2011-02-17 by The Tufts Daily

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THE TUFTS DAILY

VOLUME LXI, NUMBER 15

Where You Read It First Est. 1980 TUFTSDAILY.COM

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2011

Tufts researchers among over 250 across country to urge trade reform to Obama BY

RACHEL RAMPINO

Daily Editorial Board

Three leaders at Tufts’ Global Development and Environment Institute (GDAE) on Jan. 31 were among over 250 economists to contribute to a letter sent to President Barack Obama’s administration encouraging trade policy reforms in the wake of the financial crisis. The GDAE, a research institute run jointly by the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, cosponsored the letter with the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), a think tank in Washington. The letter reflects recent developments in the general academic consensus on

the most effective trade policies and follows new findings across economic research that show support for capital regulation. Kevin Gallagher, a research associate at GDAE, and Sarah Anderson, global economy project director for IPS, authored the statement late last year. GDAE co-director Neva Goodwin and Director of GDAE’s Research and Policy Program Timothy Wise were among the signatories. In writing the letter, economists wanted to convey to policy makers their support of capital regulation and recommend that the administration consider capital control as a legitimate policy see LETTER, page 2

ASHLEY SEENAUTH/TUFTS DAILY

Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America spoke last night in Goddard Chapel.

At lecture, Greek Orthodox archbishop says psalms applicable to many traditions BY

CORINNE SEGAL

Daily Editorial Board

MEREDITH KLEIN/TUFTS DAILY

The TCU Senate last night finalized amendments to its bylaws that change to the way in which community representatives vote and are selected.

Revisions to community rep bylaws finalized in Senate BY

LAINA PIERA

Daily Editorial Board

The Tufts Community Union (TCU) Senate Sunday night passed three amendments to Senate bylaws that revise the way in which community representatives to the Senate are elected and serve their constituents. The student body in September approved the changes in a school-wide election pitting two referenda — addressing the community representatives — against one another. The language of the winning referendum was immediately applied to the TCU Constitution, but the Senate determined that the amendments’ wording was not clear enough to be applied to the body’s bylaws, which outline for the Senate how the constitution is to be implemented. Sunday’s amendments to the bylaws did not change any of the provisions outlined in the original referendum and only affected their wording, TCU President Sam Wallis said. “We’re not changing the referendum that was passed,” Wallis said. “These aren’t changes to what was voted on; it was implementing those changes. We were just flushing out the changes,” he said. Referendum 3, which won in the ballot election by one vote, included a provision that community representatives be granted full voting rights on all TCU Senate issues, including fiscal matters. The newly amended bylaws, as guided

by September’s referendum, also change the way community representative candidates are selected and establish a Diversity and Community Affairs (DCA) Officer position to oversee the community representatives and all diversity issues on campus. TCU Parliamentarian Dan Pasternack chaired a special committee that drafted amendments to three of the Senate’s bylaws. He said the amendment to the bylaw regarding community representatives, Bylaw 5, required the most dialogue within the committee. “We essentially completely rewrote the language we had and the process by which the community representatives are elected because before, community representatives were elected within TCUrecognized groups and the groups largely controlled that process, whereas now it’s a TCU-wide election, so we needed to ensure that there was language for that process,” Pasternack, a senior, said. The special committee, in addition to finalizing changes to the Senate’s community representative bylaws, also drafted amendments to the bylaw concerning membership and attendance in the Senate as well as the one that outlines the body’s general procedures and regulations. Wallis said the Bylaw Amendment 3, which changed the selection process for community representatives, was the most controversial point of discussion. According to the amendment, any see BYLAWS, page 2

Inside this issue

The archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America last night spoke to a filled Goddard Chapel about the universality of messages found in the Book of Psalms. The presentation by Archbishop Demetrios, attended by approximately 80 people, was entitled “The Book of Psalms: The Ecumenical and Universal Prayer.” It was part of the Goddard Chapel Forum on Religion in America, a lecture series organized and sponsored by the Tufts Chaplaincy. “In the English-speaking world, the psalms have monumental literary presence,” Demetrios said. “There is perhaps no book of the Bible more beloved and more used than the psalms.” The psalms are applicable to all monotheistic religious traditions, according to Demetrios. “These are not Jewish prayers or Christian prayers or Muslim prayers; they are human prayers,” he said. “We pray the very same prayers through the Book of Psalms,” he said. University Chaplain David O’Leary agreed that the psalms extend to multiple faiths. “All three monotheistic traditions at least acknowledge the Book of Psalms as worthy of meditation and prayer,” O’Leary told the Daily after the lecture.

Demetrios was born in Thessaloniki, Greece, in 1928 and attended the University of Athens School of Theology, the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the University of Athens. He is primate of the Greek Orthodox Church in America, exarch of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and chairman of the Holy Eparchial Synod of Bishops. He has held professorships at the Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Mass. and at Harvard Divinity School. The psalms are unique in their direct language, Demetrios said. “They approach the divine without pretense. There is, in the Psalms, an amazing directness,” he said, adding that the psalms provide religious readers the opportunity to connect with God. “Reading prayer from a psalm is concurrently an act of speaking to God and listening to God,” he said. “The psalms are God’s voice, God’s revelation.” Senior Veronica Azmy, president of the Tufts Orthodox Christian Fellowship (OCF), was pleased with Demetrios’ choice of the book for his lecture. “It’s a beautiful piece of literature,” Azmy said. O’Leary said that the psalms address nearly every human emotion. see DEMETRIOS, page 2

As leaks endanger exhibits, museum fights to stay afloat BY JOSH

WEINER

Contributing Writer

A Somerville institution with close ties to Tufts is under financial strain despite extensive community support in recent months. The Somerville Museum on Westwood Road has launched a campaign to collect $105,000 to repair a damaged roof that continues to plague the museum with leaks, which threaten the exhibits inside. “This problem started years ago,” Director of Exhibitions Michael O’Connell said of the antique copperand-slate roof, which the museum has repeatedly had to patch up and salvage to protect from the rain.

“It finally got to the point where we realized this wasn’t something we were going to be able to fix on our own,” O’Connell said. The museum has turned to outside sources from the surrounding area for help paying for the repairs, which would include sealing off the leaks in the roof, strengthening windows, providing insulation and repairing the wooden gutters. The fundraising effort has been greatly fueled by the generosity of local Somerville residents, as well as organizations like the Somerville Senior Center and the Welcome Project. Recently, the museum experienced see MUSEUM, page 2

Today’s Sections

Two Tufts seniors are making their mark on music blogs with their new band, Timeflies.

Men’s basketball’s Amauris Quezada, in his third year on the team, has finally come into his own.

see WEEKENDER, page 11

see SPORTS, page 20

News Features Comics Editorial | Letters

1 3 5 6

Op-Ed Weekender Classifieds Sports

7 11 17 Back

THE TUFTS DAILY

NEWS

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Archbishop Demetrios emphasizes universal relevance of psalms

After September referendum, Senate finalizes new community rep process

DEMETRIOS

BYLAWS

continued from page 1

“The Book of Psalms go from high emotions of joy … to the middle psalms of laments and anger and almost depression. So you have a whole range of emotions with the Book of Psalms,” O’Leary said. Demetrios’ teachings follow the apostolic tradition, which emphasizes the teachings as passed down by Christ’s apostles, according to junior Stephanie Phoutrides, a co-founder and former president of OCF. She was pleased that the OCF community, and the Tufts community at large, was able to hear from a figure like the archbishop. “I think it’s a big deal, especially because there’s not a huge Orthodox presence at Tufts,” Phoutrides said. Being able to hear Demetrios speak in person, Azmy agreed, presented a rare opportunity. “He was appointed in the same way

that the first church fathers were. He is a church father of our time, so he’s very important to us,” Azmy said. Azmy emphasized the importance of opportunities for students of religion to interact with figures like the archbishop. “When these holy men come in, it’s very important to ask them spiritual things and take advantage of all their biblical knowledge, all their wisdom,” she said. “These holy men, they have had probably hundreds of thousands of people over their lifetime ask them for advice,” Azmy said. “They’ve seen things over and over again.” Demetrios’ religious background and understanding, like that of his colleagues, is invaluable, Azmy said. “They have a lot of knowledge and knowledge not only comes from their experience, but also from their very intricate study of the Bible and the holy books and spiritual reading,” she said.

continued from page 1

TCU-recognized group can apply to get a candidate on a school-wide ballot. Additionally, ‘student leaders’ from any Group of 6 center can apply to submit a candidate only after they receive support from the director of the center. Senator Tim Lesinski, a junior, voted against Amendment 3 because of concerns that the selection process may become corrupt. “My issue was that a very small group gets to choose who is on the ballot instead of the whole community or the whole student body, so by the time it gets voted on, it’s been narrowed down by a small group … which would lead to a corrupt system,” Lesinski said. “It’s a group of under ten student leaders who pick, and they could choose to only allow their friends. My amendment fixes that by removing some of the power so [the leaders] still have the power to say which candidate they support, but they

all get to be on the ballot.” Lesinski’s proposed amendment to Amendment 3, which would have lessened the power of student groups to have final word on who gets on a ballot, did not pass. Senator Logan Cotton, a sophomore, said he supported the special committee’s amendments, saying that Lesinksi’s proposed changes weren’t in line with the goals of Referendum 3. “I feel like our job right now with the bylaws is to create a procedure that maintains harmony with the spirit of the referendum that was passed,” he said. The amendments to Bylaw 5 passed with a 17-4 vote with 2 senators abstaining. Pasternack said he expects no further changes to the wording of the amendments to the bylaws. “We tried to be as thorough as possible,” Pasternack said. “If there are any things that need to be changed, it will be after we’ve tried out the whole process. This year will be a trial year even though the process will be in effect.”

Researchers at Tufts-based institute, economists across country say government regulation of international capital markets too loose in wake of financial crisis LETTER continued from page 1

option for future U.S. trade negotiations, according to Gallagher. “Academic journals and articles don’t always make it to everyone’s coffee tables,” Gallagher said. “We wanted to make a statement that was short, sharp and crisp to synthesize with policymakers what research is showing at this time.” The use of capital controls restricts rapid flow of capital across international borders so it can be directed toward the public good. Current U.S. trade rules, in accordance with more traditional economic theory, do not permit capital controls in the interest of free market flow, according to Anderson. “There has been this idea that the free market should rule the international financial system, that government shouldn’t be meddling in financial issues,” Anderson said.

According to Gallagher, however, recent economic research suggests that unmanaged capital inflow can cause inflation, currency appreciation and real estate and stock market bubbles or rises in prices above goods’ fundamental value. These consequences all could contribute to a financial crisis, according to Gallagher. “In the wake of the financial crisis, people should see that it’s very dangerous to have completely unregulated financial markets,” Anderson added. Gallagher explained that the timing of the letter coincides with a number of trade deals currently being considered in Congress. The 112th Congress will soon vote on trade deals from U.S. negotiations with South Korea and Colombia during the Bush administration and new negotiations with Pacific Rim countries, such as Chile, New Zealand and Singapore, according to Gallagher. “As Congress thinks about deals it’s

going to make this year and sets up the template for future negotiations, it’s an opportune time to make some amendments and adjust trade policy in the wake of the financial crisis,” Gallagher said. Gallagher and Anderson both served on an advisory board to the Obama administration regarding the financial crisis, Anderson said. The two academics were prompted to draft the letter because they felt that the new research regarding capital control deserved more attention, she said. Seventeen groups of corporate lobbyists on Feb. 7 endorsed a response statement opposing the economists’ research and statement, according to Anderson. The corporations asserted that controls should not be strengthened, according to Jonathan Huneke, vice president of communications and public affairs for the United States Council for International Business, a private lob-

byist group representing many multinational corporations. “We’re trying to push back against the efforts of academic advisors to change the model,” Huneke, who contributed to the response statement, told the Daily. “The change could make it difficult for companies to do business and could curtail the benefits of investment between the U.S. and other countries.” This resistance to restrictions is to be expected, Anderson said. Congress is responding with much more interest to the economists’ recommendations than ever before, though currently the government seems to be siding with the corporations, she said. “Clearly there’s a big battle that’s going to go on for a while over this issue, but we hope the door towards change isn’t shut,” Anderson said. “There seems to be a lot of interest in Congress in taking a fresh look, so we’ll see how it all plays out.”

