Friday, March 18, 2016

SOFTBALL

Teele Square’s Renee’s vies for brunch crown

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Jumbos kicks off quest for fourth-straight NCAA title

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VOLUME LXXI, NUMBER 38

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Friday, March 18, 2016

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Tufts to expand options for gender identity on Common App supplement

by Liam Knox

Assistant News Editor

The Undergraduate Admissions department is expanding available gender identity options on the Tufts’ supplement to the Common Application for next year’s admissions cycle.

According to LGBT Center Director Nino Testa (G ’13), the changes, which will be modeled off the gender identity questions asked on Tufts’ First-Year Experience Survey, will debut when the application goes live for the class of 2021.

On the general component of the Common Application, only two options are given for applicants in regards to gender identity: male and female. Currently, the Tufts supplement provides three options: male, female and other, Testa said.

According to Lauren Conoscenti, a senior research analyst at the Office of Institutional Research and Evaluation (OIRE), this year’s First-Year Experience Survey was distributed to first-year students in early March and asked about student’s gender identity in a different way. Conoscenti said that the OIRE uses consistent wording on questions in surveys throughout the academic year but typically reevaluates the gender identity question with sources such as the LGBT Center and the Women’s Center during the summer.

Conoscenti explained that this year’s survey asked a two-part question about gender identity: “Do you identify as transgender?” for which the potential answers included “Yes,” “No” and “I prefer not to answer” and “What is your gender identity?” for which the potential answers included “Woman,” “Man,” “Genderqueer/Gender non-conforming,” “An identity not listed here” — ­ with a fillin-the-blank option was provided — and “I prefer not to answer.”

This two-part question reflected a change from last year’s First-Year Experience Survey in which students were asked to select their gender identity from the following options: “Woman,” “Man,” “Transgender,” “Transgender Woman,” “Transgender Man,” “Genderqueer/ Gender non-conforming,” “Other” with room for specification and “I prefer not to answer.”

According to Testa, questions in the First-Year Experience Survey were modeled off a list of suggested best practices for asking sexual orientation and gender on college applications proposed by the Consortium

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Two cases of mumps confirmed in regional virus outbreak

by Arin Kerstein

Executive News Editor

A screenshot of the Tufts Common Application. of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals.

Testa said that the wording on the Admissions supplement will differ from the consortium’s recommendations in that instead of listing both cisgender and transgender options, it will feature a second part of the question asking if the applicant identifies as transgender.

The Tufts admissions supplement, unlike the first-year survey, will not include a fill-in-the-blank-option for students to write in a more specific gender identity, according to Testa.

First-year Parker Breza, the Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate LGBT community representative, said he would have liked to see a fill-in-the-blank option listed on the application.

“For a lot of students, even those categories are not representative of their true identity,” he said. “It can be traumatic for students to be forced into a box that doesn’t represent them.”

While the expanded options will only be for the undergraduate admissions application as of now, the possibility of eventually adding them to the applications for Tufts’ graduate schools is being considered as well, Testa said.

According to Testa, the wording change was brought about when Ray Bernoff, a transgender student, expressed his concerns about these gender identity options in a Facebook post, after taking the first-year survey in the spring of 2015.

Bernoff, who is also a Daily photographer, said his complaints stemmed from the normalization of cisgender identities.

“The thing that bugged me about the first-year survey was that the options were ‘male,’ ‘female,’ ‘transmale’ and

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‘transfemale,’ implying that trans-people who identify within the binary aren’t the same as cis-people who identify within the binary,” Bernoff, a sophomore, said. “The survey was not confusing for cis-people, because they just chose whatever gender they were.

But for trans-people, there were two options that were correct.”

Testa read the post and, working with Tufts OIRE, decided to solve the problem by splitting the question into two for this past year’s survey.

“To push against that idea that cispeople are ‘normal’ and transpeople are something other than normal, you’d have to list cisgender and transgender,” Testa said. “But the fact is that most cis-gender people don’t know that vocabulary, so you wouldn’t get good data if you ask someone if they’re a cisgender male. So we decided to pull out that question and say, ‘do you identify as transgender, yes or no?’”

Breza said he felt a change was necessary because the way Tufts currently addresses gender identity on its supplement is “pretty limited.”

“It forces you to choose a binary category or choose ‘other,’ which is just not representative of one’s gender identity whatsoever,” he said.

According to Chief Diversity Officer Mark Brimhall-Vargas, who joined Testa in advocating for these changes, the expanded gender identity options are key in creating an inclusive community at Tufts.

“It conveys to prospective applicants

Two cases of mumps among Tufts students have been confirmed this week, along with one additional suspected case, according to Medical Director of Health Service Margaret Higham.

The viral illness is characterized by a painful swelling of the jaw, according to a health announcement sent to the university community on March 14

by Higham, Stephen Larson, director of Environmental Health and Safety, and Mary Pat McMahon, dean of Student Affairs.

Mumps is a mild virus that tends to last between three and four days and requires isolation from other people for approximately five days, Higham said, noting that the illness is spread through infected respiratory droplets, including sneezes, coughs and sharing drinks.

She noted that there is no treatment or medication for the virus.

Higham also added that many of the cases are concentrated within the Greek community.

“Some of these cases have been associated with fraternity organizations, and we are continuing to work with the members of this community to raise awareness of risks and precautionary measures,” she and McMahon wrote to the Tufts community yesterday in an email update.

These diagnoses have come along with an outbreak of the virus among colleges and universities in the New England area, Higham said, noting that the link between these cases across the region is currently unknown. However, she noted that the illness is easily spread on college campuses because most students received vaccinations as young children, which may have partially worn off at this point in their lives.

“Mumps is something that’s been showing up in college campuses for several decades now,” she said. “[It is] more commonly seen on college campuses than in other settings, presumably because it takes prolonged closed

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THE TUFTS DAILY | News | Friday, March 18, 2016

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Nancy Birdsall discusses the necessity of middle-class societies

by Melissa Kain News Editor

Nancy Birdsall, founding president of the Center for Global Development, talked about the importance of building middle-class societies at a lecture entitled “Development in this Century: Building Middle-Class Societies” at 51 Winthrop St. last night, as a part of the 2016 Birger Lecture series, sponsored by the economics department.

