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THE TUFTS DAILY
TUFTSDAILY.COM
wednesday, March 11, 2015
VOLUME LXVIV, NUMBER 34
Where You Read It First Est. 1980
Senate calls for genderneutral accomodations by Arin Kerstein Assistant News Editor
The Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT ) Center hosted a town hall meeting in conjunction with representatives from the Tufts Community Union ( TCU) Senate on March 5 to discuss student experiences with housing, bathrooms and other campus facilities and the need for more gender-neutral options at Tufts. Eleven students and one faculty member came together to discuss their thoughts on current policies regarding genderneutral facilities and to propose changes to the system. To open the meeting, TCU Senate Diversity and Community Affairs Officer and Women’s Center Representative Allison Aaronson, a sophomore, began by asking the community what the TCU Senate can do in order to further develop a safe environment for transgender and gender non-conforming students at Tufts. Students expressed an immediate need to create gender-neutral bathroom options in public places such as Dewick-MacPhie Dining Hall and the Mayer Campus Center. “Having to come home or to the [LGBT] Center just to go to the bathroom is ridiculous,” junior Reneé Vallejo, TCU Senate LGBT Center representative, said. Students also expressed a desire for single-stall options in washing facilities and locks for shower stalls in order to make students feel more comfortable. Multiple attendees proposed having residencehall bathrooms become “gender-open,” but acknowledged the concern of a pushback from other community members. TCU Senator Benya Kraus, a first-year, suggested implementing a large-scale survey to gauge the campus attitude toward this topic and gen-
dered housing in general. According to Aaronson, the TCU Senate recently passed a resolution to commit to making every new space at Tufts more transgender and nonconforming-friendly. She said she worked on this resolution with Vallejo and sophomore Zoe Jeka. “Senate passed a resolution [three] weeks ago with the specific demand of having the Tufts administration commit to having at least one genderneutral bathroom in every new construction project or major renovation that they undertake,” Aaronson explained. “We’re asking Tufts to agree to that by the end of this year.” She explained that late last semester, the TCU Senate passed a project approval for her to work under the Senate’s name on a proposal to update existing buildings on campus to have at least one genderneutral bathroom. For some buildings, this might just involve changing signs on single-stall bathrooms, while for others this might mean creating more private spaces within multi-stall bathrooms. “The two things for this year that we’re urging Tufts to do is commit to that proposal for existing buildings, as well as the policy change for future buildings,” she said. According to Aaronson, there is a three-phase plan in order to make these changes happen in current administrative and academic buildings on campus, beginning with sign changes in single-stall bathrooms. The plan is being priced out by Robert Reppucci in Facilities Services and will eventually be passed on to Vice President of Operations Linda Snyder for approval. Aaronson noted that a meeting is scheduled for early April for administrators to discuss a more thorough plan of action. She also asked the see GENDER-NEUTRAL, page 2
Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily
DTZ staff protest job cuts outside 150 Boston Ave, the Tufts Facilities Services building, on March 10.
Janitors, students protest proposed cuts to working hours
by Emma Steiner Assistant news Editor
Dozens of janitors and students, as well as two Service Employees International Union (SEIU) representatives, gathered outside of Brown and Brew today and marched down Boston Ave. to Tufts Facilities Services building to protest proposed cuts of janitorial jobs. Protestors marched in a circle outside the building for an hour and a half while Tufts Labor Coalition ( TLC) members negotiated with Vice President of Operations Linda Snyder and DTZ administrators. According to first-year Nicole Joseph, a member of TLC, the entire system of shifts and worker responsibilities will be reorganized. DTZ, the company with which Tufts contracts its janitors, intends to increase efficiency by reallocating staff such that they would clean high-traffic buildings more often than
those buildings that are used less frequently, she said. This reorganization will result in the cutting of 712 hours of work, or approximately 25-35 workers, she explained. This new plan will be enacted on the Medford, Boston and Grafton campuses, she said. “This is all for increased efficiency,” Joseph said. “This isn’t about maintaining jobs or protecting jobs or ensuring peoples’ livelihoods; this is about the university being efficient.” In order to initiate this new system, DTZ will create new shifts and allow the janitors to pick their preferred responsibilities based on their seniority within the union, Joseph explained. However, this also means that once all the positions are filled, several employees may be left without jobs, she said. Even workers who are able to retain work at Tufts will have their responsibilities drastically altered, Joseph said. She added that in her interactions with
workers, they expressed worries that their work load would be increased. “There are lots of workers that could lose their jobs with this drastic change in scheduling,” Joseph said. “They made no guarantees that people would be employed to the standard that they are now.” DTZ plans to offer any available jobs at other DTZcontracted locations to those who are affected by the cuts at Tufts, Joseph explained. However, she emphasized that these replacement jobs are not guaranteed and are likely to be part-time, seasonal jobs that would not provide steady income. Two police officers stood outside the Facilities Services building and did not allow students to enter. Protesters continually circled on the sidewalk outside to avoid being removed from the area because the officers were trying to avoid a large gathering that would block traffic.
International experts discuss origins of Boko Haram, solutions to conflict
Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily
On March 5, members from the LGBT community and TCU Senate discuss how Tufts’ facilities can be made gender-neutral.
A panel of four international experts on Nigerian politics and military discussed the merits of current and proposed international responses to the ongoing atrocities committed by extremist group Boko Haram and others in northeast Nigeria and the surrounding region as part of “Understanding Boko Haram” in Cabot ASEAN Auditorium last night. The panel, organized by The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy’s Humanitarian
Inside this issue
Action Society, Human Rights Project, Africana Club and Fletcher Students in Security, also discussed the origins and tactics of Boko Haram in light of current conditions in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa. Stephanie Schmidt, a master’s student at the Fletcher School and chair of the Humanitarian Action Society, began the event by sharing a series of statistics describing the impact of Boko Haram’s atrocities. Boko Haram began in Nigeria in 2009 and has
since killed over 10,000 people and displaced approximately 3.3 million Nigerians, Schmidt said. Last week, Boko Haram declared its allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Professor of Political Science Pearl Robinson, who has written about Nigeria and African politics in her past scholarly work, moderated the panel. Adotei Akwei, the director of government relations for see BOKO HARAM, page 2
Today’s sections
The Prefab Messiahs, a local band with a niche audience, released its first album in over 30 years.
The baseball team will open its season with a 12-game road trip over spring break.
see ARTS, page 5
see SPORTS, back
News 1 Features 3 Arts & Living 5 Editorial | Op-Ed 8
Op-Ed 9 Comics 10 Sports Back
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The Tufts Daily
News
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily
Dr. Iyabo Obasanjo, the former Senator and State Commissioner of Health for Nigeria, speaks during the Understanding Boko Haram panel in ASEAN Auditorium on March 10.
Panelists discuss difficulties in finding solutions to Boko Haram conflict BOKO HARAM
continued from page 1
Amnesty International, attended the panel via Skype. He began by discussing Amnesty International’s approach to the violence in the region, noting that the Nigerian military has also caused its fair share of problems in the conflict. Akwei stressed that in the last two years since the Nigerian government issued a state of emergency for the northeast region of the country, Boko Haram has focused its attacks less on institutions and the government and more on targeting civilians. He added that Boko Haram’s confidence has increased with more brazen attacks on towns such as Baga, as the group counts on the Nigerian military’s inability to respond effectively. Darren Kew (F ’02), a professor at the University of Massachusetts-Boston and the executive director of the Center for Peace, Democracy and Development, also discussed the military’s ineffectiveness in combating Boko Haram. “The military itself is an extraordinarily overstretched institution,” Kew said. He added that Boko Haram also benefits from connections to local and regional governments in Nigeria, where it has bargaining power with local leaders. “Boko Haram has always been deeply connected politically in northeastern Nigeria,” he said. Former Nigerian Senator and State Commissioner of Health Iyabo Obasanjo noted that Nigeria’s northeast has historically been much less developed than the rest of the country, a disparity dating back to before Nigerian independence.
