PM Snow 28/10
THE TUFTS DAILY
TUFTSDAILY.COM
thursday, February 12, 2015
VOLUME LXVIV, NUMBER 16
Where You Read It First Est. 1980
MLK clothing and supply drive successful by Kathleen Schmidt News Editor
Grace Cooper / The Tufts Daily
Students can now book Brown and Brew for events on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
Brown and Brew now available for student events by Jei-Jei Tan News Editor
The Brown and Brew Coffee House can now be booked for student events on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 7 p.m. to midnight. The cafe, with a capacity of 80, will be suitable for small events such as acoustic shows, spoken word performances, trivia nights and extended club meetings, according to Director of the Office for Campus Life Joe Golia. The space can be reserved through Tufts’ online room scheduling system, he said. “We are very tight for space on campus … so it’s just another option for student organizations if it fits with what they need,” he said. Golia said that the Tufts Community Union ( TCU) Senate had been talking about opening up Brown and Brew to student groups for the past few years. “We were aware that this was something students were looking for, and we wanted to be able to respond to that,” Director of Dining and Business Services Patti Klos said. Before the Tower Cafe in Tisch Library opened in 2004, Brown and Brew used to host late-night acoustic entertainment organized by Programming Board, Klos said. This is why the cafe has spotlights, a raised platform with a backdrop and a limited house sound system, she explained. Klos emphasized that while students can now book Brown and Brew for small events, they should be respectful of the space and leave it in the condition they found it. Furniture can be rearranged but not removed, and decorations should not be excessive and cannot be taped to the walls, she said.
“We care what it looks [like] when we come in to open up at [8:00 a.m.],” she said. “The person who opens the store has a schedule based on the room being in the condition that we left it the night before. If [it is not], that throws everything off and prevents us from being able to start service when the community is accustomed to being able to come in here and get their breakfast or coffee.” Klos noted that Tufts Dining Services will have to provide a staff member at each event, because Brown and Brew’s serving area cannot be secured. Tufts Dining Services will cover this cost, at least for the time being. Student groups will not be allowed to bring in their own food, she said. Instead, Dining Services will be available to work with them to supply coffee, soft drinks or snacks such as popcorn and cookies. Golia explained that this semester, the OCL is running a pilot program before deciding whether to expand the available booking days. “And then in the fall we can really push it with the start of the school year,” he said. “We’ll be meeting with student organizations, sending a lot of information out, having introductory meetings. That’s a much better time to talk about new things that are happening.” Golia mentioned that even though many groups have already booked their events for this semester, he hopes the OCL “can get a few things in [Brown and Brew] this spring.” He explained that the OCL can now start offering Brown and Brew as a possible location for student events. “As events come through the normal registration process for other spaces on campus, we’re
going to start suggesting to these groups, ‘Hey, have you thought of Brown and Brew?’ and I think that’s how it will eventually start being used,” he said. “We’re hopeful that it is successful for everybody and that it meets the need for student organizations, that they respect the space … and that enough groups feel like it’s a good destination that it’s worth what it’s going to take to support it,” Klos said. Sophomore Jacob Katsiaficas, a member of Applejam Productions, said that Brown and Brew seems like a good venue for hosting low-key, folk and acoustic shows. Dan Turkel, a senior involved in student booking group Midnight at Tufts, echoed this sentiment. “While this is the first I’m hearing of it, we’re excited to hear about Brown and Brew becoming available for events. There are very few appropriate spaces available for groups like ours that are looking to put on small-scale concerts,” he told the Daily in an email. “We’d definitely be interested in exploring that for something like an acoustic or jazzy show – the coffeehouse vibe would suit it quite nicely, I think.” Golia added that another room in Curtis Hall, where the cafe is located, is being renovated into a graduate student lounge, which he hopes will attract graduate student groups to Brown and Brew as well. “The graduate students will actually be having a dedication and opening sometime near the end of February, so we hope that besides the undergraduate groups, some of the graduate student organizations might start using Brown and Brew for their events because it’s … right next to their lounge,” he said.
Inside this issue
The MLK Youth Homelessness Drive, sponsored by the Tufts University Chaplaincy and the Africana Center, wrapped up on Feb. 6 after collecting items for two weeks to benefit Youth on Fire, a drop-in center for homeless and street-involved youth in Cambridge, according to Joie Cummings, a college transition advisor who served on the committee of staff and students who coordinated the event. Cummings said three medium and large sized boxes full of items were collected on the Medford/ Somerville campus. This collection will be added to the items collected from the Boston campus as well, where the drive is continuing to Feb. 13, she said. Cummings said they asked for donations of notebooks, small winter items such as gloves, hats and hand warmers, along with first aid supplies like band-aids, cough drops, sanitizing wipes and first aid kits. The committee worked with student leaders from Capen Bible Study, Catholic Community at Tufts, Protestant Students Association, Hillel at Tufts, Campus HOPE, Multicultural Greek Council, Tufts Hindu Students Council and Tufts Freethought Society to place boxes in 10 different Medford/ Somerville campus locations and to collect the donations, Cummings said. University Chaplain Reverend Greg McGonigle said Youth on Fire came to his and the organizers’ attention as the Chaplaincy’s Program and Outreach Specialist Zachary Cole and sophomore Aviva HerrWelber of Tufts Hillel, both of whom served as leaders for the MLK Day of Service, researched possible sites with which Tufts could partner for a service drive. “An interesting connection is that we learned Tufts has already had a connection with Youth on Fire through the Leonard Carmichael Society’s HIV/AIDS initiative,” he told the Daily in an email. Cummings added that while this was the first time that this committee had collected items for Youth on Fire, the Latino Center collected items for them last December. According to McGonigle, this year the Office of the President, the University Chaplaincy and the Africana Center collaborated on three main events to honor the life and legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The first event, the MLK Day of Service, took place on Jan. 19. Approximately 60 students volunteered off campus for the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter, the Boston Alliance of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Youth and Many Helping Hands 365 in Cambridge.
The second event was the Annual Community Celebration, which was held on Jan. 22 at 6 p.m. in Goddard Chapel. The event included remarks by the president and other university leaders, readings from King’s speeches by interfaith student representatives and creative contributions by S-Factor and the Spoken Word Alliance at Tufts, McGonigle said. The final component, the Youth Homelessness Drive, was an opportunity for individuals to honor MLK even if they were not able to particpate in ceremonies on MLK day, according to McGonigle. “We wanted to provide an opportunity for the whole campus, even if they were not able to serve with us on MLK Day, to be in service to those in need in MLK’s honor,” McGonigle said. According to Africana Center Director Katrina Moore, this is the first time service projects have been included in the annual MLK Day celebrations and therefore the first year of the drive. “Since students returned to campus from winter break before the MLK holiday, we were eager to extend programming with as many opportunities to honor MLK’s legacy as possible,” she told the Daily in an email. “Through our theme ‘A Revolution of Values: Poverty, Peace, Power,’ we were able to work with local community organizations in Cambridge and Boston to organize opportunities for members of the Tufts community to serve, build relationships with local service providers and put values into action.” Moore said that while many people are aware of Dr. King’s work with civil rights, few know about his focus on poverty, peace and power during the final year of his life. These were the themes that were incorporated into this year’s celebration and service, she said. Moore said she was pleased with the outcome of the drive. “I would consider the project to be successful and thank the Tufts community for responding positively to our request for donations,” she said. Cummings also expressed her enthusiasm about the drive. “This is the first year we have conducted this drive, and we are excited to have collected so many items from the Tufts community to donate to Youth on Fire,” she said. Cummings added that they are still collecting items on the Boston campus at the Tufts University School of Medicine in the Arthur M. Sackler Center for Medical Education with the support of the Student National Medical Association and the Office of Multicultural Affairs at the School of Medicine. The Boston campus drive will be running through Feb. 13.
Today’s sections
At Nijiya customers can order all-you-can eat sushi for a reasonable price.