Professor of Economics Jeffrey Zabel introduced Birdsall, noting that she has been speaking about the idea that globalization has caused distribution stress for the middle class since at least the year of 2000, an idea he said has been popular in the current election season.

Birdsall opened her discussion with a reference to Mohamed Bouazizi, a Tunisian street vendor who set himself on fire in 2010 after police destroyed his vegetable cart when he failed to pay a licensing fee. Bouazizi, she said, was a part of the class of “strugglers” that is growing in the developing world.

Most people in the developing world are “strugglers,” she added, and will be until 2030.

According to Birdsall, strugglers in the developing world are not poor, but are far from the middle class. Strugglers make about four to eight dollars a day, she said, in comparison to the middle class, who make 10 to 50 dollars a day, and the poor, who make less than four dollars a day.

Birdsall explained there are two views of development: people and systems. While she said that people are discussed more than systems, she noted that she is trying to transition the nar-

rative into the world of systems, speaking on the importance of a middle class in an effective, democratic society.

“The middle class has the…ability and the willingness to pay taxes [and] to finance public goods,” she said.

Birdsall also said that, from a political point of view, the middle class shows civic engagement, and its presence also decreases the likelihood of ethnic rivalries.

The developing world, however, will have a projected growth of strugglers and decline in the poor population by 2030, according to MAX LALANNE / THE TUFTS DAILY Birdsall. In 2030, the Nancy Birdsall, the president of the Center for Global Development, speaks at Tufts during a lecture entitled “Development in biggest proportion of this Century: Building Middle Class Societies” organized by the department of economics on March 17. the population in the developing world will be the strugglers.

“There’s a fundamental problem America, there’s a lot of problems of the “There will still be a lot of people there that if [the state doesn’t]…move to middle class opting out of public serin the situation of Mouazizi,” Birdsall other forms of taxation … they’re going vices … They even opt out of police and said. “It will still be a very poor world to be hitting the strugglers pretty hard,” security services,” she said. out there.”

Birdsall said.

According to Birdsall, today’s develBirdsall also discussed the relationship Furthermore, Birdsall said, public opment challenge is to build midof strugglers in the state, who fall well services provide little benefit to the dle-class societies, which surrounds below the poverty line. Although strug- strugglers and the poor. She cited the jobs and manufacturing. glers pay taxes, developing states lose fact that strugglers and the middle class “There has to be a shift to a narrative money on their payments, she said. A will pay to send their children to private that’s more positive and more focused heavy reliance on consumption taxes in schools in the developing world, as an on the system…[to] make it much easthe developing world has led to a push for example of this. ier for the strugglers to move into the countries to raise their own resources.

“If you think about it, at least in Latin middle class,” she said.

Gender identity questions altered to become more inclusive

ADMISSIONS

continued from page 1 and their families that Tufts is aware of the needs of trans identified students and works toward being equitable and inclusive,” he wrote in an email to the Daily. “I believe that this conveys to the campus that we are moving in the right direction around inclusion generally.”

According to Breza, the decision was an obvious next step in an effort to make sure all of Tufts’ programming has the best practices for LGBT students. He explained that TCU Senate passed a resolution last Nov. 1, calling for Tufts to allow students to select their gender pronouns in university systems.

“This seemed like an extension of that project, just trying to codify everything pretty uniform across our systems,” Breza, who co-authored the November Senate resolution, said.

Breza said that one of the main reasons he pushed to expand the gender identity options is to expand the data Tufts would have on LGBT applicants.

“When we code gender, it allows us to get a better idea of how our university is supporting trans students…” he said. “I

think that being able to look at four-year graduation rates for LGBTQ students, the retention rates, different demographics like queer people of color and looking at how we’re supporting people at the most intersections of identity as possible is really important. Because right now I think the administration doesn’t have an idea of how well they’re supporting LGBTQ students, and this data would help move us towards seeing how they’re doing on campus.”

However, Conoscenti explained in an email to the Daily that Tufts SIS cannot code fill-in-the-blank answers to make them useful for data collection.

Breza said he thought the coding issue was “sort of an excuse” but added that the questions are a major improvement.

“It’s not perfect by any means, but it’s a step in the right direction, and something that will continue to be revisited,” he said.

Conoscenti said that the OIRE administers surveys such as the first-year one in order to provide the university with data to help it make decisions.

The data will show a need for increased resources for a community that Testa says is growing.

“I can anecdotally say that the number of non-binary students has gone up by a good number since I’ve been at Tufts, but it would be nice to have some numbers I think,” he said.

Bernoff said that data is especially needed for transgender students, in order to better allocate resources for the community. These expanded options are also an important step in Tufts’ outreach to potential transgender-identifying applicants, according to Breza.

“Tufts likes to pride itself on being a very LGBT-friendly school, and a big part of actually living up to that is accepting LGBTQ students and specifically starting to do intentional outreach to trans students,” he said.

Testa said that the benefits of collecting more specific data outweigh concerns about not offering enough options for identity.

“To make the data useful, there are certain ways that we need to do it,” he said. “That’s the point, to have a practical use. We hope that the way we ask the questions, of course, always make people feel seen, respected, validated in their

identities — but we don’t presume we’ve made a comprehensive list.”

Brimhall-Vargas also emphasized the importance of collecting data on transgender applicants and future students.

“It provides crucial information to parts of the campus that need to know to support the student such as resident life,” he said.

According to Testa, while the possibility of including a question about sexual identity on the admissions supplement was also discussed, the question “is not on the table for next year.”

Breza said he advocated for questions about sexual identity to be included, but that there were concerns over problems arising when potential closeted applicants had to answer it. This same concern is applicable to transgender students as well, according to Bernoff, who acknowledged that it’s a tricky issue.

“I think confidentiality is really important,” he said. “There’s this constant tension between information collection and making sure you’re accommodating trans students as much as you can and making sure they’re visible while recognizing that some trans students may not be able to be visible because they can’t tell anyone.”