“The northeast has all the worst indicators,” she said. Obasanjo added that the 2009 killing of Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf brought national attention to what had been a small regional group, and that it is increasingly difficult for the Nigerian government to negotiate with Boko Haram after Yusuf’s death since the group now lacks a clear leader. Former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria Walter C. Carrington discussed the United States’ reluctance to engage with the Nigerian government to combat Boko Haram. “The Obama administration has had a lot of hesitation about the way it ought to be dealing with Nigeria,” Carrington said. “Both sides have become more and more weary of the other.” Carrington noted that the Leahy amendment, which prevents the United States from supplying military assistance to foreign militaries that have seriously violated human rights, hinders the extent to which the United States can be directly involved with the Nigerian military. So far, Carrington said, the United States has largely supported external military forces from other African countries — most notably Chad — in an effort to close Nigeria’s northeast borders and prevent Boko Haram’s influence from spreading. However, Akwei noted that Chad’s forces also have a poor human rights record. Several panelists addressed the lack of trust in Nigeria’s political system as a barrier to an effective response against Boko Haram. Obasanjo noted that it will take several rounds of elections to build trust between
the Nigerian people and the government. “Nigerians have very little trust of their government,” Obasanjo said. “The people themselves do not see the government as theirs.” The Nigerian military and police’s own human rights abuses have also contributed to these institutions’ struggle to promote stability, according to multiple panelists. However, reform of these institutions cannot begin solely in the north, as their problems are endemic to the entire country, Obasanjo said. “How do you help a system where its security administration has fallen apart?” she asked. Kew stressed the importance of securing Nigeria’s northeastern borders in order to restrict the group’s access to finances and weapons. He argued that regional peacekeeping forces would be most effective in achieving this goal, though he concluded, “ultimately this is a Nigerian problem.” Obasanjo emphasized that the majority of people who have died in this conflict are Muslim, and that most of the vigilante groups that have had some success in pushing back against Boko Haram are also Muslim. In the panel’s final half hour, audience members were able to ask the panelists questions. One audience member asked about Boko Haram’s recorded use of girls as suicide bombers in town markets and public areas. Kew said he believed that most of these girls either did not know what they were doing or were intimidated into wearing bombs, though some girls may have detonated the bombs willingly.
Obasanjo cited the confirmed story of a girl whose father “donated” her to Boko Haram for use as a suicide bomber, though the girl refused to detonate her bomb. She connected this story to broader problems of gender-based violence and a lack of support for women in the region. “The only thing that can help is education, and this is the big thing that Boko Haram is working to stop,” she said. Both Kew and Carrington stressed that Boko Haram has little support from civilians in the areas in which it operates. Carrington, in response to a question about Boko Haram’s recent declaration of allegiance to ISIS, noted that Boko Haram has much less civilian support than ISIS has. Obasanjo argued that the Nigerian government would be more effective in combating Boko Haram if its president had military experience, though she noted that Nigerians have been wary of government officials with military connections in the past. “The military is no less corrupt [than the government], but it is much more disciplined,” she said. Obasanjo reiterated this assertion in her closing statement, adding that the military should be given human rights training. Carrington, however, questioned whether such training would be effective in changing the military’s behavior. Akwei concluded that in order for Nigeria to combat Boko Haram effectively, international voices should push the Nigerian military to be professional in its operations. “We need to do more than giving people guns and bullets,” Akwei said.
Community members address need for more gender-neutral housing, bathrooms
GENDER-NEUTRAL continued from page 1
attendees about their preferences for signage on bathrooms. The consensus was that all-gender bathrooms should be labeled without pictures, except for braille and handicap symbols where applicable. Next, the focus shifted to policies for gender-neutral housing. Attendees explained their concerns with the current system in place. According to the Tufts housing application, official gender-neutral housing options for the 2015-2016 year include Bush Hall, one 10-person Latin Way suite, one 10-person Hillsides Apartments suite, 10 Carmichael Hall
doubles, 10 South Hall doubles and one 10-person Wren Hall suite. Several students expressed concern over the added pressure during the housing process to effectively secure one of these options. Attendees also cited the pressure to fill a spot very quickly if a roommate moves out, given that the Office of Residential Life and Learning (ResLife) cannot guarantee that the room will remain part of gender-neutral housing. The group formed a consensus that eventually the goal would be to make all housing and restrooms gender-neutral and that students would have to opt-out in order to guarantee housing within their specific gender.
Attendees also expressed the need to keep an all-female space on campus out of respect for some expressed safety concerns in residential buildings. As the gender-neutral option is currently only available for sophomores, juniors and seniors, attendees discussed options for ensuring the comfort of first-years in housing placements. Students proposed that for incoming first-years, the housing application could have a check box next to the statement, “I have concerns about my safety in housing related to my identity,” and ResLife would then call any person who checks the box to ensure a safe living environment without the necessity of “outing” that person.
At the end of the meeting, attendees were given the opportunity to write down anonymous notes about their previous experiences and problems in order to give the administration a better understanding of the need for these changes. Aaronson explained that she believes the Office of Equal Opportunity would like to make this happen, but noted that she was not sure when changes could be made. “I don’t know if [ResLife] want[s] to make changes as quickly as I want them to make changes,” she said. “I see this as a state of emergency. Students right now are not feeling safe at Tufts.”
Features
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tuftsdaily.com
Miranda Willson | Ecofeminism for All
Are sluts free?
M
Courtesy Tufts University Digital Collections and Archives
The land that is now residential quad, shown here in 1890, was once a reservoir that provided drinking water for the surrounding area.
History on the Hill: Tufts' reservoir by Lily Hartzell Contributing Writer
All that is left of the Mystic Reservoir that previously occupied 4.5 acres of Tufts’ campus is the muddy field known as the residential quad. But between 1864 to 1948, the reservoir was used as a water supply, a picnic spot, a swimming hole, an ice rink and the centerpiece for countless campus traditions. The “Rez,” as it was known, was built in 1864 as part of the Mystic Water Works project to serve as a water source for the expanding population of Boston and its surrounding suburbs. The water was pumped from the Mystic River and held at the top of the hill so it could be easily distributed throughout the area. According to an article by Russell Miller published in the Winter 1988 issue of Criterion, 350 men used oxen to help dig the rectangular pit and line it with bricks. Professor of Geology Jack Ridge said that it is likely that the bricks used were made in Medford. “They had a big brickmaking industry here in Medford, and they made pottery,” Ridge said. “They used to make this really fine light-grey/white porcelain which requires real small particles, but most places they just made bricks. The bricks that they manufactured here, a lot of them were yellow: Paige Hall is made from those bricks.” A pump house was built near West Hall and a groundskeeper who oversaw the property lived nearby. Part of an iron fence built in 1919 (one of many that were built around the reservoir over the years) can still be found near the tennis courts. Although the reservoir was not yet part of Tufts’ campus, Miller writes that during World War I the college was authorized to use the embankment around it for the Student Army Training Corps’ commando training.
“A section of trench was also built, but like the storming of an embankment, its use was never a very popular exercise,” Miller writes. The embankment was also a popular spot for families to walk on Sundays and for couples to wander in the evenings. According to Miller, legend has it that girls who were asked on a date at the top of the pump house steps could never refuse. One of the most popular stories about the Rez involves two couples who met on a walk there. The two boys, one a freshman and the other a senior, got in a fight and the senior ended up in the water. According to a “historical feature” by Jules Wagman (A ‘48) published in the 1946 issue of the literary magazine Tuftonian, after the fight, the Rez was off limits to first-years to preserve seniors’ honor. The Sword and Shield, founded in 1902, was an honors society responsible for upholding campus traditions such as this one. Both Wagman and Miller write that first-years were frequently dumped in the Rez as a joke or to punish them for not following campus customs. Wagman writes that events at the Rez included Campus Sings, in which everyone gathered to sing the school’s hymns on the embankment. The orchestra and choir also gave concerts there when the weather was nice. When it froze, students would ice skate in spite of rules that prohibited it, according to Miller. Eventually, pollution from nearby tanneries caused The Metropolitan District Commission to stop using the reservoir for drinking water in 1898. According to Miller, it was designated as an emergency water source in 1914. Pranks by Tufts students continued, and the pump house steps as well as the fence were damaged by fires and other acts of vandalism several times over the years. The reservoir was
drained periodically after it stopped serving as a water source. During one of these drainings, a 38-caliber revolver was discovered and reportedly linked to a murder that remains unsolved, Miller writes. Wagman writes that in 1944 the Rez was drained because the public was concerned about a number of drownings and suicides that had happened there recently. It became nothing more then a liability for the Commission, and a year later Tufts purchased the land for $1. According to Miller, there were a number of suggestions for what to do with the empty pit. Some wanted to turn it into a football stadium, since the dimensions of its bottom were almost exactly the correct size for a field. Others wanted to make it an art complex, and rumors also circulated that it would be turned into a giant swimming pool. By 1948, writes Miller, it was filled in and turned into a grass parking lot for 450 vehicles. Carmichael Hall was built at one end, with construction beginning in 1952 and ending in 1954. As more dorms were constructed in the ensuing decades — Miller in 1959 and Houston in 1962 — the field eventually became the residential quad. Because of the sediment used to fill the pit, the area drained poorly. Ridge, who has taught at Tufts for 30 years, remembers spring as a particularly muddy time. “There used to be a puddle out there,” he said. “These guys from the dorm used to go out and play rugby in it and get really dirty. It must have been fun; they weren’t doing it just because they had to.” After all these years, the spot where the Rez sat still marks the coming of spring – but now, instead of jumping in the water to cool off, students dive in the mud to catch a Frisbee after the snow finally melts.
