior John Atsalis, co-founder and communications director of SAF2DamnHigh, said the Senate grants too much money to a number of TCU groups that do not impact a large number of students.

“The Senate does need to consider that you can’t have every student group funded,” Atsalis said, adding that the Student Activities Fee has risen by $30 over the last three years. see SAF PARTY, page 2

Today’s sections

Katie Couric, the speaker at today’s Murrow forum, continues the lecture’s goal of examining the evolving nature of news.

“happythankyoumoreplease” avoids cliches under the guidance of writer, star and first-time director Josh Radnor.

see FEATURES, page 3

see ARTS, page 5

News Features Arts | Living Editorial | Letters

1 3 5 8

Op-Ed Comics Classifieds Sports

9 10 13 Back

The Tufts Daily

2

News

Monday, April 11, 2011

Visiting the Hill this Week MONDAY “Edward R. Murrow Forum on Issues in Journalism” Details: Katie Couric of CBS News leads a discussion of modern news coverage and broadcasting in the sixth annual Edward R. Murrow Forum.

When and Where: Noon to 1:15 p.m.; Cabot Auditorium Sponsors: Communication and Media Studies Program, The Edward R. Murrow Center of Public Diplomacy, the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service “China’s Global Trade: Fur, Tea, Fish and Automobiles” Details: The annual lecture will feature Yale’s Professor of History Peter Perdue discussing the evolution of China’s international trade practices.

When and Where: 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.; Lincoln Filene Center, Rabb Room Sponsor: Tufts Historical Review TUESDAY “Inaugural Alan Shapiro Entrepreneurial Lecture”

Details: Paul English, co-founder and chief technology officer of the well-known travel site, KAYAK, will discuss his career.

When and Where: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.; Alumnae Lounge Sponsor: Tufts Gordon Institute’s Entrepreneurial Program “Community Information and Empowerment” Details: The founders of Map Kibera and GroundTruth Initiative, Mikel Maron and Erica Hagen, will discuss the use of new mapping and media technologies in Kenya and Haiti.

When and Where: 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.; Mugar 231 Sponsor: International Relations Program “America and the Armenian Genocide: The Quest for Justice from Wilson to Obama” Details: Journalist Michael Bobelian will discuss his book “Children of Armenia: A Forgotten Genocide and the Century-Long Struggle for Justice” (2009).

When and Where: 7 to 8 p.m.; Goddard Chapel Sponsor: Department of History

Pelosi commends work of women in politics, cites their unique abilities PELOSI

continued from page 1

American people,” Pelosi said. “You really can’t split the difference if splitting the difference means half the kids will be thrown off Head Start.”

Despite financial disagreements that threatened federal funding for resources such as Planned Parenthood, Pelosi was adamant that the shutdown be avoided and claimed the consequences of a shutdown would be unfair to the American people.

Pelosi particularly appreciated her invitation to the Hill given the crisis unfolding in Washington, she said.

“I’m especially pleased to be here today,” Pelosi said.

Pelosi, the first woman to serve as Speaker of the House, expressed her gratitude to the lecture series’s namesake, the current U.S. ambassador to Spain and Andorra, a trustee emeritus and an influential figure in the 2000 founding of Tisch College.

“Anyone who knows Alan Solomont knows that he is full of pride of his association with Tufts University,” she said.

“He accredits much of his success to his education that he received here.”

Pelosi’s life in public service began with her election to the House in 1987.

She said her decision to run for the seat was inspired her youngest daughter, who encouraged her to step onto the political stage.

“Being a mother, I wanted all of the best for my children,” Pelosi said. “My motivation for even taking that step of getting into politics was the one in five children that live in poverty in our country, the greatest country that ever existed in the history of the world.”

Solomont asked Pelosi about her role as a female leader and the unique strengths which women bring to politics.

“I believe that nothing has been more wholesome for the political process and for government than the increased participation of women,” Pelosi said. She cited the ability of women to multitask and listen intently as reasons that they often improve politics.

Pelosi underscored the need for a high level of political involvement among young people, such as that seen in Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign.

She encouraged young people to participate regardless of their ideology.

“The fact is that elections shouldn’t matter as much as they do,” she said.

Pelosi advised prospective leaders to hone their writing skills as well as develop a vision of what would improve America.

University President Lawrence Bacow praised Pelosi’s efforts in Congress to make financial aid more accessible.

“Many students would not have the privilege of studying at Tufts but for the efforts of Leader Pelosi,” he said.

Senate needs to prioritize funding, cut student costs, group says SAF PARTY

continued from page 1

Atsalis called on the Senate to initiate long-term conversations about the future of the Student Activities Fee and TCU groups.

“Either the pie gets bigger and the Student Activities Fee gets bigger, or everybody’s slice of the pie gets smaller,” Atsalis said. “We’re not even having those conversations because they’re afraid of telling groups ‘no.’”

De Klerk, a junior, said that the Senate is hesitant to deviate from precedent when making budget cuts because each budget cut for a TCU group diminishes the quality of life for students on campus.

“These clubs start having events, and they have a membership, and they have a following,” de Klerk said. “If you take that away, that’s taking away an essential part of those students’ Tufts experience.”

Atsalis said SAF2DamnHigh also plans to call on the Senate to lobby the administration to reduce costs on campus.

“The Senate is our lobbying arm,” Atsalis said. “They should try to get

results, and even if they don’t get results they should say, ‘This is the opinion of the students.’”

Snyder acknowledged that influencing the Senate would be challenging, but SAF2DamnHigh will seek to inform students that the Senate is their vehicle for reducing costs on campus. He said this was especially true given the lack of competition in the most recent Senate class elections.

“Now it is more important than ever to have this party, seeing that all these senators are walking on to [the] Senate,” Snyder said. “We need to re-energize the student body to get more involved in costs and campus issues.”

Although Elections Commission (ECOM) rules prohibit any group from putting forward its own candidates, SAF2DamnHigh can endorse candidates that are already running, Snyder said.

Snyder said SAF2DamnHigh plans to release a ranking of TCU presidential candidates based on their adherence to the group’s platform and will also invite the candidates to a debate focusing specifically on campus costs and budget priorities.

WEDNESDAY “Leadership Succession and Political Change in Egypt” Details: Michele Dunne, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and editor of the online journal, Arab Reform Bulletin, will discuss the evolving leadership dynamic in Egypt.

When and Where: 5:30 to 7 p.m.; Cabot Intercultural Center, 7th Floor Sponsor: Fares Center for Eastern Mediterranean Studies THURSDAY “The Innovation Revolution” Details: Lakshmi Karan of the Africafocused nonprofit Riders for Health discusses the international impacts of social entrepreneurs.

When and Where: Noon to 1 p.m.; Cabot Intercultural Center, Murrow Room Sponsor: The Energy, Climate, Innovation Program of the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy “Civic Engagement and Power Dynamics: A Conversation with John Gaventa” Details: Sociologist John Gaventa of the

Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex will receive the Tisch Civic Engagement Research Prize and discuss his research on citizen participation and his work with Tisch College Director of Research Peter Levine.

When and Where: 4:30 to 6 p.m.; Lincoln Filene Center Sponsor: Tisch College, Department of Political Science FRIDAY “Sixth Annual Tufts Energy Conference” Details: A panel of energy industry professionals and policymakers will lead a debate in this year’s conference, “Exploring Energy’s Great Debates: Moving Past Posturing to Arrive at Achievable Energy Solutions.”

When and Where: 1 to 5 p.m.; Cabot Intercultural Center Sponsors: Chicago Bridge and Iron, BP, Shell, Institute for Global Leadership, Center for International Environmental and Resource Policy & Energy and Enel Green Power North America, among others.

—compiled by Rachel Rampino

With last year deemed a success, Spring Fling to remain dry event SPRING FLING

continued from page 1

headlining act The Roots are scheduled to take the stage at 3 p.m.

Concert Board had not signed a contract with Biz Markie before it was notified about the event’s shortened length, so it was easier to cancel the act, Schur said.

“It wasn’t as big a deal as it could have been,” she said.

Still, she was disappointed that the rapper would not perform at Spring Fling.

“It was kind of a bummer for us, because he’s really funny,” she said.

Programming Board co-Chair Adam Fischer said his board supported the reduction in the number of performers.

“We on Programming Board agreed that the nature of the event just didn’t necessarily call for three bands,” Fischer, a senior, said.

Fischer said that the length of a threeband concert would likely prompt students to drink more in advance so that the effect of the alcohol would last longer into the event, he said.

Concert Board opposed last year’s changes, Schur said.

“Concert Board was against turning it into a dry event,” she said. “We were deadset against it.”

“We didn’t feel like a six pack brought in by a senior was really getting people drunk,” Schur said. “What’s really getting people drunk is pounding liquor before the event.”

Programming Board co-Chair Sarah Habib, a senior, said last year’s dry policy served to decrease the number of hospitalizations for alcohol-related illness from the year before.

“We had a reduced number of [medical] transports,” she said, comparing the previous year to 2009.

Habib expected the rule to remain in place this year and does not anticipate it changing in the foreseeable future.

“Somebody would have to challenge that rule for there to be an analysis of it,” she said. “It’s not something that I would see the university changing its opinion on.”

She emphasized that Programming Board is not involved in the administrative decision-making process regarding Spring Fling.

Large student events such as Fall Ball, Winter Bash and Senior Pub Nights have been more successful and less marked by alcohol abuse than in the past, he said.

“This year, compared to last year, the big events have been more successful,” he said, adding that they were “less marred by abuse of dangerous drinking [and] hospitalizations.”

This improvement in drinking culture may be a reflection of last year’s effort on campus to curb overdrinking.

“I think [alcohol abuse] was very much a part of campus dialogue last year,” he said.

“There was a lot more awareness and attention to the issue than in previous years.”

“I’m hoping we continue that track record with Spring Fling,” he added.

Fischer said the dry policy did not negatively affect the event last April.

“I haven’t heard that it detracted from the experience at all,” he said.

Schur called last year’s Spring Fling more “low-key,” which she attributed not solely to the lack of alcohol but the larger concert atmosphere, including weather and performers. Temperatures were unusually high at the 2009 event.

“There’s a difference between seeing Ludacris on a 95-degree day and seeing OK Go and Drake on a nice day,” Schur said.

Reitman cited this increased awareness of alcohol-abuse issues as a factor in what he deemed a successful Spring Fling last year, especially in light of the mass casualty incident one year earlier.