New England area colleges see mumps outbreak cases MUMPS

continued from page 1 contact. And I think in college settings there’s more prolonged closed contact than in most other areas of people’s lives.”

She noted that the virus has never been a problem on the Medford/ Somerville campus in her more than 15

years of working at the university.

While many viral outbreaks occur on college campuses, Higham noted that people are particularly surprised when mumps outbreaks occur because the vast majority of students are vaccinated against the illness, as mandated by state law. However, she explained that vaccines are only about 90 percent effective

against the illness and that they become less effective as time progresses.

She noted that vaccinated individuals often experience milder forms of the illness, such as only being affected on one side of the face, rather than on both sides of the face.

McMahon encouraged students to take the necessary precautions if they

are worried that they might be infected.

“While mumps might be mild in many students, we want anyone experiencing symptoms to go to the Health Service as much for other people in the community, including those who are immunocompromised or pregnant, as for themselves,” she wrote to the Daily in an email.

Friday, March 18, 2016

Features

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Q&A

Sheldon Krimsky discusses private interests, ethics in science

by Jake Taber

Features Editor

Sheldon Krimsky has been a professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning (UEP) at Tufts since 1974. Since then, he’s contributed extensively to the study of ethical considerations relative to biotechnology and other scientific fields.

He was a consultant to the Presidential Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research and served on the National Institute of Health’s national Recombinant (“spliced”) DNA Advisory Committee. He has written 14 books on biotechnology and the possible health and environmental risks of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) as well as their intersections between science and ethics.

One of those books is “Science in the Private Interest” (2003), a look at the world of industry-funded scientific research. Krimsky has written extensively on the subject. In 1979 — one of his first years as an untenured UEP professor at Tufts — he conducted a study that ultimately led him to his long career in studying the intrusion of corporate money into research and academia.

The Daily sat down with Krimsky to talk about the modern links between private funds and scientific research.

Tufts Daily (TD): Talk about how you got into researching the ethics of industry-funded science.

Sheldon Krimsky (SK): In 1979, I was overseeing a toxic contamination case; students were doing the studies and the investigation in Acton, Mass. I was a much younger, [untenured professor.] …

It was a big case; it was the first case of a federal lawsuit against the chemical company [W.R. Grace and Company] under a new law, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. That law stipulated that if a party was responsible for the contamination it didn’t matter that when they did it there was no law against it — no grandfathering or grandmothering.

The federal government was suing this corporation, and we were doing a study to find out what was going on. The vice president of this corporation went to visit the president of Tufts, telling him to fire me and stop the report from ever getting out. Fortunately, we had a president, Jean Mayer, who understood academic freedom. Also, W.R. Grace had never given money to Tufts — they didn’t promise to build a building or anything like that. And it occurred to me how important it was to have a firewall between people who do research and people who have a financial interest in the outcome of the research.

TD: Relating to the scientific community in the United States, how did those private-sector research links begin to change over time?

SK: In the…middle 1980s, the biotech industry began to emerge. Because of some laws that were passed, corporations were investing in universities; they were putting money into universities.

And if you were a university researcher with federal funding and you hit it big — made a discovery — the government said you can keep the intellectual property, form a relationship with a company and share the resources, share the money, the patents [and] the wealth.

So there was an enormous amount of funding going into universities, beyond biotech, and some of the faculty members started their own companies, and then there was collaboration [and] partnerships between the companies they started and their own research. There was a lot of stuff going on [with] very little transparency — nobody knew what was happening.

In mid-1985, ‘86, the first journal said we’re going to have transparency [and] have faculty disclose their financial interests when they publish a paper … It was the New England Journal of Medicine. It was a world class journal … That was a big move because people never expected that scientists would ever have to reveal their financial interests — because they were scientists.

That got me interested because I was interested in biotechnology, and I started to do a series of studies about the relationship between scientists when they were working in certain fields and the outcome of their research and how their research may have been affected by the external funding they get.

TD: How are these links problematic?

SK: [In 2006,] we did a study of one particular document…the DSM, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental [Disorders]. Every psychiatrist and psychologist that gets third party payments for their treatments has to fill out a category in the DSM about what their treatment is for.

We did the first study of the DSM that showed the relationship between the people who developed the categories of mental illness with the pharmaceutical industry. There was a strong relationship between those categories and the availability of medical therapies — pills. So if you can come up with a category that matches a pill, that’s a lot of money for the pharmaceutical industry. Until we did the study, nobody knew just what relationships occurred between the people who developed the categories and the industry. We did that study, and you could say it went viral internationally.

The American Psychiatric Association decided that in the next issue of the DSM…they would release the financial interests of the panel members who set the categories.

We did a follow up study [on if things] have changed, and we found out…that in the next issue of the DSM… there were more conflicts of interests, so it hadn’t reduced the number of conflicts of interests, but they were all listed, for the first time.

TD: So the fact that financial interests are public doesn’t necessarily reduce those links.

SK: It hasn’t made faculty members say, “hey, I don’t want my name out there in the public.” Now as far as Tufts University is concerned, Tufts has a pretty strong policy about certain aspects of corporate funding, [which] has to do with maintaining the autonomy of the scientist. [Other] universities would allow their faculty to sign contracts with corporations that gave the corporations the right to veto publication of an article, if they didn’t think the article was going to be in their financial interest or to help shape the article to sort of guide the researcher into doing the study that they wanted.

COURTESY SHELDON KRIMSKY

Tufts professor in the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning Sheldon Krimsky poses for a portrait.

I’m pleased to say that Tufts has taken a very strong position against that.

What we proposed — and I wasn’t the only one… when a drug company wanted to get its drugs evaluated, they would give it to an agency of government. The agency of government would then find an academic source or professional person to do the studies…And then the data would be available in the public domain, and then they would give the data back to the corporation. And if the data were good, the corporation can apply for a license to manufacture the drug. That’s not the way it happens.

TD: You also served on an advisory committee on recombinant DNA and a national commission on Bioethics. What are some of the main ethical dilemmas relative to that?