ost Tufts students seem to know by now that the word “slut” is bad. The anti-slut-shaming movement has become too big to miss. From “SlutWalks” in cities worldwide to events at Tufts such as The Vagina Monologues and sex-positive presentations by Sexologist Oh Megan, embracing the word “slut” has become a hallmark of many feminists, especially mainstream, white feminists. But the anti-slut-shaming movement has faced some deserved backlash. Telling women and girls to embrace the term “slut” can add to the pressure to look and act sexually alluring at a young age and perpetuates the idea that a woman’s value is based on her level of attractiveness to men. Additionally, just because a feminist chooses to walk around topless as an act of pride does not mean that she is free from objectification and harassment. As Leora Tanenbaum wrote in a Slate magazine article referring to topless protests, “You may think that your feminist message, or your feminist identity, is obvious, but chances are it’s not only not obvious, it’s an object of ridicule.” While some feminists use the word “slut” to express their sexual autonomy, the word is still used to rationalize the control, rape and dehumanization of women. In light of one of the rapists from the infamous 2012 New Delhi rape case’s recent comments about how men have the right to rape women who go out at night, “do wrong things” and “wear wrong clothes,” we must remember that perceived “sluttiness” is still viewed as justification for unspeakable violence against women. There is also a racial history associated with the word that reflects the exclusivity of the anti-slut-shaming movement. Writer Lutze B. says in a Salon article that “Black women have always been labeled as hypersexual beings unworthy of respect, love and justice. ‘Slut’ is the default position of black women, so attempting to subvert the word or own it would only further root the false stereotype in place.” My experiences with anti-slut-shaming and sex positivity at Tufts have often made me feel more confused and uncomfortable than liberated. This is my first semester participating in the Burlesque Troupe, and I’ve so far enjoyed getting to know the members and learning the dance moves. Part of the Burlesque Troupe’s mission is to embrace sexual liberation and body positivity, two close cousins of anti-slut-shaming. At my first Burlesque Troupe bonding, we spent most of the night playing drinking games that often led to people revealing their craziest sex stories and removing articles of clothing. I had a good time, but I couldn’t help feeling like everyone’s halfclothed bodies were still being scrutinized (both women and men), and that some of the crazy sex stories were not tales of sexual liberation, but of pressure and objectification, all in this supposedly body-positive and anti-slut-shaming environment. What’s missing from Burlesque’s mission, as well as other “anti-slut-shaming” dialogues, is an explanation of what the term really entails. Also absent is the notion that women don’t always have the freedom to sexually liberate themselves because sexism, racism and rape culture still exist. The ability to embrace the word slut is a privilege that is only afforded to certain women. A woman who has been raped and subsequently blamed for the act because of her perceived sluttiness or a woman who has been bullied for being a “slut” might not benefit from reclaiming the word. Or maybe she would benefit from it, but we still cannot assume that reclaiming slut is a universally beneficial concept. Moreover, simply “embracing slut” without addressing and seeking to overturn the power structures that allow the term to persist probably won’t solve the underlying problems that lead to slutshaming and rape culture in the first place.
Miranda Willson is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. She can be reached at miranda.willson@tufts.edu.
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The Tufts Daily
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
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Student Organization Annual Awards Ceremony presented by the Office for Campus Life To nominate an organization or for detailed description of each award
please visit our website: ocl.tufts.edu Collaboration Award
Community Connection Award
DEPARTMENT OF MATHEMATICS
Martin Guterman Undergraduate Lecture On hairdos, polynomials, and the shape of the universe
Elisenda Grigsby Boston College
Day: Thursday, March 12, 2015 Time: 4:00pm Place: Pearson Chem Lab 104 Reception: 5:00pm Aidekman Arts Center, Remis Sculpture Court
Greek Chapter of the Year Award Imagination Award Jumbo Award Legacy Award New Organization of the Year Award Program of the Year Award Publicity of the Year Award Student Organization of the Year Award
Deadline for Nominations: March 23rd, 2015 http://ocl.tufts.edu/events/awards-ceremony/
Ceremony held on Thursday, April 16th, 2015 5:30-7:30pm
Abstract: Take a finite number of strings (e.g., locks of hair) affixed to an immobile object (e.g., a head) and start crossing them over and under each other in various patterns. What do you get? A braid! Who cares? Mathematicians! I'll tell you what braids have to do with complex polynomials, how you can use them to construct new 3-dimensional spaces from old, and how people hope to use them to make a better quantum computer. Bio: Elisenda (Eli) Grigsby is an associate professor at Boston College, where she does research in lowdimensional topology. She did her undergraduate work at Harvard, her graduate work at UC Berkeley, and she was an NSF postdoctoral fellow at Columbia before arriving at Boston College in 2009. Last year, she was the inaugural winner of the AWM-Birman Research Prize in Geometry and Topology. In her spare time she blogs and shovels snow.
The Guterman lectures bring to campus some of the best expositors of mathematics for undergraduates.
Arts & Living
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Interview
Prefab Messiahs return to music scene with spunky new album by Anjali Nair
Assistant Arts Editor
For the few readers who are well versed in the ’80s underground postpunk scene of Central Mass., the name The Prefab Messiahs may ring some bells. For the rest currently scratching their heads in confusion, don’t worry — the Prefabs have stealthily passed under the radar despite the success they met decades ago in the niche local music scene. The band frequented many Worcester basements, as it was then comprised of Clark University undergraduates. Playing shows with its unique brand of psychedelia-infused garage rock, the band had an excess of attitude, a slew of tiny amps and a penchant for tonguein-cheek rebellion. Though they originally only released a cassette — probably obsolete at this point — 1998 saw the release of the 27-track anthology “Devolver.” Other than the anthology and scattered reunion performances, the Prefabs have been largely inactive, separated from each other by distance and other projects. But now, after disbanding more than 30 years ago, the band released a Maxi-EP of new material, aptly entitled, “Keep Your Stupid Dreams Alive” (March 10). Some may ask, “Where can I see them?” Still others may speculate, “Why should I even care about some random band of middle aged punks?” Oddly enough, the answers to these questions can be found right here at Tufts. Little known to most, The Prefabs’ bassist Kris Thompson (aka Trip Thompson) works in Tisch Library, buried deep within the stacks in Technical Services. Although he usually prefers
Samuel D Quinn Courtesy Kris Thompson
’80s undeground rockers Prefab Messiahs recently released their first album in 32 years. to keep a low profile as far as his secret rockstar life is concerned, Thompson spoke to the Daily about his band, their beginnings and the new EP. The Prefabs formed in the early ’80s at Clark University, when vocalist/guitarist Xeth “Xerox” Feinberg and former drummer Ned Egg “Egg Al” put up posters around campus searching for potential band members. “It said something like ‘Talentless drummer and guitarist seeking collaborators for post-new-wave semi-psychedelic pseudo-pop,’” Thompson said. Thompson and his friend, guitarist Mike “Doc” Michaud, had known Egg Al
from a circle of experimental artists, and they responded to the call. “We all shared some things in common, feeling a little bit like outsiders on a preppy-ish campus,” Thompson said. “It was the early ’80s, so that was sort of the thing. A couple of them had taken classes in German expressionist literature and post-World War II art and were really grabbed by that.” It was inevitable that the four musicians would get along; their outsider mentalities and artistic obsession with Dada coincided to create catchy garage pop with a modernist edge. see PREFABS, page 6
Album Review
Kelly Clarkson’s powerful vocals shine on new album by Josh Morris
Assistant Arts Editor
After a two-year hiatus, Kelly Clarkson is putting it all together with her seventh studio album, entitled
Piece by Piece Kelly Clarkson RCA Records
ing. The show stars Ellie Kemper as the titular Kimmy Schmidt, a 29-year-old woman who moves to New York after being rescued from a bunker where she and three other women were held by a doomsday cult leader for 15 years. While the premise of the show could be considered morbid, Fey and Carlock use this backstory as a wacky launching pad for one of the freshest, funniest comedies on television (or not on television, rather). Kimmy is unfailingly perky and optimistic, still very much holding onto the mentality of a 15-year-old from 2000; she wears bright clothes, thinks Skechers light up sneakers are fashionable and uses the choicest of ‘90s sassy come-
“Piece by Piece (Deluxe Version)” (Feb. 27). Although it’s been 13 years since Clarkson claimed the title of being the original “American Idol” (2002-present), this latest album from Clarkson is reassurance that her lasting influence isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. While there are some weak points on the record, it shines as a whole and demonstrates Clarkson’s extreme musical versatility. Some artists hesitate to open their album with their first-released single, but Clarkson is not one to follow suit. “Piece by Piece” begins with the charttopping “Heartbeat Song.” Although the track doesn’t have Clarkson’s typical sound, it conveys a catchy beat, as well as a strong drum-motivated rhythm that is consistent throughout the rest of the album. Similarly, the album’s seventh song, “I Had a Dream,” is driven by an intense snare background, but unlike the album’s opener, this track encompasses a gospel feel, likely as a result of the densely layered vocals delivered by backup singers. In addi-
see KIMMY, page 6
see CLARKSON, page 6
Cyrus Lafarre via Flickr Creative Commons
“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” makes for a bubbly spring break binge as lead Ellie Kemper combines energetic naiveté and impeccable comedic timing.