With curatorial ties to Tufts, the Somerville Museum struggles to cover repairs MUSEUM continued from page 1

a major breakthrough by receiving a sizable grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund and the MassDevelopment Corporation. “We are so fortunate to have received this grant,” Museum Director Evelyn Battinelli said, explaining that the museum has had only modest success with previous grant requests. Professor and Chair of Anthropology Department David Guss helped create “The Lost Theatres of Somerville,” an exhibition displaying the various movie theaters that have existed throughout the history of Somerville. Both Battinelli and O’Connell agreed that this was one of the most popular and well received of all their recent showcases and were thankful for Guss’ contributions to their cause. “This museum is one of the most extraordinary cultural gems that exist in the city,” Guss said. “It’s a place where our community can really gather together. Tufts has benefited tremendously from having them as a partner.” While O’Connell believed that his museum’s small-scale status allows locals to easily sympathize with its cause, it also puts them at a fundraising disadvantage. O’Connell said that while a larger institution like the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) would for a similar project be able to “raise in the millions,” the Somerville Museum is “stuck on a different shelf,” thinking “in terms of thousands.” Largely through outside donations, the museum has now come within striking distance of covering the $105,000 in matching funds necessary to complete

the repair project. Once the problem with the roof is resolved, the museum will be able to shift its focus back to other important causes, including the maintenance of its ongoing curatorial program. O’Connell said that he has worked with a number of students through this program. “[P]eople who have never done an exhibit before [are able] … to walk in off the street … and share the knowledge that they have,” O’Connell said. This allows the museum to ensure that it maintains its close contact with the rest of the Somerville community, he said. Past exhibitions have analyzed divisions that arose in the city during, for example, the Vietnam War and the construction of the I-93 interstate highway. One community favorite was an exhibition honoring George Dilboy, a Somerville resident who fought and died in World War I and posthumously became the first Greek-American ever to receive the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration awarded in the United States. The museum has accepted several contributions from Somerville High School, among other institutes, as well as a considerable number from Tufts. “We have always had a good relationship with Tufts,” Battinelli said. The museum has developed alongside our school for decades, and their relationship has continued to thrive in recent years, thanks to the efforts of several key individuals. Graduate students at Tufts have made their contributions to the museum as well. One standout example was “From Yucuaiquin to Somerville,” an exhibition by former Tufts student

DANAI MACRIDI/TUFTS DAILY

The Somerville Museum is trying to raise $105,000 to pay for a leaky roof, among other problems. Sebastian Chaskel that outlined the fortunes that the mountain people of El Salvador have had in relocating to East Somerville. Many graduate students continue to team up with the Somerville Museum on ongoing projects. O’Connell claims that the museum is “very open” in this respect and encourages the Tufts student body to bring their ideas to the table. “It brings so much freshness to each exhibition,” Battinelli said of student contributions to the museum. “It’s an amazing, amazing undertaking.” The close-to-home feel of the museum and its exhibitions, as well as its

connection with the community in general, has certainly paid off. The institute has been able to come within $15,000 of covering the funds it needs for repairs and hopes that its continued community outreach will be able to finally seal the deal. O’Connell said he is thankful that his city’s people have responded to their cause so soundly. “We’ve received a tremendous amount of community support,” he said, reflecting on the fundraising project. “It’s almost heartbreaking. It really gives you a warm feeling to be the recipient of all that.”

Features

tuftsdaily.com

U.K. study says drinking may spark aggression in women; results not seen at Tufts BY

ANGELINA ROTMAN

Daily Editorial Board

The stereotype of the party girl who throws back a few too many tequila shots and finds herself in a bar fight is rooted in cultural phenomena like “Jersey Shore” and “The Real World” — but at what point does the cliché become a real-life concern? A recent study in the United Kingdom by the British Association of Anger Management claims that the number of aggressive drunks is on the rise — and that these drunks are women. Although the study only finds a correlation, rather than causation, between violent crimes perpetrated by young British women and an increase in binge drinking among the same demographic, the results serve to frame the question of how — and why — drinking affects the behavior of women. In the United States, the number of women who drink has been steadily catching up to the number of men who drink, according to Director of Alcohol and Health Education Ian Wong. “We know overall drinking rates in colleges are going down, but [rates] in women are going up,” Wong said. Yet evidence shows drinking rates among women on the Tufts campus are not in line with the British results. In a 2010 survey conducted by the Department of Health Education at Tufts, 59 percent of male respondents

Poor on Packard

ear Yuantee, Nothing gets me going like the feeling of a big wad of cold, hard cash in my back pocket. Unfortunately, I haven't had that feeling in a while. I'm broke. I spent all my money on booze, burritos from Anna's and a taxi home from Winter Bash because the bus system was so poorly managed by the school and I had to pee. You seem to know basically everything, Yuantee. I need bills. What should I Zhu? -Poor on Packard

JODI BOSIN/TUFTS DAILY

Link between alcohol and aggression among females may just be conjecture. said they engaged in binge drinking versus 40 percent of females, according to Wong. In the same survey, four percent of males said they have hurt someone else while drinking, in comparison with two percent of women. While these percentages are low, they suggest that Tufts does not fit in with the study’s findings.

Gender aside, one of alcohol’s proven side effects is aggression. “[Alcohol] is one of the few drugs that does correlate with an increase in aggressive behavior in terms of fights,” Director of the Center for Health Promotion at UMass Amherst Sally Linowski, said. see AGGRESSION, page 4

Street Smarts: Tufts’ sartorial scene Ever notice the Jumbos on campus who put more into their wardrobes than a momentary thought about which pair of sneakers doesn’t clash with their sweatpants? We have, and some of their sartorial styles caught our eye in particular.

COMPILED BY ROMY OLTUSKI PHOTOS BY JUSTIN MCCALLUM

“My grandfather went to West Point, so I like the military look, and he bought this coat for me.” —Vivian Haime, 2011 “I love cardigans a lot. This one I got for Christmas, along with the scarf.” —Jay Dodd, 2014

YUANTEE ZHU | WHAT WOULD YUANTEE ZHU?

“Today is my more casual day because I’m not wearing neckwear, but I figured I can get away with it because of all the buttons on my coat, which is Bavarian. As a professor, I consider my students also professionals, so I try to dress up for my students as not to disrespect them and in ways that are fun for me.” -—Stephan Pennington, Assistant Professor of Music

See Jumbo Slice at blogs.tuftsdaily.com for the full shoot.

P.P., My favorite question. I've got a few thoughts. Hopefully you'll find them helpful. Your most lucrative option is probably the age-old moneymaking guarantee: buying alcohol for underclassmen and charging a steep overhead commission. I did some research for you and talked to my microeconomics professor about the situation. Basically, it boils down to simple supply and demand. The demand for booze is high, particularly if you're not a freshman who enjoys frats way more than you should. If you assume that around 65 to 70 percent of the Tufts population is under the age of 21, and approximately 97 percent of said minors drink alcohol on a binge drinking level (just look at the administration's honorable handling of NQR — clearly, we must all have been wasted to take our clothes off and go running around the quad in the freezing cold), then you've got well over 1,000 potential customers. Even if you do business with only a fraction of this population, you can charge a modest 20 percent on top of the price of the alcohol and average about $200 to 250 of sales per weekend, leaving you with somewhere between $40 to $50 per weekend. That should pretty much cover your own booze and burrito costs each week. Of course, if you want to start turning big profits after your personal expenses, find more customers. But remember, going too far over 20 percent commission is a potential turnoff for buyers. Personally, I've found great success at 15 percent, but I only drink three-for-$12 wine specials, and while I understand your Anna's obsession, I'm a Helen's man myself. That's the by-the-book method, and you have my guarantee that it will work. Despite the guaranteed success of this business endeavor, its extremely illegal nature is such that you definitely shouldn't do this. Don't worry, though; I have a few other ideas. You could get a job, but a quick costbenefit analysis reveals that the amount of time it takes to fill out an application and W-2 form, as well as — in worstcase scenarios — having to go to an interview, is definitely not worth it. Now, I saw an ad by the music building the other day from a young lady looking for a private clarinet tutor. The lady was looking for a talented clarinetist for private tutoring from three to six hours per week and was willing to pay up to $30 per hour. The ad also specified that a female instructor was preferred, which could be a problem, but I suggest you just play the gender card and call her a misandrist for hating males and assuming that females are better at the clarinet just because of its phallic nature. She'll probably buckle under the pressure and concede that men can be good at clarinet too, and then it's a total cash cow! But still, no guarantee here. see ZHU, page 4

THE TUFTS DAILY

Thursday, February 17, 2011

FEATURES

Drinking patterns among women may stem from societal constructs AGGRESSION continued from page 3

She believes that biology contributes to aggression in women who drink. “Biologically we don’t handle [alcohol] as well….We get drunker faster,” Linowski said. An article in the Daily Mail detailing the study’s findings cited rebellion against gender roles as a possible cause for this rise in aggression. Linowski agreed, noting that these roles influence drinking habits in women. “I think for females, reasons for drinking are different. We have pretty tightly prescribed gender roles,” Linowski said. “Women, young women in particular, drink to be social, to show that ‘I’m a good girl, but I can be a bad girl if I want to’ and to try to socialize with men, in particular.” The social acceptance of women drinking in public, in comparison with men, is a relatively recent development, according to Wong. “Men will drink, and it’s pretty out in the open,” Wong said. “But women have a tendency of taking care of each other, taking each other home. Guys don’t do that.”

Wong said that women have a propensity to consume alcohol at a small “pre-game” rather than at a large party because drinks can be more closely monitored. This trend, he said, arises from concerns about the potential to be drugged or raped. Issues that lead girls to heavy drinking often also spur aggressive emotions. “Obvious trauma, past trauma, sexual trauma — all correlate with heavy drinking,” Linowski said. “I think as we see an increase in eating disorders, stress, we see an increase in drinking.” According to Linowski, the research on social norms done by Wes Perkins, a sociologist at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, shows that female drinking is largely dependent upon gender roles and the adoption of traditionally male characteristics like aggression. “They [females] are trying to drink up to a norm of how they think guys drink,” Linowski said. “Men tend to create the social scene around drinking, and then the women participate in it. I think a lot of it is bound up in our sexist culture and our level of what it means to be a man or woman.”

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Zhu oﬀers “advice” to Poor on Packard ZHU continued from page 3

The one flawless idea I have for you is to build a chicken coop (to house two or three hens) either in the backyard of your house, a grassy area near your dorm or, if need be, in your dorm room. With a chicken farm, you'll be able to have eggs for breakfast every morning, which will cut down on your food costs. You can also sell them, legally, to students and/or townies looking for cheap eggs. Maintenance costs are low. Hens, unlike roosters, are virtually

silent, so it will be easy to make sure nobody finds out. Frankly, it's bulletproof. And, if all else fails, join the Tufts Community Union Senate. Given the way they've misallocated hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past few years, it probably wouldn't take much to get a few thousand bucks out of them. At least that's what I would Zhu.

324 Main Street Medford, MA 02155

Phone number: 781-395-0400

Yuantee Zhu is a senior majoring in biology. He can be reached at Yuantee.Zhu@tufts.edu.

Website: www.bobsfood.com

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Thursday, February 17, 2011

DOONESBURY

NON SEQUITUR

THE TUFTS DAILY BY

GARRY TRUDEAU

COMICS CROSSWORD

WILEY

WEDNESDAY’S SOLUTION

MARRIED TO THE SEA

THAT SCRAMBLED WORD GAME

www.marriedtothesea.com

SUDOKU

Unscramble these four Jumbles, one letter to each square, to form four ordinary words.

AWNTY

LOOFI

THOUPS

NEW BIBLE Jumble Books Go To: http://www.tyndale.com/jumble/

by Mike Argirion and Jeff Knurek

YABSUW Now arrange the circled letters to form the surprise answer, as suggested by the above cartoon.

Print your answer here: Yesterday’s

(Answers tomorrow) BASIS VANITY CAUCUS Jumbles: DRAWL Answer: Why they staged a sit-in to save the trees — IT WAS A “STAND”

LATE NIGHT AT THE DAILY Wednesday’s Solution

Kochman: “I don’t know how to write a bad column.”

Please recycle this Daily.

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THE TUFTS DAILY ALEXANDRA W. BOGUS Editor-in-Chief

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Thursday, February 17, 2011

EDITORIAL | LETTERS

EDITORIAL

Budget should be based on national priorities The House of Representatives yesterday voted to cancel federal funding for a jet engine that has been widely opposed by both the Bush and Obama administrations, as well as Defense Secretary Robert Gates. The removal of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter’s alternative engine from the federal spending bill that will fund the government through the end of the year will cut an additional $450 million and save up to $3 billion over the next few years. While funding for the engine has met strong opposition, its continuation has also been adamantly defended by representatives in whose districts its construction has created manufacturing and supply jobs. Approximately $3 billion has already been spent on the project. But in the interest of cutting their losses, many senior officials have been trying to discontinue it for years, calling it a wasteful endeavor during a time of economic crisis. President Barack Obama has referred to the engine as a symbol of waste, and Gates said that the money could better be directed toward “higher-priority defense efforts.”