SK: From the very beginning, the issue was: Could you take a gene from one system, put it into a new system and make the new system virulent or dangerous? So that was the early concern … I think today the preeminent issue is whether we should allow scientists to genetically modify the human germline — that is, fertilized eggs — and to create babies, like Gattaca (1997).

TD: If there’s a single standard for what people find desirable in a child, then we might lose homogeneity?

SK: Exactly, and we don’t even know if it’s safe; we know we can do it with animals; we know we can clone animals

— surely if we can clone sheep and dogs, the chances are we probably can clone human beings, and the next question is, “should we?”

Of course, GMOs, genetically modified foods, is probably another huge controversy … They’re going to be voting on this very soon in Congress. Vermont voted to label, but if Congress votes against it then the Vermont law will be meaningless.

TD: There are some ethical discussions that I’ve heard about GMOs being the key to providing food as the climate changes.

SK: The proponents of GMOs think it’s a golden goose. It’ll solve world hunger; it’ll be able to solve climate change issues, all kinds of things. So far we don’t have any evidence that any of this is true.

Most of these things are patented, and the patents have all kinds of controls on them — they don’t even allow farmers to save seeds. So there’s a whole range of things that occur in the GMO culture that do not in the more traditional agricultural culture, and then there’s the question of whether or not GMOs are consistent with sustainable agriculture, with an agriculture for the future.

The maybe seven huge divisions in the phylogenetic scale; you can go anywhere, different kingdoms, take genes from one and put [them] in another, so you can go far afield and mix the genes up … Is that always going to give us a better product?

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ARTS&LIVING CULTURE SHOW RETROSPECTIVE

‘Familia Feud’ successful showcase of talent at Tufts Tufts’ Association of Latin American Students (ALAS) put on its annual culture show, titled “Familia Feud,” last Saturday evening in Cohen Auditorium. The show featured singing, dancing, spoken word and skits and was packed with entertaining and emotionally-charged performances.

True to its title, the culture show included three amusing student-made videos parodying the popular game show “Family Feud” (1976 – present), with sophomore Adrian Portela as host Steve Harvey. The short clips pitted the Ramirez family against the Vargas family, as they answered Family Feud-style survey questions.

The show opened with first-year Erick Orozco, who played a song on ukulele, dedicating it to his mother. Orozco was then joined by sophomore Jose Lopez on electric guitar playing Carlos Santana’s “Europa.” Later in the night, Orozco accompanied sophomore Matthew Wilson in giving a harmonic rendition of Prince Royce’s “Corazón Sin Cara.”

Seniors Liz Palma and Sylvia Montijo and alumna Valeria Ruelas (LA ’15) then delivered incredibly emotional performances. Palma and Montijo’s spoken word piece, “Learning to Love,” was an evocative and personal poem communicating their journeys toward self-love while fighting against the boundaries

imposed by society. Meanwhile, Ruelas prefaced her performance with a condemnation of rape culture at Tufts and the university’s handling of sexual misconduct cases, dedicating her song to survivors of sexual assault. She belted Gloria Trevi’s version of “Él Me Mintió.”

The show’s dance acts included Tufts La Salsa and traditional Mexican folk dancing from Harvard Ballet Folklórico de Aztlán, as well as a Brazilian Samba by sophomore Marisol Consuegra, senior Rebeca Pessoa, junior Priscilla Sena and sophomore Amy Vasquez.

Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad/ Lambda Pi Chi, a national Latina sorority, step-and-strolled on stage, a tradition begun by historically black sororities and fraternities, which has since diffused to multicultural Greek letter organizations.

Tufts’ all-female step team ENVY also performed an enjoyable routine centered on zookeepers tracking down an escaped lion. Essence, Tufts all-women a Capella group dedicated to celebrating music of the African Diaspora, followed ENVY with an arrangement of “Thinking About You” by Frank Ocean and a gospel medley.

At the show’s intermission, there was a photo presentation, which acted as a bittersweet tribute to the ALAS’s graduating seniors.

Hosts Liz Palma and Daniela Salazar were charismatic and clearly beloved by the audience. Thanks to an efficient stage management team, led by first-years Hillary Rodriguez and Erick Orozco, the technical aspects of the show also ran smoothly.

Prior to the performances in Cohen, there was a dinner catered by Oasis Cafe in Medford at the Latino Center, and following the show, there was an afterparty in Hotung Café featuring DJ Nova.

With a wide array of performances, ALAS’ “Familia Feud” successfully showcased the varied talents of Tufts’ diverse LatinAmerican student community. The culture show ranged from rollicking to poignant and was engaging throughout the night.

“I really enjoyed the variety in the culture show since there were fun performances, powerful performances, songs, dances, some non-Tufts performers,” Tyler Cicero, a sophomore, said.

“While I did not entirely know what to expect, I am glad I went to open myself up to a new scene at Tufts.”

The ALAS executive board, which has been planning the show since the beginning of the semester, put together a culture show every year as a “big showcase to celebrate our culture.”

“We’re proud to be able to share our culture with our community here at Tufts,” ALAS told the Daily in an email.

RESTAURANT REVIEW

Cozy Renee’s Cafe satisfies pancake cravings without breaking the bank Few frills, good food and gallons of coffee. That just about sums up Renee’s Cafe. Right outside the center of Teele Square at 198 Holland St., Renee’s has an unassuming vibe with a touch of homeyness, with its eclectic paintings and other decorations that adorn the walls.

The highlight of the two-room restaurant is a large chalkboard that features interesting chalk designs and lists the brunch specials of the day. A casual and bustling hotspot for Tufts students and locals alike, Renee’s is a great low-key breakfast or brunch option that doesn’t bring too much innovation to the table (aside from some more creative specials) but manages to deliver on classic dishes for the most part. And it doesn’t break the bank either.

There’s no place quite like Renee’s.

The second you sit down, a waiter is at your table offering piping hot coffee.

The moment after you say yes will most likely be the last time your mug will be empty. The wait staff will continuously circulate with fresh pots, pouring more for anyone who wants it. By the end of the meal, it’s not uncommon to feel a bit jittery from all that caffeine.

The number one reason to go to Renee’s is the pancakes. While rival local brunch hotspot Sound Bites’ pancakes are thicker, denser and not very sweet, Renee’s pancakes are like giant clouds. (Seriously, they are massive.)