'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' shines with bright, wacky humor by Grace Segers Arts Editor
“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” (2015), co-created by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, is the newest Netflix
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Starring Ellie Kemper, Tituss Burgess, Carol Kane, Jane Krakowski Season 1 available to stream via Netflix original series; its first season is now available for streaming. All 13 episodes of the show were released on Friday, March 6 to better facilitate binge-watch-
Emily Gruzdowich | A Caffeinated Critic
U
Calder's contortions
ndulating, twisting and floating, Calder’s mobiles create perfect symmetry from imperfect objects. Odds and ends of metal painted in blaringly bright primary colors produce this mesmerizing mixture of media. Tangibly dense yet seemingly weightless, Calder’s mobiles gracefully orbit. Revolutionizing modern sculpture in the 20th century, Calder introduced surrealism into the tradition of modern American art. Celebrating his contribution to the trajectory of abstract sculpture and media, the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem organized an exhibition centered solely around his work. With loans from the Calder Foundation of New York and LACMA, the exhibition showcased 40 of the artist’s mobiles and stabiles as well as prototypes for his monumental outdoor sculptural endeavors. After profiting from the comparison to Arthur Ganson’s mechanical sculptures at MIT a few weeks back, I found it fit to expound upon Calder’s past and contemporary artistic clout in this issue. Unintentionally, I stumbled into the Calder exhibition on my last trip to PEM. Well-lit and spaciously laid out, the exhibition space provided a comfortable amount of room to examine the works up-close as well as to step back, gaining perspective from a distance. The exhibition’s design allowed freedom to walk around each piece to observe the totality of their movement. Examining the opening piece, I immediately noticed the mathematical precision that undergirds Calder’s works. While structurally impressive, Calder’s mobiles are famous because of their unique ability to meld his mathematical and creative geniuses. They are both beautifully balanced and aesthetically pleasing. Large hanging pieces of dense sheet metal are sublimely juxtaposed with small circular disks, creating a balance between weight and weightlessness. In particular, I was drawn to a mobile that resembles a snow flurry. Unlike many of Calder’s colorful pieces, it is painted offwhite; this mobile shows the domino effect that Calder employed in the creation of his works. Each latch set off the following until the hinge reached its maximum rotation, reversing the direction of the circles and spawning a counter undulation. The unceasing motion of the mobiles was entrancing and the manner in which they were presented highlighted the gravity of Calder’s artistic innovation. The opportunity to view this impressive number of Calder’s works in Boston was surreal. However, it should be noted that the exhibition would have suffered from a smaller collection — the number of works was integral to gaining a comprehensive understanding of his method as well as his influence on subsequent artists. The palate of gray, blue and white walls framed the works, while the block quotes on the walls placed sporadically throughout the exhibition provided insights into the works’ creations. Due to its distance from the city, the exhibition was quite easy to traffic, allowing for an enjoyable experience. While many people think of Salem simply as a tourist destination to stop at along the witch trials “Red-line,” Salem also houses this innovative museum. Acting as a cultural gateway to a rich artistic past, PEM houses collections that extend far beyond the fabled witch trials and expand into the present. Continually changing their exhibitions on average every three to four months, PEM offers a diverse array of shows, ranging from summer 2014’s “Turner and the Sea,” an exploration of the history of naval depictions, to “Calder and Abstraction” (which closed Jan. 4), the interactive exhibition on a revolutionary sculptor. The museum currently features a cuttingedge exhibition on Jo Ractliffe’s modern photography, “Someone Else’s Country.” I encourage you to skip the pointy hats and mass tours, opting instead for an experience with PEM’s inventive galleries. Emily Gruzdowich is a sophomore majoring in political science. She can be reached at emily.gruzdowich@tufts.edu.
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The Tufts Daily
Arts & Living
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
vagueonthehow via Flickr Creative Commons
Kelly Clarkson shines with her famous powerful vocals on “Piece by Piece,” which features classic Clarkson anthems and newer R&B and electronica-influenced tracks.
‘Piece by Piece’ sees Clarkson try new sounds CLARKSON
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tion, “I Had a Dream” pushes the limit on corny lyrics, featuring lines such as “character is shown by the things that we do.” Of course a Clarkson album wouldn’t be complete without a power ballad or two (or three or four). “Someone” wastes absolutely no time in grabbing the listener’s attention with a modern synth melody and clever lyrics like “my common sense on holiday,” and “we stay in love like vacation homes,” as well as signature Clarkson belting during the chorus. Tracks like “Invincible” and “Tightrope” incorporate messages that are more typical of the ballad nature: sticking it to an ex, falling in love, etc. However, on “Let Your Tears Fall”, Clarkson broadens her horizons and seemingly dedicates a track to a friend – as opposed to a lover – crooning “come to me when you’re in
need … no I won’t judge you, I’ll help you through.” The track gives nuance to her work, adding some interesting variety to the mix of “girl power” anthems. Versatility appears to be the theme for “Piece by Piece,” and some of the tracks on the album could fit into completely different genres from each other. “War Paint” and “Dance With Me” both feature more techno dance beats than the rest of the album and cause listeners to initiate immediate foot-tapping. In “War Paint,” Clarkson asks, “Why in the hell do we fight on the front lines / when we both know that we’re on the same side?” If executed poorly, this line could come off as a corny comparison, but when paired with the musical accompaniment it creates a relatable analogy. Further deviating from the pop genre under which
Prefab Messiahs return to music scene with signature sound PREFABS
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“We were living sort of like this double life, trying to write primitive pop songs together, but sometimes … we would also just sort of improvise with these living-room performance art shenanigans,” Thompson said. These dual modes of expression surface during certain points in “Devolver,” when the guitars erupt into experimental dissonance and the vocals chug along with Ramones-like simplicity. The lo-fi quality of their recordings adds to the messages of nonconformity and absurdism that permeate their songs. Wonky lyrics such as, “The onion dip is scarred with ruins of those scenes that never end,” from the contemplative track “Don’t Go to the Party” reflect the social externalism supported by the Prefabs. This sort of rejection of the status quo is natural coming from a bunch of college kids who never felt like they fit in, but it may not be as predictable once they’re 30 years older. As the title would suggest though, “Keep Your Stupid Dreams Alive” maintains much of the same attitude, albeit with a little more polish in its execution. “A lot of guys our age have come to this point where they think they have to come out with their own personal Bob Dylan, world-weary approach … Nothing wrong with Bob Dylan, but we already have one,” Thompson joked. The Prefabs have clearly avoided this tactic, preferring to revel in their youthful punk rock glory. However, they’ve
gotten a lot better making their music sound good. “The early stuff … is pretty lo-fi generally, but it’s also all over the place: Three studio songs, and the rest of the tracks are live club recordings or jamming out in a small room,” Thompson said. “The new thing was recorded in a small studio … There’s a more unified approach to recording.” Thanks to this improvement in audio quality, the listener can finally appreciate the interesting musical elements of the Prefabs’ songs. The cohesive, spirited garage anthems are as every bit as raw as anything on “Devolver” and twice as tuneful. For instance, the catchy, misfit underpinnings of “Weirdoz Everywhere” and the trippy tones of “Bobb’s Psychedelic Car” are easily accessible, straddling the line between retro and contemporary noise rock. With groovy bass lines and rich, reverberating guitar textures, the eight-track EP is a muchneeded reminder that you’re never too old to relive your dreams. “One way to be in a band is to be 20 years old and play 50 … shows a year. You know, we can’t do that, but we still have a creative burn and need to do something about it, even though we’re in our 50s now,” Thompson said. “The album is ‘Keep Your Stupid Dreams Alive,’ sort of a reminder to people to hang on to them, and keep at it.” The Prefab Messiahs will be playing an EP release show on March 19 at the Middle East in Cambridge, with The Fagettes, Fedavees and Secret Lover. Tickets are on sale for $10 each. The show is 18+ and starts at 8 p.m.
the album is listed, “Bad Reputation” opens with a strong horn section, giving a Motown feel; the song’s R&B vibe will have listeners thinking they’ve shuffled to a Jennifer Hudson album. The chorus has Clarkson issuing a general warning not to “go ruinin’ my bad reputation” – a warning delivered through booming Clarkson vocals that are sure to get the point across. Other deviations from the genre are not as successful, such as “In The Blue.” This track oddly starts with a synth chord progression eerily similar to Jason Derulo’s “Wiggle”(2014) and is generally out of place with respect to the rest of the album. “Take You High” also falls short of the rest of the album’s high standard; it begins with lyrics and a string background that create the feeling of a show tune, and a chorus that
later autotunes Clarkson’s voice and sends listeners’ ears on a dizzying loopde-loop. Clarkson again deviates from the norm — this time to great success — in her choice to include only one feature track on the record. She definitely chooses quality over quantity, as she reserved the guest spot on the album for John Legend on “Run Run Run,” which features the unsurpassable harmonization of Legend’s vocals. While there are times when inconsistency on an album is unfavorable, Clarkson’s vocals manage to fit well with the different genres she attempts, and the entire record combines to form a strong, cohesive unit. Whether you’re an “Idol” fan or not, “Piece by Piece” makes it clear how Clarkson earned her title.