“The concert was reviewed as being as successful as ever,” Reitman said. “It was a very successful day, compared to the previous year.”

Schur said she still expected the event to be a success.

“I think everybody’s going to have a really good time this year,” she said. “We’re really proud of this, and we’ve put a lot of work into it.”

Dilys Ong/Tufts Daily

OK Go performed at last year’s Spring Fling, the first time the event was dry.

Features

3

tuftsdaily.com

In sixth year, Edward R. Murrow Forum brings prominent journalism issues to the forefront by

Margaret Young Daily Staff Writer

When CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric addresses Tufts students and community members this afternoon as part of the sixth annual Edward R. Murrow Forum on Issues in Journalism, she will be joining a canon of prominent journalists who have been invited to the Hill to carry on the excitement for journalism to which the forum’s namesake devoted himself.

Jonathan Tisch (A ’76), Tisch College benefactor and current co-chairman of the Board of the Loews Corporation, will join Couric for an interview style dialogue about this year’s forum’s topic: “Watching the News: Broadcasting, Webcasting, and Forecasting.” Couric will also be holding a book signing in the Tufts Bookstore Monday morning to promote her new book, “The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons From Extraordinary

Lives,” which will officially be released to the public the next day.

Julie Dobrow, director of the Communications and Media Studies program (CMS), and University President Larry Bacow collaborated with the Edward R. Murrow Center for the Study of Public Diplomacy, a subsidiary of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, to start the forum in 2006. CMS and the Murrow Center, as well as the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, jointly sponsor the forum, which serves several purposes, Dobrow explained. “[It is meant] to celebrate Edward R. Murrow’s life and excitement for journalism at Tufts [and to] examine contemporary issues in journalism, looking at how journalism has changed since Murrow’s day,” Dobrow said. “[The forum] showcases Murrow’s significance but also looks at the changing nature of journalism.”

Dobrow added that Tufts has a strong connection to Murrow, as well as the wider field of journalism.

“We are the repository of the majority of Edward R. Murrow’s papers, in Tisch and Fletcher, and the coincidence of Tufts having this really extraordinary collection as well as a really extraordinary body of alums who have been very successful in journalism provided the impetus to start the forum,” Dobrow said.

Murrow began his career as a CBS radio and television host, and came to Tufts after his tenure as director of the United States Information Agency during the Kennedy administration.

“Murrow, after he left the government, was scheduled to come to Fletcher to write and teach a course, and he was friendly with the then-dean of the Fletcher School. He brought his see MURROW, page 4

Tufflepuffs gear up for spring, new leadership by

Ethan Sturm

Daily Editorial Board

It is early Sunday morning and most students have not yet recovered from their post-Saturday night haze to make it out of their beds, never mind their rooms.

But the Tufflepuffs, Tufts’ Quidditch team, is already hard at work on the Res Quad. There is a chill in the air and a steady wind blows across the quad, but the weather has done little to deter more than a dozen players from showing up for practice.

The team goes for a jog before jumping right into an inter-squad scrimmage. Bodies fly everywhere as chasers attempt to weave through defenders, often instead finding themselves on the wrong end of a bludger to the side or a tackle that lifts them right off the ground.

Nearly five months have passed since the team’s run to the Quidditch World Cup Final in just its first year of participation and the Tufflepuffs are working as hard as ever to continue to succeed in what is becoming a consistently more competitive national Quidditch scene. The squad meets twice a week, once on Tuesday afternoon for conditioning practice and again on Sundays for field practice.

According to the International Quidditch Association, the governing body of the sport’s Muggle version from J.K. Rowling’s popular Harry Potter series, there are now 65 official member teams and more than 500 more collegiate and high school teams in development. Quidditch’s appeal is not confined to the United States; the Tufflepuffs had the opportunity to scrimmage a Finnish squad in February.

“It’s been so exponential,” sophomore David Meyers, one of the team’s starting seekers, said. “Teams are sprouting up everywhere, and they are definitely getting more competitive.”

But while the sport itself is in no danger of dying off, the Tufts’ squad always has new challenges to face on the home front. While the budgetary concerns that plagued the team earlier in the year seem to have been alleviated, with the help of buffer funding from the Tufts Community Union Senate and a significant anonymous donation after the World Cup, the Tufflepuffs are now preparing for the first major leadership overturn in their young history.

“The sophomores going abroad is going to be a big blow,” field co-captain and freshman Katie Lowe said. “We’re going to miss them; they are some of

Alexandra goldman/Tufts Daily

The Tufflepuffs will look to improve their performance in the upcoming New England Cup. our closest friends. A lot will depend on who comes in next year as freshmen and if we can generate interest.”

From the team’s inception until this semester, the squad has been in the capable hands of administrative president Carly Boxer, a sophomore. On the field, they have been able to look to the leadership of fellow sophomore Austin Bening, former field captain, whose physical play at the World Cup earned him both praise from the community and a red card in the final match.

With many of the core-founding group heading abroad, much of the leadership of the team is being passed on to the freshmen recruited this year. Freshman Fiona Weeks is now the squad’s president and freshmen Duncan Leaf and Lowe have taken over the on-field captaincy duties.

“We’re working through the transition slowly,” Boxer said. “The Quidditch team is different from other organizations on campus because we never had really had an elaborate leadership structure — basically whoever wanted to lead the team did so. Luckily, we have old board members on the new board now to help them know what their responsibilities are and help when they need it.”

Despite the large-scale changes, the veterans are confident that the team is in good hands for the coming year.

The freshmen will be inheriting a team that is a far cry from the underdogs that shocked the Quidditch world

in November. The Tufflepuffs have since then had a target on their backs, as other teams look to knock off the No. 2 ranked team in the world.

“You can tell when we face other teams now that they are definitely more aware of us,” Meyers said. “Some of them that we upset, like Emerson, are definitely out to see if they can get us again. People worry about facing us, which is new.”

The squad recently had a pair of disappointing results against fellow Quidditch powers Boston University and Emerson, a definite setback after their World Cup run.

“We were missing a lot of our key players who played big roles at the World Cup,” Lowe said. “A lot of our team was injured or just not playing well that day. There were a lot of new players there as well.”

The squad will need to turn things around quickly with the New England Cup, which features many of the top teams from the Massachusetts area, less than a week away. The tournament will take place on April 18 at Emerson College’s Rotch Field where the Tufflepuffs will look to improve on their third-place finish last season.

“We are looking to go and see what we can do,” Meyers said. “We’re looking to see where we are as a team right now because we haven’t been able to play as much as we’d like over the winter. So we’re going in with a very open outlook.”

Stephen Miller | Counterpoint

A challenge for everyone

O

ne of my roommates has been subjecting himself to one of the most miserable practices I know of this semester. He’s in bed by midnight, wakes up around 8 a.m. and is running himself into the ground. No, he didn’t get a job. Even worse, he’s running the marathon.

Next Monday, approximately 600,000 crazy masochists are going to run the vaunted 26.2 miles that make up the Boston Marathon, and about 6,000 of them are going to be from Tufts. Why? Because of a little thing called the President’s Marathon Challenge. You know about it, I’m sure. Larry B. started it a while ago, challenging Tufts students to run the marathon with him back when he had knees. Signing up for it is a mighty bold undertaking. I tip my cap to my fellow students who are able to punish themselves over and over until they finally collapse across the finish line into one of those space age foil blankets. But the marathon is not for all of us. And so, in the spirit of inclusivity, I’m proposing a more realistic set of challenges for students at Tufts, the Proletariat, or Pro, Challenges. Here they are: — Participate in eight TDCs. This one takes some early planning, some absurd costumes and an insatiable desire to smang it.

— Or, on the flip side, never make it to a single TDC showing. This is probably harder. It involves an unwavering devotion to having few friends and being antisocial. Extra points if you have absolutely no idea what TDC is.

— Make it to a football or soccer game not on homecoming. This is voided if you’re actually on one of these teams. For this, you’ll probably want one of those goofy disguise moustaches and an incognito hat so nobody knows it’s actually you in the stands.

— Use the full 400 meals you get freshman year. I actually shudder to think what might happen to my arteries and digestive tract if you put me in front of the Dewick pizza lady three times a day. For this, you’ll need a deep supply of Pepto-Bismol, a distinct lack of taste buds and some extra baggy clothing.

— Along the lines of dining halls, petition to get trays back in Carmichael and Dewick. Really. Someone please get on this ASAP. Anyone?

— “Spend a night” at each of the houses within any of these specified groups: fraternities, sororities, culture houses, Tufts dorm halls, libraries, Tufts campuses, oncampus eatery bathrooms, the Gifford House.

— Avoid muggings and robberies your entire four years at Tufts. Easier said than done. There are multiple ways to accomplish this. One is to live on campus your entire academic career and never trek down to Powder House Pub on a Tuesday.

Another is to start going to the gym as a freshman, invest in a hoodie and dark jeans now, buy a knife or gun (or rachet wrench) and be the mugger. If you can’t beat them, join them, right?

So there you go. For those of you who share my aversion to extended, nonsport cardio, here are some challenges for you.

The Pro Challenges require intense dedication and serious commitment. Plus, you don’t have to raise a thousand bucks to participate.

Actually, on second thought, check that. To be officially recognized as a Pro Challenge competitor there’s a $50 fee. You can mail that to Steve Miller, 9 Fairmount, Medford, MA. Please? I might even send you a foil blanket.

Stephen Miller is a senior majoring in English. He can be reached at Stephen.

Miller@tufts.edu.

The Tufts Daily

4

Features

Monday, April 11, 2011

Journalism forum emphasizes idea of Murrow’s ‘public diplomacy’ MURROW

continued from page 3

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! April 16, 2011 10am – 3pm Meeting

4/12 OR 4/13

@ 9pm in Eaton 202

If interested, contact

lcs.kidsday@gmail.com

name and his papers to the Fletcher School, although he passed away before he became heavily involved with the school,” Crocker Snow, director of the Murrow Center, said.

According to Snow, Murrow’s work with the Kennedy administration prompted then-Fletcher School Dean Edmund Gullion to coin the term “public diplomacy” in 1965.

“Murrow was first and foremost a media person, and his reputation was based on his integrity as a journalist. He brought this to his work in the Kennedy administration, and that is where [the term] ‘public diplomacy’ was engendered,” Snow said.

Since its inception, the forum has featured a range of prominent panelists and speakers, including Ted Koppel, Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw, Chris Matthews and Casey Murrow, the son of the late Edward R. Murrow. Both Snow and Dobrow agreed that Katie Couric was a logical choice to speak at the Forum.