The hockey team suffered two big losses to Conn. College over the weekend.
see WEEKENDER, page 3
see SPORTS, back
News Weekender Editorial | Op-Ed
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Weekender
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tuftsdaily.com
Arts & Living
Ray Johnson collaborative project honors a rtist's memory by Josh Podolsky Assistant Arts Editor
Recently, the Daily Arts section received an email requesting that we give a page of our production over to the silhouette that is now printed in conjunction with this article. The instructions were to “please add to and return to Ray Johnson” — the artist ostensibly behind the work — silhouettes with whatever modifications our readers made to their individual copies. We liked the idea readily enough as it allowed us the opportunity to be part of the art as well as to comment on it. The next step was to do some preliminary research and reach out to the artist for a comment. But, as it turns out, Ray Johnson is deceased; in fact, the last time anyone saw him alive was over twenty years ago when he drove his car off a bridge in Sag Harbor, N.Y. before proceeding to backstroke out to sea and, subsequently, wash up on shore the following day. Myriad rumors surround the circumstances of his death. The art project included in this paper, then, is actually an homage to Johnson’s work, commemorating the 20th anniversary of his passing. To gain a better understanding of this tribute, one should know more about Johnson’s career. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Johnson grew up in Detroit, Mich., spending the first 22 years of his life in the then-vibrant city. In high school he participated in an advertising art program, perhaps a symptom or a cause of his later interest in collage. During his youth, Johnson also took classes at the Detroit Institute of Art (DIA), home to many classic works, especially of American artists, and a place proud of both the breadth of its collections as well as its deep connection with American artistry and culture. Before moving to New York City in 1949, Johnson spent three years studying at Black Mountain College (BMC). The influence of his time at BMC was apparent in the works he produced upon his arrival in New York. He created largely geometric abstract paintings, reminiscent of the work of one of his professors at BMC and not at all what Johnson is known for today. Notably, Johnson destroyed multiple pieces of his early work before moving on to the medium for which he is best remembered: collage. At this point, some may wonder why we have chosen to dedicate a featurelength article to the life and work of a collage artist. After all, collage is one of the first forms of art we learn in pre-school just after we have mastered finger painting. Collage is often perceived as relatively easy to do. Anyone with glue, some extra magazines, cloth, glitter or other paraphernalia can (technically) put one together. It is this very simplicity that makes Johnson’s work so compelling.
Pop Art in the Post The concept of mail art started with Johnson’s collage. The artist mailed out envelopes with letters, drawings or pieces of his own collages to friends, acquaintances and complete strangers with similar instructions to those accompanying the silhouette. These early ventures developed into a whole network of participants who would pass around a project within the network before returning it to Johnson, and the idea eventually became the founding concept of New York Correspondence School, an informal artists’ collective founded by the collagist in the ’50s. The current commemoration is also an attempt at growing that network and infusing it with new blood.
Collage is inherently chaotic, with its layering of often tangentially related media, and a form of art which seemed to suit Johnson. His collages brought together dichotomous objects like pop culture magazine excerpts and snakeskin. While there was no single goal to his work, a prominent theme seems to have been inclusivity. For instance, though meetings at the Correspondence School were usually informal gatherings with no agenda, members often just passed the time by creating art together. Thus, the mail art movement constituted art by com-
mittee, even art by democracy, and greatly enhanced the random nature of the works.
“New York’s Most Famous Unknown Artist” Johnson’s own collages were almost constantly in a state of transition. His works, which he called “moticos,” were small, irregularly shaped amalgamations of media. Johnson let the city shape his work, often taking boxes of his moticos around New York and displaying his them in public places such as Grand Central Terminal. Purportedly, the goal of these public displays was to engage passersby in the artistic process, if not actively through their participation then passively through their feedback. In fact, Johnson recorded some of the reac-
wariness of fame may have been a byproduct of the democratic nature of his works; he was just the conductor orchestrating a much larger performance than the one seen by critics and fans. Though he went through destructive cycles when he was younger in which he burned his own work, the moticos maintained a sporadic presence in his portfolio. After many of the moticos were burned in the ’50s, they resurfaced again around five years later when Johnson cut down his old collages into tiny pieces and affixed them to larger cuts of cardboard. These amalgamations were to become tiles that together formed even larger works. The new works placed an emphasis on geometric forms and minimalism. The Later Years Performance art, which Johnson first produced on his own in 1957, came to constitute a growing portion of Johnson’s repertoire. Whereas prior to 1957 he had participated in friends’ and contemporaries’ performance pieces, after this turning-point he began to stage his own. While other artists staged “happenings,” Johnson put on what he called “Nothings.” At the first of these events, titled “Nothing by Ray Johnson,” the artist emptied the contents of a box of wooden spools down the stairs so as to make traversing the steps an ordeal. Toward the end of the 1960s, Johnson began to close himself off from mainstream society and tucked himself away in a house on Long Island. While extricated from the world, Johnson continued his mail art correspondence. In 1973, he wrote an obituary for the “New York Times” proclaiming the death of the New York Correspondence School, yet he continued to make use of his network of “members” long after its supposed death. 1976 saw the beginning of the Silhouette project, in which Johnson used the profiles of friends and strangers as the base for a collage. Herein lies the inspiration for the accompanying silhouette. Johnson became increasingly reclusive until his suicide on Jan. 13, 1995. Some consider his suicide to be his final performance, noting that the number 13 appears frequently in the circumstances surrounding the incident, from the date on which it happened to the number of the motel room where he stayed the night before. When his home was opened, hundreds of collages were found arranged, not just placed or strewn about. The silhouette included with this article can be doodled on, collaged, painted or otherwise altered to an individual artist’s taste. The finished product can be kept or mailed to Ray Johnson c/o PERFORMA 100 West 23rd St, Fl 5 New York, NY 10011. Whether or not you actually send the finished product, this sounds like a fun diversion for the next snow day.
Please Add to & Return to Ray Johnson tions to his work. Yet, for all his correspondence and interaction with strangers, Johnson was rather reclusive; he chose to actively avoid fame’s spotlight despite the recognition and acclaim his works received. Tellingly, Grace Glueck wrote in the New York Times in 1965 that Johnson was “the most famous unknown artist” of the time. Johnson’s
Thursday, February 12, 2015
The Tufts Daily
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Arts & Living Nikki Blank | A SWUG's Life
Top ten ways to scare off your Valentine’s Day date We here at the Daily Arts section are all about non-conformity. Maybe Valentine’s Day is a consumerist conspiracy tempting us to gorge ourselves on the cheap chocolate and tacky Hallmark bonanza that is choking our hearts and our wallets. Maybe Valentine’s Day is actually a giant performance art piece and Marina Abramovi is fooling us all — let’s sit down at the Rez and stare at each other for hours and not say anything and if we’re both sobbing and in love at the end, we’ll know it’s the real deal. Maybe we really buy into all of the Valentine’s Day garbage. Maybe the fact that there’s a holiday celebrating a dead saint is just goth enough to be chic. We’re going to don our best Morticia Addams looks and draw mustaches on all of the cute cards in the aisles at CVS and let you know if it’s fun. In the mean time, college is a time for free love and no commitments. Break-up with your SO and enjoy Valentine’s Day the traditional way: Burning someone at the stake.
Already have a date for VD-day … or, um, V-Day? No problem. Try our sure-fire ways to de-date yourself ASAP. 10. Go celebrate St. Valentine’s Day in the original fashion: Pillage some villages and kill a saint. Yay blasphemy! 9. Buy you and your date tickets for a Phish concert. Get backstage passes. 8. Make them a mixed CD of only Nicklelback and Kidz Bop. 7. Knit them a sweater made out of your eyelashes. 6. Knit them a sweater made out of your tears. 5. Go out to dinner and announce that you’re actually on a diet where you only eat tablecloths. Eat the table cloth. Tell them it’s performance art.