Tina Fey’s Netflix endeavor proves remarkable success KIMMY
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Kemper, perhaps best known for playing side characters Erin in “The Office” (2005-2013) and Becca in “Bridesmaids” (2011), is a hilarious and charming leading lady. She plays Kimmy with doe-eyed naiveté and perfect comedic timing. Kemper doesn’t make Kimmy pitiable or overly bizarre; she’s just a fun, bubbly woman who happened to be in a death cult for several years. Kimmy is unbreakable, and the actress who plays her is impossible to ignore. Kimmy is aided and abetted in her quest for success and normalcy by a fabulous cast of characters. Her roommate, Titus ( Tituss Burgess), is an aspiring actor who is paying the rent by being a werewolf waiter in a horrorthemed restaurant. Tina Fey’s writing is known for its zany wit paired with real-world observations, and this style of storytelling is especially apparent in Titus’ storylines. As a black, gay man, Titus experiences social injustices and responds to them in hilarious ways. In one episode, Titus notices that while wearing his werewolf costume outside of his job, people (and police) are kinder and more considerate to him than when he was just a black man. It’s this kind of commentary that manages to raise awareness while keeping the audience laughing hysterically. The show also stars Carol Kane as Lillian, Titus and Kimmy’s dotty landlady, and Jane Krakowski as Kimmy’s petulant, rich boss Jacqueline
Voorhees. Kimmy, who is a combination of nanny and personal assistant for Jacqueline, embarks on various adventures in the elite New York world with her boss, such as visits to the plastic surgeon and disastrously unsuccessful socialite parties. Krakowski is hilarious as Jacqueline, transforming a character that could have easily been a trophy wife stereotype into someone genuinely relatable. There are also some fabulous cameos throughout the 13 episodes, from Martin Short as a plastic surgeon to Dean Norris of “Breaking Bad” (2008-2013) as an acting coach. As in Fey’s other show, “30 Rock” (2006-2013), New York City is a character in itself, and many of the jokes are related to the experience of living there. Whether the setting is Jacqueline’s huge apartment, Kimmy and Titus’ realistically tiny apartment, Central Park or Times Square, “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” is very grounded in the reality of city life. There are definitely nods to the culture and geography of New York that natives will be able to appreciate. However, the show is relatable and accessible for anyone who has ever striven to be better than their past, regardless of the location. “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” is a warm, wacky show that will leave audiences cheering for the winning protagonist and her friends. With its creative conceit, fabulous writing and hilarious acting, the series is definitely worth binge-watching over a weekend — or a single day — during Spring Break.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
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THE TUFTS DAILY Drew Z. Robertson Editor-in-Chief
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Editorial
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
editorial | op-ed
Lessons from the SAE racism incident
This week, a video depicting students from the University of Oklahoma’s Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) chapter singing an obscenely racist chant surfaced on the internet. The response to this disgusting display of racism by the University of Oklahoma’s (OU) president David Boren should be praised for its blunt language, strongly deterrent nature and the message it sends to college students and Americans. However, there are also lessons that we on The Hill must take away from this incident. “We don’t provide student services for bigots,” OU president David Boren said in response to the university’s decision to bar the former brothers of SAE from using on-campus resources to find new housing; a swift — and some might say extreme — response, but one that was warranted. Perhaps the most important lesson we can learn from this entire incident is something that applies to more than just racism: When a student
or group of students harm others in such a reprehensible, irrefutable and egregious manner, the harming student or group does not deserve to make use of any of the facilities that the university has to provide. Whether a case of racism, cultural insensitivity or sexual assault, a University’s strong response to the harmful actions of some students speaks volumes about the culture they wish to perpetuate. President Boren and the administration of the University of Oklahoma should be commended for every action they’ve taken in response to this incident. They have since severed all ties with SAE, closed the house and, as of now, expelled two students from the University. Boren was transparent about his decisions, and the assertive language used in his statement makes it clear that racism at OU will not be tolerated. He has set an example that, hopefully, will be followed by universities and orga-
nizations around the nation. It takes a strong message to drive the point home, and in the future, a fitting response like this one should not just meet cases of blatant bigotry, but should be the norm whenever we see that undeniable harm has been inflicted upon one of our own. Cases of institutionalized racism, while less glaring, deserve the same swift and decisive response. Often times, crimes and hatred occur on college campuses and are swept under the rug, or are stretched out into years-long “ongoing investigations” without any real punitive action taken. Obviously, due process is enshrined by law and is a crucial element of the justice system, but there’s a marked difference between due process and saving face. We can hope that Tufts’ community uses this as a teaching moment, just as we all should, and that when faced with similar incidents it will act transparently, fairly and justly.
Clara Belk
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Take off the blinders, Greek students
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Fellow Greek students: we have to take off the blinders right now. I know most of us have loved our experiences in a fraternity or sorority. I certainly have. It’s something I’ll treasure for the rest of my life. I know we do a lot of good in our community. Trust me, I’ve been to your philanthropies and community service events. I know most of us mean well. Of course, we enjoy friendships with people of different backgrounds. But that doesn’t mean we can’t acknowledge a grave reality: in many ways, the structure of the Greek system reinforces racism and other destructive attitudes like homophobia, sexism and classism. Greek students, we cannot just shake our heads at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) incident and walk away, because
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it isn’t just an incident. It’s an example of a culture that exists, to some degree, in every one of our chapters. We’ve all heard examples of inappropriate party costumes, insensitive behavior with multicultural groups, offensive jokes, ignorant comments, insincere cultural interaction for the sake of “points” and discriminatory recruitment patterns — overt or subtle. These behaviors have real consequences. They cause real pain to underrepresented members of the University of Oklahoma (OU) community. They’re an obstacle to building a true “Sooner family.” They make our fellow students feel utterly unwelcome, and that’s a shame. The inadequacies of our system require more than a broad, institutional response. We must acknowledge our failings and take specific actions to address them at the individual level and the chapter level. Chapter presidents (and I say this
having served as one): start the conversation now with your executive councils. Start taking concrete steps to affirm a culture of inclusion within your membership. And listen to the people outside your chapters who are hurting. All Greek students: don’t be a bystander when you recognize insensitive words and actions in your chapters. Your silence perpetuates the problem. I look forward to hearing about next steps taken by the Division of Student Affairs, the Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Association to ensure our Greek system promotes respect for all people. And I’m happy to be a part of this conversation during the time I have left at OU. Greek life can be a force for good, but I don’t care how many community service hours or philanthropy events we do if we’re complicit in a culture of injustice and pain on our campus.
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Wednesday, March 11, 2015 Op-Ed
The Tufts Daily
You call it safety, I call it classism by Sam Zollman
I am at Tufts thanks to an overwhelming amount of financial aid. I am not embarrassed to be here on financial aid — at least, not anymore — nor am I embarrassed by the amount I have received. I have in many ways believed that Tufts believed in me, that even after my parents’ house in Vermont was foreclosed during my freshman year, Tufts valued me and its other students who come from lower-income households the same as those that can afford full tuition. But in light of the recent passing of the Ordinance Regulating University Accountability, Tufts’ silence forces me to question their priorities and integrity. In the March 3 article “Somerville passes ordinance, mandates list of off-campus students,” the Daily reported that the city of Somerville unanimously decided to re-enforce a strict zoning code — which states that “no more than four unrelated adults may share an apartment” — by forcing Tufts to provide offcampus addresses, the number of students at each address and each student’s graduation year to the city. By reducing the number of tenants, Somerville hopes to reduce the number of neighborhood noise complaints. To justify the ordinance further, the city claims the ordinance will prevent overcrowding and fire hazards in light of a similar restrictive ordinance that was passed downtown, affecting Boston University students. What the ordinance ignores, and what Tufts has thus far remained complicit in, is the disproportionate impact the zoning restriction will have on lower-income students. While masquerading as an ordinance to protect students — capping the number of people in a house, regardless of house size — it only results in higher living costs. Instead of splitting rent five or six ways, the same amount is divided among four people.