Nonetheless, previous votes in the House to cut its funding had been unsuccessful, and many prominent members of the House — notably House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH), in whose district much of the engine is being built — have urged its continuation. Supporters of the engine argue that the project has provided a significant number of domestic jobs — the manufacturers of the engine spread work to over 15 states and promised that it would create over 4,000 jobs — and that ending now is a waste of the work already done on a military project that will ultimately prove useful. During Wednesday’s vote, the majority of Republican votes to terminate the project came from the House’s freshman Republicans who sided with liberal Democrats. The freshman Republicans’ decision to vote for the cutting of a military project that was believed by many — most importantly those in the Pentagon — to be an unconstructive use of the budget is commendable. Particularly as new members of the House, it was risky to vote to cut military spending for fear of

looking soft on defense issues. However, the decision to vote based on the specific issue at hand, rather than a traditional party line, deserves praise. The Joint Strike Fighter is the military’s most expensive program, and another F-35 engine is already being built in the United States. While supporters of the project make a valid point in arguing that continuing construction of the engine will spur employment, there are more effective ways that the additional $3 billion can be used to create jobs rather than adding more money to a military project that is believed by experts and senior White House officials to be an unconstructive use of the budget. It is laudable that the bipartisan group of House members who voted against continued funding of the engine were able to see the bigger picture and vote in favor of preventing another waste of $3 billion. Decisions regarding military endeavors such as the F-35 alternative engine should not be made based on regional interest but rather on the actual utility of the project itself and its potential benefits to the country as a whole.

ERIN MARSHALL

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THE MICHIGAN DAILY The Michigan Daily

A surprising number of Americans don’t have access to the Internet. Along with creating universal health care and repairing the housing market, President Barack Obama wants to address this problem. The issue has been a real point of emphasis, gaining mention in both this year’s State of the Union address and during a trip last Thursday to Marquette, Mich. The United States lags behind other developed nations when it comes to Internet access, so it’s encouraging that Obama has made it a priority. The administration should continue to work toward its goal of Internet access for all Americans so the U.S. can compete in a global economy. Obama chose to visit Marquette to sell his idea because the remote city has nearly universal wireless Internet coverage. He’s outlined a plan to make the web accessible to 98 percent of the country within five years. The $18 billion project would create more space for wireless Internet traffic by auctioning airwaves that currently belong to government

agencies and television stations to commercial wireless carriers. Funds would be used to construct rural 4G networks and mobile communications systems for emergency responders, according to a Feb. 10 article in The Washington Post. Stimulus money and various federal subsidies will supplement finances for the program, which Obama has said is an important part of building a new infrastructure for the country. The U.S. can’t continue to lag behind in infrastructure development, which includes more than railways, roads and telephones. A recent government survey showed that 40 percent of Americans don’t have access to high-speed Internet, according to a CNET article. In 2009 the U.S. ranked 28th in download speed, with speeds only a quarter as fast as firstranked South Korea. Obama’s policy is a necessary step toward improving Internet access. A well-formulated national strategy to expand Internet access is imperative for the U.S. to thrive in a growing competitive world economy. Simply put, the Internet is good for business. Whether it helps entrepreneurs start companies or market their prod-

ucts, web access provides an unparalleled level of connectivity with the outside world that’s valuable to many Americans. Neglecting this source of economic development, especially as the U.S. emerges from a recession, would prove to be costly in the long run. Overall, Obama’s plan is a smart investment — not only does it pave the way for future economic development, but it also puts $10 billion in additional auction revenues toward closing the budget deficit. But expanding Internet access isn’t just a smart business decision. At a fundamental level, the web empowers — it facilitates the proliferation of information and fosters the exchange of ideas, while also giving students the tools to succeed. Whether by encouraging innovation or closing the education gap, the Internet helps people to achieve their potential. It’s unacceptable that Americans don’t have access to this resource at the same level as citizens of other developed countries. Obama’s initiative to make the Internet available throughout the country is essential to the country’s continued improvement and vitality.

Corrections Yesterday’s article “Hescott wins major international teaching award” incorrectly attributed the quote, “It was about a very boring topic, and yet he had me sitting on the edge of my seat,” to senior Katie Vogel. In fact, Computer Science Department Chair Carla Brodley said made the statement. Monday’s article “Boston offers dining for any kind of Valentine” incorrectly identified Linda Laban as a former Boston Globe food critic. Laban is in fact a freelance writer and a food columnist for Metro Boston.

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.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Letters must be submitted by 2 p.m. and should be handed into the Daily office or sent to letters@tuftsdaily.com. All letters must be word processed and include the writer’s name and telephone number. There is a 450-word limit and letters must be verified. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for clarity, space and length.

ADVERTISING POLICY All advertising copy is subject to the approval of the Editorin-Chief, Executive Board and Executive Business Director. A publication schedule and rate card are available upon request.

THE TUFTS DAILY

Thursday, February 17, 2011

OP-ED

Tufts should defend, not punish, provocative opinions BY

ERICA GOLDBERG

In Tuesday’s edition of the Daily, the editorial “FIRE is wrong in naming Tufts in its ‘12 worst’” and the op-ed “More speech, not less, and certainly not hate speech” respond to Tufts being placed on the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education’s (FIRE) “12 Worst Schools for Free Speech” list in The Huffington Post. These two opinion pieces level fairly common criticisms of FIRE and our methods. I write today, as the Justice Robert H. Jackson Legal Fellow at FIRE and a proud alum of Tufts, to address these criticisms and explain further why Tufts deserves its place. Tufts is one of those schools on FIRE’s Huffington Post list that promises students free speech yet suppresses it. This is not just because The Primary Source was found responsible for “harassment” and punished for running two controversial pieces — one on affirmative action and the other on Islamic extremism — but also because Tufts has continued to defend its actions. The piece on affirmative action was a Christmas carol parody entitled “O’ Come All Ye Black Folk,” and the satirical advertisement for Islamic Awareness Week printed true but unflattering facts about Muslim dictatorships and extreme forms of the religion. Although it has been close to four years since The Primary Source ran these pieces, Tufts’ finding The Primary Source guilty of harassment for printing entirely protected political speech remains one of the worst cases FIRE has seen. Tufts refuses to overturn this finding, which threatens The Primary Source’s budget should another harassment investigation occur. Just last week, the administration in the Feb. 11 article “Advocacy group: Tufts one of worst colleges for free speech” defended its decision to punish students for speech that, while offensive to many (including me when I was a Tufts student), expressed pure opinions in a non-threatening way. Furthermore, Tufts’ “Declaration on Freedom of Expression” ended up actually being a rejection of controversial speech. The Daily’s editorial, which opposes FIRE’s categorization of Tufts as a free speech offender, levels significant charges against us that are worthy of response. The first is that our understanding of free speech is flawed. According to the editorial: “FIRE

is only interested in absolutes. The group needs to have a more holistic, nuanced perspective — one that doesn’t cherry pick four-year old events — before making false claims about Tufts or any university.” We at FIRE are not arguing from absolutes. A brief perusal of our website illustrates that we recognize that many valid exceptions to First Amendment protections exist that do not chill robust debate. As long recognized in First Amendment jurisprudence, speech that rises to the level of true harassment, threats or intimidation is unprotected. We work with universities to reform their speech policies to balance the need to provide a truly safe educational environment for their student body while fostering an atmosphere in which students can explore dissenting and controversial topics in a variety of ways without being penalized for their viewpoints. The type of “holistic, nuanced perspective” that the Daily appears to seek is asking for an exception that would swallow the rule. The editorial states that “[t]he ‘free speech’ that FIRE aims to promote can too easily pave the way for discrimination on college campuses,” arguing that such speech should not be permitted. While I assume the Daily understands that there is no category of speech called “hate speech” that loses its First Amendment protection, it is worth addressing why even speech that some might call bigoted should be part of everyone’s conception of free speech. Students and administrators have the absolute right to express displeasure with speech that is bigoted against certain groups based on immutable characteristics; bigots rightfully are quite unpopular on college campuses, and people should speak out against opinions they strongly dislike. However, when dealing with restrictions and regulations, any definition of “hate speech” would necessarily be so vague as to allow administrators to selectively enforce the restrictions in order to officially prohibit certain opinions. Students (including those who worked on the editorial) and administrators would be, and are, tempted to apply this concept of “hate speech” so broadly that anything that might generate animosity would be stifled. For example, the op-ed claims that “[t]he Islamo-Fascism article singled out Muslim students on campus, and the

JUSTIN MCCALLUM/TUFTS DAILY

Christmas carol parody specifically targeted 52 black freshmen in its verse, implying that each of the black students in the class of 2010 had been admitted under affirmative action policies and [were] thus undeserving of a Tufts education.” No one was actually singled out. In fact, The Primary Source’s pieces, which expressed political views about affirmative action and Islamic extremism shared by many people, cannot be labeled “hate” if we are to permit pluralism and a multitude of views to thrive. How would the author of the op-ed expect someone to express the view that affirmative action alters the notion of who deserves admission to a selective university without risking offending someone? Additionally, provocative satire is an effective style for communicating one’s views, and the ability to use incendiary, rousing speech and parody has also been used to champion civil rights. Finally, the author of the op-ed states: “The idea that more speech can be used to combat hate speech operates on the assumption that all speech is equal. That is unrealistic. The truth is that the system in place in this country and at Tufts systemati-

cally disenfranchises individuals on a number of bases, including their race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, etc.” This passage is a revealing insight into what happens when certain views are labeled taboo. The author of the op-ed expresses the political opinion that systemic discrimination exists in this country. However, because the author has dismissed those who disagree with this premise as perpetrators of hate speech, he doesn’t even realize that he is expressing an opinion about the experience of minorities and women in this country. His expectation that he does not need to defend this opinion (including the “etc.”), which forms the basis of his fairly repressive view of free speech, is exactly what happens in an atmosphere where speech is stifled for political reasons. Erica Goldberg graduated from Tufts in 2002 with degrees in biology and English and from Stanford Law School in 2005. She is currently the Robert H. Jackson legal fellow at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education.

The strategic US-Israel relationship BY

ELISSA MILLER

At a time such as now — when the Middle East is particularly tumultuous, and the futures of many Middle Eastern countries, such as that of America’s longtime ally, Egypt, are uncertain — the strength and ensured continuity of the U.S.-Israel relationship is paramount. As the only established democratic state in the Middle East, Israel is an invaluable and strategic partner that shares mutual foreign policy and development goals with the United States. Israel’s dependability is critical to the U.S.-Israel relationship. The United States has reaped many benefits from this strong relationship, ranging from security assistance to collaboration on military and technological advancements. Recent developments in such areas have been critical to U.S. national interests and security. Unparalleled security cooperation between the United States and Israel enhances U.S. national interests. Israel has tremendous expertise in homeland security due to its constant need to address dangerous threats, which has benefited the United States through joint homeland security drills. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Guard have traveled to Israel to participate in such drills. In January 2010, Israel conducted a large-scale bio-terrorism drill simulating a smallpox outbreak caused by a terrorist attack. Since then, FEMA and the Israeli National Emergency Authority have signed formal agreements to conduct more joint-training drills. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has described the U.S.-Israel defense relationship as “stronger than ever, to the mutual benefit of both nations”.