4. Go out to dinner and announce that you’re actually on a diet where you only eat humans. 3. Tell them that you wrote Iggy Azalea’s hit “Black Widow” (2014). You don’t even have to say that you do the black widow thing and eat your lover postcoitus. That song is just terrible. Read them the lyrics aloud over dinner at Boston Burger Company. “Like it’ll last forever but now forever ain’t as long.” Ugh. Okay, middle school self. 2. Ask them to dance with you barefoot in the snow Isadora Duncan-style. When they refuse, throw snow in their face and scream that they are crushing your creative spirit. 1. Be like Lana: Call your lover ‘Dad.’ —by Nika Korchok
Restaurant Review
Nijiya serves deliciously affordable, allyou-can-eat sushi by Dana Guth Arts Editor
Fresh, cheap, all-you-can-eat sushi right around the corner from Tufts might seem like a mere pipe dream to hungry Jumbos. But at Nijiya Sushi in
Nijiya Sushi 9 High St., Medford MA 02155
(781) 874-2630 $ Medford Square, the fantasy is all too real. There’s no catch — no lines, no buffet, no imitation rolls skimping on all the best ingredients. There’s just good sushi, and a whole lot of it. Here’s how Nijiya works: Customers sit down, get cozy and peruse two typical check-off menus. One consists of all the usual sushi staples, from spicy tuna to dragon rolls. The other offers a comprehensive sampling of soups, salads, dumplings and tempura appetizers. For an absurdly inexpensive blanket price ($13.99 for lunch, $21.99 for dinner, including desserts and specialty rolls for the latter), each person fills in boxes to their heart’s content. From there, it truly is the rawfish feeding frenzy of your fantasies. Servers swoop to and fro like well-oiled machinery, delivering stacked piles of maki, nigiri and hand-rolled perfection. Those of us used to the passable but ultimately frozen (and often questionable) sushi served at Hodgon and Hotung will arrive as skeptics and leave as believers. Nijiya proves that high-quality sushi can be quick, easy and uber-accessible to students. Such a specialized (albeit gimmicky) dining experience demands some serious prior planning. If your party is anything like ours – and massive platters of sushi certainly work best in large groups – you’ll essentially forgo food for the rest of the day to lock down stomach space. Then, upon arrival,
you’ll go crazy drooling all over the order list, scribbling dozens of tallies in a passionate whirl of anticipation. So many possibilities! Five of everything! It’s too good to be true! Well, slow down sushi lover, it kind of is. Nijiya’s one rule is that patrons will be charged double for any leftovers. Financially, it makes total sense that conniving 20-somethings must leave their Tupperware and smuggling expertise at the door. Still, you better be sure you’re literally ordering allyou-can-eat and not a single roll over. This turns the entire Nijiya Experience into a sort of competitive strategy game. Customers must calculate the best way to work the system and get the most bang for their buck. Upon noticing this rule in fine print at the bottom of the menu, we quickly sliced our order in half and reworked our tactic. There were whispers among our group of lining pockets with ZipLocs and taking well-timed digestion breaks. Luckily, the restaurant allows and encourages you to order as you go. Not that that stopped us from vacuum-sucking the sushi up like Hungry Hungry Hippos once it arrived. As one might imagine, the vibe of Nijiya is anything but zen. Upbeat, staccato-laden jazz pulses through the loudspeakers in one large, brightly-lit room. The walls are the same aggressively blue and orange shades as a Miami Dolphins uniform. And there were conspiracy theorists among us: Why did they throw in this free, froofy Valentine’s Day special (a scrumptious salmon maki) to our group’s order? Are they trying to fill us up because they know how much food we ordered? Are they judging us? No, apparently the servers are just incredibly generous. Our waiter was patient and pleasant, which is saying something considering the number of vegans, vegetarians and gluten-free customers at our table (five). Our server brought the food within minutes of us filling out orders, presenting the
sushi in a gorgeous display of drizzled sauce and shiso leaves. Everything is prepared to order. What most of the rolls lack in originality – the lunchtime options are pretty basic – they make up for in freshness and value. The fish-to-rice ratio was on point, and the sheer number of options was overwhelming. We dug into a head-spinning variety of rolls and appetizers: tofu skin, vegetable tempura, octopus, futo, gyoza and miso soups all around. Sure, some of it was simply flash-fried, and you could find more impressive arrangements at a higher-end establishment. But, again, we’re ravenous college students with a free food complex. Save the more high-end cuisine for Parents’ Weekend. All in all, you get more than your money’s worth at Nijiya. Friendly service? Check. Delicious food? Check. Affordable tab? Double-check, as customers amusedly scan their end-ofmeal bill to see a long string of zeroes. It might not be the most inventive or flavorful option the Boston sushi scene has to offer, but for students battling cravings on a budget, Nijiya is an allyou-can-eat castle on a cloud. Nijiya Sushi is located at 9 High St., Medford, MA 02155. Reservations are required for parties of six or more. Reservations can be made by phone 1 (781) 874-2630. Nijiya Sushi is open MondayThursday 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m., FridaySaturday 11:30 a.m.-11:00 p.m., Sunday noon-10:00 p.m.
Courtesy Dana Guth
With careful planning, customers can get the most bang for their buck with the allyou-can-eat sushi at Nijiya Sushi.
What's up this weekend Looking to make your weekend artsy? Check out these events! Major Undecided Presents: 101 Uses for Money: Major Undecided performs its spring show this weekend, packed with comedy, mystery, mayhem and madness. A thorough listing of the uses of money will be included in the show’s content. (Friday at 10 p.m. in Barnum 008. Admission is free, no tickets required.) Tufts Art Gallery Student Advisory Committee Presents: createDATE: Valentine’s Day Card Making: Join the Tufts Art Gallery SAC for an evening of
crafting cards. Cards and supplies will be provided so that students can hand-craft beautiful Valentine’s Day creations for friends, loved ones and cats. Cats are not permitted at this event. (Tonight at 5 p.m. in the Tufts Art Gallery. Admission is free, no tickets required.) Family and Children Concert Series: Tufts Symphony Orchestra: John Page conducts this Valentine’s Day concert featuring music of Tchaikovsky and John Williams’ original “Star Wars” (19772005) suite. (Saturday at 1 p.m. in Distler Performance Hall. Admission is free, no tickets required.)
Sunday at Tufts Community Concert Series: Genres of Middle Eastern Clarinet: Music of Armenia, Turkey, Greece and the Middle East: Performance faculty clarinetist Mal Barsamian will perform clarinet pieces from a variety of composers from Armenia, Turkey, Greece and other countries. The performance will highlight a variety of Middle Eastern musical styles and traditions. (Sunday at 3 p.m. in Distler Performance Hall. Admission is free, no tickets required.) —by Nika Korchok
SWUGS and kisses
H
ow does a SWUG celebrate Valentine’s Day? Stop! In the name of SWUG. Stop! In the name of SWUG. Ugh, Valentine’s Day. Last year on Feb. 14, my mother sent me an article about the rise of STDs on college campuses. Happy Valentine’s Day to me! For some, Valentine’s Day is a day of gagging and avoiding the opposite sex, and for others, it’s a day to celebrate finding love in a hopeless place (a frat basement). Celebrating this day varies greatly depending on your current romantic situation. If you’re single on Valentine’s Day, there are two options here: You can be repulsed by all things Valentine’s Day, or you can celebrate Galentine’s Day (thanks Leslie Knope) with your girlfriends. Implementing the first option isn’t unreasonable. It can be tempting to hate all things love-related on this day, since your single-status is basically being shoved down your throat. It’s hard to avoid all things red, pink and heart shaped, especially if you frequent the interweb. Get off the grid for a day. Turn off your phone, laptop and eyes. Sit in a dark room for 24 hours, until all of the Valentine’s Day chocolate at CVS goes on sale. Option two is a little less depressing. You might be single, but you’re not alone on a deserted island. Go out and celebrate the other loves in your life: your friends. Have a lovely sit-down dinner at The Pub (a tradition of this SWUG), where you can shovel fried cheesy foods and wine into your mouth all night long. Nothing says “love of my life” like a mozzarella stick. If you’re in a complicated situation: You’ve been hooking up with someone for a few weeks. You talk pretty frequently and see each other on the weekends. You haven’t yet had a talk about being exclusive, or where this is going, but it’s no longer a random hookup. Oh, young love. Sound familiar? Valentine’s Day can either be really awkward timing, or the perfect excuse to turn this hookup into an exclusive chocolate-buying buddy. Gauge their interest in seeing you this weekend. Do they want to hang out with you on the days leading up to Valentine’s Day, or even on the actual day? If yes, then make them a mixtape and order them a heart-shaped Helen’s pizza. This one’s a keeper! (Until one of you gets bored.) Or is your sort-of lover ditching Tufts for the long weekend, and not interested in seeing you so close to this ridiculous holiday? In that case, order yourself a heart shaped Helen’s pizza, and see above about celebrating Galentine’s Day with people you can whine (and wine) to about how much people suck. If you’re in a relationship: Congrats! You’ve got someone to share in all of the sappiness and giftgiving of this weekend! You’re a helpless cog in the consumer machine that is Valentine’s Day, and you secretly love every minute of it. Use the long weekend as an excuse to turn Valentine’s Day into a four-day marathon event of presents, dinners, romantic comedies and declarations of love. Piss off all of your single friends by running every gift idea and dinner option by them. Buy a sixfoot-tall teddy bear and keep it in your common room. Live it up and enjoy your time being SWUG in love! But please, please, please keep the annoying instas and FB posts to a minimum. Nobody wants to scroll through dat. In the (close enough) words of Tay Tay, “It’s a SWUG story, baby just say yes!” SWUGS and Kisses, SWUG
Nikki Blank is a senior majoring in English. She can be reached at Nicole.Blank@tufts.edu
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The Tufts Daily
Arts & Living
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Gallery Review
'Sonic Arboretum' blends music, artistry by Anjali Nair
If you’re wandering through the West Gallery of the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), you may find yourself drawn to the tranquil string strokes and whistles of the “Sonic Arboretum.” Nestled in a far corner of the gallery, the dualmedium exhibition explores the interaction between sound and nature. The exhibition, a collaborative effort between sculptor and instrument-maker Ian Scheller and musician Andrew Bird, features a colorful array of ’30s-style horn speakers arranged like fields of geometric wild flowers around the room. Through these exquisitely designed speakers, a 50-minute composition by Bird entitled “Echolocations: Canyon”(2014) plays in a loop. Switching his usual indie-folk sensibilities for more avantgarde violin music, Bird recorded the piece in the Coyote Gulch Canyons of Utah, showcasing the canyons’ acoustic brilliance. “Echolocations” starts out sparsely, the smooth strokes of the violin often waning to reveal the natural echoes that follow. The peaceful beginning, soon textured by additional violins, is a perfect introduction into Bird’s sonic exploration of the canyon. In particular, visitors who are musicians themAssistant Arts Editor
selves may enjoy these initial experiments with reverberations. In the cavernous setting in which they were recorded, different styles and methods of playing result in subtle, complex and compelling timbre changes. Later, the piece becomes playful with whistles and pizzicato patterns that mimic the lively tweets of small birds. Once in a while, the music is accompanied by the soft murmur of a stream, further reminding the listener of the outdoors. As beautiful as the music is on its own, however, it pales in comparison to the experience of visiting the “Sonic Arboretum” in person. Scheller’s artistic and technological craftsmanship elevates the music to new levels by creating visual appeal and acoustic dynamism. Not only are the speakers painted in rich, earthy hues, they also come in a multitude of sizes. Handmade tube amplifiers power all the horns, which are made out of recycled newsprint and dryer lint. Along with clusters of small and medium-sized speakers placed along three walls, two XL horns provide aesthetic balance but still act in the larger asymmetric layout of the room. Perhaps the most interesting visual elements of the exhibition are two large, double-sided horns that continuously spin on top of platforms raised to different heights.