But that’s really just the tip of the iceberg. An apartment’s proximity to campus already excludes certain students from renting, and rent prices continue to rise each year. The ordinance will create a $100-$200 spike in apartments across Somerville, making the neighborhoods that surround Tufts too expensive for lowerincome students. These neighborhoods that have a history of housing students will only be affordable for wealthier students and young professionals. Lower-income students will be relegated to neighborhoods further from campus, disturbing previously unaffected communities. Add in the impending Green Line extension, and the phrase “affordable housing near Tufts” sounds like a depressing punchline. What I predict is a literal and figurative marginalization of lowerincome students. Only the financially secure students will be able to live closest to campus, while lower-income students are boxed out and pushed further into Somerville. These students will be less integrated in the campus community and will have to commute further to class. They will probably suffer academically and socially as a result. I’m frustrated and upset with Somerville, but more angered and confused by Tufts’ inaction. Tufts seems happy to ignore the chaos these housing changes will create for a significant portion of the student body. But more importantly, I think the University is unprepared and hopelessly out of touch with how it will affect them. And we can’t afford that. By allowing rent to increase without intervention, more students are going to seek on-campus housing. Tufts doesn’t have the capacity to house an extra 100-200 students. We already saw a precursor to this crisis when, as the Daily reported two years ago, “an unusually high number of rising juniors were unable to secure single rooms in on-campus housing”
because more seniors beat them to it. ResLife director Yolanda King’s advice was to seek off-campus housing via the website JumpOffCampus, a hilariously incomplete listing of apartments “near” campus. Even worse, King seemed oblivious to the fact that most leases are signed in October, and that juniors were left to scavenge through whatever houses remained unsigned in as late as March. Tufts, then, has several unpopular options. They could expand university-owned off-campus apartments by buying out Somerville residents. They could triple up dorm rooms. Or they could construct temporary housing on Fletcher Field. Call me crazy, but I don’t think Tufts wants any of these solutions to be enacted. The unaffordable housing issue is the same complaint Somerville residents have taken up with Tufts; middle- and lower-income residents are getting priced out of their neighborhoods. Tufts has made few, if any, steps towards addressing this issue with the community. But now that students are going to be directly affected, Tufts needs to act. And Tufts needs to act in a way that assures all students have equal access to housing. Whether this takes the form of extra financial aid or subsidizing off-campus living costs is up to Tufts to determine. After attending the city council meeting this past week and hearing the public forum on the housing ordinance, I see that this issue is not going away. Lower-income students like me, who rely on the fact that off-campus apartments are cheaper than university housing, need Tufts to act. The balance is shifting, and Tufts needs to do more to support lower-income students in affording and acquiring the housing they deserve. Sam Zollman is a senior majoring in developmental communication, environmental education and media. Sam can be reached at samuel.zollman@tufts.edu
Op-Ed
Let's not forget it happens there as well by Alex Dorfman Op-Ed Contributor
Earlier this week, a man who was sentenced to death for partaking in the Delhi Rape Case released a statement blaming the victim for her death. The man, Mukesh Singh, stated that “A decent girl won’t be roaming about at nine o’clock at night.” Now, I don’t think I need to go into what is wrong with this statement. This is Tufts, and I think we all know that this statement is grossly incorrect and that a victim should never be blamed for a rape. Furthermore, shouldn’t a woman be able to walk around as late as she wants? But that belief is held in the United States, not in India. While speaking to Tufts student Srinitha Dasari – who spent half her childhood in India and half her childhood in the United States – about the recent developments in the Delhi case, she said that “The sentiments that he brings across echo the sentiments of higher officials. There is an underlying culture of blame.” In other words, and to paraphrase Srinitha’s words further, this is not just a mentally ill man making ridiculously offensive statements. Rather, his words actually hold weight in India, and that is pretty upsetting. In fact, government officials, the ones who
are supposed to be protecting their citizens, came out in support of the rapists rather than the victim. Now, as someone who has spent her whole life in America, I cannot imagine what it’s like to grow up in a country where one’s officials don’t believe a woman has the right to her own body, so I don’t think it’s something I can give my opinion on beyond saying that I disagree with it. Srinitha, though, told me that she and her friends from home were deeply upset by these statements and that they were tired of “always being forced to take the blame for it.” Of course, that is a logical response to such a horrific event and such offensive statements, but it’s important because sometimes I think we have a tendency to read news like this and think, “Oh, it’s India. It’s a different country.” But, as Srinitha pointed out to me, “At Tufts, we love talking about race, and Israel-Palestine, and then there are also things we tend to ignore, like the Delhi rape case.” Now, yes, this is just one student’s view, and of course it depends on where you’re looking for these types of conversations, but she does have a point. It seems to me that this particular issue is not talked about much at Tufts. I find the lack of discussion sad because, even though these events are obviously taking
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Op-Ed
place in a different country, they still are very relevant to what is going on here. Rape doesn’t just happen in India, of course. In fact, just last week we had the forum “It Happens Here” about how rape happens here at Tufts. In other words, although these events are taking place on another continent, they still hold much relevancy here at Tufts. The most recent development in the Delhi rape case has to do with the documentary “India’s Daughter” (2015), about the events of the Delhi rape case. The film was set to premiere in India, but after Singh’s statements were released, the public rage they were met with caused the Indian government to ban the film. The government urged BBC to also shut down broadcasting the film, but ultimately it was aired in Britain. There was much uproar about the film’s ban in India, and there is speculation by the coproducers of the film about how to legally fight the ban on the film. Of course, coming from my background, I believe the film should be released. Despite the fact that, from the descriptions of the flim, it sounds deeply disturbing and horrific, it’s important for the Indian public to know about these events and understand exactly how terrible they were.
Caitlin Thompson | Oppressive Regimes
The power of student protest
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ounger generations are a significant threat to oppressive regimes. A driving force behind revolution, the student population is both at risk of repression and formidable in its opposition. Far too often student protests end in bloodshed and government crackdown. We were reminded of the risk and significance of student protests by the death of fourteen-year-old Kluiver Roa Nunez in Venezuela at the end of February. Protest sparked in San Cristobal in response to continuing economic challenges and the recent arrest of a dissident politician, and students flocked to the streets. Such demonstrations have continued since last year, resulting in dozens of deaths; this student’s death at the hands of the police was the most recent. This is not the first time a student has been killed in protest. Student demonstrations are a part of history, notably in the US in the late 1960s and around the world since then. Myanmar, for example, saw a student protest in 1988 grow into an expansive movement, during which 3,000 people were killed. Revolt stemmed from a lack of rights and economic opportunity for the youth coming of age under a military dictatorship – circumstances similar to those that prompted protests in Venezuela this year. The prevalence of student protests indicates a common theme of dissatisfaction under repressive governments, and their ferocity shows they are the fire behind a number of social movements. Look at Myanmar in 1988: student dissatisfaction with the government became a nation-wide strike referenced to by its date, 8/8/88. Sudan in 2011 was similar. Encouraged by the Arab Spring, students used social media to organize protests calling for the National Congress Party to relinquish control. Peaceful demonstrations soon turned violent, but that did not stop more demonstrators from joining the student ranks, proving youth are catalysts for protests worldwide. Student demonstrations say something about governments as well as the youth. Governments repeatedly respond to student demonstrations with violence, fail to investigate police perpetrated attacks and falsify the number of casualties. Such was the case in Mexico in 1968, which allegedly turned bloody when government-sponsored snipers shot into the crowds, provoking police aggression. The regime reported four deaths, but new estimations total near 3,000. It was not until 2001 that the government began a serious investigation of the event that has been dubbed the Tlatelolco massacre. Time and time again, students take on oppressive regimes, and often such movements are inspired by similar causes. Sometimes, the goal is to call on the government to help its youth build a stable future, often focusing on education reform. Current protests in Myanmar aim to abolish new education laws which eliminate student unions and give the government more control over curriculum. Student Htya Kywe says “we students had no hopes for any jobs after school. We were totally lost.” It is this same feeling of disillusionment and hopelessness that sparked protests in Mexico in 2014 when students protested the hiring practices at their school. Other times, protests stem from a desire for democracy and the downfall of oppressive governments, as in the demonstrations mentioned earlier in Sudan in 2011 or the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. “I got pepper-sprayed last Friday … but I am here to defend my future and the future of Hong Kong,” said Eric Wong, summarizing the opinions of so many others in Hong Kong and around the world. There is a growing culture of protest in the global youth, but such protest comes at a heavy price. Hundreds have died in studentsparked protests, their blood spilled for their respective generations’ chance at success and freedom. The seed of change starts with the young generation.
