Partly Cloudy 43/31
THE TUFTS DAILY
TUFTSDAILY.COM
tuesday, november 19, 2013
VOLUME LXVI, NUMBER 48
Where You Read It First Est. 1980
Senate passes resolution to introduce Boston shuttle by
Kathleen Schmidt Daily Staff Writer
The Tufts Community Union ( TCU) Senate last Monday passed a resolution calling for a shuttle that would run from the Tufts campus to Boston on Friday and Saturday nights. According to senator Christie Maciejewski, who helped lead the resolution, the shuttle would run once every hour between 7 p.m. and 3 a.m., with stops planned near Harvard Square, Park Street and Copley Square.
Alberto Medina / Tisch College
Meredith Minkler, professor of health and social behavior at the University of California, Berkeley, recently received the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service’s annual Tisch Research Prize.
Minkler awarded Tisch College Research Prize by
Menghan Liu
Daily Editorial Board
The Jonathan M. Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service this month awarded its annual Tisch Research Prize to Meredith Minkler, professor of health and social behavior at the University of California, Berkeley, for her leadership in communityinvolved research. Minkler received the award and delivered a lecture on Nov. 7 on the Boston campus, according to Professor of
Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts School of Medicine Doug Brugge. Minkler is particularly known for her work in CommunityBased Participatory Research (CBPR), a type of civic engagement research where members of the community and researchers actively collaborate in the research process, according to Tisch College’s Director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement Peter Levine. “[Minkler] was one of a small
handful of people nationally who helped usher in CommunityBased Participatory Research leading up to and around the turn of the century,” Brugge told the Daily in an email. According to Tisch College, the Tisch Research Prize was established as an interdisciplinary award in 2007 to recognize academic researchers who have devoted their careers to issues related to active citizenship. Levine explained that Tisch see TISCH, page 2
Maciejewski, a senior, explained that she began thinking about the resolution after talking with fellow students. Many struggle to return to campus before the T closes around 12:30 a.m., she said. “To encourage students to go into Boston, we think this is a good way to get them there and get them home safely,” Maciejewski said. To assess student interest in a shuttle from Tufts to Boston, Senate recently surveyed over see SHUTTLE, page 2
Tufts Mountain Club celebrates 75 years by
Marissa Peck
Daily Staff Writer
Alumni and current members of Tufts Mountain Club ( TMC) gathered Friday night at the 51 Winthrop Street Function Hall to celebrate its 75th anniversary with a barnstyle contra dance. As part of the celebration, alumni were invited to stay in the Loj, the club’s New Hampshire retreat, over the weekend, according to TMC Vice President and junior Emily Melick. The event was an opportunity for both alumni and current students to celebrate their time in TMC.
Melick, along with TMC President and senior Julia Ouimet, explained the importance of the anniversary and the club’s identity on campus. “The anniversary is celebrating all that TMC has given us and all that we have given TMC,” Melick said. “It’s about the longevity of the club ... and bringing back members from the past who have given us so much and have created TMC as it is now.” After doors opened at 5 p.m., Edward Warren (LA ’08) began the event with a few words about TMC’s progress over the see TMC, page 2
Police arrest armed robbery suspect, continue investigation The Medford Police Department last Friday arrested a suspect involved in a robbery that occurred near campus on Nov. 11. According to an email sent to members of the Tufts community, Medford police and members of the Tufts University Police Department (TUPD) responded to an armed robbery reported at the Campus Mini Mart on Boston Avenue around 8:20 p.m. that Monday night. After entering the store, the suspect allegedly revealed a knife and demanded money from the cash register. The suspect then fled with the money in the back of a white SUV. An email update on Friday stated that the suspect, a local resident unaffiliated with the university, was arrested and charged with armed robbery. Police anticipate that the suspect will also receive further charges as investigations involving other area crimes continue. Director of Public and Environmental Safety Kevin Maguire explained that TUPD will continue to assist Medford police in the investigation. “We continue to search for
suspects fitting the descriptions given until an arrest is made or it can be reasoned that the suspect has moved on from the immediate area,” Maguire told the Daily in an email. Maguire reported the statistics for armed robberies during the fall semester of this year and last year. No armed robberies were reported to TUPD between Sept. 1 and Nov. 12 of 2012. Last week’s armed robbery was the first to occur between Sept. 1 and Nov. 14 of this year, he said. Although Maguire stated that the campus area was safe, he urged students to take precautions against possible threats by being aware of their surroundings and reporting suspicious activity. “Walk with a friend or colleague, but always walk with confidence and purpose,” he said. “Don’t be distracted while walking by listening to music or talking on the phone or texting.” He also encouraged students to utilize the GoSafe service when traveling alone at night. Wan Jing Lee / The Tufts Daily
—by Yan Zhao
A suspect has been arrested by the Medford Police Department following last Friday’s armed robbery at the Campus Mini Mart on Boston Ave.
Inside this issue
Today’s sections
The first ‘No Shave November’ contest on campus begins Tufts Relay for Life programming.
New pizzeria on Newbury Street surprises customers with eclectic menu.
see FEATURES, page 3
see ARTS, page 5
News Features Arts & Living Comics
1 3 5 7
Editorial | Op-Ed Op-Ed Classifieds Sports
8 9 10 Back
The Tufts Daily
2
News
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Students, alumni connect at Tufts Mountain Club gathering TMC
continued from page 1
years and congratulated the group on its success. Ouimet explained that 75 years ago, the club started as a small, exclusive group of friends that enjoyed organizing outdoor trips over the weekend. During his time at Tufts, Warren expanded the organization and made it into the campus-wide group it is today. In the past four years, Ouimet said, membership to TMC has increased by about 400 people, with around 700 members in total. The group has also become one of the most notable outdoor clubs in the Boston area. “We’ve become a very big presence on campus,” Ouimet said. Prior to the event, Ouimet said she expected 100 people, including 30 or 40 alumni, to attend the anniversary party. Melick believes that one of the reasons for the group’s success and high rate of participation is the club’s free spirit. “You build your [Tufts community] as you will, and I think TMC is a big part of people’s experience here,” she said. Ouimet said that a number of TMC’s old traditions continue to this day. These include Newcomers’ Weekend, held in September to welcome new members, as well as Pass the Torch Weekend, held in January when the new club leaders must take over responsibility for the Loj. TMC also celebrates Loj Thanksgiving, a February event that began in 1962 after the original Loj burned down. According to Ouimet, the club hosts a wide range of outdoor activities under the motto “Go outside.” “The things you go through outside are ... unique,” Melick said. “There is something about this that lets us all let go a little bit. It reminds us that we can let go and think outside of the box and enjoy the beautiful trees.” Melick hopes that students view TMC as a welcoming organization. “The vibe we try to present is as genuine as possible and hopefully shows how much joy we derive from the club,” she said. “We want to share this with anyone we can, whether they are old faces or new.”
Courtesy Sarah Strand
Tufts Mountain Club last Friday held its 75th anniversary celebration for students and alumni at the 51 Winthrop Street Function Hall.
Minkler recognized for work in CommunityBased Participatory Research TISCH
continued from page 1
faculty members nominate and vote on candidates from all over the country under guidance from Interim Dean of Tisch College Nancy Wilson. Faculty members search for candidates with excellence in civic engagement scholarship, he said. Levine added that previous winners have included the late Nobel Laureate Elinor Ostrom, a former professor at Indiana University who became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize in economics soon after receiving the Tisch Research Prize in 2009. “I was very intimidated when he told me in a subsequent email that one of the awardees had gone on to win a Nobel Prize,” Minkler told the Daily. One consideration that led Tisch College leaders to honor Minkler with the prize, Levine said, is that Tufts has a long history of using CBPR methods. “The award demonstrates that it is possible to do extremely high-quality research that brings distinction to the scholar and her university while also being deeply engaged with the community,” Levine told the Daily in an email. “Meredith Minkler is a great example.” Minkler congratulated Tufts for recognizing the importance of research in the field of civic engagement. “Tufts was doing community engagement long before the
[phrase] was on anybody’s radar,” she said. “The fact that they’re now paying special attention to research in this area is another feather in their cap.” Although Minkler had not heard of the award before, she believes she was chosen as this year’s recipient due the growth of general interest in CBPR. “I think [people] understand that we researchers often study problems that aren’t of major concern to the communities with which we’re working and often only have modest success,” Minkler said. “We can improve both the relevance and effectiveness of our work if we engage authentically and really partner in a sincere, high-level way.” Minkler’s work in CBPR, she said, began in 2007 with a participatory research study on restaurant workers’ health and safety in San Francisco’s Chinatown. Based on input from local community members, the project then shifted focus to include an emphasis on wage theft. According to Minkler, community partners have improved the study in every way. Their involvement ultimately allowed Minkler to reach and gather survey information from 433 restaurant workers, despite the fact that the lengthy survey contained 130 items. In August 2011, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors cast the second wage theft ordinance in the country as a result of Minkler’s study.
“This [issue] is being taken very seriously in the city now,” Minkler said. Brugge agreed that Minkler’s work greatly affected policy in San Francisco. “Her work clearly had impact in the real world in terms of prompting the [City and County of San Francisco] to respond to the problems of wage theft,” Brugge said. Minkler spoke in-depth about the project during her Nov. 7 talk in Boston’s Chinatown, where several members of the Chinese Progressive Association were in attendance, Brugge said. University President Anthony Monaco presented Minkler with the Tisch Research Prize at the lecture, and, in his closing remarks, reflected on how contentious issues within a community may impact the future of CBPR. Minkler said she plans to use the $5,000 included in the award to hire a student research assistant in her next participatory research effort centered on healthy retail in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district. The new program aims to increase the number of local convenience stores offering healthy foods compared with alcohol and tobacco products. “The process of actually working with communities, watching them develop their capacities, watching how we outsiders really develop through the process of working with them ... I love it,” Minkler said. “It’s what keeps me going.”
