TuftsDaily09-14-2012

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THE TUFTS DAILY

Sunny 80/61

TUFTSDAILY.COM

Friday, September 14, 2012

VOLUME LXIV, NUMBER 6

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Bedau remembered as voice against capital punishment by

Melissa Wang

Daily Editorial Board

Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus, Hugo Bedau, died Aug. 13 in Norwood, Mass., from complications related to Parkinson’s disease. He was 85. Bedau was recruited by Tufts in 1966 to chair the Department of Philosophy and remained a full-time faculty member until 1999. After retiring at age 73, he returned periodically to teach courses on both the Medford/ Somerville and Talloires, France campuses. “He built a world-class philosophy department from scratch,” colleague and Professor of Philosophy Daniel Dennett said. “He got the department off to a great start and then turned it over to different colleagues who continued his traditions.” As a founder of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, Bedau is known as one of the world’s most prominent activists against capital punishment. He published many books and essays on the subject even after his retirement, including “The Death Penalty in America” (1st edition, 1964; 4th edition, 1997) and “The Courts, the Constitution and Capital Punishment” (1977). He was also deeply interested in civil rights and served as a member of the American Civil Liberties Union. “He felt very strongly that [capital punishment] was an incorrect exercise of power by the government and that there were other ways to deal with those issues,” Constance Putnam, his wife, said. “I don’t think he ever turned down a debate to talk about the death penalty. He always made room in his schedule.” Bedau knew he wanted to become a philosopher early on in his college career, according to Putnam. “He considered himself very lucky,” she said. “That was what he wanted to do, and he did it. He loved teaching.” In addition to publishing papers on capital punishment post-retirement in 2009, he worked with retired Fletcher Professor of English, Emeritus, Sylvan Barnet to create more editions of their co-authored critical thinking textbook, “Current Issues and Enduring Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking and Argument, with Readings.” “He really had a lot of dignity in his later years,” Stuart Green (LA ’83), former stusee BEDAU, page 2

Courtesy the Tufts Department of Philosophy

Former Austin B. Fletcher Professor of Philosophy, Emeritus, Hugo Bedau was a prominent opponent of the death penalty.

kyra sturgill / The Tufts daily

Starting this fall, Tufts will offer a new Asian American studies minor sponsored by the American Studies Program.

Asian American studies minor launched by

Craig Frucht

Daily Editorial Board

Tufts this fall launched a minor in Asian American studies, the result of a decadeslong discussion between campus activists and administrators about how to create a

more inclusive academic curriculum. Housed under the American Studies Program, the six-credit interdisciplinary minor involves departments across the School of Arts and Sciences, including psychology, sociology, history, English, education and anthropology.

“Fifteen percent of the student body is Asian American,” Alex Chan, a senior, said. “The fact that there was no curriculum to reflect that is unfair. People of Asian American descent didn’t have the ability to learn about it.” see MINOR, page 3

Free bike rental service reopens this week Tufts Bikes, a student organization founded early last year to promote bike accessibility at Tufts, on Monday reopened its bike-share services to the Tufts community following the postponement of its original Aug. 6 launch date. Students, faculty and staff can check out one of the 30 available bikes for free at the Tisch Library circulation desk for up to eight hours at a time. The bicycles were rented out more than 2,200 times during the 2011-2012 academic year. The group added three new bicycles to the bike share this summer, according to President of Tufts Bikes Kevin Stine. “They’re nice ones, too:― the Biria CitiBike 700C model,” Stine, a sophomore, said. Stine said he heads a team of eight students who ensure all of the bicycles in the bike-share are constantly in good shape. Any Tufts cyclists in need of bicycle maintenance can visit the team in the

Inside this issue

Crafts Center in the basement of Lewis Hall during their mechanic hours. In addition to hosting bike repair clinics, the organization teaches students proper urban riding techniques and arranges group biking trips to nearby locations such as Harvard Square, Stine said. “We’re always open to new routes,” he said. Stine encourages students to participate in Tufts Bikes’ activities, regardless of their prior experience on two wheels. “I really like it when students who don’t really bike a lot still come out and join us on our rides,” he said. “We can teach them how to ride safely in the city, and that opens up the Boston area for them in brand new ways. It’s all about introducing biking culture to those who haven’t been engaged in it beforehand.” Junior Aliandro Brathwaite, who has often rented from Tufts Bikes, expressed

excitement that the group has opened its doors once again. “It’s fantastic because of all the opportunities that someone without a car, or who would rather enjoy the outdoors than take the subway, can now enjoy on their bike,” he said. “The group seems fully functional... and I’ve only heard positive reviews about their repair service.” Brathwaite hopes to join Tufts Bikes on one of their scheduled bike rides this semester. “As of now, I’ve only ever biked on the two routes I know well, which are the Minuteman Bikeway and the path to Harvard Square,” he said. “It would be very good to go with other people on many different routes, if possible.” More information regarding Tufts Bikes’ mechanic hours and upcoming events can be found at TuftsBikes.com. —by Josh Weiner

Today’s sections

Students look for internship opportunities to gain career experience.

British indie pop band The xx sparkles in its sophomore album.

see FEATURES, page 2

see ARTS, page 5

News | Features Arts & Living

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Comics Sports

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