Caitlin Thompson is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. She can be reached at caitlin.thompson@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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Wednesday, March 11, 2015
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Los Angeles Times Daily Crossword Puzzle Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Lewis
ACROSS 1 See the 67Across clue 5 Suitor’s purchase 10 Geological age 14 Major follower? 15 Like the accent on “passé” 16 Proofer’s catch 17 Sandwich option 20 Good-humored banter 21 Superstore division 22 Mandela’s org. 23 Wrath 24 Very, in music 26 Rats, gnats and brats 28 Loads 29 E. Berlin’s land 32 13-mile race 36 Prefix with European 39 Words on Alice’s cake 40 Chichén __: pyramid site 41 Equine sprinter 44 Home of the NFL’s Rams 45 High spot 46 Indian region known for its tea 50 Goldman’s sonin-law and partner 52 Share of the profits 54 Poke one’s nose (into) 55 What we have here 57 Boraxtransporting driver 59 It prohibits cruel and unusual punishment 62 Coastal bird of prey 63 Met event 64 More: Abbr. 65 Sign that stands out 66 Old West trackers 67 It can follow the starts of 17-, 32-, 41- and 59Across DOWN 1 Bundle up again 2 Natural gas component
wordart
3/11/15
By Thomas Takaro
3 Unemotional types 4 Spill the beans 5 Less experienced, as a recruit 6 Natural earth shade 7 Chop __ 8 DFW posting 9 Arrange dishes and utensils on 10 Skylit lobbies 11 Ophthalmologist’s concern 12 Australian gem 13 Botanical junction 18 Woman in a “Paint Your Wagon” song 19 Enzo’s “Enough!” 24 San Antonio mission 25 More achy 27 Hammer-toting god 28 The Beatles’ “I __ Walrus” 30 Donut box qty. 31 Genetic letters 33 One who won’t let go 34 Produces produce
Tuesday’s Puzzle Solved Tuesday’s Solution
Married to the Sea
©2015 Tribune Content Agency, LLC
35 Associations 36 Educ. testing data 37 Bolt partner 38 Repeat symbol, in scores 42 “Be silent,” in music 43 Filled to the limit 47 Maker of brief briefs 48 Political philosopher Hannah
3/11/15
49 South Carolina’s __ Beach 51 Sickly looking 52 Offstage aides 53 Forearm bones 55 Babysitter, often 56 Charter, as a bus 57 Fr. wives 58 Eliot Ness, e.g. 60 Bounce 61 GI’s address
THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME
www.marriedtothesea.com
by David L. Hoyt and Jeff Knurek
Unscramble these four Jumbles, one letter to each square, to form four ordinary words.
©2015 Tribune Content Agency, LLC All Rights Reserved.
NEEVU GLERAY
DELHBO
SUDOKU
Check out the new, free JUST JUMBLE app
MATDI
Level: Picking out a swimsuit to wear on spring break.
Now arrange the circled letters to form the surprise answer, as suggested by the above cartoon.
Print answer here: Yesterday’s
(Answers tomorrow) Jumbles: ABIDE PRICE VELVET RARITY Answer: The weather forecast ended up being incorrect, which was — PREDICTABLE
Late Night at the Daily
Tuesday’s Solution
Nick: “Can we rename it? That sounds like some sort of weird porn.”
Please recycle this Daily.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
The Tufts Daily
11
Sports
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Jumbos end successful season with high hopes for future WOMEN’S SQUASH continued from back
make sure to continue to work hard in the gym and the weight room. “This year we focused more on lifting and fitness in the off season rather than focusing on playing squash,” Bellinger said. The Jumbos even avenged some of their early season losses, defeating the Conn. College Camels 6-3 on Feb. 1. This match gave Tufts momentum heading into the NESCAC Championship and CSA Championships, which were just around the corner. In the NESCAC Championship tournament at Williams College from Feb. 6-7, Tufts faced some of the toughest competition in the NESCAC. In the first round it came up against top-ranked Bowdoin and was unable to come up with the win, losing 9-0. But in the second round, the Jumbos took the rubber match against the Camels, 6-3. “ We were seeded 10th in the 11-team draw at NESCACs,” Dahlman said. “So, while we were not able to sweep away
many higher ranked teams, we solidly beat Conn. College in our second match of the tournament.” In the last round of the consolation draw, Tufts fell to Wesleyan in a decisive 8-1 match. The Jumbos worked hard in preparation for the CSA Championships, which were held one week later at Harvard University. Their hard work paid off as they topped three very strong teams: Haverford, Conn. College and William Smith. “Compared to last season, this season we were better able to capitalize on key matches,” Dahlman said. Tufts had previously lost to William Smith in the fall, so Tufts’ success in the finals was extremely rewarding. As they look toward next season, Stanco is confident in the improving team. “At the moment, we are really focused on our off-court fitness and getting everyone physically and mentally prepared for next year,” Stanco said. The Jumbos are extremely excited about the addition of a regulation size
squash court to the Gantcher Center in the fall, as it will allow players to have the necessary court time during preseason. Tufts will also benefit from the fact that its strong class of first-years will have a full season of collegiate experience under their belts. “I anticipate [first-years] Claudia Udolf and Lauren Banner to be key players throughout their four years at Tufts,” Bellinger said. In addition to the strong underclassmen, there are already five recruits that Tufts will bring on the team next season. With only two seniors and two juniors, the team will be very young, but Stanco has been working closely with coach Joe McManus as well as the strength and conditioning staff to put together an off-season training schedule focused on getting the younger players ready for the season ahead. Based on their current talent and strong recruiting, the Jumbos have an opportunity to take their success to the next level.
Duvivier impresses in high jump season debut
MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD continued from back
ing the end of his basketball season. Duvivier had a wildly successful debut, reaching a team season-best height of 6’ 6” in the high jump. Duvivier said he was delighted, but also surprised, to hear that he had beaten the season’s best high jump clearance. For him, switching sports has required him to alter his mindset. “With basketball, I definitely enjoy the camaraderie of the team,” Duvivier said. “With track, I like how it’s an individual sport; all the pressure’s on you.” Duvivier had a short break after his basketball season before starting to train with track. While basketball has kept him in very good shape, the transition has taken somewhat of a toll on his body. He is nevertheless optimistic about what he can achieve in his second varsity season at Tufts. “I just want to be the best I can be,” he said. “There’s no specific height [that I’m aiming for] because I don’t want to put a cap on things.” His other track and field team members’ performances at the Last Chance Meet will provide plenty of impetus for the team going forward as it prepares for the spring season. For now, the focus is on the cohort of athletes Caroline Ambros / The Tufts Daily that will be representing Tufts in North Tufts sprinters will have a chance to compete at NCAAs as part of the 4×400-meter relay. Carolina.
Tufts looks to continue program’s success BASEBALL
continued from back
major league team — something that has happened only six times during Casey’s coaching tenure. Right now, the southpaw is concentrating on polishing his game so he can be even better than last year. “It’s an honor to be nominated for the preseason All-American award, but I haven’t proven anything this year,” Slinger said. “I hope to build off last year by adding new aspects to my game to keep [my opponents] offbalance. I don’t want them thinking I’m the same as last year … There is always room for improvement.” Tufts will also prevent runs with its strong outfield defense anchored by senior tri-captain center fielder Connor McDavitt. McDavitt led the Jumbos in stolen bases last year with 15 in addition to batting .345 and posting the team’s second-highest OBP at .461.
“We’re very excited to have the opportunity to go out and compete this spring,” McDavitt said. Tufts will also look to senior catchers Bryan Egan and Nick Barker for leadership behind the plate. Seniors James Howard and Will Glazier are expected to provide stability at first base and third base, respectively, with Glazier filling in at designated hitter as well. Senior swingman Willie Archibald — whom Casey called a “utility pitcher” — should solidify the staff with his flexibility and versatility. But even with all their senior leadership, the Jumbos will need ample contributions from their underclassmen to return to the tournament. “We will need a few younger, less experienced players to step in and play important innings, and we need to increase our quality at-bats,” Casey said. Casey expects sophomore pitcher Tim Superko, last year’s NESCAC Rookie of the Year, to build off his
impressive debut. He’s also counting on similar breakouts from sophomores Tom Petry and Speros Varinos to solidify the middle infield. Tufts has 12 games scheduled over spring break, starting with this Friday’s tilt against Castleton State College in Newport News, Va. The Jumbos started last year against the Spartans as well and won 7-1, launching an eight-game winning streak to open the season. Casey hopes to have similar early success this time around and get a better feel for his roster along the way. “We will make a lot of decisions on our upcoming trip to [ Virginia and North Carolina] and hopefully be a little more settled when we return to play up here,” Casey said. “Our goal is to compete at our best every time we take the field, be in the moment, play as hard as we are capable of and trust the process. If we do that, we can live with any results.”