In his fiscal year 2011 budget submission to Congress, Obama requested $3 billion in security assistance to Israel. This is part of a 10-year security agreement, the U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Understanding, which was established in 2007 and pledges $30 billion in security aid to Israel. The agreement is vital, as Israel faces multiple security threats, including threats from a nuclear Iran and missile attacks by internationally recognized terrorist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah. The growing arsenals of these terrorist groups, especially the expanding power of Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as the imminent and pressing danger of Iran, demonstrate how essential it is to preserve Israel’s regional strategic security in a turbulent area. Almost all of U.S. foreign aid given to Israel is spent on American-made items. More specifically, about 75% of foreign aid received by Israel is spent on U.S.-made military products. Aid also contributes to the overall growth of Israel’s economy, thereby putting Israel in a better position to purchase American and other international goods, which benefits the world economy as a whole. Spending on U.S. products positively contributes to significant job creation and growth at home. Recent calls to eliminate foreign aid to Israel due to the high deficit would harm both Israeli and U.S. interests in the long run. Foreign aid is an essential part of the U.S. national security strategy that advances economic development and political stability across the globe. A large foreign aid budget reflects values we share with Israel, as foreign aid contributes to humanitarian efforts abroad that focus on reducing pov-

erty and disease and promoting economic and social development. Israel exhibited its commitment to humanitarian aid during the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was one of the first humanitarian forces to arrive in Haiti. Israel’s experience with treating mass injuries due to damage inflicted by missiles and bombs made the IDF an ideal source for disaster response and assistance. Israel has dispatched crisis response teams when needed to areas around the world. Israeli-developed technology has played a major part in assisting hardworking American troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. Such technologies include unmanned drones that can be used for intelligence purposes without placing the lives of U.S. soldiers in danger. In contrast, roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan have caused the deaths of more than 2,000 troops. Additionally, Israeli-innovated vehicle armor tiles protect U.S. soldiers in armored personnel carriers. One major innovation, the Emergency Bandage, pioneered by IDF, has recently played a major role in saving American lives in the recent Tucson shooting on Jan. 8. Sheriff deputies, who arrived to the scene before paramedics, used a $99 firstaid kit developed by a Tucson SWAT team medic, David Kleinman. The kit included the Emergency Bandage. Kleinman described how deputies reached for the Israeli-designed bandage “over and over at the scene.” Israeli research technology has also produced solutions to problems concerning

water and food contamination and cyber warfare. Israel’s Green movement has seen success in numerous environmental projects including reforestation, desalination of water and improving crop yields. Israel and the United States are also two of 15 nations working together to reduce the threat of attacks on computer networks, thus keeping each nation’s online infrastructures safe and secure. The United States-Israel Binational Science Foundation, whose funding has in part sponsored the research of 37 Nobel Prize winners, demonstrates the collaboration between these two countries. In addition to creating vital technology, Israel has demonstrated innovation through the development of its robust economy, made possible by an entrepreneurial and inventive spirit. In 2009, Israel was among the United States’ 10 largest export markets for goods per capita — ahead of countries such as Mexico, Japan, and Germany. As General David Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, stated, “Israel has been, is and will be an important strategic ally of the United States.” In a volatile region often plagued by instability, the ability of the United States to rely on Israel is something that should not be taken for granted. The depth and importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship should be recognized and fostered, as Israel has proved itself to be, and remains, a highly instrumental and strategic ally to the United States. Elissa Miller is a freshman who has not yet declared a major. She is a member of Tufts Friends of Israel.

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.

THE TUFTS DAILY

Thursday, February 17, 2011

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THE TUFTS DAILY

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Wiki-Wiki-Weekender ARTS & LIVING

tuftsdaily.com

WEEKENDER FEATURE

Timeflies, an ‘electro-hip-hop-dub-something’ duo, proves to be more than your average college band Seniors Rob Resnick and Cal Shapiro translate talent into a rising profile on the national music scene BY

MITCHELL GELLER

Daily Editorial Board

Rob Resnick and Cal Shapiro are very excited about Timeflies, and they want everyone else to be excited, too. And it’s easy to be excited about it — this two-man band really seems to be on to something. Resnick and Shapiro have been making music for a long time, though not always as Timeflies, their current project, and not always together. The pair played together for the first time as members of The Ride, a Tufts funk band, two years ago. Neither of them is new to this game, and it shows. Resnick, the group’s producer, is a senior music major at Tufts. He is classically trained in music composition as well as piano, guitar and, since starting at Tufts, drums. While studying these, he started dabbling in electronic music production. “I built a little ProTools studio in my basement in middle school and screwed around with that,” Resnick said, sitting among his various monitors, mixers, speakers and instruments in his current, slightly larger studio, nestled under his room’s lofted bed. Shapiro, Timeflies’ singer and rapper, is no hack, either: “I did a couple piano lessons and guitar lessons when I was younger ... and when I came to Tufts and did the music major I sang for a couple ensembles … and for [The Ride].” With Shapiro drawn to singing and performing, and Resnick more interested in production and composition, it was a logical progression for the two to get together and make music. Listening to Resnick and Shapiro talk about their band (their sound, as described by Resnick, is “electrohip-hop-dub-something”), their music and their upcoming plans, it’s not hard to see why the group is more than the average college band. Whereas most college students, at some point or another, kick around the idea of starting a band, and might even pick up a guitar or a keyboard, Resnick and Shapiro take their music very seriously. When the two performed with

PHOTOS: S354.PHOTOBUCKET.COM ILLINOISENTERTAINER.COM MCT UPSCALEPIANOLESSONS.COM DESIGN BY LEANNE BROTSKY

The Ride their sophomore year — Resnick on drums, Shapiro singing — the band won a spot opening for Spring Fling that year, which meant opening for Asher Roth, Ludacris and The Decemberists. All in all, not a bad gig. After some members of The Ride graduated — a frequent occurrence in college bands — the group dissolved. Resnick and Shapiro continued making music together but not seriously at first. That all changed this past fall, when Shapiro’s housemate, Jared Glick, sent to a number of music blogs a song that the pair had recorded two years ago. “Well, we had made what we thought was a s---ty, poorly made song our sophomore year of college called ‘Fade,’” Shapiro said. “[We] never really thought much

of it, and then Jared, one day this year, was like, ‘Why don’t I just send it to the blogs?’ and we were like, ‘Come on, that’s never going to do anything!’ And he’s like, ‘Let me just send it.’” “Jared starts Timeflies!” Glick interjected, laughing. Jared Glick, now the group’s manager, takes his job more seriously than most college students would, and had been sitting in the corner of the studio busily sending e-mails from his BlackBerry. “A bunch of blogs are like, ‘Check out this new group, Timeflies’,” Shapiro continued. Resnick excitedly cut in, “And we were like, ‘If they like that, wait until we do some-

thing now,’ so we popped one out in a few days — in like a weekend — and that was ‘All Night,’ and they ate that up, so we were like, ‘Let’s do it!’” “We always planned on doing something,” Shapiro continued, “but we could never find the time. … Our schedules were never clicking … but when we saw that ‘Fade’ was something that people were into, we were like, ‘Well that was the bare bones. That was the bare minimum of our work.’” Shapiro, by his own admission, doesn’t check music blogs too often, so it came as something of a shock to him how quickly Timeflies was picked up and championed by influential blogs like Pigeons & Planes and Good Music All Day. They received kind words from both, which, the two said, helped them get to where they currently are. Rather than play shows all the time, the two initially focused on building buzz on the Internet. Since “Fade” hit the blogosphere in October, the duo has trickled out a handful of tracks. Their first song, the aforementioned “Fade,” features an auto-tuned Shapiro singing and rapping over a smooth electro beat. Next came “All Night,” (2010) the first new song they produced together since their sophomore year. The laid-back jam followed the same formula as “Fade,” though their sophomore effort was tighter than their sophomore-year effort. After two smooth electro songs, Timeflies switched it up and released “Lose My Mind,” (2010) a dubstepinspired club song, easily the best work the two have done so far. Resnick’s production is tight, the bass is heavy and the eclectic influences — electropop, dubstep, house and rock — come together surprisingly well. S h a p i r o’s vocals call to mind recent electro-pop hits (e.g. Far*East Movement’s “Like a G6” (2010)) in the best way possible. Following “Lose My Mind,” the guys changed styles yet again with “Pipe Dreams,” an acoustic affair with Resnick on guitar and Shapiro singing — no rapping to be found. “We’re trying to have a sound, but also switch it up enough that you don’t say, ‘Oh, that sounds like their last one.’ ... It showed that I could actually play guitar, and [Shapiro] can actually sing,” Resnick explained. “We were able to show versatility, which got us some of the early recognition in the blog world. That’s what initially got us the attention that set us apart,” Shapiro added. “The landscape of the music industry has shifted. ...

Everything is changing, and we’re just trying to feel it out as it goes, but also be on the forefront of riding that wave of the blogs — have someone from Canada know us before they know us at our school. It’s weird.” “It’s depressing,” Resnick muttered. “There are entire sororities that are singing Timeflies at their parties, but that’s not happening at Tufts.”

T h i s would all sound terribly conceited if it weren’t true. Timeflies isn’t just two college kids screwing around with synthesizers. A quick Google search for Timeflies brings up not just their website and Facebook page with over a thousand fans, but also extremely positive blog posts and, more surprisingly, positive comments on the blogs. Music blogs are notorious for dashing the hopes and dreams of up-andcoming musicians, so to have even a handful of bloggers latch onto a

group like this so quickly, and laud it so highly, is sort of incredible. But blog fame doesn’t always translate to real-life fame. That’s where tonight’s show, among others comes in. “We’re playing shows that Chiddy Bang played last year,” Resnick said, referencing another blog-famous act that emerged over the last year, and one that Timeflies clearly hopes to be able to call their peers sometime soon. For a band comprised of college students, a logical fan base would, of course, be their classmates. So when they were approached by Likuid Sound, a Boston-based promotion company, to open for Chris Webby at his Boston show tonight at The Middle East in Central Square, they jumped at the offer. “We’re excited for this Boston

show because we feel like we’ve played New York; we have the blog world, so we have people posting on our Facebook like, ‘Come to a random school like 500 miles away,’ and we’re like, ‘God, these people want us to play there and I feel like half of Tufts doesn’t even know who Timeflies is,’” Shapiro lamented. In addition to tonight’s show, Timeflies has been booked to play college shows all over the East Coast, from small colleges to large state universities. “We can’t drop names yet because the colleges haven’t started promoting, but we have a lot of college shows that are — can we name any of them?” Rob looked over at Glick, who took yet another quick break from his BlackBerry to answer, “No.” The last Tufts band to make it big was Guster, and those guys graduated in 1995. Timeflies isn’t quick to call itself the next Guster in any sense, but they plan on trying to make a career out of Timeflies after graduating this spring. They’ve been contacted by a major label (again, Glick made sure they kept tight-lipped about which label, as nothing is final yet), which has shown interest in having Timeflies write and produce for some major recording artists. Though they couldn’t name names, it’s easy to imagine anyone from B.o.B., to Far East Movement, C o b r a Starship, Enrique Iglesias or even Drake singi n g their songs. Timeflies is, if it isn’t readily apparent, more than a couple of guys making corny songs to waste time and get girls. It’s a band whose members are in college, but they’re hardly a college band. It’s not totally clear what the future holds — maybe a mix tape (although they don’t put that too high up on the agenda), definitely more shows at Tufts and around the East Coast, possibly some sort of collaboration efforts. But for now, they’re just doing what they do, and trying to raise their profile at their school. Resnick put it best. Their goal at the moment, which, it seems, might as well be their philosophy on a smaller scale: “We want people at Tufts to get amped up.” Based on their trajectory so far, amping up their fellow Jumbos might just be the easiest thing yet.

THE TUFTS DAILY

Thursday, February 17, 2011

WEEKENDER

THEATER PREVIEW

With a touch of wit, the trivial turns important in ‘Earnest’ Tufts’ take on Oscar Wilde classic sure to elicit laughs; actors oﬀer robust performances BY

REBECCA SANTIAGO

Daily Editorial Board

Breaking news, Tufts: Starting tonight at 8 p.m., you can spend two hours ogling tuxedo-wearing men with means and British accents in the Balch Arena Theater. Oh, and if you’re not into that, there’s a play happening, too — it’s opening night for “The Importance of Being Earnest” (1895), written by Oscar Wilde and performed by the Tufts Department of Drama and Dance. The element of escapism that pervades all theater comes to a head in this biting farce of English propriety. Seeking relief from their quotidian lives, the welloff Algernon (junior Ian Burnette) and Ernest (freshman Adam Bangser) — né Jack — assume alter egos when they flee the city for the countryside. “Importance” firmly holds a place in the classical canon of theater, and dramaturg Michelle Ashley (doctoral candidate in Drama) noted that scholars have called it “the best put together, most well-constructed comedy of all-time.” Yet while it wins praise from the highest of tastes, the piece remains accessible to the masses. Director Sheriden Thomas was quick to dub it “a very funny play.” “Generally, the classics are extremely fine pieces of art,” Thomas said, “but this is very entertaining in addition. It’s a hoot and holler.” From hierarchy to marriage, no aspect of Victorian society is safe from Wilde’s irreverent pen in “Importance.” Subtitled “A Trivial Comedy for Serious People,” the play especially attacks the human tendency to make mountains out of molehills.