These “Janus horns,” named after the two-faced Roman mythological figure, squeak constantly, causing a mild distraction from the serene atmosphere. They are integral to creating what Scheller calls a “kaleidoscopic moshpit of waveforms,” however, according to the ICA’s mobile visitor guide for the exhibition. Since the Janus horns are in motion, the sound waves are endlessly shifting in relation to a stationary listener. It’s a pretty ingenious design, as ambient echoes from the canyon drift in and out of the sonic field. All this — the old-school aesthetic, the down-to-earth construction, the references to mythology — may lead the visitor to view the installation as characteristically vintage. But a particularly interesting element of the exhibition is the dichotomy of these older features with modern technology. For instance, the crafty invention known as the “Nano-Sync” essentially powers the entire exhibition by synchronizing the touch screens of ten iPod Nanos, which feed into the speakers. It might be strange to think of technology as artistic, but the Nano-Sync, with its warm, glossy surfaces and elegant design, is certainly a work of art. For an exhibition that’s meant to be attuned to nature, such a conspicuous use of artificial elements may seem bizarre. Exposed metal sur-
faces and wiring seem unusual visual choices considering the premise of “Sonic Arboretum.” But the collaboration between the real and the man-made is already a clear theme in “Echolocations.” Bird explores the natural world by producing sounds through his man-made instrument; meanwhile, Scheller builds his speakers by hand, but uses electronic technology to project sounds into space. The work itself argues that technology can be used to show the world something about nature — to recreate the natural dalliances of sound. For visitors craving a relaxing afternoon of meditative sounds, “Sonic Arboretum” is a worthwhile exhibition to visit. Even those who do not stay for the 50-minute duration of the musical piece may linger in the room for longer than they expect, in awe of Scheller’s clever, striking designs and Bird’s contemplative composition. “Sonic Arboretum” will remain in the West Gallery of the ICA until May 10. The ICA is located at 100 Northern Avenue on Boston’s waterfront and is open on weekends and Tuesday through Wednesday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Thursday to Friday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The ICA is closed Mondays. See their website for more detailed hours and ticket prices.
Spotlight
Gabe Rothman fearlessly expands musical repertoire with collaborations, cross-genre experimentation by Jennifer Straitz Assistant Arts Editor
R&B, chamber music, jazz, klezmer, hip-hop, you name it, Gabe Rothman has likely played it. A senior majoring in biopsychology and minoring in music, Rothman joined the Tufts music scene his first fall on campus and hasn’t stopped playing. Taking stock of his musical endeavors throughout his time on the Hill, Rothman reflected in an email interview on the support he has received throughout his time in college, favorite music-making memories and what he is hoping to leave Medford with before graduation this upcoming May. It should come as no surprise that the multi-talented Rothman — trombonist, violinist, guitarist and aspiring mandolin-player — was confident in starting, or rather continuing, his musical career when he arrived at Tufts. He references his time in high school playing with the Contemporary Youth Orchestra, the only ensemble of its type in the country, in getting him to a place where he “was very comfortable being very far outside the box [and] more adventurous in selecting repertoire and assembling collaborations.” While his earlier years at Tufts were spent in more organized groups, his last few semesters have been the most innovative. “Last year I started playing in more student-run groups, and these have become my focus in my last year at Tufts,” Rothman said. Referring to his development of a piece with The Bande, a live accompaniment to Sarabande dances, Rothman notes, “I get a great feeling out of being challenged by amazingly talented musicians, there’s a different, more satisfying sense of ownership over an arrangement that we develop together.” Always quick to acknowledge the contributions of fellow collaborators, Rothman also mentioned his recent playing with funk group Blue Ives. “These guys are some of the best musicians I’ve ever played with … and they make everyone else in the group sound ten times better.” Music lovers won’t regret checking out Rothman’s upcoming performances at the Rez Open Mic on Thursday, Feb. 12 with “The Drunken Noodles,” and also at Zeta Psi in the Jumbonnaroo Music Festival the night of Thursday, March 5 with Blue Ives.
kelly woodruff courtesy gabe rothman
Courtesy jennifer straitz
During his senior year, Rothman has broadened his focus to include several Tufts ensembles.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
The Tufts Daily
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THE TUFTS DAILY Drew Z. Robertson Editor-in-Chief
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Thursday, February 12, 2015
Editorial | OP-ED
Editorial
University must double down on in-class alternatives
There is no doubt that a snow day once in a while can be quite exciting; it can be nice for both professors and students to have a day off and enjoy the snow or just relax with a cup of hot chocolate. After five snow days in very close proximity, however, it comes time to re-evaluate the basic definition of a “snow day.” With tuition being as high as it is at this university, each class, depending on calculations and how many courses one takes, can cost upwards of $200. Although the debate rages on as to what students are really paying for — the degree or the classes — five snow days deep into this semester, it is time for the university to investigate different ways for students to connect with their professors and lecturers when they are isolated by snow. Although no one wants to be ‘that person’ who tells the professor at the end of the class that she forgot to assign extra readings, there is indeed a growing abhorrence for cancellations on campus this semester. After the recent days off on Monday Feb. 9 and Tuesday Feb. 10 it became evident that frustrations were rising across the board in the Tufts community. One member of the student body declared that Tufts had become more like “staying at an expensive hotel” than going to college on the popular app “Yik-Yak.” The “yak” received a lot of upvotes, indicating that many students
agreed. Although humorous in nature, the post was not far from the truth. What makes this truth unacceptable, however, is that there are entire universities that operate online. Is it so far-fetched to have an infrastructure to connect students to professors when they cannot physically sit in class? While it would be unreasonable to suggest that Tufts strive to remain open during snowstorms and unsafe conditions when many other universities in the area, as well as public transportation, were shut down, the administration should provide faculty with the adequate means and tools to make up class. They should train professors on how to use them and encourage their use. Currently, one of the methods used to make up class is an online module called “webex,” where students call into the class and can see their professor’s screen and hear him or her give a lecture. They can also ask questions over chat, but the general feel of it is quite similar to watching a YouTube video. Although this is in no way a replacement for the live interactions one has in a classroom, it is perhaps the next best thing. It is far preferable to have some consolation in the form of a recorded lecture rather than simply ignoring the lecture and its topic altogether. Another way to make up class would be to schedule make-up lectures
on Fridays or find ways to add more Monday schedules into the schedule. The issue with this is that there has been no administrative decision on whether or not this will happen, so professors are left unsure as to how they should adjust their curriculums. A better way to handle this would be for the university to provide students and professors with a clear decision on what they plan to do about making up missed classes. On top of severely impacting our campus’ infrastructure, the recent storms have also put the Tufts community under a spell of confusion. General interest meetings and other campus events are being constantly rescheduled, exams are being pushed back and several classes are lessons behind. The university needs to effectively communicate with and support the student body and faculty in order to lead us out of this confusion. When classes get cancelled, there is no one right way to make them up. There can never be a replacement for sitting in class and conversing with fellow students and with professors. However, simply writing off a snow day and classes missed as ‘lost causes’ is not only irresponsible, but also an unethical waste of tuition dollars. There is indeed a middle ground out there, and class cancelations need no longer be seen as an ‘all or nothing’ situation.
