THE TUFTS DAILY VOLUME LXIX, NUMBER 61
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Where You Read It First Est. 1980 TUFTSDAILY.COM
“Commencement is more than just a new beginning; it’s a continuation ... whether you like it or not, you’ve embarked on a journey of life-long learning.” — Sol Gittleman
COMMENCEMENT 2015
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Sunday, May 17, 2015
The Tufts Daily
NEWS
The Somerville housing ordinance, which was passed in January, brings Tufts’ housing problems to the forefront.
After 13 years, the Tufts Marathon Team faces contract renegotiations with the Boston Marathon’s primary sponsor.
Tufts continues several construction projects, including an energy plant that will generage electricity for campus.
Chief Diversity Officer BrimhallVargas joins Tufts to increase inclusion and diversity on campus.
Dean of Campus Life Dean Reitman, who has been an administrator for 38 years, retires this May. see REITMAN, page 4
The Tufts Daily interviews University President Anthony Monaco about important issues facing the Tufts community.
see HOUSING, page 4
features After disaffiliating from the national organization in January, the former brothers of Alpha Epsilon Pi move forward as Pi Delta.
see MARATHON, page 5
see PI DELTA, page 11
Students bridge related interests through custom-crafted Interdisciplinary Study majors.
see DIVERSITY, page 5
see BUILDING, page 4
see IS MAJOR, page 11
The Tufts Daily interviews Sergeant McCarthy of TUPD, who is retiring after 42 years of service.
see MONACO, page 7
see MCCARTHY, page 12
arts & LIving
For those looking for exciting music events during the week Boston’s melange of culi- of Commencement, the Daily nary treasures are sure to has picked the best of the best. see MUSIC, page 19 satisfy the taste buds of even the most distinguished A wealth of talent in the anime foodies. and comics communities at Tufts creates a dynamic environment for young artists and fans.
Boston’s visual arts scene ranges from Renaissance sketches of old masters to encaustic abstract paintings.
see GALLERIES, page 22
Sonja Holmberg uses graphic novels to combine storytelling and expression techniques. see HOLMBERG, page 22 see TUFTS COMICS, page 21
see RESTAURANTS, page 19
highlights
The Tufts Daily highlights several accomplished members of the Class of 2015.
see SENIOR PROFILES, page 14
Prospective students speak to Daily reporters about themselves as they prepare to transition to college.
see PROSPECTIVE PERSPECTIVES, page 16
Check out photographs of Tufts students enjoying Boston’s snowiest winter.
see page 27
sports The men’s lacrosse team hopes to follow up its sixth consecutive NESCAC title with its second straight NCAA championship.
Despite rostering a young team, women’s tennis put together a strong campaign this year.
The softball team will look to continue its unprecedented run of dominance with its third straight NCAA title.
The golf team wrapped up its 2014-15 season with a firstplace finish at the Johnson and Wales Invitational.
The women’s crew team will prepare to for the ECAC championship on May 10. see WOMEN’S CREW, page 54
The men’s track team continued to lap the NESCAC this year, winning its third conference title in a row.
see MEN’S LACROSSE page 54
see SOFTBALL, page 54
see WOMEN’S TENNIS, page 53
As the Class of 2015 graduates, the Daily offers memories of the seniors’ four years at Tufts.
see pages 28-29
see GOLF, page 49
see MEN’S TRACK, page 49
oPINION Graduating seniors take with them memories of beloved Jumbo traditions, many now a part of Tufts’ past.
Tufts professors take a stand in support of Tufts janitors in this open letter to the Daily.
see EDITORIAL, page 32
see FACULTY, page 34
Spring 2015 Editor-in-Chief Drew Robertson signs off with a reflection on Tufts’ activist culture and this semester on the Hill.
Several students of the ExCollege course Generation Great-Great Grandparent share their academic discoveries and ruminate on the state of the “selfie” generation.
Stay informed. Stay connected. Stay tuned.
www.tuftsdaily.com
PHOTOS: FRONT, Back BY EVAN SAYLES; inside back Cover BY NICHOLAS PFOSI
see LETTER, page 32
see SELFIE, page 34
Today’s sections News 3 Features 11 Arts & Living 19 Four Years in Review 28
Editorial 32 Op-Ed 34 Comics 37 Sports 54
Sunday, May 17, 2015
The Tufts Daily
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News
Full-time, nontenured faculty unionize by Sophie Lehrenbaum Assistant News Editor
Campbell and Snyder explained that the proposed reorganization would refocus cleaning services to areas that need to be cleaned more frequently, such as dorms. The reduction in staff would also save money for Tufts, which could be put toward other services. In reaction to the administration’s position on cuts, a total of eight Tufts students participated in a hunger strike, four of whom did not eat for just over five days, fasting for more than 120 hours. The strike began on May 3 around 3:00 p.m. as students set up “area 35,” an occupation
Following a semester-long effort during the fall to garner support among the university community, full-time, nontenure Tufts lecturers officially formed a union on Feb. 12. The elections were held from Jan. 28-29 through the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and came to fruition as a result of full-time, non-tenure faculty members combining forces with the local chapter of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 509. According to Lecturer in the Department of Urban and Environmental Planning and Policy Penn Loh, who was a prominent figure in the movement to establish on-campus elections, the faculty have been making large strides since the election in bringing about changes to their workplace environment. “Since the successful vote to unionize earlier this spring, we have been working hard to gather input on the issues we’d like to address from the almost 100 lecturers who are part of the union,” Loh said. Loh explained that during the period since official unionization, the faculty have held seven group meetings with approximately 40 participants, as well as developed an online survey relating to the union. He said that the group is in the midst of filling seats on the negotiating committee, and that those interested in serving on the committee met on April 17 to ready themselves for a bargaining process with the school administration. “After the vote, we [have] found that there are many common issues that we’d like to work on,” Loh said. “They include security in our appointments, support for professional development and scholarship, ensuring a fair workload, equity in pay and benefits and full participation in university governance. We hope to start the bargaining process toward a contract later this spring.” Loh added that the union is grappling with defining its own identity, as members range from those who were actively
see JANITORS, page 6
see FACULTY, page 8
nicholas pfosi / the tufts daily
DTZ staff and union representatives protest outside 520 Boston Ave., the Tufts Facilities Services building, on March 10.
Administration, TLC continue to clash over janitorial cuts by Emma Steiner Assistant News Editor
The administration’s proposal to make cuts to part-time custodial staff in order to increase efficiency and reduce costs has sparked a battle between the administration and members of the Tufts community and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 32BJ that has continued throughout the academic year, culminating in a hunger strike and tent occupation on the academic quad that lasted over five days. Tufts Labor Coalition (TLC) and SEIU 32BJ have organized several protests and other actions throughout the year in
opposition to the proposed cuts, citing the consequences cuts would have on janitors’ lives and the possibility that the remaining custodial staff would be overworked. The proposed cuts are part of a larger university-wide effort to cut operational costs and increase efficiency in operational tasks, according to Executive Vice President Patricia Campbell and Vice President of Operations Linda Snyder. Campbell and Snyder outlined the administration’s reasons for the cuts in an April 27 op-ed to the Daily, in which they said the cuts to janitorial staff will save Tufts $900,000 annually.
TCU Senate Gittleman to step down from teaching at year in review Tufts after 51 years by Roy Yang
by Patrick McGrath
The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate has concluded its 2014-2015 session, marking a year of many changes as well as criticism and challenges. Incoming TCU President Brian Tesser, a rising senior who was elected to the position in an unprecedentedly uncontested Senate presidential election, expressed his enthusiasm for taking office next year. “I’m really excited about being president this upcoming year,” Tesser told the Daily in an email. “I think that I have the experience and ability to do really well. I am excited to see what happens next year more than anything. Throughout my entire time on Senate, it has been a roller coaster, but it is one of the most rewarding parts of my Tufts experience, and I am excited to see what is to come.” According to Gauri Seth, who served as the Senate’s parliamentarian this year, one of the biggest successes was Tufts United for Immigrant Justice’s (UIJ) resolution to establish equal opportunity for undocumented students. The resolution ultimately succeeded in attracting support from the administration, culminating in an April rally at which Dean of Undergraduate Admissions Lee Coffin announced the school’s full acceptance and financial support of undocumented students. According to Seth, a rising junior, other resolutions include a resolution to rename Columbus Day as Indigenous People’s Day, a resolution urging Tufts to adopt pay parity for part-time Arts and Sciences faculty, a resolution calling for the creation of pub-
“I had learned that faculty are anarchists, and I said, that’s a wonderful life — you can dress the way you want, you can drive old cars and nobody cares, you don’t have to put on a shirt and tie and wear $3,000 suits — you can be anything you want. So I said, that’s the life for me,” Sol Gittleman said. After 51 years at Tufts, Gittleman, the Alice and Nathan Gantcher University Professor of Judaic Studies and professor of German, will officially bring his formal teaching career to an end at the close of this academic year. Gittleman received a standing ovation from students in his final “Introduction to Yiddish Culture” class on April 23 in a bustling Cohen Auditorium. Gittleman’s students, both past and present, cited the enduring influence that his classes have left on them. “Even though the classes were packed, your eyes were riveted on him,” Deborah Jurkowitz (J ’78) said. “He had a contagious enthusiasm, and also he just had a way of teaching that wasn’t usual.” Beyond classes, Gittleman emphasized that a student’s time in college is only the beginning of a continuous learning process. “I’m preparing them for a life of lifelong learning,” he said. “I tell them, you pay for four, you get the next 40 free.” Gittleman explained that his role as a teacher has been to pass on important lessons to students. “You try to connect their present sense of history with your past sense of history to let them know what are the urgent things they have to keep learning about,” he said. “So I said it’s American immigration, World War I — without understand-
Assistant News Editor
see SENATE, page 9
News Editor
ing that, the history of both, you don’t understand where we are today.” Gittleman added that he has had to balance entertainment and education in his teaching. “Fear of failure. That’s what a teacher does,” he said. “You go from class to class hoping you don’t fall on your face. It’s part performance, part substance, so you can’t do one without the other. You want substance, you want to educate, and at the same time if you don’t have their attention, you’re doomed. So I try to get their attention and then shove information.” Despite his decades-long teaching career, Gittleman said that he still faces challenges in his teaching. “I haven’t been out of school in 75 years, since kindergarten,” he said. “Teaching is not easy in many ways. It’s extremely rewarding, but if you’re neurotic enough to feel the pressure of having to succeed and know that it worked every class, that’s a lot of pressure that [builds] up.” Gittleman, originally from Hoboken, N.J., first came to Tufts in 1964. He received his B.A. from Drew University in 1955. “I wanted to be a ballplayer when I got out of college,” he said. “I went to college to play ball, not to study anything.” After not being signed to a minor league team, however, Gittleman said he turned toward higher education. “I realized I was just a good college ballplayer without a future,” he said. “If I’m not going to be a ballplayer, I’m always near a gym and always near a library — what could be better than that?” Gittleman met his wife, Robyn Gittleman, director of the Experimental College and associate dean of undergraduate education, when they worked together at a sum-
Nicholas pfosi / the tufts daily
Professor Sol Gittleman, who has taught the popular course “Introduction to Yiddish Culture” for years, will retire this May. mer camp in 1955. “His view of life was comparative,” Robyn Gittleman said. “Our life became very interdisciplinary, and that carried through when he got [to Tufts].” Gittleman then went on to earn a M.A. in comparative literature from Columbia University in 1956 and a Ph.D. in comparative literature from the University of Michigan in 1961. While at the University of Michigan, Gittleman met a professor who focused on see GITTLEMAN, page 9
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The Tufts Daily
Sunday, May 17, 2015
News
Somerville housing ordinance highlights housing issues on, around campus by Kathleen Schmidt
students to live off campus, and that’s an enormous issue,” he said. According to McMahon, these problems are made even more difficult by the early start students have to get in order to secure off-campus housing. Lower income students may not have the funds for a large down payment at that time, she said. Joseph does not believe that a solution in the immediate future is possible, though as a long-term measure he would like to see a new dormitory built on campus. In the meantime, he recommends that the university provide students with information on how to deal with landlords and how to be good neighbors, while advising students to remain calm throughout the process. “I’d like to see some kinds of tangible action steps to tackle the housing shortage issue, and I just haven’t seen that,” Joseph said. “The Provost was supposed to have a committee on undergraduate population and housing that was supposed to happen in the fall semester … I think if we had started it in the fall we’d probably be finishing it up by now and we might have information and answers and plans to try to tackle these issues.” This housing committee now exists, according to McMahon, though it was created very recently. “I think that’s going to be one of the focuses for thinking about our housing strategy and what we’re going to do for on-campus housing, what we think about as far as supporting students who go off campus [and] helping people think through the lease process,” she said. According to Joseph, there used to be an off-campus housing office that existed to help students navigate the off-campus
by Safiya Nanji Assistant News Editor Bruce Reitman (LA ’72, AG ’83), former dean of student affairs and current dean of campus life and leadership, is retiring at the end of the semester. This June marks the end of Reitman’s 38-year career as a college administrator. According to Tufts Community Union (TCU) President Robert Joseph, the Senate celebrated Reitman’s time at Tufts at its last meeting of the year. “He’s an incredible individual, and we thought it would be appropriate to honor him at our last [TCU Senate] meeting to impart some wisdom,” Joseph said. “We thought we’d make it more of a celebration, so we invited Dean Mary Pat [McMahon] and some alums — our vice president and president from last year were able to make it to show their gratitude.” Reitman is a double Jumbo, having completed both his undergraduate and graduate studies at Tufts. Since joining the university staff in 1978, he has spent more than 30 years working with Tufts students. “I returned to Tufts in 1978 to join the staff in Student Affairs,” Reitman told the Daily in an email. “In 2000, I was appointed dean of students and continued in that position until last year. Tufts asked me to stay on these last two years as dean of campus life to help in the transition to our new dean of student affairs, Mary Pat McMahon.” Reitman’s main responsibilities over the past two years have included overseeing the operations of the Office for Campus Life, the Graduate Student Council and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, as well as serving as a consultant to McMahon and her staff, he said. Joseph, who has worked closely with Reitman this year, said he has thought of Reitman as more of a partner to the Senate rather than an advisor in regard to students’ issues. “He’s really given me a lot of good insight on how some of the upper admin works at this university … in terms of what their goals are,” Joseph said. “He’s done an excellent job in helping me and other student leaders understand a bureaucracy that’s a lot more complicated than anyone would like it to be.” Joseph said that Reitman has helped many students over the years and has been deeply involved in many difficult issues.
see HOUSING, page 9
see REITMAN, page 10
News Editor
The City of Somerville passed the University Accountability Ordinance on Jan. 22 after five months of discussions with residents, aldermen and university administrators, according to Somerville Alderman at Large Bill White, who originally proposed the ordinance on Aug. 28, 2014. The ordinance states that any university owning property in Somerville must submit a report to the city that breaks down its enrolled students according to where they live, White said. White stressed that this was different than the city receiving a copy of the internally maintained university directory, which it will not. The purpose of the ordinance is to enforce an existing ordinance that prohibits more than four unrelated adults from living in the same apartment, White said. According to Tufts Community Union (TCU) President Robert Joseph, who was present at the committee meetings debating the ordinance, it was presented as a tool to ensure student safety, though he is unsure if the ordinance is capable of achieving this. “It was also argued by the City of Somerville that this is going to reduce the level of noise, garbage and lack of parking in Somerville, because apparently students make a lot of noise, and they think they’ll reduce that if there are fewer students living in each apartment, which I don’t think is necessarily true,” Joseph, a senior said. Joseph said the information will be gathered by having students enter their addresses on the Student Information System (SIS) in order to remove a hold on class registration. The passing of the University Accountability Ordinance adds to the concerns many students already had about off-campus housing, according to Zach Merchant, a sophomore who went though the process of securing offcampus housing. “Honestly, it was a bit of a surprise … I didn’t know anything about it until I was already into the housing search process, which was alarming in and of itself,” he said. Merchant said that while it is not necessarily the responsibility of the university to find off-campus housing for its students, the services the university offers need to be improved and better publicized. “Given that housing isn’t guaranteed, I definitely would have appreciated
more information about the way this ordinance is being applied and earlier, maybe throughout the buildup and kind of the legislative process … because I know [the Office of Residential Life and Learning (ResLife)] did make an attempt to have some info sessions about it after its enactment,” he said. According to Dean of Student Affairs Mary Pat McMahon, the university must think about on- and off-campus housing options in a comprehensive and sustainable way, while also doing its best to help current students find housing and urging them to stay calm and informed. “I think the actual impact [of the ordinance] remains to be seen, and I think that will probably [be] less intense than what some of the sort of speculation about it might be,” she said. “I think it will have impact … [but] it’s got a sort of specter quality to it [right now].” McMahon noted that when students were evicted in the recent past, the university was able to work with them to find them housing on campus. Joseph said he was concerned the ordinance would put even more stress on an already competitive housing market in Somerville. “I do think it’s going to increase the demand for housing in the area … because there’s now going to be ‘x’ number of students who would have been able to live in other apartments but now need to look for new apartments because they can’t have that fifth or sixth person,” he said. “It’s going to increase the strain on the market.” Joseph also pointed out problems the ordinance could cause for lower-income students living off campus. “Because housing is going to be more expensive in the area, it’s going to be make it more difficult for lower-income
Double Jumbo Dean Reitman retires after 38 years as administrator
Tufts builds new centers, invests in energy plant to provide electricity for campus by Melissa Kain Assistant News Editor
Tufts has expanded the university’s Medford/Somerville campus during the past academic year with the addition of new buildings, including the Collaborative Learning and Innovation Center (CLIC), Central Energy Plant (CEP) and Science and Engineering Complex (SEC). These three projects have been accompanied by smaller construction jobs, such as renovations to the Richardson House and reconstruction on the Memorial Stairs. Of the new buildings, the CLIC will be the first building addition to be finished, with faculty scheduled to move in by the end of May 2015, according to Strategic Capital Program Director Barbara Stein. The 574 Boston Ave. location is about 95 percent complete and is awaiting final inspections from the city, she said. “We are hoping to hold a few summer classes in there … but the building will be up and running … for fall semester, with the
new classrooms, labs and offices,” Stein said. According to Linda Snyder, vice president of operations, the CLIC was purchased 20 years ago and rented out to tenants. When the university needed space for interdisciplinary programs, the tenants were relocated and the building was made available to Tufts, she said. “[The CLIC] has been in the works for a long, long time,” Snyder said. “The specific project development began about two-and-a-half years ago.” According to Stein, construction for the building began in the summer of 2013. The building has triple pane glass windows to help keep it quiet and well-insulated, and is on track to have LEED Gold certification, she said. Stein said the CLIC will contain both full departments and partial departments. The CLIC will house the Department of Physics and Astronomy, the Department of Occupational Therapy, the Community Health program, part of the Child Study and Human Development department, Human Factors Engineering and
ray bernoff / the tufts daily
The Collaborative Learning and Innovation Center, located at 574 Boston Ave., is near completion. the Entrepreneurial Leadership Studies program. “Part of the unique nature of the building is that it’s not only multi-departmental and multi-
disciplinary — it’s multi-school,” Stein said. The CLIC will create a vibrant intellectual community, where faculty members that work in
occupational therapy can connect with engineering faculty members who work in robotics, see BUILDING, page 8
Sunday, May 17, 2015
The Tufts Daily
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News
In memory of Julia Lee
Future of Tufts Marathon Team uncertain
by Marianna Athanassiou Assistant News Editor
On Feb. 17, the Tufts community learned that junior Julia Lee, along with her parents, was tragically killed in a car accident. Her younger brother Griffin, who was planning on attending Tufts as a member of the Class of 2019, was hospitalized after the crash and later passed away on Feb. 23. Lee and her family were on vacation in New Zealand before Lee was to begin a study abroad program at the University of Auckland. News about the accident reached the Tufts community through an email from University President Anthony Monaco on Feb. 18, and an initial memorial service and gathering took place in Goddard Chapel that evening. The initial service served to bring together those who were close to Julia and to allow them to share ideas and plan an event to celebrate her life, which was held on April 11. University Chaplain Reverend Greg McGonigle said that in moments of such tragedy that affect the Tufts community as a whole, it is important to be able to say goodbye, to grieve and to mourn the loss of the deceased among friends and loved ones in a supportive environment. “A death is a very significant event, and so it needs to be marked by family, friends and others who were close to the deceased,” he said. “In the Tufts family, it is our tradition to hold a celebration of life on the campus at the request of friends and loved ones of a deceased member of the Tufts community.” Jennifer Wong, one of Julia’s friends since the fourth grade, said she was pleased with the immediacy and extent of support from the Tufts community. “After her passing, a lot of Julia’s friends were able to get help from various deans and the Chaplaincy,” Wong, a junior, said. “It was heartwarming because the community made sure to take care of everyone that Julia cared about.” Wong, one of the organizers of the celebration of life service, said that her goal was to commemorate Julia’s life with speeches, stories and video slideshows. Morgan Woods, Julia’s first-year roommate, expressed gratitude to those who helped coordinate the celebration service. “It was a freeing experience to be able to speak those words that I had bottled up out loud and express them to others,” Woods, a junior, said. “It was also nice to hear the funny stories of others. I felt
by Justin Rheingold News Editor
Sofie hecht / the tufts daily
At a celebration of life service on April 11, the Tufts community mourns the loss of junior Julia Lee. Julia’s presence and knew she would be proud we gathered in her honor.” The biggest moment in the service was the dedication of a cherry blossom tree and a bench near the tennis courts by Fletcher Field to Julia and Griffin, Wong said. “Both Julia and Griffin loved tennis, and so we are dedicating the cherry blossom tree and a bench by the tennis courts as a special place to remember them,” McGonigle said. “I hope this helps with the healing and communicates how precious every Tufts student is to us.” To many people, Julia was indeed a precious friend and fellow student. Wong described Julia’s disposition as resembling sunshine or a sunflower, as Julia was always smiling no matter the situation. “Julia had the most bubbly personality and led the most optimistic life,” Woods said. “Every day was an opportunity to explore some new place or meet new people.” Julia’s genuine fearlessness, passion and predisposition for adventure were worthy of envy, Wong said. She cited Julia’s academic pursuits as a perfect example of these traits. “Up until the end of her sophomore year, Julia had been an international relations and economics major and took classes in both those disciplines,” she said in an email. “After having declared, however, she suddenly decided, after
immensely enjoying the computer science class she was in, that computer science was what she really wanted to major in. She switched majors and stayed at Tufts in the summers in order to take the required classes. Undaunted, Julia was able to make a decision and stick to it.” While the summer of her sophomore year was a defining time for Julia, her plans for the future were far from solidified, Woods said. “Julia didn’t really have concrete plans for success in the way that some people have,” Woods said. “What I mean by that is, she didn’t have a map or plan for her career goals. Instead, the only imminent goals she had were with regard to the present. She always lived in the moment and wanted to make every month, week and day count.” Julia was the kind of person who took life one step at a time, making sure to live in the moment, according to Wong. All these attributes made Julia the kind of person who turned everyday events — such as sitting in the dining hall — into something enjoyable not just for herself, but also for her friends, Wong said. More often than not, Julia put the happiness of her friends first. Both Wong and Woods hope that Julia can be remembered as the person she was when she was living. For them, Julia was always living life to the fullest, spreading her positivity and making others feel comfortable in their own skin.
The yellow Tufts Marathon Team ( TMT) jersey has become a familiar sight over the past 13 years of the Boston Marathon, with hundreds of Tufts students, faculty and alumni donning the attire. But after fielding a large team for 13 consecutive years, TMT’s participation in the world’s oldest annual marathon has an uncertain future. After a trial year to gauge interest, TMT entered into a 10-year contract with the marathon’s primary sponsor, John Hancock. The contract was later extended two years, with the 2015 Boston Marathon being the final of the two. According to Vice President for University Advancement Eric Johnson, the university hopes to continue to field a team and will be working with John Hancock this summer to acquire future bib numbers. “We’re in discussions with John Hancock about the future, but we don’t know where they’re going to end up,” Johnson, who also serves as a TMT cocaptain, said. “I’m cautiously optimistic, but not with the expectation that we’ll have anywhere near a hundred numbers like we’ve had the great fortune to have had for the past several years.” Demand for charity bib numbers has soared in recent years, Johnson explained, and this has increased the competitiveness among charities to have spots for runners. While most charities have between five and 20 numbers, Tufts has been in a unique position of having 100. But even if TMT is able to field a team for next year’s marathon and beyond, Johnson expects to have many fewer spots available, putting the school more in line with other charities. Beyond the future of TMT’s participation in the Boston Marathon, Johnson was quick to answer a question on many community members’ minds: What does the future have in store for TMT coach Don Megerle? Megerle, or “Coach Don” as he is affectionately referred to, has been the team’s coach since its founding, and was previously the head coach of the men’s swim team for more than three decades. According to Johnson, Megerle see MARATHON, page 8
Brimhall-Vargas begins 'listening tour' as Chief Diversity Officer by Arin Kerstein Assistant News Editor
In April, Mark Brimhall-Vargas officially began work in his position of Chief Diversity Officer (CDO). The position was created in order to establish an expert at Tufts who would put the university on the right path toward improvements in diversity and inclusion across the university’s three campuses. Brimhall-Vargas explained that he has 17 years of experience working to achieve diversity in higher education. “In that time, I’ve seen strategies that have worked and those that haven’t worked as well. It’s my hope that I can bring some of my experience forward to Tufts,” he told the Daily in an email. “That said, I’m also aware that Tufts is a unique place with unique needs. The last thing I want to do is try to make a force fit of my past work into this new environment. I want to learn about what is already here … about what’s working and what needs improvement.” In order to achieve this understanding of the Tufts climate, Brimhall-Vargas said that for now, he is on a “listening tour” to try to understand the particular nuances of Tufts’ campus climate. Brimhall-Vargas explained that his research on the educational benefits of diversity has led him to conclude that all students benefit from learning in a diverse atmosphere, noting that the advantages include employment benefits, cultural competence and identi-
ty development. He added that racial diversity is key in creating this diverse environment and that it is crucial to foster “opportunities for structured and unstructured interactions across these differences.” “To be effective in this role, I need to use both my ‘hands': research and practice,” he said. According to Associate Professor of Art and Art History Adriana Zavala, who served on the search committee to fill the CDO position, Brimhall-Vargas’ commitment to academia will be an instrumental part of his success in the position. “I really like the fact that he publishes, that he does research, that he’s committed to continuing to do that, so that means he’s going to stay at the edge of that field,” she remarked. “He’s going to be constantly learning and being aware of how the field is shifting.” Brimhall-Vargas said that his “listening tour” will better allow him to work with the groups already in place, as well as to set up structures to further the goals previously established by research groups on diversity and inclusion at Tufts. He explained that there are currently two groups that will come together to work on campus-wide diversity efforts. The Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Council, chaired by University President Anthony Monaco, will decide on future directions for Tufts’ diversity efforts, while a diversity and inclusion working group, chaired by Brimhall-Vargas, will imple-
elyssa harris / the tufts daily
ment the ideas and concerns raised by the council. Zavala explained that in December 2009, former Executive Director of the Office of Institutional Diversity Lisa Coleman was recruited away to be Chief Diversity Officer at Harvard University. According to Zavala, when former
University President Lawrence Bacow announced his decision to step down, he also decided not to bring someone new into the position. “The rationale [for not filling the position at that time] was that [it] needed to be see DIVERSITY, page 10
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Students, union reps, city officials oppose proposed cuts to janitorial services JANITORS
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ground directly adjacent to Ballou Hall. Although strikers said that they would continue their fast until the administration agreed to postpone cuts until July 2016, which would allow time for SEIU and Tufts’ facilities contractor DTZ to renegotiate the janitors’ contract, TLC and janitors agreed to end the strike out of concern for the strikers’ health. One striker began eating again on May 8 after experiencing medical issues, though three additional students joined the strike that day as well. At a meeting between the administration and TLC on May 6, the administration proposed 20 job cuts, according to Director of Public Relations Kim Thurler. In March, Snyder told the Daily that 35 cuts were being considered, but according to Snyder and Campbell’s op-ed, the administration “[did] not yet know how many custodians will be affected by the reorganization” at that time. “DTZ has determined that layoffs will be based on seniority and will impact approximately 20 DTZ employees, none of whom would be long-term employees,” Thurler told the Daily in an email. According to DTZ Vice President of Operations for the Greater Boston Area John Kennedy, this marks a 43 percent reduction in initial estimates of how many workers would be affected. However, TLC said in a statement that this reduction in cuts merely reflects a previous error on the administration’s part in interpreting the contract that SEIU, the union that represents Tufts’ janitors, holds with DTZ. Representatives of DTZ did not respond to requests for comment on this claim. TLC President Lior Appel-Kraut and TLC member Cynthia Guerra said that
the administration has been reluctant to reveal details of its budget, so they are uncertain whether or not Tufts is facing difficult financial decisions. However, Appel-Kraut, a sophomore, said that even if there were a budget deficit, cutting custodial staff is not the only way to fix it. “Controlling services is a way of looking for places to cut and picking the most vulnerable place and workers because they are outsourced,” she said. “I think that there are a lot of other ways to respond to rising costs, like cutting top administrators’ salaries or taking away some of the student services that may be less necessary.” While Tufts would be spending less money, there would also be fewer people attending to the same amount of janitorial work, Appel-Kraut said, which would increase the daily amount of work for each custodian. An increase in workload for the janitors is also a main concern for SEIU 32BJ New England District Director Roxana Rivera, who said she believes Tufts’ proposal is set up for failure. “What I understand is that they have already had some folks practice the new manner … and folks are saying that it’s not doable and it’s way too much work for one person to do on any particular shift,” Rivera said. “This will have implications for quality cleaning on campus for both the faculty and students … There needs to be a good decision here that is not set up for failure, and we believe this is.” Cuts are scheduled to occur at the end of May, following graduation, Guerra stated. As the date for layoffs approaches, TLC has asked the administration to postpone the cuts until July 2016, she said. Guerra explained that the extra time would give DTZ and SEIU a chance
to renegotiate the janitors’ contract, hopefully providing workers with more protection. According to Guerra, however, the administration has remained uncompromising on this issue, insisting that some amount of cuts be carried out. Because these negotiations have not had the desired effect, Appel-Kraut explained that TLC would be pursuing alternative strategies. Campbell did not directly respond to TLC’s new position, though she acknowledged TLC’s general efforts to protect the janitors. “Tufts Labor Coalition has been very effective and very committed in advocating on behalf of the people who work for DTZ, and we’ve agreed to be sensitive and thoughtful about how we implement those changes,” Campbell said. DTZ will be initiating a hiring freeze at all its locations in the Greater Boston Area, Snyder said. If any position becomes available at its other locations, DTZ will give preference to employees who have lost their jobs at Tufts, she explained. Campbell also emphasized that the hiring freeze is an essential part of the plan. “I have a lot of respect for [DTZ] for doing [the freeze],” she said. “I’m hoping that Tufts Labor Coalition and the union that represents the employees and the employees of DTZ can work as cooperatively as possible so people can find employment and continue to stay employed. If people cooperate, I think there will be less disruption to some of the individual employees.” Snyder stated that the administration would be willing to continue negotiations with any concerned member of Tufts’ community.
nicholas pfosi / the tufts daily
Executive Vice President Patricia Campbell addresses TLC leaders during the Tufts Labor Coalition sit-in of Ballou Hall on Dec. 9, 2014.
Appel-Kraut also confirmed that TLC would continue to meet with the administration, but emphasized a shift in the group’s attitude about its relationship with the administration. “We will keep making the administration meet with us,” Appel-Kraut said. “But … we are not counting on our interactions to convince them that not making the cuts is the right thing to do, because I think that has been made pretty clear by the community at this point. Instead, we need to communicate with them through other alleyways, because even when we meet with them face to face, they still aren’t listening.” Appel-Kraut expressed her frustration with the administration’s responses to TLC’s efforts, saying the administration has continually addressed TLC with some degree of dismissal or disregard. Last December, TLC organized a sit-in in Ballou Hall in an effort to capture the administration’s attention, she explained. “There was definitely a lot of them ignoring us and a lot of frustration,” Appel-Kraut said. “That sort of relationship led to the sit-in at the end of the first semester, which was an assertion of power by TLC because the administration was not responding and not giving us answers. Through the sit-in, we came to understand where we could be in line with each other and where we did disagree.” After the November sit-in, however, which lasted 33 hours, administrators agreed to delay cuts until at least April 2015 and to host a public forum led by TLC at which attendees could respond to the proposed cuts. Appel-Kraut felt that administrators’ unclear responses to attendees at the forum, which was held in March, were consistent with its previous indirect communication with TLC. She said that during and after the forum, administrators did not clearly respond to many of the concerns or opinions of what she described as a “clear consensus” of workers, students, parents, janitors and city council members. Guerra also stated that much of the Tufts community and its neighbors are against cuts. This was demonstrated at 12:00 p.m. on Friday, May 8, when a number of Tufts faculty, students from other colleges in the area and representatives from local activist groups gathered at a community rally to denounce the proposed cuts. Politicians in Medford and Somerville have also expressed concern over the proposed restructuring. On April 7, the Medford City Council passed a resolution in opposition to the cuts, and Somerville Alderman at Large Dennis Sullivan has spoken out against the the job losses. “It’s a social justice issue; the Board of Aldermen takes it seriously,” Sullivan said in an interview with the Daily. “We do not want to see people lose their jobs, the lowest-paid workers that are trying to support a family, have modest health care, a modest pension … I’ve asked that President Monaco cut this stuff out and stop this harassment, stop the layoffs of the janitors; it’s gone too far.”
Long-serving economics professors Dapice, Norman retire by Nina Goldman News Editor
Tufts’ Department of Economics will lose two of its longest-serving professors, George Norman and David Dapice, when they retire at the end of this year. Norman has taught at Tufts for 20 years, including 10 consecutive years of introducing students to the study of economics in the Principles of Economics (EC 5) class. Dapice has been at Tufts since 1973, focusing largely on development economics. The decision to retire, for Norman, stemmed from a desire to spend more time with his family. “All of our family are in the United Kingdom,” he said. “I’ve got a grandson growing up that I’ve hardly seen.” Norman grew up in the UK, earning his master’s degree in economics at University of Dundee in Scotland and his Ph.D. at King’s College, University of Cambridge. After many years as a professor at various
British universities, Norman came to Tufts in 1995. “I quite fancied the idea of working in the United States,” he said. While Norman’s research focuses on modern industrial organization, he has also served as the William and Joyce Cummings Family Chair of Entrepreneurship and Business Economics since its endowment in 1998. While Norman is unsure who will take his place as Cummings chair, he hopes the position will continue to exist, as he has seen many successful companies come out of Tufts during his tenure in the position. “It allows a continued focus on entrepreneurship,” he said. “It allows students to pursue their entrepreneurial ambitions.” Meanwhile Dapice, who has taught development economics at Tufts since 1973, is retiring to focus on development work in Southeast Asia, specifically in Burma and Vietnam.
Dapice joined Tufts with a bachelor’s degree in political economy from Williams College and a master’s and Ph.D. in economics from Harvard University. He has taught one class per semester at Tufts, while serving on various university boards, including that of the Institute for Global Leadership (IGL). Dapice spent his first two years after graduating from Harvard in 1973 in Indonesia, where he and his wife both did development work. There he discovered the significance of his wife’s interactions with the country’s rural population for his research. “I would come home with stories and she would come home with stories,” he said. “You would get a lot more textured feel when you were getting the farmer’s side of things.” This lesson has served Dapice throughout his career, as he worked on projects such as founding a public policy school in Hanoi, serving as a go-between for the Burmese government and minority ethnic
groups and promoting a rural credit system in Indonesia. Dapice’s involvement in Vietnam began in 1989 when he was sent to its capital Hanoi for a conference. “All the other foreigners there were talking to each other, and I thought, ‘Well, that’s stupid, I can talk to foreigners any time I want,’” he said. Instead, Dapice connected with Vietnamese officials. He later took many of these officials, including a future prime minister, on a national tour, which put him in their good graces. “We were on pretty good terms,” Dapice said. “I was allowed to travel through Vietnam at a time when there were no diplomatic relations.” When his paratrooper daughter was told she would receive a required security clearance without issue as long as her parents had never met with any foreign leaders, he told her, “Molly, for 40 years that’s all I’ve done.” see ECONOMICS, page 10
Sunday, May 17, 2015
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Monaco discusses freedom of speech, issues facing Tufts community As University President Anthony Monaco prepared to say farewell to this year’s seniors, with whom he began his time at Tufts in 2011, he sat down with the Daily to shed light on various issues and events that have affected the university this academic year. A condensed version of the Daily’s conversation with Monaco follows. Tufts Daily: Earlier this semester, the Daily published a letter from you about the importance of free speech on Tufts’ campus. How would you characterize the current condition of free speech at this university? Anthony Monaco: Let’s maybe start with: Why did I write this op-ed? … It was of concerns that I saw amongst alumni and students, members of our community, who felt that when someone is on campus who has a view opposite to yours about a certain issue, that your response was to protest that they should not be allowed to speak … I thought it was not the right thing for our community to take that action, so I thought it was important to … set out our policy, why we feel it’s important that when someone’s views are opposed, they have the right to express those. It was triggered by two events in particular. One was the national conference of SJP held on campus … on the opposite side, there was an Israeli defense lawyer speaking at Fletcher, and students signed a petition that they did not want that person to speak on campus … I interestingly got a lot of good responses from that [letter], saying, “You’re absolutely right, we should be able to express different views, if anywhere in our society, on a college campus.” Now that’s fine for people to express their views, but it’s not good to take tactics which disrupt the educational experience or the function of the university. TD: How does Tufts reconcile the Gatherings, Protests, Demonstrations and Disturbances Policy with the university’s value of active citizenship? AM: There’s a variety of views on many issues on this campus, and we feel that it’s important for people to be able to express those views, but as I said, not in a way which disrupts the educational function of the university climate or goes against our policies. Active citizenship can be expressed in many ways; much of it is done through work with community partners, volunteering — many different avenues for people to have active citizenship. Protesting for a cause is one such mechanism, and I have no issue with people protesting and making their views known on issues that are important to our campus. TD: Do you think that divesting from the fossil fuel industry is something that is ever going to be feasible for the university? AM: I think as long as it’s going to require a large loss of our endowment, I don’t see how it’s going to be feasible … The issue, really, is there are very few funds in that investment space compared to the … 17,000 other funds which do have fossil fuels in them … As the report and recommendations say, it’s not right at this time for the university to take that kind of financial loss and make a moral statement there, an ethical statement around the fossil fuel industry. TD: What steps is the university taking to address the issue of sustainability and environmental issues? AM: As you know, I chaired the Sustainability Council … the recommendations out of that were far-reaching in setting goals for fossil fuel reduction, waste management, as well as water conservation. A number of those have been put into action … The biggest step, though, was when I arrived, I switched over from oil to gas, and now we are going to replace the central energy plant, which is going to have cogeneration facility and a central chiller that will greatly reduce our emissions, which is a huge investment in our future, but it does pay for itself environmentally as well as financially in a reasonable amount of time… TD: The discussion around DTZ negotiations and the employment of Tufts janitors has been one of the biggest topics [on campus] … How do you respond to the pressure coming from both inside and outside Tufts to work with janitors to keep the employment up?
AM: First of all, this is one of a wide range of reorganizations we’re doing of the administration in order to be more efficient and use the tuition dollars and the dollars that are given to us by our donors and alumni — we need to be good stewards of that money … There have been a slimming of essential administration jobs in HR and finance and IT … and we also then went through a lot of our procurement and services contracts. [When] we went to renegotiate that with DTZ, they pointed out to us that we were not up to best practice and service standards that were seen across other clients and other universities in the Boston area, and they felt that we could restructure and reorganize to move more of our custodial services into high frequency areas like libraries, dorms, athletics and dining halls, and to clean less frequently things like offices. That restructuring would remove 20 positions on seniority … and we are totally committed to finding those people employment at other positions in the Boston area. [DTZ has] 2,500 employees with a turnover rate that would be able to absorb these 20 individuals. They’ve
only contract which we’ve renewed to be favorable in the university’s budget. Again, it’s a wide-ranging set of restructuring and contract renewals to try to get us back into a surplus position … we’re a non-profit organization, but if we don’t make a surplus at the end of every year, we do not have the reserves to invest in facilities improvements … It is important for us to be able to make a surplus, and you build those surpluses up and you allow to reinvest in the physical plans and the business systems of the university that we need to run. TD: What do you see as the ideal future of the housing situation? AM: I asked the Provost [David Harris] to chair a residential strategy working group, which is starting this summer. It’s going to be in two different areas — one is going to be more about the facilities, what’s the current number of students on and off campus. We have been renovating dorms every summer — we usually do two dorms a summer, but we can’t gut and renovate in three months, so they usually only have certain things they can do. So they’re going to be looking at the business case for new dorms
already posted 70 positions that are possible … so we felt we could work with them so that these individuals would not lose employment… We have had people writing to us, of course … who feel this is not the right thing for Tufts to do. We’ve also had a range of people write to us who say, “You’re doing the right thing, we want you to be efficient as long as … there’s a commitment to try and get [the janitors] jobs at other sites, we see the sense in reorganizing contracts.” So there’s a variety of views, and we don’t feel as an administration that we should be pushed by just the most vocal group into making the right decisions for this institution. TD: In a recent op-ed to the Daily, Patricia Campbell and Linda Snyder spoke about operational changes that the university is making to redirect resources. Where specifically will those resources be redirected? AM: Well, one is to the bottom line, so we can not have to raise tuition as high each year, and next putting more funding into financial aid … But really, we’re facing a deficit this year, a quite sizable deficit, and we’re trying to do all we can to slim the administration down and not touch the academic mission and keeping that strong … This is not the
as linked to the pressure from Somerville and Medford to reduce the number of students according to their ordinances. We want to have more students back on campus … The second working group is going to be the deans and [Harris] looking at what are we trying to achieve in residential life … In the Arts and Sciences strategic plan there is a call for a new dorm. TD: How is the university going to respond to the Somerville ordinance that was passed? AM: We’re trying to work with Somerville, and this ordinance has been on the books for many years … we also are trying to help students … if they have to leave an apartment, to get a dorm room back on campus. I know that’s happened during the year, students who were told they had to leave — we were able to accommodate them. So our housing office will work with students as best they can. TD: How does the [sexual assault] task force’s work fit into Tufts’ larger strategy of preventing sexual assault on campus? AM: I think the task force has been essential … [it] went through the policy line by line and revised it, and it has now been approved by OCR, and … we’re still working with them on our voluntary
Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily
agreement … at the end of this, we’ll have revised the entire policy and the adjudication process. I couldn’t have asked for anything better to come out of this … We were able to set up a resource specialist and an education specialist, and they’ve been working across all the campuses on those respective areas … The survey results are now in, and we’ll be looking at that data very hard over the summer, and in the fall, we’ll … see what we can learn from that survey about our current way of working and what things need to be done in the future … It’ll still be a very high priority for myself and for the community going forward. TD: On the subject of Greek life, can you speak to us about Pi Delta’s disaffiliation from the AEPi national organization? AM: [The national organization was] trying to impose national membership standards to the fraternity … They’ve written an op-ed to the Daily saying that they didn’t think this was the right thing to do for their fraternity at Tufts — I think they got a lot of support from the rest of the community, and I think it was the right thing to do. TD: There’s a new sorority … coming in the fall … Why do you think there’s an increase in interest in Greek life at Tufts, and do you think this marks a cultural shift at the university? AM: It’s been a gradual shift. It is growth, though, so I think we need to consider it as a change in our social community at Tufts. Students want to join fraternities and sororities for reasons of being involved in a group that does community service, that has social events … I don’t think it’s a concern particularly for our community as long as they do work to be well integrated and continue to do good work like the community service … I think there’s a lot of goodwill on their part to improve in areas around alcohol and in areas around sexual misconduct. TD: What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the Tufts community? AM: I do think that the community has a variety of views on different issues, and I think one of the biggest challenges is when one group decides that they are going to be incredibly vocal and that they’re speaking for the entire community to the point of creating direct action [that] impedes the function of our educational mission … That concerns me in many ways, so I do think it’s important for people to understand that everyone should have a voice in our community to express how they feel about things, and that voice should influence things. I think we do, as an administration, take into account a variety of opinions, and we try to be fair in … bring[ing] those different perspectives in the room when we discuss and make recommendations on how we’re going to go forward … What needs to happen to have those perspectives is to respect that there is a process which we need to come to decisions … So I think there are many ways to effect change as students, not always taking over my office or going on a hunger strike. I don’t think those are effective ways to make change. TD: This is the first class of Tufts students to graduate only having you as a president. What advice do you have for graduating students? AM: When you arrive here, you had to explore and get out of your comfort zone and then figure out who your friends were and what you were going to do, what you were going to try to achieve, both intellectually and socially. You’re going to go through that cycle again once you graduate. You’re going to be in a new community, a new job, you’re going to have to explore, figure out where and how you sit in that community, what position you’re in, and I think you should draw on that experience. And also draw on the alumni network — there are so many alumni out there who want nothing more than to help our graduates get on in their careers and to give advice… TD: The hardest question that we have for you: In your opinion, which is better: the AcornHead or Banjo the Ostrich? AM: I like the AcornHead. I’ve always liked the AcornHead.
