2012-03-16.pdf

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THE TUFTS DAILY

Showers 50/41

TUFTSDAILY.COM

friday, march 16, 2012

VOLUME LXIII, NUMBER 35

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Senate passes resolution to lower cost of attending Tufts Andy Wong

The Tufts Community Union ( TCU) Senate at its meeting on March 4 passed a resolution (25-1-0) calling for the creation of a committee with the goal to constrain the cost of attending Tufts. The resolution was submitted by TCU Treasurer Christie Maciejewski, a sophomore, TCU Associate Treasurer Ard Ardalan, a junior, and TCU Assistant Treasurer Matt Roy, a freshman. To address cost issues, the resolution calls for “the administration of the University and the Trustees of Tufts College to create a commission including student representatives as full voting members, specifically tasked with lowering the cost of attending Tufts University.” The committee, in collaboration with the administration, would be tasked with the re-evaluation of tuition and other student-related fees, as well as the establishment of a five-year plan designed to “contain, cap, and cut the cost of attending Tufts University.” “We don’t have set solutions, but we know for sure that the problem needs to be dealt with and that the University has not set a priority for cost containment,” Ardalan, who is also an assistant op-ed editor for the Daily, said. “We’re trying to highlight that as a priority for the administration.” Maciejewski said the high cost of by

Contributing Writer

Antiquote via FlickR Creative Commons

Tufts Hillel will take a group of Jewish Tufts students to Morocco for the pilot program of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s (JDC) short-term service-learning trip to Morocco.

Tufts Hillel chosen to pilot JDC service trip to Morocco by

Tyler Agyemang

Contributing Writer

Tufts Hillel in May will be taking a group of Jewish students to Morocco for the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s (JDC) first-ever short-term service-learning trip there. Tufts was selected to pilot the trip because of Tufts Hillel’s history of successful participation in past service-learn-

ing trips to other countries, according to Lenny Goldstein, acting executive director and associate director of Tufts Hillel. “Tufts Hillel has had a relationship with the [JDC] for many years now,” Goldstein said in an email. “The JDC does amazing work supporting Jewish communities worldwide, and we’ve had the chance to send students on a number of trips see MOROCCO, page 2

tuition affects virtually the entire student body. “This is not a cheap education for anyone and is a financial burden to just about every family on campus, and it’s important that we start looking into the problem,” Maciejewski said. “Maybe there’s not a solution that can be made immediately or a solution that’s the best, but someone has to start looking at it.” The resolution cites as its basis an expected three-percent increase in the cost of attending Tufts during the 2012-2013 academic year, the steadily rising mandatory health service and activity fees, and the administration’s expressed interest in being able to provide admission on a need-blind basis. The resolution also says that capping costs would reinforce University President Anthony Monaco’s recent calls for sustainability, diversity and inclusion as the main goals of the university in the coming years. “I felt as though there needed to be something to address costs, just like there is something to address diversity and sustainability. I thought that was missing,” Ardalan said. “[The resolution] was very straightforward. It didn’t try to outsmart or outdo the administration. It was a very matter-of-fact appeal for help from the administration, for them to draw their attention to an issue that we really haven’t found a solution for yet.” see SENATE, page 2

The hands that feed us: Dewick-MacPhie Dining Center by Jacob

Passy

Contributing Writer

On any given day, the staff of Dewick-MacPhie Dining Center serves up to 2,000 people per meal, according to Lyza Bayard, communications coordinator for Tufts Dining Services. Dewick is known for not only the variety of dishes it serves, but also the vibrant staff it employs — each member with his or her own story to tell. Grazia DiFabio — Dining Services Attendant A resident of the Boston area for 41 years, Grazia DiFabio moved to the United States at age 12 from Naples, Italy. “I came with Christopher Columbus — almost!” she joked. Her family came to America to provide her and her five brothers with better opportunities. The transition into American schools, however, was not easy for her. “I did not know English before coming,” DiFabio said, adding that despite the language barrier, she eventually adjusted to her new home. After high school, DiFabio married her high-school boyfriend and raised two children.

She and her husband opened DiFabio’s, an Italian restaurant in Medford, where she was both manager and cook. DiFabio inherited her cooking prowess from her mother and started cooking at the age of seven. Because her mother was busy working on the family’s farm, DiFabio and her brothers had to learn how to cook for themselves. After running the business for 20 years, DiFabio sold the restaurant when her husband retired. It is now known as Pinky’s Famous Pizza. When DiFabio came to Tufts eight years ago, she initially worked at the Commons Deli & Grill and then moved to Dewick, where she has been ever since. Having worked in the food industry for much of her life, she brought a wealth of experience with her. “I knew how to deal with customers,” she said. In her time at Tufts, DiFabio has especially enjoyed interacting with the students. “I see them growing up,” she said, recalling moments when former students have come by during Alumni Weekend to say hello. When she isn’t working at

Dewick, DiFabio takes on her second job, babysitting. Following her day with students at Tufts, DiFabio takes care of her twoand-a-half-year-old grandson. Although she is surrounded by a variety of food at Dewick, DiFabio’s favorite dish to cook is still lasagna. Leslie Phelan — Services Attendant

Dining

Leslie Phelan is not new to Dewick or even to Tufts Dining Services. Before leaving to raise her family in 1991, she worked as a third cook at both Carmichael and Dewick. She decided to reapply to work at Tufts after her daughter left for college. “My husband said ‘go for it,’” she said. Upon her return, Phelan sought out a job with more student interaction, her enthusiasm for the students she serves contributing to her love of her job at Tufts. She described meeting a homesick freshman when she first started, soon after her own daughter had just gone off to college. “We both cried one day, and

Inside this issue

see DEWICK, page 2

justin mccallum / the tufts daily

Before beginning work at Dewick eight years ago, Grazia DiFabio ran an Italian restaurant in Medford with her husband.

Today’s sections

Will Ferrell discusses learning Spanish for his new film, “Casa de mi Padre.”

Six Jumbos received invites to the swimming & diving NCAA Tournament.

see ARTS, page 3

see SPORTS, Back

News | Features Arts & Living Comics

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Classifieds Sports

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