Jennifer Lien
Scott Geldzahler Executive Op-Ed Editor Ray Bernoff Susan Kaufman Olivia Montgomory Ruchira Parikh Keran Chen Cartoonists Ty Enos Jennifer Lien Hannah Hoang Editorialists Katie Matejcak Natasha Khwaja Bailey Werner Nicholas Pfosi Evan Sayles Caroline Ambros Sofie Hecht
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OFF THE HILL | George Washington University
Higher education can take a hint from TED by Georgia Lawson The GW Hatchet
We’ve all been there: sitting in a lecture hall, listening to the professor drone on, trying to stay awake but feeling, well, disconnected. Often, I find myself attending lectures just for the participation points. Of course, I’ve taken a handful of fascinating classes taught by experts in their fields. But even the most dynamic professors are often restricted by an education system that requires them to dump information on us for an hour and 15 minutes. To begin solving this problem, we can examine a relatively new form of education: TED. A nonprofit organization, TED seeks to spread ideas and generate conversation across the world through a range of short talks. The group’s conferences have even inspired a new branch of events called TEDx, independently organized TED-like conferences. At GW, students have the perfect opportunity to experience this for themselves. On April 3, Lisner Auditorium will host Foggy Bottom’s annual TEDx event, which has quadrupled its attendance since 2011.
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.
I’m on the organizing team, and working on TEDx this year has made me think more critically about the college experience. TED is an educational platform – with every video I watch, I learn something new. Why is it that I can’t pay attention in math class, but I can become engrossed in a 15-minute talk about numbers? How are TED Talks trendy, while lectures remain dry? The difference is clear: TED focuses on innovation rather than memorization. It’s a platform for individuals to present non-normative ideas and outline real pathways to change. TED excites people because it demonstrates that there’s still plenty out there waiting to be discovered – and there are new ways to make those discoveries. Our education system should take a hint from the main point of TED – that people learn better by receiving short, streamlined bursts of information. And TED has generated so much interest because it is focused on the kinds of messages we desperately need to hear. It has turned a traditional educational format, standing in front of a room and talking, into a widely appealing platform.
Students with no background in science can immerse themselves in genetics, and people who have never had the means to travel can learn about the other side of the globe. Talks can be watched online with just a few clicks. Some may say it’s popular because young people, who comprise a significant portion of the TED viewership, are addicted to screens and have diminishing attention spans. Many of the talks are even available on Netflix. But we should be open to new methods of spreading information if traditional classes continue to bore students while 18-minute videos pique more interest than the $200,000 education we spend four years trying to secure. If an education is going to get us anywhere, not only do we need to memorize the theories in our textbooks, but we also need to learn how to think critically and act on our knowledge. It’s time that education takes a hint from TED by bridging this gap between memorization and innovation. We need fewer multiple-choice tests that teach us there are only ever four or five possible answers to a problem. We need to break down the “onesize-fits-all” template of education.
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Thursday, February 12, 2015
The Tufts Daily
Op-Ed
Stewart leaves politics better than he found it by Jamie Neikrie Op-Ed Contributor
After 16 years, Jon Stewart is departing from “The Daily Show.” Since taking over as host in 1999 from Craig Kilborn, Stewart turned the late-night satire show into a source of scathing wit, a place of social and political commentary and a cultural phenomenon. Stewart announced his plans to depart “The Daily Show” during a taping on Tuesday, noting that he would “remain at the helm of ‘The Daily Show’ until later this year.” Comedy Central, the network that airs “The Daily Show,” followed up Stewart’s announcement with a public letter thanking Stewart for his work and achievements with the network. Jon Stewart’s “brilliance is second to none,” said the network, adding that, “Through his unique voice and vision, ‘The Daily Show’ has become a cultural touchstone for millions of fans.” While the future of the program is unclear and a new host has yet to be named, Comedy Central is certain that, thanks to the environment and ethic that Stewart created, the show will continue to be “an unparalleled platform for political comedy that will endure for years to come.” The writing was on the wall for Stewart’s departure when, in June 2013, the host took a 12-week break to direct his first movie, “Rosewater,” a drama about a journalist jailed by Iran for four months. John Oliver replaced Stewart at the anchor desk for two months, followed by one month of re-runs. Oliver received positive reviews for his hosting, leading to his departure from the show for his own show “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.” Besides Oliver, the show has long served as a spotlight and launching platform for a number of young, talented comedians such as Steve Carrell, Ed Helms, Demetri Martin and Rob Riggle. Stephen Colbert rose to fame first as a correspondent for “The Daily Show” and later as a host of “The Colbert Report,” a Fox News-like news program that satirically contradicts the message of its predecessor. Stewart’s announcement comes as a harsh blow in tandem with the departure of Stephen Colbert from “The Colbert Report.” It was announced on April 10, 2014 that Colbert had been chosen to succeed David Letterman as the host of the “Late Show” after Letterman retires in May of this year. While “The Colbert Report” has since been replaced by “The Nightly Show,” hosted by former “Daily Show” correspondent Larry Wilmore, the new program has yet to garner
Op-Ed
the critical acclaim or public presence of either Colbert or Stewart’s programs. During Stewart’s reign, “The Daily Show” went from a novelty news program on a littlewatched comedy network to a legitimate political and cultural force. A poll released last year by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that 21 percent of people aged 18 to 29 cited “The Daily Show” as a place where they regularly learned presidential campaign news. By contrast, 23 percent of the young people mentioned ABC, CBS or NBC’s nightly news broadcasts as a source. Even more startling is the change from just four years ago. When the same question was asked in 2000, Pew found only 9 percent of young people pointed to the comedy shows and 39 percent to the network news shows. In terms of age, the “Colbert Report” (80 percent), “Daily Show” (74 percent) and the New York Times (67 percent) have the biggest percentage of viewers and readers in the coveted 18-49-year-old demographic. Stewart and “The Daily Show” often drew ire from conservatives for toeing the line between news and comedy, but the show always managed to maintain a brilliant balance. Ben Karlin, the show’s executive producer, acknowledged that “a ‘Daily Show’ viewer who doesn’t supplement it with real news isn’t very well-informed.” However, perhaps without knowing it, Stewart helped create a program that attracted a younger generation in a way that traditional news sources never could. In “The Daily Show,” our generation, so famous for its political apathy, found a source that could condense, distill and disseminate information in an entertaining way. Jon Stewart’s departure leaves a hole in the political culture of our nation. But over his 16 years, was the “Daily Show” host able to change anything, to leave a lasting effect on politics in this country? In October 2010, Stewart and Colbert led The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear, a gathering Stewart described as an opportunity for reasoned and balanced voices to be heard among the more vocal and extreme 15 to 20 percent of Americans who “control the conversation” of American politics. About 215,000 people attended the rally, which took place at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Besides creating publicity, segments on “The Daily Show” could be directly pointed to as the source of political action. Over the last two years, Stewart has repeatedly highlighted issues of dysfunction and corruption such as the Department of Veterans Affairs, leading President Obama to
pledge during his 2014 State of the Union address to reduce the backlog of pending disability benefit claims by veterans. According to a year-end report from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the backlog dropped by 60 percent from the high of March 2013 (611,073 cases) to September 2014 (241,991), and as Obama proudly announced during this year’s address, “We’re slashing the backlog that had too many veterans waiting years to get the benefits they need.” After the United States Senate failed to pass and the media failed to cover the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act, which would have provided health monitoring and financial aid to sick first-responders of the Sep. 11 attacks, Stewart dedicated the entire Dec. 16, 2010 broadcast to the issue. During the next week, a revived version of the bill gained new life, with the potential of being passed before the winter recess. Stewart was praised by both politicians and affected first-responders for the bill’s passage. According to Syracuse University professor of television, radio and film Robert J. Thompson, “Without him, it’s unlikely it would’ve passed. I don’t think Brian Williams, Katie Couric or Diane Sawyer would’ve been allowed to do this.” But the influence and importance of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” extends beyond bills and laws. Over the course of my life, Stewart’s political message has constantly served as the antithesis of the divisive and ideologically driven work put forth by other news organizations. CNN’s “Crossfire” helped create the model for the modern debate-drive news program. But after Jon Stewart’s appearance on the show in 2005, the show went off the air for eight years. Stewart accurately criticized “Crossfire” for creating a public discourse that reduced news coverage to a series of talking points from both extremes of the political spectrum. “It’s hurting America,” Stewart said. “Here is what I wanted to tell you guys: Stop … You have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably.” For 16 years, Stewart actively combatted this vision of politics. During high school, when sleep was a coveted currency, I woke up early every morning so that I could watch “The Daily Show” over breakfast. I woke up early because I knew that I walk away from the table not only informed and interested, but happy. Jon Stewart helped instill in me a vision of American politics that could be productive rather than obstructionist, beneficial rather than destructive. For this, and for all the laughs, he will be sorely missed.