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Tufts non-tenured faculty unionization part of broader trend in Boston area FACULTY
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involved in creating the union to those who opposed unionization. “Even those who may have voted against the union in the first place are now a part of it,” Loh said. “So, those of us who were most active in organizing for the union have had to reach out and talk to many of our colleagues and set up an open and transparent process. What’s great is that even some folks who were initially wary of a union are now getting involved and active.” Among Loh’s colleagues who were initially skeptical of the unionization effort is David Proctor, a lecturer in the Department of History. Proctor explained that he did not vote for the union due to, among other things, trepidations about altering the climate of the workplace environment for the worse. Proctor said he felt that some of the ends that his colleagues sought to reach, such as settling issues regarding salaries, could be addressed effectively through other avenues that had not yet been exhausted.
“I wasn’t fully convinced that the union was the only alternative,” Proctor said. “I think that I was also concerned that it would impact the ability of the full-time, non-tenure stream faculty to be partners with the tenure-line faculty … I was worried that a union would change the way that tenured faculty look at us by making us part of this different group.” Proctor added that his apprehensions about the impacts of unionizing were not unfounded, explaining that he has noted a clear shift in the perspectives of his fulltime, tenured colleagues. However, he still plans on assuming an involved role within the union. “It is what it is. It is what has happened, and I’m planning on joining the bargaining committee to work to make sure that whatever contract we work out … is the best it can possibly be, because that is the only option there is now,” Proctor said. “It’s either not participate and have no voice, or participate and try to make sure it’s as good as it can be.” Since the Tufts faculty unionization movement this past winter, many other
colleges and universities in the Boston area have pursued similar efforts of their own. Recently, part-time lecturers at Boston University’s Center for English Language and Orientation Programs (CELOP) overwhelmingly voted to unionize on April 22. Just a month earlier, core faculty at Lesley University filed a petition with NLRB to hold an election of their own. Weeks before, adjunct faculty at Bentley University voted in favor of unionization. In 2013, the Tufts Labor Coalition (TLC) assumed a supporting role in the unionization effort of part-time faculty, but did not take an active position in the full time faculty unionization movement, according to Tufts Labor Coalition member Daniel Weaver. He explained that the cause was in line with the organization’s broader intent to support and advocate for workers and students on campus and enhance the way university employees are treated. “I think that it is critically important to consider the unionization of parttime and full-time faculty as issues fun-
damentally connected to issues such as Tufts’ plan to cut janitorial staff,” Weaver, a sophomore, said. “I want to see Tufts lead the fight against the outsourcing of workers and the fight against drastic income inequality, and that is absolutely not happening right now. Instead we see Tufts administration opposed to the unionization of faculty, rigorously outsourcing as much work as possible and slimming the budget at the cost of the most vulnerable members of the Tufts community,” he said. That being said, many of the faculty who supported the Tufts unionization effort at the outset remain hopeful about the ability of the union to bring about the important and enduring changes that they have been seeking. “I am optimistic that we will build more awareness of the issues facing full-time lecturers through this process and that we will engage in productive negotiations with the administration. In the end, we believe a union will help make Tufts a better place for students, faculty and staff,” Loh said.
‘Coach Don’ Megerle to continue training students for marathons, other runs
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will continue at the helm of TMT even if the university is unable to field a team for the Boston Marathon. “Coach Don will definitely continue, and we’re talking with him about having a broader coaching program available for any student, staff or alumni who want to do marathons — Boston, or others — but also other types of races — 5ks, 10ks, triathlons,” Johnson said. While TMT’s primary focus has been on the Boston Marathon, Megerle has trained runners for other races around the world. Last summer, he took approximately 16 runners to Iceland for Reykjavik’s marathon, and Megerle sees the team as a training avenue for other races, regardless of the distance or location. “There’s all these avenues that people can branch out and compete, get ready for, train for, and we have people doing triathlons over the summer, so there’s a role for what I do,” Megerle said. “The scope of it just won’t be as large as we know it.” Although the training program may be altered or individualized in the future, Megerle thinks it will likely be based off of that of years past. “We’ll have to sort of pattern it after what we’ve done, because what we’ve done is a great blueprint for what we do again,” he said. “And that’s all I ever do — do what we did the year before and make it a little better, and will make this a little better. There’s not much to improve upon because it was pretty good this year, it was as good as it gets as far as I’m concerned.”
Although he would likely be the last to admit it, Megerle has played a tremendous role in building the team’s friendly atmosphere. He said he wakes up by 3:00 a.m. most mornings, making preparations for the team’s long runs, and he attends every team member’s appointments with Tufts’ athletic trainers. “Don was an amazing coach,” team co-captain Miriam Nelson told the Daily in an email. “His connection to all the runners went way past getting them fit and ready; he became everyone’s life coach, changing, for the better, their lives forever.” Nelson, who advises the team on nutrition and is an associate dean at the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, also emphasized the community that has built up around the team during its 13 years. “The team reached far beyond just the runners, which made it really unique,” Nelson said. “The fact that we also had parents, faculty, deans, the president, the provost, staff, alumni, community partners (including Mayor [Joe] Curtatone from Somerville) and friends really made the program stand out.” The TMT community has also included hundreds of volunteers, with Tufts staffing the water stations at miles 10, 11 and 22 each year. Although this, too, will be part of the negotiations with John Hancock, Johnson thinks that there is a “stronger possibility” that the university will keep the volunteer spots. Overall, he hopes for a decision on TMT’s participation in the Boston Marathon by the time students return this fall.
nicholas pfosi / the tufts daily
While Tufts Marathon Team’s contract with John Hancock expires this year, the university hopes to negotiate hosting a team for future marathons.
Collaborative Learning and Innovation Center to house interdisciplinary programs BUILDING
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or community health faculty can connect with faculty in child development, she explained. “The idea is, instead of having one department in one building, off by itself, to create a collaborative space for interaction with faculty, students, undergraduates [and] graduates,” Stein said. Following the CLIC, construction began recently for the Central Energy Plant (CEP), which will be completed in the fall of 2016 and will replace the current energy plant used by Tufts, according to Stein. Located next to Dowling Hall, the CEP will provide heat and all of the electricity used on the Medford/Somerville campus, Stein said. The plant will be a cogeneration plant, making it more efficient, she added. “This is huge for this campus’s sustainability. It’s a big reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and more importantly, it allows us to make our own electricity,” Snyder said. “It makes the university so much more resilient … It’s a game-changing move on the part of the university, and it’s such a tribute to the university leadership and the trustees to see it, and understand that.” Construction will begin this month for the Science and Engineering Complex
(SEC), and is scheduled to be completed by fall 2017, according to Stein. The SEC, which will be attached to Anderson Hall and Robinson Hall, has been in the works for the past two years, in response to a need for a new wet lab space. “The biology labs in Barnum/Dana are … circa 1950 at best, so the real need was to bring teaching labs for our largest science major [biology] … together with wet labs … so that, again, interdisciplinary research can occur,” Snyder said. “In many institutions, undergraduates never see the insides of a research lab, because they’re reserved for graduate students and postdocs, but at Tufts, that’s our sweet spot.” According to Stein, attaching the SEC to Anderson and Robinson doubles the size of the complex and allows for investment in both older, existing buildings and newer buildings. The SEC will house part of the biology department from Barnum Hall and Dana Laboratory, along with the Tufts Institute for Innovation (TII) and a neuroscience research component, Stein said. According to Snyder, the university also spends about $30 million a year on smaller renewal and repair projects on campus. These projects include renovations to the Richardson House and Carpenter House, reconstruction of the Memorial
Stairs and repairs to the Academic Quad steam line. Faculty members noted positive and negative aspects to the new building arrangements. Gary Goldstein, a professor of physics and astronomy, noted that moving the physics and astronomy departments to the CLIC moves the department farther from the Hill, which is not an ideal change. “We are a department that is engaged in education at Tufts as well as research,” he said. “For research, it’s fine to be in a new building with newer facilities. But for relating to education [and] teaching aspects of Tufts that I would say make it attractive to students, we’re being moved further away.” Goldstein also said the name of the building is a “misnomer.” “As much as I like colleagues in other departments, we are being put in the same building as occupational therapy and child development, and one of the engineering branches … none of which we have any collaborations with or can imagine having collaborations with,” he said. Goldstein said that many of his colleagues are happy are about the move, and that he is looking forward to seeing his department united in one building. “That’s the positive part of it,” Goldstein said. “We’ve been split up for ages, and
now we’re going to all be in one building together, so that is good for the department. We all want that.” According to Professor of Biology Colin Orians, a portion of the biology department will be relocating to the second and third floors of the SEC. The group of people moving to the SEC all have a shared thematic focus on global change biology, Orians said. “The whole idea of the SEC building is to bring people who are … working around common themes together into one place, and so those of us who are working in issues related to invasive species … habitat destruction, restoration ecology, things like that, will all be relocating there,” he said. Furthermore, Orians expressed enthusiasm over new lab spaces and the combination of different departments in the area. “I think it’s going to create this sort of science hub, and I think we’re really excited to not just be in our own independent building, but to be close to other scholars at Tufts where it’ll foster important collaboration in the future, we hope,” he said. According to Stein, Tufts is now looking toward future projects such as the new Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) station that is slated to come to campus.
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Gittleman emphasizes life-long learning throughout teaching career GITTLEMAN
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Middle High German languages, which included Yiddish. “I said, that’s interesting, my parents used to speak Yiddish, and I started just getting involved in it, but not serious,” he said. “But it was there. The little knot got tied in the back of my handkerchief.” Gittleman explained that he taught at Mount Holyoke College for two years, but during his time there he discovered an interest in research and found Mount Holyoke to be too small. He then accepted an offer from Tufts to teach in the Department of German. After two years at Tufts, Gittleman received tenure and was selected to be chairman of the then-named Department of German and Russian, maintaining the post from 1966 to 1981. “Whatever he touched as a teacher, and apparently also as a lecturer, he made interesting, he made students care about,” Christiane Zehl Romero, director of the German Program and Goldthwaite Professor of Rhetoric, said. Gittleman oversaw much of the growth that the subsequent Department of German, Russian and Asian Languages and Literatures (GRALL) underwent, later adding on Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese, Arabic and more. “His contribution to the whole department was that he was very, very open-minded in terms of adding new languages and new
cultures to the department,” Romero said. Gittleman served as provost and academic vice president from 1981 to 1985. He was then appointed as provost and senior vice president from 1985 to 2001, a time throughout which he taught continuously. He has maintained his position as university professor since 2002. “I came for a few years, we stayed 51,” he said. “So, you know, man plans and God laughs.” Gittleman has taught classes ranging from Yiddish literature and German Expressionism to the history of baseball. He explained that he picked up a class on the history of sports after the original professor passed away, and chose to focus solely on baseball. “I always felt that I wouldn’t teach anything unless I could publish in the field and get peerreviewed,” he said. “[I] had my first baseball article published in … the Society for American Baseball Research, and I said, ‘All right, I’m good enough now,’ and I made up my syllabus. I didn’t want to teach it as a big class … so I taught that as a senior seminar.” One of the most significant changes he has seen during his time at Tufts is an increased focus on research among faculty members, Gittleman noted. “When I came here, research was on your own time,” he said. Still, Gittleman said he believes that undergraduate education forms the core of Tufts. “I believe that the fundamental DNA of this institution is under-
graduate education,” he said. “We’re a nice little research university, and I couldn’t have found a better place for me to have spent a half a century. And [Tufts] hasn’t changed that much, except [it has gotten] better … It’s better at everything that it does.” Gittleman said that he will continue advising, giving lectures and working with first-year students, but is tired of grading exams. This semester, his class, “Introduction to Yiddish Culture,” had over 250 students. “I know a lot of other faculty have just graders and they do the grading, but Sol reads every single paper,” Robyn Gittleman said. “And so even though his graders go over them first and he looks at their comments and takes them seriously, he likes to touch every single paper himself.” Robyn Gittleman added that he will also continue working with University Advancement and the Office of Alumni Relations and is planning to start work on a book. “He has not lost that enthusiasm,” she said. “I’ve sort of tried to figure out what makes him such a good instructor. He’s well organized and he has a wealth of information, so he’s able to pull things in from all over. If you really could listen carefully, you’d probably go out with three times the amount of knowledge that one expects to get in one class, because he does go off on tangents and yet knows exactly where he wants to be at the end of the semester.”
Gittleman’s students underscored his impact and the passion that he inspired in them. Jurkowitz emphasized Gittleman’s simultaneous breadth and depth of knowledge. “He was probably the most beloved professor on campus,” she said. “His classes were booked to capacity … he was really a favorite. And I think it was a combination of the range of what he taught … and the depth of his knowledge and the way that he used all the tools of teaching and of his own … He would bring in music if he needed to and used it all to make something very understandable and concrete and real and make it fun at the same time.” “Sol Gittleman has been a truly magnificent teacher,” Stephen Wermiel (LA ’72) told the Daily in an email. “He never entered a classroom without preparing as if he were taking the Broadway stage for the most important performance of his life. The audience — his students — deserved his absolute best in every class, and he made sure they got his insight, his interdisciplinary depth, his passion and his energy. But Sol’s teaching never stopped at the classroom door; mentoring students was not a part of the job, it was a way of life.” Danielle Kupfer, a first-year in this semester’s “Introduction to Yiddish Culture,” explained that she emailed Gittleman directly to make it into the class after originally being wait-listed. “He’s taken a topic that I never really thought I would study in col-
lege and just made it really relatable and really interesting, both because I can visualize it through my grandparents and my ‘ancestors,’ but then also as we get into more modern times, I can look within my own family to see these experiences that we’re reading about,” she said. Mike DeBartolo (LA ’06) said that Gittleman was his first-year advisor. “He really took it seriously and worked to become a mentor and friend, someone who students could talk to and just really feel comfortable around from day one on campus,” DeBartolo said. Wermiel added that he continues to feel Gittleman’s influence today. “Sol inspired me to do my best at everything, to take pride in what I did, from how I performed on the tennis court to how I researched and wrote stories as a newspaper reporter to how I viewed the classroom when I became a law professor,” he said. “Today, when I help one of my law students try to figure out a practice area or a career path, I think of Sol. When I prepare to teach, I think of Sol. When I go to a baseball game, I think of Sol.” Gittleman added that after all of his time in higher education, many things have stayed the same. “I’m still near a gym and near a library, and that really still remains,” he said. “The great secret of [being a professor] is it’s still the greatest life in the world. You still can dress any way you want and get away with just about anything. You can be an anarchist.”
ResLife housing search support not well known HOUSING
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Shirley Wang / The Tufts Daily
TCU Senate critiqued for removal of travel funding SENATE
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lic service gap year program and a resolution to establish a mandated gender neutral bathroom policy. A resolution urging an increase in housing support for undergraduate summer research rounded up the series of resolutions passed by Senate this year. Meanwhile, the Senate also faced harsh criticism from many students after it announced that it would remove funding for off-campus travel from the budget. Junior Adam Kochman, who served as the Senate’s treasurer this year, said he understood the reasons for the backlash, even though the Senate has not always financed student travel. “[Travel funding] has been going for five years, and so everyone who’s on [the] Tufts campus has been accustomed to and used to getting all this funding,” Kochman said. “And change is different, and change is hard. The removal of flight costs, I think people do understand long term. People did not understand, however, why we were taking away all the regional travel away from budgets.” In response to concerns from student groups, Kochman said that the Allocations Board and the executive members of Senate devised a solution just before the end of the semester.
According to Kochman, the TCU Judiciary (TCUJ) came up with a list of student groups whose sole mission is to compete. After making this distinction, Kochman explained that for these groups recognized by the TCUJ, the Senate would fund up to $1,000 in registration fees and transportation costs. The necessary funds were then put into the teams’ budgets for next year. The teams recognized under this distinction are Tufts Mock Trial, Tufts Model United Nations, Tufts Debate Society, La Salsa, Tufts Ballroom Dance Team and step teams BlackOut and ENVY, Kochman said. Kochman added that these teams will be funded for competition in the New England states as well as New York City and Philadelphia, but will not receive funding for lodging. Furthermore, for members of these groups who are on financial aid, the Senate’s Student Support Fund will provide up to $100 per event, an amount that Senate will try to increase in future years, Kochman said. Kochman added that groups not under the TCUJ’s new distinction will be able to apply for supplementary funding to cover travel costs. However, Kochman believes the Senate will not be able to fund flights for stu-
dent groups again. “Flights, I do not see ever coming back, because that was a fiveyear honeymoon period in which we could spend it, and we spent it,” Kochman said. “If it does come back, it will take one year or two. What we learned is that it’s not sustainable, and we learned that the hard way.” Both Kochman and former TCU President Robert Joseph acknowledged that the Senate faced many challenges this year that stemmed from miscommunications between the Senate and the student body. “I think we definitely could’ve worked on communication, especially around the Treasury changes and funding. I wish we were more proactive on that instead of reactive, but we did a good job working things out,” Joseph said. “We haven’t quite mastered the formula for how to make student groups and students feel comfortable approaching us with the sorts of issues that they have.” Still, Joseph said he was proud that the Senate was able to convince the Office of Residential Life and Learning to disclose lottery numbers of past housing selections, a process that took four years, and that the faculty recently approved the implementation of a new undergraduate education major.
Although the Senate was unable to sufficiently address and solve the increasing housing policy problems around campus this year, along with other major reforms, Joseph said that the Senate succeeded in making the issue a top priority for the university to address in upcoming years. Joseph shared various possibilities for future changes at Tufts, including alterations to distribution requirements and the possible addition of a social justice component to the World Civilization requirement. Joseph also shared that a new pub will take the place of Brown and Brew, as the café will move to the new science and engineering center. The university is also planning for a university pass program for MBTA users at Tufts, Joseph said. With the 2014-2015 school year coming to a close, Joseph expressed his high hopes for the future. “It’s an absolute joy working with Senate,” Joseph said. “If I can impress on students … [one thing,] it’s that administrators really do care about students. Having met with administrators and expressing to them the problems that we face, they sympathize with our issues, except they don’t have solutions to a lot of these issues. I think students don’t realize that the administration is willing to help if you are willing to reach out.”
housing process, which he would like to see re-established. Joseph said he was frustrated by the lack of action the university has taken regarding the housing issue, though it’s been aware of the problem for some time. “It’s an issue that is quite possibly going to blow up if they don’t handle it, and I think the right time to tackle this issue was two years ago. So we’re late to the game, but better late than never,” Joseph said. Merchant said he had difficulty navigating his search for offcampus housing, which began last October, so he went to ResLife for information. “I went [because] I was stressed,” he said. “I thought, you know, ‘Shoot, if we mess this up, there’s a chance we don’t have somewhere to live next year, and that would be less than ideal.’” Merchant said that ResLife worked with him one-on-one to guide him through the process, adding that it was willing to pair him with landlords, which it has done for students as late as the summer before their junior or senior year. “I’d say the school could do a better job letting those services be known,” Merchant said. “I had no idea that was a function of the school, of residential life in particular, until I actually met with someone at ResLife.” Merchant said that taking advantage of services offered at ResLife could be one way for students to deal with off-campus housing problems. “I was amazed when I walked out of [ResLife] at how supported I felt, and I think a lot of other kids would agree with that if they had the opportunity to see those resources that are there that don’t necessarily get as publicized,” he said.
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Sunday, May 17, 2015
After long search, Brimhall-Vargas selected for new diversity officer position DIVERSITY
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determined whether it was still something we needed,” she explained. “President Monaco arrived, he widely surveyed the landscape at Tufts [and] he came to understand, through the input of many different constituencies on campus, that Tufts needed to do a form of self-assessment in terms of diversity inclusion.” To do this, she noted, Monaco created the Council on Campus Diversity, which he co-chaired with former Dean of Arts and Sciences Joanne Berger-Sweeney. The council was divided into three working groups, which gathered data on the undergraduate experience, university structure and policy and the graduate and professional student experience. This data collection led the committees to conclude that hiring a CDO was necessary to carry out their recommendations, Zavala said. “One of the first things that needed to be done was hire a CDO, because a lot of
the work that was being recommended really should be overseen by this person,” she explained. The Office of the Provost initiated a search to hire such an individual, Zavala noted. Associate Professor of Psychology Keith Maddox served as chair of the search committee. According to Maddox, the committee included students, faculty and staff, and worked closely with Provost David Harris and Chief of Staff Michael Baenen. The committee also worked with Diversified Search, a search consulting firm specializing in diversity. In early fall 2014, 12 candidates were selected for one-hour long interviews with the whole committee, and from there, four final candidates were selected, Maddox said. After the four candidates met with members of the Tufts community, the committee provided recommendations to the Office of the Provost, he said.
Dapice, Norman plan to continue research after leaving Tufts ECONOMICS
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His work in Burma started in the 1970s, but at the time he felt the country was not ready for his help. Dapice returned in 2005 to survey rural villages and assess their needs, but he was often watched by the military government, so he brought along a Burmese graduate student who was able to connect with women in the villages directly. Together, they eventually discovered that the government was making approximately $10 billion yearly from jade mined in a northern province, which had an annual budget of only $40 million. “We published this, and boy did the shit hit the fan,” Dapice said. Dapice has balanced his work abroad through organizations like the World Bank and the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University with teaching and advising at Tufts. He served briefly as chair of the department, but it did not suit him. “They made me chairman, which I did not like. I don’t like administration,” Dapice explained. “It’s like herding cats.” He will continue to work with his last group of about 40 advisees next year, but is ready to relinquish his teaching duties after more than 40 years. Norman added that he has enjoyed teaching, but is ready to move on. As an EC 5 instructor, he feels that he connects with his large lecture classes with his constant joking. “To be an effective lecturer, rule number one is you have to look as if you’re enjoying yourself,” he said. “Humor lightens the atmosphere.” Norman insists that his jokes, told to over 200 students in this past semester’s EC 5 class, are improvised.
“I have no idea what’s about to come out of my mouth until I start talking,” he said. At the end of Norman’s final lecture a few years ago, one student presented a PowerPoint that contained nearly every joke that the professor had made that semester. “It seemed as if it went on forever,” he said. “I was in gales and tears of laughter.” Norman said he was first drawn to Tufts because of its balanced focus between teaching and research. “It’s important to the university, and it’s important to me,” he said. Dapice became interested in the university because of the presence of the Fletcher School and its generally “outward-looking” attitude. He compared the university favorably to Harvard, where he has also worked extensively. “Tufts is a much more humane place. Everybody is much less arrogant and just doesn’t expect that they will rule the world immediately,” Dapice said. “I think that’s a much better environment to learn in.” Norman described a “very rich and very rewarding” experience at Tufts working with various professors. His closest collaborators have been Dan Richards and Lynne Pepall, with whom he wrote the textbook “Industrial Organization: Contemporary Theory and Empirical Applications.” Norman plans to continue work on the book as well as on other research projects in his retirement. “I certainly want to continue with that and work on the sixth edition,” Norman said. “If I run out of ideas, then I’ll stop.” Dapice has a similar attitude, looking to travel and research even more. He said that his wife told him this is not normal for a person in their 70s, that most people start traveling less at that stage. “I said yeah, well, that’s most people,” Dapice said.
Maddox said that Harris made the final decision to offer the position to BrimhallVargas over winter break. Zavala said that she is very happy with the selection of Brimhall-Vargas and has received supportive feedback from fellow faculty members who have had the opportunity to meet him. TCU Senate Diversity and Community Affairs Officer Allison Aaronson noted that after an introductory meeting with Brimhall-Vargas, she was very impressed by how much of a grasp of the campus he has already attained. She explained that she sees her position as a student manifestation of Brimhall-Vargas’ role, and she hopes that next year’s diversity and community affairs officer can continue a working relationship with him. “The [diversity and community affairs officer] can be a really good ally for [Brimhall-Vargas] in that a lot of what he has to do as he first comes into this position is learn what’s going on in the student body, and because this position
is dealing with those issues and a lot of people come and talk to me about what’s going on and what’s bothering them in the realm of diversity and inclusion,” Aaronson, a sophomore, said. Aaronson explained that the position is a difficult one because although it exists in the Provost’s office, much of Brimhall-Vargas’ work is to deal with student concerns. “My hope is that he’s able to prioritize [answering to students and] that he’ll be a voice for people whose voices are not often heard in that office, and it sounds like he really gets that and will push to prioritize things that are really easily put on the back-burner,” she said. Brimhall-Vargas echoed this commitment to engaging with students on a personal level. “I’m delighted to see that there is a tradition of holding office hours as well as other places to engage with students,” he said. “I want to connect where the students already are.”
Dean Reitman celebrated at last TCU Senate meeting of the year
REITMAN continued from page 4 “Reitman worked on a lot of policies. He’s also dealt with the heavier and more important things,” Joseph said. “He’s had to call parents when someone gets TEMS’d or passes away. He has been on the frontlines of a lot of student activism. He’s really been part of what has made Tufts an excellent and increasingly awesome` school over the years.” Reitman said he has always enjoyed working with student government, and noted that this year Joseph and the 2014-2015 Senate’s executive board “have provided a particularly strong voice for the student body this year.” Reitman emphasized that he, along with the administrators in the Office for Campus Life and McMahon have had an enjoyable and rewarding year working with the Senate, the TCU Judiciary, Programming Board, the class councils and the Committee on Student Life, despite the many contentious issues that became prominent on campus this year. “That’s not to say it was an easy year,” Reitman said. “I think students, student leadership and several student organizations and administrators faced many tough issues, many strategic plans, several student crises and quite a bit of contention on campus. Some of those issues still linger, and will be part of next year’s conversations and challenges. But for the most part, campus constituencies fostered the sense of community that makes Tufts special.” Reitman looks forward to McMahon’s continued work in Student Affairs after his retirement, noting that she has had significant prior experience. He believes the new Student Affairs team will foster an
environment that will further benefit the community. “Mary Pat is a terrific dean. She came to Tufts with tons of experience, energy and new ideas. I have been totally impressed with the new dean of student affairs team,” he said. “I admit, it’s not so easy to let go after you’ve been in a position like dean of students for so many years — it’s a pivotal position in the community.” Reitman plans to move with his family from New England to North Carolina in order to spend time with his loved ones. “My wife and I have long thought about relocating when we retired. We have always lived in New England. And you know, these long winters here only get longer as your blood thins,” he said. “So we have decided to start out on a new adventure, and are heading south to find warmth and are building a home in the mountains of western North Carolina.” Reitman said he looks forward to kayaking and hiking in the Blue Ridge Mountains, as well as spending more time with his daughter. “I also look forward to pursuing my neglected second calling as a wood turner and maybe a little consulting,” he added. Reflecting on his time at Tufts, Reitman noted that it is important to never forget one’s individual impact on others. “At the end of my tenure at Tufts, I find myself looking back and measuring my time here on a much more modest scale. How many individual students or their families have I helped succeed or thrive at Tufts?” he asked. “I hope that number is significant. We can all do that. Don’t give up your lofty goals — if any place is going to produce the next world changer, it’s Tufts. But don’t forget the importance and impact that you as one person can have on others with your kindness, empathy and support.”
Commencement statistics Today, Tufts University is awarding 3,406 degrees across its three campuses, with the Medford/Somerville campus commencement ceremony taking place on the Green at 9:00 a.m. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will deliver this year’s commencement address. Of the 1,414 degrees being awarded to undergraduate students, 742 are Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degrees, 425 are Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees, 199 are Bachelor of Science in Engineering (B.S.E.) degrees and 48 are Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degrees. Honorary degree recipients at the Medford/ Somerville campus commencement ceremony include Albright, who will be granted an honorary doctor of laws degree. Other honorary degree recipients include children’s advocate Suzin Bartley, entrepreneur and activist Joichi “Joi” Ito, business leader Joseph Neubauer, human rights advocate and jurist Navanethem “Navi” Pillay and teacher, choreographer and dancer Jawole Willa Jo Zollar. Through the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, 512 degrees will be awarded today. These include 57 Doctors of Philosophy
(Ph.D.s), three Doctors of Occupational Therapy and 16 Education Specialist degrees. Also included are 160 Master of Arts (M.A.) degrees, 70 Master of Arts in Teaching degrees, 50 Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degrees, eight Master of Public Policy degrees and 148 Master of Science (M.S.) degrees. The Graduate School of Engineering is awarding 242 degrees, including 27 Ph.D.s, 103 M.S. degrees, 19 Master of Engineering (M.E.) degrees and 93 Master of Science in Engineering Management (M.S.E.M.) degrees. The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is awarding 415 degrees, including 252 Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (M.A.L.D.) diplomas. The Fletcher School will also award 96 M.A.s, three Ph.D.s, 47 Master of International Business degrees, 12 Master of Laws in International Law degrees and five Master of Arts in Humanitarian Assistance degrees. On the Boston health sciences campus, the School of Dental Medicine is awarding 209 degrees today, 192 of which are Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.) degrees and the remaining 17 of which are M.S. degrees.
The School of Medicine is awarding 171 degrees, including 108 Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) degrees. Of the remaining degrees, 14 are combined M.D./Master of Business Administration in Health Management degrees and 16 are M.D./Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) degrees. The School of Medicine’s Maine Track Program awarded 32 M.D.s and one M.D./M.P.H. Meanwhile, the School of Medicine’s Public Health and Professional Degree program will award 215 degrees. Eighty-six of these are M.S. in Biomedical Sciences degrees and 77 are M.S. in Public Health degrees. The program will award five M.S. in Health Communication degrees, six M.S. in Pain Research, Education and Policy degrees, four Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.)/M.P.H. degrees and seven M.S. in Biomedical Sciences/M.P.H. degrees. The program rounds out its awarded diplomas with 29 M.S. in Medical Sciences degrees and one M.S. in Biomedical Sciences/ Master of Business Administration in Health Management degree. Thirty-five degrees will be awarded by the Sackler School of Biomedical Sciences,
including 23 Ph.D.s, seven M.S. degrees and five M.D./Ph.D.s. The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy is awarding 100 degrees today, including 40 M.S. degrees, 10 Ph.D.s and 26 M.S./M.P.H. degrees. The school will also award nine Master of Nutrition Science and Policy degrees, eight M.S./Combined Dietetic Internship degrees, one M.S./M.A.L.D. degree, one M.S./M.A. in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning and five M.A.s in Humanitarian Assistance (MAHA). Finally, on the Grafton campus, the School of Veterinary Medicine is awarding 134 degrees, 95 of which are D.V.M. degrees. The remaining degrees comprise 14 M.S. in Conservation Medicine degrees, 13 M.S. in Animals and Public Policy degrees, six D.V.M./M.S. in Laboratory Animal Medicine degrees, four D.V.M./M.P.H. degrees, one D.V.M./M.A. and one Ph.D. A total of 1,992 graduate degrees are being awarded during Commencement. —by Audrey Michael
Features
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Lex Erath | Sugar & Spice
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Ethan Chan / The Tufts Daily
The Tufts chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity (AEPi) disaffiliated from the national organization in January, and its former members established Pi Delta, a local fraternity. The fraternity house, pictured, has had its AEPi sign removed.
Tufts’ former AEPi chapter, now Pi Delta, looks to future with excitement by Becca Leibowitz Assistant Features Editor
On Jan. 30, the Tufts chapter of Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) announced its decision to disaffiliate from AEPi’s national organization. Immediately following spring break, the fraternity was incorporated as local fraternity Pi Delta, according to former AEPi president and current Pi Delta President Adam Kochman. Looking forward, the brothers of Pi Delta are excited for upcoming opportunities to grow and further establish themselves as a local organization. Kochman explained the reasons why the members of the chapter voted unanimously to disaffiliate in general terms. “We saw, just built up over the years, [that] we were not on the same page as our national organization about a number of things,” Kochman,
a junior, said. “And ultimately, after much discussion with our chapter and with the administration to ensure that we had their support, we chose to disaffiliate and be a local organization here at Tufts.” Kochman declined to comment further on the misalignment between Tufts’ chapter and the national organization, as the group “want[s] to focus on the future, not dwell on the past,” he told the Daily in a follow-up email. According to first-year and new Pi Delta member Ben Goldbaum, AEPi chapters at other universities may share the concerns of Tufts’ former AEPi chapter regarding AEPi National. “I’ve heard it from more than one [AEPi brother at another school] that other chapters were thinking of either disaffiliating or doing something to change their philosophy in general,” he said. “[Disaffiliating] was definitely
something we felt we needed to do, and I think that’s what some other schools are feeling as well, but I guess the future will tell what actually happens.” Joshua Katz, president of AEPi at Wesleyan University, was reluctant to elaborate on his chapter’s concerns about AEPi National. “Unfortunately my chapter’s opinion on the matter is split, and we do not wish to invoke further animosity from National, so I cannot comment at this time as to our relationship,” Katz told the Daily in an email. The decision to become a local fraternity — “the only Pi Delta to my knowledge in the world,” according to Kochman — rather than re-affiliating with a different national fraternity gives the brothers more freedom to do what they want and “emphasize other see PI DELTA, page 12
Interdisciplinary Studies majors tackle new questions by blending fields of study by Jake Taber
Executive Features Editor
How are technological networks used to control and abuse? How do methods of storytelling differ across ethnolinguistic groups? How can we teach children to care about climate change and the environment? For some Tufts students, questions like these, found only at the intersections of usually separate fields, led them to declare an Interdisciplinary Studies (IS) major, a program that allows undergrads to build their own curriculum of study in pursuit of answers that lie somewhere between departments. IS, formerly called a Plan of Study major, has been an option for liberal arts students since 1968. It’s a highly independent undertaking that involves combining three different departments in a single curriculum. Julie Dobrow, director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies (CIS), emphasized that the program isn’t a fallback plan. “You shouldn’t do an interdisciplinary major because you are interested in parts of a major but there are some classes you don’t want to take,” she said. “Rather,
what you should do is say, ‘My interests cross disciplines, and I want to find a way of putting them together.’” Over the past two years, Dobrow and the CIS have tried to make the center a “home” for IS students, who must work across multiple departments. “Part of what we’ve done to try and make that home is to do things like have special times when our interdisciplinary majors can meet with research librarians here in the library, because they don’t have to know one literature, they have to know three,” she said. “Another thing that I did this year was I worked with someone in the career center and we had a special seminar … about, ‘How do you parlay this really interesting education you’re getting at Tufts into internships and jobs and graduate school?’” Junior Cameron Flowers’ interdisciplinary major is called “Discourses of the Diaspora: Pan-African Sociolinguistics, Ethnomusicology and Diaspora Literacy Studies.” “I read a book called ‘Roc the Mic Right’ [2006] by Professor H. Samy Alim, a sociolinguistics professor out at
Stanford who wrote this doooope book about the sociolinguistics of hip-hop culture,” Flowers told the Daily in an email. “For a very long time after reading that book, I knew that I was interested in the study of sociolinguistics and the manner in which language is used by oppressed people and communities for self-preservation and a means of reclaiming/reimagining their identities under systems of oppression.” To fulfill the major, Flowers has taken classes in linguistics, sociology, American studies, cognitive and brain sciences, music and Africana studies. “I love taking a bunch of different classes and trying to find themes that interconnect them,” Flowers said. “Analyzing concepts like diaspora, race or art requires a multidisciplinary approach, in my opinion, because everything is really nuanced and relative and oftentimes analyzing these concepts in one discipline loses the richness of these subjects.” Flowers said that putting together his own major has let him regain his passion for study. see IS MAJOR, page 18
hen you hear the word “glamour,” what comes to mind? Sparkling evening dresses and top-shelf champagne? Revolvers tucked inside a tux and a shaken — not stirred – martini? A weekend away from Tisch and a beer that isn’t Natty Light? For some people, apparently it’s motorcycles. The way people react when I let slip I have a bike seems more appropriate for a secret identity reveal or a Grammy nomination. I’ll let you in on a little secret: While riding a motorcycle might seem all fun and games, it’s actually the least glamorous thing on the planet. Don’t believe me? Read on, my four-wheeled friends, read on. First off, everyone knows hat hair is a thing. Now try, if you will, to imagine helmet hair, which is a very real and much worse thing. Even after a quick shot across campus, I walk off my bike looking like I just stuck my head in a highpowered turbine — which, as I’m sure you can imagine, is not a flattering look for anyone. And you know that hair toss-out, the one that happens in slow-mo in every movie featuring a motorcycle ever? The hero/heroine smoothly slides off the seat, whips off the helmet in one fell swoop (straps aren’t a thing in Hollywood) and shakes out their glowing mane into perfectly gleaming waves. But let me tell you something: This is not a normal way to get off a motorcycle. Normal people would just hop off, struggle with the chin straps for a couple seconds, and pat their matted hair back into place. However, Hollywood has now set an unreasonably sexy standard for how you’re expected to disembark, and so riders everywhere are forced to physically strain their necks as they battle gravity to get that slow-mo effect in real life. Now, I’ll be straight with you: My hair toss game is off the charts, but that’s only because I’ve put some serious effort into perfecting it. Newbies, don’t beat yourself up: It may look effortless, but only because I’ve trained. Secondly, riding a motorcycle tends to make you a boring conversationalist. It’s a common joke that if you have nothing else to talk about, you talk about the weather. (See “Mean Girls” (2014): “It’s raining.” “Yup.”) But suddenly, the weather is of the utmost importance to you, and you perk up whenever anyone mentions tomorrow’s forecast. No one else gives two craps if it’s supposed be nice three days from now, but oh do you care when it’s going to rain. All it takes is getting caught once in a downpour out on your bike, and from then on you will do everything in your power to ensure it never even comes close to happening again. You don’t understand what drenched is until you’ve experienced this — believe me, I got caught in a storm last summer and I’m still not totally dry. And finally, you get a lot of unattractive injuries. I wish I could count on two hands (I can’t) the number of times my calf has brushed against the exhaust pipe and resulted in a nasty burn. What’s more, a burn on your inner right calf is very distinctive as a newbie rider burn — so much so that when I’m out in public, total strangers have called me out on it. “Exhaust burn?” “Yup…” Insert sheepish grin here. But hey — while riding might not be all that glamorous, it’s not supposed to be; personally, I’ll always choose boots over heels, anyway. Just promise me that you’ve developed a newfound appreciation for the skill involved in the post-ride hair shake-out, and remember to never ask me about the burn on my leg. Lex Erath is a junior majoring in economics and biopsychology. She can be reached at alexandra.erath@tufts.edu.
12 Kendall Todd | Culture Shock
The last column
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ere’s something weird to think about: I started writing this column in January, only briefly after I packed up and moved to France for the semester. It’s now May, and yet somehow it feels like barely four days have passed, let alone four months. Although I generally try to avoid falling into the realm of cliché with this column, I do feel some obligation to wrap up the semester with a reflection on what I’ve learned. This is the Commencement issue, after all, and if there’s any time of year to talk about that kind of thing, it’s now. So, to conclude these whirlwind months that brought you this (hopefully) enjoyable column, I present to you: Five Things I Learned About Paris Whilst Living There: a Definitive List. 5. Paris, though a capital “C” City in every sense of the word, actually feels quite small. I know, I know — the metro is complicated and sometimes it’s impossible to see anything on the horizon besides more white stone buildings and slate-grey zinc roofs, but believe me when I say that after four months of wandering, I think I could find my way anywhere in Paris without needing a map. It helps that each neighborhood (or arrondissement, if we’re being technical) has a little of its own distinct character, which helps to keep them from blurring together too much. Paris is full of little surprises, too, like finding an outdoor market just adjacent to a park on a sunny day, or realizing that after weeks of business your local baker knows you by name. It’s small things like these that make it both easier and harder to lose yourself in the city that at first seems so homogenous. 4. The French, I am convinced, are passionate about everything. I have never met more opinionated people. The topic of conversation doesn’t matter; your partner in conversation is bound to feel strongly about it in one way or another. Learn to expect raised voices and your discussions (I refuse to say “arguments” because they’re not, really) will run smoothly, despite the sometimes out-of-place yelling. 3. The best pastry to buy at a boulangerie is a “pain raisin,” and the best coffee order is a “grand café crème.” End of discussion. 2. Paris is a city that refuses to wait for anyone to catch up. This policy extends to the metro, any and all stereotypically snobby waiters in restaurants and even to the education system. This is a mindset that won’t accept anything but your best: Sometimes even a fulltilt sprint towards the closing subway doors isn’t quite enough to make it onto the train. 1. Finally, you cannot hope to understand Paris without first understanding that it is a product of its millennia of history. Paris is a living, growing Frankenstein’s monster constructed from its various pasts; there exists today a bit of the old revolutionary fervor (albeit less bloody) alongside the Enlightenment ideals and the artistic abandon that characterized the city in years past, and this history still speaks to the greatness of the city today. This is the city that built Notre Dame, after all, but it also built the Centre Pompidou, which is less beautiful but certainly just as important. Paris is steeped in so much of its past that it is still finding its way in the present, and this means that change is constant. There is always something new around the corner, always something fresh and untested. The end of an era doesn’t mean a finite end, not really — just a passing through to the next one. Who knows what the future will bring? Kendall Todd is a junior majoring in international relations and French. She can be reached at kendall.todd@tufts.edu.