“She’s the anchor person for CBS, which is a natural fit with Edward R. Murrow. We like to have [a] high-profile broadcast journalist with a slight bias toward CBS,” Snow said.

Dobrow added that Couric is a particularly good fit with this year’s topic.

“We wanted to be able to talk with her about how journalism is changing and how journalists need to adapt to the technologies of today,” Dobrow said.

“Because of Katie Couric’s imminent departure from CBS Evening News, there is a lot of interest.”

Sources at CBS told the Associated Press earlier this month that Couric would be leaving her post when her contract expires in June, after five years at the network. She has not yet disclosed her plans, but it is expected that she will host her own syndicated talk show after she is done with her tenure as the firstever female anchor of a nightly network

news broadcast.

Snow added that this year’s topic itself is also meant to reflect the current changing nature of journalism.

“Journalism itself is changing dramatically, if not radically,” Snow said.

“Webcasting and new media are changing things a lot for newspapers and broadcast networks because, by contrast, new media is built around citizen journalism without the professional background of a trained journalist. The choice of the title [of the forum] is to reflect that it is a changing moment for traditional journalism and the future is somewhat opaque.”

This year’s forum will also feature a change in format from previous years.

As opposed to a number of speakers addressing the audience as panelists, the forum will feature an interview-style dialogue between Couric and Tisch. Snow explained the reason for the change.

“Julie [Dobrow] and I agree that it’s a good idea to change the pace,” he said.

“We’re both interested in effective communication, and what is effective one year is not necessarily effective another year. We try different techniques to get ideas out in interesting and compelling ways. We’re hoping to try different things all within the umbrella of Edward R. Murrow.”

In the interest of effective communication, CMS recently posted a Wikipedia page about the forum. Jillian Slutzker, a student at the Fletcher School and parttime employee of CMS, was instrumental in the creation of the page. Slutzker said that part of the purpose of the page is to spread information about the forum outside the Tufts community.

“We have pages for other CMS events, and since the Murrow Forum is the biggest, we decided to get the name out there and if people are curious, then they can go there. It’s not just a Tufts or Fletcher audience, so people outside of the Tufts community can find out about it,” Slutzker said.

Arts & Living

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tuftsdaily.com

Movie Review

‘happythankyoumoreplease’ looks at questions of love from a fresh angle by

Anna Williams

Daily Staff Writer

“happythankyoumoreplease” tries to answer the age-old question, “How do you find love and happiness in this world?”

happythankyoumoreplease Starring Josh Radnor, Malin Akerman, Kate Mara Directed by Josh Radnor The film sidesteps cliches by addressing these ideas in a non-sensationalist, nonurgent way, allowing the actors to blossom under the wing of writer, star and first-time director Josh Radnor.

This light, unconventional comedy follows a cast of characters led by Sam Wexler (Radnor, of “How I Met Your Mother” fame), a writer in his mid-twenties trying to find meaning in his life. Sam is on the subway and encounters a boy, Rasheen (Michael Algieri), abandoned by his family. He takes Rasheen in despite his better judgment and against the advice of his cousin, Mary Catherine (Zoe Kazan), and his friend, Annie (Malin Akerman). The decision, however, turns out to be a good one as Rasheen exposes Sam’s vulnerability and ultimately helps him navigate his way into adulthood.

The film explores what it means to love and be loved through the experiences of three different couples.

Sam meets a bartender/singer named

Courtesy Matt Marks/Anchor Bay Films

Josh Radnor and Kate Mara play a convincing couple in ‘happythankyoumoreplease.’

Mississippi (Kate Mara) and eagerly jumps into a “three-night stand” in which they act like a married couple in the first week of seeing each other. His friend Annie, who suffers from a hair-loss condition called alopecia, is ironically very judgmental of others. She meets a coworker, Sam (played by Tony Hale and dubbed “Sam #2” to differentiate from her best friend), who unabashedly loves her despite her resistance.

Meanwhile, Sam’s cousin Mary Catherine navigates the sticky adult deci-

Book Review

Latest ‘Sweet Valley’ banal, but still a guilty pleasure by

Rebecca Santiago

Daily Editorial Board

Was your most profound moment of disillusionment when you learned that Spotty wasn’t really living on your uncle’s farm in

Sweet Valley Confidential Francine Pascal

St. Martin’s Press upstate New York? Or maybe when you found a pack of Camels in your mother’s coat pocket, though she swears she’s never touched a cigarette? For me, it was reading Francine Pascal’s “Sweet Valley Confidential” and discovering that the woman who created a series that forms a major building block of my identity is a complete moron and that I was possibly also a complete moron for avidly devouring these books as a kid.

Any former fan of the “Sweet Valley” series remembers Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield, the flawless California twins (described in pretty much every volume as proud possessors of sun-streaked blonde hair, eyes the blue-green color of the Pacific Ocean and perfect size-six bodies) whose dichotomous personalities tugged them into all manners of mischief. In fact, any devoted fan has also probably considered whether they’re a Jessica — fashionable, flighty and a smidge selfish — or an Elizabeth — whose love of writing, lofty moral code and hyperresponsible nature is chalked up to the fourminute head start she wrested from Jessica during their birth.

But, see, that’s where things get crazy in “Sweet Valley Confidential.” Liz is no longer the reliable, stable girl of series past. She’s off in New York City, reviewing plays for some riffraff theater magazine and wearing

itty-bitty black dresses. She debates getting her boss drunk and sleeping with him within the first 10 pages of the book. Most surprisingly, she hasn’t spoken to Jessica in eight long months: Turns out her impetuous other half is a no-good, dirty-rotten boyfriend thief. Gasp!

Hey, wait a minute. Didn’t Pascal already write something really similar to this in her and Laurie John’s (but probably mostly John’s — the majority of the Sweet Valley books are labeled “Francine Pascal’s,” not “by Francine Pascal”) “Elizabeth” spin-off series (2001) in which Elizabeth runs off to London because she thinks Jessica has stolen her boyfriend, and they don’t talk for months? Yes, the exact same plot goes down in another major metropolis, which is probably why the “Elizabeth” books are not at all referenced in “Sweet Valley Confidential.”

In fact, there seems to be a very distinct possibility that Pascal has not read many of her ghostwriters’ masterpieces, which would account for the inconsistencies that spring up throughout “Confidential.” The majority of Elizabeth’s non-Todd Wilkins boyfriends disappear in the miasma of what Pascal prefers her readers not to know. Also chucked into that void is Liz’s and Jess’ notorious history of macking on each others’ men.

Of course, inconsistencies are a given in a series crafted by multiple writers; “Confidential” is really just following the trend of numerous other “Sweet Valley” books, in which characters are killed off, magically revived and even phenotypically duplicated in order to keep the plot moving.

(At one point, there’s a set of twins identical to the Wakefields, and they want to kill Jessica and Elizabeth and steal their lives.

One of them dies once and comes back to life.) Still, it’s annoying for a reader to constantly need to reconcile her own Sweet see SWEET VALLEY, page 6

sions of a serious relationship and watches her relationship with Charlie (Pablo Schreiber) transform as they grow older.

In an introspective, self-conscious manner, the ensemble cast provides insight into the generation of 20-somethings living in New York City and offers a fresh, optimistic perspective on love.

Radnor’s writing allows his characters to come alive. Sam is depicted in a downto-earth fashion that acknowledges his see HAPPYTHANKYOU, page 6

TV Review

‘Workaholics’ has some work to do by

Alex Kaufman

Daily Staff Writer

Movie and TV comedies seem to be moving away from slapstick humor and more toward the offensive and crude. Some

Workaholics Starring Blake Anderson, Adam DeVine, Anders Holm Airs Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m. on Comedy Central newer comedies have been able to pull it off. “Get Him to the Greek” (2010) and “The Hangover” (2009) are two of the best examples of comedies that truly have no borders, but have their audiences laughing uproariously throughout the entire movie.

Unfortunately, this type of humor is hard to execute successfully, especially on television. It requires the acting, direction and writing all to be on the same page, which is easier said than done.

“Workaholics,” a television series directed by Kyle Newacheck and executive produced by Kevin Etten, proves that vulgar, pointless humor that crosses the line between what’s safe and what’s risky does not alone make for good entertainment. Simply put, the series misses its mark on all fronts.

This show enlists three unheard-of actors to portray not-quite-grown-up adults, working in an ordinary office space with some insignificant, middling conflicts. Blake Anderson, Adam DeVine and Anders Holm bring nothing creative to their less-than-mediocre roles as the everyday group of guys. There isn’t even an illusion of characterization in the show, seeing as these actors essentially play see WORKAHOLICS, page 6

Eugene Kim | Alleged but Not Convicted

The joys of battling in LA

A

couple weeks ago, I saw “Battle: Los Angeles” (2011). I went in expecting a sort of modern retelling of “Independence Day” (1996) with a shaky cam and lots of Aaron Eckhart’s chin. I love the America vs. Aliens story because, unlike any other conflict, you can support full-fledged genocide during the movie, you can completely glorify the violence and it’s totally cool because they are green people who want our planet.

And you know what? I got a ton of what I wanted and more. It’s a story about a small unit of U.S. Marines shooting up aliens for Amurrica because we ain’t retreating!

No one can sympathize with the invading aliens so screw ’em! Blow ’em all to hell!

And why did I like “Battle: Los Angeles” so much? It’s because it didn’t break any new ground — it stuck completely to genre conventions, was filled to the brim with military movie cliches and plot contrivances and it was totally awesome.

Tropes, or cliches, are an essential tool for filmmakers. It gives the audience something recognizable to hook onto — the thief doing one last job, the aging athlete trying to get back into the spotlight for one final hurrah, the prostitute with a heart of gold, the wise and sagely janitor. It’s like how the bad guys in the “Tron” (1982, 2010) series glow red and the good guys glow blue. It’s a quick and easy method for the moviemakers to dive into the story they want to tell while establishing a world that isn’t too complicated for viewers to follow.

When I was a kid, I would refuse to sleep in a new place without my little stuffed Dalmatian dog Ace because no matter where I was (a friend’s house, the backwoods of New Hampshire, an abandoned circus, a basement torture dungeon), if I had Ace, I had something familiar to hold onto.

That’s what tropes do — if movies were actually like real life, everyone would have complicated motivations and conflicted backgrounds. How many clear-cut bad guys have you met in real life? But how many evil Nazi scientists trying to raise an undead army have you seen in movies? Sure, there are movies that attempt to avoid tropes, but they are hard to find. If you want, you can get lost in the world of tropes at TvTropes.org (I would personally recommend starting at “Flanderization” and wandering out from there). But be warned: I have accidentally spent many hours cruising that site.