Perfectly fluffy and sweet, and dusted with powdered sugar, they are equally enjoyable with or without syrup.

Throwing in blueberries or chocolate chips (come on, you know you deserve it) only adds to the already-excellent

traditional pancakes. One pancake is plenty filling; three are necessary. Okay, maybe only two are necessary. It might be embarrassing to have to be rolled out of the restaurant, even in the name of pancakes.

Other options are satisfying as well.

If you’re looking for something on the savory side, the omelettes are a good choice, stuffed to the brim with fillings.

On one visit, however, the outside of an omelette was slightly over-browned.

The corned beef hash is praiseworthy as well, though it is on the greasy side, so it is not for the faint of heart. The breakfast sandwiches are a great financial choice, starting at just $3, and they’re tasty as well. For the indecisive, there is the Lumberjack special — three eggs your way, your choice of breakfast meat, home fries, two pancakes and coffee on the house. Talk about having to be rolled out of the restaurant.

Not everything was perfectly executed, however. The eggs Benedict were surprisingly unsatisfactory. The eggs on both plates were over-poached, and the hollandaise sauce was overly sweet with an odd blend of spices. This could have just been one off-day, but the overcooked eggs seemed inexcusable, robbing the consumer of the satisfying feeling of breaking into a yolk and having it run all over the plate, mixing with the hollandaise and creating an even more decadent eating experience.

On one visit, Renee’s definitely skimped on the sides of home fries that came with the egg dishes. Not the end of the world, but still disappointing, particularly because the home fries are on

point. Unlike Sound Bites’ bizarre potato dish that seems to just be mashed potatoes that were run over by a truck with scorching hot tires, Renee’s home fries are wedge-cut little potatoes that appear to have been roasted with spices. In other words, they look like real potatoes, and they taste like them too.

Another annoyance at Renee’s is that it has self-serve water. This wouldn’t be that huge of a deal, except that the cups provided with the water are tiny. The restaurant is jam-packed with tables, so attempting to weave through the restaurant to the water cooler is just an accident waiting to happen.

Something else to note about Renee’s is that it is cash-only. It’s not that big of a deal, but it’s something to keep in mind, so you don’t end up unable to pay for your meal and washing dishes in the kitchen. (Does that ever happen in real life?) A nice thing about Renee’s, though, is that if everyone at the table does have their cash, Renee’s will divvy up the check for you if you ask, reducing the amount of math you have to do. No one should have to do math early on a Sunday morning.

Despite some flaws, Renee’s is a worthy breakfast and brunch location.

Remember, it’s only open Wednesday through Sunday, and only until 1:30 p.m. in the afternoon, so you’ll have to roll out of bed before 2 p.m. unfortunately. But at least once in a while, it’s worth it. Even wear your pajamas if you want. This is not the type of place that will care, though you may get some looks if you go all out with your bunny slippers. Just go. And get the pancakes.

Friday, March 18, 2016

Parker Selman Style Spotlight

Alice Tattevin

A

lice Tattevin is a first-year from Paris, France who sat with me to discuss the difference between French and American fashion, her addiction to shoes and the benefits of everyday apparel over runway couture.

Parker Selman: Where are you from?

Alice Tattevin: Paris, France.

PS: How does Parisian fashion differ from American styles?

AT: I think it’s just generally very different from American or any other non-European senses of fashion. If I could characterize it, the difference would be the emphasis on accessories, jackets and thinness. I think a lot of the clothes that are made in the fashion industry are built around very tall and thin people. Generally, I think Parisian style is not very flamboyant; it’s very pared down and neutral.

PS: How would you describe your personal style?

AT: I would say it’s pretty monochrome. I wear grey and black and sometimes when I’m feeling adventurous some white tones. I also think comfort is prime and essential so generally leggings when I can and jeans when I have to. Things that are soft, comfortable and not flashy are my style.

PS: Who or what are your fashion inspirations?

AT: Kendall Jenner’s street look with the bomber jackets and the boots with leggings or jeans helps inform my fashion.

She wears a lot of dark tones. I don’t look at her runway fashion or red carpet looks but more her everyday style. Also Gigi Hadid along those same lines.

PS: What are your favorite brands?

AT: My three favorite brands are all French, but they all can be bought in America as well. I like Sandro, Maje and Bel Air. They used to be pretty pricey, but now they’re all competing with each other so their prices have started to go down.

They make clothes with not many colors, which is good for me. I also like the French brands IRO and Les Petites and I enjoy shopping at American vintage stores.

PS: What is your favorite piece of clothing?

AT: Well, I love shoes. Shoes are absolutely my life. I have a sign back home that says, “I love shoes, I’m superficial, whatever” — it was a gift I swear! But my favorite pair of shoes are these heeled boots with a thick heel that allow me to be tall and comfortable at the same time.

Clothes-wise, it would have to be this cashmere hoodie because it is comfortable, soft, grey and it still looks trendy.

PS: What are your feelings on fashion?

AT: I’ve never really had any interest in seeing a catwalk because I think what is shown on catwalks is completely opposite to what people actually wear. Runways are more about people creating pieces; it’s a form of art. I would never even consider wearing the majority of things that go down the runways at Fashion Week. I’m interested in fashion but not high fashion, the wearable and generally accessible clothing. I just can’t own a hat that is the size of an umbrella — it’s not practical.

Parker Selman is a first year student who is yet to decilare a major. Parker can be reached at Parker.Selman@tufts.edu

Friday, March 18, 2016 | Comics | THE TUFTS DAILY

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Comics

LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Nick: “That person is ideologically qualified.”

Mengqi: “I feel like we’re the Chinese government.”

Comics

CROSSWORD

Thursday’s Solution

SUDOKU

JUMBLE

Difficulty Level: Study for midterms during spring break.