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ATO assists Pi Delta in transition from national affiliation to independence PI DELTA
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aspects of brotherhood.” “For now we don’t want to be [part of a national organization],” Kochman said. “For now we are sticking with Pi Delta and we’re very excited about … doing it our way.” Evan Cover, Interfraternity Council (IFC) president and a brother of ATO of Massachusetts, Tufts’ only other independent Greek organization, underlined the fact that while disaffiliation can have its benefits, it is no easy task. “It’s pretty cool, especially being a brother at ATO, to see someone else taking that path [of disaffiliation],” he said. “I don’t urge anyone else to, because it is a very, very difficult road to take, and I’ve seen the toll it’s taken on some of the individuals who worked hard — it took time away from other activities — but in the end it’ll be for the best.” In order to become an official fraternity, the former brothers of Tufts AEPi had to get incorporated through the state of Massachusetts, a process that requires significant time and paperwork. They also had to create their own bylaws for the new organization, as well as obtain insurance, which, according to Kochman, was “the hardest thing” about becoming established as Pi Delta. Cover, a senior, said that the Greek community provided plenty of support and advice to Pi Delta during its transition. As a member of a group that had gone through a similar process, Cover was able to provide additional help by connecting the members with ATO’s alumni advisor. “It was nice because … I was able to get them in contact with [ATO’s] alumni advisor and also give them tips on how we function as a local fraternity and the best way to go about it,” Cover said. “Our alumni advisor was really able to help them with some of the insurance issues and a few other
logistical business operations.” According to Cover, the IFC and the Inter-Greek Council (IGC) created a resolution to recognize the disaffiliated house — first as “45” after its house number during its interim period, and then as Pi Delta — as a fraternity on campus. Kochman explained that he contacted AEPi National to tell them that the Tufts chapter was disaffiliating on the same day that the fraternity gave out its bids in late January. Those rushing AEPi were informed prior to accepting their bids that the fraternity had disaffiliated and was looking into other options. “We told all of our new members who we gave bids to that we were no longer AEPi — we thought that would be inappropriate to have them accept a bid to AEPi without them knowing what was going on,” Kochman said. “We were as open as possible, but to be honest at that point we didn’t really know where we were going to go.” But for Goldbaum, learning of AEPi’s disaffiliation did anything but deter him from wanting to join the brotherhood. “Surprisingly, [disaffiliation] only really strengthens my experience and strengthens the feelings I had for the brotherhood,” Goldbaum said. “And through this process, I think we all actually managed to get closer and really appreciate what our values stood for and why we were changing and why this process was happening in the first place.” Cover expressed appreciation for the fraternity’s initiative throughout the process of disaffiliation. “I commend them on [their choice to disaffiliate], because they found a way in which they could get what they wanted out of something, and not only were they able to get what they wanted, they had an incredible learning experience, and I have tons of hope for them as a fraternity here on campus,” he said. So far, Cover said the group has come together as an organization to meet its challenges.
“They are leading the community in risk management policies, they’re really striving to create a cohesive brotherhood that’s really focused on … creating a safe space for people to mature and grow, but also giving back to the community, and they’re really, really exemplifying the best way to go about that,” he said. But while being a local organizationmay allow for greater autonomy, it also has potential drawbacks, Kochman explained. “Being a local organization, we don’t really have the national support system and there’s less stability,” he said. “If we get kicked off campus, we’re not coming back … so just having that history [with] the national organization ensures longevity. We don’t have that … it’s just us 58 guys who are Pi Delts.” Since national support is no longer available, Pi Delta is currently in the process of creating an alumni board to gather support from Tufts AEPi alumni, Goldbaum explained. “I’m part of an alumni committee to try to reestablish and strengthen any relationships we have with past alumni of AEPi at Tufts, so we can garner their support and know that we have people from the past that are supporting what we do and supporting the change that we’re making,” he said. Kochman is looking forward to seeing where Pi Delta goes in his next semester as president and beyond. “It’s a lot of responsibility and a lot of pressure on us, but we kind of want that and we’re really excited for that because we’ve created something from scratch putting 58 brains together, and it’s fun and really exciting,” he said. Kochman emphasized the values that Pi Delta seeks to promote. “At the end of the day, we want to be a fraternity that’s welcoming, open and the safest space for our members and other people to come into,” he said. “We want our members to come out of the experience being better people and better men in general.”
Sergeant McCarthy reflects on career after 42 years of service by Ian James
Contributing Writer
After serving the Tufts community for over four decades, Sgt. Robert McCarthy of the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) retired from duty earlier this year. McCarthy was with the force since the early 1970s, and during his time here he witnessed Vietnam War protests, the inception of numerous student traditions and vast structural and cultural changes at both the police department and the university itself. The Tufts Daily sat down with him to discuss his career, Tufts’ history and his favorite memories. The Tufts Daily: Starting at the beginning, can you tell me the story of how you became an officer on the Tufts Police force? Robert McCarthy: Years ago I was on an internship with the Medford police and I was supposed to be getting on there. Then everything got held up. The exam that I took ended up being a part of a court case. They held up the exam that I had taken, so instead of being hired on the Medford force, there was going to be a delay. They told me in Medford that they could help me get on Tufts if I wanted to go there, and probably about a year later it could maybe be straightened out. Then I could end up at Medford. Well that was 42-and-a-half years ago, so I guess it was never straightened out. TD: What are the biggest changes that you have seen on the Tufts campus since you started working with TUPD? RM: As far as working with the students not that much has changed, it really hasn’t. You know, years ago we were dealing with alcohol problems and are probably still doing it today. The big difference [is that], when I first started, that was when the Vietnam War was still going on, so we were having all kinds of protests for Vietnam.
I wasn’t around the last couple of weeks, but they’ve had a few protests around campus for other things, so I guess things haven’t really changed, just the reasons for the protests. But when I was starting in the ’70s we had more problems with the protests. I don’t want to say there was more violence, but there [were] a lot more students involved and, again, they weren’t violent protests, but we would have protests that could be 500-1,000 students protesting. TD: So do you think the job has gotten easier? RM: In some ways. Again, in the ’70s … it seemed like there really was a disconnect between the students and police. We also had Medford police come up and help us out a lot, Somerville police, and I don’t think we got along with the students as well then as we do now. I think there’s more respect from the students now toward us than we had in the ’70s. It was just a time when they were protesting the Vietnam War. Policing was different at the time, there were a lot of protests at the time. Not just at Tufts, but all around. Tufts students were involved in ones going to Harvard Square and Boston that could have ended up violent. We were lucky none did. TD: So the relationship between the students and the police has grown to be a lot more positive over the years? RM: Yeah. I’ve gotten along with a lot of the students here, an awful lot. Actually, there are students that from 30 years ago, they still contact me. Sons and daughters have come to Tufts. They’ve called me and told me their sons and daughters are coming here. I’ve had students come up to me and tell me they’re related to soand-so and everything, so overall I have gotten along with the students very well. I still do get along with the students. Actually, this past year I got a call from Tommy Meade, the captain of the foot-
ball team. He called me and asked me if I would be the honorary team captain for the last football game, the senior week football game. That was a big thrill, it really was, because it came from the students themselves. It’s things like that, they’re good. I enjoyed that. TD: Do you have a favorite memory from being on the force here? RM: Over the years I’ve been at Tufts, we’ve actually hosted two presidents. The first was George Bush Sr. He spoke at Tufts. I was stationed at the door that he was coming in and leaving through, so I met him. I also met Bill Clinton when he came in, so things like that were pretty exciting. You don’t meet a president all the time; I’ve met two of them. Maybe because it happened not too long ago, but the honorary captain of the football team … I think that is the day that I will remember most, being at Tufts. It will be that day. It was just a great day for me. Again, I’ve met presidents, senators, so it has been pretty exciting. TD: Do you have any especially crazy or interesting stories you would like to share about working at Tufts? RM: There’s a lot that I probably can’t say. I mean, there [are] a lot of them. There are some things that have happened that were surprising and caught me off guard completely. One time I got a call to meet a bus that was coming up to Cousens Gym. It was a Sunday morning. Those days the gym wasn’t open on Sundays, I had no idea who it was going to be. I went down there and, before you knew it, two huge buses had pulled up, and what it was was the Cincinnati Reds were playing the Red Sox in the World Series in what would have been 1975. It was raining that day, so they couldn’t practice. Well the game was being canceled, and somehow they got to see McCARTHY, page 18
Sunday, May 17, 2015
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Captured: Spring Fling
ALL Photos by Evan Sayles
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Sunday, May 17, 2015
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Class of 2015 Senior Profiles Makoto Yamamoto
Caroline Ambros / The Tufts Daily Graduation this month will not mark the end of Makoto Yamamoto’s Tufts experience: As a student accepted into the Early Assurance program at the Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine in North Grafton, Mass., he is looking forward to becoming a “double Jumbo.” Yamamoto has completed his undergraduate degree at Tufts in three years. He took summer classes and heavy course loads during the school years, while also balancing veterinarian internships, in order to graduate a year earlier than the class with which he matriculated. “I guess the hardest thing was taking so many courses and being so busy during the school year,” Yamamoto
For senior Genesis Garcia, education is about more than just school — it is transformative, even revolutionary. According to Garcia, this has been true of her own experience in the American Studies Department, as well as the focus of her academic career. Garcia, who is pursuing a career as a high school history teacher, declared her American Studies major with a focus on Issues in U.S. Education during the second semester of her first year at Tufts because she wanted to explore education as a tool for personal and societal change, specifically around issues of race. Her thesis, entitled “Deconstructing Dropout,” explores an alternative education program at Charlestown High School in Boston named “Diploma Plus,” which serves students who are at high risk of failing or have already dropped out. “Since the program is predominantly students of color and predominantly poor students of color, it’s not a coincidence that the dropout population is predominantly black and Latino,” Garcia said. “This is a result of schools being embedded in a white supremacist society. Historically, schools were not meant for students of color.” Garcia has found a sense of family within the Latino community at Tufts, specifically at the Latino Center and within the Association for Latin American Students (ALAS). These spaces have provided necessary support and helped her gain confidence in herself, she said. “Coming from a predominantly white high school, part of me really needed to find a Latino community,” Garcia said. “Part of why I made it through high school is because I had a very strong Latino community outside of high school — at my church, at home.” She added that she prefers to surround herself with communities of color. “As I’ve gotten older, I’ve made what I would call an intentional community that includes, for the most part, very few white people. And that’s because, why would I choose to put myself in a space that hurts me?” she said. “I don’t think that’s a bad thing; it’s for my own survival.” According to Garcia, the Latino community at the Latino Center is culturally diverse, encompassing Mexicans, Dominicans and two Guatemalans, including her. While many members are engaged in immi-
said. “Last summer I did an internship with the aquarium feeding penguins, as well as two [organic chemistry classes] and a lab. And that was just the worst, the busiest summer of my life. And you don’t get to enjoy other things when you do things like that. “ Yamamoto, originally from Japan, moved around the United States for the majority of his life before settling at Tufts to major in biology on the pre-vet track. He has participated in Jumpstart and Tufts Ballroom Dance, and has been especially active in Tufts Japanese Culture Club (JCC) and HYPE Mimez, Tufts’ sole mime troupe on campus. “I was able to find a community that I feel like I belonged to,” Yamamoto said. “Because of my parents’ work, I’ve been moving around from places, and I was never able to find a place that I truly felt I fit in … [the HYPE and JCC] communities at Tufts were really just what I was looking for in that sense.” Yamamoto first became interested in HYPE when he saw the group perform during the Class of 2016’s orientation show on the President’s Lawn. “People’s technique and how they moved their bodies in that just really captured me,” Yamamoto said. “I just wanted to get in. So I auditioned the first semester I got to Tufts, and I got in, fortunately, so I’ve been a part of the group for six semesters now.” Another important part of Yamamoto’s life at Tufts has been maintaining a strong connection to his Japanese heritage and culture. “Japanese culture is a big part of me too, and finding that community that a lot of people resonate with is another great thing,” Yamamoto said. “I feel like with Japanese Culture Club, events are of course important for the Tufts community and for us too, but it’s more of a means for Japanese Culture Club people to really work on something together … That cooperation between the group was a really great thing, and apparently a lot of people at Tufts enjoy our events, and that’s good too.”
Yamamoto’s path to veterinary school began when he visited the Georgia Aquarium located in Atlanta, Ga. during his middle school years. Seeing a whale shark, the largest shark in the world, peaked his interest and led him to consider becoming a veterinarian. “That was my dream … to feed a whale shark,” Yamamoto said. “That’s something I wanted to do with my life. I talked about it with my parents, and I guess they were anxious that this kid was going to go to college to just feed a whale shark. So they talked to me through a bunch of the other options, and [being a] veterinarian was one of the options.” Tufts interested Yamamoto because he wanted a school that had a veterinarian program. The Early Assurance program allowed for Yamamoto to know that he had been admitted to veterinarian school early and allowed him to explore different opportunities on Tufts’ campus. “Knowing that I got into vet school early meant that I had more time to do a bunch of other things,” Yamamoto said. “And that’s why last year I tried different things, one after another, and I think that’s more about the beginnings of vet school and more about how the program itself was good in enriching my experience here at Tufts.” Yamamoto is interested in the study of conservation medicine, which is the study of maintaining the health of animals, people and the environment with which they interact. Interested in wildlife animals and exotic pets, Yamamoto hopes that becoming a veterinarian will help him achieve his future ambition. “I realized that being a vet is not my ultimate career goal,” Yamamoto said. “Becoming a vet is just a means to achieve something more. My dream is somehow to contribute to create a world where people can just be more humble to each other, to their environment and to surroundings and to be more appreciative of the world. [Being] a veterinarian can help me with that.” —by Nicole Brooks
Genesis Garcia
gration activism with United for Immigrant Justice, Garcia said she wishes the Latino community at Tufts were more politicized. “It’s really focused on being with one another, feeling at home, being able to talk [in] Spanish and be comfortable together,” she said. “That does serve an important purpose on campus, because there are a lot of Latinos on campus who don’t want to claim their Latino identity because of the stereotypes associated with it.” Along with participating in racial justice and labor activism on campus, Garcia has also acted in several Tufts productions, including the first-year and sophomore shows put on by the Department of Drama and Dance. In the fall of her junior year, she was casted in the department show “Welcome to Arroyo’s,” directed by Assistant Professor of Drama and Dance Noe Montez. Garcia said that the show was the highlight of her Tufts experience and an outlier in a theater community that is mostly white. “I don’t think it was a coincidence that that was the best experience I had,” she said. “Because Noe is Latino, we had a predominantly student-of-color cast, [and] I really felt at home. I also felt I really kicked ass in that role, and that has to do with how comfortable I felt.” For Garcia, Tufts has been a mixed experience. She maintains that the administration primarily focuses on its corporate interests rather than the needs of its community, and benefits from its class and race privilege while asserting a false post-racial attitude. “I personally have a big issue with Tufts being raceevasive, not divesting and claiming active citizenship,” Garcia said. “Shit just pisses me off. Don’t claim that if you don’t mean it.” She also noted, however, the deep and unique passion Tufts activists have for their work. This summer, Garcia plans to work at a summer enrichment program for teens in New York City before spending next year teaching English in Madrid, where she studied abroad. After that, she hopes to get a master’s degree in teaching high school history. Throughout the course of her college years, Garcia said that she has learned not to strive to meet any expectations other than her own.
courtesy genesis garcia
“I’m slowly starting to learn to love myself and to cut myself some slack,” she said. “I’m very much an overachiever and a hard worker, and I’m starting to question where is that coming from, who am I doing that for and at what expense.” For incoming first-years, Garcia offers this advice: Don’t get caught up in comparing yourself to others and their accomplishments. “Your life is your own, and only you know how to live it,” she said. “Make education more than getting your diploma, more than getting a job — make your education transformative for yourself.” —by Lily Sieradzki
Sunday, May 17, 2015
The Tufts Daily
While Mark Meiselbach came to Tufts unsure about what he wanted to study and where his education would take him, he is now graduating with a double major in quantitative economics and biology, the Charles G. Bluhdorn Prize in Economics, a seniors honor thesis and a wide range of experiences that have shaped his time here at Tufts. Meiselbach entered Tufts interested in biology and neurobiology, but after realizing that he did not want to pursue research in the lab, he decided to try other areas. After taking EC 5, the introductory course for economics, Meiselbach was drawn to the field. Still interested in biology, Meiselbach decided to study both biology and quantitative economics. Meiselbach’s interest in economics led him to help launch the Tufts’ branch of 180 Degrees Consulting, a universitybased student group that provides consulting services to nonprofits. Specifically, Meiselbach worked to acquire projects for the group and then oversaw two of them, one with City Year and another with Let’s Get Ready. “I think a lot of us thought there was this void in terms of consulting experience at Tufts,” Meiselbach said. “We saw that we could both fill that void, while at the same time doing good and filling our roles as active citizens and helping local nonprofits.” In addition to his involvement with 180 Degrees Consulting, Meiselbach gained firsthand experience in economics and gave back to the student body through his teaching assistant position within the economics department, in which he helped students utilize Stata, a statistical software used for research. “That experience has been really formative for me I’d say, because you get to help students complete something they’re hopefully proud of,” Meiselbach said. “I think because that
When senior Ali Berman entered Tufts, she expected her college experience to revolve around academics and her involvement in the women’s basketball team. As she graduates, however, her legacy includes being an active member of Tufts China Care, a researcher at David Kaplan’s Silk Lab, a founding member of Tufts’ chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta, a marathon runner and the winner of the “Best Female Model” award at this year’s LUX Fashion Show. She has also performed with Tufts Dance Collective (TDC) and is a tour guide for Tufts Admissions, in addition to being involved in other activities. During her sophomore year, Berman decided to branch out from her social group on the basketball team. She applied to work with Tufts China Care, which fundraises for orphans with special needs in China. She credits this experience with helping her find a niche at Tufts. “I met an awesome group of people there and was able to branch out through different things they were doing,” she explained. “That’s the first time I really started engaging with students that showed me how diverse Tufts is, and like who had these different, really cool opinions.” She also noted her experience in Kappa Alpha Theta as being transformative, as it allowed her to meet other students with whom she would not normally have the opportunity to interact. Berman is a triple-major in Chinese, biology and biotechnology. Despite intending to double major in international relations and economics as a first-year, Berman said she became interested in biology after taking an introductory biology course to satisfy a natural science requirement. After taking a course about molecular biotechnology, she real-
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Mark Meiselbach
[research] became such a big component for me, I want other students to also really enjoy it.” Mark’s involvement in fraternity life as a member of Delta Tau Delta (DTD), has also been an important experience for him while at Tufts. Being appointed as philanthropy chair in his sophomore year and eventually serving as vice president, Meiselbach was able to direct initiatives and organize events that brought together members of the Tufts community. One such initiative was creating and building a Tufts presence at the Light the Night Walk, a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society event. According to Meiselbach, the Tufts community raised over $16,000 this year. “I think one of the proudest achievements of my Tufts career is the work my fraternity and I started with the Light the Night Walk,” Meiselbach said. “Tufts University and Delta Tau Delta has been the top college fundraising team for three years in a row.” Meiselbach hopes this trend will continue after he graduates and that the Light the Night Walk will continue to be a campus-wide event. After graduating, Meiselbach hopes to stay engaged with the Tufts community through his role as a transitional member of the alumni council. Professionally, he will be working as an analyst in health economics and outcomes research for Analysis Group, an economic consulting firm. Following the completion of his seniors honor thesis, a defining academic achievement for Mark, he is now considering pursuing a Ph.D. in either economics or health policy. After four well-spent years at Tufts, Meiselbach’s advice to other Tufts students is to not be afraid of challenging themselves.
Ali Berman
Elyssa Harris / The Tufts Daily
ized her passion for biotechnology and decided to continue studying biology to enrich her background knowledge. Over the past summer and throughout this year’s fall semester, her work in Kaplan’s lab helped develop AHRP gels that could reinforce cervical tissue. Her role focused mainly on finding the correct ingredients and ratios of ingredients
John Kelly
Caroline ambros / the tufts daily
The first person in history to testify before the U.S. Senate on same-sex dating violence, John Kelly found passion in activism against sexual violence as they raised awareness of queer, male and gender non-conforming survivors of sexual violence in its many forms at Tufts. A former member of Know Your IX (KYIX), a survivor-run national campaign aimed at ending sexual violence on college campuses, Kelly was involved in meetings with upper-
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level administration officials in Washington D.C. beginning in 2013. This opportunity led them to provide testimonies to the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault and recommend potential regulations. “I was selected as a negotiator for the Department of Education, [which] meant that I was part of a group of around 30 people who are coming up with the regulations surrounding the violence against women after the authorization and specifically how it applied to campus,” Kelly said. “Through that work I started talking with senators and their staff about the potential for a national legislation on campus sexual assault.” This work led them to participate in a roundtable discussion with Senators Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Jon Tester (D-MT), Kelly said. “It was from that testimony I was then asked to testify in front of the Senate Health Committee, which [was] chaired at that time by Senator Tom Harkin,” they said. Kelly’s work with KYIX also included staging protests and working at colleges. Through all this work, Kelly found their passion in working with individual survivors. “There was a group of us expecting us to do everything … [but] it was unattainable,” Kelly said. “I realized that maybe my worth in legislative and federal government spaces was coming to an end. I saw myself feeling really connected to doing work with individual survivors … also I started to love doing the teaching aspect, like providing people [with] information [through] speaking in conferences … I went to a lot of different colleges and spoke to students … at different conferences, and I have come to love being in that network.” Their experience with the national activism has taught Kelly about different methods of problem solving, as they realized the importance of a multi-faceted strategy. “It’s not reasonable to expect yourself to do all of those approaches on your own,” they said. “I learned to pick and
Nicholas pfosi / the tufts daily
“If there’s ever an opportunity to challenge yourself, take it,” said Meiselbach. “Especially if it’s something that you think would be interesting to you. You can’t know something [about yourself] until you’ve tried it and challenged yourself. —by Natalia Kastenberg
for the gels. She said that the group found potential clinical treatments through the research, and mentioned that her first publication from this research work should be published in the near future. “I learned a ton of different lab techniques,” she noted. “The coolest part of it was working with graduate students, and they were just so helpful with next steps … These grad students really show[ed] me everything that they learned post-grad — that was super helpful.” Next year, however, Berman says she’s taking a break from biotechnology to work as an academic consultant in China. She will help Chinese high schoolers learn about the American college system and aid them in applying to schools. Berman noted that while she “could definitely see [herself] going back to biotech in the future,” she needs a bit of time off from formal education before attending graduate school. Her contract is for one year, and she is unsure whether or not she plans on staying in China beyond that. “I’m pretty much letting life take me at this point,” she explained. “I have a one-year contract, so I’ll either redo it, try to find something else in China or come back, we’ll see.” She reflected upon her Tufts experience as transformative, noting the communities she has built through her varied involvement. “I think that the best part about going here is that I know that, although I’m literally going as far as you can from Boston, I have an entire network here of friends that I’m going to keep in touch with and professors that inspired me,” she said. —by Arin Kerstein
choose what you enjoy doing, what you are good at, and work with others and trust others to be doing the same, and that’s how I have seen the most successful changes happened.” Growing up Catholic, Kelly is among 10 graduating seniors who are religion majors. During their four years at Tufts, Kelly has found a niche in studying religion and sexual violence, and is planning to continue their work in finding ways to improve religious communities’ responses to survivors of sexual violence. “There are so many religious people, spiritual people, who experience violence, and oftentimes they will turn to their religious communities for support,” Kelly said. “And historically, these communities have not always been the best in responding. I study specifically Catholicism, which has a history of not handling sexual violence well. And I really see my work moving forward as working through that landscape and hopefully trying to come up with ways in a religious or spiritual milieu to improve the ways that these communities respond to sexual violence. That way survivors are able to experience healing and support from these communities that are so important to so many people.” Thinking back, Kelly believes that the project “It Happens Here,” which happened for the first time at Tufts last year, was one of their biggest achievements, as the organizing group received more than 30 submissions from students, and a warm response from the audience. “Last year we put it on, and there was just a group of eight or nine of us, who just decided we were going to … put on this event, and we worked really long hours getting it up and running,” they said. “Cohen was packed … seeing the student body feeling compelled to speak out and also everyone else in the school feeling compelled to listen, and you really hear what is being said by our classmates, was a really, really powerful moment for me.” —by Mengqi Sun
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Features
Sunday, May 17, 2015
“When I was seven, we went on a family vacation to South Carolina. I got stung by jellyfish 14 times, but I kept going back in the water despite the stings because I really wanted to swim.” — Grace Atik, Clinton, N.Y.
“If you could give your past self one bit of advice, what would it be?” “Some advice I once heard and am now hearing more today is to be your best friend. If you’re your own best friend, you have control over yourself. Other people might tell you things, but your own thoughts will be the ones that determine who you are and who you will be.” — Bubakar Bah, New York, N.Y.
The Tufts Daily
Prospective Perspectives
During this year’s Jumbo Days, as newly admitted students flooded onto the Hill to try to get a better feel for what Tufts is all about, Daily writer Yuki Zaninovich and photographer Evan Sayles found it equally important for the Tufts community to learn a little bit about the Class of 2019. In the style of Brandon Stanton’s “Humans of New York” photoblog, Sayles and Zaninovich started conversations with members of the incoming class in order to get an understanding of who these students are and what they’re thinking about as they get to know our school. Why did they
apply? What do they like about Tufts? What did they write in their essays? These are just a few of the topics that came up in discussions. The portraits capture young people on the cusp of making an important decision, soon to cross into a new phase of their lives. Sayles and Zaninovich also had the opportunity to hear what admissions officers love about the Class of 2019 and how this year’s admission process played out. They hope that through this project the Tufts community and its potential new members can start to get to know each other. Interviews by Yuki Zaninovich, photos by Evan Sayles.
“It’s like the Tabula Rasa. Everyone is born a blank slate. I think that’s what I’ll like so much about going to a New England school — I get to be a blank slate again.” — Michelle Chan, Eugene, Ore.
“What’s your greatest struggle right now?” Mom: “Me.” Zoe: “Yeah.”
— Zoe Howard, Fairfield County, Conn.
“My family is big. My mom has nine siblings, and I have 76 cousins. But they had a hard time transitioning to American traditions. My parents were from Ghana, and things are so much different over there compared to here. But I think having this experience gave me different perspectives.” — Charlene Brew, Long Island, N.Y.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
The Tufts Daily
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Features
Miranda Willson | Ecofeminism for All
One last pitch for ecofeminism
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“What drew you to Tufts’ engineering program?” “I really like the liberal arts approach to engineering this school offers. I get the feeling that Tufts teaches how engineers can make a societal impact, rather than just the math and science part of it. Engineering can save the world.” “Me, too. I don’t want to be a STEM-head.” — Linda Pucurimay, San Jose, Calif., and Bryanna Benicia, Los Angeles, Calif.
“How’s the second half of your senior year going?” “Staying motivated is definitely a struggle right now.” — Colby Parsons, Scituate, Mass.
“I got into political science because I want to make an impact and enact change. I started a political action club on campus to get students involved with political issues and politics in general. We have weekly discussions, invite guest speakers, and help find internships for students.” “What drove you to start this club?” “I feel like people, especially under the voting age, feel like their opinions don’t matter, which isn’t true. I want them to be informed so that they can make more informed decisions, because they can potentially impact the lives of others.” — Natasha Suterwala, Dallas, Texas
“When I see students walking up with their suitcases, it makes it all worth it.” — Lee Coffin
“I stay inside a lot.”
— Cole Koester, Salisbury, Md.
lobalization, shaped by a capitalist, patriarchal mindset, has actually aggravated violence against women. We are living in a very violent economic order to which war has become essential — war against the Earth, war against women’s bodies, war against local economies, war against democracy. We need to see the connections between all these forms of violence, which impact women most. Whether it’s climate change or biodiversity erosion or seed monopolies, all of it is connected. It’s one piece.” — Vandana Shiva It’s nice when things are simple, but sometimes it’s more satisfying when they aren’t. I started writing this column because ecofeminist thought, which analyzes connections between globalization, neocolonialism, capitalism, patriarchy, racism and environmental degradation, has become a useful, critical lens through which I examine what I am taught at Tufts and my interactions with others. For example, an ecofeminist lens tells me that we need more women holding positions of political power worldwide, not only for the sake of gender equality, but also for the sake of many surprisingly related issues. Studies show that female legislators are more likely to support and implement progressive policies on issues like the environment, violence prevention, mass incarceration, civil rights, education, health, labor and more. Ecofeminism also highlights the social benefits that capitalism ignores, such as the frequently unpaid labor of women throughout the world and the intangible value of the environment. Ecofeminism shows us that we must assign a price to these non-monetary yet valuable services women worldwide provide, such as subsistence labor and organizing against environmental injustices in their neighborhoods. Similarly, we must internalize the benefits of environmental services, such as carbon abatement performed by trees and the cost of emitting greenhouse gases. On the other hand, perhaps we need a greater shift of consciousness than simply monetizing non-monetary services. Perhaps we need to change our entire capitalist economy. Though women throughout the world face different forms of oppression and degrees of privilege, the objectification of women exists in almost every society and is maintained by global capitalism. Global capitalism also justifies the degradation and exploitation of vulnerable environments and the people who inhabit those environments. We are sometimes taught that capitalist values are inherent to human nature, when in reality, capitalism actually justifies these values, justifies the control and objectification of people, especially women and people of color, for personal gains. In other words, the oppression of women, people of color, other marginalized peoples and the environment is sanctioned and justified by the system of capitalism. Capitalism provides the false narrative that those who work hard will be rewarded, and that those who are poor are to blame for their misfortunes. In this way, it establishes the notion that economic inequality is inevitable and acceptable. Other types of inequality, such as racial and gender inequality, are then much easier to justify and perpetuate as long as this economic inequality is justified and perpetuated. Ecofeminism helps illustrate this reality, showing us the many limitations and problems of capitalism, especially in today’s increasingly globalized economy. Ecofeminism helps us understand why environmental exploitation is acceptable, how patriarchal and colonial values sanction the exploitation and commodification of everything, including the environment. Environmental issues, for example, are frequently pitted against “the economy,” but in reality, valuing a safe, clean and just environment is necessary to maintain a thriving economy. When people say that environmentalism and capitalism aren’t related, to me, it sounds like they’re saying, “Environmentalists may criticize the degradation of the environment, but not the system that allows this degradation.” And when environmentalists ignore issues of economic, social, racial and gender inequality, falsely assuming that these areas aren’t their domains, I am reminded once again of the importance of an ecofeminist lens. As Vandana Shiva says, we must recognize the connections between all forms of violence.
Miranda Willson is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. She can be reached at miranda. willson@tufts.edu.
18 Nico Johnson | Swiping In
Aftertaste: a reflection
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f you’re reading this, you’re probably here to see a bright-eyed student (like me) graduate. Allow me to venture a bit further and assume you’re not a dining hall regular. If by now I’m two for two, I can also safely say you’re not yet tired of the exhaustive — though unbeknownst to you, repetitive — food options in the dining halls. This column arose precisely out of the aforementioned sentiment. When I was a junior, too busy to graduate from a premium meal plan, I still ate in the dining halls every day. One day, I looked down at my customary Tuesday taco salad lunch and realized I was bored with the food I was eating. Just as quickly as that revelation came to me, I recognized its absurdity. Here I was, eating just a tiny fraction of the food available in the dining hall, and I had the audacity to blame my own complacency on a (perceived) subpar food selection. So I began challenging myself. I started using the ingredients and dishes I’d always known and had access to in news ways. I jimmy-rigged seasoned french fries by using the spices sitting next to the pizza. I figured out how to make a banana milkshake with soft serve ice cream. I made wraps out of the grilled chicken breast I always thought was too dry. I stirred together sriracha sauce and honey and put the result on my pizza. For this column, I strove to find some new dining hall hack every week. More often than not, Dewick or Carmichael got the best of me at first. I would mosey through the entrees, salad bar, condiments and desserts in search of an epiphany. Usually, it was only after I resigned myself to the futility of my efforts would an idea emerge. In a lot of ways, this column has been the bane of my existence. On top of all the schoolwork I had to get done, the jobs to punch in for and the extracurriculars to which I’d committed, I had to think about some crazy thing to make in the dining hall — and then I had to write about it in a way that didn’t suck. But looking back, it’s dawned on me that my column forced me to get creative. I’ve had to consistently find new applications for existing resources. Out of this challenge, a life lesson develops. It’s easy to become complacent. Just the phrase, “becoming complacent,” is passive. To arrive at complacency requires no extra effort — it’s just an acceptance of a status quo. To make a metaphor out of the dining hall, we can take life as a series of ingredients presented to us. We can use these ingredients as they’re intended — or expected — and wind up with something completely permissible and even enjoyable. We can repeat this application of our resources, falling into a successful routine, which, for some, might be all that they could wish for. The expected has it virtues. Sometimes all I want is the pepperoni pizza from Carmichael in its pure, unadulterated form. But then come the days where that same piece of pizza needs the aforementioned sriracha honey glaze and a small pile of feta cheese on top. I’ve had the privilege of obtaining one of life’s sweetest ingredients: a college degree. While I recognize the significance of this achievement, complacency is nowhere on the agenda. When the success afforded to me as a result of my college degree is no longer enough, you’ll find me moseying the streets of life, looking for my next great adventure.
Nico Johnson is a graduating senior majoring in political science. He can be reached at Nicholas.Johnson@tufts.edu.
The Tufts Daily
Features
Sunday, May 17, 2015
McCarthy shares stories about TUPD improvements, Naked Quad Run
Mccarthy
continued from page 12
use the Tufts cage to practice in. So all of a sudden I’m there, and all of a sudden the Cincinnati Reds are getting of the buses and going into the gym. Before you knew it, the word got around on campus that they were there, and I swear every kid from campus showed up down there. So the place was packed, but it was a lot of fun. Something that was completely unexpected when I left for the day, but it was pretty good. TD: Do you think the police force itself has changed a lot since you started working there? RM: Yeah, when I first started I was one of the first officers to go to a police academy. There were four of us that went at the same time. That was when they were first making it mandatory to go to a police academy, so we had officers already on [the force] that were never in an academy. That was true for the city police and everyone else. Since then, the training that we’ve had is so far advanced compared to that when we first started. We are way more professional, way more trained. We used to reach out to other departments a lot for help, which we don’t anymore. I mean, we do it ourselves, and between the professionalism and the training itself, its just so much more than it ever was before. Before I started they were called “Tufts Security.” When I started they were changing the name to “Tufts Police,” and again, officers weren’t expected to do as much then. If you made an arrest or something, you turned it over to Somerville or Medford, and they handled everything.
It just became a more professional department, more respected. We got a lot more respect from Medford, Somerville [and] state police than we had in previous years, and it was just a lot of people put a lot of effort into being a better department. It was a lot of work by a lot of individuals. TD: What are the advantages, or disadvantages, to working with a police department on a college campus? RM: I think one of the advantages is that we can work with the Dean’s office to work through issues, and we have a lot of support from them. If we have problems we can work it out with them, we can make agreements about how things are run, or how to handle cases. We don’t have to arrest people, instead we can go through the Dean’s office, which is really I think the way to go. In 42 years, I never arrested a student and it was never a problem, because if I had a problem I could always push it toward the Dean’s office and handle it that way. I think that really helps. Others might disagree, but I thought we worked well with them and that really helped our department. TD: Are there any great Tufts traditions that have been lost over the years? RM: They don’t do the [naked] quad run anymore. I mean, I remember when it first started. It started in 1981. It was during reading period, we had what were called “loud hours” between 10:00 and 11:00 [p.m.]. They said, ‘You can make all the noise you want,’ they also said, ‘run around the quad to get rid of all of your anxiety and pressure from exams.’ I was up there at 10:00. People came out running, and all of a sudden, 15 or 20 kids
came from West Hall. At the time, West Hall was all boys. Fifteen or 20 all came out naked running around the Quad, then right back in. From then on, every year they started doing that, at 10:00 the first night of reading period. It wasn’t a big deal, no one got hurt and a lot of people might disagree with it, but it wasn’t a drinking event either. People weren’t drunk, and it went on until the early ’90s. It just wasn’t a big deal. It might have gone up to 50 doing it. Then ’92, or ’93, West Hall became co-ed. All of a sudden, that night came and quarter to ten, it seemed like the whole of campus was heading up to the quad, and then I realized, it’s that quad run. The whole quad was lined with people, on both sides of the quad. All of a sudden, 10:00 comes. Here come 50 guys coming out of the dorm running around, and right behind them 25 or 30 women. All naked, and they’re running around, everyone is cheering. After that it just started getting bigger and bigger, to the point where it was about 1,000 running it. It was in 2002 [when] all kinds of problems developed, about 16 or 17 students went to the hospital. West Hall was basically torn apart. Doors were broken, the bathrooms were all torn apart. The president at the time, President Bacow, said it was going to be canceled. Students started protesting about it, not big protests, but complaining. Tufts ended up saying they would organize it if students would calm it down. Worked for a couple years, then 2010 was the last year and we had all kinds of problems again, so they canceled it. That’s the one big tradition that was here that is no longer here.
Students pinpoint interests through Center for Interdisciplinary Studies IS Major
continued from page 11
“It allowed me to take back control of my education and empower myself through handling the decisions of my academic career,” he said. “[It] has made me so much more happy with the education I’m receiving.” Junior Alexa Horwitz’s IS major is called “Social Identities in the Digital Age.” “I have primarily taken psychology and sociology classes/seminars,” she told the Daily in an email. “My favorite class was one that I just completed this past semester that really tied a lot of my interests together — ‘Children and Mass Media,’ taught by Professor Dobrow. We spent a lot of time discussing the impact new media technology has had on children’s media literacy.” Horwitz chose the interdisciplinary path not because she felt traditional majors and minors were lacking, but because she felt it was the best way to gain a more balanced perspective on the varied modern media landscape. “My interests could not be adequately met by a more traditional path,” she said. “The traditional major/minor partnership does not allow me to go into depth and investigate the coursework in these three distinct areas that I wish to pursue.” Similarly, senior Anna Lyons, whose major is called “Irish Studies,” decided that a history major couldn’t properly encompass her interests. “I wasn’t finding that I was able to focus as much on Ireland or on linguistic or cultural history as I wanted to,” she told the Daily in an email. “I realized that I had quite a few free classes, so I figured I would try and create a program that enabled me to explore what I was most interested in.” Lyons became interested in creating the major after taking Irish language classes to fulfill her language requirement. “They were some of my favorite classes,” she said. “A lot of the cultural material we talked about in class interested me and both of those things ultimately led me to study abroad in Ireland.” Senior Jenn Seidel studied the different storytelling methods of children from various cultural backgrounds as part of her major, “Applied Linguistics.” “I realized, sophomore year at some point, that what I was really most interested in was linguistics and education,
evan sayles / the tufts daily
Julie Dobrow helps students combine their passions as director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies. both of which are minors,” she said. “And so I thought to myself — I happened to know somebody who made their own major — so I decided to pursue that, so that I could really focus on my interests.” To study the linguistic differences between stories, she observed especially young children while working with a local preschool class through the Jumpstart program. “I got into my classroom and got to know my kids. It was kind of a surprising experience because I was expecting to go in there and compare a group of native English speakers against whatever group was most represented there,” she said. “And then, as it turned out, there’s 18 kids and seven different languages spoken among them, and only two had English as their native language, so it became much more of just, what kinds of styles I found there and how they all interacted.” Seidel described some of the styles she observed. “There’s European/North American, we call it, topic-centered storytelling,
which is very much one event and very logically laid out,” she said. “But on the contrary you have topic associating, which is common in African-American communities, and this is multiple events that are tied together along a theme, and very much improvised, very much about audience participation … There are also stories that tend to highlight relationships among the people present, particularly family, that’s common in Latin American communities … And there’s Japanese storytellers, who will often tell very short stories; that’s reflective of their avoidance of verbosity. There are tons and tons more.” As more students and faculty realize the importance of bridging disciplines, IS’s popularity is increasing nationwide. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of Interdisciplinary degrees awarded in the United States increased by 38 percent between 2005 and 2011. “I think they do some of the most interesting, creative work I see at Tufts,” Dobrow said. “And that’s saying a lot.”