Just off the top of my head, some of the familiar tropes used in “Battle: Los Angeles” are: the old grizzled sergeant who had a rough last tour of duty overseas and wants to retire; the baby-faced private who has barely seen the world yet (and will invariably be separated from his unit and forced to man up through his trials); a brand-new lieutenant and expecting father who has yet to prove his leadership abilities in combat; a shaken and weary warrior who has difficulty coping with the stress of what he’s done; Michelle Rodriguez being that roughand-tumble Latina soldier (she is basically a living, breathing trope in herself); and my personal favorite, the speech to the frightened child who needs to become a brave soldier in order to get through the rough times ahead.

The story that “Battle: Los Angeles” told has been told over and over. They didn’t do a damn new thing in the genre and will probably be remembered as just another high-budget entry into the books.

But there’s something to appreciate about that, because I have an alien-killing quota to hit every year and it’s nice to get it out of the way without having to watch “Independence Day” again.

Eugene Kim is a senior majoring in biology. He can be reached at Eugene.Kim@ tufts.edu.

The Tufts Daily

6

Arts & Living

Monday, April 11, 2011

‘Workaholics’ features a derivative plot and two-dimensional characters WORKAHOLICS

course, when one challenge ends, a new one begins. A new drug test is scheduled — this time, one that involves hair — and the guys come prepared.

Parallels can certainly be drawn between this exhausted situational comedy and other more successful ones. It seems as though the writers took what functioned in shows like “The Office” and movies like the “The Hangover,” and carelessly combined them in hopes of creating a perfect comedic product.

But “Workaholics” is disconnected and banal.

Aside from lacking a purpose, this show could seriously benefit from stronger writers. This type of comedy needs to have some originality or it will certainly fail.

The first problem that needs to be

continued from page 5

themselves — the characters even share the names of the actors who play them.

The “Workaholics” pilot centers on the guys’ desperate pursuit to avoid taking a scheduled drug test in their office. Having smoked pot the day before at a party, the three realize they won’t pass the test as is.

They come up with a series of schemes to retrieve drug-free urine, and in their attempts we are supposed to find comedy (cue uncomfortable laughter here).

In the end, the drug test is found to be inconclusive, as it was given by a sketchy character anyway. None of our favorite guys is found to have taken any drugs. But, of

Recycled characters don’t ruin ‘Sweet Valley’ charm SWEET VALLEY

continued from page 5

Valley experience with the version Pascal is presenting.

Worst of all, this version is a very, very poorly written one. The dialogue is completely unbelievable: Jessica constantly peppers the word “so” into her sentences, resulting in awkward lines like, “I so love you, Lizzie.” The few sex scenes read like “Twilight” (2005) fan fiction, with gasping passion and entire sentences mashed into single-syllable gotta-haveyou-now utterances. For a book that should be geared to the nowadult audience raised and nourished on the drama of Pascal’s series, “Confidential” seems fresh out of the LiveJournal of a melodramatic preteen.

And yet, as with the literal hundreds of “Sweet Valley” books that line my bookshelves at home, I absolutely could not put “Sweet Valley Confidential” down and

tore through all 291 pages in one night. Sure, the characters are one-dimensional, and the story is recycled and stale. Even so, there’s just something about those two golden girls.

Although Pascal’s writing is best described as brainless bilge, the Wakefield twins haven’t lost their captivating magnetism. The magic of the “Sweet Valley” books lies in the glamorous impossibility of two stunning replicas coming of age like any ordinary girl, and in this installment, the twins are more flawed — and more ethereal — than ever before.

In short, the night you spend reading “Confidential” is likely the dirtiest one-night stand you’ll have in college. You may regret it in the morning, but in the moment — well, if feeling that good is wrong, I don’t want to be right. And spending the night with two hot blondes who are perfect size sixes? Can’t beat that, bro.

addressed is the lack of differentiation between the three main characters. Adam and Anders fill the same niche. They both dress like college students, though they’re probably nearing 30. Blake may look drastically different, but the truth is that his personality is a weak step away from the others.

Viewers need to care about each character as an individual. Without differentiated characters, the show quickly descends into redundant dialogue and situations.

The second problem is the lack of seriousness in the comedy. Within each drama there is a bit of comedy, and within each comedy there is a bit of seriousness — otherwise, there is no realism. This show lacks a sense of urgency that makes comedy funny,

Radnor’s directorial debut shows new talent HAPPYTHANKYOU continued from page 5

strengths and weaknesses equally. The depiction of Sam’s flaws makes him real and approachable to the audience. Similarly, his friend Annie, who promotes optimism and gratitude in her life’s mantra, proves to be very judgmental when approached by an adoring colleague.

The character development is one of the film’s strongest attributes. Mary Catherine and Charlie, although an already established couple, experience difficulties when Charlie gets a job across the country. Their problems, however, are not oversimplified, like in most romantic comedies, and their love for each other is tested in innovative yet genuine ways. Similarly, Sam’s relationship with Mississippi is complicated by their personal struggles with identity, and Annie must accept herself in order to feel like she deserves love. Each relationship becomes heart-

DR 93-03: LOW COMEDY IN THEATRE FILM AND MEDIA

LATINO THEATRE and FILM

TR 12:00-1:20

K+ MW 4:30-5:45

PROFESSOR LAURENCE SENELICK

Tufts University Department of Drama and Dance, Aidekman Arts Center, 40 Talbot Ave., X73524

tions into a man going through a quarter-life crisis that the audience can actually care about and relate to. Akerman portrays a cynical optimist with a disease, distinguishing her from the traditional female leads in romantic comedies. She beautifully delivers the moment at which a person falls in love in a way that effectively steals the show. “happythankyoumoreplease” is an observant commentary on life, written by someone who is more concerned with showing genuine relationships than churning out another generic romantic comedy. There is a point in the film when Annie leaves a message on Sam’s machine in which she says, “Sam — go get yourself loved.” This unapologetic support for falling in love is what makes the film seem impassioned, touching and inspiring in its attempt. Despite the film’s focus on a set of often-asked questions, its care and dedication make it worth watching.

DR 0093-02:

with Sunday Night Film Showing

This course will examine the history and techniques of low

comedy forms, including farce, commedia dell’arte,

pantomime, slapstick, nonsense and clowning. Among the

topics treated in these genres will be race and ethnicity,

eating and excreting, gender and sexuality, violence and

speed.

There will be readings in theory of comedy, plays and

sketches, showings of classic film comedy. The class will

conclude with a workshop in physical comedy.

breakingly real at the film’s climax, suggesting a case for the renewed faith in love. “happythankyoumoreplease” also reworks the typical ensemble cast in a new and original way.

Radnor writes about a group of characters whose lives subtly intersect, but his version proves far more successful than a film like “Valentine’s Day” (2010), where the ensemble is overstuffed in order to include as many big-name stars as possible. In Radnor’s indie flick, the character’s lives are distinctly separate, and there is no cutesy attempt to find interesting connections between the characters.

Rather, they connect through Sam and through their similar desires to find love and happiness, at any stage in a relationship.

The cast includes many underappreciated stars in Hollywood, especially Akerman and Radnor.

Radnor diverges from his oversensitive character Ted, who tirelessly searches for love on “How I Met Your Mother,” and transi-

FALL 2011

FALL 2011

and lacks a realistic setting that could make the whole show plausible. Viewers need to at least believe in the premise of the show or they will just look at it as another piece of TV garbage to skim over while they’re flipping through channels.

If the actors actually acted semi-afraid of being fired for drug use, we might believe that they really need to get the drug-free pee.

If the writing were more sophisticated in its comedic stylings, we might actually laugh throughout the show. Instead, we’re left with a show that will surely flop.

To quote Adam after he played a prank on a neighbor skating by, “It’s weird how unembarrassed I am,” which matches this show’s shameless attempt at comedy to a tee.

NOE MONTEZ Newly-Appointed Assistant Professor of Drama This course examines the emergence of Latino theatre and film as a potent creative and political force in the United States.

Representative

works by Latino playwrights, performance artists, and filmmakers will be discussed in light of issues such as labor and immigration, gender and sexuality,

generation

gaps

in

Latino

culture,

hybridized

identities,

interculturalism, and the United States’ relationship with Latin American nations. Occasional film screenings are required. No prerequisite.

Tufts University Department of Drama and Dance, Aidekman Arts Center, 40 Talbot Ave., X73524

Monday, April 11, 2011

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Editorial | Letters

Monday, April 11, 2011

Editorial

Two-act Spring Fling will do little to curb drinking Spring Fling later this month will mark a mix between new and old. Like last year, the event will be dry. Unlike last year, and many years prior, the April 30 program will this year have only two headlining acts — The Roots and RJD2 — rather than its usual three.

The decision to prohibit alcohol from last year’s event appeared to be a successful one, as the large number of hospitalizations and instances of unruly behavior that marked the 2009 Spring Fling seemed to be avoided. Yet considering that last year’s event was relatively tame and students proved themselves for the most part able to abide by the rules, it leads one to question whether it’s really necessary to downsize the event and, more importantly, whether the change will be effective at all.

The university’s decision to shrink the outside performers from three to two was based on the assumption that shortening the event would reduce the

amount of alcohol students consume.

Administrators and students who made up the Alcohol Task Force last year seemed to follow the logic that students wouldn’t feel the need to drink as much if the effect of the alcohol only had to last through two acts, instead of three.

As students, we at the Daily consider this logic to be flawed. Cutting down the length of the event does not mean that students are going to drink less. In fact, the drinking problems that arise during Spring Fling or any of the other large student events during the year, including Fall Ball, Winter Bash and the nowdefunct Naked Quad Run, come from the excessive pregaming before the event.

This is even more likely now that the spring event is dry, and having one less act will do little to change this.

The administration’s decision to mandate the event as dry was reasonable — students showed themselves incapable of controlling themselves when

21-and-over individuals were allowed to bring alcohol onto the concert grounds.

Yet now, the administration’s real concern should be the drinking that occurs under the radar. Students are at a much greater risk of hurting themselves when they’re heavily drinking in a private place with only a few friends to keep an eye on them. It’s understandable for the administration to want to curtail drinking as much as possible, but cutting out an hour or so of entertainment is not the way to go about doing it.