Boston shuttle service may begin in January SHUTTLE
continued from page 1
1,100 students with favorable results, according to senator and junior Darien Headen, who helped spearhead the resolution. Of those surveyed, 81 percent said they would certainly use the shuttle, while 16 percent said they would maybe use it, according to Maciejewski. Among those who reported interest in taking the shuttle, 33 percent said they would use it weekly and 56 percent said they would take the shuttle every few weeks. Maciejewski stated that Senate plans to charge $3 to $5 per shuttle ticket, which is a cheap alternative to a cab, she said. Headen agreed, noting that the shuttle would allow students to avoid a $30 cab fee, as well as eliminate the stress of not being able to find a cab. According to information from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Maciejewski said, one of Tufts’ main attractions for applicants is its proximity to Boston. Yet, students rarely go into the city, she said. Freshman Annie Carter echoed Maciejewski’s fear that many students avoid going into Boston because of transportation obstacles. “I’ve gone into Boston a
few times before, and I know from experience that it’s very hard to get a cab home late at night, so I think a shuttle would be a great service for Tufts students who want to get off campus a little bit more,” Carter said. Both Maciejewski and Headen are optimistic that the administration will adopt the changes posed by the resolution. “We’ve been discussing it with them for awhile,” Maciejewski said. “They wanted the resolution passed.” Headen believes the university has been embracing options for more shuttles. “We always had the turkey shuttle and the spring break shuttle, but we also got the supermarket shuttle last year,” he said. Maciejewski predicts that the shuttle will begin running as early as January 2014. The senators would like to see the shuttle extend to Thursday nights but plan to organize the Friday and Saturday shuttles first. “I want students to keep a lookout for it,” Headen said. “I think it’s going to be successful. We want to make sure that it has a name for itself, that people will use it and that people are finding it convenient.”
Features
3
tuftsdaily.com
‘No Shave November’ furthers awareness of cancer, Relay for Life by
Petar Todorov | Lab Notes
Mankind’s best friend
Mengqi Sun
Contributing Writer
Halfway through November, many male students have put their razors to rest to participate in the first “No Shave November” contest held by Tufts Relay for Life (Tufts RFL). The contest is a play on the larger movement during the month of November, sometimes called “Movember,” that aims to raise awareness for men’s health. Sophomore Benjamin Silver, the special events coordinator for Tufts RFL who organized the contest, explained the inspiration behind holding a “No Shave November” competition at Tufts. “It is the male prostate cancer month,” Silver said. “[‘No Shave November’] is a movement that started off in the late ‘90s. We are trying to take advantage of that momentum and utilize it for RFL.” Since its first event in April 2004, Tufts RFL has raised more than three quarters of $1 million in total for the American Cancer Society (ACS) to fund cancer prevention, cancer treatment and cancer research, according to senior and coChair of Tufts RFL Jon Duval. Andrea Hurwitz, the community executive and director of development for ACS and an advisor for Tufts RFL, told the Daily that Tufts’ fundraising efforts have been substantial. “Tufts does an exceptional job with the fundraising and is an outstanding fundraiser every year,” she said. “Actually, in the last year, 2012, Tufts was one of the top five fundraisers for colleges in New England.” Duval also noted the success of fundraising initiatives around campus. “In October, we sold cupcakes and shot glasses at the Campus Center,” he said. “It was a huge success. We sold over 100 cupcakes ... But more importantly, we raised awareness on campus about breast cancer.” RFL events have become well known on campus, according to Duval and senior and co-Chair of Tufts RFL Caroline Kaufman, but they are always looking to increase the number of participants. “People will form teams with their friends from sports teams, music groups or from dorms. So we usually get 75 different teams,” Duval said. “We are trying to reach out to the entire community, including the faculty and the graduate students.” According to Duval, RFL’s “No Shave November” event has enabled the group to reach out to more students than in previous years. Silver said that although the event builds the community’s awareness about RFL and cancer, the more important focus is engaging students. “We don’t really have a specific number in mind for how much money we want to raise,” Silver said. “I think the more important number to look at is how many people are registering for this event and forming teams. Because we know that once we rope them in and get them involved with the ACS and RFL, they will want to stick with it, and help fundraise and get more people involved, and become advocates for it.” There is no deadline for signing up for the contest, Silver added. “We want to open this to as many people as possible. So people can jump in whenever they want,” he said. There are two ways to get involved with “No Shave November,” according to Silver, and anyone can get involved, regardless of team association. “The first is the individual team. It is for people who are not in an organization and just want to participate,” he said. “The idea is to post pictures of yourself before and after. And you can either grow a mustache or a beard. We just want everyone to get involved. Whatever it means to them, they should get involved that way.”
F
Courtesy Benjamin Silver
Tufts Relay for Life has kicked off its fundraising efforts for the year, including a ‘No Shave November’ contest judged by University President Anthony Monaco. Silver said that they are also looking for sponsors — such as fraternities, sports teams, art groups and cultural centers — to gain even more participation across campus. Tufts RFL also encourages involvement from faculty and staff. “To help sponsor, we want at least 10 members of the organization to get involved,” Silver said. “We are also in talks with the football and baseball team[s]. Their coaches are very excited about that.” Devyn Curley, philanthropy chair of Sigma Phi Epsilon (SigEp), an active sponsor of the contest, said that there are about 16 or 18 brothers getting involved in this campaign. “We took a nice pre-November picture, and we are excited to see how we will look after Thanksgiving break,” Devyn, a junior, said. “[Brothers] are very excited to support the cause. We have actually done a really good job. Our team has already raised $580.” Silver expressed enthusiasm about the contest’s three different categories — the best overall facial hair, the best mustache and the best beard. “For the prizes, we have JumboCash, gift cards from local businesses and some bundles from the ACS, [such as] cups, mugs and the sorts of gifts they are willing to give to the participants,” Silver said. “And right now we are working with barber shops in Davis Square to offer free shaves at the end of the contest.” At the end of the month, University President Monaco will act as the judge of the contest. “The ‘November No Shave’ is an interesting and fun way to support the Relay for Life activities in support of the fight against cancer and specifically in this case, [for] awareness of men’s cancer,” Monaco told the Daily in an email. Monaco said that he has already pictured what a winning beard will look like. “I will be looking for style, grooming and who reminds me most of the Boston Red Sox,” he said. Sophomore and contest participant
Jem Wilner explained that although he is unsure of which mustache or beard to sport for the contest, he wishes he could do more to help with RFL’s cause. “Obviously, RFL is an incredibly important foundation ... for an incredibly important cause,” he said. “Even what I’m doing is such a small thing for them; I’m happy that I could get involved as much as possible ... I encourage everyone to grow out a beard.” Participants can expect the results of the contest on both the event’s and Monaco’s Facebook pages. Member of SigEp Tomo Yokose, who has been to the Tufts RFL kick-off event for the past three years, believes the marketing strategies have definitely been better this year. “Especially the no shave ... the advertisement is very good on campus. They’ve reached out to a lot of organizations that I’m aware of. [ Word] was definitely spread,” Yokose, a senior, said. Silver pointed out that while the contest is male-oriented, the female population on campus will also have opportunities to get involved with RFL events. “For me, what is important [is] to include women in this by promoting the April event,” he said. “We will have Locks of Love that cuts hair and donates them to Pantene Beautiful Lengths.” Kaufman explained that there will be more chances to get involved in RFL as the April 11 relay event approaches. “Every year, we team up with different fraternities on campus, and we have Party for Life,” she said. “It is a fundraising event, and these sponsored parties help to reach out to the Tufts community, raise money and also let the students have lots of fun.” The fun and the fundraising aspects of the contest are not the only reasons it is being held. Duval said that Tufts RFL is cognizant of the many in the Tufts community affected in some way by cancer. “We also invited Tufts students to share their experiences with cancer; that’s really why we are here,” Duval said.
ans of the HBO series “Game of Thrones” (2011-present) are well acquainted with the dire wolf pups that are adopted at birth by the Stark boys. These pups grow into fearsome beasts that follow and protect their masters diligently. In reality, domesticating a wolf is much more difficult and dangerous. A pup from the modern grey wolf will still grow to become a wild animal, the result of thousands of years of natural selection shaping these canids into cooperative hunters. So, how did the synergy between mankind and wolves yield the dogs of today? By and large, the relationship between Homo sapiens and wolves has been strongly adversarial. From the start, early humans competed for the same wild prey. The aggressive nature of both species also meant that this competition was tolerated by neither. Faced with a serious threat to their safety, prehistoric humans usually eradicated wolves wherever they went. Therefore, the expectation is that the wolf should have been driven to extinction long before any dogs had the chance to arise. Symbiotic relationships, however, were also at play. There are several theories as to how the man and wolf shifted to being side by side as opposed to looking at each other from the opposite ends of a spear. One of these ideas explores cooperative hunting between wolves and humans. This is hard to back up, however, because a wolf pack of 10 is expensive to keep, as it consumes the equivalent of an entire deer in a single day. Man would have been better by killing these inferior competitors and taking the entire quarry for himself. A more widely accepted theory states that wolves simply began hanging out around human campsites’ trash piles. There, they could rummage in the scraps if they were less aggressive and tolerated by people. The scavenger wolf hypothesis is supported by genetic data pointing to the fact that dogs can break down starches that would be present in human trash heaps, but normally absent in the wolf diet. Their ancestors who would have had a copy of the genes coding for enzymes that enable this would have been more successful in this symbiosis than purely carnivorous wolves following a camp. The remainder of domestication is thought to be a result of how dogs socially interact with humans. Do they attack? Do they cower in fear? Are they curious and friendly when encountering people? These questions were used in an experiment conducted in the 1950s, not with dogs, but with another canid, the Siberian fox. By selecting animals that did not flee or attack people and breeding them, Russian scientist Dmitry Belyaev successfully domesticated these animals. The process took a few decades, but by the end, the tamed foxes even barked and wagged their tails unlike their wild counterparts. So where did wolves become dogs? It’s hard to say. Several other genetics studies, however, have compared present day dogs to wolf populations around the world. The most recent of these studies — carried out by Olaf Thalmann, a geneticist from the University of Turku in Finland, and Robert Wayne of the University of California, Los Angeles — indicates that dogs are not related to any currently extant species of wolf. Their common ancestor is one present only in fossils found in Europe that date back to around 20,000 to 30,000 years. A rather long domestication process indeed, this makes dogs one of the first animals to be tamed by humans. Were these ancestors anything like modern dog breeds? Likely not. The explosion in variety and characteristics occurred during the Victorian Era, when the newly rich bourgeois bred dogs to show off their status and wealth.
Petar Todorov is a senior who is majoring in chemistry. He can be reached at Petar. Todorov@tufts.edu.
The Tufts Daily
4
Â
Global Health Opportunities
Wednesday, November 20 5:30 PM Dowling 745 Pre-health students can study abroad, participate in postgrad global health programs and apply for prestigious postgrad global health fellowships. Come and learn about these opportunities! Sponsored by: Global Health Network, Health Professions Advising, Fellowships/Scholarships, and Career Center
advertisement
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Arts & Living
5
tuftsdaily.com
Restaurant Review
Megan Clark | Where’s the Craic?
Dirty Water Dough Co. a proven hit by
‘Circle of Friends’
Drew Robertson
Daily Editorial Board
Dirty Water Dough Company — a new, innovative pizza joint — has opened its doors at 222 Newbury Street.