COURTESY MARGO CADDELL/TUFTS DEPARTMENT OF DRAMA AND DANCE

Senior Lara Vancans portrays Gwendolen in ‘The Importance of Being Earnest.’ Ashley believes that this mockery of petty matters makes “Importance” a relevant piece. “We find trivial things important, just as these people find cucumber sandwiches excessively important,” Ashley said, referencing a quibble between Algernon and Ernest over a tray of hors d’oeuvres. Even marinated in wit, the characters’ bewildered identities and insincerities could be very unpleasantly portrayed in untalented hands. Fortunately, according to Thomas, the cast has a fine grasp on

with stodgy etiquette to reveal the audacious foolishness of their characters. The decided minimalism of the set seems more a strategic, rather than aesthetic, decision: It offers sufficient room for the actors to blow minutiae out of proportion. That’s not to say that this performance hones in on the writing and acting to the point that it abandons atmosphere. Act II transforms Algernon’s polished sitting

even the muddled facets of the piece. “They’re great,” Thomas said, referring to the actors. “Tufts students are amazing. They’re very fast, very devoted, very smart — and this is a very smart comedy.” Audiences can expect robust performances from this cast. Senior Lara Vancans’ portrayal of Gwendolen, Jack’s shallow and absurd love interest, is brilliantly saucy as she drags her doting suitor’s heart across the stage. She and her co-stars couple sweeping melodramatics

see EARNEST, page 14

What’s Up This Weekend Looking to make your weekend artsy? Check out these events! An Evening with the Onion: As part of Tufts Lecture Series, two writers from the satirical news source The Onion will be discussing their publication tonight. There will also be a raffle to give away free products. (Tonight at 8 p.m. in Cohen Auditorium. Tickets are free at the Cohen box office with a Tufts ID.)

The Importance of Being Earnest: The Tufts Department of Drama and Dance is performing Oscar Wilde’s biting satire of Victorian propriety. (Tonight, Friday and Sunday at 8 p.m. in the Balch Arena Theater. Tickets are $7 with a Tufts ID.) The Road to Mecca: Boston University is performing a play by South Africa’s pre-eminent playwright Athol Fugard. The piece examines the transformative

power of art through a sculptor’s struggle with societal and religious norms. (Tonight at 7:30 p.m. and Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Lane-Comley Studio in Boston. Tickets are $15.) The Threepenny Opera: This rendition of Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s famous musical promises everything from political commentary to jazzy interludes. (Tonight, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. in Distler

Performance Hall. Admission is $7 with a Tufts ID.) The King of Limbs: WMFO’s Radiohead Listening Party: Join Tufts WFMO and other students for a listening party dedicated to Radiohead’s new album, “The King of Limbs.” (Saturday at 9 p.m. in the Crane Room.) —compiled by the Daily Arts Department

MOVIE REVIEW

ALBUM REVIEW

Sandler and Aniston charm as co-conspirators in ‘Just Go With It’

Cut Copy serves up solid new album, proves strong songwriting skills

MELISSA MACEWEN Daily Staff Writer

Danny has wife problems: she beats him, she is addicted to crack and she flirts shamelessly with every man she meets. The biggest

Just Go With It

Starring Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Brooklyn Decker Directed by Dennis Dugan issue of all, however, is that she isn’t real. In “Just Go With It,” Danny (Adam Sandler) poses as a tragically abused married man and

happily spends years picking up girls decades younger than him. This charade goes well until he meets Palmer (Brooklyn Decker). When he decides that Palmer, a sixth-grade math teacher, is the girl of his dreams, he creates an increasingly elaborate web of lies to explain his “marriage,” “children” and falsified past. Palmer buys it all. With his loyal assistant/conspirator Katherine (Jennifer Aniston) and her children posing as his ex-wife and family, Danny brings everyone to Hawaii and expects that it will somehow work out. Remarkably, “Just Go With It” is the first movie in which Aniston and Sandler have ever acted together. The two seem to have genuine chemistry and it is the scenes they share that make the movie worthwhile. see GO WITH IT, page 13

MCT

Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler star in ‘Just Go With It.’

MATTHEW WELCH

Daily Editorial Board

Oh, the ’80s. Copious synth lines, tight leggings, nightclubs and Cut Copy … wait a second.

Zonoscope Cut Copy

Modular Records Despite the obvious anachronism, Cut Copy could certainly fit in with New Order, Echo & The Bunnymen or any other group from the ’80s pantheon. Its latest album, “Zonoscope,” keeps the ’80s vibe alive without feeling trite or contrived. Considering the wave of electro bands and synth-pop revival groups, standing out among a sea of nostalgic 30-somethings is definitely impressive. One of the tricks Cut Copy has played so successfully on this album is relatively simple: good songwriting. While many bands these days (and in the ’80s) relax behind gleaming production values and studio-honed gimmicks, artists like Cut Copy have their cake and eat it, too. Not only does “Zonoscope” sound great, but its well-written songs — from the introspective to the devilishly catchy — offer something for most listeners. The album opens with familiar territory for Cut Copy fans. “Need You Now”

starts with some nice disco bass-drum work, handclaps and a simple synth line. Dan Whitford enters with an understated melody that quickly gets backed up by overdubbed vocals. You couldn’t ask for a better vocalist for this kind of music. Whitford manages to cop the vocal stylings of everyone from New Order’s Bernard Sumner to The Smiths’ Morrissey. The result is an impressive, unique throwback. Of course, Cut Copy couldn’t keep its opening track quiet for the whole time. After four minutes of buildup and minimal production, “Need You Now” quickly blooms into a conclusion that layers vocals on vocals and synths on synths until the listener has few options beyond dancing. Tracks like “Strange Nostalgia for the Future” couldn’t be more different from the opener. Although this song is mostly a transition between the first and second halves of the album, it manages to cleanse the listener’s palette while holding his or her interest. The song is an ambient, atmospheric trip that boasts heavily processed vocals and murky soundscapes. “This is All We’ve Got” quickly follows, imparting the album with a more mellow rock sound. Fuzzy, impressionistic chords and heavy vocal reverb lend the song a shoegaze sound. Combine these traits with an indie rock drumbeat and you get a hipster’s aural paradise. The tracks that follow keep a similar see ZONOSCOPE, page 13

Thursday, February 17, 2011

THE TUFTS DAILY

WEEKENDER

Though predictable, Aniston and Sandler’s chemistry offers some modicum of fun in ‘Just Go With It’ GO WITH IT continuedfrom page 12

They play their usual roles but the formula still works. Sandler does well type-casted as a witty average Joe who winds up with a girl far more attractive than he is, just as Aniston seems real enough as a relatable, slightly worn-out mom. Danny and Katherine’s relationship progresses believably and Aniston charms as Palmer’s older, wiser female counterpart. Unfortunately, Danny and Katherine are the only characters in the movie to show development. Despite Danny’s supposed love for her, Palmer remains barely more than a saccharine sweet bimbette who appears on screen just often enough to push the plot along. Palmer’s willingness to fall for Sandler’s perpetual barrage of lies is especially annoying given that she makes a point of telling Danny, when they first meet, how she can tell when he isn’t telling the truth. Katherine’s children also fail to seem real and their occasional sadness about the absence of their real father is particularly forced. Though the thin supporting characters are a weakness, they provide a distraction from the smarting one-liners and sarcasm for which Aniston and Sandler are known. There might not be much depth, but that’s not what the movie is aiming for. The plot is standard Adam Sandler fare, and it manages to be engaging enough to keep the audience involved. Some scenes are even downright hilarious — Danny has plenty of cutting snarkiness to throw at Katherine, and when it turns out that Katherine’s sorority arch-nemesis, Devlin (Nicole Kidman) and her husband Ian (Dave Matthews) are staying at the same resort, the girl-girl competition that ensues creates

continued from page 12

vibe going, balancing spaced-out harmonies with direct, immediate rhythmic contributions. “Alisa” combines some delectable new Order-esque backup vocals with propulsive synth work and even livelier drumming. A heavily processed, distorted guitar adds a menacing air to the tune, keeping it interesting. In true Cut Copy fashion, the song ends with an even broader sound than it started, as new synth ornaments and guitar lines are added and expanded upon. The next track, “Hanging Onto Every Heartbeat” is a welcome change of pace. After the spacey, shoegaze aesthetic of the last few songs, it’s good to hear a more

Victoria’s (Marxist) Secret

MCT

Brooklyn Decker is one of the blondes vying for Sandler’s affections in ‘Just Go With It.’ some of the movie’s highlights. Though she isn’t one of the film’s main characters, Kidman’s couture-encrusted role steals the show in every scene and provides Aniston with an opportunity to showcase her impish girl-next-door style humor, which she rarely gets a chance to use. “Just Go With It” doesn’t attempt to be

Cut Copy stands out among other ’80s-influenced electro bands direct, straightforward tune. A simple, ZONOSCOPE

MITCHELL GELLER | MAKES IT RAIN

effective bass line and some catchy percussion contribute to a more traditionally poppy atmosphere. As the song progresses, it sounds more and more like a B-side from French electronic group Air. But hell, that’s not a bad thing. As good as the ’80s were for electronic music and synth-pop, the era’s music featured a lot more than just these genres. Cut Copy’s discography has demonstrated its ability to synthesize different kinds of music into a compelling whole, but as good as this album is, one can’t help but wonder what different kinds of music will be a part of Cut Copy’s next release. Hopefully these lads will use their next effort to introduce more diverse kinds of music into their sound.

unpredictable and it doesn’t have to: This is the perfect movie to see after a hard day of work. There aren’t really any subplots or plot twists, and honestly, you can probably guess the ending already. Still, “Just Go With It” does have moments of genuine sweetness, manages to avoid most comedy pitfalls and is the perfect weekend study break.

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE TUFTS DAILY Dear Watson, We, as concerned members of the human race, have been carefully monitoring your progress this week on “Jeopardy!” The humans (slimmed down Brad Rutter and perennially adorable Ken Jennings) have been putting up a good fight, but despite the fact that you sometimes think Toronto is a U.S. city, we can’t ignore the fact that you have been, to put it mildly, crushing us. And not just crushing us. If only you had opposable thumbs, you would be physically wiping the floor with the sacrificial lambs we’ve pitted against you. So in the spirit of “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” we would like to offer you this message in your first language: 01110111011001010110110001100 0110110111101101101011001010010 0000011101000110111100100000010 0010101100001011100100111010001 1010000010110000100000011011110 1110101011100100010000001100011 0110111101101101011100000111010 1011101000110010101110010001000 0001101111011101100110010101110 0100110110001101111011100100110 0100001011100010000000100000010 0100101100110001000000110011001 1011110111001000100000011000010 1101110011110010010000001110010 0110010101100001011100110110111 1011011100010000001111001011011 1101110101001000000110010001100 1010110001101101001011001000110 0101001000000111010001101111001 0000001100101011011000110100101 1011010110100101101110011000010 1110100011001010010000001110101 0111001100101100001000000111000 0011011000110010101100001011100 1101100101001000000110110101100 0010110101101100101001000000110 1111011101010111001000100000011 0010001100101011000010111010001 1010000111001100100000011100010 1110101011010010110001101101011 0010000001100001011011100110010 0001000000111000001100001011010 0101101110011011000110010101110 0110111001100101110. Note: For you mere mortals out there, you can find a binary translator on Google. Copy and paste from tuftsdaily.com.

WEALLWANTSOMEONE.ORG

The cover of ‘Zonophone,’ the newest album from synth-pop group Cut Copy.

Sincerely, The Daily Arts Department

recently asked a girl, “What’s the first rap song or rap thing you think of?” “[The] Thong Song,” she answered, almost instantly. “I don’t know why.” Some people know hip-hop. Some people don’t know hip-hop. My friend is somewhat familiar with it, but “The Thong Song” (1999) was more or less the answer I was expecting. For people of a certain age, Sisqó’s “The Thong Song” is hip-hop, regardless of how into the culture they are. “The Thong Song” was one of the first totally unthreatening rap songs to permeate everything ever when we were first noticing these things. The first rap song that I consciously learned was N.W.A.’s “Straight Outta Compton” (1988), as a joke with some friends in middle school. But that was 2001. Sisqó’s ode to underwear came out a whole two years earlier, and I can guarantee that while learning the N.W.A. song I could, without even trying, have recited every word of “The Thong Song” along with the rest of you. Go ahead, I’ll wait. And yes, the lyric is “She had dumps like a truck, truck, truck.” I didn’t even know what a thong was the first time I heard the song (that changed when I caught a glimpse of the video on “TRL” (1998-2008)), but the tune stuck. No one remembers Sisqó. No one remembers what his album was called (“Unleash the Dragon” (1999)) or what color his hair is on the cover (silver). But everybody knows “what guys talk about.” What a lot of people don’t realize, though, is what the song is actually about: communist revolution. By laying out, at the start of the song, exactly what guys talk about, Sisqó levels the playing field. He sets up two categories: ladies, whom he addresses, and guys, whose secrets he reveals. But the secrets that are discussed concern the ladies. Everyone is equalized by the initial revelation. It is never made fully clear which group represents the proletariat and which represents the reigning political power, but most signs point to the guys as the former and the ladies as the latter. The ladies, according to Sisqó, “like to dance at all the hip-hop spots,” and enjoy all styles of music, “not just urban/ she like the pop.” The ladies/ power get to enjoy the culture and the fruits of the laborers’ labor, represented here by Sisqó — a guy — singing the song. The people labor away, producing and cultivating society, but never get to enjoy themselves. If this is the case, then the demand that the ladies “let [them] see that thong, th-thong, thong, thong,” is a demand for the power to be shared evenly. He continues with a cry for the leaders to step down: “Baby move your butt, butt, butt.” The thong itself is the clear representation of communism in the song. It is the hot topic of conversation among the proletariat, and the demand for the reigning political power to let them see it (it, it, it) is a demand to let them see Communism function, according to Marx’s ideals, as the political system. Sisqó isn’t necessarily calling for a communist revolution, per se, but “The Thong Song” is the perfect vehicle to indoctrinate young minds with radical ideals: It’s catchy, idealistic and highly appealing. Kids get excited when they hear it, and they learn it quickly at a young age. It doesn’t make too much sense to realists or those in power, but, as the young audience has aged, many have demanded to see “that thong.” And when the thong has not been produced they have been disappointed. Life doesn’t always work according to ideals. Communism doesn’t work in the real world, and a lot of women don’t really wear thongs. But that never stopped Sisqó. Or Karl Marx.