Arts & Living
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tuftsdaily.com
OffBeat
Boston restaurants spice up classics with panache, creativity by Josh Podolsky Assistant Arts Editor
Boston is peppered with amazing, cutting-edge restaurants. When equipped with a meal plan, it is tempting to include Dewick and Carmichael among them, but the dining halls are inadequate for the pomp of certain occasions, such as commencement and the arrival of parents for the grand finale of their children’s undergraduate education. Here are four Daily Arts department-certified restaurants that will live up to the occasion and satisfy even the most distinguished pallets. Worth the Trip: Island Creek Oyster Bar $$$ The name of this seafood heaven makes its mission clear as seawater. Island Creek Oyster Bar serves up a wide variety of seafood in an upscale modern environment with a relaxed atmosphere. All the classics, like Clam Chowder and Crispy Oyster Sliders, are here in name — but don’t expect anything usual. The Clam Chowder, priced at $11, is a deconstructed concoction that makes taste buds sing, and the Oyster Sliders with lime chili aioli and brioche bun, priced at $4 each, are the standard against which all fried oysters should be judged. The oyster selection is extensive and impressive, and the Shellfish Platter for Four ($88) is an ode to seafood that borders on sculpture art. The appetizers (given the quirky label “apps” on the menu) are the stars, and diners can enjoy a tapas-style dinner ordering solely from this submenu. Servers will push the drink menu and, for those willing and able to imbibe fortified beverages, they will not have to push hard to make a sale. For those who want a bite of modern New England cuisine, Island Creek Oyster Bar should be high on their list. Island Creek Oyster Bar is located at 500 Commonwealth Ave, Boston, Mass., 02215. They can be reached by phone at (617) 532-5300 or online.
evan sayles / The tufts daily
The Meze Plate, a collection of Mediterranean appetizers, is a delicious option at Foundry on Elm. Not too far: Hungry Mother $$$ Hungry Mother serves up Southern food with a modern twist. The atmosphere is somewhere North of modern classic and South of hipster, but anyone in a nice flannel should feel right at home. The setting is above average without feeling stilted. The menu changes regularly, but if you have the good fortune to eat there while Skillet Cornbread ($4 - $8) is on offer, embrace the opportunity; this just-right dish will transport you to down-home bliss. Individually, the courses — first through fourth — are shockingly reasonably priced, but can add up quickly. While the “4 course dinner” seems to save only a few bucks, it comes with extra goodies. Hungry Mother boasts a special deal with Kendall Square Cinema, where diners who arrive by 6:00 p.m. can arrange for $8 movie tickets to be delivered to their table while they eat. For an upscale twist on a homey cui-
Interview
'The Intern's Handbook' offers twist on unpaid intern life by Dana Guth
sine genre, check out Hungry Mother, located at 233 Cardinal Medeiros Ave, Cambridge, Mass. Dinner is served Tuesday – Sunday from 5:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. They can be reached at (617) 499-0090. To make a reservation, it is suggested that patrons call after 2:00 p.m. or utilize the reservation website. Familiar territory: Craigie on Main $$$$ Craigie on Main is renowned amongst Boston foodies for its innovation and refinement. Incidentally, the chef, Tony Maws, spoke at an event hosted by Tufts Culinary Society in February. Like the two restaurants listed above, Craigie on Main falls in the modern-classic category, serving up dishes inspired by various age-old culinary practices. Fair warning: this restaurant is for those who want a high-end dining experience and are willsee RESTAURANTS, page 20
Music
Boston music offerings sure to be family favorites by Anjali Nair
Courtesy Sasha Gullish
undercover interns outsourced by the fictional company Human Resources Inc. The business plan of Human Resources Inc.? To send in hitmen disguised as, and hired as, interns — like protagonist John Lago — to assassinate high-up execs and corporate moguls. Although this was Kuhn’s official debut as an author, the juicily vindictive violence that saturates the novel is not a huge departure from his films; his writing credits include such movies as “Dead in Tombstone” (2013) and “Drive Thru”(2007), which IMDB summarizes as the rampage of a fast food chain’s “demonic mascot slashing Orange County teenagers with his meat cleaver from Hell.” Kuhn spoke to the Daily and described his latest work as the love child of his two favorite topics: assassins and corporate America. “I feel that the assassin character is so compelling to people because assassins don’t have to live by societal rules,” Kuhn told the Daily. “They are masters of their domains and their predatory power places them at the top of the food chain. So, with assassins being such a big part of storytelling for centuries (even the Bible had the “Sicarii”) I felt a lot of pressure to really offer something new to the genre.” That’s where the interns came in — the “new” element to inject some zeitgeist into the horror story framework. Especially fascinating to Kuhn was how some of the top executive dealmakers bankrolling America a decade ago were also some of the world’s most successful thieves.
When one thinks of the music capitals of the country, New York, Austin and Nashville immediately spring to mind — but Boston may be further down on the list. However, Beantown has cultivated quite an eclectic scene, one that is at once distinct and versatile. Luckily, during Commencement Week, one can enjoy the full spectrum of Boston music events, whether looking for a sophisticated experience or an unexpected one. Classic Rock: Fans of classic rock may be thrilled to learn that ’70s folk rock heroes Crosby, Stills & Nash (CSN) will be making a trip to Boston right in time for Commencement Week. It’s as if they planned it all along! The legendary trio, consisting of David Crosby, Steven Stills and Graham Nash, has been captivating fans with its impeccable harmonies and politically charged anthems since its self-titled debut album, released in 1969. This supergroup has truly stood the test of time; they have been together for consecutive years since their reformation in 1976. Though the individual members have each had highly acclaimed solo careers, the group has managed to stay together, touring for years even though the release of their most recent studio album of new material was in 1999 — a performance video and album was released in 2012, titled “CSN 2012,” but featured the band performing hits and not new material.
Kuhn combines high-octane thrill and biting sarcasm in “The Intern’s Handbook.”
see INTERN, page 20
see MUSIC, page 20
Arts Editor
Like it or not, most of us college students are becoming cogs in a corporate machinery that feeds on unpaid interns. It was only a matter of time before a millennial revenge fantasy hit the shelves, satiating the anger generated by many of us becoming increasingly disgruntled by a system that chews us up and spits us out. “The Intern’s Handbook” (2014), a novel by screenwriter Shane Kuhn, takes up this responsibility as a discrete “manual” for
Assistant Arts Editor
Daniel Bottino | Frost for you
To be versed in country things
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f there is one thing that I hope to have made apparent to the loyal readers of my weekly column over this past semester, it is the theme of the rustic and the rural that dominates the poetry of Robert Frost. Not only does the beauty of the rural New England landscape shine through in Frost’s poems, but so does the beauty of the simple lifestyle and culture of the inhabitants of rural New England. Frost celebrates this lifestyle in his verse, imparting in the process many a valuable life lesson to his readers. Yet it seems to me, after living the past four years of my life on this busy and urban Tufts campus, that many of the traditional and practical New England values and ideals that Frost celebrates in his poetry are sorely lacking in campus life here at Tufts. I myself have ingrained many of these values growing up in rural Maine, and they have helped me to survive and thrive during my time at this school. And so I will use this last column to share with all my readers the Frost poem that I believe illustrates the traditional rural value most often lacking among Tufts students. The poem is entitled “The Need of Being Versed in Country Things” (1923), and opens with a striking and seemingly gloomy image: “The house had gone to bring again / to the midnight sky a sunset glow. / Now the chimney was all of the house that stood, / Like a pistil after the petals go.” To someone un-versed in country things, this image of a burned out house presents a tragedy. The once grand house now lies ruined, devoid of inhabitants, its remains left to smolder alone into dust and desolation. Yet as a semester-long reader of my column may remember, Frost’s poetic images of rural gloom are never solely images of tragedy; hope always lingers amid the ruin. So what are we to make of this image of desolation presented to us? Frost continues in this theme, describing the abandoned barn next to the house, now no longer a shelter for the animals of the farm: “No more it opened with all one end / For teams that came by the stony road / To drum on the floor with scurrying hoofs / And brush the mow with the summer load.” It seems to me that the dominant campus attitude at Tufts toward these scenes of abandonment and ruin would be profound anger and sadness. This tragedy should never have happened. The farm should have continued in its former glory. Many bitter tears would be wept at the long-past tragedy. Yes, it is a tragedy that the house has burned down, maybe even killing its former inhabitants. But it has happened, and there is no more to be done. We must accept the injustices of the past that we cannot change, and simply move onward with our own lives. Frost writes of the birds flying through the abandoned barn, “their murmur more like the sigh we sigh / From too much dwelling on what has been.” But these birds, unlike people who are un-versed in country things, understand that there is nothing to be done; the tragedy of the abandoned farm cannot be reversed. For these birds only see the promises of what lies ahead, and do not foolishly dwell on what has been: “Yet for them the lilac renewed its leaf.” And so I believe that we all at Tufts should live like these birds, stoically accepting the misfortunes of the past and confidently facing the promises of the future. But this is a hard conclusion for many to accept, for: “One had to be versed in country things / Not to believe the phoebes wept.”
Daniel Bottino is a graduating senior majoring in psychology. He can be reached at daniel.bottino@tufts.edu.
20 Nikki Blank | A SWUG's Life
The SWUGGLE is real
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ear SWUG, What’s going through your head as you head toward graduation? The Phinal Countdown Dear The Phinal Countdown, As graduation came closer and closer each day, my emotional stability grew weaker and weaker each day. During the moon bounce party of Spring Fling, I found myself hysterically crying because “I just have the best friends and I love them so much and I don’t ever want to leave them.” Now, this could have been the tequila talking, or our impending departure date, or a mix of both, but it was not a pretty sight. Especially not with my electric blue Kesha makeup smeared all over my face, and all over anyone who was kind enough to lend a shoulder. Leading up to this day, as I walked around campus, the stream of consciousness in my head sounded a lot like the lyrics to a Taylor Swift song, but they didn’t make me want to sing or dance along. A five minute walk to Tisch resulted in a swing of emotions, from being so happy about my life as a SWUG, to extremely sad about leaving, to very nervous about what comes next, to kind of excited for something new. I would then stop by the local Rez to drown my sorrows in muffins and lactose-free coffee drinks. Senior spring is a constant worry about the future, making it hard to fully be present in the present. But hey, they say today is a gift, and I am very, very excited about the graduation gifts in my future. As the countdown to graduation approached, I found myself in, what one might call, a quarter-life crisis. Or, because I have immense faith in our future health care system, my fifth-life crisis. I was nonstop wondering about where I am going to be, who I am going to be living with and what I am going to do with my life. But as the day is finally here, and none of those questions have yet been answered, I find myself surprisingly calm. At Tufts, I have made the most amazing friends, have had the most incredible experiences and have eaten the most cafeteria food of my life. The people at this fine establishment have made this SWUG feel very fortunate and humbled. Today, while I am sad to see us all go, I love to watch us leave. These robes are very flattering. I will miss this place, I will miss these people and I will miss my reign as SWUG. To the class of 2015, I leave you with this: While the S in SWUG is soon disappearing, and we will just be WUGs, I know that the Jumbo in us will never disappear. (That’s because my doctor told me that it will take seven years to digest.) As WUGs, we are moving on from the best four years of our lives, but we are doing so with our best friends and our 1,200 other classmates whom we borrowed study guides from for the past four years. We’ve been through it all together, from pre-orientation and the first-years 15 (ok, 30), to the tragic events in April of our sophomore year, to most of our class disappearing to foreign lands for half a year, to a little too much fun at Senior Pub Nights. I can’t imagine a more intelligent, talented and SWUGGY group of people, and I am so excited to see what comes next for everyone. Maybe in three months, one of you will get promoted and hire me! It’s our last day to feel like SWUGs, so make sure to take a look around and soak it all in today. And when your relatives ask you what you want for graduation, tell them to reach for that check book. We have no need for nice pens. It’s 2015, for SWUG’s sake, we all have iPhones. Thank you all for an amazing four years. And to my family, this SWUG wouldn’t be wearing this black tent and ridiculously large square hat (smallest head in the Class of 2015!), without your constant love and $upport. Congrats everyone! I look forward to seeing your WUGGY selves at our five year reunion (or on the various social media platforms I stalk you all on). XOXO, SWUG
Nikki Blank is a graduating senior majoring in English. She can be reached at nicole.blank@tufts.edu
The Tufts Daily
Arts & Living
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Boston restaurants aplenty for those looking to celebrate after Commencement RESTAURANTS
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ing to pay the (at times exorbitant) sums it demands. Full dinner menus are encouraged, yet with a first course, an entrée and a dessert running $67 before any kind of markups, they are hardly a steal. À la carte is, as usual, an even pricier option. Seasonal tasting menus are available as well, and these are the main attraction of Craigie’s menu. The menu changes constantly, but notable recent menu items are listed on the restaurant’s website. A sample first course item, à la carte priced at $18, is Potage of Macomber Turnip; which features “veal sweet breads, lobster, squid ink bread crumbs.” A sample of both the extravagance and creativity of Chef Maws is evident in the “entrees to share” courses, which are priced at $38 each à la carte, such as “Confit and Roasted Milk-Fed Pig’s Head (For Two)” with “Peking pancakes, spicy pumpkin sambal, boudin noir-hoisin sauce.” Craigie on Main is located at 853 Main Street, Cambridge, Mass., 02139.
They can be reached at (617) 497-5511. The restaurant is open for dinner Monday – Sunday, with the dinner menu available 5:30 p.m. – 10:00 pm on Monday – Friday and 5:30 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. on Saturday – Sunday. Bar drinks are available 5:30 p.m. – midnight every night. Bar food menu is available on Sunday – Thursday at 10:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. and Friday – Saturday at 10:30 pm – 11:00 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome but reservations are also encouraged and can be made by phone or online. Close to Home: Foundry on Elm $$ Definitely on the upscale end of Davis Square’s culinary offerings, Foundry on Elm is home to a beautiful bar and an eclectic menu that offers high-end bar food to suit its setting — that is, casual, but worth the small upcharge over a regular bar. The Poutine ($9), a transplant from Canada, is among the best on this side of the border, and the “Devils on Horseback” ($9), feta-stuffed bacon-wrapped dates with mint balsamic, are every bit as delicious as they sound. The Smoky Grilled
Cheese and Tomato Basil Soup (priced at $14 for both or $7 for soup à la carte) is not like your mother’s grilled cheese. Made with gouda and drizzled with smoked honey, this sandwich is what every grilled cheese should aspire to be. $14 may seem like a lot to ask for cheese, bread and soup, but the whole of the sandwich is so much more than the sum of its parts. Steak Frites ($24) is also on the menu and is never a bad choice. The Foundry is for those who want something above average but close to home during their final days on the Hill. Foundry is located at 255 Elm Street, Somerville, Mass. They are open for a variety of meal times, the full list of which is available online; they are open for dinner Sunday – Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m. and Thursday – Saturday at 5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. They can be reached at (617) 628-9999. While walk-ins are welcome, and have a specific bar to seat them, reservations are encouraged and can be made online or by calling. Parties of eight or more must make a reservation.
Boston is music lover’s paradise, offering range of genres in shows, concerts, karaoke MUSIC
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Believe it or not, the tickets for the concert cost as little as $36, but patrons can pay higher prices for better seats. To catch CSN, head over to the Wang Center in Boston (270 Tremont St) on May 19 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available in advance online. Karaoke: If simply playing spectator isn’t enough for you, Hennessy’s Boston gives you the chance to take the stage. On Wednesdays, the pub holds Live Band Karaoke with Jukebox Heroes. The band will take requests for classic songs, during which patrons can sing their hearts out. So head on over on May 13 or May 20 to watch your dad live out his secret rock star fantasies. While it may not be a fancy establishment, it will provide a relaxing (and possibly hilarious) night out for those over 21. Rumor has it Hennessy’s serves up a mean clam chowder as well ($5.99 for a cup and $6.99 for a bowl). Live Band Karaoke starts at 9:30 p.m. at Hennessy’s (25 Union St). Hennessy’s is open Monday-Friday 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m. and Saturday-Sunday 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m. They can be reached at (617) 742-2121. A little jazz: If you’re looking for something a little more traditional, Boston has a thriving local jazz scene. On May 21, singer Rebecca Sullivan will join Eli & the Hot Six, a New England jazz group, for a night of fabulous music at Scullers Jazz Club. Specializing in what they call “Contemporary Classic Jazz,” the group will play from a catalog of jazz standards. The show will be extra special since the group is releasing a new self-titled album, “Eli & The Hot Six LIVE Contemporary Classic Jazz” (2015). In classic New Orleans tradition, the band will take an abundance of instrumental solos; if you
Sylvia.Forbes via Flickr Creative Commons
Legendary rock trio Crosby, Stills & Nash will be returning to Boston during Commencement. close your eyes, you might just convince yourself that you’re actually in Preservation Hall. Part of the proceeds from the show will go to Kids 4 Harmony, an after-school music program seeking to enrich childhoods and form strong music communities. Tickets to the show are $30, but if you’re looking to spend a little more time, you can opt for a show-and-dinner combo ticket for $70. Show time is at 8:00 p.m. at Scullers Jazz Club (400 Soldiers Rd) in Allston, Mass. Tickets are available online. Questions can be directed to the Scullers Jazz Club box office at (617) 562-4111. Boston Calling: The stars have aligned to kick off festival season in perfect sync with commencement, as Boston Calling’s spring shows are during the weekend following commencement. For those who
want to stay in the area a little longer, this is a great opportunity to see a slew of amazing artists all in one place. One can choose to buy a single-day pass for May 22, 23 or 24 — priced at $50 for Friday or $75 for Saturday or Sunday — or stay for the full weekend — a three-day pass is $175 while a weekend pass is $135. Camping out for the festival is not permitted. Friday’s short lineup will feature Beck, Tame Impala and Sharon Van Etten, while Saturday and Sunday will feature the likes of St. Vincent, Run the Jewels, MØ, Tove Lo, My Morning Jacket, Tenacious D, the Pixies and Vance Joy. The stages will be set up at City Hall Plaza in Boston, and the gates will open at 6:00 p.m. on Friday and 12:00 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday. Tickets can be purchased online.
‘The Intern’s Handbook’ sets its protagonist as best hitman, intern in corporate America INTERN
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“Their ability to steal is unprecedented, even among the most accomplished crime families. Who else gets a multi-million dollar severance package after gutting an entire pension fund?” He continued, “All criminal organizations have minions and, at first, I was thinking that could be their role. But then I started thinking about when I was an intern and how I could do whatever I wanted with very little supervision, and how it might be interesting if the people you thought were minions were actually powerful in the grand scheme of things.” It’s not too hard to make the connection between these undercover “minions” and the no-name positions through which whitecollar interns cycle in and out. “They are wholly ignored by paid employees unless someone needs a bagel and then they are referred to as ‘the intern’ and not by name,” Kuhn added, explaining why these all-too-common real life characters work so well as fictionalized killers. Kuhn denies, however, an inherent bitterness toward this recent trend. “The Intern’s Handbook” indeed has a satirical undercur-
rent, a sort of biting sarcasm towards the Wall Street moneymakers, but this is only a backdrop to the nitty-gritty (and often incredibly detailed) action that fills most of the novel’s pages. “My desire to empower the intern as a great equalizer to the sneering upper echelon culture of corporate America is what drives the themes in my book,” Kuhn said, pointing out that, though he’s never felt personally victimized by intern culture, he wanted to give it the middle finger anyway for the angst and rigidity imbued on anyone working for “the man.” As one might expect of a novel centered on undercover killers, “The Intern’s Handbook” is violent, action-heavy and incredibly fastpaced. In other words, it was practically written for the big screen. So it comes as no surprise that the book was almost immediately scooped up by Sony Pictures, which nabbed Dave Franco as the fresh, chiseled face of Human Resources. Oren Uziel, who penned “22 Jump Street” (2014), is slated to adapt the novel alongside Kuhn. “For whatever reason, I have always been drawn to what I call the ‘canvas of blood,’
which is more a cinematic influence versus a literary one,” he said, citing connoisseurs of silver-screen violence Quentin Tarantino, Sam Raimi and Stanley Kubrick as heavy influences. “I’m throwing the dice by optioning the book, hoping they land on someone making a great movie — which will give John Lago an even longer life in a literary series.” Kuhn’s 20 years as a screenwriter has fed a serious ennui with Hollywood. The art world, in his eyes, is directed by the same corporate magnates that “The Intern’s Handbook” so mercilessly prods at — to the point that the author laments artists as having zero value beyond “being glorified providers of decorative furniture complements for the wealthy.” So his cynicism towards the creative success of the film adaptation is easily understood. Still, he would never discourage anyone from taking a stab at their own novel. “Thinking kills creativity. Feeling gives it life,” he said. “So, write every day and you will make things happen.” The second book in the John Lago series, “Hostile Takeover,” is set to be released in July 2015 and is available for preorder from Kuhn’s website.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
The Tufts Daily
21
Arts & Living
Emily Gruzdowich | A caffeinated critic
Colorful regenerations
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Bloody horse courtesy vincent carbone
A collaboration between two Tufts students, writer Vincent Carbone and artist Bloody Horse, “Imperium” tells the story of a war between animal species in a futuristic universe.
Tufts comics, anime scene offer platform for diverse artistic expression, dialogue by Grace Segers Arts Editor
Tufts University is fortunate to have a variety of diversely talented artists on its campuses. From performing to painting, from writing short stories to writing for the Daily, students are able to present their numerous gifts to the community on campus and to the general public. This week, seniors and parents alike will be able to look back at the Tufts arts scene with great appreciation for the talents of student artists at the university. However, in the midst of more wellknown and popular art forms, there is a subgroup of the arts scene on campus that is often overlooked: the “nerd” community at Tufts. The “fandom” side of Tufts, meaning the students who participate actively in fan culture, offers just as much creativity and talent, while adding unique elements to its participants work. One such artistic student is Vincent Carbone, a senior who has been writing his own web comic for the past year. Carbone also writes a comic for the Daily, and was a columnist for the Arts section last semester. His web comic, entitled “Imperium”(2014 – present), tells the story of a war between cats and dogs occurring in a technologically advanced world. In “Imperium,” the cats are the dominant race and the dogs are being oppressed by their feline regime. Carbone said that he began developing the idea for “Imperium” years ago, when he was writing fan fiction for Sonic the Hedgehog from “Sonic Riders” (2006). He realized that he would rather be creating original characters, and so began developing his own story. Carbone sat down with the Daily for an interview to discuss the origins and future of “Imperium.” “This has been in the works for eight years, so it just kind of spiraled out of control into something cool,” said Carbone of “Imperium.” The senior noted that he wanted to create a world that was morally complex, in which the distinction between villains and heroes wasn’t quite clear. He was inspired to write this type of story after seeing historical ruins while studying abroad in Rome during his junior year of college. “You can’t go to Rome without being bombarded by all the amazing things the Empire did while it was around 2,000 years ago,” Carbone said, noting that this experience contributed to certain realizations about the way government is portrayed in storytelling. “It always … frustrated me because the empire is always evil in every fictional media … so I kind of wanted to tell a story where it wasn’t really sure who you were supposed to be rooting for.” Carbone’s comic is not only distinctive because of its social commentary, but also because of the artwork. He does not draw his comics, but rather hires an artist through
the website Fiverr to do the artwork weekly. Carbone does not know anything about this contributor, other than that the person goes by the name “Bloody Horse.” “I don’t know [Bloody Horse’s] gender, I don’t know [their] race … I know they live in San Francisco, but I don’t even know what they look like,” Carbone said. But this level of anonymity does not hinder the creative process. Carbone sends Bloody Horse two scripts and $21 per week for the artist to draw five to nine colored panels. There is some collaboration between the two, as Carbone describes in writing what he wants each panel to look like, and the two exchange revisions. The senior recognized that having a professional artist draw for his comic was definitely worth the time and money he spends. “It costs me $20 a week to make a page. That’s one time not eating at Chipotle,” he said. Looking to the future, Carbone is also thinking about how “Imperium” will continue in his life after Tufts. The web comic currently has 34 subscribers, and each panel gets over one hundred page views. As of now, he plans to keep writing his comic post-graduation, and is thinking of advertising “Imperium” in the future so it will gain more popularity. “I’ve got this planned out for years in advance,” said Carbone, noting that the comic is important to him as an artistic outlet. “This is my labor of love … I’m doing this for me and I couldn’t be happy without doing this.” Carbone also discussed his involvement in “nerd” culture at Tufts, as he was previously a member of Tufts Anime Brigade. While the senior no longer regularly attends meetings, he remembered it as an important place for him to interact with other fans. Other members of the Anime Brigade are also active in arts culture on campus and in the greater Boston area. President and graduating senior David Heilbrun, Club Liaison junior Lara Halamka and Treasurer junior Matthew Bogen participated in Anime Boston in April. Anime Boston is an annual three-day convention celebrating Japanese pop culture, comics and media, located this past year at the Hynes Convention Center and the Sheraton Boston Hotel. The three students planned and hosted their own panel entitled “LGBT in Anime: Yaoi, Yuri, and Beyond.” Bogen focused on yaoi, which is anime that features samesex male relationships, and Halamka discussed yuri, anime with same-sex female romance. Heilbrun touched upon the history of LGBT presence in anime television series, and he also discussed transgender characters in these shows. This hour-long event occurred at 8:30 p.m. on April 4 in the Sheraton Grand Ballroom. Around 200 people were in attendance. “[The panel] was very broad and meant to give an introduction to people
who knew nothing about … these genres of anime,” explained Heilbrun. “It was really good to hear people’s questions. Everyone … had fun, but felt that they also learned something.” Halamka added that she really enjoyed creating a presentation that had an impact on the audience. “After the panel was over, I had a couple of people come up to me and ask for certain yuri to recommend, and say that they were really glad that we put on the panel and that it meant something to them,” she said. When they were preparing for the panel, the three relied heavily on Anime Brigade to give them support. They did a dry run of the panel to members of the club before they presented at Anime Boston, and took all feedback into account. They also noted how important Anime Brigade and Tufts fan culture was to their college experience, beyond just preparing for the convention. “Geeks flock together,” Halamka joked, explaining why clubs such as Anime Brigade are such a fundamental aspect of Tufts culture. “I know a lot of people who say that when they first came to college they didn’t have any friends until they went to Anime Brigade and … that was their grounding to find people that they connect with. So I’m really glad that the club exists!” she continued. Bogen acknowledged that Anime Brigade allowed people to appreciate their own individual interests, while still connecting with one another. “The more geeky or nerdy clubs on campus really provide … common reference points … where everyone has at least seen some of the same shows, some of the same movies,” Bogen said. “We all have our own individual quirks and our own individual specific things that we get super excited about, then we also have those common things that keep us together.” The positive experiences that each of the panelists has had with Anime Brigade and Anime Boston has encouraged them to continue to be active with fan culture in the future. They are preparing to present their panel in front of the anime club of another Bostonarea college, and hope to speak again at Anime Boston next year. “The staff member at Anime Boston said that we’re first in line to do our panel again next year, so we’re definitely going to do it,” said Halamka. Fan culture has allowed students to explore different art forms and use their talents while at Tufts, and it is a scene on campus which should not go unacknowledged. Carbone, Heilbrun, Halamka and Bogen are passionate about their fields of interest, and campus is lucky to have their enthusiasm and artistic skill. “Imperium” can be read at imperium. thecomicseries.com.
hick and strikingly realistic blossoms radiate from the canvases. The vibrant hues mirror the budding blooms of springtime. While these works are manufactured images of nature, they fully capture the ephemerality of life by depicting creation at its apex in full bloom. Each element contributes to the melodic harmony of springtime. Through the mastery of an artist’s brush the everyday becomes dynamic, innovative and enthralling. Bruno and Natasha Zupan construct honest recreations of the natural world on canvas. While impressionistic, their canvases are firmly grounded in material reality. Each canvas presents the artist’s emotional and visual response to various sources of inspiration and reflection such as the advent of springtime. The exhibition “A Colorful Lineage: Bruno and Natasha Zupan” highlights both the beauty of nature and the genius of artistic creation. Shown at the Galerie d’ Orsay on Newbury Street, as part of the Museum of Fine Arts’ “Art in Bloom” festival, on view until May 31, the Zupan’s works are refreshing depictions of natural phenomena. Natasha, Bruno’s daughter, crafts bold visual abstractions. Her multimedia works are physically dense, a result of heavy layering. Natasha’s sensory creations do not copy the natural world, but rather attempt to harness the vitality of life, which pulsates through nature. Her canvases are alive. The animated hues dance, imbuing her static creations with a sense of kinetic activity. Jutting outwards, Natasha’s multimedia pieces engage the viewer. The floral motif is a recurrent theme in Natasha Zupan’s mixed media canvases. Either outlined or implied by the rhythmic application of paint, the petals of a flower can be identified in many of her works. I gravitated towards “Light Refraction #42” (2015), an oil painting that is a primarily orange, pink and metallic abstract creation. The thick amalgamation of oil in “Light Refraction #42” builds up to create a unique impression of nature. Nature is interpreted and adapted to fit Natasha’s artistic vision. While also impressionistic in nature, Bruno Zupan’s creations more closely replicate the natural world. His works meld the realistic with the abstract in a subtler manner. Bruno approaches nature with a more formulaic response. The background of each work — whether vase, floral landscape, or city view — is rooted in order. Yet, Bruno Zupan’s works are far from prescribed renderings of the natural world and its fruits. His creations are infused with vibrant light and bountiful life. Bruno’s artistic experimentation can be best seen in his abstract rendering of blossoms. Paint is smeared, splattered and dotted to achieve the form of a blossom. Techniques of disorder are employed to faithfully depict the order of creation. Bruno Zupan’s oil on canvas, “Almond Trees in Blossom” (2015), show his dual commitment to structure and experimentation. The contorted branches of the almond tree can be easily spotted, but the form of the tree is simply a vehicle for artistic experimentation. To create the blossoms, Bruno Zupan uses yellow, pink, white, blue and brown pigments. The application of paint is reminiscent of Jackson Pollock’s abstract expressionist drip paintings of the 1940s; the successful implementation of a technique of disorder ironically orders the canvas and asserts Zupan’s command as a painter. Bruno and Natasha Zupan have crafted a lineage of color. Both of these artists seek to visually conjure their individual responses to nature among other subjects. The divergence in their artistic styles speaks to the subjectivity of creation. The diversity in their interpretations is beautiful. There is no correct manner in which one should interpret the natural world, the start of spring or art in general. The Galerie d’Orsay’s exhibition “A Colorful Lineage” displays art outside the confines of a museum. The art hanging is not only accessible, but also free to view. On your next trip to Newbury Street, I encourage you to explore the Zupan’s fanciful floral canvases. Simply wander and gaze. Like the blossoms of spring, regenerate. Emily Gruzdowich is a sophomore majoring in political science. She can be reached at emily.gruzdowich@tufts.edu.
22
The Tufts Daily
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Arts & Living
Gallery Review
Spotlight
Boston offers classic, modern exhibitions for this week
Holmberg combines passions in original graphic novels
by Nika Korchok Executive Arts Editor
For those wishing to dive in to the rich culture and art of Boston, look no further. From big-name museums to small hidden gem galleries, one never has to go far to find incredible, thought-provoking art in Beantown. Here is a comprehensive list of some must-see exhibitions. Some will be on display until the fall, while other shows are closing soon. See them all while you’re here for a panoramic view of Boston’s art scene. Meleko Mokgosi: Democratic Intuition – ICA Meleko Mokgosi explores South Africa’s modern history with a combination of clippings and paintings in this series — which is divided into five sections — created specifically for the museum. According to the description on the ICA’s website, “Mokgosi is interested in the pursuit of recognition as both a primary goal of suppressed peoples and the essence of artistic expression.” The work combines traditional formal elements of composition with social commentary on policies in South Africa to create a dialogue on the shifting narrative of race relations. The exhibition runs through August 9. Tickets are $10 each for students with valid ID and $15 for adults. Admission is free for all patrons from 5:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. every Thursday night as part of ICA Free Thursday Nights. The museum is open Tuesday – Wednesday and Saturday – Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Thursday – Friday from 10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. The ICA is located at 100 Northern Avenue, Boston, Mass., 02210. Leonardo da Vinci and the Idea of Beauty – MFA The work of two masters — da Vinci and Michelangelo — makes its way to the MFA this spring in “Leonardo da Vinci and the Idea of Beauty.” Featuring 29 sheets of da Vinci’s sheets and a manuscript which he completed, as well as works by Michelangelo, the exhibition is sure to amaze with its display of Renaissance virtuosity. Da Vinci’s pieces are rich and inviting, depicted in warm hues (such as red and white chalk on prepared paper) that reveal both the artist’s creative compositional prowess and technical mastery. The show features da Vinci’s rarely seen “Codex on Flight” (circa 1505). The Casa Buonarroti, the home of Michelangelo, has also lent eight drawings for this exhibition, providing a remarkable range of work by Renaissance greats. The exhibition runs through June 14 and is located in the Lois B. and Michael K. Torf Gallery
(Gallery 184). The MFA is free to Tufts students with a valid ID; tickets are $25 for adults and $23 for seniors (ages 65+). The MFA is located at Avenue of the Arts, 465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, Mass., 02115. The museum is open Monday – Tuesday from 10 a.m. – 4:45 p.m., Wednesday – Friday from 10 a.m. – 9:45 p.m. and Saturday – Sunday from 10 a.m. – 4:45 p.m. For tickets or information call 617267-9300 or visit the museum’s website. Hokusai – MFA Since the MFA is, according to their website, “… the home of the largest and finest collection of Japanese art outside Japan—including the greatest variety of Hokusai works in any museum,” there is now a retrospective on Hokusai at the MFA. Pieces in a variety of media, such as woodblocks, drawings, paintings, printed books and cutout dioramas, will be featured in the exhibit. Some of the most famous and influential pieces of Japanese art will be on display, including “Under the Wave Off Kanagawa” (1830-1831). The exhibition will be on display through August 9. Ticket information and MFA hours and location can be found in the description above. The Hokusai exhibition is located in the Ann and Graham Gund Gallery (Gallery LG31) in the museum. Martin Kline – Gallery NAGA Those looking to take a stroll down Newbury Street will find that the gallery scene is vibrant and filled with gorgeous and innovative exhibitions during the month of May. A notable show is “Martin Kline: Dreams of Venice,” which is on view now through May 30 at Gallery NAGA on Newbury. Working in the ancient art of encaustic, Kline creates semi-abstract works using the wax medium on large canvases layering rich, monochromatic hues which bleed into one another to create panels of color that interplay with the unique textural elements of the wax. The press release from Gallery NAGA describes the content of Kline’s paintings: “His paintings display Kline’s fascination with the natural world, his shapes evoking flowers or fungi sprouting from a tree or glistening water.” With repetition, rhythm and balance, seemingly simple forms are made monumental and the viewer is submerged in intimate portraits of oft-unnoticed details. Gallery NAGA is located at 67 Newbury Street, Boston, Mass., 02116. They can be contacted by phone (617) 267-9060 or on their website. They are open Tuesday – Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. There is no cost to view the exhibitions at the gallery.
by Nika Korchok Executive Arts Editor
Sonja Holmberg has carved out a successful niche for herself by finding the perfect balance between her academic and studio pursuits by creating graphic novels. The fourth-year dual degree student with Tufts and the SMFA balances her two Tufts majors — English and French — with studio work, where she mainly works in illustration and graphic novels. Her preferred media include watercolor, pen and ink and, recently, charcoal. The talented artist is also interested in painting and ceramics. Outside of class, Holmberg is a reading tutor with the Tufts Literacy Corps — which she has been involved with since her first year –– and frequently displays artwork in shows around campus, such as “Art in April” and “Conception,” as well as in her hometown. This semester, Holmberg also worked as a cultural services intern at the French Consulate in Boston. In an email interview with the Daily, Holmberg talked about her artistic passions and goals, and the ways in which she is using the Combined degree with Tufts and the SMFA to create a unique career for herself. Holmberg explained, “As an English, French and Studio Art major, I am hoping to eventually write and illustrate graphic novels and potentially translate them into French.” Holmberg further explained her longterm career goals: “I would like to work for a couple years as an art teacher at a private school after graduating from the Combined Degree and then pursue my MFA. Ultimately, I would like to become a drawing professor at an art school and do commissions on the side.”
COURTESY SONJA HOLMBERG
Holmberg works in several different media, including pen and ink, graphite and watercolor and, recently, charcoal.
Of her current projects, Holmberg stated, “I’m very interested in imagery of women in the media and have been working on an ongoing project related to women’s body image and their emotional and physical health.”
COURTESY SONJA HOLMBERG
Sonja Holmberg is a fourth-year dual degree student with Tufts and the SMFA who is exploring new media that combine the three disciplines, such as graphic novels. As she continues to focus on her art in her final year of the five-year program, Holmberg extrapolated on the challenges and triumphs of the unique program. “As anyone in the Combined Degree knows, this program is as challenging as it is rewarding, and this semester I took seven academic classes, worked as a tutor and worked 12 hours a week at my internship in Boston. In a week I will be walking in the Tufts graduation since I will have completed both my English and French majors, with only one year of studio classes at SMFA remaining. This program has truly taught me how to balance the academic, creative, athletic, work-related and social parts of my life and, it may be naive, but after this I feel prepared for anything!”
Top ten | artsy ways to make money after graduation Happy commencement! Enjoy your student debts. Now, now, just breathe – we’ve got you covered. Today is a whirlwind: so many autographs to sign, so many Ellen-style selfies to take with Monaco & Co., so much existential angst and all you want to do is get to a canvas on which to project your feelings into a monochromatic abstract watercolor painting. After you’ve kissed your weird-but-precious family members who came to cheer you on at commencement as you waltzed (not Jennifer Lawrence-style tumbled) across the stage for that piece of paper that qualifies your four-year struggle as something real, you’re coming to the realization that, oh, this is it. Thanks, Academy! Thanks, everyone who believed in you! Where do you go now? You could go and get that day job that your aunt’s friend in Rhode Island promised you. Yeah, menial office work sounds cool. Oh please, while you’ve all accrued tastes that should make you set to be an adult, chances are, you still cling to childhood dreams of fame and fortune. Good! You are keeping hope alive for our generation. Set forth and set sail. Carpe diem! Oh Captain, my Captain! Whoever said artists make no money was totally … pretty damn accurate. Paint is really expensive. Choreographing the next great ballet masterpiece is rather challenging. It’s okay, when no one else believes in you, know that the Daily Arts section still does. Don’t cut your ear off, just Van Go(gh) for your dreams. We’ll see you at the Met Gala in five years. We’ll be the ones wearing Louboutins and custom-made python Alexander Wang bodysuits. 10. Become an artist. And make no money. On the bright side, a steady diet of canned soup and tap water (because duh what else can you afford?) is really good for finally losing the freshman 15. #chic
9. Become an artist and sell out. No, it’s really cool to make art for the masses and not really contribute to the greater expansive fabric of art history. We all need someone about whom we can say, “Ugh, they were so cool when they were spray painting walls and creating portraits of Che, but now they’re just so corporate.” 8. Get a really corporate job on Wall Street and make a ton of money and hate yourself. “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013) was only cool because of Leo but, sure, if you want to live in a nouveau -Scorsese incarnation then go for it. Live with the guilt. 7. Become president and have a really low approval rating and become a painter. Hey, it worked for W. Paint a portrait of yourself in the bathtub while you cry about how much your undergraduate education cost you. The tears will fuel your artistic expression and impress the art gods. You’re on your way to a solo show at the Whitney. 6. Start a fashion blog. Use a great artsy name. Nearly every great fashion blog title is comprised of a high-carb food and a weird fabric: see cupcakesandcashmere.com. What will your blog name be? Pizza and plaid? That sounds lumberjack chic to me, which is so in this season. I’m already following your blog. 5. Become a phone sex line operator and use the experience to fuel your next novel/prose piece. The New York Times just had a piece about a woman who did just that, called “Dirty Talk and Dostoyevsky on the Night Shift,” so it must be real. Suffer for your art. Or maybe, don’t suffer and enjoy it? Hot. We don’t judge.
4. Become a tattoo artist. Okay, so maybe painting on canvas isn’t your forte. But drawing on muscly bikers with an ink gun is! The first step is to practice on yourself. Start small — think “I <3 Mom, Dad or your dog Brutus” — any symbol of love and affection will be appreciated by whomever the dedication honors. Then work up to big projects. An entire sleeve made of skulls? How darling. Maybe you could go M.C. Escher and tattoo a picture of yourself tattooing a picture of yourself. That’s so meta. 3. Become an Iron Chef. Go to the CIA, which, in case your IR degree has confused you, in this instance means the Culinary Institute of America — this is a Food Network life you want to lead, not a “Homeland” (2011-present) one. Open a quirky nouveau-French/Italian/American/Mexican fusion restaurant. Change the menu every night and only serve vegan items and raw meat items. Have an entire bar stocked with only really good vodka and really potent absinthe. I can already smell the James Beard award. Or is that toast burning in the kitchen? You better check on that. 2. Embody Natalie Portman and become “Black Swan” (2010). Rebel against your parents, make out with Mila Kunis and pirouette away all of your pent-up unreleased anxiety about being a childhood ballerina. Things might get a bit intense, but your eye make-up will look killer, so who cares? 1. Live your life. Life = art. Art = life. Life is performance art. And… scene. —by Nika Korchok
Sunday, May 17, 2015
The Tufts Daily
Helen Schmidt | Around the Book Block
Restaurant Review
Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar offers breadth in pies, American cuisine by Josh Morris
Assistant Arts Editor
With the ever-blossoming culture of our own Davis Square, it is becoming less and less necessary for hungry diners to make the trek
Rosebud American Kitchen and Bar
381 Summer St., Somerville MA, 02144
(617) 629-9500 $$ all the way into Boston for a delicious meal. This advance in convenience, as well as quality, is perhaps mostly accredited to the Alpine Restaurant Group. In 2009, Joe Cassinelli, a chef who serves as the group’s founder, developed the group, beginning with Posto, also located on the outskirts of Davis Square. Posto delivers essences of the North End to Davis, with the restaurant specializing in Italian food and wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas. Soon after, The Painted Burro made its way into Davis, exploring a different genre entirely, with a variety of fine Latin American cuisines. Most recently, Alpine Restaurant has revived Rosebud American Kitchen and Bar, which the group’s website refers to as a “laid-back restaurant in Somerville.” Situated in an old diner, Rosebud will have diners expecting a dive. After renovations which have been underway since the restaurant closed last year, it is not unusual to see the place looking rather unloved. With the reopening and rebranding of Rosebud, however, diners are sure to be impressed. As soon as one locates the actual entrance to the restaurant, as opposed to the faux diner entrance, their confidence in the joint will take a leap. Probably not coincidentally, upon entrance into the restaurant, the customer is greeted by the seemingly endless shelves of pies, which the restaurant has made its magnum opus. Boasting their “world wide fame,” Rosebud features pies of the month; this month includes blueberry crumble, Dutch apple, turtle, chocolate cream, banana cream and key lime.