C
Dirty Water Dough Company 222 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116
(617) 262-0090 $$ At its grand opening on Saturday, the restaurant debuted a menu of unexpected, locally inspired pies, handing out free slices to Bostonians and tourists alike. Dirty Water Dough Co. also offers a small selection of Italian deli fare — think meaty sandwiches and fresh, mozzarella-laden salads. The news of the opening has attracted a great deal of attention because the intimate venue has previously been home to two other pizza companies within the last few years. The Upper Crust was a Newbury institution before Proper Slice replaced it in March of 2013, a hearty eatery that claimed a “proper” piece of pizza should be no less than a quarter of the pie.
Drew Robertson for the Tufts Daily
Pizza house specialty ‘The Hulk’ includes signature pesto and sliced tomatoes. The third pizzeria to take over, Dirty Water Dough Co. is named for the specialty beer (dirty water), made inhouse, that is baked into the dough of the restaurant’s thin-crust pizza. The result is a buttery, light base that is neither too chewy nor overly dry. Though Dirty Water Dough Co. pizzas are cut into the traditional eight slices (sorry Proper Slice fans), the
Book Review
portions are still incredibly generous. And customers can be assured that the quality will be top-notch. Fresh ingredients like their secret, housemade mozzarella blend and plump, juicy tomatoes and peppers make for a mouthwatering snack. Though Dirty Water Dough Co. see DOUGH, page 6
Album Review
Mat Zo experiments on innovative ‘Damage Control’ by James
Davis
Contributing Writer
Originally a drum and bass artist, English producer Mat Zo has been a significant presence in trance
Damage Control Mat Zo Astralwerks Records
Courtesy Heiko Julien
Heiko Julien’s book, ‘I Am Ready To Die a Violent Death,’ includes his own collages.
‘Violent Death’ is modern, emotive by
Brendan Donohue
Daily Editorial Board
Although it falls into Amazon’s “Love Poems” category, Heiko Julien’s “I Am Ready To Die a Violent Death”
I Am Ready to Die a Violent Death by Heiko Julien Civil Coping Mechanisms
seems to deserve a more general classification — something along the lines of “Books That Make You Feel Things.” The new work blends Internet poetry with short stories, both believable and ridiculous, in a poignant, moving way.
“I Am Ready To Die a Violent Death,” Julien’s literary debut, is a real accomplishment in contemporary storytelling. His ability to create new worlds and capture the modern experience of living — with a unique approach — is present on every page. This book, a combination of poetry, prose and short pieces that often read like tweets, includes stories that may be grounded in truth, as well as others that are purely hypothetical or blatantly disjointed. With titles like “Sex Is Real and It Affects The Future” and “Love Is Enough Except When It Isn’t,” Julien thoroughly examines the everyday parts of life that most people thoughtlessly accept; therein lies his strength as a writer. see JULIEN, page 6
and progressive house music for the past few years. First discovered in 2007, he was soon taken under the wing of Anjunabeats, the record label of famous U.K. trance trio Above & Beyond. After several years of producing strong records, he finally broke out onto the main stage in 2011 with “Rebound” and “Mozart,” his collaborations with Russian artist Arty. Carrying this momentum into 2012, he released his acclaimed “The Bipolar EP” and later that year, the first two singles from his new album “Damage Control.” Until now, he has had a quiet 2013. Though Mat Zo is often associated with trance, he has also garnered a reputation as a breaker of genre norms and a challenger of the status quo. “Damage Control,” his debut album, certainly fits these descriptions. The album opens with “Superman Lost,” an ethereal, mystical tune that draws in the listener. This seamlessly slides into the first full-length track, “Only For You,” featuring the vocals of Rachel K. Collier. Though it begins with a gritty synth line, the song steadily eases into a smooth synthscape accompanied by Collier’s crisp vocals. After that comes Zo’s superb collaboration with Porter Robinson: “Easy.” Though the vocals feature only a few short phrases, they ring cleanly throughout the track and the line “loving you is easy” resonates with the listener long after the music has stopped playing. see DAMAGE, page 6
ircle of Friends” (1995) follows three young women living in 1950s Ireland as they leave their small town and enter college, navigating the spheres of sex and love and adulthood for the first time. Bernadette “Benny” Hogan (Minnie Driver), the film’s protagonist, and her best friends, Nan (Saffron Burrows) and Eve (Geraldine O’Rawe), grew up together in Knockglen, a fictitious town just outside of Dublin. Nan, the self-styled sophisticated friend, has already moved to Dublin when Benny and Eve join her to start school at University College Dublin, the Catholic counterpart to the predominantly Protestant Trinity College. In Dublin, the girls fall in love and push the boundaries of their strict Catholic upbringings. “Circle of Friends” is based upon the book of the same name by popular Irish novelist, Maeve Binchy. If I’m being honest, I must admit that Binchy novels are not exactly literary fiction. “Circle of Friends” is a fairly melodramatic, middlebrow affair, but — if you’ll allow me this seeming oxymoron — it is an especially good middlebrow affair. Minnie Driver, in her first major role, is a joy to watch. She plays Benny — a bright but naïve girl who feels self-conscious about her weight — with the perfect amount of confidence and reticence. Benny fears she will never find love, but despite being repeatedly told the contrary by a horrendously creepy suitor, she knows she deserves to. Benny’s vivacity makes her popular with men and women, which does help to boost her confidence. Eventually, she meets Jack (Chris O’Donnell), a handsome rugby player, and they quickly fall in love. The character of Benny is a clear stand-in for Binchy, who also struggled with her own insecurities. Like Benny, Binchy did find happiness — both in her journalism and fiction writing, as well as in her 35-year marriage to writer Gordon Snell. Despite the fact that the movie is remarkably unsubtle about Benny’s weight — everyone is always telling her she’s fat — I like that Jack falls in love with her right away. His love for her is really never a question. Her honesty, cheerfulness and intellect endear her to Jack immediately. It’s how they proceed from then on that provides the film’s main conflict. All three of the film’s central young women struggle to reconcile their feelings about sex and love with their Catholic faith. Eve resolutely repels all her boyfriend’s sexual advances, while Benny experiences more difficulty in dampening her own sexual impulses. The film explores the double standard of the era that held women, but not men, accountable for maintaining a chaste relationship. Unlike her friends, Nan does not resist temptation, nor does she try to. She begins a secret affair with the eldest son in a wealthy, Protestant family. When she becomes pregnant, he refuses to marry her and offers to pay for an abortion. On a fairly superficial level, “Circle of Friends” also explores the dichotomy of Protestant and Catholic life in mid-20th century Ireland. When Nan tells her boyfriend she cannot have an abortion because she is Catholic, he yells, “Jesus, you people!” Previously in the film, he had used the phrase, “you people” and Nan had corrected him, explaining that she was not like them — namely, not like less affluent, conservative Catholics. For better or worse, Nan transgresses certain Catholic norms, but cannot fully divorce herself from religious morality. Nan’s desperation, combined with Jack’s sexual frustration and poor judgment, set the stage for a confrontation between Jack and Benny. I won’t reveal exactly how this plays out, but it requires all three characters to reconsider some of their beliefs about sex and faith. Next week: a special column about “Father Ted” (1995-1998).
Megan Clark is a senior who is majoring in English and history. She can be reached at Megan.Clark@tufts.edu.
The Tufts Daily
6
Arts & Living
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
New company looks to break trend of unsuccessful pizza joints DOUGH
continued from page 5
Drew Robertson for the Tufts Daily
Dirty Water Dough Company opened its doors at 222 Newbury Street on Nov. 16.
seems to emphasize quality — treating superior ingredients as a basic requirement — the restaurant also seeks to distinguish itself with creativity. Topping choices are where Dirty Water Dough Co. shines. Indeed, the menu features some surprising and amusing concoctions, such as the “Fenway Frank” pizza — topped with hot dogs, sauerkraut, onions and mustard — and the “Pickled Roni,” which combines traditional pepperoni and Grillos hot pickles. Other outstanding choices include the “Mac Cheesy,” inspired by the childhood comfort food, complete with noodles, Ritz cracker crumbles and Cheez-Its. If you find this description intimidating, don’t worry. The mixture of cheddar and moz-
zarella are the primary flavors of the “Mac Cheesy,” making it safe for conservative pizza lovers looking to try a twist on an old favorite. The one potential downfall of the pizza, however, is its greasiness. Selections such as “The Hulk,” which includes Dirty Water Dough Co.’s delicious and decadent pesto, are particularly prone to heartstopping amounts of oil. Take out your napkin if you must, and blot (or savor) any extra flavor that comes your way. Welcoming and relaxed, the atmosphere of the eatery is enticing — just like its pizza. The walls display silly mock portraits, and a painted fireplace across from the entrance is decorated with hugely unrealistic orange and red flames. Alternative music also adds to the comfortable ambiance,
making the space even more attractive to older teens and young adults. Though there are only a few places to sit, a nice selection of high tables provide patrons with a place to stand and chat while waiting for an order or enjoying a slice. This substitute to traditional seating works well in the small space, which is easily too cramped for a sit-down setup and tailored for the causal Newbury Street shopper, popping in for an easy meal. Dirty Water Dough Co. is open for in-restaurant dining and takeout from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, with business hours extending to 10:30 p.m. on Thursdays and 11 p.m. on weekends. Whether you’re in the neighborhood or not, it is well worth the trip.
Julien combines poetry, prose in debut novel JULIEN
continued from page 5
A member of the alt-lit genre of writers that includes author Tao Lin and blogger Steve Roggenbuck, both of whom he cites as influences, most of Julien’s previous work has been published on the Internet. Between his own Tumblr and sites like Pop Serial and Thought Catalog, Julien’s writing has been able to reach a larger audience. Indeed, “I Am Ready To Die a Violent Death” would not have been possible without the sharing that occurs online. Yet the fact that his first book was published in print — with physical copies being sold on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble — is almost ironic, since his previous chapbooks and ebooks garnered comments about being inherently unpublishable. “I Am Ready To Die a Violent Death” shines the brightest when it uses sarcasm and juxtaposition to mock the modern human condition. Like the paradox of a fictional autobiography, the book forces the reader to consider that certain opposing elements exist within the same universe. Throughout his book, Julien urges his readers to avoid taking themselves too seriously, filling the pages with self-mockery to illustrate this point in action. This creates an effective balance that few in alt-lit have achieved. One of the highlights of the book is the titular piece: a chap-
book spanning 23 pages that became popular after it was posted on Reddit last year. This section features chapters that consist of mere phrases. One such example reads, “If a meteor can take the dinosaurs away it can bring them back” in what appears to be size 72-point font. The section also includes bits of wisdom that recall more traditional poetry and force readers question themselves. With lines like, “I love you like a rabbit loves the fear,” Julien fuses optimism and reality, while simultaneously providing readers with a new lens through which to interpret relationships. Like all alt-lit texts, the informality of this book sometimes gives it the feel of a Facebook message or blog. More conservative readers or those who are unfamiliar with the style may be taken aback by the abrupt plot changes, seemingly random capitalization and gratuitous misspellings. In addition, chapters are broken up by digital collages of images covered in word art text. Notable examples include a picture of a crashing wave with the text “Will Smith’s wi-fi is called Linksys and there is no password” and another picture of two silhouettes saying, “You make me want to wear nicer pants” and “k.” With his new novel, Julien speaks powerfully and poignantly to a digital generation, making “I Am Ready To Die a Violent Death” one of the mustreads of the year.