Spring Fling marks the beginning of the end of the year at Tufts. For students, it’s a time to relax and have fun before finals. Cutting out an act ultimately takes away from the purpose of this event without doing much to help in the way of protecting students. Spring Fling is a longstanding tradition, and truncating it after it’s already been altered for other safety concerns is an off-the-mark response to a long-standing problem.

louie zong

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Off the Hill | Rutgers University

Society chooses fun over information

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by

Daily Targum Editorial Board Daily Targum

In an admittedly funny but nonetheless childish move, the National Republican Senatorial Committee released a parody video of President Barack Obama’s bid for re-election in the 2012 race. In the few days since it was posted, the video has garnered more than 688,000 views, with more to come by the time this is published. Obama’s real campaign launch video, on the other hand, has only racked up 168,000 views as of press time. Some people have been interpreting this as indicative of the number of Obama’s opponents versus his the number of his supporters. Others see it as a lack of energy on the part of Obama’s campaign. We, however, see it differently. The number of views the parody video has says more about our entertainment-oriented culture than it

does about Obama’s campaign.

Just a few weeks ago, everyone watched as Rebecca Black’s atrocious “Friday” racked up tens of millions of views in a span of days. But that video did not go viral because of how much everyone loved it. Instead, it went viral for the exact opposite reason — people found it hilariously entertaining because of how downright awful it was. This tends to be how many people operate these days. People spend far less time investing themselves in what they sincerely care about on emotional or intellectual levels, instead devoting their time and energy to things, which are quick, cheap and mindlessly entertaining. As a culture, we have, in many ways, chosen hilarity over sincerity. The common thought process for a view of the parody video probably went something like this: “Yeah, sure, I like Obama and all, so I probably know what his video is going

to be all about. Let me see this joke one.

It might be funny.”

Another factor, which we hate to admit, is probably the length of the videos. The parody video is about half the length of the real one, and it is a lot easier to watch because it isn’t supposed to be taken seriously. It is meant only to impart a few laughs in about a minute, and then the show’s over. This makes it more likely that more people will watch it and that those people will watch it multiple times.

The disparity in video views is not something anyone should really be taking seriously. It most likely says absolutely nothing of substance about what will happen to the Obama campaign in the upcoming race. What it does represent, though, is what we like as a culture. But perhaps a little more sincerity and care about what’s really important wouldn’t hurt.

Corrections Friday’s article “Competition winners get 100K for business models” incorrectly stated that the entrant in the 100K Business Plan Competition called “Roof For Two” won in the Social Competition category of the competition. It won in the Classic Competition category, and the entrant called Sanergy won in the Social Competition category. This mistake was made during the editing process and was not the fault of the writer.

Thursday’s article “And they’re off: 2012 election season begins” incorrectly stated that Matt Bai’s quotes were obtained from a Tufts event last month. In fact, he was interviewed by the Daily. The article also incorrectly stated that pro-union activism is central to the Tea Party’s stance. It should have read that pro-union activism is antithetical to the Tea Party’s stance.

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

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The Tufts Daily

Monday, April 11, 2011

9

Op-Ed

from the Public editor

Ashish Malhotra | Follow the Leader

On the Primary Source and journalistic integrity

by Jacob

Kreimer

Conservatives and liberals alike on this campus expect a baseline of journalistic integrity and fairness from our publications. In part, it is the job of the public editor to keep an eye on published material and to determine whether community norms and expectations have been violated, either due to shoddy reporting or discriminatory content. From time to time things fall through the cracks — frequent reports of botched quotes in the Daily, for instance — but for the most part Tufts media upholds its obligation to the readership with honest, good reporting.

Yet when this obligation is not met, the public editor must respond to complaints from readers and investigate claims of inaccuracy, which is the reason for this column. In last week’s issue, the Primary Source grossly violated Tufts community norms in its commentary “The ‘Social Justice’ Requirement” by blatantly misrepresenting the truth with inaccurate conclusions, which it portrayed as fact. In doing so it damaged its credibility — even if you disagree with them, Source articles typically have substantial content and critical analysis. Worst of all, the Source undercut reasoned discussion in favor of hearsay and unfounded claims on an already-contentious subject.

The Primary Source is no stranger to controversy and prides itself on providing an alternative opinion to the majority liberal sentiment at Tufts. I respect the staff of the Source for contributing to healthy media by broadening the range of viewpoints, and few others are better at making fun of Tufts’ idiosyncrasies or pay more attention to the goings on in the Tufts Community Union Senate.

Yet the content on page six was off-base on so many levels that following the issue’s publication several members of the Tufts community wrote to me, pointing out that Students for Educational Equality (SEE) had been dissolved at the end of last year. My investigation into the history of SEE showed a serious lack

A

Meredith Klein/Tufts Daily

of fact checking by the Source. Students for Educational Equality did exist as a loose group of students working toward an Africana Studies department at Tufts, but the Source’s claims about SEE’s mission and interaction with pre-frosh and alumni were not rooted in any type of investigative journalism, interviews or substantial evidence. Their claim that SEE is the current driving force behind a “social justice” requirement is a flat-out wrong conclusion of misguided assumptions. The same is true for their claim that the term “social justice” was chosen after the phrase “race requirement” was deemed too blunt. The Source conflated the completely separate issues of Africana Studies and the so-called “social justice requirement” by lumping all students who want to modify Tufts’ academic landscape together into a liberal bloc. Although there may be overlap among students on and off Senate who support both measures, they are far from the same.

In a conversation with Primary Source Editor Jon Danzig on Wednesday night, the Source agreed that its approach in parts of the article was flawed and will

be publishing a follow-up to it in this week’s Source — keep an eye out for it.

Healthy campus media attacks ideas rather than groups or individuals. The concept of an additional “social justice” requirement merits reasoned campus discussion, and we should strive for it. The valid points brought up by the Primary Source were unfortunately obscured by Glenn Beck-esque sensationalism. Indeed, the problems with the piece go beyond bad journalism; we must acknowledge that the framing of the article depicted a radical liberal/racial conspiracy at Tufts, and contributes to a campus climate where students in favor of initiatives such as an Africana Studies department or a social justice requirement are viewed negatively. This is a call to publications to accurately cover all sides of an issue and to approach the discussion with respect, reason and journalistic integrity. Together, we can make Tufts media better — we owe it to our readers.

Jacob Kreimer is a senior majoring in political science. He is this year’s public editor.

Off the Hill | University of Southern California

Ivory Coast is a learning moment for US by

Daniel Charnoff The Daily Trojan

These days, with a new revolution seemingly every week, it can be hard to keep track of current events. Although Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and Syria have dominated the headlines, you might have missed what has possibly been the deadliest conflict of all — the one in the Ivory Coast.

The situation in the Ivory Coast presents a powerful argument for those who oppose international intervention solely for humanitarian purposes.

The United States chose not to get involved, and the conflict has subsided without U.S. intervention.

The dispute in the Ivory Coast started in November, when a long-delayed election was finally held. The winner was opposition leader Alassane Ouattara, and the United Nations, African Union and every Western country recognized him as the legitimate president. Incumbent Laurent Gbagbo refused to give up the presidency. Instead, he took the oath of office and kept his government in place.

Nobody in the international community knew quite what to do. No country was willing to intervene militarily to depose Gbagbo, but without that threat there was little that could be done.

Economic sanctions seemed to punish Ivorians without affecting Gbagbo, who refused to negotiate with international envoys. There were even 11,000 U.N. peacekeepers in the country, but they were powerless to change the status quo.

Not surprisingly, this sticky situation led to violent conflict, and eventually war

Bombastic Berlusconi

broke out. Ouatarra’s forces marched [on March 31] on the commercial capital, Abidjan, and have now conquered most of the city — except for the compound where Gbagbo is holed up. Gbagbo mounted a fierce resistance, which motivated U.N. and French forces to intervene on Ouatarra’s behalf. Officials hope that Gbagbo can be persuaded to give up in the near future and that most of the fighting is over, but estimates are that more than 1,500 have died and hundreds of thousands have been displaced.

From a U.S. perspective, though, war in the Ivory Coast was never a major priority.

Paying attention to conflicts in subSaharan Africa has never been an American specialty, and between the revolts sweeping the Arab world and, more recently, the earthquake-tsunami-nuclear meltdown über-disaster in Japan, there has been little room on the front page for yet another case of African civil war.

Without any public interest, there has been very little official interest, either.

Although protests in Egypt made the front page and demanded an immediate and decisive response from the U.S. government, the lack of coverage of the Ivory Coast meant the government could get away with dedicating only nominal resources to helping resolve the crisis.

Now that it seems the conflict in the Ivory Coast is winding down, though, the American people can take away more from the conflict than what we actually put into it.

The limited scope of Americans’ attention to the conflict was not a bad thing — there are too many problems in the world for everyone to be educated about all of

them. Without public support, however, there is little incentive for the government to get involved.

In fact, even when we do decide to intervene somewhere, there is no guarantee we will have the tools necessary to succeed. In this case, France and the U.N. have been involved in the Ivory Coast situation all along, but simply lacked the credibility and leverage to force Gbagbo out.

The United States remains the strongest country in the world, with the most sophisticated military and largest economy, but that does not mean we can influence everything the way we would like to.

This case is an example of one the hallmarks of President Obama’s foreign policy — insisting our allies and other powers share responsibility for the world’s problems. In his speech on the Libyan intervention, Obama said, “The burden of action should not be America’s alone … [allies and partners should] bear their share of the burden and pay their share of the costs.”

In the end, it seems the Ivorian conflict played out exactly as it would have had we become involved in the beginning; our role was simply replaced by France.

From a U.S. perspective, this is a much better outcome — saving American money, credibility and possibly lives.

All of these add up to produce an argument in favor of realism in deciding how to allocate American resources.

Next time the [p]resident suggests an intervention based on idealism or moralism, it might be wise to remember the lessons of the Ivory Coast.

long with many others, I often wonder how the United States of America voted former President George W. Bush into office on two separate occasions. The man’s blatant incompetence was displayed on a daily basis, his often incomprehensible jargon giving us an endless supply of memorable “Bushisms.”

But if there is any electoral puzzle that is more perplexing than the one pertaining to Bush and the United States, it is that which pertains to Silvio Berlusconi and Italy. Unlike Bush, the issue with Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi is not one of aptitude as much as inappropriateness. With an enormous list of offensive acts to his name, the Italian prime minister is simply a ridiculous human being. In 2003, he caused much uproar in Germany when, during a European parliament session, he told German politician Martin Schulz that he would be perfect for a movie role of a Nazi concentration camp guard. Over the years, he has faced countless court hearings for tax and accounting fraud, embezzlement, money laundering, mafia involvement, soliciting prostitution and bribery. In 1990, it was even proven that Berlusconi had provided false testimony during a court hearing in the 1980s.