Mitchell Geller is a senior majoring in psychology and English. He can be reached at Mitchell.Geller@Tufts.edu.

THE TUFTS DAILY

Thursday, February 17, 2011

WEEKENDER

â€˜Earnestâ€™ serves up laughs, but not without serious introspection EARNEST continued from page 12

room into a verdant garden, complete with an ivy-smothered swing tumbling down from the ceiling. Thereâ€™s even a strict and sycophantic butler who cheerfully breaks the fourth wall to dictate the length of intermission (â€œTen minutes, no more, no lessâ€?). A jaunty musical score affirms the mischievous, trifling nature of the play and its characters. Though the actors are certainly aiming for laughs, Thomas wouldnâ€™t have audience members take â€œImportanceâ€? entirely as a lark.

â€œItâ€™s about the absurdity of the hypocrisy of the upper classes in England at the time,â€? she said. â€œIt is a reminder that we are also contradictory â€” in our nonsensical beliefs, in our social mores.â€? In other words, audience members who laugh at this play â€” as most audience members are wont to do â€” will be laughing a little bit at themselves, as well â€Ś but at least theyâ€™ll be laughing. â€œThe Importance of Being Earnestâ€? is playing tonight through Feb. 19 and Feb. 24 through Feb. 26. Tickets can be purchased at the Cohen Auditorium box office for $7 with a Tufts ID and for $1 on Feb. 24.

TOP TEN | THINGS IN/ON WHICH LADY GAGA SHOULD HAVE ARRIVED TO THE GRAMMYS She came in an egg, which was pretty weird, but the Daily Arts Department knows she could have done better. Without further ado (no waiting 72 hours!), here are the top ten things that Lady Gaga should have arrived in/on to the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards this past Sunday. 10) Sperm: The other gamete deserves some Gaga love, too. 9) Justin Bieber: Not with Justin Bieber. Not on Justin Bieber. In Justin Bieber. 8) Zorb (mountain rolling orb): Your egg looked a little cramped, Gaga. We feel like your Haus could build a hill opposite the front door and zorb you through it. 7) Owl Pellet: In a bid to recall everyoneâ€™s favorite middle school science project, a team of specially trained dissectors could carefully separate Gaga from her mouse fur/bone cocoon. 6) Camel: *carves her way out of a formerly living camel* â€œI sacrificed this

one for you, Little Monsters!â€? 5) Russian stacking doll: With her airbrushed sheen, Lady Gaga is already tough to distinguish from a plastic likeness of herself. With this ploy, she could keep the audience guessing for hours!

FIND YOURSELF ABROAD Internships> Liberal Arts> Language> Science> Engineering

4) Teacup: In the United States, itâ€™s called a â€œtempest in a teapot,â€? but in the U.K. when something normal is blown out of proportion, itâ€™s â€œa storm in a teacup.â€? Now imagine what sorts of things a Lady Gaga in a teacup could be a metaphor for.

www.bu.edu/abroad

3) Zamboni: Just because the red carpet isnâ€™t frozen doesnâ€™t mean Lady Gaga canâ€™t ride in on an ice resurfacer truck. 2) Banana: The peels would unfold so richly around her. Then sheâ€™d say something like, â€œThe banana is a flower.â€? 1) Limo: Just like everyone else. At the Grammys.

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â€”compiled by the Daily Arts Department

DEAN OF ARTS AND SCIENCES JOANNE BERGER-SWEENEY VISITS THE TCU SENATE Dean Berger-Sweeney visited the TCU Senate meeting this Sunday night and was questioned about issues of diversity, academics, and student life at Tufts, and spoke more generally about her vision for the School of Arts and Sciences. TRUSTEE REPRESENTATIVES MAKE PRESENTATIONS Trustee Representatives Joshua Friedmann, A11, and Alix Boulud, A11, had the opportunity to make presentations to the Tufts Board of Trustees on behalf of the student body and the Senate. Friedmann spoke about the need to improve common spaces on the Tufts campus and its influence on student interaction and the quality of campus life overall.

Boulud made a proposal to the Board of Trustees to put an industrial-sized, fully-stocked kitchen on the Tufts campus for student use, citing its benefits to Tufts as an institution, Tuftsâ€™ legacy of leadership in nutrition, and its utility for curricular and co-curricular endeavors. SENATE BYLAWS CHANGED TO REFLECT NEW COMMUNITY REP RULES TCU Senate member Dan Pasternack, A11, has been at work since the Fall semester and has held several forums leading up to Sunday nightâ€™s decision by the TCU Senate to change its byalws pursuant the passage of a referendum in the fall. Community representatives will now be given full voting rights (including on monetary issues) and voted on by the entire student body. Community representative seats are subject to the approval of the TCU Senate. Candidates will be

screened and selected by the community groups with which they are affiliated. STUDENT GROUP BUDGETING CONTINUES The Allocations Board is at work as it prepares to allocate the Student Activities Fee for the next school year. Budgets were due on Friday, 11 February, and council-wide budgeting meetings have been held throughout this week.

**Announcement** Senate Meeting will be moved to Monday at 8pm. The meeting is open to the public. For more information check the TCU Senate Website: senate.tufts.edu

Thursday, February 17, 2011

THE TUFTS DAILY

Thursday, February 17, 2011

DRIVERS NEEDED WILL GET PAID! Drivers needed to transport speakers for the annual EPIIC symposium to and from the airport and a local hotel. -Must have availability between Monday Feb. 21st and Monday Feb. 28th (schedule flexible) -Must be at least 21 years old and a US citizen -We will provide cars -Pay is $9.00/hr

Please contact for more information: Lindsay Semel at 914-419-5264 or Lindsay.Semel@tufts.edu OR Asad Badruddin at 617-771-9958 or Asad.Budruddin@gmail.com

The International House has 4 singles available for male students only (classes 2013/2014). U.S. and international students are welcome to apply!

Please email Hannah.Mumma@tufts.edu for an application or stop by the I-Center at 20 Sawyer Ave. Male applicants will be considered until all 4 rooms are filled.

That course changed my life.

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Thursday, February 17, 2011 Housing 4 and 6 BR Near Tufts Next to Campus! Will not last 4 and 6 BR units Great condition! Free washer/dryer! Parking included. Sunny! Avail 6/1/11 to 5/31/12 call or text (617) 217-1239. ROOMS FOR RENT (781) 863-0440. No Fees, $475 - $675/BR. Clean modern Apartments next to Tufts on quiet

Housing street. New Laundry facility with Washer & Dryer. Large modern kitchens with new refrigerators, dishwashers, and oak cabinets. Bathrooms remodeled. Newly refinished hardwood floors, Front and Back Porches, Off Street Garages Photos:http://picasaweb. google.com/NCA.Associates For more info or for an appointment contact John at NCA. Associates@gmail.com

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CLASSIFIEDS POLICY All Tufts students must submit classifieds in person, prepaid with check, money order or exact cash only. All classifieds submitted by mail must be accompanied by a check. Classifieds are $15 per week or $4 per day with Tufts ID or $30 per week or $8 per day without. The Tufts Daily is not liable for any damages due to typographical errors or misprintings except the cost of the insertion, which is fully refundable. We reserve the right to refuse to print any classifieds which contain obscenity, are of an overly sexual nature or are used expressly to denigrate a person or group. Questions? Email business@tuftsdaily.com.

After bumpy road his first two years, Quezada takes on leadership role, becomes part of “new culture” that has produced results for the team QUEZADA continued from page 20

his Amateur Athletic Union team was starting in hopes of a better education outside the city public school system. Coach Seth Eilberg from The Hill School in Pottstown, Penn., took an interest in the young player. Quezada transferred to Hill in the fall of 2004 and repeated his freshman year. Eilberg, who was an assistant coach at Tufts from 1999-2001, watched Quezada develop into an aggressive ball defender and a skilled shooter, so skilled that he suggested that his young guard and his former employer would be a good match. “We knew we needed a guard in his class and he was a kid that, when he was going about his business in the right way, was one of the better players on the court,” Malone said. When Quezada joined the Tufts roster in 2009, the Tufts coaches knew that they were taking a risk on a player known for his hot temper. But Quezada’s talent was seductive. “[Eilberg] said, ‘You’re going to battle with him everyday’ … but he’s different than anyone else we have in quickness in both defense and in terms of getting to the rim,” Malone said. It has taken until this season for Quezada’s talent to finally be put on display. As a freshman, he saw limited playing time, his minutes only slightly increased due to an injury to thensophomore Matt Galvin. The team struggled, falling to the bottom of the NESCAC standings as tensions grew between Quezada and the coaching staff, as well as between him and some of the players. The next fall, Quezada grew accustomed to even more time on the bench as Galvin came back healthy and newly recruited guard Alex Goldfarb stepped in. Again the season fell out from under the Jumbos as they dropped into last place, while Quezada questioned his future with the team. “As far as getting psyched up for games, for me it was hard to do that every day last year,” Quezada said. “Honestly, I would get more excited for practice where I had a chance to play against some of the dudes who played ahead of me. … I feel like the last two years has almost been like trying to survive the season without having too terrible a record.” But this season has been different in almost every way. The Jumbos boast a winning record (13-11), one of the deepest rosters in program history and the No. 5 seed in the upcoming NESCAC Tournament, in which their first game this Saturday is against a very beatable Trinity squad. Quezada has played a considerable role in transforming the Jumbos into contenders. “[His] attitude this year has been so much more positive than the last

VIRGINIA BLEDSOE/TUFTS DAILY

Junior guard Amauris Quezada led the Jumbos in their first NESCAC tournament game since 2007.

couple years,” said junior tri-captain James Long, a two-year roommate of Quezada’s. “It’s hard losing, and we all struggled with that a little bit. This year, I think he’s made some adjustments and it’s paid off — he’s finally getting those minutes, and he’s playing well in them.” There is consensus on the team that Quezada’s contribution stems from his energy. He describes his style as “controlled chaos” — taking risks as he plays somewhat untraditional offense and aggressive on-ball defense. “On the court, he’s all about energy,” Long said. “Getting steals, pushing the ball, getting to the hoop — that’s what his game is about. … ‘Q’ is better than anyone else on the team in creating something out of nothing, which you need to win in the NESCAC.” Off the court, Quezada continues to be one of the team’s most energetic members. When he’s not at practice or busy stripping the ball from every ball-handler in the NESCAC, Quezada studies International Relations with a concentration in international finance and is working toward a minor in entrepreneurial leadership studies. Still, he keeps his academic talk lighthearted. “I want to have a ton of money and a very attractive wife,” he joked. “But really, I would say that I don’t know yet what I want to do, but I’m leaning towards entering investments.” Don’t be fooled, though. This joker has a serious side, with a passion not only for basketball, but also for his family and his Dominican culture — at home, the Quezada family speaks only Spanish — which sparked his interest in International Relations in the first place. Quezada’s maturity is key for a squad that lost many of its seniors last season. “Coach [Bob Sheldon] was telling me the other day that the guys actually do look up to me,” Quezada said. “It’s kind of weird because we had so many seniors last year, [so] none of us really had any leadership before. … This is the kind of year me, James [Long] and some of the younger guys have been looking forward to for a while — to be about to step into new roles and take things in a new direction, a new culture.” And that new culture is evident. The 2010-11 Jumbos are playing great defense, scoring from all over the floor and seeing solid performances from players all over the roster. For the first time in a long time, men’s basketball is having very real success in the NESCAC. “It’s an exciting time for all of us,” Quezada said. “None of us on the team, even the seniors, have ever experienced it, so we are excited for the opportunity and eager to make an impression on the league.” And maybe, if he keeps putting up huge statistics, the PA announcers will finally learn how to pronounce his name.