A time to break eggs by Zach Shapiro Op-Ed Contributor
For all his idiosyncrasies and egotism, I’m confident that Tyler Durden, of “Fight Club” fame, would have made a formidable military strategist. His musing that “If you want to make an omelet, you’ve gotta break some eggs,” aptly characterizes grounded, honest realism. It is exceedingly relevant in the age of the terrorist group ISIS, ISIL, or whatever it is we choose to call them today. Before I take the ‘Durdenist’ stance and call for a forceful American military campaign against ISIS, let’s recap how the West and its Middle Eastern allies have fared against the new barbarism. President Obama did not start off particularly well when he called ISIS no more than a “JV team” last year. Shockingly, the president got that one wrong. No matter. In the months since the beginning of the grave ethical and strategic threat posed by ISIS, the US and the West have barely committed to a serious, dedicated effort against the well-financed and well-armed group. A fateful day in the fight came this past week. One morning, a captured Jordanian pilot was burned to death in an act of medieval brutality. Jordan’s warrior-king, King Abdullah, has promised to rain hell upon the Islamic State. How this will affect the greater fight against ISIS is left to be determined. But beneath
shaky coalitions and angry Arab monarchs, the sad truth is that the US-backed coalition is engaged in a haphazard game of chicken with the epitome of bad guys. As things develop and worsen, as more innocent people die at the hands of savages, I am only left wondering what horrific atrocity is next on ISIS’ hit list. As burning a caged man alive trends on Twitter, the United States has no choice but to act. We may still be reeling from the heavy toll of our campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. We could spend hours debating the costs and benefits of these endeavors. But we all can agree that no one else can do that which is necessary and confront ISIS headon with a sustained, fully-fledged ground operation. Nor will anyone else take the next step forward. An American ground campaign against ISIS would come at a considerable price. Yet an air campaign, without sustained ground support, is not cutting it. As we saw in Kobani, success against ISIS requires a wellsupplied, protracted bombing campaign and well-trained and well-armed ground troops. Soldiers will die. Iraqi civilians will sustain casualties. Whereas Kobani’s non-combatant population had been evacuated or forced out before the showdown, that will not be the case in Kirkuk, Mosul or elsewhere in Iraq. In consequence of any ground campaign,
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Op-Ed
some have invoked morality, claiming that mounting a blunt, fierce military campaign blurs our moral superiority. To these moralistic few; do the ends not justify the means when we are faced with pure evil? I do not want to even begin to imagine what the world would be today if that sentiment prevailed as the Luftwaffe bombarded London, Free France fell or the British retreated from Dunkirk. Practically speaking, more ISIS-led rape and murder will dangerously embolden groups like Boko Haram and the Khorasan Cell. It would be a stretch to think that a hashtag campaign or a tweet of the first lady pouting will leave them quaking with fear or, more importantly, stop them in their tracks. As far as I’m concerned, American withdrawal from Iraq contributed to ISIS’ meteoric rise. We must acknowledge that Monday morning quarterbacking won’t defeat this potent strain of Islamic extremism. It won’t bring back Kenji Goto, Stephen Sotloff or James Foley. More journalists will die, more children raped and more captives burnt alive if the reign of the rapidly growing “JV team” remains unchecked, their hegemony unchallenged and their resolve unbroken. I hope President Obama accepts the reality that it is time to send in the troops and break some eggs.
Pooja Sivaraman and Rebecca Solomon | New York Style Delhi
Ice ice baby
P
ooja: As a third-year survivor of Massachusetts’s harsh winter conditions, there are some lessons that I have learned along the way. Firstly, a standard answer for the typical “What’s your biggest fear?” questions: hands down, BLACK ICE. For those of you that don’t have it as your top-priority fear, it just hasn’t gotten you yet. After sliding down two flights of the Memorial Steps last winter, I have a sore attitude (and tail bone) towards the month of February as well as some of Tufts’ safety precautions. So, in attempts to beat the system this year, I purchased a new product called “Stable-Icers”: fun name, fun product — or that’s what one would think. Two stretchable devices that can be attached to your winter boot, equipped with spiked soles for utmost traction. While they seem to work relatively well on ice, the product unfortunately does not come with a warning on indoor use, leaving me faceplanted once again. So, for those of you online shoppers who believe in the power of the pun-for-product design, think again — the Stable-Icers aren’t so Stable-Nicers. Dear NYSD, What are your thoughts on Justin Bieber? Pooja: Well, although general society appears to have a shared opinion on his intellect and general moral behavior, I do have to say that I am appreciating what he is doing artistically these days. I personally feel that I would be a Belieber if he simply stuck to what he’s good at: R&B. My thoughts on Justin are that I like what he’s been doing and want to see more. If Justin Bieber, Chris Brown, Drake and DJ Mustard do a song together, I swear to you my life will be made forever. So if any of you four are reading, please, for the sake of this Snowpocalypse, make us some decent study music. Dear Pooja, How does it feel to look like a carpet today? Rebecca: Pooja really does not want to answer this question. It makes her selfconscious. Pooja has no recollection of what she was wearing on the day this question was submitted, nor does she believe she has any carpet-like clothing articles. However, with her penchant for oneclick away purchases on Amazon Prime, I believe that many of her “steals” can fall into this category. It is possible that Pooja was wearing a pair of Uggs that we both own (sometimes her bad judgment can cloud mine) or one of her over-sized sweaters that she brought back from some market in China. Though, my favorite theory is that Pooja was having a bad hair day as we all experience. But how does she feel about looking like a carpet? Unhappy, this is a dark moment for the Pooj. Dear NYSD, Do you believe in life after love? Rebecca: Yes! An overarching theme of my life has been my love of Cher and my pursuit to see her before she stops touring. Cher does not feel the same way. She has canceled the concert I was slated to see three times. I feel quite disenchanted. At first, I was disappointed in Cher. I felt like the spark in our relationship had been snuffed out. In order to cope, as I often do, I listened to “Believe.” Cher’s voice loftily asks, “Do you believe in life after love?” I know that the answer is yes — though she broke my heart — I know that I am strong enough to move on. Just to clarify, move on means dutifully wait until she announces a new tour. As I wait for Cher, we’re also waiting for more question submissions to our Google Doc! Please keep submitting! Reading these questions is the only extracurricular Pooja and I have. 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.
Op-ed Policy The Op-Ed section of The Tufts Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. The Daily welcomes submissions from all members of the Tufts community; the opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Daily itself. Opinion articles on campus, national and international issues should be 600 to 1,200 words in length. Op-Ed cartoons are also welcomed for the Campus Canvas feature. All material is subject to editorial discretion and is not guaranteed to appear in the Daily. All material should be submitted to oped@tuftsdaily.com no later than noon on the day prior to the desired day of publication; authors must submit their telephone numbers and day-of availability for editing questions. Submissions may not be published elsewhere prior to their appearance in the Daily, including but not limited to other on- and off-campus newspapers, magazines, blogs and online news websites, as well as Facebook. Republishing of the same piece in a different source is permissible as long as the Daily is credited with originally running the article.
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Hiring for Fall Student Managers
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Thursday, February 12, 2015
The Oliver Chapman Award Given to an Outstanding Senior who has contributed to the Tufts International Community through leadership and community service.
Tufts Dining is now recruiting to hire Fall Student Managers in all Units
NOMINATIONS ARE BEING ACCEPTED NOW! The International Center is accepting nominations, on behalf of the I-Club, from all students, faculty, and staff for an outstanding senior who has demonstrated a strong commitment to the International Community.
Student Managers assist the professional management team with the oversight and supervision of selected shifts. They will ensure that all closing and/or opening procedures are followed properly, that service obligations are met, staffing is adequate, service areas are fresh, clean, and prepared, and that operational goals of the unit are being met daily. Positions are available in all Dining Units. All Tufts Students are encouraged to apply. Starting rate of pay is $11.00 per hour
If you would like to apply or learn more about the hiring process, please send your resume and/or inquiry to Nolan.Karpinski@tufts.edu, Nolan is Tufts Dining Student Coordinator. All resumes must be received by February 20th
NOMINATIONS TO BE TURNED IN BY FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015 Do you have a senior in mind that you would like to nominate? Complete the OLIVER CHAPMAN LEADERSHIP AWARD 2015 NOMINATION FORM Available online on the I-Center homepage: http://ase.tufts.edu/icenter/ under Events & Announcements Or at the International Center, 20 Sawyer Avenue
THE RECIPIENT WILL BE HONORED AT THE PARADE OF NATIONS CULTURAL EXTRAVAGANZA ON SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2015
Tufts LCS Blood Drive Tuesday, February 17, 2015 12:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Tufts University Carmichael Hall - Lounge Wednesday, February 18, 2015 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Tufts University Carmichael Hall - Lounge Thursday, February 19, 2015 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Tufts University Carmichael Hall - Lounge Friday, February 20, 2015 12:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. Tufts University Carmichael Hall - Lounge To schedule an appointment please visit lcs.blooddrive@gmail.com
Thursday, February 12, 2015
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FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 12, 2015
Crossword
Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Doonesbury
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
ACROSS 1 Popular 6 Scale syllables 9 Drives away 14 Simple-living sect 15 Guitar attachment? 16 Pope John Paul II’s given name 17 Warm-water ray 18 Ziegfeld with follies 19 Donald Jr.’s mom 20 One of the deadly sins 21 What a flap may cover 22 Four-time Emmy winner for Outstanding Drama Series 23 Longtime Lehrer partner 26 __ spoon 29 Coniferous secretions 33 “The imperious __ breed monsters”: Shakespeare 34 New England food fish 36 Goes bad 38 Edible pockets 40 Sign before Virgo 41 Canadian bottle size 42 Computer text code 43 Sturdy tree 44 Bond’s car starter? 45 Pi-sigma link 46 “Life Is Good” rapper 48 Pig’s digs 50 Lacking a mate 51 Broadway songwriting team __ and Ebb 53 Starts from scratch 55 Urban centers, and what this puzzle’s circles represent 59 Start of a spell 61 Dome openings 62 Melville’s Billy 65 China neighbor 66 Fabric information spot 67 Ruse 68 1953 Caron film