Tyler Maher | Beantown Beat
Celtics surprise contenders
A
s I prepare to make like a bird and migrate south for spring break (Miami Beach, here I come!), I am shocked to see that with little more than a month left in the NBA regular season, the Boston Celtics are fighting for a playoff birth. I can’t believe it. The Celtics, who weren’t a particularly good team before trading away their best players, are somehow vying for the eighth seed in the East, two games back as of yesterday afternoon. In a year where they were supposed to tank (again), they’re seriously contending for a postseason spot. As much as I hate to say it, that says a lot more about how weak the Eastern Conference is than it does about how good the Boston Celtics are. Because let’s face it; the Celtics are not good, nor should they be anybody’s idea of a playoff team. They’ve allowed more points than they’ve scored and have lost 10 games more than they’ve won. Their best starter right now is probably Brandon Bass, a power forward averaging 10.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. They’re woefully short on veteran talent, with eight of their 15 players 25-yearsold or younger. Boston’s roster is not only exceptionally young, but also has been severely depleted by trades and injuries. Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green, easily the Celtics’ two best players, were dealt months ago. Emerging power forward Jared Sullinger was lost for the season on Feb. 19 with a stress fracture in his left foot. Leading scorer Avery Bradley is currently battling a shoulder injury that has consistently nagged him the past few seasons. But through it all, the Celtics have persevered. They have continued to fight when everybody expected them to (or hoped they would) quit. Boston has already surpassed its win total from last year with 20 games to go. The Celtics’ success is a testament to the coaching ability of Brad Stevens, now in his second year at the helm. A lesser coach would have mailed in this season a long time ago and just let the kids play, but Stevens is always coaching to win. He may not have the personnel to do it, but the expert strategist gets the most of his meager roster day-in and day-out. Should the Celtics reach the playoffs, he ought to win Coach of the Year. But with five weeks remaining in the regular season, Boston still has a long ways to go. The Celts need to sustain their remarkable run, during which they have won 10 of their past 16 games to vault themselves into contention. They’ve been sparked by the stellar play of point guard Isaiah Thomas, who arrived via a three-way trade with the Phoenix Suns and Detroit Pistons on Feb. 19 — the day of the trade deadline. He’s been a revelation in his brief time with the C’s, averaging 21.4 points and 5.4 assists per game coming off the bench. Thomas is playing the best basketball of his life, injecting much-needed life and offense into a team lacking capable scorers. If he keeps it up, he just might single-handedly propel Boston to the postseason. What’s more important is that for the first time in a long time, the Celtics are worth keeping an eye on. Last season they were hopelessly out of contention by this point, but this year they’ve managed to at least stay relevant up to the three-quarter mark. Even if they crash and burn, at least they provided their fans some excitement and reminded us, however briefly, what it’s like to follow a winning basketball team again. Tyler Maher is a senior majoring in economics and English. He can be reached at tyler.maher@tufts.edu.
Sports
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tuftsdaily.com
SQuash
Tufts ends season on high note with win at CSA Championships by Alexa Meltzer Daily Staff Writer
The women’s squash team saw significant improvement this year as it ended its season ranked No. 25 nationally and more significantly, took home the Epps Cup at the College Squash Association (CSA) Championships. The players worked hard on and off the court as the season progressed, and their on-court results reflected that work. “There were a few matches last year that slipped by us when they shouldn’t have,” senior tri-captain Paige Dahlman said. “Yet this year, we were not only able to keep our cool against some tough opponents, but we were also able to win our division which was a feat that we did not accomplish in the past.” Without their No. 1 player, junior tri-captain Paget Stanco, who left to go abroad in the fall, the Jumbos were off to a rough start at the beginning of their season. They lost their first three matches in their opening tournament at Wesleyan. However, Tufts was able to top Smith College with a decisive 8-1 win in the last round of the Wesleyan tournament. “While we lost some of our initial matches because of lack of court time, we had the physical fitness base that we needed to continue through the season relatively injury-free,” senior tri-captain Ann Bellinger said. After the Wesleyan Round Robin tournament, Tufts faced a four-match losing streak, falling to Wellesley, Conn. College, Hamilton and Middlebury. Though its match against Conn. College was very close, Conn. College pulled out the win 5-4. Tufts found its stride on Dec. 5 with a 6-3 win against Vassar. In their last match before they departed for winter break, the Jumbos fell to the Colby Mules, a fellow NESCAC rival, in a close 5-4 match. When the Jumbos returned for play
Sofia Adams / The Tufts Daily
Junior tri-captain Paget Stanco’s return from abroad helped turnaround Tufts’ season. in January, however, they were bolstered by the return of Stanco, which not only gave the Jumbos a player at the top of the ladder, but also allowed the rest of the team to play a slot down
in the ladder. The benefits from the return of Stanco were immediately evident; Tufts was able to top Haverford and Boston College with decisive wins of 9-0 and 8-1, respectively.
Bhalla joins Black, relay as NCAA qualifier
ders, and he expected to qualify much earlier in the season. Not doing so only led to more frustration, Bhalla said. The Jumbos recorded several season Now, having punched his ticket to -best performances at the Tufts Last Nationals, Bhalla will have less to worry Chance Meet on March 6. The meet gave about as he focuses on resting and presome of Tufts’ top athletes an oppor- paring for the competition. Nationals tunity to qualify for the NCAA Div. III will take place in Salem, N.C. from March 13-14. National Championships. One runner who thrived under Joining Bhalla and Black in Winstonthe pressure was sophomore Luke Salem for Nationals will be the 4×400O’Connor, who notched a team season meter relay team of juniors Black, best and personal record time of 8:31.13 Francis Goins, Alex Kasemir and firstin the 3,000-meter run. He was not year Andrew DiMaiti. Resting will be key the only sophomore to impress as class- for this group of five. mate Pietro Possenti earned a team sea- “The biggest thing right now is recovson best result, reaching 13’ 2.25” in the ery and going in with a good mindset,” Bhalla said. pole vault. The highlight of the day for Tufts, The home advantage may have also however, came from junior Veer played a part in the Jumbos’ success. Bhalla. Seeking a spot in the 800 at the One benefit to competing at home was NCAA Championships, Bhalla need- familiarity to the surroundings. This ed to beat his time of 1:53.90 from comfort helped make the race seem like last week at the All - New England the time trial it was meant to be. Championships. Under pressure from “It’s my home turf,” Bhalla explained. both the team’s expectations and his “We practice there everyday.” own, Bhalla succeeded in beating that Having last competed on the banked time by 0.89 seconds, earning a time track at Boston University, where addiof 1:53.01 and jumping to seventh in tional time was added to every result, the national ranking of Div. III com- the team was also thankful to be back on petitors in the 800. The higher ranking the flat track in the Gantcher Center. means Bhalla will be competing in the One surprise for the Jumbos was the NCAAs alongside classmate Mitchell immediate impact of first-year Stefan Black, who is the favorite to take home Duvivier. Duvivier recently joined the track and field team in training followthe 800 title. According to Bhalla, qualifying for Nationals lifted a weight off his shoulsee MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD, page 11 Daily Staff Writer
see WOMEN’S SQUASH, page 11
Baseball
Track and Field
by Jack Szumski
Due to the snow blizzards in January, however, their practices became even more limited, and the women had to
Jumbos prepare to begin 2015 campaign by Tyler Maher
Nicholas Pfosi / The Tufts Daily
for another terrific season. Coach John Casey, now in his 32nd season managing his alma mater, has high hopes for this spring. “Last year is last year; this is a new team with different leaders and players,” Casey said. “At this point it looks like several younger players have taken steps forward, and our seniors have been really focused this preseason. We are ready to start the ride and don’t plan to get off until they force us off.” Tufts hopes to reach the tournament again on the strength of its stellar pitching staff, which compiled the seventh-lowest ERA in Div. III last year at 2.53. Led by senior tri-captains Tom Ryan and Kyle Slinger as well as junior Matt Moser, the Jumbos have an abundance of talented arms. Slinger was recently selected to D3baseball. com’s preseason All-American first team after an incredible 2014 in which the lefty went 9-0 with a 1.18 ERA that ranked 12th in the nation. The site also chose Slinger for NESCAC and New England Pitcher of the Year awards for his remarkable performance. If Slinger can follow up last year’s performance with a similar campaign this season, he might become the rare Jumbo to get drafted by a
Senior tri-captain Tom Ryan leads a strong stable of pitchers for the Jumbos.
see BASEBALL, page 11
Sports Editor
Coming off a 34-9 season and its third NCAA national tournament appearance in five years, the baseball team is a powerhouse poised