Thursday’s Solution

NON SEQUITUR

BY WILEY MILLER

5

6

THE TUFTS DAILY | Sports | Friday, March 18, 2016

T HE T UFTS D AILY Sarah Zheng Editor-in-Chief

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Tufts looks to get back to form against Colby tomorrow for first NESCAC win WOMEN'S LACROSSE

continued from back the visitors only 45 seconds to find the back of the Jumbos’ net. Middlebury junior attacker Bea Eppler opened the scoring with an assist by Instrum, opening the floodgates as Middlebury raced to a commanding 6-0 lead just 11 minutes in.

The Jumbos started cutting into the Panthers’ lead with a 4-1 scoring run as the first half was winding down.

Ross, Vinci and sophomore midfielder Caroline Nowak all got open and slung shots past Middlebury goalie Kate Furber. But the visitors snuffed out the comeback, answering with three of their own to end the half up 10-4.

The Jumbos sought to reduce the deficit in the second half with two early goals inside the first five minutes from Ross. But Tufts was unable to ever really threaten Middlebury’s lead, and just as in Wednesday night’s contest against Cortland, Tufts slumped off towards the end of the game. Four different scorers extended the Middlebury lead to 14-7 with a little over 15 minutes to play. In the last five minutes, Sciarretta scored

twice and Pascal once to ice off the game and give Middlebury a comfortable eight-goal advantage at 17-9 that they carried to the final whistle.

“We were definitely disappointed with the defeat against our first NESCAC team,” Ross said. “They are a very good team, and they put a lot of pressure on the ball carrier, and we just didn’t handle as well as we should have.”

Despite the loss, the Jumbos did see impressive play from their first-years in a sign that bodes well for the rest of the season. Toner scooped up a game-high four groundballs and first-year attacker Dakota Adamec led Tufts with four draw controls, second in the game only to Middlebury senior midfielder Laurel Pascal’s seven.

Still, the Jumbos’ offensive production severely slumped against strong competition as they averaged 21 shots in these two games — just over half of the 40-plus shots they averaged in their first two games of the season. The team notes that their play against tough skilled and well-balanced teams like Cortland and Middlebury could use some improvement.

“They are definitely good teams, and I

think we still have a lot to work on, but we’re used to getting better every day,” Cohen said. “But you can’t focus too much on one game that’s already happened because you’ve got another one coming up.”

Tufts have a series of away encounters next, beginning this evening with another NESCAC matchup at Colby at 7 pm before the team travels to Stevenson on Thursday. Colby is 1-1 on the season while Stevenson is currently on a two-game winning streak, though it lost its first four games. The Jumbos are already looking forward to bouncing back from this week’s disappointments and get their first NESCAC win.

“We always say that the biggest game is the next one, so tomorrow against Colby is our next biggest game,” Cohen said.

“We’re excited for our first away game and to play at a NESCAC school too because all NESCAC teams are good teams and we need to respect that. We’re definitely going to work hard and hope to have more success on the field tomorrow. Everyone is just motivated to stay positive, keep getting better, work hard in practice every day, looking for another chance to play another great team tomorrow.”

Friday, March 18, 2016 | Sports | THE TUFTS DAILY

Sports

7

SAILING

Sailing tallies three regatta wins in early-season racing

by Onat Tarimcilar Contributing Writer

The co-ed sailing teams had a successful weekend in the water in just the second week of racing this spring season, with victories in all three of their regattas.

The team sent contingents to a pair of away regattas — the Ice Breaker event at Conn. College and the Rudkin Team Race at Roger Williams University — while hosting the Arctic Circle Team Invite on the Charles River. The Jumbos had teams finish in first in all three competitions.

As the Jumbos eased back into the spring season, they competed with two different racing styles: fleet racing and team racing.

Fleet racing from Conn. College has two divisions with one boat from each school in each division. Team racing, featured at the Arctic Circle Invite and at Roger Williams, involves three boats per team all racing together, with the school to get all boats to cross the finish line first being crowned the winner. Tufts will focus predominantly on the first half of the spring season, since the team will race New England qualifiers much earlier in the season than the New England fleet races.

The Jumbos were able to earn a firstplace finish in their first home race in the spring, thanks in large part to their upperclassmen skippers junior Scott Barbano, senior James Moody, junior Griffin Rolander and senior Casey Gowrie. Firstyear Cameron Holley, who raced at Roger Williams this weekend, gave high praise to the sailors competing back in Boston.

“Our A-team really stepped up and made big plays early that helped them clinch a win against some good teams,” Holley said.

Gowrie, though pleased with the team’s result, sees room for improvement.

“While we were happy to win the team race at MIT, we still lost some key races and realize there is a lot of work to be done,” he said.

The two Jumbo contingents that traveled south found similar success, rounding out the weekend with a sweep of the three regattas the team raced in.

“One of our main focuses was to improve our boat speed on the first leg of the team race,” Gowrie said. “We definitely improved our mindset to mix this speed mode with team racing mode, which helped us essentially lock up a lot of our races after the first leg.”

Some of the team’s younger sailors delivered big wins for Tufts at Roger Williams, where Holley, fellow first-year skipper Jack Bitney and junior skipper Alex Tong, along with their crews — sophomore Aaron Klein, junior Natalie Danziger and sophomore Lara Dienemann — raced their way to a first-place finish after compiling a 7-2 record over the two days to finish ahead of teams from Roger Williams and Northeastern University, as well as the No. 2 Tufts team.

The Jumbos also brought home a win from the fleet races at Conn. College in a more competitive field of nine teams. Fleet races are scored by combining the place finishes from both the A and B division teams, with a point for each first-place finish, two for second and so on, with the lowest overall team score winning after the two days of racing. Tufts finished the second day with 148 total points, tied with Yale but won through a head-to-head tiebreaker. Both teams tied with a score of 148, thoroughly beating the next best score of 186 from the Brown team.

Despite the victories this weekend, both Holley and Gowrie agree that the true test of the team’s early-season preparedness

will be this coming weekend, as the team spends their spring break in Maryland competing against a host of the nation’s top teams.

“We showed good boat speed all weekend but had some opportunities to make plays fall through, which means we need to make sure we’re more active and are executing plays effectively,” Gowrie said.

“It’s going to be tough, but hopefully we continue our positive momentum from last week and get some wins against some tough teams,” Holley said.