Swimfinfan via Flickr Creative Commons
Producer Mat Zo moves beyond the limits of the EDM genre on his debut album ‘Damage Control.’
Mat Zo delivers personal artistic vision on ‘Damage Control’ DAMAGE
continued from page 5
Courtesy Heiko Julien
Julien’s work of alternate literature speaks to a digital generation.
After the first three tracks, however, the album takes a step in a new direction, working its way into a trippy but captivating medley. With the bass heavy “Caller ID,” Zo takes the listener on a bizarre trip through choppy vocal samples and unique instrumentation. Continuing on this wave of atmospheric music, the album progresses into a more intense, emotional block of songs that ends with “The Sky.” From there, Zo once again shifts toward a more laid back, old school vibe. As the album approaches its end, Zo pulls out all stops on the single “Lucid Dreams.” Easily the most recognizable track of the album, here Zo perfectly melds melody with volume, giving the listener a
full blast of musical sensation. This euphoric eleventh track introduces the home stretch of the album, consisting of “EZ,” “Hurricane,” “Fall Into Dreams” and “Time Dilation.” These four tracks are certainly the most experimental. Reminiscent of a stream of consciousness, these songs lack discernible direction, yet still possess an overall subtle cohesiveness. “Damage Control is a truly diverse album. Songs like “The Sky” can stand alone very well, and others like “Easy” and “Pyramid Scheme” are perfect dance floor hits. However, some musical numbers like “Caller ID” and “Hurricane” are far more experimental, straying from convention completely. There are no stereotypes utilized in this album, and though some
could criticize Zo for musical inconsistency between his dance and avant-garde styles, the experimental portions of the album are certainly not bad — it’s just sometimes difficult to understand the direction of each track. As a complete record, the album is fluid and is best listened to as an entire work. There is no doubt that Mat Zo’s debut album is eccentric and innovative — but because of its atypical nature, evaluating the record is more a matter of personal opinion than one of general consensus. Choosing not to be restricted by the painfully general Electronic Dance Music genre label, Mat Zo has created a record true to what music is all about: forgoing tradition in favor of a personal expression of artistic vision.
The Tufts Daily
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Doonesbury
by
Garry Trudeau
Non Sequitur
by
7
Comics Crossword
Wiley
Married to the Sea
www.marriedtothesea.com
SUDOKU Level: Getting killed running to the Cornucopia when the Hunger Games commence.
Late Night at the Daily Monday’s Solution
Melissa: “I mean, we could just recreate the environment of a shower ... I’m gonna go to the bathroom.”
Please recycle this Daily.
The Tufts Daily
8
THE TUFTS DAILY
Editorial
Editorial Jenna Buckle Melissa Wang Managing Editors Abigail Feldman Executive News Editor Daniel Gottfried News Editors Victoria Leistman Menghan Liu Melissa Mandelbaum Annabelle Roberts Mahpari Sotoudeh Josh Weiner Sarah Zheng Daniel Bottino Assistant News Editors Alexa Horwitz Denali Tietjen
Shannon Vavra Executive Features Editor Lily Sieradzki Features Editors Charlotte Gilliland Emily Bartlett Vicky Rathsmill Emma Arnesty-Good Assistant Features Editors Caitlin McClure Sabrina McMillin Julia McDaniel
Caroline Welch Executive Arts Editor Dan O’Leary Arts Editors Veronica Little Drew Robertson Assistant Arts Editors Brendan Donohue Lancy Downs Grace Hoyt
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Continued support for Tufts football
Hannah R. Fingerhut Editor-in-Chief
Editorial | Op-Ed
It’s not hard to find someone at Tufts who has never been to a football game. Given that this year marks the third consecutive winless season for the team, this shouldn’t necessarily come as a surprise. The student body as a whole — especially freshmen, sophomores and juniors who have never had a win to celebrate — are incredibly unsupportive of the football team, which only sees full bleachers during hyped-up games like Homecoming and the Parents Weekend game. What their record doesn’t tell you is the important shift that has taken place behind the scenes. Despite the student body’s minimal support for the team, the administration has been receptive to the changes proposed by head coach Jay Civetti, including prioritizing recruitment and hiring
a fourth full-time coach before the 2012 season. Civetti and his players inherited a failing system and are working diligently to turn the team — and its record — around. It is imperative that the administration continues to offer financial support and additional resources to the team if forward progress is to continue. There can be sustained investment in the program as a whole without the administration compromising the university’s financial status or academic values. Over the course of the last few years, the football program has worked to build a team of devoted players. With a low upperclassman retention rate, the team is primarily composed of younger players who have committed themselves to early meetings, increased workouts during the off-sea-
son and a more disciplined approach to the sport as a whole under Civetti’s direction — despite a lack of tangible results on the field. The commitment of student-athletes and staff to the program must be matched by support from the administration. On the other hand, the student body also needs to recognize that there is more to the football team than its record. Students, in jest or otherwise, have suggested cutting the program, disregarding the time and effort some of their peers have devoted to the team. It’s true that Jumbos football has a lot of ground to make up, but the Tufts community must support the team on and off the field so that the improvements made behind the scenes are finally matched by the scoreboard at the end of a game.
Jehan Madhani
Alexander Schroeder Executive Sports Editor Marcus Budline Sports Editors Aaron Leibowitz David McIntyre Zachey Kliger Jake Indursky Claire Sleigh Kate Klots Matthew Berger Tyler Maher Assistant Sports Editors Ross Dember Jason Schneiderman Alex Connors Elayne Stecher Bhushan Deshpande Tom Chalmers Matthew Crane Nick Golden Jehan Madhani Keran Chen Denise Amisial Benjamin Boventer Scott Geldzahler Susan Kaufman Anantya Sahney
Executive Op-Ed Editor Op-Ed Editors
Cartoonists
Editorialists
Abusing and misusing the news
Kyra Sturgill Executive Photo Editor Caroline Geiling Photo Editors John Hampson Wan Jing Lee Simone Backer Nick Pfosi Staff Photographers Zhuangchen Zhou Courtney Chiu Sofia Adams
Alexander Kaufman Executive New Media Editor Phuong Ta New Media Editors Jake Hellman Barton Liang Assistant New Media Editor
PRODUCTION Elliot Philips
Production Director Emily Rourke Adrian Lo Emma Arnesty-Good Jen Betts Shoshanna Kahne Daniel MacDonald Montana Miller Falcon Reese Reid Spagna Andrew Stephens Chelsea Stevens Maura McQuade
Off the Hill | Drexel University
Executive Layout Editor Senior Layout Editor Layout Editors
Assistant Layout Editor
Jamie Hoagland Executive Copy Editors Julia Russell Anna Haugen Copy Editors Adrienne Lange Drew Lewis Annaick Miller Vidya Srinivasan Marina Shtyrkov Hadley Gibson Assistant Copy Editors Patrick Schulman Rachel Salzberg
Hamid Mansoor Executive Online Editor
BUSINESS Daphne Wu Executive Business Director
P.O. Box 53018, Medford, MA 02155 617 627 3090 FAX 617 627 3910 daily@tuftsdaily.com
by
Talla Mukhtar The Triangle
News used to be a simple reporting of facts. People who wanted to know what was happening in places like Korea, India, Cleveland or Bosnia tuned in to the news and listened to the facts. Yes, believe it or not, people used to listen to the news so that they could get all the facts. Nowadays, it seems like news stories are rapidly becoming less news and more stories. No one listens to Glenn Beck because they want to hear unbiased facts. In fact, according to Pew Research’s News Coverage Index from December 2012, 46 percent of CNN’s broadcasts are “opinion/commentary” rather than actual reporting. You have to wonder how an organization that only shows news half the time can call itself a news network. Even more shocking is the fact that, out of the three big news channels, CNN airs the least amount of opinion. Fox News fills up 55 percent of its airtime with opinion, and MSNBC airs commentary and opinion a whopping 85 percent of the time it’s supposedly reporting news. In fact, these networks make segments dedicated entirely to opinions, like “Hannity” or “The Rachel Maddow Show.” Still, they pretend to be real news networks. They have news scrolls at the bottom of the screen, nice backgrounds with a globe or an American flag and a nicely dressed and vaguely attractive person in the foreground talking about something that sounds like current events. Don’t be fooled, however; these shows are news shows no more. If you look at these networks carefully, you find that they are actually entertainment networks rather than news networks. They no longer serve the purpose of informing the public any more than Jimmy Kimmel or Stephen Colbert. The trouble is, these networks look so much like news that they end up confusing the general public, some of whom believe that Bill O’Reilly is a source of news equal to The New York Times. Another problem is how seriously these big networks seem to take themselves. No one is going to accuse “The Daily Show” of feigning impar-
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.