But let’s start back at the beginning. The dim lighting and wood floors and tables create a homey feel to the restaurant, a lovely and inviting setting. There doesn’t seem to be any single word to categorize the menu at Rosebud; at first glance one might be inclined to refer to it as Barbeque, since the menu offers a section titled “Smoke ‘N’ Fire” with favorites like “St. Louis Ribs (While They Last)” — priced at $17.95 — and “BBQ Baconator Meatloaf Fatty,” priced at $16.95. But upon further inspection, there is too much diversity to restrict the menu to one type of cuisine. Between the “Ooh Mami Kale” soup — with “dashi broth, bragg apple cider vinegar, garlic, pork cracklin,” priced at $9.95 — and the “Duck and Fig Grilled Flatbread,” — with “duck confit, poached figs, blue cheese, balsamic,” priced at $13.95 — there is some serious breadth and depth to the options available at Rosebud. Although it did take a fair amount of time for the waitress to make her way to the table, her first recommendation without hesitation was the “Texas Rachel in a Skirt,” a sandwich priced at $13.95 with smoked brisket, BBQ onions, horseradish wonder sauce and creamy slaw. The sandwich itself was served on rye, which seemed to be toasted with an excess of cheese, almost creating a grilled cheese on the outside. Apart from being relatively greasy, the sandwich lived up to expectations. The pies didn’t fall far behind either. They are served with a dollop of homemade whipped cream and can be ordered per slice for $6 à la carte. Rosebud has a variety of different menus for all occasions, including brunch, lunch and even late-night. Simple offerings such as a “Tuna Toastie” — with tuna salad, swiss cheese and red onion — can be enjoyed during their lunch hours, while “Ma’s Pancakes” — featuring two buttermilk cakes, regular or blueberry, with butter and syrup — can be enjoyed at brunch every Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. And of course late-night cravings can be satisfied with a griddled cheeseburger (priced at $9.95, with bacon offered for another extra $3 and fries for an
Ray Bernoff / The Tufts Daily
Rosebud is a new addition to the Alpine Restaurant Group that offers fun, delicious takes on American diner favorites. extra $3), or even fried pickle wedges with kimchi mayo. It’s safe to say that although there might not be a defining feature to the menu at Rosebud, there is sure to be something for everyone, and something of quality at that. Rosebud American Kitchen and Bar is a low-profile gem of the Davis Square’s restaurant line-up with a come back story in recent years. Deviating yet again from the other restaurants in the Alpine Group, Rosebud serves up meals that will have you thinking you haven’t left the comforts of home. Aside from service that could use some level of improvement, finding a complaint about Rosebud will prove to be difficult. Rosebud American Kitchen and Bar is located at 381 Summer St., Somerville, Mass., 02144. They are open for dinner Sunday – Thursday 5:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, the bar menu is open until midnight. The bar is open everyday 5:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m. Lunch is served every Friday 11:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Brunch is served Saturday – Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. The restaurant can be reached by phone at (617) 629-9500 or online.
Theater Preview
Boston brings challenging, beautiful perfomances to audiences by Jennifer Straitz Assistant Arts Editor
Congratulations Class of 2015! With diploma in hand and graduation money starting to fill your pocket, maybe now is the time to splurge on the amazing theater and dance performances Boston has to offer, which you may not have realized existed while you were absorbed in your MacBook on the G level of Tisch. Fortunately, if you find yourself sticking around for a bit following Commencement, there are many great options for the upcoming week of May 17– 23. Did you miss Tufts Night at the Pops? Or did you love it and want to go back for more? Either way, “America’s Orchestra” is at it again this week with their performance of “Mad Men with the Midtown Men.” Conductor Keith Lockhart will lead the group in a “oneof-a-kind concert celebrating the music that defined the ’60s,” according to the performance description, as the Pops are joined by “The Midtown Men: four reunited stars from the original cast of Broadway’s Jersey Boys.” Running from Tuesday, May 19 – Thursday, May 21, all performances start at 8:00pm at Symphony Hall with tickets ranging from $24.00 – $94.00 apiece. Prefer a little picture with your sound? Take a chance on the Pops at one of their Film Nights on Friday, May 22 or Saturday, May 23, with performances at Symphony Hall beginning at 8:00pm. On these two nights, as noted by the Pops website event description, John Williams, “the brilliant composer and conductor, who has scored such films as ‘Jaws’ (1975), ‘Star Wars’ (Episode IV – A New Hope, 1977), ‘Indiana Jones’ (Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981), and the ‘Harry Potter’ series,” will lead the ensemble in beloved songs from classic films — and could potentially include some excerpts from his own scores and compositions. Tickets range from $35.00 – $110.00, but there is very limited
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Arts & Living
seating still available so call the box office at (888) 266-1200 for ticket information. If you are someone who leans more toward the world of dance, the Boston Ballet’s last performance of the 2015 Spring Season, “Thrill of Contact,” is not to be missed. Dancing George Balanchine’s “Theme and
Courtesy Liza Voll
The Boston Ballet’s final show of its spring 2015 season, “Thrill of Contact,” thrills audiences. Variations” (1947), Jerome Robbins’ “The Concert” (1956), William Forsythe’s “The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude” (1996) and
the world premiere of Boston Ballet Principal Dancer Jeffrey Cirio’s “fremd” (2015), the ballerinas are sure to impress in this “striking program of precision and impressive athleticism,” as described on the Ballet’s website. Music enthusiasts may also recognize works by P.I. Tchaikovsky, Frédéric Chopin, Franz Schubert, John Field, Olaf Bender and Aphex Twin throughout the show. Matinee performances run today, May 23 and 24 at 1:00 p.m., and evening performances run May 21, 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $29.00 – $142.00. Finally, for those inclined toward theater, catch the opening night of the Huntington Theatre Company’s (HTC) production of A. Rey Pamatmat’s “after all the terrible things I do” (premiered in 2014 at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater). In this play, as written on the HTC’s website, “An ordinary job interview at a local bookstore becomes much more as store owner Linda and aspiring writer Daniel realize that their connections go far deeper than a shared love of literature.” This riveting play explores the two important themes of “bullying and second chances,” and is sure to leave the viewer with a new take on social issues. The best deal of the lot, tickets are only $15.00 for students 25 and younger. You can catch the show on opening night at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, May 22 at the Wimberly Theatre in the South End/ Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA, located at 527 Tremont Street, Boston, Mass. 02116. Performances for the weekend also run May 23 at 8:00 p.m. and May 24 at 7:00 p.m. The show runs through June 21. Tickets can be purchased online, by phone at (617) 266-0800, or at the box office. Whether you choose the Pops, the Ballet or the Huntington Theatre Company, you are sure to be in for a treat of soaring musicality, gravity-defying dancing or honest treatment of social issues.
Relaxation reading
O
ne of my favorite things about summer is enjoying the warm weather and relaxing outside or waterside with a good book. Whether you’re at the beach, in your backyard or off on a vacation, reading is the perfect way to pass the time and enjoy the warm weather while it lasts. Beach reads are often marketed as quick and easy books, but they can be filled with low-quality writing and plot. They’re certainly not the next Nobel Prize for Literature winners. Beach reads aren’t all bad though; light reading of well-written books is not pointless. I’ve chosen a few of my recent favorites that work perfectly as beach reads. They’re enjoyable and easy reads, but they also have strong storylines and are compellingly written. I’ll begin with B.J. Novak’s “One More Thing”(2014), a collection of satirical and downright hilarious short stories about everything from a rematch between the tortoise and the hare to how wearing a red t-shirt can change your life everyday. Although commonly grouped with fellow comedic-legends-turnedwriters like Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, Novak’s stories revolve less around himself and more around his observations and impressions of the world. He turns memories and emotions into fictional stories, discussing more than his personal rise to fame. His dry humor will perfectly pass the time relaxing in the sun, and maybe it will encourage you to take a look around, as your surroundings may not be all that they seem. Another satirical piece, Christopher Beha’s “Arts & Entertainments”(2014), follows Eddie Hartley as he realizes his lifelong dreams of becoming an actor are fruitless. In a naïve attempt to follow a seemingly promising opportunity, Eddie mistakenly shares a memory from his past on the internet and is rocketed under a spotlight he realizes is not what he wanted. Beha’s story tackles our society’s extreme obsession with fame, but instead of bogging down the thrilling plot with complicated explanations, he exemplifies every celebrity-related problem within the focused lens of one person’s situation and their plan gone wrong. Impossible to put down and unbelievably eye-opening, this novel really makes you wonder about why we’re obsessed with people who are absolute strangers to us. A deceivingly macabre selection, Nick Hornby’s “A Long Way Down” (2005) follows four strangers who meet on the same rooftop one night with the intention of committing suicide. These strangers slowly share why they’ve come to this particular rooftop, and through stories of happier times with friends and family, one by one they’re each convinced to back away from the edge. Although it deals with suicide, the book itself is lighthearted, encouraging the readers and characters alike to consider the happier moments in life and grow stronger from the painful past. The conclusions that are drawn are not cheesy or melodramatic; they’re perfect representations of the crushing weight life can place on your shoulders, and how hard it is to realize there’s more than one solution to the problem. Summer books can be more than a selection of easy reads with fluffy plots, idealistic characters and happy endings. If you’re looking for a book that isn’t difficult to get through and will even pass the time, look no further. These books are perfect for relaxing during the ups and downs of our everyday lives, bringing calm and humor to our days while also letting us realize how other people deal with the same stressors that we do. These are substantial books not in length, but in quality, and they’re wonderful escapes from the hectic year we’ve all had or the busy summers in our futures. I hope some of these strike your fancy, and I wish you all the happiest, book-filled summer! Helen Schmidt is a sophomore majoring in biology. She can be reached at helen. schmidt@tufts.edu.
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The Tufts Daily
Sunday, May 17, 2015
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As a new graduate, you automatically become a member of the Tufts University Alumni Association Welcome from Kate A. Kaplan, AG95
President, Tufts University Alumni Association
To the class of 2015, On behalf of all Jumbos, congratulations! As members of our worldwide alumni community, you will continue to strengthen Tufts after you leave Medford. You will find fellow Jumbos in all corners of the world, and staying connected with your classmates and Tufts is easy! Check out TuftsAlumni.org to update your contact information within the Online Community, to stay up to date on events in your area, and to learn about our other benefits and services. On behalf of the entire Tufts community, we wish you all the best as you begin this new and exciting chapter. Congratulations and Go Jumbos! Sincerely,
Kate A. Kaplan, AG95
The Alumni Association hosts some of your favorite events including Freshman Welcome to Campus, the Sophomore Halfway There celebration, Welcome Back Seniors, 100 Days ‘till Graduation, Senior Dinners at the President’s house, the Senior Gala and so much more!
Welcome Back Seniors - September, 2014
100 Days - February, 2015
Welcome Back Seniors - September, 2014
100 Days - February, 2015
Senior Dinners - March, 2015 Homecoming - October, 2014
Senior Dinners - March, 2015
Sunday, May 17, 2015
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The Tufts Daily
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Sunday, May 17, 2015
The Department of English celebrates its graduating majors.
Congratulations and best wishes! 2015 Tufts Jumbo Senior Memory Book For Sale - Deadline for purchase is May 30, 2015!
To purchase go to http://ocl.tufts.edu/memorybook/ Memory Books are mailed to home addresses in late summer.
Contact Campus Life at ocl@tufts.edu with questions!
2015 Jumbo
Sunday, May 17, 2015
The Tufts Daily
Captured
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Evan Sayles / The Tufts Daily
Evan Sayles / The Tufts Daily
Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily
Captured: Winter Storm Juno
Evan Sayles / The Tufts Daily
Ray Bernoff / The Tufts Daily
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2011-2012 The 2011-2012 academic year was not only the first year on campus for this year’s graduating seniors, but also for University President Anthony Monaco, who succeeded former President Lawrence Bacow. Monaco’s tenure officially began on Aug. 1, 2011, and he was immediately confronted with the multitude of issues and controversies that annually crop up on the Hill. Everybody on campus was greeted with a blustery start when Hurricane Irene hit campus only days before the start of school, leaving the Hill covered in debris and forcing many of the pre-orientation programs to adjust their schedules and accommodations. Tufts rallied though, and the campus was quickly back to its bustling ways in no time. The first issue on the agenda was the Naked Quad Run, or lack thereof, as President Bacow canceled the event at the end of his tenure, denying the Class of 2015 the chance to experience the event. Several attempts were made to replace the long-lasting tradi-
2012-2013 A momentous year on the Hill began with the matriculation of the class of 2016, the veterans of what was then Tufts’ lowest acceptance rate to date, 21 percent. Jumbos young and old began to use the new Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center, which opened Sept. 1. as a hot late summer came to a close. But there was not much time for the new class to bask in the sun during their first months at Tufts; students settled into midterms as Hurricane Sandy swept across the area, causing large-scale disruption across the East Coast and leading Tufts to cancel school. Thankfully, except for a few strong winds, little physical damage was inflicted on campus. Two student groups, Tufts Christian Fellowship (TCF) and the Primary Source, notably left the community of active Tufts student groups. In a controversial decision, TCF was officially de-recognized by the Tufts Community Union Judiciary (TCUJ) after it was discovered that the group’s constitution required members to
The Tufts Daily
Sunday, May 17, 2015
FOUR YEARS IN REVIEW
Four Years nicholas pfosi / the tufts daily
tion, including an Excessively Overdressed Quad Stroll and WinterFest, which was put on by Programming Board. None of the replacements lived up to the original, and due to the underwhelming turnout for WinterFest, it was discontinued the following year. While disappointment over the discontinuation of Naked Quad Run was more lighthearted, several more serious issues faced the Tufts administration. Concerns over the structure of the developing Africana studies program culminated in a march to Ballou Hall in early November. Students occupied an office in the hall and presented a list of demands to Monaco, Dean of Arts and Sciences Joanne BergerSweeney and interim Provost and Senior Vice President Peggy Newell. Administrators and students spent over two hours negotiating, and the talks concluded with an agreement that ensured three tenure-track faculty members would be hired and guaranteed that student input would be taken into account during the development of the program. Students also picked up on 2011’s nationwide protest moveadhere to a set of tenets,called the group’s Basis of Faith in order to attain leadership positions, which violated the university’s nondiscrimination clause. The departure of TCF began a campus-wide debate on the autonomy of religious groups and the importance of Tufts’ campus values. The Committee on Student Life controversially announced a new policy allowing groups such as TCF to request “religious exemption” status through the University Chaplaincy, though TCF ultimately decided not to pursue the exemption. The Primary Source, a conservative on-campus publication, also took a self-imposed hiatus after printing an offensive “Christmas Carol” in its December issue. The summer of 2012 also saw the arrival of Colossal AcornHead, a public art installation that drew strong and largely affectionate responses from the Tufts community. The piece, which artist Leslie Fry said was “inspired by basic human needs: shelter, food, clothing, work and intimacy” remained on campus through spring 2013 until the university’s loan of the
ray bernoff / the tufts daily
ment and brought the Occupy protests back to campus. By October, a Tufts Occupy Boston group had formed to protest issues such as corporate corruption, class inequality and a lack of affordable education in the United States. Members of the Tufts movement participated in marches at Harvard and downtown Boston, and were a visible presence on campus during the height of the movement. Campus was also filled with passion in the wake of an editorial published on Fox News’ website by Keith Ablow, assistant professor at the School of Medicine. Many on campus considered the editorial discriminatory against transgender people, and were concerned with Ablow’s association with the university, while others called for his resignation. Due to heightening levels of criticism, Monaco and other administrators wrote an open letter on Sept. 19 stating the university’s commitment to fostering a welcoming learning environment while also supporting the right of members of Tufts to voice their ideas and opinions, however controversial they may be. Tufts Friends of Israel (FOI) and Students for Justice in Palestine also debated issues surrounding free speech after FOI published a full-page advertisement in the Daily that was signed by seven members of the Tufts Community Union (TCU). SJP retaliated by filing a complaint with the TCU Judiciary (TCUJ) claiming that the senators were in violation of a Senate bylaw that prohibits mem-
bers from using the Senate name in support of causes that have not been approved by Senate. TCUJ ultimately rejected the complaint, ruling that the senators signed the advertisement as individuals apart from their involvement with the Senate. The end of the semester did not see a break from controversy, as the crew team showed up in matching tank tops bearing the slogan “check out our cox,” a reference to the coxswain position on the crew teams. The tank tops led to a bias incident being filed and the team being suspended. However, the suspension was later overturned by President Monaco. 2011-12 also witnessed a number of Greek organizations changing residences. In the wake of a party that left its house in bad condition, Sigma Phi Epsilon was forced to leave
original statue expired. Following its departure, Tufts commissioned its very own Colossal AcornHead, which is now permanently at home near Tisch Library. Tufts students also gathered to celebrate the big moments — for better or worse. The upcoming elections cycle drew the attention of many on campus, and by November, energy levels were high for the 2012 presidential elections. Unfortunately, several students who had pre-registered to vote at Gantcher Fitness Center
were turned away at the polls after being told their names were absent from the voter registration records. These students were able to vote later in the day by provisional ballot. In the evening, students gathered in the Mayer Campus Center to see the results of the elections, in which Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and presidential incumbent Barack Obama were victorious. A few months later, at what was to be the last-ever annual
114 Curtis St., while Delta Upsilon (DU) was allowed to return to its home on 114 Professors Row in September after the building received repairs over the summer. Alpha Epsilon Pi, although no longer on campus, left its temporary abode on 98 Professors Row to take up residence in 45 Sawyer Ave. Delta Tau Delta returned to 98 Professors Row after its building underwent a major update. Tufts also welcomed a number of speakers to campus during the year. NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams, former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren, former Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove and author, scholar and activist Cornel West all visited the Hill.
nicholas pfosi / the tufts daily
evan sayles / the tufts daily
nicholas pfosi / the tufts daily
Winter Bash, over a dozen students received medical attention for excessive intoxication, and a few infamously urinated in public at the Westin Copley Place Boston Hotel, the event’s venue. The Jumbos celebrated several major wins in the sports world this year, with many teams performing well within the NESCAC and leading up to the NCAA Div. III National Championships. The women’s softball team took the NCAA Div. III National Championship, as did the women’s field hockey team in November. In what was perhaps the most memorable and tragic event of the year, three people lost their lives and hundreds were injured in an act of terrorism at the finish line of the 117th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 15. The Tufts community gathered together to process this devastating occurrence at Goddard Chapel, an event which allowed students to speak publically and process their grief. Over the next week, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick enacted a city-wide lockdown as the chase for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, then-suspect in the bombing case, continued, drawing the eyes of the nation before he was arrested in Watertown, Mass.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
The Tufts Daily
FOUR YEARS IN REVIEW
in Review
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—by Jake Indursky, Reena Karasin and Drew Robertson
2013-2014 The 2013-14 school year saw a number of changes to social life at Tufts, with transformative alterations to events, dining and access to Boston. The year kicked off with Fall Gala, the event that replaced Fall Ball after its predecessor was plagued with alcoholrelated issues. Winter Bash met the same fate as Fall Ball, being rebranded as Winter Ball and, like its new fall counterpart, boasting an earlier start time and fewer available tickets. Tufts Dance Collective (TDC) also underwent changes after Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) had to halt its fall show due to a number of alcohol-induced incidents and unsafe conditions; after concerns over whether TDC would be allowed to continue, the spring shows, like Fall Gala and Winter Ball, were permitted to go on given that they began earlier in the evening. In January, Tufts welcomed the addition of late-night dining at
the Commons Deli and Grill. The Commons accepted meal swipes and stayed open to 2:00 a.m., until rowdy crowds caused it to close an hour earlier starting in April. The MBTA also extended its hours, providing service through 3:00 a.m. on weekends. In other changes to social life on the Hill, Kappa Alpha Theta joined Tufts’ Greek community in the fall as a new sorority. The close of the year also brought several administrators’ time at Tufts to an end. Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Joanne Berger-Sweeney moved on to take over as president of Trinity College, while Associate Provost Mary Lee, who spent 27 years at Tufts, accepted a prestigious professorship at the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Medicine. The Tufts community also felt the losses of three people who passed away during the year: Assistant Director of Tufts Career Services Donna Milmore, Professor of English Emeritus Jesper Rosenmeier and Anne Heyman, a board member for Tufts Hillel.
nicholas pfosi / the tufts daily
2014-2015
The Class of 2015’s last year on the Hill witnessed a number of exciting firsts and controversial new issues to tackle. During the long wait for the arrival of the new Jumbo statue, students were able to distract themselves from the elephantsized gap in front of Barnum Hall with a number of sports teams that reached new heights. Most notably, in September the football team snapped its infamous 31-game losing streak in front of a rambunctious Jumbo crowd, topping the Hamilton Continentals 24-17, and prompting their faithful fans to the rush the field. The football team continued to provide plenty of thrills at home, going 4-0 at the Ellis Oval. It was the men’s soccer team, however, that reached the apex of its sport, taking home its first-ever NCAA Div. III National Championship in an improbable run that saw it defeat perennial powerhouse Messiah College in the quarterfinals and Ohio
Wesleyan in the semifinals before dispatching Wheaton (Ill.) in the championship game by a score of 4-2 to take home the trophy. While the soccer team was busy taking care of business off campus, those back on the Hill retreated indoors due to the unprecedented amount of snow that kicked off the spring semester. Students were treated to a record-high five snow days, although the joy at missing classes was short-lived, as professors were allowed to hold makeup classes on Patriot’s Day and the first two days of reading period. Many other instructors found technologically innovative ways to work around the time missed in the classroom. Once the snow had melted, students were not done experiencing their share of firsts during the end of the spring semester. Kesha headlined Tufts’ first-ever all-female Spring Fling lineup, while Not Your Mother’s Monologues and TedxTufts brought students on the stage in exciting new performances and lectures, respectively. Rising
Nicholas pfosi / the tufts daily
The year was also marked by several notable speakers. From media and entertainment came Arianna Huffington, who discussed online media in relation to journalism at the ninth annual Edward R. Murrow Forum’s keynote speech, and Kenan Thompson of Saturday Night Live, who headlined Tufts Entertainment Board’s spring comedy event. In the political realm, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia came to the Hill. The latter, whose appearance was part of the Richard E. Snyder President’s Lecture Series, addressed interpreting the Constitution. Many students found him a controversial choice for the series, and 20 students protested during his speech. Tufts’ own political events were charged as well, as rising seniors Robert Joseph and Andrew Núñez battled for the Tufts Community Union (TCU) presidency. While the campaigning was heated, rising senior Ben Kurland thought that the candidates’ platforms were only minimally different. This belief prompted Kurland to anonymously create a fake “Generic Candidate,” complete with a website and Facebook page. Kurland stated that Generic Candidate was meant to draw attention to “what it means to be at a school where your two choices are so similar.” Joseph ultimately came out on top of the election, which was decided after a 12-hour delay due to technical problems with Tufts Election Commission’s (ECOM)’s new electronic voting system. In other TCU news, the Committee on Student Life made significant adjustments to its “justified departure” policy,
which mandated that all Religious and Philosophical Student Organizations (RPSOs) follow the TCU Judiciary’s non-discrimination policy. The policy was hotly contested since its introduction in December 2012, and its revamp in February 2014 had significant implications for how RPSOs are recognized. Issues of sexual assault also challenged the Tufts community throughout the year. In the fall, University President Anthony Monaco dubbed sexual assault a pressing issue at Tufts, and developed a university-wide sexual assault task force. Another step forward was the hosting of “It Happens Here” (IHH) in April, a forum in which survivors of sexual assault were able to share their experiences with the community.
Later that same month, however, it came to light that, according to the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR), Tufts was in violation of Title IX. After the OCR finished reviewing a Title IX complaint that was filed by a student in 2010, Tufts voluntarily agreed to make changes to its sexual policy on April 17. Once the OCR announced that Tufts was in violation of Title IX, however, Tufts backed out of the agreement. In Tufts’ largest protest since the 1980s, students surrounded Ballou Hall and demanded that Tufts make adjustments to comply with Title IX. The administration and students agreed on a plan for how to move forward, and Monaco stated that the changes the university submitted put Tufts back within the parameters of Title IX.
senior Brian Tesser also played a prominent role this spring as he ran for TCU President in the only uncontested election in recent memory. Tufts was not bereft of controversial issues this year either, as the spring semester saw a number of divisive topics brought to the forefront. The future of the TCU travel budget for student groups caused many clubs, most notably Tufts Mock Trial, to voice their concern about their futures. While the final outcome and potential effects of a cut or removal to the TCU travel budget won’t be known until next semester, the issue raised a number of questions and criticisms in regards to TCU and the Treasury. While many of Tufts’ existing fraternities had relatively quiet semesters, a new fraternity, Pi Delta, was formed by the former brothers of Alpha Epsilon Pi. The brothers chose to disaffiliate upon realizing their interests no longer aligned with those of the national chapter; instead, the brothers will now move forward as a local chapter, while maintaining their residence at 45 Sawyer Ave. Many Tufts students will not have as easy a time finding housing moving forward, however, due to the passing of the City of Somerville’s University Accountability Ordinance, which will mandate that any university in Somerville will be required to submit a report that organizes students based on where they will be living. The ordinance was passed to better enforce an existing one that prohibits more than four unrelated adults from living in the same apartment. Although most members of the Class of 2015 will avoid the impacts of this new ordinance, many future
upperclassmen looking for offcampus housing will likely have a harder time finding accommodations around campus. Throughout the year, Tufts and the student body have been at odds on a variety of issues. Starting in October, when the university began plans to restructure its janitorial services, through April, when Tufts Labor Coalition (TLC) protested the Jumbo statue unveiling and up to earlier this month, when TLC began a hunger strike to fight against job losses for janitors, it has been a long and bumpy road to the cuts that are on track to take place at the end of May. The university and students have grappled with many other issues over the year, including fighting racial oppression on campus and nationwide after the events in Ferguson through Indict Tufts. Another group of students, Tufts Climate Action, attempted to improve the university’s environmental accountability through a sit-in to further demand the university’s divestment from fossil fuels. There have also been many losses this year. This May marks
beloved Professor Sol Gittleman’s 51st and final year on the Hill, after touching countless lives through his teaching. In February, the Tufts community mourned the loss of junior Julia Lee and her parents, who lost their lives in a car crash while traveling in New Zealand, and in April was struck with the death of Samuel Murray, who matriculated with the Class of 2014 and was on leave. Tufts recently began mourning junior HyunJae Kim, who passed away at the end of the spring semester. Notable speakers to visit the Hill included Trayvon Martin’s parents, Elizabeth Warren and George Stephanopoulos, drawing large audiences of Tufts students, alumni and local community members. Tufts Hillel’s decision to invite Trayvon Martin’s parents to speak, especially, was a controversial move, as student protesters felt Hillel was an inappropriate host. After months of waiting, in April the new Jumbo statue — a towering, 5,000-pound bronze sculpture — finally made the Hill its home just in time to catch the Class of 2015.
nicholas pfosi / the tufts daily
courtesy michael james
Evan sayles / the tufts daily
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The Tufts Daily
Captured: Student Groups ALL Photos by evan sayles
Captured
Sunday, May 17, 2015
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The Tufts Daily
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32
The Tufts Daily
THE TUFTS DAILY Drew Z. Robertson Editor-in-Chief
Editorial
Jacob Indursky Reena Karasin Managing Editors
Audrey Michael Executive News Editor Daniel Bottino News Editors Jenna Buckle Shana Friedman Nina Goldman Stephanie Haven Patrick McGrath Justin Rheingold Kathleen Schmidt Jei-Jei-Tan Melissa Wang Meagan Adler Assistant News Editors Marianna Anthanassiou Melissa Kain Arin Kerstein Safiya Nanji Sophie Lehrenbaum Aaron Pomerance Emma Steiner Roy Yang Gabriella Zoia Jake Taber Executive Features Editor Lily Sieradzki Features Editors Hannah Fingerhut Jessica Mow Mengqi Sun Nicole Brooks Greta Jochem Arin Kerstein Assistant Features Editors Becca Leibowitz Yuki Zaninovich Nika Korchok Executive Arts Editor Dana Guth Arts Editors Grace Segers Nitesh Gupta Assistant Arts Editors Jessica Mow Anjali Nair Joshua Podolsky Jennifer Straitz Ross Dember Marcus Budline Alex Connors Wil Glavin Sam Gold Steven Hefter Alison Kuah Tyler Maher Alex Schroeder Maclyn Senear Chris Warren Ray Paul Biron Phillip Goldberg Josh Slavin Scott Geldzahler Susan Kaufman Olivia Montgomory Ruchira Parikh Ty Enos Fury Sheron Jennifer Lien Hannah Hoang Katie Matejcak Natasha Khwaja Bailey Werner
Executive Sports Editor Sports Editors
Nicholas Pfosi Evan Sayles Caroline Ambros Sofie Hecht
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Editorial
Loss of campus-wide events dangerous for student life With each graduating class of students, Tufts moves farther away from some of its best campus traditions. In just a few years’ time, we have lost or fundamentally altered some of our university’s most beloved events, including the Naked Quad Run (NQR), Fall Ball, Winter Bash and biannual Tufts Dance Collective (TDC) shows. The cancellation of these events is more than just a disappointment for students; the absence of opportunities for campus-wide bonding and collective release is contributing to a dangerous culture of alcohol abuse at Tufts. Because a large majority of students are only around for four years, our student body has a short institutional memory. Many of us have already forgotten that not long ago, students who called Tufts Emergency Medical Services (TEMS) for their intoxicated friends could be written up for alcohol violations if they themselves had been drinking illegally. Poorly crafted administrative policies such as this one fueled a particularly dangerous brand of college alcohol abuse, pushing students to drink in secret and to avoid taking important safety measures to protect their friends and themselves. This drinking culture was in turn cited by the administration as the reason for cancelling or altering Tufts’ most treasured traditions. There is no question that certain changes needed to be made to some of these events,
especially after fiascos like Winter Bash 2013, where students urinated in the hall of a public hotel. However, administrative responses have universally failed to address the drinking culture that allowed such situations to arise in the first place. In the case of Winter Bash, the event was simply renamed “Winter Ball” and moved to a time so strangely early in the evening that it felt more like a mandatory high school pre-prom party than a formal for college students. Attempts to eliminate all opportunities for drinking at updated events like Fall Gala, Winter Ball and TDC shows have only served to push Tufts’ drinking culture elsewhere. One need only look at the numerous fraternity suspensions that have taken place this semester. The mixture of this culture with the cancellation of Tufts traditions also encourages overindulgence at the few remaining events we have. Students feel pressure to make these events “count,” which leads to binge drinking, TEMS calls and reckless behavior. Tufts has certainly made strides forward in its alcohol policy. Tufts now seems to understand that in situations where drinking is unavoidable, reducing potential harm by providing food and water to intoxicated students is much more constructive than simply sending out emails politely asking students not to drink.
Yet even with these changes, there remains the broader cultural problems with drinking on campus. Now that students are free to make the smart choice and ask for help when they see a friend has had too much to drink without putting themselves on the line, and now that there are harm reduction tactics being used at universitysponsored events, it is time to tackle the larger issue of a campus culture that relegates drinking to one or two massive parties a semester, rather than allowing students to “blow off steam” on more occasions throughout the academic year. It is time to bring back some of these old traditions. There will always be big events, and there will always be that person who drinks a bit too much. However, Tufts has done a decent job adapting and refining it’s alcohol policies. Now, its time to put them to the test, and place a bit of trust in the students. We can understand the administration’s concern with potential liability issues and the public embarrassment that follows when students misbehave. However, the solution is not to eliminate the traditions that contributed to Tufts’ unique personality and that helped to balance out the stress of attending a demanding university. Nothing is more likely to lead to increased student drinking than a college experience that is little more than a pressure-filled grind.
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Confessions of an idealistic editor
My favorite quote is by Martin Luther King Jr.: “A man who does not have something for which he is willing to die is not fit to live.” Although a few versions of King’s quote exist, I like this phrasing the best; the words are simple, the message absolute. If asked today, I do not know if I could name my “something,” but I hope to develop such strong beliefs in my life. This hope, in part, compelled me to matriculate at Tufts four years ago. In my final semester on the Hill, my term as editor-in-chief of the Tufts Daily gave me new perspective on Dr. King’s words. As it happened, two strong voices, each taking a stand for what they believe in the print and digital pages of the Daily, bookended my tenure. In our first issue of the semester, we published an open letter from University President Anthony Monaco to the Tufts community emphasizing the importance of free speech at Tufts in reponse to students protesting the invitations of controversial speakers to campus. Months later, eight students went on a hunger strike organized by Tufts Labor Coalition (TLC) in protest of cuts to Tufts’ janitorial staff. I watched from the newsroom as TLC and the administration, two groups pitted against each other over the negotiations with DTZ, both embodied Tufts’ characteristic idealism. TLC’s strong beliefs and actions are self-evident and intentional. The administration’s move to maintain freedom of speech as the absolute right of speakers to come campus was also morally rigid. Whether or not I agree with the political motivations of either group, I admire the commitment of the hunger strikers and
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.
other student activists — the members of Tufts Climate Action and Students for Justice in Palestine come to mind. The decision to turn one’s body into a political tool is one which, I’m sure, is not made lightly and involves true sacrifice. My role at the Daily required me to be more aware of student protests than in past years, and it became increasingly difficult not to feel personally affected — if not invested — as their actions demonstrated the passion that drew me to Tufts. I tried to set these reflections aside for my work at the Daily. It recently struck a colleague of mine as poignant that in college, a place I — and many other students, I think — came to sharpen personal passions, our work at the Daily seems to ask us to forget them. The traditional role of the journalist is to seek the passionless, unbiased truth, and empathy for one side or another has no part in the EIC’s conventional job description. While I was responsible for our news content, I was absorbed in the task of representing as many sides of an issue as possible. It helped that I was surrounded by a team of dedicated student journalists who also try very, very hard to do their work with integrity, to produce balanced reporting and exercise sound journalistic judgement. Despite these efforts, readers have criticized the Daily both for ignoring activists and for being overly sympathetic toward them. I consider these critiques valid; for a variety of reasons, we sometimes fail to produce the best coverage possible. Whether or not we succeed, however, the stakes are high. Responsible journalism
has the power to foster respectful debate and support the kind of communication that promotes positive change. Promoting the uninhibited exchange of ideas is not the exactly same as supporting all speakers’ right to come to campus, air their thoughts and leave, nor is it the same as going on a hunger strike, even though all three decisions depend on the freedom of expression. There is a third ideal here — a student paper that keeps people thinking as well as talking. It not enough for anyone, activist or administrator, to take a stand without being willing to hear the voices of others. Always — but especially at a time when alltoo-often press releases and public statements miss their marks, making the “story” the publication of the message, and not its content — this kind of open communication must be valued on our campus. The burden of making space for that dialogue falls as much on the shoulders of the Daily as on any activist group or administrative office. As a media outlet for Tufts, students and professors, staff and alumni, administrators and activists trust us with their stories and statements. What we choose to do with them impacts the way important issues are understood by our readers. Just like those charged with the task of forming an opinion, the job of the Daily editor is as much to listen as to speak. It is a lesson I will take with me as I leave Tufts: Even the boldest acts of belief must be accompanied by a willingness to listen, to engage, in order to be truly brave. Warm regards, Drew Robertson
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters must be submitted by 2 p.m. and should be handed into the Daily office or sent to letters@tuftsdaily.com. All letters must be word processed and include the writer’s name and telephone number. There is a 450-word limit and letters must be verified. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, space and length.
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Sunday, May 17, 2015 Editorial
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Editorial | letters
Thoughts on justice for janitors, merits of protesting
It is debatable whether the battle between Tufts janitors and the administration justifies the protest strategies students embraced this year. The campus is certainly divided; often anonymous sources such as Yik Yak and Tufts Confessions sway strikingly against the protests, whereas very few publicly oppose protesters. Although some argue that protests are intended to make people feel uncomfortable with the status quo, and that extreme actions are uncalled for, the truth of the matter is that without many students publicly taking the side of the administration, there’s little to call these protests beyond successful. Activism aimed to protect janitors’ welfare has been going on at Tufts University for over 20 years. In July 1994, Tufts contracted janitorial service out to UNICCO, whose profit-maximizing method — cutting employees’ wages, hours and benefits — drew much attention from the study body. Students’ efforts in influencing the administrative decisions on matters surrounding the janitors’ employment became stronger and more organized over the past few years. This discussion surrounding janitorial cuts this semester is informed by many ups and downs over the past two decades. It’s time for us to look back and reflect on this journey and mull over the different ways we can help the janitors, and
the university, as a community and as individuals. Student groups that were organized to advocate for janitors have gone through continual changes under various names, such as Students Labor Action Movement (SLAM) founded in 2001, Jumbo Janitor Alliance ( JJA) founded several years later and — the most recent incarnation — Tufts Labor Coalition (TLC). The janitors working on campus are perpetually faced with the threats of exploitation from outsourcing companies who tend to deny their employees wage increases, paid sick days, family health care and other benefits. When OneSource took over the janitorial service from UNNICO in 1997, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) worked with SLAM to negotiate increased wages and hire more staff in full-time positions, guaranteeing family health insurance to full-timers. This first success allowed Tufts students working for justice for janitors to encourage more participation and involvement from other community members, who would continue to march side by side with the students and the janitors for years to come. In 2007, American Building Maintenance (ABM) Industries Incorporated acquired OneSource. In 2008, ABM signed a new agreement that allowed Tufts janitors to secure an 80-cent per hour wage increase every
year for the following four years. In addition, the new contract also granted six more annual sick days, and a healthcare plan provided for the full-time workers and their families at a fixed rate of $100 per month. However, in spring 2013, DTZ company took over the custodial operations and refused to hire more employees at full-time positions. According to a 2014 op-ed written to the Daily, 58 percent of the employees who were hired were full-time, while the contract demanded that DTZ employ 75 percent in full-time positions. Furthermore, DTZ put the janitors under greater pressure as their workloads increased. As of earlier this spring, the company anticipated that 35 positions on campus would be cut — a number now reduced to 20 — along with 56 job changes, changes which put individuals’ livelihood at stake, forcing janitors to work much harder with no promise of a hike in wages or an increase in benefits. The silent protest at the ceremony where the new Jumbo statue was unveiled, the traffic blockade of Powderhouse Square and the recent hunger strike all share one common thread: they allow for the public outside of the university to be the judges of the merits of actions. During the Commencement ceremony in 1998, graduating seniors carried signs of support for janitors and the
commencement speakers also alluded to certain facts about the janitors being unjustly mistreated on campus. In Spring 2004, SLAM interrupted April Open House and spoke hard truths to the prospective students about the janitor issues. There are no guidelines on how much is enough, what is appropriate and what’s not. In the end, the stepby-step successes that the janitors and students gained over the decades-long movement seem to make all of these controversial methods worthwhile. The end does justify the means. If there is indeed a silent majority who is all for the cuts, let them speak now or forever hold their peace. However, until those in support of the administration come forward, to call these protest tactics unfounded and unacceptable is simply a misnomer: if they work, then they work. In the end, there is so much more that Tufts students can do as a group and as individuals to show support for the janitors beyond arguing for or against cuts. Tufts students need to practice to keep the campus clean, especially the bathrooms and common places, because these daily efforts are, though not as impactful to the lives of the janitors as the many rallies and sit-ins, nevertheless important when it comes to general respect for other human beings. Let us remain consistent in its quest for social justice and practice what we preach.
Ty Enos
Letter from the Editor
It’s not a tradition for executive news editors to write letters from the editor in the Daily’s commencement issue, and as Senior Week draws to a close, I find myself reluctant to dwell on the more frustrating aspects of my position. Still, I think it’s important for me to address one of the most impenetrable roadblocks the news department and I faced in trying to cover major happenings on campus and informing the Tufts community of the state of campus affairs. This semester, it was almost impossible to report on anything negative happening in Greek life. The only exception I can think of is our coverage of the alcohol ban at Jumbonnaroo, for which members of the involved fraternities and Greek organizations were extremely helpful in explaining why the ban was enacted,
Letter from the news editor even though the ban did not present the community in the best light. But every other story I assigned to reporters led to dead ends; no one involved would talk to us on the record. I almost have to be impressed with Tufts Greek life’s ability to keep anyone from sharing concrete, publishable information on unpleasant incidents with the press. But when even members of Greek life who bring forward complaints in the first place are not comfortable using their names, I find myself troubled not only as head of the Daily’s news section, but also as a Tufts student, because I think students deserve to know which Greek houses are maintaining healthy spaces and which ones are not, especially when they’re deciding where they want to party on a Friday night.
Ever since I was a first-year, my friends and I have had a sense of which Greek houses are “safe” and which ones are a little seedier. I can’t really explain how I came to these understandings — it was probably a combination of advice from upperclassmen, my own impressions as I walked down Pro Row, and yes, what I read in the Daily. Now, apps such as Yik Yak contribute to these understandings with anonymous whispers about “Buttergate” or questionable occurrences at parties. But a yak is little more than a rumor, and I can’t publish a yak as a source because I have no way of knowing if it’s true. In order to bring information to the Tufts population, I need on-the-record, substantiated information from the people involved. If those people refuse to make that information public, the story stays a rumor;
something that probably happened … but no one will say for sure. Maybe next year will be different. Every year, some faces leave and new ones take their place, and maybe someone will decide the Tufts community deserves to know which organization had to write an apology letter to University President Anthony Monaco after a string of incidents, even if it hurts the image of Greek life. I also don’t remember it being this hard to get Greek organizations to cooperate with the press in previous years, so I’m optimistic. Either way, when something is rotten in the state of Greek life, the student body deserves to see what it is, not just smell it and guess. Best regards, Audrey Michael
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.