Basketball fans eagerly await Sunday’s 60th NBA All-Star game INSIDE THE NBA continued from page 19

as well. Paul Pierce will have to defend his 3-point title against Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, James Jones of the Miami Heat, Dorell Wright of the Warriors, Daniel Gibson of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the most successful 3-point shooter in NBA history, teammate Ray Allen. Of all of the challengers, Ray Allen is the only one to have won the competition before, in 2001, when he represented the

Milwaukee Bucks. Next up will be the infamous Slam Dunk contest. Nate Robinson, a threetime dunk contest champion, has chosen not to participate this year. Despite this disappointment, Saturday night could very well be one of the best dunk contests in recent basketball history. The Thunder’s Serge Ibaka will team up with the Wizards’ Javale McGee and the Raptors’ DeMar DeRozan to take on the runaway favorite Blake Griffin — or the “Rim Reaper.” It is going to be hard

for anyone to defeat this rookie All-Star who nearly hits his forehead on the rim every time he dunks. The cherry on top of the weekend is the breathtaking All-Star game that will be broadcast on Sunday at 8 p.m. on TNT. Last year turned out to be a superb game, as the East won 141139, led by none other than Dwyane Wade — the game’s MVP — and LeBron James. This year’s game has the potential to be equally, if not more, exciting. The defending champions in the East

include Wade, James, Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose and Amar’e Stoudemire, and the Celtics’ core foursome is expected to contribute off the bench. The West’s starting lineup includes Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and big surprise Yao Ming, with a solid bench that includes Dirk Nowitzki, Tim Duncan and Russell Westbrook, to name just a few. The above ingredients add up to one must-watch weekend for any basketball fan.

THE TUFTS DAILY

Thursday, February 17, 2011

SPORTS

INSIDE THE NESCAC

For Lord Jeﬀs against NESCAC foes, it was a weekend to forget Amherst losses against Middlebury and Williams squash dreams of perfect season BY

ZACHEY KLIGER

Daily Staff Writer

Prior to tip-off inside Middlebury’s Pepin Gym on Friday night, the undefeated Amherst men’s basketball team may have been indulging fantasies of a perfect season. The Lord Jeffs seemed poised to sweep its two weekend games, which would have tied the school’s all-time longest winning streak of 23 games, a mark set in 2007. Two wins would have also secured the No. 1 seed in the upcoming NESCAC Tournament. But despite the team’s unmistakable success through its first 21 games, Amherst came back to earth this weekend, losing first to Middlebury and then dropping a contest against Williams the following afternoon. In just a 24-hour span, the Lord Jeffs saw their dreams of an undefeated season slip away, along with any hope of locking up the top seed for the NESCAC tournament. To say Amherst choked in the final weekend of the season would be misleading. Heading into their final slate

of games, the Lord Jeffs knew they had their hands full. It’s hard enough to play two consecutive NESCAC opponents on the road, but when both teams are ranked in the top five in the country, a team’s chances of winning both contests are slim. Middlebury and Williams had a combined 40-2 record, including an impressive 14-1 mark against NESCAC opponents, heading into their matchups against Amherst. And both matchups lived up to their billing. On Friday night, Middlebury, the best defensive team in the nation, gave the Lord Jeffs all they could handle. In a game that featured 13 ties, the Panthers held a 56-54 lead with 5:00 to play before pulling away at the free-throw line for a 69-61 victory. Middlebury junior forward Ryan Sharry had a career night, scoring a game-high 18 points while corralling a game-best 13 rebounds and careerhigh five assists. The Amherst squad, which had to be a bit demoralized by that point, then had to quickly pack its bags and make the three-hour trip to Williams College

to play the second-ranked team in the nation. To make matters worse, the Ephs were seething to avenge their heartbreaking 92-89 overtime loss to the Lord Jeffs on the Amherst home floor back on Jan. 8. Saturday’s contest proved to be yet another classic battle between the archrivals. The final 12:17 of play saw the teams trade leads four times. With just under four minutes to play, the Jeffs found themselves trailing by only one point when sophomore guard Nate Robertson drilled a dagger to give the Ephs a 71-67 cushion, a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the way. “We had more defensive discipline this game than we did the last time we played these guys,” Williams Coach Mike Maker said. “I think we fed off the energy of our crowd, and we obviously really appreciate the support from our student body and our community.” While Amherst took an emotional hit this weekend, the team’s ultimate goals of claiming the NESCAC crown and winning the NCAA tournament are still within reach. Its path, how-

Puzzling evidence works in cyclist’s favor CYCLING continued from page 19

Cycling Federation (RFEC) to overturn its initial ruling to suspend Contador was Article 296 of the UCI’s code, which allows a sanction to be overturned if the rider can prove that he unintentionally consumed the banned subject in question. This would mean that the rider was negligent, but not blameworthy, which is what the RFEC seemingly wants to say. From here, though, the road is still not clear. For one, Contador and his defense team never did prove that the positive clenbuterol test for which this case was brought up was a result of contaminated meat, as he has claimed. In the end, neither party could prove how the clenbuterol got into Contador’s blood, so the RFEC finally decided to simply take Contador’s word that he was innocent. The amount of clenbuterol in Contador’s blood was trivial, but it was still there. Just as shoplifting is every bit as much theft as robbing a bank, should minor infractions for banned substances not be considered cheating?

The RFEC could not prove that Contador took the drug intentionally, but he had no better proof that it was an accident. So with whom does the burden of proof lie, and how do you really define cheating? Is just a little bit of the performance-enhancing drug Erythropoietin (EPO) okay now, too? Then there is the matter of preferential treatment and conflicts of interests. As cycling journalist Will Fotheringham said, “National governing bodies should not be placed in a position where they have to rule on positive drug tests involving their star riders.” Like it or not, the RFEC has a vested interest in the outcome of this case, as does the UCI. Contador is without question the face of the sport today, much as Lance Armstrong was in his time. Naturally, the Spanish Federation and the UCI want to prove that they are cleaning up their image and promoting a fair sport. The loss of their poster boy will definitely not help this cause. In short, we have to wonder if the case was really dealt with fairly and objectively

by all those concerned. Was Contador given preferential treatment due to his star status? If so, what will that mean for the future? This case could be opening a serious Pandora’s box of overlooking doping violations when it serves the public interests of the sport. Now, all of this is just conjecture, and as of this moment ,Contador has been cleared to race and will, according to him, look to defend his overall title at the Tour of the Algarve this week. Naturally, both he and the rest of his squad, Team SaxoBank-SunGuard, are elated. But what about cycling fans all around the world? And what about the riders who will now be competing with him again? A big question mark will hang over Contador’s head for some time. It seems likely that investigations into this matter are not yet through and that the decision could very well be more empirically confirmed or, conversely, reversed. But for the time being, professional cyclists and fans alike will have to ask themselves what matters to them more: a truly clean sport or the happy facade of one.

ever, will be difficult. The pair of losses over the weekend relegated the Lord Jeffs to third in the NESCAC standings. As a result, they will be matched up against sixth-seeded Bates in the quarterfinal round on Saturday. The Bobcats have posted a mediocre 12-12 record this season, but the Lord Jeffs barely squeaked out a six-point victory against them in the two teams’ last meeting on Feb. 5. If the Lord Jeffs make it to the second round of play, they will likely have to travel back to Pepin Gym for a rematch against Middlebury, who hosts a woeful Conn. College squad this Saturday. It’ll be a tough road, but Amherst Coach David Hixon, now in his 35th year with the program, is trying to keep his team mentally prepared for the new challenge. “Sure, we’re disappointed to slip up like this at this juncture of the season, but, despite what some may have believed, our goal never was to have a perfect season,” he said. “We go into every game expecting to win, and that mentality won’t change now.”

Conn. College will prove biggest rival at Friday’s meet WOMEN’S SWIM continued from page 20

The Jumbos lost 150-142 in a fiercely competitive meet at Conn. College in November but believe that they have improved significantly since then. “Even though Middlebury won’t be there, I definitely still expect us to have a lot of close races,” junior Valerie Eacret said. “The competition might not be as exciting as it has been in the past, but our goal is to finish third, and that’s not going to be easy.” In order to meet those expectations, Tufts will need a strong effort from upperclassmen and first-years alike. Senior tri-captain Megan Kono — who has excelled in long-distance freestyle races throughout the spring portion of the season — will look to continue her dominance of the 500-, 1000- and 1650-yard swims at NESCACs. Kono won the milelong event two years ago but was unprepared last year after spending the fall semester abroad. “We definitely expect Megan to do a great job for us, and there are a lot of other girls we’re excited about as well,” Eacret said.

“We have really good swimmers in pretty much every stroke.” Eacret hopes that first-years Jenny Hu and Taylor Lentz will perform well in the breaststroke. First-year Mia Greenwald and sophomore Christine Garvey, in the butterfly and individual medley, respectively, are also expected to contribute to the team’s success. Tufts also got an unexpected boost in the backstroke when freshman Andrea Coniglio — who had been sidelined with mononucleosis — was cleared to swim this weekend. Armed with talented swimmers in many events, Tufts is well prepared for the three-day event, where the ability to earn points in a variety of strokes and distances will be crucial. The Jumbos are confident that depth will pay off come Sunday and that they’ll return home with a third-place finish. “We’re going to be in a tight race with Conn. College, and we’re looking forward to that,” Bigelow said. “It should be a really, really exciting weekend, and we’re going to try as hard as we can to finish third.”

Islanders organization fined $100,000 for brawl with Penguins; fighting remains hallmark of the sport, despite heavy penalties handed down NHL continued from page 20

four to six weeks with facial fractures. Given these separate injuries, the Islanders must have been dying for their next matchup with the Penguins to administer some payback. And so on to the 11th, this time at Nassau Coliseum. The final score: Islanders 9, Penguins 3. Except that part wasn’t the payback the Isles apparently had in mind. In fact, the contest was all but decided on the scoreboard by the first intermission, with the Islanders already out to a commanding 4-0 lead. But then things got ugly. At 5:21 in the second period of what was now a 6-0 game, Islanders winger Matt Martin sucker-punched Talbot at center ice, presumably in retribution for the Comeau hit nine days earlier. The punch left Talbot face-down on the ice and set off a line brawl. In the third period, the situation spiraled further out of control. The Islanders’ Trevor Gillies elbowed Eric Tangradi, and Michael Haley attempted to engage Brent Johnson in a skater-versus-goalie fight before Penguins

enforcer Eric Godard flew in — from off the bench — to fight Haley on Johnson’s behalf. The penalties section of the box score was as dense as they come, with the final tally weighing in at 15 fighting majors, 10 players ejected and 346 penalty minutes assessed. Two days later, NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell suspended Martin for four games for his punch on Talbot. Gillies got nine games for his actions, while the Pens’ Godard got an automatic 10 games for leaving the players bench to fight with Haley. Campbell also fined the Islanders organization $100,000. The Penguins were clearly not on the receiving end of most of the league’s punishment, but owner Mario Lemieux was still displeased with the NHL’s decision. “The NHL had a chance to send a clear and strong message that those kinds of actions are unacceptable and embarrassing to the sport. It failed,” Lemieux said in a recent statement. “We, as a league, must do a better job of protecting the integrity of the game and

the safety of our players.” An episode like the Islanders-Penguins brawl has little to do with “typical” hockey fighting, though. Fights happen for a number of specific reasons, not for the sake of mindless violence. More often than not, a player fights because he is trying to send a message to his own team, not to his opponents. Fights in hockey take place in accordance with an unwritten but time-honored code, with very specific rules and guidelines: No fighting with a visor on. No fighting anyone who doesn’t want to fight you. No intent to injure, and once a player or players have been knocked to the ice, the fight is over. This code, while not limited to the tenets above, helps explain how fighting can, however improbably, exist within the bounds of sportsmanship. It’s a form of self-policing the game, and it’s why in-game penalties are comparatively light for players who fight — as long as they do it right. Fighting in the NHL has been in decline for some time now. Bolstered by an influx of foreign-born players to whom fighting is a totally alien concept,

the league has seen a marked decrease in fights from the more pugilistic 1970s and 1980s. Fighting is a vestige of the old days, though players still recognize its significance: In the most recent Players’ Association poll, an overwhelming 98 percent of players said fighting should not be banned from the NHL. But an episode like last Friday’s was more than fighting. Hockey fans watching video replays of that night can see an unmistakable difference in the tenor of those fights, which clearly demonstrate a premeditated decision by the entire organization to abandon sportsmanship. There was no code, only intent to injure, and to exact violent payback for perceived injustices by any means necessary. That’s why the Islanders organization, not just individual players, was fined for the incident. It’s not only dishonorable — it’s dangerous for the players involved and an embarrassment to the league. It does nothing to make the game appeal to fans interested in the speed and excitement of hockey. It just makes the sport look like a barbaric curiosity.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

THE TUFTS DAILY

SPORTS

INSIDE CYCLING

For Tour champ, innocent after proven guilty

Suspension against Alberto Contador overturned, but critics remain BY

EVAN COOPER

Senior Staff Writer

MCT

see CYCLING, page 18

Alberto Contador has been cleared to race in the upcoming Tour of the Algarve despite allegations of drug use.