tiality, but Fox’s slogan is “Fair and Balanced,” for crying out loud! These networks are trying to pass off their content as news, and they’re doing a pretty good job. Their viewers are convinced that their channel’s content and their channel’s opinions are all true. Essentially, these networks are painting skewed realities for millions of Americans — the same Americans who vote for our politicians. We wonder why Congress is so deadlocked, yet we ignore the fact that the people who voted them in are equally deadlocked in the worst way — neither side is wrong, because to each side, their respective viewpoints are the truth. When opinion becomes fact and those synthetic facts begin to contradict (as opinions tend to), then the resulting discussion is no longer about how to compromise on opinion to find common ground and reach a solution. No, these opinions are now treated as fact, and you can’t compromise on a fact. The thing is, these fake facts don’t agree with each other like real facts do, so the whole human decision-making system grinds to a halt. When networks begin planting ideas into people’s minds, we get a misinformed populace, and there is no greater threat to a democracy than that. So, why do so many people allow the media to polarize them so much in the first place? Well, to answer that, we have to think about why people would watch MSNBC or Fox News. People used to watch the news for the sake of forming their own opinion based on the information handed to them. Nowadays, people still want opinions, but making opinions is really hard. You have to gather as much information as you can, make conclusions based on that information, figure out where you need more research and where you’re fine just making assumptions and form a complex and dynamic argument. That’s a lot of work. What’s more is that when you present that argument to someone with a different opinion, there is a very real chance of that person having information you don’t, which invalidates your opinion partially or entirely. If that happens, not only have you wasted time creating and defending your position, but you’ve also lost a battle
and your confidence that anything you think is correct. It becomes very stressful to make opinion after opinion only to have each one torn down. It’s so much easier, so much more relieving, to just listen to Bill O’Reilly and repeat whatever he says whenever you meet someone with an opinion that differs from his. When all is said and done, the reason we watch such terrible “news” networks is that the news they give us has been pre-chewed, with each new event accompanied by commentary that lets us understand what we ought to think of things and why we ought to think that. Everything’s just easier to swallow. The world is getting smaller. More and more people are getting closer and closer to us in our previously isolated little corner of the world. As more and more people are being forced closer and closer together, we begin to get scared. All of a sudden, all of these different people and religions and cultures and morals and values and ideas are flowing in and crowding us all at once, and it’s getting really noisy and confusing. We aren’t sure how to act or what to do. We’re nervous, uncertain and even a little embarrassed. In the midst of this fear, many people, for whom this new world is changing too fast, panic and look for some assuring voice in the dark, some group to support them, some level of constancy in this chaotic and ever-changing world that is the 21st century. This solution, however, simply can’t work. It was Benjamin Franklin who once said, “Those who would lose their liberty to gain a little security deserve neither and lose both.” For the sake of security, we, the American populace, are sacrificing the very foundation of liberty: We are sacrificing choice. We are giving up our ability to choose what we want to believe, and we are losing the ability to make decisions based on information given to us. We are giving up our individuality, and we are giving up our reason. In short, in order to preserve our security from the hustle and bustle of the world around us, we are giving up the things that make us human, all while our stubbornness continues to destroy our nation and, as Franklin asserted, threatens to take away our security once and for all.
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
Tuesday, November 19, 2013 OP-ED
9
Op-Ed Eloise Libre | Frankly Candid
Preparing for peace by Jonathan
Eating without unlimited
Wolf
Jeremy Ben-Ami, the president and founder of J Street, the pro-Israel, pro-peace national organization, spoke last week to a group of students about America’s role in the recent peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. J Street aims to change the political dynamic surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, specifically by mobilizing broad support for a two-state solution. Despite the futile efforts of countless negotiations since the Oslo Accords in 1993, there are some reasons to be optimistic about these latest peace talks. Secretary Kerry and President Obama have shown an unprecedented commitment to the issue. In fact, it was the President’s speech in Jerusalem and the Secretary’s unrelenting shuttle diplomacy between Ramallah and Jerusalem that laid the groundwork for these peace talks. Further, the leaders of both the Palestinian Authority and Israel have publicly endorsed the two-state solution as the only viable end to the conflict. Most importantly, a majority of Israelis and Palestinians share this opinion. Yet, in the four months of these talks, they have deteriorated in an all too familiar routine of intransigence and grandstanding. Unabated Israeli settlement expansion has led to the resignation of the Palestinian negotiating team. The recent killing of a 19-year-old Israeli soldier by a 16-year-old Palestinian has led many members of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, to call for an Israeli withdrawal from the peace talks. If the two sides continue on their current path, this round of talks will meet the same fate as those of the past: Each side will attempt to blame the other, as incitement and violence will replace the very peace the talks intended to reach. Jeremy Ben-Ami argued that at this critical stage, it is more important than ever for the United States to show real leadership and act as a mediator. He stated that a failure to reach a peace deal would result in Israel being further isolated by foreign countries and Palestinians continuing to suffer from Israeli occupation. In the coming months, the United States will likely present its own peace plan. That plan will require both Israelis and Palestinians to make difficult choices in pur-
T
MCT
suit of a resolution. Israelis, Palestinians and prime ministers have agreed to allow a cerAmericans must now prepare to support tain number of refugees to return to Israel in their leaders as they make these difficult a symbolic gesture. Through this measure, compromises. Now is the time to prepare monetary compensation or resettlement in the new state of Palestine or a third country, for peace. For decades, leaders have paid lip service there are ways to grant the right of return to the two-state solution, but actually pre- without infringing on Israel’s right to decide paring for peace requires raising awareness its own national character. about what the two-state solution specifi- Many of these points are difficult not cally entails. J Street’s “2 Campaign” seeks to only for the Israelis and Palestinians, but build an American constituency that sup- also for Americans who may question their ports the two-state solution not only in government’s involvement in proposing this type of compromise. Yet, it is important that theory, but also in practice. Any real two-state solution must be geo- we stand behind the moderates within the graphically predicated on the 1967 borders, Israeli and Palestinian communities and a position that Prime Minister Benjamin marginalize the extremists who seek to spoil Netanyahu has yet to accept. Israelis must the negotiations. realize that continuing settlement projects To be clear, the two-state solution is not greatly diminishes the viability of a con- a quick fix to an old conflict. It is merely tiguous Palestinian state in the West Bank. an improved political arrangement, one Israelis must also concede that Jerusalem in which Palestinians are granted the is currently a united city of two peoples. In right of citizenship in a state of their any solution, the Arab neighborhoods of own, and Israelis ensure their future in a Jerusalem would become the capital of the Jewish, democratic state. It will not, however, relieve the Palestinians of generanewly formed Palestine. The Palestinians have compromises of tions of trauma and exile, nor will it guartheir own to make. The essence of the two- antee an end to violence against Israelis. state solution is that it grants self-determi- But this pragmatic solution will greatly nation for both the Jewish people and the improve the long-term situation for both Palestinian people. Thus, any conception peoples and provides an opportunity for of a massive Palestinian right of return to further justice and reconciliation. Now is Israel proper is antithetical to the basic logic the time to prepare for peace. of the resolution. Just as settlement expansion undermines the Palestinian identity of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, the right Jonathan Wolf is a junior who is majoring of return undermines the Jewish national in political science. He can be reached at character of the state of Israel. Former Israeli Jonathan_D.Wolf@tufts.edu
Off the Hill | Brown University
An academic approach to free speech by Jay
Upadhyay
The Brown Daily Herald
As a student who transferred to Brown in the middle of my sophomore year, I’ve had the unique opportunity to compare my time here with that at another university. While I cannot really speak to the first-year experience in one of the 90 or so first-year seminars offered at Brown, my impression of these smaller, discussionbased courses is overwhelmingly positive. From my impression thus far of Brown’s commitment to its undergraduate curriculum, I believe seminars at Brown would be just as useful, if not more, than those at my previous school. For this reason, I propose that Brown expand its seminar offerings to students of all semester levels — not just to first-years and now, with the strategic plan’s proposal for sophomore seminars, second-years — to encourage discussion and debate, both of which are especially relevant given the recent on-campus controversies surrounding free speech. During the first quarter of my first year at Northwestern University, I enrolled in a firstyear seminar that dealt with regulatory issues in the United States. Several times each week, we were assigned readings related to topics like Pigovian taxes, CEO compensation restrictions, carbon taxes and more. Then, for the full duration of the class, we were allowed to debate freely while the professor served as a guiding moderator, ensuring that our talks were related to the subject at hand but giving us the freedom to express our views on various policies. This class was instrumental in my intellectual development. The first thing I learned
was that just having an opinion on something was wholly inadequate. In an open environment surrounded by students just as bright and motivated as I was, it wasn’t enough to simply speak from an ideological perch. I was pushed to read the assigned literature — often along with supplemental articles and papers I dug up on my own — build a thoroughly reasoned opinion and stand ready to argue and defend it. No longer were my judgments preconceived by sweeping ideas of big versus small government or individual choice versus intervention. I quickly discovered that legislation, which is boiled down to blunt terms by many news outlets, is incredibly complex. Trade-offs between equity and efficiency, administration by states or by the federal government, constitutionality and budgetary concerns all hold importance. I gleaned an increasingly nuanced understanding of these political issues as I heard a spectrum of opinions based in thoughts and data I’d never previously explored. I believe such discussion-driven courses should be offered at Brown to students of all semester levels and across disciplines for these exact reasons. While the forum President Christina Paxson held following the New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly fiasco was a positive gesture, one discussion filled with hundreds of students in an impersonal setting will not get at the heart of what I feel is the real issue at Brown. Namely, Brown students need serious intellectual humbling when it comes to political, economic and social issues. Too often, I have seen students frame intricate issues into plain black and white with no real opportunity to engage them in
meaningful discussion. Whether it’s hearing a student call those against the Affordable Care Act against insurance for the poor or another claiming those in favor of expanding food stamps are socialists, I sense a general atmosphere of somewhat uninformed views grounded more in emotion and political predisposition than in empirical evidence or research. Interpersonal seminar courses that require detailed understanding of issues allow for open debate in a setting unlike the Kelly lecture and open students to a breadth of ideas and thoughts from their peers. Courses like this align with Brown’s ethos of intellectual advancement and free discourse. Administratively, these courses wouldn’t be hard to implement. With a writing requirement already in place, seminars could include several written compositions in which students argue their opinions on assigned policy issues. Some may argue that instituting courses to lay the framework for an honest conversation undermines the intellectual freedom Brown should already offer. Still, I would argue that, under the open curriculum, the students who do enroll in these classes are ones who, like me, feel the need for a formal setting to learn from and debate with my peers. If it turns out Brown students don’t think these courses are worthy of their time, then enrollment will be low and the classes can be removed from the course catalogue. But I predict the two sophomore seminars established in President Christina Paxson’s strategic plan, as well as the ultimate goal of adding 12 by next fall, will be well-received by students. Extending these across all semester levels would be optimal.