34 Adam Kaminski | The Cool Column
The Tufts Daily Op-Ed
The frontier of neuroprosthetics
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or the Commencement issue, as per usual, my column will be blatantly unrelated to Commencement itself. Imagine building a mechanical brain of silicon, gold tracks and electrodes. Unlike a computer, what if this machine were a surrogate central nervous system (CNS) constructed of materials and devices designed to imitate their neural counterparts? While this thought experiment is a borderline science fiction fairytale, the field of neuroprosthetics, a discipline of neuroscience, bioengineering and neural prostheses, is contributing to its fruition in reality. Exploring the intricacies of such neural structures and the innovation of such engineers, however, might be better appreciated having placed neuroprosthetics in its far reaching historical context. Neuroprostheses are the latest culmination of a strategy that has been adopted by myriad cultures throughout history. The first recorded mention of prosthetics comes from the Rigveda, a sacred Hindu text written around 1500–1200 BCE, in which the warrior queen Vishpala receives a “leg of iron” having lost one of hers in battle. From antiquity, notably from the Egyptian, Roman and Greek civilizations, up until the present day, replacing biological parts has been a steadfast technique in the medical arsenal. Beginning in the 20th century, however, the field of medicine began to see the production of useful and therapeutic implants — heart pacemakers and cochlear implants followed by even more complex CNS prosthetics of the 21st century. This is where the story of Stéphanie Lacour and Grégoire Courtine begins. Lacour and Courtine, two professors of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland, work on the frontier of neuroprosthetics. Together, they answered a question critical to the progression of neuroprosthetics: How will scientists be able to “make innovative use of materials to design and fabricate devices that allow sustained electronic functioning in the harsh environment of the human body without causing tissue infection and other serious adverse conditions?” — a question posed by the inherent difficultly of the discipline, and in this iteration posed by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Their research led them to design multifunctional implants that use both electrical and chemical signaling of the CNS, making their implants successful transmitters of neural information. Even more astounding is that their device can be installed for long periods of time without the buildup of scar tissue or eventual rejection. The prosthetic is called the e-Dura implant. Trailblazing the path of spinal cord injury treatment, its resemblance to the mechanical properties of living tissue is leading the way. E-Dura offers a particularly unique and profound array of benefits, notably the chance to recover function with surrogate bionic body parts. This is possible thanks to new innovations that allow e-Dura implants to be placed beneath the CNS’ protective envelope known as the dura mater, a thick sheath that surrounds the brain and spinal cord. While the dura mater proved to be an impasse for neural prosthetics of the past — implements largely comprised of more rigid materials — the mechanical properties of e-Dura are remarkably similar to those of dura mater. This prevents inflammation and rejection of the device, previous certainties caused by implants rubbing against stretching nerve fibers. Because of its profound similarity to CNS tissues and nerve fibers, e-Dura implants can stay attached to the spinal cord or cortex for long periods of time without causing inflammation, marking exciting potential for newly developed therapeutic techniques. The scope of implementation is broad; patients suffering from paralysis, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, decreased pain management and spinal cord injury are all candidates for e-Dura implants. In the next century, prosthetics will again begin to take on different shapes, maybe striving toward the science fiction fairytale ideal of a reconstructed brain. Adam Kaminski is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at adam.kaminski@tufts.edu.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Op-Ed
The ‘self ’-ie generation: locating the individual within a generation by The Students of “Generation Great-Great Grandparent”
The rise of the internet. The War on Terror. The 2008 Financial Crisis. President Obama’s election. Ferguson and Baltimore. Are these the defining events of our time? Perhaps, but do these events affect Millennials so uniformly that we can be classified as a generation? While people may share common experiences, the impact of these events on each person varies. Thus a person’s “generational identity” has far more to do with the intersection of individual and collective experiences — as well as other identifiers such as socioeconomic status, race, gender and ethnic background — than with one’s year of birth. Common definitions of “generation” are often gathered from William Strauss and Neil Howe’s 1991 book “Generations: The History of America’s Future, 1584 to 2069.” In this book, the authors divided Americans into 18 different generations. They argued that those born in the same 20-year cohort group would retain similar attributes throughout their lives based upon reactions to common events during the coming-of-age years, roughly between 15 and 25. Because people cannot share common characteristics across a generation, many have set aside Strauss and Howe’s definitions. However, we must not overlook the significance
Op-Ed
of those formative years in creating a worldview, which sets the trajectory for an individual’s lifetime. We propose to move beyond traditional definitions of “generation” by emphasizing the significance of one’s formative years in developing a personalized worldview. This concept of generational identity exists among the public, but has never been formally defined. Often, characterizing the basis of one’s generational identity requires retrospection into the specific events of that person’s formative years. These defining events can be individual — a college student’s summer project in the Netherlands propelling him into the field of conservation — or collective — participating in the Selma to Montgomery march. Major life events mold a worldview that influences later adult decision-making. In defining generational identity, each member of our Experimental College course, Generation Great-GreatGrandparent: Discovering Your History, researched one great-great-grandparent. We analyzed genealogical records, interviewed family members and integrated historical context to write a short biography of an ancestor’s life. We aspired to establish the generational identities of our great-great-grandparents, focusing on how their world views formed during the events and circumstances of their formative years.
So what did we discover? For some of our relatives, their generational identities came from collective events such as the Civil War, migration or pogroms in Eastern Europe. For others, individual events such as the death of a loved one, the role of religion or the struggle of poverty shaped their generational identity. While our great-greatgrandparents from the same generation had overlapping experiences, they developed unique generational identities. You, like our ancestors, are a collection of your past experiences, culminating in a single, multifaceted identity. The way generation has previously been applied is problematic, for the individual is lost. By stereotyping whole cohort of people, we overlook the complexity of human development by designating collective stereotypes onto a large group of people. It is therefore crucial to the understanding of history, psychology, anthropology and other fields that we transfigure the way we think of generation. It is now time that we put aside labels like the “selfie generation” and the “flower children” in order to embrace generational individualism, where each individual’s formative experiences are not lost within the collective narrative of a traditional generation. The co-authors of this op-ed are Olivia Brodsky, Jack Eidson, Kathryn Fosbenner, Sarah Larson and Scott C. Spencer.
Tufts faculty statement against impending janitorial cuts
We as Tufts faculty believe that all members of the Tufts community deserve to be treated fairly and with respect. The Tufts administration has agreed to a plan with DTZ, the company to which it contracts out janitorial services, that includes the restructuring of janitorial staff. In this restructuring plan, 20 janitors will be laid off. We believe this plan is unacceptable. As faculty, we recognize that the
janitors play an indispensable role in the maintenance of our community. We depend on them to ensure the cleanliness and safety of the shared environment in which we work. Additionally, we understand how important it is to have confidence in one’s job security and the ability to support one’s family. If 20 janitors were laid off and not guaranteed full-time employment elsewhere, this would entail not only the
loss of their jobs, but also the loss of personal livelihoods. Therefore, we are calling on the Tufts community to protest this injustice and pressure the administration to cease the implementation of this plan. We join the students of Tufts Labor Coalition to ask for a guarantee that there will be no cuts to the janitorial staff until DTZ and the union representing the janitors renegotiate their contract in July 2016.
Gary R. Goldstein Barbara W. Grossman Modhumita Roy Andy Klatt Patricia Di Silvio Deborah Pacini Hernandez Elizabeth B. Lemons Linda Garant Rubén Salinas Stern Adriana Zavala David M. Gute Calvin L. Gidney Laurie Goldman
Elizabeth Ammons Sonia Hofkosh Conchita Davis John McDonald Lisa Lowe Xueping Zhong Paul Joseph Maryanne Wolf Jerry Meldon Pablo Martín Rujiz Carol Wilkinson Sarah Sobieraj Francie Chew
Nan Levinson Michelle F. Gaudette Maria Flytzani-Stephanopoulos Steve Cohen Freeden Oeur Carl Beckman Joseph Hurka Neil Miller Nikhil U. Nair Colin Orians Julia Genster John Fyler
Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily
Sunday, May 17, 2015
The Tufts Daily
35
Op-Ed
Caitlin Thompson | Oppressive Regimes
Op-Ed
Reform, expand undergraduate education experience by Benjamin Hosking Op-Ed Contributor
The ivory towers loom tall within modern universities. Professors and students often focus on issues that have little impact on our nation and our world. Our undergraduate academic focuses are too rigidly restrictive, delving into ideas so microcosmic that their relevance fades with each sentence. The ‘postmodern’ liberal arts education has become so specific and narrowed by majors that it is easy to see why millions of Americans look at it with disdain. The philosophy of contemporary liberal arts education is that one must become an expert in a specific field of study. We not only have majors, but also concentrations and focuses that ensure a student will rarely venture into other disciplines. Education is critically important for a politically engaged citizenry, but only if that education is holistic and encompasses a breadth of disciplines. Most students will not go on to become experts in a field, but will end up working in an industry wholly unrelated to their original discipline. Many academics would argue that specific studies of sociology, history, language and other humanities teach students how to write and think critically. If this is true, then I ask the purpose of persisting with such narrow content. Thus, I propose an end to required majors and concentrations. Although my proposition is radical, I believe that a narrowing of individual curiosity to one discipline leaves students woefully rigid in their approach
to the world. Engineers would benefit from the analytical and rhetorical skills developed by the humanities, while historians would gain much from an understanding of the physical sciences that are the foundation of the world in which we live. The Bachelor’s degree should be based on the development of individuals into Renaissance men and women with wide varieties of knowledge upon which they may draw. For only through a far-encompassing education will young people become the public citizens that our nation needs to overcome the plethora of challenges we face. Education should be founded on the intellectual development of curiosities and creativities, the underlying bricks with which we build knowledge. We must tear down the narrow ivory spires and replace them with strong works of Renaissance intellectualism. To transform students into the public citizens needed in a free nation, we need to overcome the specialist undergraduate education. This is not to say that specialization is inherently a bad idea, but highly specific focuses should be within the purview of a Master’s degree or a Doctorate. An undergraduate education should be an opportunity to explore a variety of fields, both as preparation for knowledge-based jobs and for the specialization of a graduate degree. In my collegiate hometown of Boston, the call for a varied education is even more important, but that call is not limited to what occurs within the elite universities that exist in our locality. I am a firm believer that a highly educated citizenry is not only beneficial to the community and the nation, but is imper-
ative to the survival of democracy. Thus, the existence and expansion of community colleges is equally important to the reform of the undergraduate education. Several prominent American politicians have proposed an end to community college fees. I agree. We have everything to gain from a knowledgeable society. The United States’ system unites electricians, firefighters, business executives, artists, nurses and all classes of men and women under the banner of an electorate. An informed electorate with a nuanced understanding of our national fabric will be far more capable of overcoming the challenges that threaten to tear that fabric apart. We must unite to undertake a vast investment in the education of our nation. Thousands of seniors in the greater Boston area will graduate next month with degrees in history, electrical engineering, sociology and other disciplines, hopefully with a better understanding of the world. And yet, that is not enough, for these students would greatly benefit from the varied education of the Renaissance university as they enter into a new phase of life, much as thousands of less-educated Bostonians would have much to gain from a tertiary education. Millions of students now stare at their mountains of collegiate debt. They have paid dearly for an education not nearly broad enough. I call for the reform and expansion of undergraduate education, not only in Boston, but across the country. If we as a nation are to become a better informed electorate, we must expand what we learn, and how many have the opportunity to learn.
Letters to the Editor
Letter to the Editor in response to 'Why Tufts needs to reorganize custodial services' op-ed by Tufts Administration by Roxana Rivera Pretending that a top-tier university with an operating budget of nearly $800 million and a healthy endowment of over $1.6 billion has no other option but to cut the jobs of low-pay janitors just to stay financially afloat is not only wrong, but a contradiction for an institution that prides itself on being “committed to improving the human condition.” What University President Anthony Monaco calls “a necessary step in responsible stewardship of the university’s resources” is in reality a plan that is bad for the Tufts community. The administration’s proposal will lower the quality of service that janitors provide by putting dozens of long-term employees out of work and forcing the
Tufts University prides itself on remaining workers to do more with less. No matter how you slice it, in the being a leader among higher educajanitorial sector when you have fewer tion institutions and on preparing people to do the work the quality of the students to be citizens of the world. A myopic focus on the bottom line withservice goes down. The effect on the custodial staff and out regard for the effects on the lowest the ripple effect on their families and paid workforce and the quality of the communities is not minimal. Tufts services needed to maintain the camclaims that the cleaning contractor will pus is not consistent with this vision. Tufts’ janitorial costs are in line find work for janitors who end up losing their jobs because of the university’s with what many of its peers invest decision to make cuts. Unfortunately, as in keeping their campuses clean. It’s a union representing 145,000 property time for the Tufts administration to service workers at colleges and univer- reconsider the impact job cuts of this sities, office and biotech buildings and magnitude will have on workers, their other facilities along the East Coast, families and the Tufts community. including 18,000 here in New England, our experience has shown that contractors are generally not able to find Roxana Rivera is the Vice President of Tufts placements for such a large group of Janitors’ union. Roxena can be reached at displaced workers in a timely manner. RRivera@seiu32bj.org
Op-Ed
Advice to those who are fortunate not to be graduating by Becky Darin Goldberg
When I arrived at Tufts for my senior year I felt I was ready to graduate. And now, while I may be ready, I want nothing more than to stay. I cannot thank Tufts enough for welcoming me with open arms, for allowing me to find my passion, for providing me with its wonderful resources and for fostering the incredible relationships I have made here. I have a few words of advice for those who are fortunate enough not to be graduating. Be true to yourself. We hear this a lot, but I don’t think people truly take it to heart. College is not about what people think of you, it’s about becoming who you want to be. Surround yourself by people who help you grow into that person. Look up. Say hi to the people you frequently cross paths with. Who knows, maybe they’ll become your best friend. Talk to your professors about topics other than those covered in your classes. You never know when a conversation might lead you to discovering your passion.
Passion is not passive. Open your eyes. Take a risk. You need to seek out your passion. Don’t just go through the motions. Now is the time to explore. Take classes you want to take, not classes you think you should take. At the end of the day, your major doesn’t really matter. If you’re going to be taking 10 or so classes in that department, make it a department you love, not one you feel will look good on a resume. Get involved. Whether it’s a club on campus, research, student government or sports, do something that makes you happy, something that you want to tell your friends about, something that will help you learn valuable skills that cannot be taught in a classroom. Academics aren’t everything. Coming from someone who spent too much time on schoolwork and not enough time having fun, academics can only take you so far. You need to have fun in college — whatever fun means to you. Go to the dining halls. I know this sounds silly, especially as most juniors and seniors cook at home, but I was one of the few seniors on an unlimited meal plan this year, and as a result I
met many new people just by eating in Dewick. Acknowledge your positionality. There are many types of people coming together to learn in college. In order to learn to the greatest of our ability we must understand and learn from each other. We cannot do that without getting in touch with who we are and understanding the impact we have in various situations. Dare to fail gloriously and ask questions. If there is but one piece of advice you listen to, let it be this. If you approach situations with this mentality, I guarantee my prior nine words of advice will follow. Daring to fail gloriously and asking questions won’t steer you wrong. I cannot adequately express how grateful I am for the opportunity to have been at Tufts these past few years. I cherish the time I was able to spend here and the conversations I’ve had. To the Class of 2015 — dare to fail gloriously. I can’t wait to see what we will all accomplish. Becky Darin Goldberg is a graduating senior majoring in American studies. She can be reached at rebeccadgoldberg@gmail.com
Jailing journalists
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ow a country treats its journalists is an indicator of the level of free speech it allows. Journalism remains one of the world’s most dangerous careers, with brave writers putting their lives on the line in search of the story worth telling. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) writes reports on the status of the freedom of the press worldwide. Results are telling of both the current and future status of free speech. The most recent report on censorship is from December 2014. In this report, Eritrea ranks first for most repression of the media. This country has the lowest rate of cellphone ownership in the world, and less than one percent Internet penetration. Eritrea led the same list in 2012. Censorship in Eritrea follows global patterns. No foreign journalists have access to the country and the government controls all internal media. This leaves much to be desired both in terms of free speech and reporting on the reality of gross human rights issues. The situation is similar in North Korea, where the Korean Central News Agency controls the flow of media. In Syria, which remains one of the most dangerous places for journalists, violence and limitations on external media are the go-to methods of control. Shutting down websites, stateowned media and the threat of arrest are all common methods worldwide. Imprisoning journalists is one of the most threatening forms of censorship, and sends a direct message to the global community about the extent of free speech in a country. According to the CPJ, China had the most journalists in jail in 2014, with 44 writers, up 12 from 2013. Turkey led the pack in 2012 and 2013, but released many of its writers in prison last year and now stands in seventh. Eritrea, first in censorship, is third with 23 journalists in prison. Russia is surprisingly absent from the list, considering it is known for being one of the most deadly places for journalism. 2014 saw the second-highest rates of journalist imprisonment since 1990, when the CPJ started these reports. 221 journalists were kept in jail, up 10 from 2013, but still lower than the record of 232 in 2012. Most were charged with anti-state crimes like terrorism or subversion, with the majority of arrests coming from the pool of online writers. The most frightening countries in this regard are China and Iran, which together account for a third of journalists in jail. Iran had 30 writers in prison in 2014, down five from 2013 and 15 from its record in 2012. However, what is worrying is the rate of imprisonment. Iran is capable of releasing one journalist, indicating recognition of rights and free speech, only to turn around and arrest another in the same month, dashing hopes. Its numbers may be lower than last year, but its censorship has not decreased. Syria is sixth on the list of journalists in jail, but because the report only accounts for government-sponsored arrests, not kidnappings. 20 journalists are missing in Syria, presumably held captive by the Islamic State, but these individuals are not included on the list, which means Syria is even more dangerous than its ranking highlights. Looking forward into 2015, it becomes apparent that imprisoning journalists as a form of censorship will not decrease. We have already seen two high-profile cases in Iran and China, and neither writer is held with much evidence against them. The concern is that countries will continue this crackdown on free speech, and new countries will join the list. Journalism remains a dangerous career worldwide with no sign of improving. Caitlin Thompson is a sophomore majoring in Russian and European studies. She can be reached at caitlin. thompson@tufts.edu.
36 Henry Jani | Reply All
The Tufts Daily
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Op-Ed
Op-Ed
How to not be real
B
eing a real person is hard. After four years of living in a limbo between blissful adolescence and taking on actual responsibilities, the time has come to enter the terrifying realm of adult reality. As a lowly freshman, my advice to you may not seem the most wise or practical. However, I personally have an enormous amount of experience in denial. Denying various contentions, social obligations, my crumbling perception of life and maintaining questionable values, etc. So, I plan to share a few of the life trajectories I have formulated to evade confronting the obviously problematic area of the daunting outside world. Stay delusional. One of my plans was concocted only a few days ago. With all the stress of looming finals, barrages of end-of-theyear events and scruples about returning home for a lengthy four months, I began to notice a certain stress level that corresponds only with me entering my state of denial. I’ll jump straight into it: move to an Eastern European nation to become a subway operator. Preferably Bulgaria. Now, hear me out. Such a plan may seem rather strange and worrying at first, but it is really a fail-proof course of action when evading those requests you just can’t seem to handle. The first obvious benefit of this plan is a layer of covertness. I was only able to conjure up this plan after researching Eastern bloc cuisine (solely for my own benefits, mind you) that led to a documentary concerning the development of infrastructure in former Soviet satellites. When everyone is wondering where you went instead of law school, you would be hard pressed to find someone who figures out you are chilling in the bowels of the Minsk subway system. Also, this choice is great for any form of general emotional suppression. Got crippling rejection-based depression from years of academic and social failure at school? Well, you won’t have any time to think about it as you are speeding from Интер Експо Център - Цариградско шос to the infamous Акад Александър Теодоров-Балан stop. Easy as cake. For those who may not wish to relocate across the globe, worry not: there is another plan. This one came to me in high school through a vision when I was panicking over college applications and decisions. Instead of going to college like expected, my future became suddenly clear: hair. With an English degree no longer probable, I planned to dye my hair blue and open up a specialty hair salon called “Beeeeyopbyopxo.” All vowels are silent. The shop would offer specialized services like glue stick scalp therapy and natural dying with dragon fruit. Store policy would also require that all haircuts would be done via gardening shears, for that “angular, terse” look. “Beeeeyopbyopxo” would also be revolutionary through the introduction of its own currency, the garfle. Built upon a base-23 system, these bills, all donning pictures of Big Ang from “Mob Wives” (2011-2013), would have a varying exchange rate based on a daily least squares regression line test. While I was finally getting this ball rolling, I was accepted into college. But the foundations are set. Keep the legacy going people. If all else fails, go for the classic option of becoming a groupie, living out your secret desires to be Kate Hudson in “Almost Famous” (2000). While you may not have the band’s lead vocalist fall in love with you, the bullet of ‘settling for stability’ will be safely dodged. And this option works for the men too. Stereotypes of girls chasing male ensembles are over, with allfemale groups paving the way for this generation of musical talent. Groupies for everyone. Stick it to the man, Henry Henry Jani is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at henry.jani@tufts.edu.
by Nathan Foster
A Jumbo injustice
Tufts has a long history of mistreating its janitors. Since they were outsourced more than two decades ago — removing benefits including the free tuition offered to the children of other Tufts employees — janitors have faced low wages, few benefits and unstable working conditions under a plethora of different subcontractors. In 1997 alone, over 100 janitors were fired when they refused to accept a contract that cut wages 25-30 percent. Currently, Tufts janitors earn less than janitors at most other Boston-area schools. According to WBUR, “Tufts janitors start at $18 an hour, more than the $16 paid by [Boston College] but less than Harvard at $20, MIT at $21 and [Boston University] at $22.” Furthermore, part-time Tufts janitors, unlike those at our peer institutions, do not receive health insurance and retirement benefits. Now, Tufts is in the process of firing several janitors, members of the Tufts community who depend on Tufts for their livelihoods. To be clear: they are employed by Tufts’ facilities subcontractor DTZ, and may be offered alternate employment at other DTZ sites. Although Tufts outsourced its janitorial services in the 1990s, however, it still calls all the shots. Tufts, not DTZ, initiated the current job cuts. Replacement jobs are not guaranteed, and the ones that are offered will likely be seasonal or lower quality than those being lost.
According to a statement by Tufts Labor Coalition Tufts initially planned to fire 35 part-time workers, but this ran afoul of the janitors’ contract, which mandates that cuts be made based on seniority and not work status. So they are now planning to cut 20 mostly full-time workers, or 10 percent of the total staff. This isn’t much of an improvement. The same number of hours will be cut, leaving the remaining janitors equally overworked, and though fewer families will be affected, they will be affected more severely. The administration justifies the cuts by pointing to cost savings. According to Patricia Campbell, Tufts’ vice president for operations, the cuts will save about $900,000 a year. This amounts to less than 0.12 percent of Tufts’ total budget of nearly $800 million — not insignificant, but not essential either. The administration also argues that these cuts are about efficiency, and that advances in cleaning technology render a huge portion of the janitorial workforce unnecessary. Although DTZ plans to implement marginal improvements such as newer equipment and trash buddies (mini-trash cans which clip on to recycling bins and cut down on waste), these minor efficiency gains are offset by plans to clean busy spaces more thoroughly and by the construction of new buildings. Overall, there will be no net decrease in the amount of work needed to keep Tufts clean. Instead, 10 percent fewer janitors will clean even more buildings. This is bad
nicholas pfosi / the tufts daily
for everyone; janitors will be unfairly overworked, and students will live and study in a dirtier environment. It simply isn’t worth the cost savings. If Tufts’ administrators want to save $900,000, they should consider shouldering the burden themselves. A 10 percent cut in compensation to Tufts’ top 24 employees would save more money per year than the planned layoffs without ruining anyone’s livelihood or reducing the quality of the services provided by the university. Over the past months, janitors, students, faculty, local politicians, union organizers and community members have united in opposition to the cuts. Actions including a two-day sit-in of Ballou Hall, a public forum, a disruption of the unveiling of the new Jumbo statue and a large rally at which seven people were arrested failed to make the administration change course. During finals, eight students staged a nearly weeklong hunger strike as dozens of supporters slept in tents next to the Tufts cannon. And broadbased opposition continues. This isn’t some esoteric activism issue — it is about a very immediate threat to the livelihoods of members of our community. The cuts don’t make sense, either morally or economically. It’s time Tufts reconsiders. Nathan Foster is a first-year who has not yet declared a major. Nathan can be reached at nathan.foster@tufts.edu.
Pooja Sivaraman and Rebecca Solomon | New York Style Delhi
Commendations for Commencement
R
ebecca: New York Style Delhi has officially been in print for an entire academic year. We could not have gotten to this point without my former housemate, Annabelle Roberts. One balmy September night, Annabelle returned home from the Daily complaining about a lack of column applicants. I told Annabelle that I would throw my hat in the ring on the condition that Pooja and I could write together. Annabelle, probably assuming that we would never apply, encouraged me. An hour before the application deadline, New York Style Delhi’s first issue was sent to her. It is unknown whether there was a lack of applicants or that we were the best column, but soon our advice column took off. So here’s to Annabelle for taking a Hail Mary on us — I cannot wait until you come back from Denmark. While we thank Annabelle, we must apologize to our readers; there were some questions that just stumped us. In an effort to prove that we do not make up our questions, we’ll share them with you:
Foreskin or nah? hows aepi doing while im away? I hooked with my best friend’s boyfriend while she was in the bathroom at the pub last tuesday, everyone knows except her. Im scared to ask advice from anyone because i feel so guilty.What should I do? i think my gf is pregnant omgfg but what if she just got fat..i mean i took her out to dinner and we had desert but cmon thats a big belly you got downthere..AM I A FATHER??? WHO SHOULD I NAME THE KID AFTER OMFG!!!!!!!! Is the click the same thing as the G-spot? Also can u get some white bread for H@u5? Does Nayana ever ask about me? Can we do kisses? Why are all the Brazilians so hot especially the soccer boys? Dear NYSD, Forever ago, gameboys brought us sexual vigor and raw sexual might. How can I relive those days? Are cats acceptable baby sitters? Which celebrity has the strangest happy trail? Eating before / during / after sex. Thoughts? Good girls go to heaven, and bad girls go everywhere…but where IS everywhere? Why can’t the number 69 be purely 69 for once? Pooja: We apologize for our inability to answer these questions. Some were just too real, others were genuinely perplexing and a few were our
annoying friends using our portal as a means of communication. This is the last week where Rebecca and I can continue to be our waste-women selves without the SWUG title. It is slightly unbelievable how far we have (but really haven’t) come. During Spring Fling we ran into our now-alum first-year RA, which just made us realize that we are old and definitely not at the point of maturity where we probably should be. As we will soon renounce the JWUG title for SWUG, we want to applaud the seniors for making it (we know we will be you someday but the outcome looks bleak). Given that we are an advice column, we also want to send a message to those younger than us. It’s okay to not have your life together; in fact, this is the one time in your life where you can embrace being scattered. You will hear this from everyone, but Rebecca and I have mastered being Jumbo messes, and as an almostSWUG I can safely say that I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Goodbye and good luck to the graduating SWUGS, cheers to the new ones and to all the rest — you rock, don’t ever change (A Lizzie reference to conclude a year of New York Style Delhi success). Pooja Sivaraman is a junior majoring in economics. She can be reached at pooja. sivaraman@tufts.edu. Rebecca Solomon is a junior majoring in economics. She can be reached at rebecca.solomon@tufts.edu.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
On the Hill
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Comics
37 by Ty Enos and Vincent Carbone
Having faced terrifying monsters, unbearable weather and uncomfortable social engagements, Jaya and her friends are just yards away from reaching their goal: Dowling Hall! But the evil monster SIS has suddenly appeared, hoping to stop their journey in its tracks! And now: the thrilling conclusion!
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Sunday, May 17, 2015 by Kit Collins
Sunday, May 17, 2015
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Dear Adjunct Faculty of Tufts University, Greeting from your grads! You inspired us when we were students, spending time with us in office hours and class, wrestling with questions of scholarship and meaning, infecting us with your commitment and passion. You showed us it is possible to love one's work. We are so proud of your organizing efforts that have brought national attention to economic justice in higher education. You have built the foundation for change. We see your fingerprints in our work every day and so it is important to us that you know that as committed alumni/ae and donors to Tufts University, we stand with you in hope for just compensation and treatment for all faculty. Thank you for inspiring so many generations of Jumbos with your own dedication! We would not be who we are, or where we are, without you. All our love, Ben Lewinger ‘02 Susie Hayward ‘02 Lynn Cooper ’02 Kit Lonergan 01 Emily Bartlett ‘12 Adrian Emmanuel Hernandez ‘11
Meredith Gilbert ‘03 Inbar Sharon ‘09 Casey Conway ‘09 Ben Foote ‘06 Zack Grossman ‘09 Timmy Bouley ‘01
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Captured:
Student
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Protesters organized by Students for Justice in Palestine laid down in the Cabot lobby in solidarity with those killed in Gaza on Nov. 10, 2014.
nicholas pfosi / The Tufts Daily
A protester stares down a police officer during the Indict America rally in Boston on Nov. 25, 2014.
Activism throughout the YEAR
Important Moments on Tufts Campus and Beyond
Nov. 10
Dec. 5
Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) protest the invitation of IDF Leutenant Colonel Eran Shamir-Borer to speak at Tufts, as well as the many deaths in the Gaza strip.
Tufts students lead a march through Somerville and Cambridge that culminates at Harvard Bridge, stopping regularly along the way to hold fourand-a-half-minute die-ins to represent the four-and-a-half hours that Michael Brown’s body was left in the street after he was shot in Ferguson, Mo. in August 2014.
Nov. 25 Tufts students join nationwide protests against the non-indictments of white police officers in killings of black men in Ferguson, Mo. and Staten Island, N.Y.
nicholas pfosi / The Tufts Daily
University President Anthony Monaco speaks in the background while Tufts Labor protesters stand silently during the “Meet the New Jumbo” event on the Academic Quad on Friday, April 17.
March 10 Janitors, students and SEIU representatives march from Brown and Brew to Tufts Facilities Services to protest proposed cuts to janitorial jobs, the first of many similar protests over the next several weeks.
nicholas pfosi / The Tufts Daily
Protesters debrief during the Tufts Climate Action sit-in of Ballou Hall to demand divestment from the fossil fuel industery on April 22.
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Activism
evan sayles / The Tufts Daily
Janitors, TLC members and members of the Tufts community marched in front of Ballou Hall on Wednesday, April 8 to protest proposed cuts to the janitorial staff.
Evan Sayles / The Tufts Daily
First-year Josh Ferry joined protesters as they laid down for four minutes and 30 seconds on Dec. 5, 2014 in Harvard Square to represent the four hours and 30 minutes Michael Brown’s body was left on the street in Ferguson, Mo.
April 30
April 17 TLC organizes a silent protest in conjunction with the unveiling of the new Jumbo statue outside Barnum Hall.
April 22 Thirty-three students, most of whom are members of Tufts Climate Action, occupy University President Anthony Monaco’s office in Ballou Hall to demand the university divest from fossil fuels.
Four students are arrested after a protest against janitorial cuts, led by SEIU, shuts down traffic in Powderhouse Square.
May 3 Five members of TLC begin a hunger strike and occupation next to Ballou Hall in an effort to postpone janitorial job cuts until July 2016. The strike ended just over five days later without an official agreement between TLC and the administration. AUDREY MICHAEL / THE TUFTS DAILY
Sofie Hecht / The Tufts Daily
Arrested TLC and SEIU protesters are led away from Powderhouse Square, where a sit-in was held to protest proposed cuts to the janitorial staff, on Thursday, April 30.
nicholas pfosi / The Tufts Daily
Janitors tearfully embrace hunger strikers during the second silent protest while TLC leaders and the administration hold another negotiations meeting concerning janitorial staff cuts on Wednesday, May 6.
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Thank You
for carrying on the tradition of giving back to support current and future Jumbos.
More than 1,400 students have supported the Student Fund so far this year. Matched by 3 alumni donors, student participation has raised more than $40,000 for financial aid!
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Sports
Tufts Daily Sports Awards Co-Female Athlete of the year: Hayley Kanner
Co-Female Athlete of the year: Allyson Fournier
accomplishments are the further accolades that are in his future.
The women’s basketball team started its 2014-15 campaign with the leadership of three graduating senior tricaptains who had been key contributors since they stepped on campus four years ago. By the end of the season, however, just one remained in the starting lineup: All-American Hayley Kanner. While her fellow tri-captains, Kelsey Morehead and Hannah Foley, faced tough injuries at opposite ends of the season, and were forced to play limited on-court roles for extended time, they made invaluable contributions by coaching younger players, bringing energy from the sidelines and playing minutes off the bench. Kanner’s presence on both ends of the floor, though, was the constant and integral force that led the Jumbos to a successful season. Following up a season in which she was named to the All-NESCAC second team and received D3hoops. com fourth team All-American and Northeast Region Player of the Year honors, Kanner returned to the floor this year with a Tufts team that wanted to advance one step further and win the NCAA championship. Despite falling short with a loss in the NCAA semifinals, the Jumbos repeated as NESCAC champs and tied the program record for wins in a season, thanks in part to Kanner’s play. She led the team with 2.5 blocks per game, good for second in the conference, and averaged 12.4 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Kanner was also an effective distributor on offense — dishing out 2.1 assists per game — and a versatile scorer, converting both in the paint and outside from beyond the arc. This season, Kanner added to her accolades with a selection to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-American team, D3hoops.com Northeast Region Player of the Year honors and NESCAC Player of the Year honors. Additionally, she capped off her senior year campaign by reaching the 1000point milestone for her career during a Jan. 17 matchup at home against Trinity College. Kanner will also leave Tufts as the program’s all-time leader in blocks.
Graduating senior tri-captain Allyson Fournier has had a career that has been defined by success. Her senior season did not disappoint. She was NESCAC Pitcher of the Year (again), put up video-game statistics (again), will be on the short-list for the Honda Sports Award to the best Div. III female athlete (again) and has the Jumbos contending for their third straight national championship. As of May 10, Fournier had a record of 27-0 with an ERA of of .13, the lowest of any Div. III pitcher that qualifies in terms of innings pitched. Just putting the ball in play against her is an accomplishment; she strikes out over 15 hitters a game, and her 344 strikeouts match up well against her 15 walks. She also allows under two hits per game, with 43 allowed on the season. However, statistics do not tell the whole story. Fournier has led the team to a 43-0 record with another NESCAC Championship. Whether Tufts wins NCAAs again this year — and its No. 1 ranking shows the team to be the favorite — Fournier will be leaving the program as its leader in every significant pitching stat. She is one of only 17 Div. III pitchers with 1000 strikeouts. Fournier will not just graduate as one of the greatest Tufts athletes of all time; she could end her college career as one of the greatest Div. III athletes of all time.
co-Coach of the Year: Josh Shapiro
Male Athlete of the Year: Mitch Black Rising senior Mitch Black is one of the most decorated athletes in Tufts’ track history; he is a seven-time All-American, a four-time 800-meter run All-American and three-time relay All-American (and counting). He is also only one of four Div. III athletes to ever break 1:50 in the 800 after posting a 1:49.16 at Boston University’s David Hemery Valentine Indoor Invitational on Feb. 13. Black won the indoor 800 at the NCAA national championships and has been just as impressive outdoors, taking home the 800-meter title and coming in second in the 1 b500 at NESCACs. Once again the favorite to take home a national title, the only thing more impressive than Black’s
It is easy to see how Shapiro’s ingame tactics make him a great coach. The NESCAC and D3soccer.com Coach of the Year, Shapiro always seemed to have the right lineup or set piece for the right time. However, it is what he did as the head of the program that truly made him special. Shapiro recruited players other NESCAC teams overlooked and convinced Div. I talent to come to Medford to try to win a national championship. In his first year with a graduating class he recruited, Shapiro turned a disappointing upset in the NESCAC quarterfinals into an incredible run to the program’s first NCAA title.
co-Coach of the Year: Courtney Farrell With all due respect to softball’s Cheryl Milligan and basketball’s Carla Berube — who have won enough team and individual awards to make up for this — Farrell’s work with the women’s lacrosse team deserves special recognition. After an impressive rookie campaign that saw the Jumbos go 10-6 in the regular season, Farrell led the team to an 11-5 regular season, a win in the NESCAC playoffs and the team’s first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2011. Her biggest on-field imprint, an aggressive zone ride that makes it infuriating for opponents to clear the ball from their end of the field, mirrors the future of the program: great athletes willing to outwork anyone on the field.
Team of the Year: Men's Soccer The 2013 men’s soccer team ended the year in disappointing fashion, losing to Bowdoin on penalty kicks in the NESCAC quarterfinals and missing out on the tournament. This year’s team, however, was different. The Jumbos did not lose a single NESCAC match in the regular season, going 7-0-3 in conference, yet in a moment of deja vu, they fell in the NESCAC quarterfinals, this time to Conn. College. With an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament despite the loss, the team righted the ship, outscoring the competition 14-4 in six tournament
victories and taking down perennial powerhouse after perennial powerhouse on the way to the team’s first national championship. Graduating senior co-captain center back Sam Williams would earn All-American honors and was one of five Jumbos to be named to either the first or second All-Conference teams.
Female Rookie of the Year: Calie Nowak The women’s lacrosse team entered the season with two great scorers in rising seniors Caroline Ross and Brigid Bowser. However, the addition of rising sophomore midfielder Calie Nowak made a good offense a great one. Nowak was third on the team in goals during her first season while offering an impressive two-way game. In the season opener against then-No. 4 Middlebury, Nowak showed a sign of things to come when she scored two goals in the 12-11 victory. Nowak’s consistency was on display throughout the season, and especially when it counted the most. Despite the jitters of a first playoff game, Nowak scored the first goal of Tufts’ 7-6 overtime win over Hamilton in the NESCAC quarterfinals, which helped secure the Jumbos an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
Male Rookie of the Year: Brian Brown Following multiple seasons of missing the NESCAC playoffs, the ice hockey team was in desperate need of optimism. Rising sophomore Brian Brown offered it more than anyone could have expected. He led the team in goals and points with 13 and 23, respectively. Compared to the fellow rookies in the NESCAC, he was second in both of those statistics. His play-making opened things up for the rest of the team, and he showed an uncanny ability to come up with big goals when the team was in dire straits. His addition helped propel the Jumbos to the eighth seed in the conference and a berth to the NESAC playoffs, where they defeated the eventual NCAA national champions the Trinity Bantams. The win provided even more optimism for next year as the conference waits to see what Brown can do one year removed from a stellar rookie season.
Ethan Chan / The Tufts Daily
Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily
Caroline Ambros / The Tufts Daily
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Jumbos cap off season with win in final race MEN’S CREW
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Gawlas said. “Everyone went for it and it really paid off.” Graduating senior tri-captain Peter Estes saw both races in a similar light. “In the first race we were almost there,” Estes said. “We were pushing hard; we rowed the way we wanted to row. We came off the water satisfied with our effort.” Three other boats raced for Tufts, all of which fell in the middle of the pack. Sunday’s result in the first varsity race was one of many strong spring performances. Following a training trip out to Florida for spring break, the team looked strong in its return to the water on April 4. The Jumbos defeated the Hamilton Continentals while racing at their home course, the Shoemaker Boathouse. Following the win, Tufts would continue to look impressive, picking up a second-place finish and then another win in two races the next weekend. The team showed an ability to handle adversity, competing hard against Middlebury on April 18 and a host of other competitors the next day despite the absence of three first-boat rowers who were out with illnesses. In his short time with the program, Wanner has gained support from the team’s respected veterans. This has
helped his ability to effect change in a program waiting to take the leap. “Noel is ready to build this program, and this program is ready to grow,” Estes said. “I am excited to see what he will do with the guys coming in next year and the guys we have. He taught us to love rowing, and that is a really special thing.” Crew is one of the few sports that has two seasons in one academic year, giving athletes a little bit of an awkward training schedule in the offseason. This did not seem to hamper the Jumbos, however, who got more in sync as the season progressed. For now, the program is focusing on the future. There were seven seniors on the team this year, all of whom will need to be replaced in the top boats. By relying on many rowers who do not compete in the sport until they enter college, the team has to cope with a long learning curve. Regardless, the graduating rowers have showed success maintaining a physical and mental focus on the sport. “I have gotten a lot of things from this program,” Estes said. “It takes a lot of time to really get a sport, and you can get a boat and start to figure out the mechanics, but I have learned so much these past few months, from how I row, how the team rows together and intricacies in how the boat moves in the water.”
Ending the season with a win was the proper way to send off the senior class. It also showcased the strides made by the program. “At the beginning of the season, it is hard to come with expectations of where you will be in May,” Gawlas said. “In my
Sunday, May 17, 2015
head, I was a little cautious, but I am really happy with [Sunday’s] results.” Rising senior Jonathan Lapadula will retain his captaincy next year. He will be joined by rising senior Jon Williams and rising junior Zach Merchant as they look to maintain the program’s momentum.
Alex Cherry / The Tufts Daily
Members of Tufts varsity crew team practice on the Malden River early on an October morning.
Tufts wins NESCAC championship, aims for second consecutive NCAA title MEN’S lACROSSE
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and tough throughout, improving every day,” Daly said. “The season is a grind and the goal each year is to be playing our best lacrosse [during the postseason] in May.” The win over the Panthers was the first in an impressive stretch for the Jumbos, who started the season with a 10-game winning streak. They maintained the No. 1 ranking throughout that time. “Each team and each journey is special in their own way,” Daly said. “This team has battled through injury and each time seemingly come out stronger. Most of the injuries were among the senior class with [attackmen Chris] Schoenhut [and co-captain Cole] Bailey and [defenseman Garrett] Read being struck with injury. Each has found ways to contribute even when injured and I am proud of this senior class.” That streak contained four out-ofconference bouts, including one with Stevenson, who is now ranked No. 7.
Tufts impressively won that game on the road by a score of 18-12 behind rising senior attackman John Uppgren’s five goals. The Jumbos carried an undefeated record through the first full month of the season and into April. At 6-0 within the NESCAC, Tufts stood atop the conference as well. The season’s first hiccup came in a home game on April 7 against Bates, in which the Bobcats were able to top the Jumbos 12-8. The eight goals scored were the fewest for Tufts to that point in the season. The Jumbos were able to rebound following the loss to the Bobcats with two impressive victories. On April 11, Tufts easily topped Hamilton by a score of 25-6 before routing Endicott 22-6. That left Tufts with a 12-1 record heading into a showdown with Amherst. The Lord Jeffs had an identical 12-1 record, and the matchup was important for postseason seeding. Amherst came out on top, holding Tufts to just six goals in a 12-6 win, and putting The loss meant that the Jumbos fell
to second place in the NESCAC, below the Lord Jeffs. The postseason began April 25, with Tufts winning 15-12 over Hamilton at Bello Field. The Jumbos jumped out to a big lead early and the Continentals were able to close the gap, but their rally fell short. Because of the seeding, Amherst played host for the NESCAC semifinals and finals the weekend of May 2-3. However, Tufts left no doubts about the postseason NESCAC pecking order. The team topped Middlebury in the semis by a 23-9 score, setting up a rematch in the championship with Amherst. This time, the Jumbos trounced the Lord Jeffs 16-4, winning their sixth straight NESCAC title and an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament. “It’s an amazing achievement. The competition in our league is incredible and we have so much respect for the coaches and players in this league. To get to the top was tough, but to stay there has been a grind and a challenge,” Daly said. Bailey echoed Daly’s sentiments of pride in the program.
“Winning six straight NESCAC titles shows that this program is constantly doing the right thing and always striving to get better,” Bailey told the Daily in an email. The Jumbos’ 16-2 record earned it the right to host the first round game against the Emmanuel Saints, which they decisively won 21-6. The second round was also played at Bello Field, and Tufts topped Bates 13-8 in a rematch of the Jumbos’ earlyseason loss. At this point in the season, every game comes with the goal to survive and advance. Each game could be the last of the season. “Our team is playing well right now, but there are no more second chances. Win and survive. I love this team and love this time of year with the team. It is a privilege to do what I do,” Daly said. Tufts squared off once more with Amherst in the NCAA quarterfinals this past Wednesday, May 13, results of which were not available at the time of this writing.