However, despite the fact that Berlusconi’s name is so badly tarnished by allegations of corruption, the Italian people have elected him as their prime minister a shocking three times: in 1994, 2001 and then again in 2008.

His current term has been marred mostly by his alleged affairs with women, including prostitutes and minors. In May 2009, Berlusconi’s wife Veronica Lario filed for divorce after it was found that her husband had attended the 18th birthday celebration of a girl named Noemi Letizia.

In her dealings with the press thereafter, Letizia claimed that she had spent a lot of time with Berlusconi in the past and that she affectionately referred to him as “Papi.”

A month later, an escort by the name of Patrizia D’Addario claimed to have been paid on multiple occasions to spend time with the prime minister.

And now, two years later, Berlusconi is on trial for allegedly paying teenage nightclub dancer Karima El Mahroug of Morocco for sex. Incidentally, due to a few weird twists of fate, this incident allegedly incorporates two leaders I have already written about this semester, former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and Libyan leader Muammar el-Qaddafi. The story goes that Berlusconi’s buddy Qaddafi taught him about “bunga bunga” parties, in which a group of women dine with him and then perform erotic dances, after which he chooses one dancer to sleep with.

El Mahroug was reportedly at one of these bunga bunga parties, which, in her dealings with the Italian media, she has likened to an orgy. When she was arrested soon after on an unrelated charge, Berlusconi told the police she was Mubarak’s niece, in order to get her out of jail. A ridiculous man, I tell you.

Last Friday, after giving prizes to young college graduates, Berlusconi joked with two blondes that he would like to invite them to one of his bunga bunga parties.

And this is perhaps the most disturbing thing about Berlusconi: Whether or not he is actually guilty of all the charges being leveled against him (which I believe he is), it is his attitude that is most off-putting.

Despite the seriousness of the charges against him, Berlusconi seems, as usual, unfazed. Similarly, Berlusconi responded to the prostitution allegations in 2009 by saying, “I’ve never paid a woman. I never understood where the satisfaction is when you’re missing the pleasure of conquest.”

In many other countries this sort of comment alone would lead to a leader’s resignation. Not in Italy, apparently, where the prime minister can get away with doing this: Insert here Youtube video for “Bye, Bye Berlusconi.”

Ashish Malhotra is a senior majoring in international relations and political science He can be reached at Ashish.Malhotra@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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10

Comics

Monday, April 11, 2011

Doonesbury

Crossword

by

Garry Trudeau

Non Sequitur

by

Friday’s Solution

Married to the Sea

www.marriedtothesea.com

SUDOKU Level: Dusting off the flip-flops

Late Night at the Daily Friday’s Solution

Meredith: “That boy has experience putting s--in his mouth.”

Please recycle this Daily.

Wiley

The Tufts Daily

Monday, April 11, 2011

11

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Support Japan by having some fun!

CHARITY AUCTION

EVENT Tuesday 4/12 8:15pm Hillel basement Tufts Ballroom

Enjoy performances by: La Salsa Blackout Sarabande

Jackson Jills.

Bid out others to get gifts such as: Red Sox tickets Tea with the Bacows Dr Dre headphones Blackout lessons Rez drink package & much much more!

Hillel Catered food will also be available!

Presented by Asian American Alliance together with Japanese Culture Club

For more information contact Yin.Lin@tufts.edu or Sho.Igawa@gmail.com

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Monday, April 11, 2011

Looking to volunteer?

April 12-15: Blood Drive in Carmichael Lounge Sign up today on TuftsLife!

April 13-­14: Bone Marrow Registration Drive Campus Center 11am-­‐1pm co-­‐sponsored by Tufts Chabad April 16: Volunteer for Kid’s Day Contact lcs.kidsday@gmail.com

Leap into spring with LCS!

Kick off the season with a week of volunteer opportunities April 11th-15th!

April 15-16: Relay for Life Join the fight against cancer 6pm – 6am at Gantcher Volunteer with Elderly Outreach!

Contact lcs.elderlyoutreach@gmail.com to get involved!

Help plan AIDS Day! April 13 at 9pm Campus Center Room 208

For more volunteer opportunities visit

ase.tufts.edu/lcs

Tufts Leonard Carmichael Society: Serving Today, Changing Tomorrow

The Tufts Daily

Monday, April 11, 2011 Wanted Seeking babysitters Back Bay Boston-based family seeking non-smoking, safetyconscious, patient “baby-sitter/ mother’s helper” with excellent communication skills for the summer (approximately 4-8 hours per day, M-F). Close to T. Start Date: April or May. Call Laura at (617) 470-9213 for details.

Wanted Babysitting Job Are you hoping to earn extra $?

Local Tufts alum (close drive to Tufts) seeking responsible, patient, loving, energetic, non-smoking nanny for 20-35 hrs/week starting in the summer/fall. Hours and scheduling flexible. Salary commensurate with experience. Call Faith at (781) 258-9027 for details.

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$$ SPERM DONORS WANTED $$ Become a California Cryobank donor and earn up to $1,200/ month, receive free health and infectious disease testing, and help people fulfill their dreams of starting a family. Convenient Cambridge location. Apply online: SPERMBANK.com

Somerville Apt for Rent Apartment for Rent on Powder House Blvd. 3 BR, living room, dining room, modern kitchen, 2 bathrooms, hardwood floors, F+R Porches, parking. Tel day: 6173545170. cel:617-240-0800 $1,950/ month.

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4,5 6 BR units Next to Campus! Will not last 4, 5 and 6 BR units Great condition!

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Free washer/dryer! Parking included. Sunny! Avail 6/1/11 to 5/31/12 call or text (617) 217-1239.

Somerville Apartment for Rent On Powder House blvd, 3 bedrooms, living room, dining room, modern kitchen and 2 bathrooms.

Hardwood floors, f+R porches, parking tel. day 6173545170, 1,950/month. Cell. 6172400800

UPLAND RD, 1 BLOCK FROM CAMPUS All renovated gorgeous !! new e-in kitchen with d/w, modern bath,hardwood floors,new windows,new gas heating system, w/d, F+R porches, parking for 3 cars. Rent is $680.00 per person without utilities. Available 6/1/11 or may consider 9/1/11 call for details. Contact 617-230-0215 or email nickkondilis@yahoo.com

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 $15 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.

Weikert, Gilchrist lead the way in 13-0 drubbing of Trinity on Friday BASEBALL

continued from page 16

good at my job.”

The hard-throwing righty locked down the Bantams in each outing, whiffing four hitters over two combined innings while maintaining his spotless 0.00 ERA. Bernstein has now struck out 23 batters and allowed just three hits over 14 1/3 frames this spring.

But before Bernstein could take over, the Jumbos needed leads for him to protect.

In the second game of the twinbill, senior starter Derek Miller did his part, allowing just a first-inning run before holding the Bantams scoreless for the rest of his 7 2/3 innings of work. Miller allowed six hits and six walks while striking out five. He stranded all but one of those base runners thanks to some timely groundballs, picking up his first win of the season.

The Tufts offense was not particularly efficient in the 4-1 victory either, leaving 11 runners on base. But the Jumbos scraped across two in the third, one in the fourth and another in the eighth.

The baseball team’s seniors were responsible for most of the scoring. Right fielder Chase Rose drove in the first two Tufts runs on a sacrifice fly to deep center, scoring shortstop David LeResche and centerfielder David Orlowitz. An inning later, left fielder Ian Goldberg stole second after reaching on the fielder’s choice, and second baseman Frank Petroskey drove him in with a double.

Petroskey also scored the Jumbos’ eighthinning run, thanks to a pair of defensive miscues by Trinity. He reached on a two-base error by the second baseman, stole third and then scampered home when Bantams junior catcher Luke Auger threw the ball into left field.

The Tufts bullpen had no trouble protecting the three-run lead with four outs to go, as junior Jake Crawford bridged the gap between Miller and Bernstein by inducing a groundout with the tying run at the plate.

Earlier on Saturday, the Jumbos enjoyed another strong pitching performance from junior Dave Ryan, who allowed three runs over six innings and fanned seven. Ryan handed the ball directly to Bernstein, improving to 3-0 in the 5-3 victory.

The offense backed Ryan early and often, scoring all five runs in the first two innings.

LeResche started the game with a double and scored on an RBI single by Rose.

The second-inning rally began with a single by Goldberg and a run-scoring double by sophomore Tom Howard. Howard himself came around on a sacrifice fly by LeResche, before Orlowitz continued the attack with

virginia bledsoe/Tufts Daily

Sophomore Erik Weikert, here in a game against Bates on April 2, went 3-for-5 with four RBIs Friday in Tufts’ rout of Trinity. a single. Junior co-captain third baseman Sam Sager provided the big blow, a two-run double that broke the game open for good.

“Trinity is a good team, and they’re one of our main rivals,” sophomore designated hitter Eric Weikert said. “I thought we swung the bats well, and it was good to get ahead early.”

Ryan was wild to start the game, walking the first two batters he faced and surrendering three runs in the first. But by the time the Jumbos were done scoring in the top of the second, Ryan had settled in. He cruised through the sixth, allowing just five hits and a walk the rest of the way.

Friday’s opener was every bit the laugher that its 13-0 final score suggested. Junior Kevin Gilchrist continued his dominance on the mound, hurling eight shutout innings and lowering his ERA to 2.06 in the rout. The offense never looked back.

Weikert delivered a 3-for-5 effort with a double and four RBIs. Sager and Goldberg

each had two hits. And by the time the dust had settled on Campus Field, all three Trinity pitchers who appeared in the game were tagged with at least four runs.

“I’ve been working hard on staying back on the ball and driving it the other way,” Weikert said. “That’s what coach Casey and the other coaches have told me and the other guys to do. I got a couple good pitches to hit on Friday and was fortunate to find some holes with them.”

Gilchrist improved to 4-1 with the win, and his latest gem laid the groundwork for the Jumbos’ sweep. By taming a Trinity offense that came in batting .349 as a team and that had scored at least 13 runs in each of its previous four games, Gilchrist bolstered Tufts’ confidence and left the bullpen rested and ready for Saturday.

“I think it’s always about execution,” Bernstein said. “When we attack the strike zone and make them put the ball in play, we

have a great defense that makes plays for us.