he glory days of freshman year are over. The appeal of 3 a.m. Pizza Days has worn off, you’ve mastered the Joey schedule and — gasp — your unlimited meal plan is a thing of the past. You are suddenly thrown into a world without mountains of scrambled eggs, Tuesday stir-fry and the constant flow of Hodgdon coffee. When the tummy grumbles take over, you are faced with the harsh reality of fending for yourself. You spend the first few weeks without the beloved meal plan wandering around in search of free sustenance. Any on-campus event or group that provides Dave’s Fresh sandwiches is on your radar. Overnight, you become miraculously involved in a handful of campus groups, suddenly taking an interest in events you would not have otherwise checked out if it were not for the appeal of free snacks. After a few weeks of such “grazing,” it begins to dawn on you that eating for free is both impractical and unnecessary. You gave up that meal plan to save money, but it is certainly possible to get enough to eat on a budget smaller than the cost of the 400 Dewick meals. The challenge is sticking to a low budget without draining your time and energy spent on grocery shopping, cooking and scavenging. I’ll start addressing this challenge with an examination of the almighty Market Basket. The establishment boasts the slogan “More for Your Dollar,” which is certainly true. The prices are the best around and the food quality is impressive given the low price ranges. In my opinion, a block of New York Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese of the Market Basket brand tastes better than the same product from Stop and Shop’s store brand, and the Market Basket one is significantly cheaper. Spark Notes: Market Basket really does provide more for your dollar. But value is not all that the Market Basket provides. Shopping there is both a physical endeavor and a cultural experience. I’ll start with parking. Even first thing on a Monday morning, it is nearly impossible to find a parking spot, and I hope your car has a small radius lest you risk smashing it on other vehicles or carts sprinkled throughout the lot. You should expect to spend at least three minutes doing laps in the parking lot while you wait for somebody to pull out and clear a spot for you. Once you’ve successfully parked and entered the establishment, the cultural experience begins. In the produce section alone, you are guaranteed to overhear at least 12 different languages spoken while attempting to fit your cart through masses of people hoping to access fresh fruit. The store provides a snapshot of diversity and makes me appreciate the exciting place where we live and learn. When Market Basket cannot provide adequate items for your shopping list, there are, of course, other options. Navigating the parking lot at Shaw’s in Porter Square is marginally easier. The new Stop and Shop on the Alewife Brook Parkway is close and convenient, especially for a quick bike trip. Whole Foods — better known as “Whole Paycheck” — provides gourmet options. When all else fails, we without meal plans turn to the age-old strategy of befriending freshmen. Whether they are members of the orientation group you led, rookies on your team or your lab partners, it is usually not so hard to find an excuse to use one of their guest meals. And once you enter into the glorified building that is a dining hall, you eat and eat and eat until you cannot possibly consider eating again for at least a week. Better stock up on calories while you can! Eloise Libre is a senior who is majoring in history. She can be reached at Eloise.Libre@ tufts.edu
Op-ed Policy The Op-Ed section of The Tufts Daily, an open forum for campus editorial commentary, is printed Monday through Thursday. The Daily welcomes submissions from all members of the Tufts community; the opinions expressed in the Op-Ed section do not necessarily represent the opinions of the Daily itself. Opinion articles on campus, national and international issues should be 600 to 1,200 words in length. Op-Ed cartoons are also welcomed for the Campus Canvas feature. All material is subject to editorial discretion and is not guaranteed to appear in the Daily. All material should be submitted to oped@tuftsdaily.com no later than noon on the day prior to the desired day of publication; authors must submit their telephone numbers and day-of availability for editing questions. Submissions may not be published elsewhere prior to their appearance in the Daily, including but not limited to other on- and off-campus newspapers, magazines, blogs and online news websites, as well as Facebook. Republishing of the same piece in a different source is permissible as long as the Daily is credited with originally running the article.
The Tufts Daily
10 Wanted 4 Bedrooms - $3,400 Located on College Avenue at Powder House Circle (corner of Warner Street) Steps to campus. 4 bed.1 bath apartment with updated eat-in kitchen with full size refrigerator, gas stove & dishwasher. Hardwood floors throughout. Non coin op washer/dryer in basement. $3,400. Off street parking included. Avail. 6/1/14 Call Angela @ 617-852-2215 or e-mail: angelam@kssrealtypartners.com.
Housing 4 bedrooms - $3,600 Located on Boston Avenue (corner of Bellvue Ave & across from Wren Hall). 4 bed/1 bath apartment. New modern eat-in kitchen with full size refrigerator, dishwasher & gas stove. Hardwood floor throughout apartment. 2 off street parking spaces included. Non Coin-op Laundry in basement. NO FEE, $3,600. Avail 6/1/14 Call Angela – 617-852-2215 or e-mail: angelam@kssrealtypartners.com
Sports
Housing
Housing
Located on Boston Avenue (corner of Bellvue Ave & across from Wren Hall). Includes 2 baths & 2 living rooms, New modern eat-in kitchen with 2 refrigerators, dishwasher & gas stove. Newly finished hardwood floors throughout apartment. Large outdoor deck. 4 off street parking spaces included. Non Coin-op Laundry in basement. NO FEE, $6,000. Avail 6/1/14 Call Angela – 617-852-2215 or e-mail:angelam@kssrealtypartners.com
Great 3BR Right On Campus – Clean + Excellent Condition – free Parking – Available June 1st 2014. Call 617-4486233
Tuesday, November 19, 2013 Services
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.
Ailing football program pushes to turn corner FOOTBALL
continued from back
tion was spreading throughout a cramped locker room. “We had terrible facilities, terrible uniforms,” fifth-year receiver Nick Kenyon said. “Honestly, it was kind of like a joke.” By the start of the regular season, the staph problem had diminished. The housing situation was resolved after the first game. But there were other ongoing issues. For one, drug and alcohol culture was rampant, becoming particularly excessive on Saturday nights after games. “The reckless behavior is what really hurt us off the field,” Kenyon said. Before Civetti took over, commitment was lacking at practice and in the weight room. Weekly offseason lifting sessions were optional, the training regimen was lax and motivation was scarce. “Guys would be complaining in the locker room, saying, ‘Oh man, we’ve got practice again,’” senior tri-captain linebacker Sean Harrington said. “There were some problems.” The culture began to change as Civetti, who had previously been the offensive coordinator, began to implement a more regimented system. In late October 2011, Civetti was promoted to full-time head coach. Meanwhile, Anthony Monaco embarked on his first year as university president and became a staunch supporter of the team. But fixing a troubled program would not happen overnight. Bad influences lingered. Resources remained scarce. The junior and senior classes lacked depth. “I don’t think I was even clear on how far it had fallen,” Director of Athletics Bill Gehling said. “After I hired Jay, I think it started to become clear that things were worse off than maybe we realized.” In 2011, for the first time since 1886, the Jumbos lost every game. Change This isn’t for everyone. That’s the first thing Civetti tells recruits when they sit down in his office. Playing football at Tufts, he says, is hard. Snapping the longest losing streak in college football — now at 31 games — will be hard. As a recruiter, Civetti sells Tufts. The former Boston College and North Carolina State assistant sells the people, the academics and the location. He works with the admissions office to find players who will fit in on the Hill. He is energetic, well spoken and charismatic. Civetti’s recruiting efforts have centered on finding not only talented football players, but also driven, disciplined kids. “You find that the type of kids that we need right now are the guys that want that challenge, the guys that are hungry for that challenge,” he said. As Coffin’s “Why Tufts?” testimonials suggest, Civetti’s first two recruiting classes — the current freshmen and sophomores — have bought into his system. “I think it’s been a tribute to Jay, his staff and the kids that remain in the program that they’ve been very successful recruiting, even while losing,” Gehling said. While underclassmen were becoming Civetti disciples, however, some upperclassmen that had been recruited by Samko were leaving the team. They left for various reasons, but one thing was clear: Samko’s style was distinctly different than Civetti’s. “Coach Samko was very interesting, fun, different,” senior running back Jon Sobo said. “There were certain things about him that made coach Samko coach Samko — little quips, little idiosyncrasies that all coaches have. But coach Samko’s were more distinguished, I’d say, because it was just his personality and who he was.” As a recruiter, Samko was less vigilant and systematic than Civetti is now. “When I decided to come up on campus, I just enjoyed what Tufts had to offer, seeing the place and checking it
out and being with the guys,” Sobo said. “I wasn’t so much sold on the place; Tufts could kind of sell itself, and that was enough for me. “I’m sure there’s actually more recruiting going on [now],” Sobo added. “I was kind of hosted and shown the place. I wasn’t really recruited, so to speak.” Of the 23 freshmen on the roster in 2008, 12 remained for their senior year in 2011. Of the 27 freshmen in 2009, 17 remained in 2012. And of the 21 freshmen in 2010, seven remained in 2013. On the one hand, the Jumbos lost some excellent athletes. On the other hand, the ones who stayed were devoted to the program, even after several losing seasons. “A lot of their friends either aren’t here at school or are somewhere on campus, but they’re not out here with us,” Civetti said after a late-season practice, reflecting on his current senior class. “The kids who weren’t able to make the commitment are the ones you don’t see with us today,” Kenyon said. Off the field, the culture change has taken time. According to a source inside the program who wished to remain anonymous, the drug and alcohol culture peaked in the spring of 2012 as players who had recently left the program, or who would leave shortly thereafter, continued to exert their influence. By that fall, the source said, the situation had vastly improved. The DU house was renovated during the summer of 2012, and the fraternity moved off probation last September. As the season began, the Class of 2015, headlined by then-sophomore linebacker Tommy Meade, began to take ownership of the team and promoted a strong work ethic. By the start of the 2013 season, the off-the-field issues felt like more of an afterthought. “On a football team, there always will be incidents,” Kenyon said. “But the large-scale, rampant disregard doesn’t exist anymore.” There are also no longer questions about motivation. This past offseason, weight-lifting sessions were twice a week, and meetings were three times a week at 7:30 a.m. Meade and Harrington, two of the three captains, organized weekly 7-on7s at Bello Field. The commitment was there. The resources, more so than in the past, were there. The desire and the effort were there. And yet, for a third straight season, the Jumbos went 0-8. “In the past, there’s been something about the team that wasn’t quite right,” Sobo said. “Now, the only thing that isn’t quite right is that we’re not winning.” Alumni John Bello (LA ’68) understands the importance of athletics, and football in particular. The co-founder of SoBe beverages played football for two years on the Hill and was a member of DU. From 1986 to 1993, he was the president of National Football League Properties. In 2004, he and his wife Nancy Bello (J ’69) provided a $1 million naming gift for the university’s first artificial turf field. Earlier this month, he was elected to the Board of Trustees. John Bello feels that a strong football program is vital for any school striving for excellence across the board. He knows that whether it’s the NFL or the NESCAC, winning makes fans happy, and happy fans spend money. For the Jumbos, those fans are alumni. When alumni are not happy, they stop writing checks. “We have an unbelievably passionate alumni base for football,” Bello said. “Everybody understands that if you don’t start performing and excelling, some of these people will slip into apathy, and that’s not what we need as an institution.” Some of the most generous football alumni serve on the university’s Board of Athletic Advisors, formed in the mid1980s. John Calnan (E ’87) is a member of the board and the CEO of a construc-
—
$$ SPERM DONORS WANTED $$ Earn up to $1,200/month and give the gift of family through California Cryobank’s donor program. Convenient Cambridge location. Apply online: SPERMBANK.COM