Comics
by Garry Trudeau
Non Sequitur by Wiley
2/12/15
By Jeffrey Wechsler
69 Helps with the dishes 70 Michaelmas mo.
Wednesday’s Puzzle Solved wednesday’s Solution
DOWN 1 Priest from the East 2 Mogadishu-born model 3 Wenceslaus, e.g. 4 Acapulco-toOaxaca dirección 5 Greg’s sitcom wife 6 Series of biological stages 7 C.S. Lewis lion 8 Shelf-restocking sources 9 Résumé essentials 10 “__ Nagila” 11 Unwritten 12 Chaplin granddaughter 13 Diner side 24 Animal in some of Aesop’s fables 25 Mil. roadside hazard 26 Teahouse hostess 27 Certain exterminator’s concern 28 Morales of “La Bamba” 30 Pupil controller
Married to the Sea
©2015 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
31 Having second thoughts 32 Took steps 33 Bit of inspiration 35 Baha’i, e.g.: Abbr. 37 Ships 39 Strength 41 Cake section 47 Composer Schoenberg 49 Gets behind 52 “__ say!”: parental warning
2/12/15
54 Results of getting behind 56 Dueling memento 57 Android media console brand 58 1997 Fonda role 59 The whole lot 60 Chinese-born actress __ Ling 63 Fist bump 64 Combo vaccine, for short
THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME
by David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek
www.marriedtothesea.com
Unscramble these four Jumbles, one letter to each square, to form four ordinary words.
©2015 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved.
HIRDT LANDAS INDALS
SUDOKU
Check out the new, free JUST JUMBLE app
TANIG
Level: Having two days of school in a row.
Now arrange the circled letters to form the surprise answer, as suggested by the above cartoon.
A: Yesterday’s
(Answers tomorrow) Jumbles: FAITH DUNCE WEAPON DEVOUR Answer: The zombies made a snowman in the — DEAD OF WINTER
Late Night at the Daily
Wednesday’s Solution
Jon: “I feel like he could have found some cheaper balls.”
Please recycle this Daily.
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Jumbos hold slim lead on final playoff spot ICE HOCKEY
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play goal from up top.” The second game saw both teams score in the first period, but senior defenseman Mark Roper’s power play goal put the Camels up 2-1, roughly 13 minutes into the first period. Neither team scored in a hotly contested second period that included penalties for slashing, unsportsmanlike conduct, hitting after the whistle and boarding.
Ray Bernoff / The Tufts Daily
Junior forward Keith Campbell had one of the Jumbos’ two goals over the weekend. Conn. College essentially put the game away when junior forward Tim DiPretoro converted another power play in the third, although elbowing and double roughing were called after the goal. The Camels’ fourth and final goal was scored by senior forward Zach Jones against an empty net.
Freshman forward Brian Brown had a nice goal for the Jumbos in a losing effort. “Brian Brown scored a fantastic breakaway goal on a great pass from [junior defenseman] Brian Ouellette, who hesitated and then split the [defense] on a pass, and [Brown] deked the goalie out of his jock-strap,” Randaccio said of Tufts’ lone goal. In the Valley Forum game the day before, Tufts appeared to dominate the majority of the first period, getting off a dozen shots on Conn. College’s junior goalie Tom Conlin, but it was Conn. College who struck first when sophomore forward Joe Giordano broke away and scored on a pass from classmate Ryan Mowery at 10:06. Tufts sophomore goalie Mason Pulde recovered to make many difficult saves and block a shot from an all-alone DiPretorio at the beginning of the second period. Six minutes into the second period, however, the Camels scored again. This time, Birmingham netted one off a DiPretorio assist. Senior forward JC Cangelosi also assisted. Tufts junior forward Keith Campbell put the Jumbos on the board after a tricky behind the back pass from sophomore forward Mike Leary. Junior forward Luke Griffin also earned an assist. Tufts had plenty of good looks throughout the game, leading shots
Steven Hefter | The Association
on goal 31-27, but it just couldn’t get past Conn. College. “I don’t think we made enough plays to give ourselves a chance to win the game,” coach Brian Murphy said. “In the first and second period, we didn’t do what we needed … We didn’t win enough battles on the wall. I just talked to the team, and we played 20 minutes of hockey, in my opinion, the way we need to to win games.” Pulde and the Tufts defense were able to stay within one point in the face of multiple Conn. College fast breaks, but despite emptying the net with under two minutes to go, the offense couldn’t convert. “Mason Pulde made the save of a lifetime on a three-on-two that we were all staring at an empty net for, and he dove across,” Randaccio said. Tufts is now susceptible to a Colby resurgence and could be knocked out of the playoffs should Colby make up the current two point difference. The Jumbos, however, are committed to avoiding such a collapse at all costs. “Down the stretch, everybody in February is playing at top speed,” Randaccio said. “Especially these [next four games] — it’s definitely a desire game at this point. Tensions run high, people are making playoff pushes and everybody is vulnerable.”
Jumbos look to get healthy after disappointing finish at NESCACs MEN’S SQUASH
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“We will be working hard on our strokes at practices and keeping up our fitness to ensure that we are in good shape for nationals,” Advani said. Kardon believes that game management will be essential for the Jumbos to succeed. “Shot selection,” he said, when asked about what the most important focus of the team was. “At this point, we are as fit as we will be. We just need to focus on strategy and choosing the right shots in the right positions.” Aside from the physical goals between now and Nationals, Schweitzer said the team needs to focus on their mental strength. “Sudoku, crosswords and jigsaw puzzles are all great ways to do this,” he said. The team remains optimistic about their chances in Nationals as they ended up with a higher national ranking than expected this season. “We just jumped into the highly competitive D Division, which is great news for our national ranking,” Kardon said. “We will be a top 30 national team. The only question is, can we be top 25? I think we can. We have a strong chance of finishing between 2-4 in the competitive D national division.”
Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily
Senior Zach Schweitzer hopes to rally his team after tough defeats at NESCACs.
Jumbos feel prepared for NESCACs WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING continued from back
polish will translate to season-best times at Wesleyan. “Everyone wants to do their season’s best — and hopefully lifetime best — in all of their events, and if that happens, everyone will be thrilled,” Bigelow said. “We are resting, getting sharper with our training and mentally preparing to swim and dive at our best level.” As their season winds down, the Jumbos have also been spending more
leisure time together out of the pool. Coniglio cited team bonding events such as pasta dinners and group study sessions as ways in which the team has grown closer. These fun activities are intended to strengthen team chemistry, provide additional relaxation and above all, improve results in the pool. “NESCAC preparation is done both in and out of the pool, really,” Coniglio said. “Mental attitude is sometimes even more important than physical preparation. If you believe you’re going to swim fast, then you will.”
Tufts also hopes to send several members to the NCAA Championships in Shenandoah, Texas over spring break. But with NCAAs over a month away, the Jumbos are focused on being in top form this weekend. “We hope that everyone who swims will touch the wall, look up at the board and see a best time, which in turn means that more girls are getting into finals for scoring position,” Hao said. “We have a strong group of girls, and I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish.”