I don’t think it matters who is hitting; as long as we do our jobs, we should be successful.”

The Bantams’ batting average dropped to .332, as they managed only four runs over the three game set. By halting Trinity’s fourgame winning streak, the Jumbos extended their own surge to nine games, dating back to March 26.

“I thought we played real sharp,” Bernstein said. “We didn’t give them anything for free all weekend, which is a pretty good sign.”

The baseball team will next be in action on Wednesday, when it will host Div. II Bentley College at 3 p.m. on Huskins Field.

The Jumbos’ NESCAC slate will resume next weekend with a trip to Colby.

“It’s about consistency, not ups and downs during a season,” Weikert said. “So we’re going to go right back to working hard and staying focused to prepare for our games this week.”

Ten Jumbos find back of net in dominant victory; Bantams’ defense falters MEN’S LACROSSE

continued from page 16

in the middle of the second quarter, Tufts glided into halftime on a four-goal run, leading the Bantams 10-5 at intermission. But the hosts refused to go down without a fight and cut the lead to 12-10 going into the fourth period.

In the late stages, however, the Jumbos took over, silencing Trinity’s top scorers and extending their two-goal margin to eight.

Bialosky kicked off scoring in the final period, notching his third goal of the game less than a minute into the quarter to stop the bleeding. Senior quad-captain midfielder Matt Witko followed suit, while the third goal of the day for junior midfielder Kevin McCormick put the Jumbos up 15-10.

Freshman Patton Watkins

made 18 saves on the day and posted a fourth quarter shutout. Watkins has now started three straight games for the Jumbos after taking the place of junior Steve Foglietta. Over that span he has averaged just over 17 saves a game while only allowing just under nine goals per contest.

“Patton has been playing great all season,” Bialosky said. “He’s developing poise as the season wears on and has really taken over. He’s becoming the general, which is what you want from your goalie, and it’s pretty impressive that, as a freshman, he really doesn’t seem to get rattled even when he sees a lot of shots.”

The Tufts defense held a very capable Trinity attack unit to 10 points. The Bantams, who scored in double digits in five of their previous eight games,

were unable to get much past Watkins and a young defensive unit. Bialosky proved his worth on both ends of the field, collecting a team-high five groundballs while fueling the Jumbos’ transition game.

“It’s no secret that we play in transition, and Alec is as good with the ball as any of our offensive middies,” Molloy said. “If a team’s going to play us where they’re not going to slide from our attack, other players are going to step up.

Alec had a monster game, and that just shows how hard of a worker he is. He doesn’t give up, and it paid off.”

Sophomore attackman Jeff Hebert, the Bantams’ leading scorer, was held to one assist in Trinity’s losing effort. The Tufts defense also slowed highscoring sophomore midfielder Nick Shaheen and sophomore

attackman Rob Nogueras, who contributed only two points each. Nogueras took 11 shots in his one-goal performance, and his fruitless efforts demonstrated the Bantams’ offensive frustrations in the face of a solid Tufts defensive effort.

But Trinity’s defense — which had held all but one previous opponent below 10 points — had no answer for Tufts’ depth. While Bialosky and McCormick had five and four points, respectively, eight other Jumbos also scored in what turned out to be a balanced scoring assault.

“With our depth, it’s difficult for other teams to come up with a defensive gameplan,” Bialosky said. “If you focus on taking Molloy and D.J. [Hessler] out of it, then the midfielders are going to go crazy, and if you slide really

early, then we’re going to score a ton of crease goals.”

Junior goalie Peter Johnson made 18 saves for Trinity, but he could not do enough against a constant stream of high-quality efforts.

“We knew going in that Trinity had a great goalie and that he was going to make great saves,” Molloy said. “We just had to continue to get the ball in front of the cage and take shots. Going into the fourth quarter, we just knew that if we kept getting the best shots of that, we’d eventually be able to put them in the net.”

Tufts will travel to Endicott tomorrow night to take on its non-conference rivals. These two squads last met in the 2010 NCAA tournament, with the Jumbos cruising to a 21-8 victory.

The Tufts Daily

14

Sports

Monday, April 11, 2011

INTERFAITH SOCIAL ACTION GIM

FALL 2011

Uniting the faith communities on campus through meaningful social action projects

DR 112-01: VOCAL PERFORMANCE MW 2:00-3:45 Performance Hangar PROFESSOR BARBARA W. GROSSMAN

Whether your goal is performing on stage, leading a group, or speaking

effectively in public, this class will help you improve the quality of your

voice and discover a freer, fuller, more resonant and more confident

sound.

Through an exploration of various approaches to speaking

training, you will learn how to use your voice with increased power,

clarity, and skill to meet specific performance challenges. Class will

involve intense physical as well as vocal work, so come dressed to move!

No prerequisite. Enrollment limited to 18.

Tufts University Department of Drama and Dance, Aidekman Arts Center, 40 Talbot Ave., X73524

Learn more and take action!

April 11: 7:00 PM @ The Interfaith Center (58 Winthrop St) Sponsored by The Office of the University Chaplain 617-627-3427 www.tufts.edu/chaplaincy

American Red Cross

BloodDrive

T h e

F a r e s C e n t e r f o r E a s t e r n M e d i t e r r a n e a n S t u d i e s P r e s e n t s

“Leadership Succession & Political Change in Egypt”

April 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 2011 th

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Carmichael Hall Lounge Tuesday, 4/11

12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m

Wednesday, 4/12 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m Thursday, 4/13 Friday, 4/14

12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m 10:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Schedule an appointment TODAY: www.Tuftslife.com *Positive ID Required*Drop-ins are welcome!*Free food!

While the Leonard Carmichael Society fully supports blood donation, we do not condone the FDA's policy barring blood donations from men who have had sex with another man. We acknowledge that this policy discriminates against gay and bisexual members of the Tufts community.

Michele Dunne

Senior Associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and editor of the online journal the Arab Reform Bulletin Michele Dunne is a former specialist on Middle East affairs at the U.S. Department of State and at the White House. She has served on the National Security Council staff and the Secretary of State‟s Policy Planning Staff, and at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem, and the Department of State‟s Bureau of Intelligence and Research. Her research interests include Arab politics, political and economic reform, and U.S. policies in the Middle East.

Dunne‟s recent publications include, “The Baby, the Bathwater, and the Freedom Agenda in the Middle East” (Washington Quarterly, 2009); “Incumbent Regimes and the „King‟s Dilemma‟ in the Arab World: Promise and Threat of Managed Reform” (with Marina Ottaway, in Getting to Pluralism, Carnegie Endowment, 2009); “A Post-Pharaonic Egypt?” (American Interest, 2008); “The Ups and Downs of Political Reform in Egypt” (with Amr Hamzawy, in Beyond the Façade: Political Reform in the Arab World, 2008); “Integrating Democracy into the U.S. Policy Agenda” (in Uncharted Journey: Promoting Democracy in the Middle East, 2005); Democracy in Contemporary Egyptian Political Discourse (John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2003). Dunne holds a Ph.D. in Arabic language and literature from Georgetown University, where she is an adjunct professor of Arab Studies.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 5:30 pm Cabot 7th Floor - Tufts University Open to the Public Cabot Intercultural Center 160 Packard Avenue Medford, Massachusetts 02155

http://farescenter.tufts.edu For more information contact: Chris Zymaris @ 617.627.6560

The Tufts Daily

Monday, April 11, 2011

15

Sports Ethan Sturm | Rules of the Game

Club Tennis

Tufts grabs 10th place at USTA National Campus Championship Tufts began the tournament in Pool M with three round-robin matches.

After two blowout losses to Penn State and Arizona, which finished 12th and 19th in the tournament, respectively, Tufts topped William & Mary, 24-22, to pick up its first win of the weekend and qualify for the bronze division — made up of the 16 teams that finished in third place in their respective pools.

In the bronze division playoffs on Friday morning, Tufts fell to Texas State University, which went on to take third in the bracket. Despite the loss, the Jumbos still remained optimistic that they could improve their finishing position by winning matches in the group’s

After qualifying for the USTA National Campus Championship for the first time in its history, the club tennis team took full advantage of its long weekend of play in Cary, N.C., by competing and winning matches against Div. I and Div. II opponents.

Tufts finished 10th in the tournament’s bronze division and 42nd overall, going a respectable 3-4 in weekend play.

“Our expectations coming in were fairly low,” senior captain Joshua LundWilde said. “We knew that we were underdogs, but we did expect to get some wins against teams. I really think we accomplished that.”

backdraw.

Those hopes came to fruition for Lund-Wilde and the Jumbos after a close victory against North Dakota State and a blowout of Utah Valley. But their run ended with a 26-21 loss in the bronze division’s ninth-place game to the University of Washington.

“The whole weekend was a fantastic opportunity. We showed that we can hang with almost anyone in the nation,” Lund-Wilde said. “Tufts has something special that maybe not a lot of other Div. III schools have.”

—by Matt Berger

Oliver Porter /Tufts Daily

Freshman attackman Gabby Horner’s two goals were not enough to push Tufts past Trinity, which prevailed Saturday on Bello 9-8.

With three more NESCAC games, race for second wide open WOMEN’S LACROSSE continued from page 16

The defeat leaves Tufts tied for third in the NESCAC with a 4-2 conference record, a mark the team shares with Bates and Colby. Middlebury (4-1) now temporarily occupies the second-

place position, but the Panthers have played one fewer conference game than the squads tied for third, leaving the race for the second seed in the NESCAC tournament wide open.

Tufts has three more games against NESCAC teams, hitting the road for

a match with Conn. College (3-7 overall, 0-6 NESCAC) before closing the season with a pair of difficult home games against Middlebury and Bowdoin. The squad returns to action tomorrow, hosting Bridgewater State at 5 p.m.

Athletes of the week Alec Bialosky, Men’s Lacrosse With the top spot in the NESCAC standings up for grabs, senior quad-captain Alec Bialosky came up huge for No. 1 Tufts in the team’s 18-10 rout over No. 14 Trinity on Saturday in Hartford, Conn.

The longstick midfielder was expectedly dominant on the defensive end, where he won a team-leading five groundballs.

But Bialosky was equally impressive on the offensive end, finishing with four goals and an assist. Three of his four goals were unassisted.