tion management firm in Quincy, Mass. He played defensive back at Tufts and captained its last NESCAC championship team in 1986. Calnan continues to stand behind the football program, hoping the situation will improve, but he believes Tufts has not done enough to support it. A lack of support leads to losing, and losing, Calnan knows, has consequences. “If the sport doesn’t get that support and it doesn’t win — not on occasion, but doesn’t win at all — those kids don’t have a positive experience,” Calnan said. “By the time they graduate ... and they become very successful individuals, the amount of support they give back to the school later on becomes negligible.” Calnan, Bello and other alumni have urged university administrators to examine the disparities that exist between Tufts football and other programs in the NESCAC. According to Bello, a comparative resource allocation conducted within the past 18 months shows that Tufts football is outspent and out-resourced by its competition. The most glaring discrepancy was in staffing: While some peer institutions had four or more full-time football staff, the Jumbos had three. “One of the things our board pushed hard for was to bring some more university resources to bear in the way of coaches’ salaries,” Ted Tye (LA ’79), chair of the Board of Advisors, said. In the spring of 2012, Monaco agreed to fund a fourth full-time coach. That July, Civetti added 18-year Wesleyan head coach Frank Hauser to his staff as the offensive coordinator. Then, last August, the Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center opened thanks to $13 million in gifts from its namesake, Tisch (LA ’71). Suddenly, the Jumbos’ facilities were on par with — if not a step ahead of — those of their rivals. There were state-of-the-art locker rooms. There was a film room with stadium seating. There was a spacious training room. The athletes used the same weight room as before, but now they had it all to themselves. These were steps in the right direction. But there was still work to be done. “[It’s important] for Tufts to put that support in there — short money, not a lot of money — to make us equal with other schools,” Calnan said. An annual study on spending in college athletics conducted by the U.S. Department of Education showed that in each year from 2004 to 2010, Tufts’ reported football expenses were lower than those of their nine NESCAC football opponents. In 2011, the last year for which data is available, Tufts’ football expenses ($264,372) were only higher than Bates’. Gehling declined to discuss whether more money has been spent on the football program in the past two years and warned that studies like that one can be misleading. For example, he said, the Department of Education study does not differentiate between fundraising dollars and institutional dollars. “While those studies are not without value, I think you have to be really careful with what kinds of conclusions you draw,” Gehling said. “I am much more inclined to focus on figuring out how to fix the problem, rather than assuming money is the answer.” Bates is a case in point. The Bobcats, the lone NESCAC squad the Jumbos are purported to have outspent in 2011, just pulled off consecutive non-losing seasons for the first time since 1981-82. Still, for an ailing program, more money never hurt. “A lot of people are putting their money where their mouth is,” Bello said. Then he added: “We’re gonna win. Period.” Winning There have been heartbreakers. Colby in 2010, 42-41. Middlebury in 2011, 19-17. Colby in 2012, 21-14. Bowdoin in 2013, 13-10. One more break in any one of those games, and “The Streak” would be a thing of the past. Although Civetti and his players make
no excuses for their poor performance, the explanations go beyond a lack of execution. Tufts has been short on talent in its junior and senior classes, a problem that can be traced to past recruiting efforts, off-the-field issues and natural attrition. A recent study conducted by the university showed that approximately 55 percent of the Jumbos’ starters this season were freshmen and sophomores. On other NESCAC teams, that number was typically between 15 and 25 percent. There were some encouraging signs from freshmen this season, particularly at the skill positions. Running back Chance Brady averaged 5.7 yards on 40 carries before suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 6. Quarterback Alex Snyder filled in for injured junior Jack Doll in Week 5 and threw for 302 yards and four touchdowns at Williams. Ben Berey and Mike Rando each found a home in the slot, combining for 50 catches. Defensive back Mike Stearns led the secondary with 63 tackles and four pass breakups. But as Bello and others were quick to point out, the Jumbos were overmatched at the line of scrimmage, recording just seven sacks and surrendering 26. They averaged 11.8 points per game and surrendered 35.4. The young team will get better in time. Next season, the Jumbos expect to return with 10 of 11 starters on both offense and defense. There is nowhere to go but up. “As these players gain more experience and new classes of student-athletes are recruited, Tufts football will continue to improve every season,” Monaco told the Daily in an email. Monaco and Gehling seem committed to Civetti and his plan. While no official decision has been made regarding Civetti’s job status, he will almost certainly be given another year to turn things around. “I believe we are fortunate to have strong leadership in coach Civetti,” Monaco said. “[The football program has] my support, and I look forward to celebrating many wins with them in the future.” Now, Civetti’s job is to make his third recruiting class his best one yet. The administration is committed to achieving that goal the right way. “There have been some schools in the conference that I think have gone this route at times — an approach that says, ‘We’re gonna try to fix our football program by admitting a whole lot of people who are significantly below the academic standards of the institution,’” Gehling said. “That may work competitively, but to me it’s a short-term fix. It will end up blowing up in your face in time.” Due to NESCAC rules, Coffin explained, there’s not much room to maneuver anyway. “I think we give leeway as we can, but there’s leeway and there is a conference guideline that we have to follow,” he said. “Our conference administrator is watching the data.” Without lowering academic standards and without pouring an excessive amount of money into one team, rebuilding a battered football program can take years. “It takes a while to turn the aircraft carrier around, and if there’s an aircraft carrier in the sports arena, it’s the football team,” Bello said, referring to the team’s size and cost. “But I do think we’ll see a significant change of fortune next year relative to wins and losses.” “There’s no doubt in my mind that we are going to turn the corner,” Gehling said. “And when we turn the corner, I believe we’ll turn it in a big way.” The question is, when will it happen? The Jumbos believe it will be next year on Sept. 20, when they host Hamilton for the first time since Sept. 25, 2010 — the last time Tufts won a football game, 1,151 days ago. They have 305 days to prepare. “It’s a long time between now and then,” Civetti said. “It can’t get here fast enough.”
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
The Tufts Daily
11
Sports
Morehead earns MVP, scores 23 over two games WOMEN’S BASKETBALL continued from back
bench. Freshman forward Michela North led the Jumbos with 13 points in her collegiate debut, tacking on six boards and two blocks to go with it. Junior forward Hayley Kanner also had 13 points, while classmate forward Ali Berman tacked on 12 points of her own. The Jumbos built a 39-31 advantage by intermission, but Baldwin Wallace stormed out of the halftime break on a 22-12 run to take a 53-51 lead. The teams traded baskets for much of the secondhalf, but Tufts was able to pull ahead 71-65 in the final minutes and hold on for a 71-70 win. Saturday’s contest against Rochester had a similar script to Friday’s matchup. The Jumbos built a 16-point halftime lead against the hosts only to see Rochester make a furious run in the second half to close the gap to four points. But that margin was as close as they would get to catching the Jumbos, as clutch free-throw shooting late in the game kept Tufts ahead and secured a 61-57 victory. “This weekend showed us that we still have stuff to work on,” Berman said. “Those two wins are huge, but it’s important to try to correct the mistakes and maintain a high level of play throughout.” There were many positive signs in the Jumbos’ first real action of the season, not the least of which is the breadth of weapons coach Carla Berube has at her disposal. Tufts sophomore Emma Roberson tallied ten points and nine assists, and
continued from back
guys did, but everybody can fill a role and play to their strengths.” The first game was a display of the depth and hard work the team has been preaching, as seven players scored in double figures in the Jumbos’ 113-81 romp over D’Youville College. Firempong, along with sophomore guard Stephen Haladyna, were the only starters to score in double figures, each adding 12. Instead, it was the bench doing most of the heavy lifting, with sophomore guard Ryan Spadaford, senior forward Tommy Folliard and Roswold contributing 11, 14 and 14, respectively. Two freshmen, guard Tarik Smith and center Hunter Sabety, had particularly impressive performances. Sabety led the team in scoring with 17, throwing down four dunks throughout the game, while Smith began his career as a Jumbo with a doubledouble, scoring 15 points and dropping 12
Zhuangchen Zhou / The Tufts Daily
Tufts women’s basketball started the season with consecutive wins over Baldwin Wallace and Rochester in Rochester, N.Y. at the Chuck Resler Tournament. North had 15 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots in her first two games at the collegiate level. Junior guard Kelsey Morehead, who was awarded MVP honors for the tournament, had 23 points between the two games. “It’s always exciting getting new players,” senior tri-captain Ali Rocchi said. “I think they fit in with the team really well. They look very promising. We’re super excited to see what they’ll come up with this year. I think they’ll give us a lot of
good minutes.” “I’ve been impressed with our young players, especially in practice this year,” Berman added. “They’ve done a good job of getting into plays and drills, and you can tell they have the right mentality and attitude about things.” The Jumbos will look to remain perfect on the season when they host Colby-Sawyer in their home opener tonight. Colby-Sawyer will enter action 0-2 following two doubledigit losses over the weekend.
dimes, as the small guard pierced through the D’Youville press with ease. “I think a lot [of success] can be attributed to the freshmen,” Firempong said. “They were willing to learn and acclimate themselves well, and they’ve been playing extremely well in practice and throughout the fall.” Despite having so little time to work many of their players into the rotation, the Jumbos took the lead early and never looked back, which Firempong attributes to a team focus on starting strong. “Last year, one of our big problems was coming out slow,” he said. “So as captains this year, one of the things we focused on was coming out with an energetic and high-energy mindset. We can’t wait until the second half ... to dig ourselves out of a hole.” The championship game, against SUNY Oneonta, was more of the same, as once again, the Jumbos never trailed on their way to a 96-78 victory. The Jumbos continued to show their
impressive depth, with five players scoring in double figures. Firempong scored 14 on his way to being named tournament MVP, and Sabety again led the team with 18 points off the bench. Although Tufts was the tournament favorite, securing the championship was still important for a team that started last season 3-5 before kicking things into high gear late in the season. Despite the impressive performance, the team still knows it can improve before NESCAC play begins in January. “We could definitely have improved upon our start in the second half [of the second game],” Folliard said. “We let up 50 points in the second half of the second game, and it was something similar in the first game, so we can definitely improve on our start in the second half.” And if the Jumbos can continue to work and improve until they get Ferris back, then those expectations will grow even loftier as the season progresses.
Tufts to rely on seniors’ experience at national level WOMEN’S XC
continued from back
that Tufts is a formidable component that moves as a pack” Beltrani said. “I want to have nothing left at the end and to know that regardless of my finish, I can walk, or hobble, away knowing that I gave it my all for the last race of the season.” In 2011, the last time the Tufts raced as a team at the NCAA Championships, the Jumbos placed 20th. Senior Laura Peterson, along with Creath and Barker, competed that year. In 2012, Gould competed individually at the meet. For Beltrani, Mirhashem and freshman Lindsay Atkeson, this will be their first experience running in a championship meet. “[Peterson, Creath and Barker] will provide huge benefits both for the team as a whole and each one of us individually,” Beltrani said. “Having already raced at this level, they will be more aware of what to expect both before and during the race in terms of atmosphere and pace. Having this many runners already familiar with the Nationals scene will certainly reduce any anxiety on the team.” Although the team will enter the championships as underdogs, they are confident they can compete with the best of the nation. “I still don’t think that we’ve run our best race yet,” Mirhashem said.