Thanks, coach
W
ith the Patriots winning Super Bowl XLIX in heroic fashion a mere week-and-a-half ago, writers everywhere discussed the greatness of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick as a duo. After all, they have won four Super Bowls together and were NFL runner-ups on two other occasions in 2008 and 2012. Despite what anyone wants to say about questionable tactics in this year’s playoffs or in past years, Brady and Belichick will go down in history as perpetual kings of the AFC East and Super Bowl contenders year in and year out. So what does this have to do with basketball? This week, former North Carolina coach Dean Smith passed away at the age of 83. All who were lucky enough to know him lauded him far more for his “concern for people,” as current Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said, than his success on the basketball court. Just for reference, Smith retired with 877 career wins, the most by any NCAA coach when he retired, reached 11 Final Fours and won 2 national championships in 1982 and 1993. Just yesterday, Jerry Tarkanian, former University of Nevada, Las Vegas coach who led the Rebels to the 1990 national championship, passed away at the age of 84. I’d be writing until next Thursday if I wanted to unpack and delve into Tarkanian’s legacy as a basketball coach. I will just say that he broke a lot of barriers and put UNLV basketball on the map even though his alltoo-often dealings with the NCAA dampened his public image. Tark the Shark will be remembered as one of those coaches who changed college basketball. Despite these tragic events, a grand milestone was reached on Monday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Spurs defeated the Pacers 95-93, a gritty win that perfectly mirrored Gregg Popovich’s previous 999 wins. Yes, Gregg Popovich became the ninth coach in the NBA to pile up 1,000 career wins. He joins an elite club that includes names such as Don Nelson, Jerry Sloan, Pat Riley and Phil Jackson. Despite being the newcomer to the group, Coach Pop has the other coaches’ numbers on many statistical categories. For example, Popovich is the only one of these coaches to have a winning record against every team he has faced in his career with the Spurs. Jackson is the only other coach that has a winning record against at least 28 teams. Popovich is the third fastest coach to reach 1,000 wins, needing just 1,462 games to get there. All of Pop’s wins have come with San Antonio, along with his five NBA titles — tied for third most all-time — and three NBA Coach of the Year Awards. According to the Simple Rating System, a metric that adjusts margins of victory for strength of schedule, Pop’s teams are second to Jackson’s at 5.44 points per game above average against Jackson’s 5.94. “I’ve been here a long time, and I’ve had good players. That’s the formula,” Popovich said. Don’t sell yourself short, Pop. Let this column be a tribute to the excellent coaches that I have mentioned. All of them would probably respond to their successes by crediting their players. And to anyone who tries to discredit them, I am sure Michael Jordan, Larry Johnson, Tim Duncan and Tom Brady would probably have something to say back to you.
Steven Hefter is a junior majoring in economics. He can be reached at Steven. Hefter@tufts.edu.
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Men’s Hockey
Men’s Squash
Optimistic Jumbos look Tufts swept by Conn. College in forward to Nationals key conference matchup by Alexa Meltzer Contributing Writer
The 11th-seeded men’s squash team traveled to Williams College last weekend for the 2015 NESCAC Championship tournament prepared and confident. The Jumbos were unable to come home with team success, however, due to a few critical players’ being injured. “We didn’t perform as well as we hoped,” senior Elliot Kardon said. Two of those injuries kept senior Zach Schweitzer and junior tri-captain Aditya Advani out of the lineup for two of the three matches. This limited the potential for the Jumbos’ success this past weekend. “Both Zach and I were injured and found it hard to compete at a level that we usually do, so it became hard to get those important wins,” Advani said. “We hope to perform better these coming weekends.” In the first round, Tufts lost 9-0 to sixth-seeded Wesleyan. Following the loss, the Jumbos played their top rival, the Camels of Conn. College, in the first consolation match. The Jumbos have been looking forward to this match as they had recently lost to the Camels, but they believed that they could flip the results a second time around. “We really hoped to upset Conn. College and felt we had a good chance,” Kardon said. “Unfortunately, they really showed up to play, and we were riddled with a few injuries and sick players.” Tufts ended up losing to Conn. College 8-1 on Friday night. Senior Hugo Meggit had a thrilling victory, however, earning the Jumbos one point dur-
ing that match. Meggit’s victory was an emotional one, as it would prove to be his last match in NESCAC play as a Jumbo. His win was an extremely close five-game match: 3-11, 11-8, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9. Although the losses looked bad on paper, Kardon and Advani both agreed that the team’s inability to stay healthy hindered its recent performances. “I think we played as well as we could have, but the injuries resulted in some unfortunate losses,” Advani said. “With some recovery time this coming week, I feel we will do better in the next few matches.” In order to keep the team’s spirits high through injuries and losses, Schweitzer had a unique approach. “I’m a spiritual rather than physical leader,” Schweitzer said. “We hold meetings for worship and other meditative activities to keep morale up and crystal clear focus.” Kardon also pointed to the strong team dynamics, which keep the team morale so high through hardship. “We also have great camaraderie on the team … all the guys like hanging out with each other,” Kardon said. “At this point, we stay motivated for each other.” The Jumbos still have an opportunity to finish on a high note this year — both as a team and individually — with the College Squash Association (CSA) Team Championships, scheduled for the weekend of Feb. 20 and the CSA Individual Championships, scheduled for the weekend of Feb. 27. As the Jumbos gear up for the team championships, they have their physical and mental game to improve upon. see MEN’S SQUASH, page 11
by Phillip Goldberg Assistant Sports Editor
Conn. College outmuscled Tufts 2-1 on Feb. 6 at Valley Forum in Malden, ICE HOCKEY (7-12-1 Overall, 4-9-1 NESCAC) at New London, Conn., Saturday Tufts Conn. College
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and then again 4-1 the next day at Dayton Arena in the
two teams’ annual homeand-home series. Despite the disappointing losses, Tufts’ record of 7-12-1 and 4-9-1 in conference has them holding steady in the eighth and final playoff spot, just above Colby (5-12-3, 2-9-3) and below Middlebury (8-9-3, 1-13-0). “[ The Camels] weren’t scouted as physical, but we ended up having a pretty physical game, especially on Saturday,” junior forward James Randaccio said. “They’re quick; they move the puck up the ice really quickly. ‘They score a lot in transition’ was our scouting report going in.” Based on the physicality of the weekend’s games,
this season’s playoff push has begun. The two teams combined for a total of 19 penalties over the weekend, of which Conn. College contributed 10. Tufts served more time in the penalty box, however, thanks to unsportsmanlike conduct by sophomore defenseman Sean Kavanagh, worth 10:00 minutes in the second period of Saturday’s game. “[That was] a bit uncharacteristic for us to be honest,” Randaccio said. “I don’t know how many of them were good penalties or not, but we took a couple offensive zone penalties and two of them hurt us — one was a really nice power see ICE HOCKEY, page 11
Ray Bernoff / The Tufts Daily
Tufts junior forward Keith Campbell carries the puck during the men’s ice hockey team’s 7-2 defeat against Trinity at the Malden Forum Ice Rink on Nov. 16.
Women’s Swimming and Diving
Women's swimming NESCAC preview by Tyler Maher Sports Editor
For most members of the women’s swimming and diving team, the long season that began before Thanksgiving will finally come to a close at this weekend’s NESCAC Championships. Tufts is sending 23 swimmers and one diver (sophomore Kylie Reiman) to the event, which is taking place at Wesleyan University Feb. 13-15. Tufts hopes to ride a wave of momentum into the meet after winning two of its final three dual-meets of the season against Wheaton College and Wesleyan. “We are very excited for this upcoming weekend,” senior tri-captain Scarlett Hao said. “We have been forming team goals and process goals all season with this meet in mind. Every girl has put in the work since day one and even before that, so we hope this will translate into what we want to achieve.” Tufts also aims to improve upon its seventh-place finish at last year’s NESCACs, which won’t be easy given the high level of competition it expects to face.
Ethan Chan / The Tufts Daily
The women’s swimming and diving has spent the last week getting ready for the NESCAC Championships. “Every year, this meet gets faster and faster,” senior tricaptain Kathryn Coniglio said. “For swimming especially, the NESCAC is one of the most
competitive Div. III conferences in the country. Swimming is a unique sport in that you can’t really play ‘defense.’ It’s hard to have a team-place goal because
we can’t control [how opponents perform]; we can only control how fast we swim as a team.” Be that as it may, coach Nancy Bigelow expects Tufts
to battle Bowdoin for sixth place. Buoyed by their recent success, however, the Jumbos believe they can do even better by combining strong individual races with high scores in their relays. “I’m really excited for our relays, because they’re always the most exciting part of the meet, and they are worth a ton of points,” Coniglio said. “Personally, I would like to see a top-eight finish in my 100 and 200 freestyle.” According to senior tricaptain Amanda Wachenfeld, Tufts has been tapering (resting) for two weeks leading up to the event. Consequently, the 11 Jumbos that shaved and tapered for the Middlebury Invite at the end of January will not be competing in this event. The rest of the team has reduced its practice workload while simultaneously increasing the speed and pace of workouts — the aquatic equivalent of running sprints instead of miles. Tufts has also been finetuning the little things, such as relay exchanges. The Jumbos hope this added rest and extra see WOMEN’S SWIMMING, page 11