INSIDE THE NBA

Star-studded weekend promises to entertain Everyone from 3-point star Ray Allen to Justin Bieber will play NASH SIMPSON

Daily Staff Writer

Even as NBA headlines continue to highlight the plight of Utah Jazz fans as they hopelessly ponder the sudden resignation of former coach Jerry Sloan, the NBA’s All-Star weekend approaches with its usual aura of excitement. The annual T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam, a face-off between the NBA’s premiere rookies and the league’s seasoned sophomores, will start off the weekend with a bang. As can be inferred from the event’s name, this matchup is typically a boring slaughter on the side of the second-year players. Yet this year could very well be one for the ages as two unusually talented draft classes go head to head. Last year, the rookies — led by Tyreke Evans of the Sacramento Kings, Stephan Curry of the Golden State Warriors and DeJuan Blair of the San Antonio Spurs — won their match-up decisively, 140-128, breaking a sevenyear rookie drought. A repeat win is far from guaranteed, though, as they face the lightning-fast John Wall, the enormous Demarcus Cousins — the two were former teammates last year at Kentucky — and the All-Star Blake Griffin. Friday continues with the BBVA Celebrity Game, which allows for superstars from all facets of the entertainment industry to rub shoulders with each other. This year’s contestants include NBA Hall-of-Famers Earvin “Magic” Johnson and Scottie Pippen, who will play alongside rapper Common and teenage sensation Justin Bieber. Yep, Justin Bieber. Let’s just say that this event is far from the highlight of the weekend. But one should expect the weekend’s energy, at least basketball-wise, to pick up once again on Saturday with the Taco Bell Skills challenge, which tests players’ agility as well as their shooting and passing accuracy. Chris Paul is expected to lead the way this year, though superb ball-handlers Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook and Derek Fisher pose threats to snatch the title. The Foot Locker 3-Point Contest on Saturday night should be memorable see INSIDE THE NBA, page 17

Drowning in money

Guilty, not guilty, guilty — who knows! That is exactly the sort of ride that Alberto Contador and the International Cycling Union (UCI) have taken us on over the past few months and the last three weeks or so in particular. As the debate over Contador’s innocence or guilt has raged on, cycling fans worldwide have been faced with the ultimate moral dilemma: What verdict would we rather see? On the one hand, most people want all cheaters in cycling to be caught and duly punished, restoring purity and honesty to a beautiful sport. On the other hand, it is equally acknowledged that the loss of the sport’s most dominant current competitor would be extremely damaging. And then, of course, there is the more fundamental question of whether he is guilty or not, regardless of the consequences. Unfortunately, in neither case is the line completely clear. Regarding the question of Contador’s guilt, there is the matter of what constitutes a violation of the rules and how those rules should be interpreted. What ultimately led the Royal Spanish

DAVID MCINTYRE | THE BEAUTIFUL GAME

MCT

The rookie “Rim Reaper” Blake Griffin has already shown he can dunk on anyone; in the Slam Dunk contest, fans will find out what he can do without anyone in his way.

rom LeBron James taking his talents to South Beach to Babe Ruth getting bought by the Yankees, player acquisitions are some of the most talked-about items in sports. This is especially true in the soccer world, as teams have only one month in the middle of the season, January, to try to improve their teams for the rest of the year. Normally, though, the month is marked by restraint as a few major transfers trickle through and clubs get rid of various disgruntled players. This January, however, was marked by unanticipated monster transfers by some of the biggest clubs, including a few deals that border on the edge of insanity. While nothing approached Cristiano Ronaldo levels (Ronaldo’s transfer deal with Real Madrid is worth $132 million, and his contract earns him over $17 million per year for the next six years), there were so many big money signings that I’ve decided to wade through the ocean of cash to try to sort out the winners and losers of the hectic period. Fernando Torres from Liverpool to Chelsea for $80 Million: Chelsea, the defending Premier League champions, almost totally fell apart this season after a promising start and desperately needed to do something to jumpstart their season. Signing Spanish striker Torres was exactly the type of deal they needed. Torres is a master in front of the goal and is exactly the finisher Chelsea needed to replace out-of-form Nicolas Anelka; the striker had openly demanded his transfer from Liverpool. It’s tough to wrap my mind around the fact that the money used to buy Torres is the equivalent of the tuition of 1,923 Tufts students (or 26.7 million small Voldemort lattes from the Rez), but in the current market, Chelsea really didn’t have a choice. Luis Suárez from Ajax Amsterdam to Liverpool for $36.6 million / Andy Carroll from Newcastle to Liverpool for $56.2 million: Liverpool, meanwhile, has struggled from the get-go this season, with original manager Roy Hodgson already being fired amid a tumultuous change in ownership. Now, though, new owner New England Sports Ventures (also principal owner of the Boston Red Sox) has shown a willingness to splash the cash to restore Liverpool to greatness. Yet Liverpool’s two signings are much riskier than Chelsea’s signing of Torres. Suárez has never played in Europe’s top leagues, and Carroll has scored just 11 goals in his young Premier League career. While both signings have obvious potential, the Carroll signing in particular is an example of a desperate club signing promising players at incredibly inflated prices — Liverpool paid almost $5.12 million for each of Carroll’s goals. Darren Bent from Sunderland to Aston Villa for $38.5 million: In perhaps the most shocking move of the entire transfer window, Aston Villa signed Darren Bent for one reason: He scores. Over the last three seasons, only Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney and Manchester City’s Carlos Tevez have scored more goals in the Premier League. Villa’s Achilles’ heel in recent years has been its lack of somebody with a killer instinct in front of the goal. Gabriel Agbonlahor tried to fill this role, but he was almost like the Roadrunner — all speed and trickery, no strength — and Bent will complement him nicely, even if Villa is basically just playing out the rest of the season and looking to avoid relegation. Maybe the lesson of this transfer window is to expect the unexpected — billionaires really can do the darndest things. At this rate, the first $160 million (£100 million) transfer is right around the corner, and who knows where those crazy owners will take us from there. David McIntyre is a freshman who has yet to declare a major. He can be reached at David.McIntyre@tufts.edu.

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INSIDE Inside Cycling 19 Inside the NBA 19 Inside the NESCAC 18

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MEN’S BASKETBALL

Amauris Quezada’s “controlled chaos” powers the Jumbos After struggling to find playing time early in his Tufts career, Quezada has had a breakthrough year BY

VIRGINIA BLEDSOE/TUFTS DAILY

the last two seasons is that before, the coaches and I were never on the same page,” Quezada said. “I finally realized I was never going to win that battle, so I just did what they asked and it paid off.” Quezada has transformed from a liability into one of the team’s leaders and has become respected by his coaches and teammates alike. “I think he’s practiced on a higher level all year,” Assistant Coach Matt Malone said. “He’s been a little bit more serious about his business day in and day out. … He’s become a better leader for us.” Quezada’s new leadership role has been a long time in the making. Quezada was the first of four siblings born in the United States after his family left the Dominican Republic for New York City. There, he developed a love of basketball by playing with his father and brothers and in amateur leagues in the city. But he admits it wasn’t until high school that he focused his passion on the sport. “I played [junior varsity] baseball for a year and used to patrol the outfield, [as well as] football and some intramural tennis,” he said. “I basically did it all. I lifted a lot of weights. But going into high school, [basketball] was my main sport. I was very, very, very good.” With his intention to pursue basketball in mind, Quezada joined a high school placement program that

After two years of minimal playing time, junior guard Amauris Quezada has established himself as the engine of the Jumbos’ offense this season.

see QUEZADA, page 17

CLAIRE KEMP

Daily Editorial Board

“Just put my name in there with a pronunciation key and ask people never to call me ‘Q’ again,” Amauris (ä-maude) Quezada teased. Like everything he says, the remark, directed at a Tufts community — including its PA announcers in Cousens Gym — that repeatedly pronounces his name wrong, was laced with sarcasm. But all sarcasm aside, Quezada, a junior guard on the men’s basketball team, is having a quintessential breakout year. And it’s been a quick turnaround. Quezada scored just nine points in the four games he entered last season, and he admits that, frustrated with a lack of playing time, he considered leaving the team. But with his teammates’ support and assurance from his coaches that if he put in the work the minutes would come, Quezada returned this year with a vengeance. The result has been a huge 2010-11 regular season in which Quezada has averaged 11 points in 23.6 minutes per game, dished out 63 assists and swiped a league-leading 65 steals — 23 more than the second-place finisher. Add to that list two NESCAC Player of the Week honors and the team’s first trip to the playoffs in four years, and it’s fair to say that Quezada has earned the right to crack a few jokes. “The major difference in why I’ve played better this year as opposed to

WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING

INSIDE NHL

Islanders and Penguins duke it out

Fighting goes too far in Feb. 11 game; 10 players ejected BY

MATT REPKA

Daily Editorial Board

The idea of a fight in an NHL game shouldn’t elicit much of a reaction to the casual observer. Most people probably carry an implicit association between the sport and onice fighting. The image of two toothless, black-eyed hockey goons swinging wildly at each other is indelibly seared in the minds of many casual sports fans. It’s a tough stereotype for the NHL to overcome, no matter how far from reality it is. Of course, nights like Feb. 11 don’t do much to help the league’s cause. To understand what happened, let’s rewind the clock nine days. On Feb. 2, the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins played a regular-season game at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh. An otherwise-normal 3-0 Penguins win turned bizarre with two events: a Max Talbot blind-side hit on Islanders rookie Blake Comeau that left the latter with a concussion and — the rarest of all rarities — a goalie fight between Brent Johnson and Rick DiPietro. Johnson took exception to the way the Islanders goaltender had collided with Penguins forward Matt Cooke, so the two squared off at mid-ice while the referees were tied up managing other scraps in the corner. The result was a surprising one-punch knockout of DiPietro by Johnson that left the Islanders goaltender out see NHL, page 18

ANDREW MORGENTHALER/TUFTS DAILY

Senior tri-captain Megan Kono will look for her second career win in the mile swim at the NESCAC Championship finish this weekend at Williams.

Bronze or bust: Jumbos strive for third place BY

DANIEL RATHMAN

Daily Editorial Board

MCT

Islander Kyle Okposo (right) used his stick to escalate the action with Penguin Kris LeTang (left) last week during a brawl-filled game that included 346 penalty minutes.

The women’s swimming and diving team has been preparing for this weekend since the beginning of the season. The tune-up meets in the fall, the conditioning trip during winter break, the tapered practices over the past two weeks: It all leads up to the season-ending NESCAC Championships, which start on Friday at Williams. It has been an up-and-down season for Tufts, with results ranging from heartbreaking losses against Conn. College and MIT to resounding victories in all three meets held in Hamilton Pool. But the Jumbos have enjoyed some of their best swims during the past few weeks and are certainly peaking at the right time. “We really want all of the hard work we’ve done all season to pay off,” Coach Nancy Bigelow

said. “From what I’ve seen, I think we’re going to do really, really well.” The team is realistic about its expectations and knows that keeping up with Williams and Amherst will be difficult. A third-place finish behind the two powerhouses will be tough, but the Jumbos consider it a reasonable goal. In the past, Tufts has used results against rival Middlebury to predict its success at the NESCACs. The Jumbos beat the Panthers two years ago but finished behind them last season. Hazing allegations, however, have marred the Panthers’ season and led to complete suspensions of the team’s upperclassmen —- leaving only the firstyears to compete this weekend. With Middlebury out of contention, Conn. College will be Tufts’ main rival for third place. see WOMEN’S SWIM, page 18