As the team continues to improve ahead of the New England qualifiers and looks ahead to nationals later this spring, Gowrie explained that the spring break competitions give the team a number of opportunities to compete in low-stakes events against strong teams as practice for more important regattas to come.

Last weekend’s three first-place finishes clearly bode well for the rest of the season to come, but the Jumbos, knowing that their hardest work is in front of them, remain humble.

“All in all, still a good win, but there are always things to refine if we want to qualify for nationals,” Gowrie said.

Jumbos kick off season with road trip in Florida SOFTBALL

continued from back “Offseason training is always tough as we work hard to get stronger, quicker and keep our skills up,” sophomore UT Samantha Siciliano said. “We did a lot of weightlifting, went to speed school and worked on our softball skills in small groups and as a team.”

Also unlike many of the top softball teams in the nation, the Jumbos’ unglamorous offseason was mostly spent in the gym, far from southern sunshine or cheering crowds.

“Offseason training has been very intense but great,” senior co-captain pitcher Erica County added. “The team has been working really hard to improve all aspects of our game from hitting to fielding to pitching. In the offseason our main focus is to get our strength up with lift three times a week because our season is so quick and so demanding.”

The Jumbos don’t play a NESCAC East Division opponent until their three-game series against the Bowdoin Polar Bears April 1-2. That series kicks off a packed April schedule that sees them play threegame series against each of their NESCAC East opponents — which also include Bates, Colby and Trinity — as well as a host of NESCAC West Division and non-conference opponents.

Tufts has won the East Division the past five years and has won the NESCAC title each of the last four years as the team has not lost a game against a conference opponent since 2012. Tufts softball’s 10 alltime NESCAC championships leads the conference, while second-best Williams only has three. The Jumbos have been either a NESCAC champion or runner-up for thirteen of the last fifteen years, so they have clearly dominated the NESCAC and look to continue their dynasty this year. Thus, unsurprisingly and probably justifiably, the team considers making the postseason a given and is already looking forward to May. “If we are playing our best softball in May, we put ourselves in a great position for the NCAA tournament,” Horowitz said. “We have smaller goals that we focus on each day at practice and during games, and they all build up to our ultimate goal of winning a National Championship.”

NICHOLAS PFOSI / THE TUFTS DAILY ARCHIVE

Tufts pitcher and tri-captain Allyson Fournier, E ’15, serves a pitch during Tufts' softball 10-0 victory against Bowdoin at Spicer Field on Saturday, April 11, 2015.

This year’s team will enjoy a certain advantage and prestige over Tufts teams of recent years. Beginning in the fall of 2014 and ending late last season, Tufts renovated the team’s home Spicer Field into a facility fitting of the nation’s best team, one that can play host to potential NCAA tournament games. The facility features a new field, deeper fences, modern dugouts, a refurbished scoreboard and a press box and bleachers. However, the new Spicer Field debuted late in the season on April 11 and, because of the relentless winter, the team got few opportunities to play on it before the playoffs.

“Fortunately, we have been able to practice outside a few times during preseason because the weather has been so great, but playing games on our new field is always such a privilege for us,” Horowitz said. “If the weather stays as mild as it has been, we should have plenty of softball in Medford.”

The team, though already close, hopes to build up both their skills and

teamwork in Florida in order to get into an unprecedented rhythm.

“The offseason is also a great time to get to know the freshmen and bond as a team so that we already have good chemistry once we start the season,” said Siciliano.

“Teamwork is so important in softball and we are embracing that more than ever this year. One person cannot win or lose a game, and we pride ourselves on being 22 strong. Every member of our team is 100 percent committed to her role,” Horowitz said.

The biggest obstacle for the Jumbos this season will be contending with the graduation of former tri-captain Allyson Fournier (LA ’15), a two-time Honda Div. III Athlete of the Year, four-time National Softball Coaches Association (NFCA) AllAmerican, four-time NESCAC Pitcher of the Year and arguably the best pitcher in Div. III softball history. The team also lost the experienced leadership of former tri-captains Gracie Marshall (LA ’15) and

Michelle Cooprider (LA ’15), along with that of one of the most decorated athletes in Tufts athletics history, Bri Keenan (LA ’15), who, in addition to her three NCAA softball titles, was the goalie for the 2012 NCAA champion Tufts field hockey team.

But this year’s roster is still potent, led by co-captains County and fellow senior Christina Raso. County will take over as the Jumbos’ ace after putting up impressive numbers in 2015. Though overshadowed

by Fournier, County was also undefeated on the mound, going 15-0 with a 1.68 ERA. Junior Cassie Ruscz, a powerful force at the plate last season leading the team with 13 home runs and a .446 batting average, will lead Tufts’ offense again this year.

With their returning veterans and incoming rookie talent, coach Cheryl Milligan’s squad is confident heading into its title-defense. County put it succinctly and simply.

“I have high expectations for our team,” she said.

Sports

8 tuftsdaily.com

Friday, March 18, 2016

WOMEN'S LACROSSE

Women’s lacrosse struggles against top five opponents

by Yuan Jun Chee

Assistant Sports Editor

After starting the 2016 season winning its first two games decisively, the women’s lacrosse team fell to 2-2 on the season after a pair of losses this past week to some of the best teams in the nation in the final two matches of its season-opening four-game homestand. Nationally-ranked No. 9 Tufts fell No. 4 Middlebury 17-9 on Saturday after the visitors pulled away in the fourth quarter and then could not overcome defending national champions and current No. 1 SUNY Cortland on Wednesday.

Both opponents are undefeated so far this season. The Middlebury game was Tufts’ first NESCAC contest of the season, and the loss puts the team at 0-1 in conference play.

The Jumbos kept Wednesday night’s game against the Cortland Red Dragons mostly even through the first half, with the top-ranked team in the nation up by just a 9-7 margin going into the break, but the second half saw the visitors pull away for the 18-10 victory. The Jumbos came out strong to start the game and struck first as senior tri-captain midfielder Brigid Bowser found the back of the Red Dragons’ net inside two minutes.

But Cortland quickly responded with three of its own over the next four minutes to take a 3-1 lead off of a pair of goals from sophomore attacker Hannah Elmer and one from senior midfielder Ashley Gentile.