With the Jumbos up 5-3 following a goal from junior Sean Kirwan, which Bialosky assisted, Bialosky notched his first score of the game with just 1:06 remaining in the first quarter. He followed that up with another unassisted goal in the second quarter, which gave Tufts a comfortable 9-5 lead. Two more fourth-quarter goals by the senior helped break open a two-goal game as the Jumbos held the Bantams scoreless in the final period, aided in no small part by Bialosky’s team-high offensive output.

Bialosky, who was named to the All-NESCAC First Team in 2010 after averaging 3.29 ground balls per game, has already reached his junior year goals total with eight thus far in 2011. He is also one assist away from matching his tally from 2010. Bialosky is also averaging a whopping 4.22 ground balls per contest, placing him in the top 10 in the NESCAC for that category.

Gabby Horner, WOMEN’s lacrosse Despite No. 12 Tufts’ narrow 9-8 loss to No. 4 Trinity on Bello Field on Saturday, one of the Jumbos’ offensive bright spots came from freshman attackman Gabby Horner, who scored a team-high three goals in the top-25 matchup. Horner now has 15 goals, good enough for fourth on the team, to go along with three assists.

Horner, who debuted for the Jumbos with a five-goal outburst in the season opener against Amherst, nearly brought Tufts back from a three-goal deficit late in the second half. With 5:10 remaining, Horner cut the Bantam lead to 9-7 and added another score at the 2:42 mark. Both tallies were off free-position shots. Her first goal came with 1:35 left in the first half on a feed from classmate Kate Applegate.

This is Horner’s fifth multi-goal game on the season and her highest offensive output since the March 12 matchup against the Lord Jeffs. The Allentown, N.J., native has been an integral part of a deep and balanced Jumbos attack that, before the Trinity game, had scored double-digit goals in eight consecutive contests and is now averaging 12.44 goals per game, fourth-best in the NESCAC. Horner is also tied for fourth in the conference with two game-winning goals.

—The Daily Sports Department

Burden of proof

I

have now spent three days digesting the news of Manny Ramirez’s retirement, and my feelings on the subject remain conflicted.

As a Yankees fan, I am happy to see him go. No one was better at coming through against the Bombers, and I sat nervously through his every at-bat.

Even when he returned to the AL East this year long since his prime, I dreaded having to regularly see him again.

But as a sportswriter, I mourn the loss of a great source of material: Ramirez was one of the game’s great goof-offs.

Before Charlie Sheen was winning, Manny was being Manny. Before Chad Ochocinco was kissing babies, Ramirez was disappearing inside of scoreboards mid-game.

I could easily go on for a full column (or five) about Manny’s antics, but that isn’t what I wanted to focus on. Instead, I wanted to discuss the other consequence of Ramirez’s retirement: the conversations on steroids and their effects on Hall of Fame voting that inevitably followed the announcement.

By now, it seems the Hall of Fame voters have made up their minds about those who are proven steroid users — none are getting in. The precedent has been set for many years now with Mark McGwire, who failed for the fifth time this year. Based on that unwritten rule alone, Ramirez will not be inducted into Cooperstown, despite his 555 home runs and .312 career batting average.

But what do we make of the rest of the players of the steroid era, those who haven’t been formally outed by the game but who may be just as likely to have taken steroids during their careers? Is it fair that success in this generation is based as much on performance on the field as it is hiding things off it?

The best example of this may end up being Jim Thome, who will spend all season in the headlines as he chases 600 home runs. Incredibly, during a time when just about every player who hits home runs comes under fire, Thome is widely accepted as a clean player.

Now, I love Thome and think he is one of the most genuine players in the game. The way he plays baseball is a throwback, and from his first days in the pros, he was built like a power hitter with a long-ball swing. It’s because of all of these things that I, and many others, have no urge to accuse him of being a user.

But what if he’s got us all fooled?

After all, he had the same access to steroids as every other player in the past 20 years and rose in the game before they were even banned. In fact, there’s no good reason why he wouldn’t have taken them.

The same goes for Albert Pujols, who continues to avoid criticism despite slamming his way through the record books with a body that, beyond the Cardinals uniform, looks a lot like McGwire’s. The signs are definitely there, but he is a fan favorite in a franchise that does not receive much hate (i.e. not Alex Rodriguez in New York).

Babe Ruth was a once-in-a-lifetime player, and it is no surprise that his alltime home-run record stood for as long as it did. Hank Aaron broke the record with longevity and consistency. Since then, anyone nearing it has done so with the quite obvious taint of steroids.

Maybe Pujols is the next Ruth. Maybe his appearance during the steroid era was purely coincidental. But regardless of whether Thome and Pujols are indeed clean, fans of the nation’s pastime have chosen to be true Americans and mark them both innocent until proven guilty.

Ethan Sturm is a sophomore majoring in biopsychology. He can be reached at ethan. sturm@gmail.com.

Sports

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INSIDE Club Tennis 15

tuftsdaily.com

Men’s Lacrosse

Baseball

Jumbos sweep their way to the top of NESCAC by

Daniel Rathman

Daily Editorial Board

When Eddie Guardado served as the Minnesota Twins closer during the late 1990s and early 2000s, the lefty was known for his BASEBALL (12-4-1, 6-0 NESCAC East) at Hartford, Conn., Saturday Tufts Trinity

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Tufts Trinity

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at Hartford, Conn., Friday

Andrew Morgenthaler /Tufts Daily

Senior longstick midfielder Alex Bialosky, pictured here in a game against Bates on April 5, showed his offensive skills on Saturday with four goals and one assist against Trinity.

Kate Klots

Daily Staff Writer

There may be a “D” for defense next to Alec Bialosky’s name on the 2011 men’s lacrosse roster, but on Saturday MEN’S LACROSSE (9-0, 6-0 NESCAC) at Hartford, Conn., Saturday Tufts Trinity

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the former attackman-turned-longstick midfielder proved that he can still score.

The senior quad-captain had four goals and an assist to lift national No. 1 Tufts (9-0, 6-0 NESCAC) to an 18-10 victory over No. 14 Trinity. The Jumbos took it to the formerly undefeated Bantams, capturing sole possession of the NESCAC lead.

“Big games like that are the reason that we play,” senior quad-captain attackman Ryan Molloy said. “We have the mentality that the bigger the game, the simpler it is. We knew we

just had to stick to the fundamentals and that if we kept that mindset, we’d be fine.”

After sophomore midfielder Sam Diss’ unassisted goal gave the Jumbos the first lead of the contest, the two squads traded points, battling to a 3-3 tie. Junior midfielder Will Duryea secured Tufts’ go-ahead score with 6:26 remaining in the first quarter, and the Jumbos did not concede the lead for the remainder of the game.

Although Trinity came to within one see MEN’S LACROSSE, page 13

see BASEBALL, page 13

Women’s Lacrosse

Jumbos drop to third in NESCAC with Saturday’s loss to Bantams by

David McIntyre

Daily Editorial Board

Going into Saturday’s matchup against the No. 4 Trinity, the women’s lacrosse team expectWOMEN’S LACROSSE (6-3, 4-2 NESCAC) Bello Field, Saturday Trinity 4 Tufts 5

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ed that a battle between two evenly matched teams with one or two plays would likely make the difference.

Unfortunately for No. 12 Tufts, Trinity made those plays and rallied from a first-half deficit to head home with a 9-8 victory that put the Bantams on top of the NESCAC standings.

The game was close, with Tufts taking a 5-4 lead into the halftime break, thanks to a combination of tough defense and patient offense. But after junior midfielder Casey Egan scored to give the Jumbos a 6-4 advantage, the Bantams went on an unexpected run, scoring five unanswered goals to take a 9-6 lead. Despite two late goals from freshman attackman Gabby Horner, Tufts was

unable to recover, and Trinity walked off Bello Field with a valuable victory.

“I think we played great, but lacrosse is a game of runs, and in the end the game was a tossup,” coach Carol Rappoli said. “It was a game between two top teams, and we just couldn’t put it together at the end.”

Trinity held the slight advantage in several statistical categories, which helped push them to victory; the Bantams had 14 ground balls to the Jumbos’ 12, while Tufts turned the ball over six more times than the visitors.

Trinity sophomore midfielder Megan Leonhard burned Tufts time and time again, scoring five goals to increase her team-leading total to 23 on the year. Trinity was also helped by the contribution of sophomore attackman Kaitlin Hildebrand, who scored twice.

The victory leaves the Bantams as the only undefeated team in conference play (6-0), as well as the only team in the NESCAC with an undefeated overall record (9-0).

“They’re a really good, really tough team,” Rappoli said. “But we played great during some parts of the game, especially the first half, and hopefully

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willingness to work two or even three days in a row, earning the moniker “Everyday Eddie” in the process.

After this weekend, it is time to start referring to senior relief pitcher Ed Bernstein as “Twice-A-Day Eddie.”

With the Jumbos ahead in the late innings of both parts of Saturday’s doubleheader, coach John Casey turned to Bernstein, and the senior responded with his first two saves of the season, helping the Jumbos (12-4-1 overall, 6-0 NESCAC) cap a sweep of Trinity (13-8, 3-3).

“I don’t think I have ever gone into a game without being confident I could get the job done,” Bernstein said of his willingness to pitch twice in a day. “Especially as a reliever, without the mindset that I can go out there in any spot and execute, I don’t think I’d be any

Bialosky, No. 1 Tufts bash No. 14 Trinity by

Tufts Trinity

we’ll get an opportunity to play them again in the tournament.”

Rappoli’s allusion to toughness was spot on: The game was dominated by fouls and resulting free-position opportunities. The teams combined for an unusually high nine free-position goals, and Tufts in particular was whistled for numerous infractions, especially in the second half.

“I thought we played hard for 60 minutes and kept up our intensity during the whole game,” junior attackman Lara Kozin, who finished with two assists, said. “We came out hard and played that way the entire time.”

The loss marks the end of the Jumbos’ five-game winning streak, which saw three critical victories against NESCAC teams and a pair of dominant performances against nonleague opponents.

“We played really well, but we just came up against a team that has been playing at a high level the whole season,” said Kozin, who is tied with Egan for the team lead in points with 31. “If we play that way in every game we’ll be successful.” see WOMEN’S LACROSSE, page 15

Charl charges to first Masters victory

MCT

Charl Schwartzel of South Africa won the 2011 Masters yesterday after posting a final round 66 that included birdies on each of the final four holes. After entering Sunday at 8 under par, four shots behind leader Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, Schwartzel held off Australia’s Adam Scott down the stretch to win the green jacket with a final score of 14 under par. Schwartzel, 26, became the third South African to win the Masters, joining Gary Player and Trevor Immelman, previous winners of the annual tournament.