Jumbos finish spring season with .500 record Women’s tennis
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The first NESCAC match of the season for the team came against the Mules of Colby in Waterville, Maine. The Jumbos dropped only one match, winning 8-1 to start the NESCAC season off on a good note. Meltzer played in the No. 1 singles position, where she played for the remainder of the season, while Calabro played in the No. 2 singles position. Both players deserved their spots, as they won their matches in straight sets. Rising juniors Chelsea Hayashi and Jacqueline Baum played in the No. 3 and 4 singles positions, respectively. Miller played in the fifth singles position and rising junior Hannah Conroy played in the sixth singles position. Tufts then beat Bates to open up conference play 2-0, but lost its next two tough matches to Wesleyan and Trinity both by a match score of 5-4. As the season progressed, a more consistent lineup came into shape. The next match on the Jumbos’ slate was the Amherst Lord Jeffs, who were conference tournament finalists. Meltzer and Calabro played first doubles, while Hayashi and Baum played second doubles, with rising sophomore Aandrita Deb and Miller at third doubles for the remainder of the season except for the last match against Bowdoin, when Hayashi replaced Meltzer and Louks replaced Hayashi. The match experience and chemistry
that the doubles teams were able to gain this season sets the team up for success next season. In the singles lineup, Meltzer and Calabro played one and two from the Amherst match to the end of the season, while Louks, Baum and Miller played in the third through fifth singles positions from the following match against Wellesley to the end of the season. Tufts lost to Amherst 8-1 before defeating Wellesley 7-2. The next conference match on the Jumbos’ schedule was against the Conn. College Camels, who only won two conference matches this season. Tufts won that match 8-1, but this marked the last victory for the team this season; it lost to undefeated and No. 1-ranked Williams and No. 8-ranked Bowdoin both by match scores of 9-0. The Jumbos did not qualify for the NESCAC tournament after finishing outside the top six in the conference. Both Tufts and Hamilton finished oneand-a-half games behind Trinity for that sixth and final spot in the conference tournament. “We didn’t reach any of our resultoriented goals this year; however our hard work and cohesive team dynamics will allow us to keep moving forward to next year where we will be sure to achieve some of our resultoriented goals from this past year, like making NESCACS and NCAAs,” Meltzer said.
Caroline Geiling / The Tufts Daily
The women’s tennis team just missed qualifying for the NESCAC tournament after finishing only one-and-a-half games behind Trinity for sixth place in the conference.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Captured: Homecoming ALL Photos by Nicholas Pfosi
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Sports
Saluting the seniors: Star-studded Allyson Fournier
by Alison Kuah Sports Editor
Senior tri-captain Allyson Fournier will be graduating from Tufts having reached a legion of milestones in her college career. When the softball team won their first national championship in 2013, Fournier — as a sophomore — was given arguably the highest accolade for a Div. III athlete: the Honda Sports Award for Div. III Athlete of the Year. Instead of peaking early in a four-year career, Fournier continued to break new ground in both her sophomore and junior years, as Tufts went on to repeat as back-toback national champions. “My biggest accomplishment as a player was winning back-to-back national championships and reaching the highest level of play in my sport,” Fournier told the Daily in an email. “I consider this the highest accomplishment because it requires an entire team effort, in an atmosphere where every member of the team is contributing [and] I feel honored to be a part of the Tufts softball legacy.” As a senior, Fournier has had another record-breaking season. As of May 10, Fournier holds a 27-0 record, with an ERA of of .13, the lowest of any Div. III pitcher, en route to being just the 17th Div. III pitcher with 1,000 strikeouts in her career. As a captain, Fournier has had the opportunity to apply what she has learned from coaches and former captains — and leader-
Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily
ship is what she credits as the biggest lesson learned from her time at Tufts. “During my time here, I have been privileged to play for a dedicated and knowledgable coaching staff, as well as with many inspiring captains/players — people [who have] provided me with the tools for success both on and off the field,” Fournier said. “The effects of this leadership will stay with me long after I stop playing softball.”
As of May 10, Fournier has struck out over 15 hitters a game this season, allowing under two hits per game for a total of 43 allowed on the season and has 344 strikeouts — all while allowing just 15 walks. She won NESCAC Pitcher of the Year for the fourth straight year and won NESCAC Pitcher of the Week five times this season. Fournier has also garnered All-American honors for the past three seasons and two shortlists for Div. III
Kyle Slinger
Men's soccer seniors by Jake Indursky Managing Editor
Calling the 2014 season the most successful in the history of the men’s soccer team is still too much of an understatement. The exponential ascent of the program in the past four years appropriately coincides with the four years that the team’s graduating seniors have spent wearing the brown and blue. The seniors — co-captain forward Maxime Hoppenot, co-captain center back Sam Williams, center back Peter Lee-Kramer and midfielders Gus Santos, Kyle Volpe, Kento Nakamura and Michael Miele — were coach Joshua Shapiro’s first recruiting class for Tufts. They laid the foundation for a remarkable turnaround — a turnaround that wouldn’t have been possible if they didn’t take the plunge in joining a team in flux. “We all came to Tufts not because of recent success, but because we thought coach Shapiro was going to turn it around,” Hoppenot said. “He was talking about challenging within four years in the NESCAC and NCAAs.” Although it would be easy to single out recognizable stars like Hoppenot and Santos up front or Williams and Lee-Kramer in the back, every player contributed to building Tufts into the kind of program that has the talent to compete on the national stage. “We wanted to find a slew of very good players in different spots,” Shapiro said. “We needed to be more athletic and stout in
the back, and that was what drew you to Peter [Lee-Kramer] and Sam [Williams]. We felt we needed to add dynamic qualities in the attack … and that’s Gus [Santos] and Maxime [Hoppenot] … and Mike Miele. And the other thing was real quality — because we wanted to become a playing soccer team, a connecting, passing team — and that was going to be Kento [Nakamura] and [Kyle] Volpe. The transition didn’t come easily though; Hoppenot has seen the team develop throughout his four years as a Jumbo. “I think early on, freshman and sophomore year, our class was talented and we brought a lot to the field, and the last two years, we’ve kind of helped shape the mentality a lot,” Hoppenot said. “We’re leaving it with a chance to be better next year than it was this year, which we’re happy about, which means we had an impact on the program rather than just being a talented class for four years.” According to Shapiro, part of that influx of young talent had a profound impact on the team’s attitude early on. “Immediately, they brought an attitude of ‘we’re coming to win [and] we’re as good as anybody,'” Shapiro said. “They came in and were like, ‘who’s Williams’ … and ‘I don’t care who these guys are, we think we’re pretty good.’ There’s sort of that brashness of freshmen.” Shapiro said the team’s success in the first year for these graduating seniors, in which the team went 9-4-3 overall in the regular season
Athlete of the Year — accolades she will likely get again this 2015 season. Yet despite reaching these individual milestones, Fournier’s most memorable experiences have all been ones involving her teammates. “I’ll never forget the hours spent making music videos, at dinner after big wins, or in the hotel rooms on overnight trips,” Fournier said. “All of the accomplishments throughout my career were special because I had my best friends out on the field with me every step of the way.” Fournier will leave the Tufts softball program as the leader in every significant pitching category, but in many ways she is emblematic of a Div. III student-athlete whose sporting achievements are just one part of their college experience. “Initially, Tufts provided me with the opportunity to participate in two varsity sports — I was also on the swimming and diving team for two years — and pursue a degree in engineering,” Fournier said. “The administration, coaches and teammates that I have met here have become my biggest role models and best friends. I have been able to watch Tufts teams win five national championships over the past four years, with increasing support from the community each time. To top it off, the softball team was provided with a brand new field this year, which reminds me every day that I am extremely lucky to have spent the past four years as a student athlete at Tufts.”
only a year removed from a 5-8-2 record, set the tone for the following three years. Although the team’s confidence may have bordered on overconfidence — which contributed to some stagnation to the team’s rise the next two years — by the time the Class of 2015 hit their senior year, the team had found its sweet spot. Shapiro also highlighted a renewed commitment to soccer as another change in the attitude surrounding the program after the arrival of the graduating seniors. “Even in the spring, because I can’t tell them to do anything — I’m not allowed to — [but] their desire to get out and play and be dedicated to the craft — that group has sort of helped start that trend as well,” Shapiro said. Shapiro singled out Nakamura as a player that, even in the winter, would be out on the field in a jacket, gloves and hat trying to work on his game. Although this year’s graduating seniors have played their last games on Kraft Field, their presence will be felt within the program for years to come. “Tuft is now a national competitor, a team you’d like to think will be a consistent top team in the NESCAC, and that wasn’t really on the horizon when these guys showed up,” Shapiro said. “I think they kind of reversed the course of the program and established us as a team that will hopefully be a force in the conference and a force nationally going forward … I’m indebted to this group forever and I think Tufts soccer is as well.”
Evan Sayles / The Tufts Daily
by Maclyn Senear Sports Editor
The college career of graduating senior tri-captain Kyle Slinger has almost mirrored the rejuvenation of the Tufts baseball program in the last four years. The aptly named left-handed pitcher from Danville, Calif. came to Tufts after the team had won back-toback NESCAC championships in 2010 and 2011. Slinger’s first season, however, saw the Jumbos struggle, posting a 4-8 conference record. But Slinger steadily brought his ERA and opponent batting average down and gained confidence over the course of his first two years on the team just as the program returned to form. “I’ve gotten a lot smarter as a pitcher,” said Slinger. “You know when you come in, it’s a lot about just throwing strikes and balls, strikes and balls. Now it’s about throwing strikes in the right place, throwing pitches at the right time. You become much more of a smart pitcher rather than a thrower, one who knows what they’re going to do rather than one that reacts to what happens.” It was no coincidence that his phenomenal breakout junior season a year ago came in the same season that the baseball program won a school-record 30 regular season games. Though the Jumbos came up just short of winning a fourth NESCAC title, losing to Wesleyan 6-4 in the final championship game, Slinger led an impressive rotation deep into the postseason for the first time since 2011. “I’m not trying to overpower someone or beat somebody’s ego,” Slinger said. “It’s much more about understanding their weaknesses and my strengths and using them to my advantage. [So I’m not] a powerful pitcher, you know like somebody who has something that nobody can hit. It’s more [about understanding] the situation and kind of [outsmarting] the other team, [using] their weaknesses to your advantage and observe what they do.” Characteristic of this “smart” pitching style, Slinger was fond of using his backdoor curveball
as his strikeout pitch to freeze right-handed batters. As a first-year, Slinger posted a 4-1 record and a 5.45 ERA, with opponents hitting .293 against him. He brought his stats down in his sophomore campaign, posting a 2.71 ERA with opponents hitting .246 while going 4-2. It was his junior season, though — one that saw him go 9-0 in 11 starts as the team’s ace with a staggering 1.18 ERA and opponents hitting just .174 — where he cemented his name in Tufts baseball history. His junior season also earned him D3Baseball.com’s New England Pitcher of the Year and the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association’s first team honors. Slinger still remains humble about his accomplishments. “To be honest I was a little surprised,” said Slinger. “I really don’t look at stats or anything until it’s all done. And realizing what had happened was kind of eye-opening for me. I viewed it as, ‘I never screwed up’ rather than, ‘I did so well.’ So they were saying ‘you did great’ and I go ‘well I never had that time where I sat back and they scored five or six runs.’ I never had a time where I really messed up, so I guess that’s doing well.” Despite being limited by injury this year, Slinger still contributed positively when he did play, compiling a 2-0 record and 2.79 ERA in the four games he started. Slinger also played competitively during his summers, including last summer when he played for the Futures League, a league designed to give professional experience to budding Major Leaguers. While he will not be headed to professional baseball — at least immediately — Slinger hopes to be able to still play baseball in competitive summer leagues as he works at a cyber security firm near his hometown in California. “I’m just grateful for the opportunity that Tufts gave me, and gives us, to be able to play at such a high level athletically, as well as staying at a high level academically,” Slinger said. “[It’s been] the perfect balance of athletics and academics for me.”
Sunday, May 17, 2015
The Tufts Daily
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Sports
class takes Tufts to new heights Cole Bailey
by Joshua Slavin Assistant Sports Editor
Graduating senior co-captain attack Cole Bailey will leave Tufts as the most decorated player in the history of the men’s lacrosse program, according to coach Mike Daly. In both 2013 and 2014, Bailey was named a United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) first-team All American. Bailey was named All-NESCAC from 2012-2014 and was the 2012 Rookie of the Year and 2014 Player of the Year. Entering this season, Bailey was a preseason All-American as well. He was put on the watch list for the Tewaaraton Award, the Heisman Trophy of college lacrosse. Normally a Div. I award, Bailey was the only Div. III player named on the watch list. According to his coach, Bailey has always had his sights on something bigger. “Cole would sincerely trade all of his personal accolades … for our team’s success,” Daly told the Daily in an email. Bailey suffered an injury that kept him out of the lineup for a portion of the season. However, he was able to stay optimistic and involved from the sidelines. “The injury this season was disappointing knowing it is the last year I will be able to put on a Tufts jersey, but those things happen,” Bailey told the Daily in an email. “The rest of
the team was very encouraging during my recovery process. I had a blast on the sideline cheering on my teammates during the games I missed.” During his four years at Tufts, the lacrosse team has experienced continued success. The Jumbos have won the NESCAC each season (and six consecutive years overall) and won a Div. III national championship a season ago. “Winning six straight NESCAC titles shows that this program is constantly doing the right thing and always striving to get better,” Bailey said. “The coaches do an excellent job of recruiting the right student-athletes to buy into the existing culture and help improve it. This program is more concerned with your character rather than your athletic ability.” Daly had nothing but praise for Bailey. “Cole is one of the finest young men I have encountered in my 22 years at Tufts University,” Daly said. “He is tough, hard working, and humble … When our team travels, it is always Cole in the lobby late at night studying. Most times, I have to send him to bed or he would stay up. He is a grinder and a worker. He is my eight year old son’s hero and I could not think of a better role model for my own son. Cole is as complete a young man as we have had at Tufts.”
by Alison Kuah
Catharine Greer
Sports Editor
Graduating senior co-captain Catharine Greer cemented her status as one of the most accomplished players in the history of the women’s soccer program at Tufts this past fall when she was voted to the NESCAC All-Conference first team. The honor is Greer’s fifth career NESCAC award. In a season where Tufts finished with a 7-7-2 record and qualified for the NESCAC Championship tournament for the 13th time, Greer took on a leadership role as co-captain with classmate Carla Kruyff. “My biggest accomplishment as a player and captain [has been] being able to unite an entire team together, regardless of where we are all originally from or how old we are,” Greer told the Daily in an email. “As a captain, the largest victory for Carla [Kruyff] and I was that the Tufts women’s soccer team was a family.” Greer’s contributions to her team were recognized not just within the conference but on a national level as well, as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) awarded Greer with her third regional accolade this past year — an All-New England fourth-team selection — after having been selected to the All-New England second
teams in both 2013 and 2012. Having played in just 12 of the 16 games this season due to an MCL sprain, the six-foot defender finished a career year in which she built upon her brilliant defensive play by showing off her offensive prowess, scoring a career-high three goals in the 2014 season. Yet Greer is quick to credit all of her teammates for their contributions — regardless of playing time or external recognition — a tribute to her presence both on and off the field. “Every player on the team is just as equally important whether you are playing 15 minutes a game or 90 minutes a game, [because] the impact that you have on the team and the team’s success goes so much deeper than time you spend on the field,” Greer said. “In the game of soccer, it’s crucial to realize that the game is not about
you. Every time you step onto the field, you are playing for the person to your left and to your right [and] I was so fortunate to have been able to share the love of the game with the women of the Tufts women’s soccer [team] for the past four years.”
Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily
Women's basketball tri-captains by Alex Schroeder Sports Editor
Since they first stepped on campus in 2011, women’s basketball graduating senior tri-captains Hayley Kanner, Kelsey Morehead and Hannah Foley have made an impact on the floor. One season after graduating the program’s all-time leading scorer, Colleen Hart (LA ’11), who now serves as an assistant coach for the Jumbos, the trio entered Cousens Gym as first-years with big shoes to fill. “When [Colleen] left it kind of opened the door to, not a different style of play, but opportunities for maybe some younger girls to step up as well,” Kanner said. “And I think it’s been a pleasure to be a part of that opportunity. Going from a team that was not nationally ranked our freshman year — no one expected us to make it anywhere, let alone the Sweet 16. And to see the program build from there, to continually build a target on our backs to the point where we made it to the Final Four two years in a row, getting national recognition. The fact that we were able to
be a part of that building process I think has been phenomenal.” With such prolific careers looming in the horizon for all three then-rookies, things started out much differently in 2011-12 from the way they would end four years later. “I remember our first two games. We lost both of them, we started out 0-2,” Morehead said. “That was kind of like, no one really knew where the season was going to go, where everything was going to go. I think it was really cool to see all the hard work that everyone put in and how we’ve progressed year in and year out.” Now in 2015, Kanner, Morehead and Foley have not only been part of teams that won the Jumbos’ first NESCAC championship in program history and racked up back-to-back 30-win seasons en route to the NCAA semifinals, but they have been instrumental in leading the team to such success. The most rewarding aspect of the Jumbos’ accomplishments has been the true team dynamic they have built, according to Foley. “I feel like the year before we got here Colleen was like their stud,” she said. “She ran the floor, she was their leading scorer
Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily
by so much and they always relied on her. Since our freshman year it’s kind of been more spread out, no real standout star. Everyone contributes and anyone could have a big game any day, and I think that has been what’s so special about our team the past four years. We are really a team and there’s no one person you could shut down and shut our team down.” Tufts repeated as NESCAC champions this year, downing Bowdoin in Cousens Gym to cut down the nets at home once again. The Jumbos then advanced back to the NCAA semifinals before eventually taking home fourth place. On the cusp of a national championship, Kanner, Morehead and Foley also earned a multitude of individual achievements in their last year in the brown and blue. Both Kanner and Foley reached the 1000-point mark for their respective careers, while all three studentathletes’ names are scattered throughout the women’s basketball record book in categories like career 3-pointers, assists and, lastly, career blocks, in which Kanner holds the program record. Kanner added a selection to the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) AllAmerican team, D3hoops.com Northeast Region Player of the Year honors and NESCAC Player of the Year honors to her list of career achievements. Foley was named to the All-NESCAC second team. While Morehead and Foley faced tough injuries at opposite ends of the season this year, the pair managed to help the team by coaching younger players, bringing energy from the sidelines and playing minutes off the bench. “I think certainly it was different, obviously, but I thought it was really cool just being able to help out in a different way,” Morehead said of the contributions she could make to the team despite being injured for the first half of the year. “I think a lot of people think you can only help out if you’re on the court and that’s just so inaccurate. It was really cool to be able to help out a lot of the younger players who weren’t getting as much time yet.” Foley agreed, adding that the experience off the court made her appreciate the different contributions players can make. “It was definitely just like a different perspective to be watching from the bench,” Foley added. “I was hurt a little bit last year too, but definitely this year, being a senior
and being on the bench and just seeing how amazing our bench is. I’d say they have more of an impact than the people on the court — some girls that don’t see a minute of playing time but have more of an impact even than the girls on the court with their support, cheering and just being loud. That was really awesome for me to be a part of at the end of the season.” Despite the adversity this group of tricaptains faced this season, the three of them, along with the entirety of the Jumbos’ roster, have battled to stay close and find success on and off the court. “They’ve been like my best friends since day one,” Morehead said of how the group of graduating seniors have grown together. “Coach [Carla Berube] made fun of us from the start because we would only hang out with each other all the time, even when basketball season was over. Coach would be like, to the whole team, ‘You know, make some other friends, stop hanging out with each other.’” As for where Tufts will go these next couple of seasons without the trio of Kanner, Morehead and Foley guiding them, the graduating seniors are confident that the program is in good hands. “I think that through Kelsey’s injury and my injury there were players that were able to get invaluable experience, like [rising sophomore] Lauren [Dillon] and [rising junior] Josie [Lee], and they stepped up and did an amazing job,” Foley said. “By the end of the season, Hayley was the only senior starting so I’m pretty confident for next year, especially with coach and the staff — you could give coach anyone and she could work them into a good team. I’m excited to see where they go.” According to Kanner, the team’s accomplishments that came despite the injuries are signs of good things to come. “I mean there’s just so much to look back and smile on,” Kanner added. “I think back to Josie hitting that 3-pointer at Hamilton that sent us to overtime where we eventually won the game, and I think of [rising senior] Emma [Roberson]’s talks [in the] middle of the game … You know, it’s little moments like that where ... it shows that they’re ready to get going next year. I could not be more excited to leave the program on this high of a note. I think it’s awesome we got back to the Final Four; I’m so proud of this team and I know, or at least I hope, that whatever we have set will continue to keep growing.”
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TOP 10
The Tufts Daily
Sports
Sunday, May 17, 2015
moments from the 2014-2015 sports seasons Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily
10. Fourier hits 1000 Ks In an April 1 game against non-conference opponent Babson, senior softball tri-captain Allyson Fournier recorded her 1000th career strikeout in the top of the third inning against senior rightfielder Lindsey Schmid, making her just the 17th player in NCAA history and the fifth player from New England to record such a feat. Fournier struck out 14 on the day, including seven of the first nine Babson hitters while recording a complete-game shut-out in the 2-0 win. As of May 10, Fournier leads the nation with a 0.13 ERA, striking out over 15 batters per game and allowing just 43 hits on the season with a 27-0 record while leading Tufts to an undefeated record this year. 9. Morehead rallies after injury Graduating senior women’s basketball tri-captain Kelsey Morehead tied for a team-high three assists in her final game as a Jumbo. As a four-year starter for the team and a cornerstone of Tufts’ two consecutive Final Four runs, the statistics in her final game would be easily overlooked — if not for the fact that her 32 minutes of playing time were a testament to her recovery from an injury that caused her to miss most of the regular season. Over the team’s winter break schedule in Puerto Rico, Morehead sustained a knee injury on Dec. 28, forcing her to miss the next 15 games (more than seven weeks) before finally returning to the lineup on Feb. 21 against Hamilton in the NESCAC quarterfinal — a triumphant return that saw her hit two 3-pointers in the 64-43 win. 8. Women’s squash wins Epps Cup The women’s squash team was not a clear favorite to take home the College Squash Association Team Championships Epps Cup as it found itself in the same bracket as several teams that had beaten it earlier in the year. Tufts handled business with a 7-2 win over Haverford before having to take on Conn. College. The Jumbos had lost to the Camels earlier in the year, but they were dominant on that February day, winning 8-1. In its championship the next day against William Smith, another opponent it had lost to earlier in the season, Tufts pulled out a 7-2 victory to end the season as champions for the first time in program history. For a year that was, at moments, trying, it was a cathartic way to end a promising season. 7. Ice hockey beats Trinity It took almost 15 years, but the ice hockey team finally won a NESCAC postseason game. Its opponent, firstseeded and eventual national champion Trinity, was the consensus secondbest team in Div. III. Tufts was a heavy underdog with a record of 8-14-2 going into the game. The Jumbos had said all season that they could beat anyone, and they proved it when it mattered most. They came out aggressive, firing off 14 shots in the first period to the Bantams’ six, but neither team scored. In
the second period, rising junior forward Matt Pugh fired a shot from the left side of the goal that found string, but the Bantams retaliated with just a minute remaining in the period. With the score tied at one and 20 minutes remaining in the game, the Jumbos stayed true to the hard-working style of play that had made this one of the team’s most successful seasons. With four minutes remaining, rising senior defenseman Dominic Granato’s shot was deflected, but graduating senior forward Tyler Voigt, who had been blocking the goalie’s view, collected the rebound and slipped it in for the game-winning score. The Bantams couldn’t even the score despite their 25 shots on goal in the third period alone and a power play at the end of the game. For his defensive stand, rising junior goalie Mason Pulde earned NESCAC Player of the Week honors. The Jumbos fell to the Lord Jeffs in the NESCAC semifinals, but their win over the Bantams proved that they have the mettle to compete with anybody in the country on any given day. 6. Women’s basketball wins NESCACs, returns to Final Four One year after capturing the program’s first NESCAC championship and making a run to the NCAA Div. III championship semifinals, the women’s basketball team repeated its historic season by matching its accomplishments from 2013-14. After finishing 10-0 in conference play, Tufts rolled through NESCAC tournament play to reach the finals, held at Cousens Gym for the second year in a row. In a matchup with the second-seeded Bowdoin Polar Bears, the Jumbos, with four of their five starters scoring in double digits, cut down the nets at home with a 68-52 win for back-to-back NESCAC championships. This led to an automatic NCAA Div. III tournament berth, as the Jumbos picked up one of four No. 1 seeds in the country. After surviving four regional games hosted at Cousens Gym, which included a quarterfinals win over FDU-Florham, the defending champ who also knocked Tufts out of the tournament last season, the Jumbos returned to the Final Four once again. This time it was Thomas More College, the eventual 2014-15 champion, who ended Tufts’ title run. Although the Jumbos are still searching for the program’s first NCAA national title, this season was proof they consistently have what it takes to play on Div. III basketball’s biggest stage. 5. Men’s lacrosse keeps rolling Coming off an NCAA Div. III national title a season ago, hopes and expectations were high for the men’s lacrosse team. The Jumbos have impressed this season, finishing 13-2 in the regular season before winning the NESCAC Championship for a sixth consecutive season. The victory came over the Amherst Lord Jeffs, who had defeated the Jumbos to take the regular-season title. Tufts has been led offensively in large part by
rising junior attack John Uppgren, whose 111 points are the most in Div. III as of May 10. In the first round of the NCAA Championship on May 6, Tufts topped Endicott by a score of 21-6. before beating Bates 13-8. Tufts layed Amherst this past Wednesday in the quarterfinals, results of which were unavailable at the time of this writing. 4. Football breaks losing streak On Sept. 20, the football team gave its seniors something they hadn’t seen during their time as Jumbos: a win. The victory, a 24-17 topping of Hamilton, snapped Tufts’ infamous 31-game losing streak and propelled the team to a respectable 4-4 record this season. Tufts rising junior running back Chance Brady scored the opening touchdown, but Hamilton answered back early in the second quarter. After a field goal and an eight-yard touchdown grab by senior running back Zack Trause, the score was 16-7 Jumbos at halftime. By the end of the third quarter, Tufts led 16-10, and the nearly 4,000 fans in attendence realized that they might be witnessing something nobody had seen at the school for three years. Trause added another touchdown in the fourth quarter, and the Jumbos staunch defense stymied the high-octane Continentals offense. After the final whistle blew, the fans stormed the field to celebrate with their victors. Thousands of people were crying, screaming and hugging on the hallowed grounds of Zimman Field. 3. Softball undefeated The softball team finished with the program’s first-ever undefeated regular season, with 11 games in its final week to bring its record to 38-0, surpassing the 35-game win streak the team reached in 2009. The past two national title-winning seasons, 2014 and 2013, saw the Jumbos drop three of their regular-season games, but the team was flawless this past season in search of their third con-
secutive national championship. The Jumbos have rolled through the competition on the strength of their pitching, led by graduating senior tri-captain Allyson Fournier’s .13 ERA and rising senior Erica County’s 1.68 ERA as of May 10. The offense has done its job as well, as Tufts has hit .347 in that same timespan, good for 23rd in Div. III. The dynamic combination of hitting and pitching has led Tufts to outscore its opponenents 304-49 heading into the NCAA tournament. 2. Mitchell Black wins NCAA title On March 14, Mitchell Black finally claimed the NCAA indoor 800-meter run title with a time of 1:51.94. The No. 1 800 runner in Div. III, Black was the favorite, but past experience had shown that being the favorite was no guarantee. Black stayed with the pack for the first three laps before smoking the rest of the field on the final lap with his patented kick. Before the race, everyone in Div. III track knew Black was fast, but when he stepped off the track in Winston-Salem, N.C. they knew he was something more: a champion. 1. Men’s soccer wins national championship Tufts could have just been happy to be in the championship against Wheaton College, whose storied soccer history was just missing a third national title. Instead, the Jumbos came out firing in the national championship game with graduating senior center back Peter Lee-Kramer and rising junior forward Nathan Majumder scoring goals in the first half. Rising junior keeper Scott Greenwood was once again unflappable in goal, making eight saves and cleaning up the few leaks that got past the Jumbos’ defense. Graduating senior forward Gus Santos would give the team a 3-0 lead in the second half with what would prove to be the game-winning goal. Wheaton would fight back, but Tufts held on for a 4-2 victory. When Majumder scored his second goal in the 81st minute, it was all but assured: the Jumbos were national champions.
Evan Sayles / The Tufts Daily
Sunday, May 17, 2015
The Tufts Daily
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Sports
Golf
Jumbos end season in charmed fashion by Ross Dember Sports Editor
The Jumbos could have been forgiven if they were not ecstatic for the spring portion of their season. A fifth-place finish in the NESCAC qualifier meant a conference championship and potential trip to NCAAs were out of the picture, which left the team with only three invitational tournaments in the spring. However, instead of treating its three spring tournaments as a mere opportunity to play 18 holes, the team proved itself to be a set of formidable competitors with a bright future. The highlight of the season came at the very end, when the team took home first place at the Wildcat Spring Invitational, hosted by Johnson & Wales. Rising sophomore Taylor Nordan took home the individual title, shooting a 145 over the two days, one stroke better than the runnerup. It was the first team title won by the program since 2007 and the first individual title since rising senior Brendan Koh won in 2014, when he was a sophomore. Nordan viewed the victory as an important stepping stone for the Jumbos. “The win gives us a lot of confidence going into next season,” Nordan said. “Individually, [the tournament] let me prove to myself that I can win at this level.” There was even more reason to be optimistic about the squad’s potential within the conference. The runner-up, Williams, had edged out Tufts for one of the NESCAC spots back in
November, but Tufts got its revenge in the spring. While this was the lone victory of the season, the two other competitions proved the mettle and potential of the young team. At the Hampton Inn Invitational in Dartmouth, Mass. on the weekend of April 10-11, the team was in contention after the first day before dropping on the final day of competition. Rising junior Owen Elliott, the team’s most consistent all season, came in third out of the field of 85 golfers. Elliott, the lone Jumbo to receive AllConference honors this season, had an impressive season and forms a promising pairing with Nordan. Seeing the improving play of both the duo and the team as a whole has changed the program’s internal perception. “I think we have a defining year coming up,” Elliott told the Daily in an email. “There are higher expectations about the program than there have been in a long time.” Nordan echoed a similar notion about the direction of the program. “The players’ desire to win and play are at a different level,” he said. “[Golf at Tufts] is now taken more seriously, and I think that is our biggest advantage. We want to win.” The weekend before the Hampton Inn Invitational, the Jumbos placed fifth out of 17 teams at the Rhode Island College Invitational. Nordan and Elliott were once again one-two for the Jumbos, followed by rising senior Jay Wong, who missed the fall
portion of the season while studying abroad. His return added much needed depth to coach Bob Sheldon’s stable of golfers. Tufts’ successful season could be seen on the golf course, but much of it could be attributed to the golfers’ work off the course. As mentioned by Nordan, the more business-like approach by the team directly helped Tufts perform better as the season progressed. “The team win at the end of the season [was the highlight of the season],” Elliott said. “But I think even more importantly we got two golfers up on the big board in the varsity gym for weightlifting records.” To compete in the NCAAs for the first time in program history, the Jumbos will need to continue to do some heavy lifting both in the weight room and on the course. They will continue to chase this dream as they return much of the 2014-15 team. Captain Alex Zorniger and John Wawer are the only two graduating seniors on the team, meaning that Tufts will bring back the bulk of its roster. Furthermore, members of the team’s young core, such as rising sophomores Aaron Corn and Michael Lefkowitz, were able to gain valuable experience competing in the spring tournaments. The team that competes in the fall for NESCAC qualifiers will be more experienced for the challenge. “We know how to handle the pressure,” Nordan said. “It gives us an advantage since we were part of a team that has won before.” That is something Tufts golfers are able to say for the first time in years.
Men’s Track and Field
Tufts wins third straight NESCAC title by Eddie Samuels Daily Staff Writer
The men’s track and field team came into this season with many goals, but one was more important than the rest: to win the NESCAC championship. Through a season’s worth of hard work, the Jumbos managed to accomplish exactly that. “Obviously winning NESCACs for the third year in a row was great,” rising senior Veer Bhalla said. “I also think that a lot of guys stepped up and competed in multiple events, some which they usually don’t compete in, to make that happen.” The Jumbos’ NESCAC success was even more impressive given the unrelenting weather they faced. Tufts was forced to put up with almost endless winds that made scoring impressive times even more difficult than normal. “Thanks to coach [Ethan] Barron, we as a team learned how to toughen ourselves, physically and mentally, against imperfect conditions,” rising junior Henry Zhou said. “This means we prepared ourselves to compete not just in ideal weather and temperature, but in the cold and wind.” The NESCAC title served as the culmination of a season’s worth of dominance.
From the beginning of the outdoor season, the Jumbos consistently placed first in meet after meet. Many on the team attributed this to the increased teamwork from all members of the team. “After winning the title twice in a row, we had to work harder than ever to defend it for another year,” Zhou said. “However, we accomplished it by supporting and pushing each other during practices. I can’t emphasize enough how incredibly hard the team worked during practice.” This teamwork allowed for repeated strong performances from a number of team members, none more so than rising senior Mitchell Black. Black came into the season as the Div. III national champion in the indoor 800-meter run, which he followed up with a slew of impressive times in the outdoor season. Black’s best performance came at Princeton’s Larry Ellis Invitational, where he ran a 1:50 flat in the 800, putting up the best Div. III time in the nation and topping his own school record. Black was not the only Jumbo to impress. Tufts received strong performances from many team members, both on the track and on the field. Led by Black’s first-place finish in the 800 at
the NESCAC championship, the Jumbos placed first in a number of other events as well. Rising junior Nick Ussoff placed first in the javelin throw; rising senior Francis Goins ran to first in the 200-meter dash and rising junior Luke O’Connor placed first in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Ussoff had the strongest showing of the day, as his first-place finish in the javelin highlighted a performance that included scoring in three other events. For some, the NESCAC championship was about more than just a win. Bhalla had been held out of participating in most of the season’s events thanks to a lingering injury, but when it came time for the postseason, he was finally given his chance. “Personally, my outdoor season has been rather disappointing due to a knee injury from late March keeping me out of the majority of the season,” Bhalla said. “However, I am proud that I was able to compete at NESCACs and score individually for the third year in a row despite not being able to train much.” With a final score of 169.333, Tufts joins Williams as the only team to win the NESCAC championship three years in a row. This season’s number one goal was always to defend the title, and that goal was once again accomplished.
Annie Levine / The Tufts Daily
Rising senior Joe St. Pierre races the 1500 event on March 28. Tufts hosted the annual Snowflake Classic Track and Field meet at Ellis Oval this year.
Steven Hefter | The Association
Memphis Blues
A
s I write, the Memphis Grizzlies hold a 2-1 series lead over the Golden State Warriors. Whether they have won the series or not does not matter because the Grizz play a style that has consistently been effective and a nuisance in the playoffs for years. In the 2010-11 season, Memphis entered the playoffs as the eight seed and defeated the top seed San Antonio Spurs in six games, marking the fourth time in NBA history that an eighth seed prevailed in the playoff series. Then the 2011-12 edition of the Grizzlies earned the fourth seed in the playoffs, but fell to the Los Angeles Clippers in seven games in the first round. They found themselves in a first-round matchup with the Clippers again in 2013, but this time defeated them in six games before beating top seed Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1 to advance to the conference finals for the first time in franchise history. When they got there, however, they were swept away by the Spurs. Last year, Memphis was the seventh seed in the playoffs and pushed the Thunder to seven games in the first round. The trend here is that the Grizzlies have been really, really, really good. But not great. And their style of play has proved to not be good enough to get them over the hump. This season, Memphis gave up 7,796 total points, the second-least points in the league behind only Utah. They were 10th in the league in opponent’s field goal percentage at 44.2 percent and have become a defensive force behind former Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol. But as good as the Grizzlies have been on defense, their offense has lacked pop and consistency. They ranked 20th in the league in both points per game and 3-point percentage this season at 97.3 and 33.9 percent, respectively. The reason for this is because the best offensive options the team has are Gasol and Zach Randolph. The two big men lead the team in scoring at 17.4 and 16.1 points per game, respectively. But the fact that the team has no player who scored over 20 points per game is concerning. What is even more concerning is that the guard play is not as good as the paint play. Mike Conley scored 15.8 points per game and dished out 5.4 assists per game this season while Jeff Green and Courtney Lee are the fourth and fifth leading scorers, respectively. In an NBA where guard play is essential, the Grizzlies will never reach the upper echelon, despite leading the league in points in the paint this season. The Grindhouse has become one of the toughest places to play because of the grit-and-grind style that the Grizzlies have adopted. They know who they are and play to their strengths. Those strengths have gotten them far, but not far enough. Even if they have beaten the 67-win Warriors and are still alive in the playoffs, the only way Memphis proves me wrong is by winning the Larry O’Brien trophy. The way this team improves is by adding a scorer either through a trade or free agency. A notable name is Monta Ellis, who has provided a spark to Dallas’ offense and could do the same in Memphis. It could be tough given that Memphis is a small-market team that needs to be very smart financially, but instant scoring is what would transform the Grizzlies from really, really, really good to great. As someone who loves smallmarket teams, I hope they prove me wrong, but I’m just calling things like I see them.
Steven Hefter is a junior majoring in economics. He can be reached at steven. hefter@tufts.edu.
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Sports
Fall and Winter Sports Recaps men’s Soccer The men’s soccer team finished the regular season atop the NESCAC standings, poised for a conference championship run. After an upset in the first round of the conference tournament left Tufts on the wrong side of a 2-1 match with Conn. College, the team was relying on an at-large bid to continue its season in the NCAA Div. III tournament. The Jumbos took that bid and put together a dream run in the postseason, winning the program’s first-ever NCAA championship with a 4-2 defeat of Wheaton College (Ill.) in Kansas City, Mo. En route to the championship, Tufts had to take down some of the nation’s top programs historically, including Messiah College and Ohio Wesleyan University, who, along with Wheaton, have won a combined 14 national titles. Leading the Jumbos offensively was graduating senior Gus Santos, who was named Offensive Player of the Tournament after scoring four goals in six games. This included a late game-winner against Dickinson, two goals in the Final Four against Ohio Wesleyan and a penalty kick in the championship. Santos led the team in goals with 10 on the season. Defensively, rising junior goalkeeper Scott Greenwood was instrumental in securing four shutouts for the Jumbos in tournament play. He was named Defensive Player of the Tournament for his effort. Graduating senior co-captain Sam Williams also anchored the Tufts back line, earning D3soccer.com First-Team All-America, National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Third Team All-America, NSCAA All-New England first team and AllNESCAC First Team honors. Coach Josh Shapiro was named NESCAC Coach of the Year, D3soccer.com National Coach of the Year and NSCAA NCAA Div. III Coach of the Year for his work in guiding the program to its first national title. Women’s Soccer The women’s soccer team capped off a year filled with unprecedented struggles due to injury, in which it finished just 3-6-1 in its conference despite posting a 7-7-2 overall record. The Jumbos’ offensive prowess was on display immediately, as they started the season with a fivegame winning streak that included a 6-0 blowout of the Bates Bobcats in their season opener and a 4-0 thrashing of the MIT Engineers en route to setting a program record by scoring 24 goals during those five games, surpassing the 1985 team’s
Yet the momentum shifted again in the team’s penultimate conference game: Tufts was down a goal at halftime against Hamilton, but the team rallied to score three goals in the second half. The win secured the team’s position in the NESCAC playoffs as the seventh seed. In their final regular season game, the Jumbos had the opportunity to play a “warm-up” against second-seeded Bowdoin, the same team they would play in the quarterfinals of the conference championship. While the team was optimistic about its postseason chances, a Cinderella ending was not to be. The Polar Bears’ strong second-half showing in their matchup with the Jumbos in the playoffs, in which the team notched three goals, effectively ended the Jumbos’ season. Graduating senior co-captain Catharine Greer scored three goals this year as a defender, all from corner kicks, while graduating senior co-captain Carla Kruyff scored two goals and four assists while playing a crucial role in connecting through the midfield, especially in fast break opportunities. The highlight of the season was the emergence of the rising junior class; forwards Jess Capone and Brooke Fortin finished with a team-best seven goals apiece, while goalie Eileen McGarry, who played just 135 minutes last season, played all but 45 minutes this season and tied for third in the conference with 66 saves. The back line saw rising juniors Alexa Pius and Stefanie Brunswick start all season. Classmate Robin Estus will take over from Kruyff as the cornerstone of the Jumbos‘ midfield, and rising sophomore Mariah Harvey-Brown’s seven assists on the season placed her second in the NESCAC.
Football Tufts began the 2014 season with a hardfought 24-17 victory over Hamilton in front of a packed crowd at Ellis Oval to officially put its 31-game losing streak behind it. The Jumbos defense was a huge factor for all 60 minutes, finishing with four sacks and an interception. Offensively, graduating senior Zack Trause and rising junior Chance Brady combined for 119 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns. The second week of the season was Homecoming for Tufts, and the team did not disappoint its sellout crowd as it dominated a formidable Bates squad 42-24. Graduating senior quarterback Jack Doll threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns, while Trause had a historic day in the return game.
Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily
previous record of 20 goals during that timespan. Yet in a season highlighted by shifts in momentum, the turning point in the season for the Jumbos came in a home game against Suffolk on Sept. 23 when graduating senior Alex Farris suffered a season-ending injury 10 minutes into the game. Tufts finished the game with 10 goals, but went on to score just 11 goals throughout the remaining 11 games of the season. The team went on to lose five consecutive NESCAC games, three of which were decided by just one goal. With each loss, the Jumbos found themselves playing catchup, both in games — where brief lapses in defense offered opponents the chance to score — and in their conference, where they dropped steadily the in the rankings.
The senior returned an 82-yard kickoff for a touchdown in the third quarter and then gave the screaming fans an encore with his 49-yard punt return score in the fourth. After opening up the season with two colossal victories, the Jumbos dropped three of their four October contests before dismantling the Colby Mules 28-7. This three-touchdown victory marked the first time Tufts had finished with a non-losing season since 2008. In addition to the team’s success, several Tufts players received individual accolades for their standout performances. Trause, graduating senior defensive end Jimmy Brao and graduating senior linebacker Tommy Meade were each named to the NESCAC’s All-Conference teams.
The Jumbos began the season on a 31-game losing streak, but finished the year as one of the NESCAC’s better teams, able to remain competitive with any of the conference’s perennial powerhouses.
Men’s Cross Country
Although the men’s cross country team only placed sixth at NCAA regionals, it made the national championship, where it finished 22nd, on the strength of the New England conference. This marked the fourth straight year that the Jumbos earned a bid to nationals. Even though Tufts lost five ranks from last year’s 17thplace finish, the dual goals of the season were making the national tournament and gaining experience, so the season ended as a resounding success. Rising junior Luke O’Connor earned his first collegiate victory at the Bowdoin Invitational, where Tufts finished second. The momentum from the win carried on to the Purple Valley Invitational hosted by Williams, where O’Connor finished ninth and the team fifth. The Colby Mules won the meet and the Jumbos placed fourth among the NESCAC teams that competed. At the annual New England Intercollegiate Amateur Athletic Association race, graduating senior captain Nick Guarnaccia and rising junior Tim Nichols led the Jumbos to an 18th place finish — fourth among Div. III teams. At the Conn. College Invitational, Tufts rested all but six runners, yet still managed to finish 13th, displaying impressive roster depth. Rising sophomores Sam Little and John Greenberg, as well as rising junior Michael Caughron and rising senior Alexander Apostolides, all scored in the top 100. Another highlight was Nichols’ seventh-place finish and O’Connor’s 14th at NESCACs. Graduating seniors Colin McCrory and Greg Hardy rounded out the Jumbos’ top five, and the team finished fourth — the eighth straight year the team placed in the top five in the NESCAC. At the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) championship, graduating senior Joe St. Pierre and rising seniors Michael Curley and James Traestor earned All-ECAC honors. Tufts finished as the tournament’s runner-up. O’Connor and Nichols earned AllNew England honors for finishing in the top 35 at regionals and were two of six Jumbos to receive U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association All-Academic honors. Graduating senior co-captains Marshall Pagano and Guarnaccia, as well as Hardy and McCrory, earned academic awards.