Believe in the Giants
L
Freshmen make big contributions off bench in college debuts MEN’S BASKETBALL
Aaron Leibowitz | The Fan
Kelly Fahey for the Tufts Daily
After taking home fourth place in the NCAA Regional Championship over the weekend, Tufts women’s cross country is now set to compete at the National Championship in Hanover, Ind., on Saturday.
et’s just go ahead and assume the New York Giants will win five of their next six games, steal the NFC East from the Eagles, plow through the playoffs and reach the Super Bowl in front of their home crowd at the Meadowlands. Let’s also assume they will defeat the Patriots, in the snow, on a 99-yard, last-minute drive to take the Lombardi Trophy. Why the hell not? After losing their first six games and looking like the worst team in the NFL, the Giants have now won four straight. On Sunday they had perhaps their best performance yet, defeating the Packers 27-13 (albeit without having to deal with Aaron Rodgers). Eli Manning looked sharp and confident. Victor Cruz had his first 100-yard receiving game since Week 4. The defense dominated, snaring three interceptions. Brandon Jacobs was two-for-two on fourth down conversions and scored a touchdown. The Giants don’t really make sense. Just when you think they couldn’t beat a Pop Warner squad, they start playing like potential division winners. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that their division is a disaster, with the Eagles reluctantly accepting first place on Sunday by defeating the lowly Redskins. But there’s also something magical about the Giants. They always make things interesting. They always fight. They always find a way. In a way, the team has taken on the identity of its quarterback. Like Eli, they sometimes play terribly, sometimes play like champions and always keep an even keel. The result: between eight and 12 wins in each of the last eight seasons, with five playoff appearances and two Super Bowl titles. Just like with Manning, you have to see it to believe it — and even then you are left shaking your head. After all, the Patriots were supposed to have a perfect season. Then Eli took over. As a fan of the New York Mets, Knicks, Rangers and Giants, I have come to gain a deep appreciation for Big Blue. They are underdogs who actually win. They do bizarre things — like losing their first six games — to keep you on your toes, but they never let you give up on them. They are not owned by anyone named Wilpon or Dolan. Logic tells me the Giants are not good enough to reach the playoffs this year. Manning is having one of the worst seasons of his career. The situation at running back remains dire. The special teams unit seems at constant risk of falling apart, as they did frequently earlier this season. At the same time, all it takes is a little momentum to get this team going, and that’s exactly what the Giants have right now. If they can defeat the under-achieving Cowboys next week and then beat the 3-7 Redskins the week after that, they could find themselves in first place. It seems crazy for a team that started 0-6. But it’s standard fare for the G-Men. In the Giants’ defensive huddle during the fourth quarter on Sunday, defensive lineman Jason Pierre-Paul told his teammates he knew what the next play would be: a quick pass to his side of the field. Then, Pierre-Paul, who has struggled this year recovering from back surgery, said he was going to intercept it. Can you guess what happened next? Pierre-Paul picked it off, saw daylight and rumbled 24 yards into the end zone, all but icing the victory. That’s what happens when the Giants get their swagger back. The Giants are 4-6, 1.5 games behind the Eagles in the East. They have six regular season games left. Don’t count them out.
Aaron Leibowitz is a senior who is majoring in American studies. He can be reached at Aaron.Leibowitz@tufts.edu.
Sports
12
tuftsdaily.com
Women’s Basketball
Jumbos bring home tournament victory, start season 2-0 by
Zachey Kliger
Daily Editorial Board
Women’s basketball stormed out of the gate this weekend in Rochester, N.Y., winning the 2013 Chuck Resler
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (2-0 Overall, 0-0 NESCAC) at Rochester, N.Y., Saturday Tufts Rochester
36 20
25 37
— —
61 57
— —
70 71
at Rochester, N.Y., Friday Baldwin Wallace 31 Tufts 39
39 32
Tournament with victories over Baldwin Wallace and Rochester. Coming off one of the best seasons in school history, the expectations are high for a Jumbos team that lost only two graduating seniors and graduate student Kate Barnosky from last year’s squad, and added four freshmen and a sophomore transfer. Old faces combined with new to produce a lethal attack that spurred two stellar late-game performances to secure victories in the team’s first two games. In their season-opener on Friday against Baldwin Wallace, the Jumbos’ versatility was on full display. Twenty-seven of the Jumbos’ 39 first-half points came off the see WOMEN’S BASKETBALL, page 11
Football
Long road to recovery for Tufts football Under Civetti, program has confronted its demons by
Aaron Leibowitz
Daily Editorial Board
Every Monday at 11 a.m., head football coach Jay Civetti makes the walk from his office in the Steve Tisch Sports and Fitness Center to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions in Bendetson Hall. There, Civetti sits down with Lee Coffin, dean of undergraduate admissions. For about an hour, they talk — mostly about the future. At the start of the fall, Civetti shows Coffin his team’s current depth chart, pointing out players’ class years and positions and noting areas of weakness. Then, on Mondays, Civetti presents Coffin with names of high school players on his radar. Coffin reviews each of their academic qualifications before giving Civetti one of three signals: Green means keep recruiting him. Yellow means more information is needed. Red means he won’t be a Jumbo. Last year, Civetti asked Coffin to vet over 200 high school students. It was the most that Coffin, the team’s admissions liaison for the past eight years, had ever seen. This is the class I really need to put the pieces in place, Civetti told him. We’ll look at as many guys as you need me to look at, Coffin replied. Among prospective players, Coffin started noticing a trend. On the supplemental admissions application, one question asks, “Why Tufts?” Most football players were answering the ques-
Matt Schreiber for the Tufts Daily
Tufts football has suffered 31 straight losses over the past four seasons, but a change in culture instituted by coach Jay Civetti, as well as ongoing efforts from the administration, may soon spell the end of Tufts’ losing streak. tion the same way: I want to go to Tufts, they wrote, because of coach Civetti and his staff. In three years as head coach, Civetti has lost 24 games. He’s won zero. Trouble Prior to the start of the 2011 season, the football program was in disarray. Civetti had been named interim head coach in January, a few weeks after Bill
Men’s Basketball
Samko’s departure following 17 years at the helm, and problems abounded on and off the field. During the preseason, about 20 players were scrambling for housing after the Delta Upsilon (DU) fraternity had been placed on probation in May. A handful of players were sleeping on common room floors. At the same time, staph infec-
Women’s Cross Country
Jumbos earn bid for NCAA Championship with fourthplace finish at Regionals by
Alex Connors
Daily Editorial Board
Sofia Adams / The Tufts Daily
Tufts men’s basketball took home two definitive victories en route to the Chuck Resler Tournament crown in Rochester, N.Y. in the team’s opening weekend of play.
Tufts starts season with victory at Chuck Resler Tournament by Jake Indursky
Daily Editorial Board
The men’s basketball team came away as tournament champions from its season-opening
MEN’S BASKETBALL (2-0 Overall, 0-0 NESCAC) at Rochester, N.Y., Saturday Tufts 47 49 — 96 SUNY Oneonta 27 51 — 78 at Rochester, N.Y., Friday D’Youville Tufts
36 45 — 81 59 54 — 113
see FOOTBALL, page 10
Chuck Resler Tournament, but more importantly, substantiated the towering expectations for a team fighting to solidify its core. Both sophomore center Tom Palleschi, whose college basketball career recently ended due to a heart condition, and junior guard Ben Ferris, last year’s leading scorer who is sidelined with an injury, were missing over the weekend. Yet the Jumbos ran away with the tournament, winning their two games by an average of 25 points. Tufts’ successful showing can be attributed to the amount of time the team put in during the offseason to prepare. “I think it comes down to
practice — getting everybody into practice and knowing what they needed to do,” sophomore forward Zach Roswald said. “We worked really hard these first couple of weeks before the season.” Senior tri-captain Kwame Firempong also credits the team’s willingness to play together and do whatever they had to do to replace Palleschi and Ferris. “Missing Tom and Ben, we had this ‘next guy up’ mentality,” Firempong said. “We know everybody on the team is not necessarily able to do what those see MEN’S BASKETBALL, page 11
The women’s cross country team placed fourth at the NCAA Regional Championship meet on Saturday in Goreham, Maine, earning a bid for the National Championship for the first time since 2011. Falling short of NESCAC rivals Williams and Middlebury, as well as MIT, the Jumbos’ 134-point total placed the team fourth in the 53-team field. “Going into the race we knew that we realistically could finish third, fourth or fifth,” senior Molly Mirhashem said. “We wanted to make sure we got into the top five, because that’s what we needed to secure a nationals bid.” Senior tri-captain Abby Barker finished first for Tufts, placing 12th overall with a time of 21:39. Sophomore Audrey Gould was right on her heels, finishing 13th with a time of 21:40. Crossing the line next for the Jumbos was sophomore Olivia Beltrani, who finished 19th overall with a time of 21:50. Senior tri-captain Lauren Creath along with Mirhashem rounded out the scoring for the Jumbos, placing 42th and 48th, with times of 22:23 and 22:32, respectively. “Going into a race like Regionals, there’s a lot of pressure,” Mirhashem said. “If we didn’t qualify, it would’ve been my last race ever, so I knew I needed to give it everything I had, and that’s what I did.” Some of the team’s success can be linked to strong encour-
agement from supporters at the meet. The large group of students that made the trip from Tufts to Gorham served as inspiration for the runners. “They were an amazing source of energy,” Mirhashem said. “No other team had a support network like that. It contributed significantly to us doing so well.” With Williams and Middlebury earning the two automatic NCAA Championship bids from the region, the Jumbos had to wait until Sunday to find out whether they would be returning to the meet. The team received the good news on Sunday, having been awarded one of the 16 atlarge bids given out nationwide. Brandeis and MIT were also awarded at-large bids. The team finished behind MIT, missing third place by just seven points. “Coming in only seven points behind the No. 4-ranked MIT will definitely only incentivize us more for this upcoming weekend,” Beltrani said. “We’re definitely hungry to take down MIT,” Mirhashem added. “They didn’t beat us by much, and we haven’t had our best race yet.” The NCAA Championship meet will take place on Saturday in Hanover, Ind. For the Jumbos, the team goal is to give the race everything they’ve got. “For Nationals, I’d like to continue racing alongside my teammates and demonstrate see WOMEN’S XC, page 11