The Jumbos refused to let the ostensibly best team in the nation pull away, battling back with scores from senior tri-captain attacker Caroline Ross and junior attacker Kate Mackin before Bowser’s goal in the 14th minute gave the hosts a 5-4 lead.

This lead lasted for just two minutes, however, as Cortland went on a 5-1 scoring drive that lasted for most of the rest of the first half that was led by senior tri-captain midfielder/ attacker Nicole Bello and junior attacker Kristen Ohberg, which gave Cortland a 9-6 lead that they would never relinquish.

First-year midfielder Megan Toner snuck in a goal late in the half to put the Jumbos within two, but that was closest they would get for the rest of the game.

Though the Jumbos continued to put pressure on the Red Dragons throughout the second half, they began to run out EVAN SAYLES / THE TUFTS DAILY) of steam and the Simultaneously tripped and knocked to the ground, Tufts midfielder Cecily Freliech (LA ‘19) attempts a shot on the visitors capitalized. goal in the game against Middlebury on Saturday, March 12.

Cortland went on a 4-1 scoring run in the first 12 min- unanswered goals in the last eight min- senior tri-captain Alli Sciarretta and utes of the second stanza to go up 13-8. utes led by Ohberg and senior tri-captain classmate Bridget Instrum both scoring In Tufts’ last scoring surge, Mackin and midfielder Tara Monaghan to ice off their five goals each to hand the hosts their first-year midfielder Gabby Vinci tallied team’s 18-10 victory. first NESCAC loss. The Panthers’ offense goals to get their team within three. But Saturday’s game against Middlebury came alive from the whistle and it took Cortland got the final surge to prove its saw the visitors stay on top of Tufts relasee WOMEN'S LACROSSE, page 6 status as defending champions with five tively easily throughout, with Middlebury

Spring break update As most Tufts students leave campus for spring break, Tufts sports teams will be busy preparing for the spring season over the next week.

Women’s basketball headlines this weekend as the team made it back to the NCAA Div. III Championship Final Four for the third straight year.

The Jumbos are in Columbus, Ohio, getting ready for a showdown on the national stage against the Wartburg College Knights at Capital University tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. Should they win, they would play in the NCAA Championship game on April 4, potentially in a rematch against Amherst Lord Jeffs, with a chance to avenge their NESCAC Championship loss. Tomorrow night’s game will be streamed online, and the link can be found on the women’s basketball page of gotuftsjumbos.com.

The baseball and softball teams kick off their seasons with their annual spring break road trips, with baseball playing 11 games over the break in a swing through Virginia and the Carolinas, while softball plays seven doubleheaders in eight days in Florida. Baseball’s season-opener comes this afternoon at 3:00 pm against Castleton in Newport News, Va., while the threepeat defending national champion softball team embarks on its title-defense against Whitworth tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.

S P O RTS S H O RTS

For those sticking around the Medford area, men’s lacrosse looks to get to 2-0 in the NESCAC with a game against Colby tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. at Bello Field before heading to Stevenson on Tuesday and then Trinity on Saturday, March 26.

In a similar schedule, women’s lacrosse heads to Colby this evening, looking to get its first NESCAC win before heading to Stevenson on Thursday and then returning to Medford for a matchup against Trinity on Saturday, March 26.

Men’s and women’s tennis teams will play a series of matches over the upcoming week to kick off their spring seasons after their four-month break since the fall season. The men will play Vassar, at a location and time to be announced tomorrow, and the women will take on Pacific University on Sunday in Malibu.

Rounding out the action over the break, the co-ed and women’s sailing teams continue to get back into form for their spring seasons. The co-ed team will compete in the Geiger Trophy Team Race hosted by MIT tomorrow and Sunday and then in the Staake Trophy Team Race hosted by Conn. College next weekend. The women’s team, meanwhile, will compete in an event at St. Mary’s tomorrow and Sunday, before hosting the Duplin Trophy competition next weekend.

SOFTBALL

Softball looks to stay atop the nation in 2016

by Soven Bery Staff Writer

With the 2016 season about to start, Tufts softball is getting very close to cementing its legacy as one of the most successful programs in the history of college athletics. As back-to-back-to-back Div. III national champions, softball is undoubtedly Tufts’ current strongest athletics team, though men’s lacrosse gives them a run for their money.

But as the Jumbos head into their third straight title-defense season and seek a fourth straight national championship, they’re approaching the rarefied territory of sports greats, a short list that includes John Wooden’s UCLA basketball program, Lance Armstrong, the 1936-39 New York Yankees and Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics, to name a few. They’re already tied for the most consecutive national titles in NCAA softball history and hold the record for the most consecutive titles in Div. III softball history.

Even more impressively, Tufts softball hasn’t lost since May 26, 2014, a narrow 2-1 defeat against Salisbury in the NCAA Div. III Championship tournament, though they quickly bounced back to beat Salisbury later that day and then the next day to win the 2014 NCAA title. Over their last three championship seasons, the Jumbos have gone 144-7 overall and cruised to a perfect 51-0 season last year.

The team’s quest for its fourth straight title begins over spring break with a trip to Florida that sees them play seven doubleheaders in eight days before returning to Medford for their home opener on Tuesday, March 29 against Babson. Tufts kicks off the season tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. with a game against Whitworth before playing a host of non-conference opponents from across the nation over the next week.

The Jumbos only began their preseason training a few weeks ago due to strict NESCAC regulations, putting them at a distinct disadvantage relative to the other top teams in NCAA Div. III. By contrast, TexasTyler, the team Tufts beat in last year’s NCAA championships, has already played 19 games this season. But the Jumbos are confident that they’ll still rise to the top even after their short Spring Training.

“Our offseason has been five weeks of becoming familiar with our new team.

Each year we come to practice on Feb. 15 ready to play whatever defensive role we fit best in and become a powerful offensive team,” junior first-baseman and outfielder Summer Horowitz said. “Our program is built around offense and this year has been no exception. It is very exciting to watch our hitters get better everyday and continue to improve through our last game.” see SOFTBALL, page 7