Women’s Cross Country The women’s cross country team had yet another banner year, starting off the season strong until a bump in the road at NESCACs, but eventually qualifying for the national championships in November. The women entered the season ranked 16th in the nation, in part due to a strong top seven consisting of rising seniors Audrey Gould and Olivia Beltrani and rising junior Kelly Fahey. The women started off their season with a 5K at the Bowdoin Invitational on Sep. 13, taking the team victory in the meet and putting 26 runners in the top 30. Two weeks later, at Williams’ Purple Valley Invitational — a meet dubbed the “New England Regional preview” as it took place on the NCAA regionals course with all of the favorite teams in action — Tufts placed third overall behind MIT and Middlebury due to strong races from Gould, Fahey and Beltrani. However, after strong showings in the next few weeks at the Open New England Championships (16th) and the Conn. College Invite (first), where its ranking climbed as high as U.S. No. 11, the team began to level off a bit. It had a tough day at the NESCAC Championships, placing fifth overall. After this showing, they fell to U.S. No. 24. At the regional meet, Tufts was able to place sixth in a strong field and was given an at-large bid for the national championships. At nationals, Fahey shocked many and ran herself to a 31st-place, AllAmerican finish to lead the Jumbos to a 16th-place team finish, putting them back towards the top of Div. III. The Jumbos will not lose any of their top seven next fall, and are expected to make another successful run at qualify-
ing for nationals and potentially at a NESCAC title.
Volleyball The volleyball team lost only one game on its home court all season: the NESCAC Championship game against Williams. The Ephs, who eliminated the Jumbos from NESCACs the year before, denied the Jumbos their first-ever conference championship by eliminating them in five sets. The final set, which went in Williams’ favor 15-13, reflected just how evenly matched the two teams were throughout the game and the season as a whole. Coach Cora Thompson’s team entered the NESCAC tournament as the No. 1 seed after beating out Williams for the top conference record, finishing the year 9-1 against NESCAC competition. Tufts enjoyed home court advantage throughout the tournament as a result, sweeping Trinity in the NESCAC quarterfinals and outlasting Bowdoin in a five-set semifinals showdown. Tufts’ season did not end with its heartbreaking loss to Williams, however. The Jumbos advanced to the NCAA tournament, making their seventh appearance in program history. Tufts swept Springfield College in the first round before being eliminated in four sets by Clarkson University. The Jumbos had been red-hot before falling to the Ephs, who snapped the Jumbos’ 12-game winning streak. Tufts’ strong finish followed an uneven start to the season at Colorado College, where the team was swept three out of four games — the only time all year it lost consecutive games. The Jumbos rebounded quickly, winning three straight upon returning to the Northeast and finishing the year at 22-9 overall. Tri-captains Hayley Hopper and Isabel Kuhel, both graduating seniors, were named to the All-NESCAC first team and American Volleyball Coaches Association’s All-Region team after the season. Men’s Squash
The men’s squash team started off slow, as the Jumbos dropped four of their first five matches and looked unable to maintain their high expectations. However, a strong return from winter break that saw Tufts take three of its first four games put the team on the right track. In spite of the snow and the lack of a home practice court, the Jumbos were able to stay competitive. Led by graduating senior tri-captains Elliot Kardon, Hugo Meggitt and rising senior tri-captain Aditya Advani, Tufts established itself as a program on the rise. Furthermore, the impressive performances of rising juniors Braden Chiulli and Owen Elliott, along with rising sophomores Alec Goodrich and Sandeep Rishi, provide a strong base and optimism for the future. While Tufts was unable to pull off a win in its final competition at the Collegiate Squash Association Championships, it proved its mettle, coming within one game of upsetting Stanford. Earlier in the tournament, Tufts beat rival MIT for the second time in the season to show its strength in the region. With a young core and experience in big competitions, the Jumbos are in a position to make a mark in the collegiate squash world next year.
Women’s Squash
The women’s squash season was a tale of two halves. After the fall semester — in which the Jumbos won two of their first 10 games — they were heading into 2015 with little momentum. However, the new year meant the return of rising tri-captain senior Paget Stanco, who took over the No. 1 position in the ladder. The addition of Stanco helped improve the team’s depth, allowing tri-captain seniors Paige Dahlman and Ann Bellinger to play further down the ladder. Furthermore, rising junior Anna Bezahler and rising sophomore Claudia Udolf stepped up to play big roles for the team after the break. This change culminated in a 7-5 record after the break. The season would go from a nice bounce-back story to one that was unforgettable at the College Squash Association Team Championships D Division, the Epps Cup. The Jumbos were not just impressive, they were simply dominant. They took down Haverford first in a 7-2 victory that saw the top seven players for Tufts notch victories
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against their opponents. The next game was against Conn. College, who had eked by Tufts with a 5-4 win back in November. However, the new-and-improved Jumbos were too much for the Camels, dominating their NESCAC foes with an 8-1 win. In the championship game, Tufts took down another rival it had lost to in November by defeating William Smith.
Men’s Swimming and Diving
The 2014-15 season featured a very young men’s swimming and diving team, yet one that was still able to uphold the same level of success that the team has known in recent seasons. The Jumbos finished fourth at the NESCAC Championships for the third straight year and in the top 25 at the NCAA Championships for the fifth time in the past six years. The team opened its season by splitting a dual meet at Middlebury, easily taking down the hosts by a 191-103 margin while falling in a tight 162-136 battle to Keene St. team. The Jumbos then finished third at the competitive MIT Invitational to round out the fall semester portion of their season. Returning to the pool for a packed winter after their training trip to Puerto Rico over winter break, Tufts hosted three meets within four days, putting up commendable performances against national Div. III powerhouse MIT and Div. I Boston College, though it lost to both. Tufts dominated NESCAC rival Wesleyan, however, and the next week had no trouble against Wheaton College. Following valuable practice for the upcoming NESCAC Championships at the Middlebury Invitational at the end of January, the team began tapering for NESCACs, to be held at the same location three weeks later. NESCACs were highlighted for Tufts by rising junior diver Matt Rohrer’s second title in as many years, this one coming in the one-meter. Rohrer earned second in the three-meter and won the NESCAC Diver of the Meet award, and diving coach Brad Snodgrass was named Diving Coach of the Year for the fifth straight year. Rising senior tri-captain Michael Winget led the Jumbos between the lanes, breaking three school records and swimming two NCAA B cut times, part of a team effort that produced a total of six new school records and 13 NCAA B cuts. Rohrer would go on to win the three-meter title at the NCAA Zone Diving Qualifiers the next weekend. He and Winget were the only two Jumbos to qualify for the NCAA National Championships in mid-March, but together they racked up 41 points with Rohrer’s sixth-place finish in the three-meter and eighth-place finish in the one-meter and Winget’s fifth-place finish in the 200 bakstroke and 14th-place finish in the 100 back, putting the team at 23rd nationally. Winget and fellow rising-senior tri-captain Cam Simko will be returning to lead what will undoubtedly remain a talented young Jumbo squad — one graduating just three swimmers — for next season.
Women’s Swimming and Diving
This past season was a year of transition for the women’s swimming and diving team. Though coach Nancy Bigelow’s Jumbos were young, they rapidly improved throughout the winter and finished the season at 2-4. The year got off to a slow start for Tufts with a pair of losses in its season-opening trimeet at Middlebury on Nov. 22. Tufts looked sharper at the MIT Invitational two weeks later, however, finishing fifth out of eight in its last competition of the fall semester. The Jumbos scored eight top-eight finishes overall, including four on the meet’s final day to leap from seventh place into fifth. Following a training trip to Puerto Rico over winter break, Tufts returned in significantly better shape and began seeing better results in the pool. After falling to MIT on Senior Day (Jan. 17), Tufts bounced back to beat Wesleyan 176-115 the next day. Tufts lost to Wellesley 184-116 on Jan. 21, but ended the dual-meet phase of its season on a high note with a 158-138 win over Wheaton six days later. The Jumbos concluded their regular season with the Middlebury Invitational — a non-scoring event — from Jan. 30-31. At the NESCAC Championships two weeks later, Tufts finished seventh out of 11 as Anna Kimura, a rising sophomore, broke the school record in the 200 breaststroke with her 2:21.94 time. Kylie Reiman, a rising junior, competed in the NCAA Zone Diving Qualifier at Springfield College from Feb. 27-28. Reiman held her own, finishing 25th out of 28 in the one-meter and 22nd out of 26
Ethan Chan / The Tufts Daily
in the three-meter. She and her teammates hope their late-season growth will lead to continued improvement next year.
Men’s Indoor Track and Field The indoor track season will most likely be defined by rising senior Mitch Black’s NCAA 800-meter title, but there were many other impressive performances. At nationals, Black was joined by rising sophomore Andrew DiMiati and rising seniors Alex Kasemir and Francis Goins to take home All-American awards in the 4×400-meter relay. Rising senior Veer Bhalla also competed in the 800, where he was unable to get out of the preliminary rounds after having to deal with a slow race that did not conform to his tactics. At Div. III New Englands, rising senior Michael Curley placed second in the 5000, an unexpected performance from a consistent competitor, placing high above his seeded slot. That same meet, coach Ethan Barron threw together a last minute group of runners in the 4×800-meter relay. Black and Bhalla were joined by rising sophomores Peter McCawley and Tom DePalma to take down Williams by tenths of a second to secure the surprise victory. The Gantcher Center was populated throughout the season with four meets that allowed the Jumbos to compete against the top teams in the region on their home track. WoMen’s Indoor Track and Field
The women’s track team saw a number of impressive performances from a plethora of athletes. Their indoor season culminated with multiple athletes competing in the NCAA Championships in WinstonSalem, N.C. Rising senior Marilyn Allen was one of the most impressive 60-meter hurdlers, taking home a number of victories and pacing in the top 10 in the event throughout the season. She had an impressive race at the NCAA Championships, but fell one spot short from making the eightperson final. Rising junior Kelly Fahey was the only other solo athlete at nationals. In the 3000 meters, Fahey ran a 10:33.31, good for 17th place in her first national championship race in a track event. Later in the meet, Tufts would once again come close to notching All-American nominations: distance medley relay placed ninth with a time of 12:09.62. Fahey anchored in the 1600-meter leg, while rising senior Sydney Smith, graduating senior Lauren Gormer and rising junior Rita Donohoe handled the previous legs. For other athletes that just missed out on NCAAs, the ECAC Championships in New York City also provided top-notch competition. Rising senior Alexis Harrison ran a personal best in the 60-meter dash to secure a top-25 time in the nation. Rising junior Samantha Cox also ran a personal best, clocking in at 3:03.18 in the 1000meter run for a top-five finish.
Men’s Basketball The men’s basketball team made big news entering the season with the return of rising junior tri-captain forward Tom Palleschi, the 2013 NESCAC Rookie of the Year, who missed all of the 2013-2014 season with a heart ailment. While his addition brought talent to the roster, it also clashed with the style of rising junior center Hunter Sabety, whose back-to-the-basket game matched Palleschi’s and affected the spacing on offense. A 2-6 start showed a struggling offense, but late changes, such as bringing lightning-fast rising junior guard Tarik Smith off the bench to let him feast on reserves gave the team a needed jolt. He was aided by the impressive shooting of graduating
senior tri-captain guard Ben Ferris and rising sophomore guard Thomas Lapham. Coach Bob Sheldon then tinkered with the lineups, playing Sabety and Palleschi less together, which opened up more playing time for rising junior forward Drew Madsen, who meshed well with the two scorers. Following the rough start, the Jumbos turned things around, ending the season with a 13-12 record overall and a 6-4 conference record. In the incredible parity of the NESCAC, Tufts was able to host a conference playoff game as a fourth-seed, where it ended its season with a 92-66 loss to Amherst. Palleschi would be named second team All-NESCAC.
Women’s Basketball
In the 2013-14 season, the women’s basketball team won the program’s first ever NESCAC championship in resounding fashion, besting Amherst 62-46. This year, the Jumbos were back in postseason play come March, but beyond a conference championship they were in search of another title: the NCAA Div. III Championship. For the second year in a row, Tufts advanced all the way through NCAA tournament play to the semifinals, two wins short of a national championship, yet once again the Jumbos fell in the Final Four, this time to eventual champion Thomas More College. After dominating in the NESCAC championship and picking up a 68-52 win over Bowdoin, Tufts hosted and won four rounds in a row in the NCAA Div. III championship, a run which included a comeback win in overtime against St. John Fisher and a defeat of FDU-Florham — last year’s national champs who knocked Tufts out the year before — in the quarterfinals. Although the Jumbos will have to wait another year for a chance at the national title, they proved this year that they are capable of battling through injuries and stepping up when it’s most needed. Graduating senior tri-captains Kelsey Morehead and Hannah Foley went down with serious injuries at the beginning and end of the season, respectively, but rising sophomore Lauren Dillon, rising junior Josie Lee and rising senior Emma Roberson stepped into increased workloads on both ends of the floor when injuries hit. This experience will serve Tufts well as it prepares to defend the NESCAC championship next year. Tufts starting front court — graduating senior tri-captain Hayley Kanner and rising junior Michela North — led the team in most statistical categories in 2014-15. Kanner, who picked up NESCAC Player of the Year, D3hoops.com Northeast Region Player of the Year and Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-American honors in her final year, reached the 1000-career-point mark this season along with classmate Foley, who hit the milestone just over two weeks later. North and Foley were both picked to the All-NESCAC second team, while North also added AllNortheast Region fourth team honors and All-American honorable mention to her list of accolades. Coach Carla Berube was named NESCAC Coach of the Year for the fifth time in the 13 seasons she has been leading the Jumbos. Furthermore, she earned both Northeast Region Coach of the Year honors and the Pat Summit Trophy as the 2015 United States Marine Corps / WBCA NCAA Div. III National Coach of the Year.
Ice Hockey
Most will remember this season as the year Tufts won its first NESCAC playoff game, taking down the eventual national champions, Trinity. However, this year showed a team on the upswing.
Despite losing promising rising sophomore forward John-John Ganss a mere two games into his collegiate career, the team boasted an impressive core of rising sophomore forward Brian Brown and rising juniors Sean Kavanagh, Mike Leary, Matt Pugh, Patrick Lackey and Mason Pulde. Pulde, the team’s No. 1 goalie for most of the year, improved throughout the season and earned NESCAC Player of the Week in the aforementioned Trinity victory. After a disappointing 2013-14 campaign that saw the team out of playoff contention after a 1-11-1 start, the team went into winter break with a 4-4-1 record. The Jumbos would eventually hold on for a 9-15-1 record overall with a 5-11-2 NESCAC record. Brown led the team in points, followed by graduating senior tri-captain forward Tyler Voigt, Pugh and Kavanagh, the team’s top scoring defenseman. The Jumbos will return rising senior tricaptain forward Stewart Bell who will once again resume a leadership role on a team that will be looking for a veteran presence. After years of ending the season without a post-season victory, the Jumbos head into the 2015-16 season knowing they can beat the best competition Div. III has to offer.
Women’s Fencing
The women’s fencing team enjoyed a successful season under coach Ariana Klinkov, going 20-10 and winning 16 of its matches by double digits. Tufts started strong on Nov. 9 by winning six of eight at the Vassar Invitational. The Jumbos ended the semester on a down note, however, with a 25-2 loss to Harvard on Dec. 5 — their worst non-forfeit defeat of the season. Tufts returned from winter break wellrested and eager to get back on track. Despite losing nearly a third of its members to injury, study abroad and other commitments, the Jumbos managed to go 14-7 in the spring semester. Tufts replicated its start to the fall semester by opening the spring with another strong showing at Vassar, where the team won four out of six in the Vassar Fencing Challenge. After stumbling to a 2-4 record at Brown’s Northeast Fencing Conference Meet on Jan. 24, the Jumbos bounced back to win all four of their matches at the Wellesley Invitational the following day. Tufts concluded the dual-meet phase of its season by going 4-1 at Northeast Fencing Conference Meet No. 3, which was hosted by Dartmouth on Feb. 7. The Jumbos then competed in the NEIFC Championships at Vassar two weeks later. Eight members of the team traveled to NYU to compete in the NCAA Regionals on March 8, representing Tufts in all three weapon events. Graduating senior and epee captain Flora Lang, rising junior Anna Gooch and rising sophomores Grace Tellado and Anne Oursler competed in epee. The sabre competitors were graduating senior and sabre captain Sarah Innes-Gold, rising senior Alexandra Boden and rising sophomore Bridget Marturano. Rising junior Juliet Hewes sparred in foil.
Field Hockey Though it may not have quite matched the high standard they set for themselves in the past few years, the field hockey team turned in another strong season this fall. The Jumbos finished 12-5 overall and 6-4 in the NESCAC before making it to the conference semifinals in the postseason, where they lost to the defending NCAA champions, the Bowdoin Polar Bears. Bowdoin would go on to lose in the 2014 NCAA championship game. Tufts got off to a hot start as it began the season with a 6-0 run that saw the team take down three NESCAC teams and then-national No. 9 Christopher Newport, all while putting up 21 goals and refusing to concede a goal of its own. Graduating senior co-captain goalie Bri Keenan locked down the net for the Jumbos during this early period while prolific rising junior forwards Annie Artz and Dominique Zarrella led the offense. Keenan finished the season with seven shutouts and 80 saves, while Zarrella and Artz, the team’s top two point scorers, finished with nine goals and three assists and seven goals and two assists, respectively. The team’s first loss came in a Homecoming heartbreaker that saw thenNo. 11 Amherst upset then-No. 4 Tufts 2-1, the winning goal coming with just minutes to play in what would be Tufts’ only home loss on the season. The loss marked the start of a rough patch in which the Jumbos went 2-3, but they bounced back to beat the thenNo. 10 Wellesley Blue and ended the regular season strong.
52 Sam Gold | The Gold Standard
Being a Jewish Mets fan Like clockwork, I have had the same epiphany every Sunday night since the start of the school year. Nightfall alerts me to my impending deadline, then I consult a cast of characters — sports-minded friends and family — in the hope that at least one of them will switch on my lightbulb moment. This recent go-round, I consulted a good friend of mine whom I’ve known forever who likes to get under my skin about this stuff. He told me to write about the Mets, our hometown team; I haven’t rooted for the Mets, except in commiseration with my father, in years. I flatly refused. In the end, though, his suggestion prevailed over me, and not for lack of other material. I threw in the towel in ’06. When Adam Wainright slung a 3-2 curveball past a petrified Carlos Beltran, I finally understood, after a childhood marred by a raft of crushing disappointments, that God was a Yankee fan. I understood something else as well, which was that the Mets, whose highs (Bill Buckner) were nothing short of miraculous and whose lows (the aforementioned catastrophe) were inexplicably tragic, were quintessentially Jewish. Neither Hank Greenberg, dubbed “The Hebrew Hammer” for his goyish 6’ 4” physique and his uncanny ability to belt home runs, nor Sandy Koufax, with his un-hittable curveball — the two charter members of the Jewish baseball pantheon — fit the Jewish mold. To fans, to their wonkish coreligionists who went into sportswriting or broadcasting to live vicariously through them, both men were Jewish. They themselves certainly felt so; both refused to play ball on Yom Kippur, for example. Yet their decision not to play, much to the chagrin of their respective fan bases, was merely a religiously Jewish decision taken by two men with extraordinary, decidedly un-Jewish talents. What they did was Jewish. Who they were, in baseball terms, was not. Dolph Schayes, too, was not Jewish, not after his Hall-of-Fame career as a power forward for the Nationals. Legendary pugilist Benny Leonard was not; nine-time Olympic champion Mark Spitz was not; Bill Goldberg — aka “Goldberg” — was not; Hall-of-Fame convert Rod Carew, of Adam Sandler fame, was not. Our generation — Jordan Farmar, Gabe Carimi, Taylor Mays, Geoff Schwartz — are likewise not Jewish. Brawn has never been a feature of the Jewish condition. For 40 years we wandered, vagabonds by divine decree, only to emerge to ceaseless persecution and, until 1948, chronic homelessness. We are history’s weaklings; brainpower and tightknit community alone have sustained us. Athletic success is anomalous, for it belies the Jewish condition. These titans are the exception to the rule. The Mets, currently atop the National League East with a record of 20-11 (as of May 10), are molting their Jewish identity. But I should be happy for them, and I am. Really. For a team decimated by the Madoff scandal and a choppy ownership transition, this is huge. It was unthinkable just a year or two ago that the Mets would be above .500, let alone this good, with a young roster to boot. If they don’t kick me out beforehand, I am slated to graduate today. The subtext of what I’ve just written is one of aversion to change, and I think that applies also to my impending departure. I will be nearby, which is certainly by design; I could never have just upped and left. I’ve enjoyed my time here immensely, in no small part to those of you who have deigned to read my weekly homilies. When you, too, graduate, or if you are traversing the stage with me on Sunday, bear in mind the history of the New York Mets: change, even its positive iterations, is intimidating, but it is necessary. If we are to bring our time here to bear on others, graduation truly is not the end, but our commencement. Sam Gold is a graduating senior majoring in religion. He can be reached at samuel_l.gold@tufts.edu.
The Tufts Daily
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Sports
Crew
Jumbos usher in new era on water by Ross Dember
Executive Sports Editor
The men’s crew team entered the spring season looking different than it did in the fall. For one, there was a new man at the helm, as Noel Wanner took over as coach. The season concluded on May 10 at the Eastern Collegiate Athletic
Conference (ECAC) National Collegiate Regatta on Lake Quinsigamond. There was an optimism heading into the race, one that was not often found heading into ECACs in previous years. This optimism was well-deserved. Despite falling to fifth in the first race and missing the cutoff for the secondlevel final, Tufts’ varsity eight rebounded to win the third-level final over its
three opponents. The team that edged out Tufts for fourth place in the initial race, Bucknell, would go on to win the second-level final. “I think that we rowed very well and very cleanly in the first race, but really reached a new level in the second race,” graduating senior coxswain Kasia see MEN’S CREW, page 44
Alex Cherry / The Tufts Daily
The men’s crew team, behind the new leadership of coach Noel Wanner, wrapped up one of its most successful seasons in recent memory on May 10 at the ECAC National Collegiate Regatta on Lake Quinsigamond.
Tennis
Tufts wraps up best season in recent memory by Ray Paul Biron Assistant Sports Editor
The men’s tennis team fell to No. 16 Williams 5-0 on Friday, May 1 in the first round of the NESCAC tournament. The Jumbos ended the season 8-8 with a 4-4 record in the NESCAC and a perfect 4-0 record at home. Despite the fact that the Jumbos tied for only the second-best record since 2010, many members of the program believe that this was the best season in recent memory. Tufts began the season 3-1 with an outstanding run in its California trip during spring break. The squad competed against three teams that would finish the season in the top 40, winning two of the matches and only losing to No. 6 Pomona-Pitzer 5-4. The Jumbos then lost their next five games before ending the season 5-1 in their last six games to secure a birth in the NESCAC tournament. One of the wins came against Williams, marking the first Tufts victory over the Ephs. The Jumbos finished the season ranked No. 20 in the country. “Hard work really does pay off,” rising senior co-captain Rob Jacobson said. “I think what we learned near the end of the season is all the great memories we have on the court together and the accomplishments that Tufts hasn’t had in many, many years is all due to hours of hard work that we have been putting in. It is never easy to put in those hours, but we all trusted that if we did, it would work out and it did this year and it is very exciting to be a part of it. I am really proud of my team.” This sentiment was echoed by Jacobson’s teammates. “I think we definitely made strides toward the end even though we had an early NESCAC tournament knock out,” rising senior Nick Cary said. “We all thought that we fought hard towards the end so that’s a good takeaway. I think us being a relatively young team — I think that we persevered really well and that’s something that we can take with us moving forward. Another highlight for the team was the play of its first-years. First-year Rohan Gupte made the NESCAC All-Conference
second team along with rising senior Nik Telkedzhiev. It is the first time that two players from Tufts had been named AllNESCAC since 2007. The play of firstyears Zain Ali and Griffin Brockman was also tremendous throughout the season. The Jumbos hope to take another step forward next season. “This year we took huge steps forward for this program and the team since I have been here,” Jacobson said. “Our new coach Karl Gregor has been really important in developing not only players, but hard working young men, and I think one of the things he instilled in all of us is that we belong with the top teams in the country. For next year, it’s about continuing that belief and I think that with [a] year [of] experience — we’re only graduating one player — I think the guys [who] are going to come back will be able to seize the opportunities that were there this season and really make an impact to take it a step further and make the NCAA tournament next year.” Once again, Cary agreed with his classmate and teammate.
“I think the sky’s the limit,” Cary said. “We had a great freshman class this year. We’re going to miss our senior Brian Tan a lot; he really fulfilled that leadership role well and was a great role model for the younger players. We know that the skill is there and going forward we’re now going to have so much more experience that maybe close matches we had this year won’t be so close and maybe we can play in tight situations better. I think it’s all pretty positive stuff that we can build on. I think we can go for a top-three or -four NESCAC spot and hopefully win a round in the tournament next year.” As the team has only one graduating senior, the Jumbos will return nearly all of their key contributors. With another strong recruiting class, as well as added experience from this year’s success, the team should be in position to take its spot as one of the dominant forces in the NESCAC and perhaps the country next season.
Caroline Geiling / The Tufts Daily
The Jumbos will return all but one player next year as they look to build on this season’s success.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
The Tufts Daily
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Sports
Baseball
Tyler Maher | Beantown Beat
Celtics Comeback
Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily
Tufts rising junior Tom Petry slams the ball during the fifth inning of the baseball team’s 10-6 win against Keene State at Huskins Field on April 2, 2014.
Jumbos' balance spells success by Tyler Maher Sports Editor
Of all the statistics compiled by the baseball team this year, the most impressive one might be that it went the whole season without losing a series. Coach John Casey attributed that consistency to the team’s all-around excellence, as the Jumbos ranked first in the NESCAC in runs and were second in fewest runs allowed and fielding percentage. “We were a well-balanced team,” Casey said of the team, which went 26-10 this year. “Our guys competed well and we were able to win each series.” Tufts’ talent was evident from the start, as the team tore through its season-opening trip to Virginia and North Carolina by averaging nearly 11 runs per game. The Jumbos’ return to the snowy northeast did little to cool their bats, as they sustained that torrid hitting throughout the remainder of the season. This winter’s record snowfall rendered many of the region’s fields unplayable in March, delaying Tufts’ home opener to April 2 and temporarily relocating games to the New England Baseball Complex in Northboro, Mass. Tufts won four of the five games it played there, including two of three against Bowdoin in its first NESCAC series of the season. The Jumbos lost only one game on their real home diamond as well, going 7-1 at Huskins Field with the lone defeat coming against Bates on April 24. Tufts remained close to unbeatable well into April, going 16-2 between March 19 and April 17 and winning seven in a row at one point. Tufts finished its regular season on a high note, sweeping a home doubleheader against Middlebury on May 3. The Jumbos
won the NESCAC East at 8-4 and were third in the conference overall behind Wesleyan and Amherst. “We won our division, [which] was our goal,” Casey said. While starting pitching was touted as Tufts’ greatest strength coming into the season, its offense was the best in the NESCAC, averaging 9.39 runs per game. Tufts enjoyed many routs, the most impressive being a 28-2 demolition of Brandeis on April 4. The Jumbos battered the Judges for 29 hits including six home runs, three of which came off the bat of shortstop Matt Moser, a rising senior. Moser emerged as one of the team’s best hitters this year, leading Tufts in home runs and ranking second in hits and doubles. The Jumbos’ most productive batsman, however, was rising sophomore infielder Tommy O’Hara. O’Hara led Tufts in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage by hitting .405/.518/.603, in addition to pacing the Jumbos in a host of other hitting categories. He and catcher Brian Egan, a graduating senior, packed a formidable 1-2 punch in the heart of Tufts’ order, tying for the team lead in RBIs with 42 apiece. “Tom O’Hara had a spectacular year that no one seems to know about,” Casey said. “To do what he has done as a firstyear player is remarkable. He anchored our lineup with Bryan Egan all year and played a very respectable third base.” Egan and O’Hara had plenty of opportunities to drive in runs thanks to graduating senior tri-captain and leadoff man Connor McDavitt, who reached base in nearly half of his plate appearances and paced the team in walks, runs and steals. McDavitt also provided strong defense in center field, earning high praise from his coach.
“Connor McDavitt is the best center fielder in New England in any division,” Casey said of the graduating senior. On the pitching side, rising junior Tim Superko built upon his NESCAC Rookie of the Year title from last year by leading the staff in starts, innings and strikeouts. Rising senior Andrew David had a great year as well, leading the team with six wins and a 12.25 K/BB ratio. The Jumbos were also smooth in the field, averaging only one error per game and converting 97.1 percent of batted balls into outs. Tufts’ success on the mound was especially impressive given that tri-captain Kyle Slinger, a D3 Preseason All-American, was limited to only four starts due to injury. The graduating senior pitched well when healthy with a 2.79 ERA and 8.4 K/9 rate, but the resilient Jumbos still managed to thrive without their ace. “I did everything I could to help the team be successful this year,” Slinger said. The highlight of the season occurred off the field, when sophomore pitcher Kevin Galasso was declared cancer-free. Galasso was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma last fall and moved home to undergo treatment at Hackensack University Medical Center. Now cancer-free, Galasso joined his teammates for several games and hopes to be back on the field next spring. “I am very proud of all our guys for their support of Kevin and so proud of Kevin for the way he fought hard,” Casey said. “Kevin and his family are some of the most remarkable people I have ever known.” Tufts was unable to maintain its success in the playoffs, losing consecutive games for the first and only time this year. The Jumbos dropped both of their NESCAC Championship games, falling to Amherst 5-2 and losing to Bates 8-7.
Tennis
Tufts grows up during tough season by Steven Hefter Sports Editor
The women’s tennis team started the spring season in California over spring break and finished with games in the always-competitve NESCAC. The Jumbos ended the year ranked No. 24 in the country and ninth in the Northeast region while compiling a record of 7-7 overall in the spring and 3-5 in conference. The team, composed of entirely rising juniors and rising sophomores, competed with the best teams in the country and proved that it can become a force in the conference for the forseeable future as it continues to gain experience. In California, Tufts competed against Denison, La Verne, Claremont-MuddScripps and Redlands, all of whom finished the season ranked in the top 25
in the country. A signature win for the team was against La Verne. The Jumbos came out strong in doubles play, winning two out of the three matches before going on to win four out of the six singles matches en route to a 6-3 win. This was the second match of the spring for Tufts, meaning that the doubles pairs and singles lineup were still being mixed and matched. In the first singles position, rising junior Conner Calabro defeated No. 14-ranked Andrea Madrigal in a tough match, 7-5, 6-4, while rising sophomore Lauren Louks beat Lauren Torres 6-2, 6-0. Another Tufts win came at the No. 2 doubles position, where rising junior Alexa Meltzer and rising sophomore Zoe Miller won their match 8-5. The Jumbos also won their first match of the trip against Denison, but fell to No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and No. 18 Redlands, ending the trip 2-2.
Aside from getting their first in-game experience of the season, the Jumbos also enjoyed the bonding experience of traveling together. “My favorite moment of the season was going on spring break with the team and becoming closer with everyone while competing out there,” Meltzer said. After returning to Medford after the break, Tufts played its entire NESCAC schedule with two non-conference matches against local rivals Brandeis and Wellesley mixed in. It was a streaky April for the team, as it began the month with two straight wins before losing three matches in a row. Tufts then went on a two-match winning streak before ending the season with two losses. The NESCAC owns six out of the top 25 teams in the nation, so none of the team’s three wins came easily. see WOMEN’S TENNIS, page 44
The Boston Celtics’ 2014-2015 season was a massive success, and I say this knowing full well that they were swept out of the postseason’s first round by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Let me explain. Success wasn’t supposed to be in the cards for the Celtics this year. Not after the way they bottomed out last year, when they had one of the five worst records in the NBA and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2007. That was by design, however, as general manager Danny Ainge set Boston up for failure in the hopes of landing top draft picks. He unloaded his veteran talent, hired a rookie coach and rolled out an underwhelming lineup. Sure enough, the Celtics failed spectacularly, going 25-57. They seemed doomed again after Ainge failed to add any impact talent over the summer. Boston started the year slow, and things only got worse after the team’s point guard and leading scorer, Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green, were traded away. On Feb. 1, the Celtics hit rock bottom by falling to the Miami Heat 83-75, dropping their record to 16-30. Their 75 points represented a season-low. From that day forward, Boston was the best team in the Eastern Conference, going 24-12 to close out the season. Granted, it’s the Eastern Conference, but winning two-thirds of your games for half a season is nothing to sneeze at. They even had the toughest schedule in the NBA over the final few weeks, and that didn’t slow them down one bit. So how did one of the NBA’s worst teams transform into one of its best overnight? The most obvious explanation would seem to be Isaiah Thomas, whose trade deadline arrival immediately sparked the Celtics. Thomas averaged 19 points per game off the bench, giving Boston one of the best sixth men in the league. He also took the reigns of its pedestrian offense, becoming the go-to scorer on a team without one. Thomas took the Celtics to another level. He was the brightest star on a team of cast-offs, spare parts and relative unknowns. Without him, Boston probably doesn’t make the playoffs. Although the Celtics failed to win a game against the Cavs, I’m still proud of the way they battled against a vastly superior team. They held their own against Cleveland’s Big Three of LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, staying in every game right up to the end. They fought tooth and nail, but in the end talent won out. Their scrappiness could only take them so far. Remarkable second half aside, the Celtics still have a ways to go. Of the NBA’s 16 playoff contestants this year, Boston had the second-worst record. Making the playoffs is relatively easy — more than half the teams do — particularly in the Eastern Conference, where three of the eight were .500 or below. It is much more difficult, however, to survive four best-of-seven series against the best teams in the league and be the last one standing. The Celtics were a nice story, but they were nowhere near championshipquality, which is why Vegas gave them 200-1 odds to win it all at the dawn of the postseason. With the right moves, however, the Celtics could be. Making the playoffs was a start, but Boston must build upon its success and continue to improve, as young teams typically do. Ainge needs to supplement his core with more veteran talent like Thomas, and can’t afford to whiff on this offseason like he did the last. Just think of what coach Brad Stevens could do with a legitimate NBA roster. Tyler Maher is a graduating senior majoring in economics and English. He can be reached at tyler.maher@tufts.edu.
Sports
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tuftsdaily.com
SOFTBALL
Tufts heads into Super Regional undefeated by Ross Dember
Executive Sports Editor
The softball team finished with the program’s first-ever undefeated regular season with 11 games in its final week bringing its record to 38-0 and surpassing the 35-game win streak the team reached in 2009. The past two national title-winning seasons, in 2014 and 2013, saw the Jumbos drop three of their regular season games, but they were flawless this past season in search of their third consecutive national championship. Graduating senior tri-captain pitcher Allyson Fournier is leading the nation with a 0.13 ERA through games as of May 10. Tufts holds the nation’s best team ERA with a mark of 0.73 in that same time span, securing its position at the top of the national rankings as the team attempts to fight its way back to another NCAA championship. Heading into the NCAA tournament, the team outscored its opponents 304-49. The Jumbos ran through the double-elimination NESCAC finals in similar fashion. Rising senior infielder Christina Raso hit a home run and scored both the runs in a 2-0 victory over Middlebury in the first round. Next, Tufts took on Williams twice, winning both games by scores of 5-0 and 1-0 to once again claim a conference championship. Fournier pitched all three shutouts. For their dominance in both the regular season and NESCAC playoffs, the Jumbos nearly swept the conference awards. Fournier was named NESCAC Pitcher of the Year
for the fourth straight year. Rising junior infielder Cassie Ruscz was the only Jumbo who had to split an award as she was named Co-Player of the Year with Bowdoin’s rising senior pitcher Julia Geaumont. Rising sophomore catcher Raven Fournier was the Rookie of the Year, and graduating senior tri-captain outfielder Michelle Cooprider was named Defensive Player of the Year. Coach Cheryl Milligan was once again named the conference’s Coach of the Year. All four aforementioned players were named first-team AllConference, and Raso and classmate pitcher Erica County were named to the second team. No other team had more than four players total named to both teams. In an April 25 game against Colby, Milligan would become the first Tufts coach to surpass 400 wins. Tufts started off its NCAA Regional tournament against Wellesley. In the third inning, the Blue struck first, ending A. Fournier’s NCAA record of 105.1 consecutive scoreless innings. The Jumbos would tie the game up later that inning before scratching two more runs in the fifth and sixth innings to take the opening game 3-1. This win set new NCAA Div. III records for most consecutive wins by a program (44 when counting last years’ championship games) and consecutive wins in a season (42). The Jumbos next took on the MIT Engineers. In the third inning, a base hit from Cooprider allowed rising junior infielder Shelby Lipson to score the first run of the game. Relying on small-ball play in the fifth inning, the team leveraged Cooprider’s
Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily
Tufts second baseman Abby Curran, a rising senior, makes a run for third base during Tufts’ 10-0 victory against Bowdoin at Spicer Field on Saturday, April 11. speed to tack on a run following a steal and two bunts, and R. Fournier’s RBI single gave Tufts a 3-0 lead. MIT would come back with one run in the bottom of the inning, but that would not be enough. Since the Engineers were able to make it unscathed through the losers bracket, the Jumbos were matched up with them once again. Uncharacteristically sloppy defensive play from Tufts led to two errors in the first inning, which gave MIT a 2-0 lead before Tufts could even come to the plate.
The Jumbos struggled against the Engineers’ rising senior pitcher Alexandra Marshall. However, Cooprider tied the game in the sixth with a tworun homer, and neither team would score in the seventh, thus sending the game to extra innings. With the score held at 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, R. Fournier’s single scored Lipson to clinch NCAA Regionals. A. Fournier was named the Regional’s Most Outstanding Player, and she was named to the All-Tournament team along
with Cooprider and graduating senior infielder Bri Keenan. Tufts played a three-game series against Worchester Polytechnic Institute on Thursday and Friday in the Super Regional, results of which were unavailable at the time of this writing. The winner will advance to the NCAA Finals in Virginia on May 21-26. As of Wednesday, May 13, the team is 44-0. No Div. III softball team since the introduction of the NCAA Championships in 1982 has ever gone undefeated through an entire season.
Lacrosse
Crew
Tufts will head to Sacramento for NCAAs by Priyanka Dharampuriya Daily Staff Writer
The women’s crew team had an incredibly successful season in spite of a slow, snowy start, which culminated in an atlarge bid for the NCAA championship over May 29-30 in Sacramento, Calif. for the first varsity boat later this month. This is the first bid Tufts has received since 2006. In an email correspondence with the Daily, graduating senior and second-varsity rower Mary Porter noted that the season started slowly due to the heavy snowfall this winter. “We could not get on the water until we went to Florida over spring break,” Porter said. “And when we came back, we had to go back in the gym because the river was still frozen.” Graduating senior tri-captain Emily Eickhoff agreed, but added that the team put in important work this winter at the gym rather than on the water. “Many people do not realize this, but the off-season training determines the course of the spring season,” she told the Daily in an email. “It is over long, sweaty, tedious, sometimes lonely hours on the erg that we build the fitness base required to succeed in the spring racing season.” Eickhoff added that the team worked harder and more efficiently than it has in previous years, while Porter noted the particularly strong combination of athletes in the team this year. All of the hours these rowers put in paid off with a winning record, with a number of unexpected victories against teams that Tufts has not beaten in years. The season opened April 3 with a home race against Hamilton, Mount Holyoke and
Trinity, a notorious powerhouse and reigning league champion. All the crews fared very well, intending to just have a competitive race but coming out victorious. The first boat tied the Bantams, while the second beat them by a comfortable margin. “Winning that Trinity Crew shirt will stand as one of my proudest accomplishments,” Porter said in reference to the race. The season is not over yet for the Jumbos, but both seniors noted that the team’s present and future success is dependent on a strong, cohesive team dynamic. “I have witnessed a shift in the team culture to one that is more inclusive, committed, and competitive than when I entered as a freshman,” she said. “The team is closer than it has been in my memory — men and women, novice and varsity are all coming together. There’s a feeling of mutual respect for other boats and a sense of cohesion that comes from sharing a common goal.” When asked where the team is headed in the future, Porter was optimistic, saying that Tufts has unique strengths as a team. “We may not be the biggest or the strongest team in the region, but we can move boats, and we can move them fast,” Porter said. “Just seeing the shift in team dynamic in the past four years and how fast we have become as a result has been amazing to watch.” Eickhoff had a similar vision for the future. “As a program, we’re moving places. We have the resources, we have the coaching staff, we have the athletes. We’re starting to move boats faster and faster, and I’m excited to see what Tufts rowing will be doing a few years down the line. I have no doubt that the team will continue to gain momentum,” she said. “The sky is the limit.”
Jumbos continue unprecedented success by Joshua Slavin Assistant Sports Editor
In recent memory, the men’s lacrosse team has been one of the most successful teams at Tufts. The 2015 season continued that trend, as the Jumbos entered the year ranked No. 1 and proved worthy of such recognition. Coming into the year, Tufts was the defending national champion and fivetime defending NESCAC champion; they won the NESCAC once again and are still alive in the NCAA tournament as of May 13. Such success breeds high expectations and hopes each year. “There was always and will always be an expectation of high performance,”
coach Mike Daly told the Daily in an email. “We have great kids at a great university – there is a high standard and we embrace those in everything we attempt.” The lacrosse season began Feb. 28 on a snow-laden Bello Field with a 17-10 victory over Middlebury. According to Daly, the snowy Boston winter caused the team’s preseason to be condensed and shortened slightly. However, the team’s play remained sharp on the field. “With our condensed preseason and with the cold and snow to start the year, our team just stayed persistent see MEN’S LACROSSE, page 44
Evan Sayles / The Tufts Daily
Tufts attacker John Uppgren, a rising senior, attempts to evade a Bates defender on Tuesday, April 7.
Sunday, May 17, 2015
The Tufts Daily
“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.” — John Wooden
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The Tufts Daily
“No matter what people tell you, words and ideas can change the world.”
— Robin Williams
Sunday, May 17, 2015